Best of Chip 6/17

I'm not a big punk rock guy, but I do like the Ramones, and I like chiptune covers of things.

Best of Chip 6/8 A first time...

Here is a second Best of Chip, since I've slacked off on posts for the last couple of days. There's been a whole lot of "first chiptune" posts on YouTube. Here is one of the better ones.

Seeing the little 8-bit screen used for the video reminds me that I would like to at some point actually make proper videos of some sort, to add some visual entertainment to the music.

Best of Chip 6/8 More sleepless music!

More stuff from Jakeamon94, this time sent to me directly. Nice progression of beats, and of course as a product of a 3am "jam" it does have the same "audio diary" effect that his last piece has.

YouTube Chipsters, here is the deal: you subscribe to my channel, send me tips, and I'll do my best to hit you up here! Hopefully I can build a little community here. And of course if you appreciate all of that by all means hit the tip jar or buy something from me :-)

Best of Chip 6/5

Sometimes I pick a best of chip because the song is terrific (actually, all of my Best of Chips have to be good songs in some form or another). Sometimes because it is a cover of a game I like, or because I like the instrumentation.

What makes this one from Jakeamon94 today's Best of Chip is his amusing intro text. Apparently he didn't think sleeping was a good idea on particular night, so he make some chip music. He thinks it is pretty bad, and while maybe reflecting a certain "stream of consciousness," it doesn't sound bad to me at all.

Best of Chip 6/1

Today we have a pretty cool Beatles arrangement from someone uploading their very first chiptune! Hopefully this will get the arranger a lot of views.

Some authentic NES chiptunes to chew on

So right on the heels of my discussion of my methods versus others, one of my YouTube subscribers, CrashNicker, sent me link to a NSF (NES Sound File), I assume for inclusion in my running "Best of Chip" feature. Since it is a file, not a YouTube clip, I can't show it to you here, so here are download links for it:


NSF File Link

Link to various NSF file players

Best of Chip 5/28

Fellow best of chipper Srjl sent this track to me for a Best of Chip nod. There is a reason why the Gameboy is one of the most prolific devices for chiptune composing: it sounds awesome (well, ok, it is also super portable and easy to use for live shows, that certainly helps).

In this video we can actually see the "tracker" software doing its thing. The piece really picks up at 1:47, after a long, epic intro!

 

Best of Chip 5/25

We continue to search out YouTube for the very best chip music I can find there. This is a tune by Francis Hall, who describes it as "cheesey" in his description. Nope, I think I prefer "sentimental!"

This is the kind of chip music I prefer, I think; songlike, with good clear melodic structures and super warm 8 bit sounds (that I sorely miss, since I'm still writing with Genesis sound emulators at the moment).

I'd say this track is probably one of the finer YouTube chiptunes I've come across in awhile. Very nice!

Best of Chip 5/24

Here is one from the "dance/house/techno" set. This is for obvious reasons the most represented style in the world of chiptunes it seems, but when its done well (with solid melodic hooks and a good mixture of beats and intensity levels) it works very well, as in this example. Super warm sounds too!

Best of Chip 5/18

I posted a Mario Galaxy chiptune earlier, and I think this might be the same track. Hearing the warm tones he gets makes me want to use what he is using! I'm currently working with Genesis emulators at the moment, and while there are cool sounds to be had there, I miss the warmth of the NES soundchip.

Best of Chip 5/14

Chosen because my wife likes Evanescence :-) Nice job with the vocal inflections!

Best of chip 5/6

Best of chip 4/30

One difference I have with many chiptune composers out there (that I suspect comes from my musical training and background) is that I tend to write things based on classical song structures; i.e. my tunes usually have a melody, followed by a counter melody, and maybe a bridge and chorus (something like ABA or ABBA for your classical music nerds out there). These same forms are very common throughout pop music as well (verse - chorus - verse).

Most chiptune peeps write things that are much more akin to typical electronic dance music; they focus on texture and melody more than harmony, so your typical original chiptune tends to be modal (uses one underlying harmony), with a repeating melody. In this, the average chiptune enthusiast is also quite different than the composers who inspired them from the video game world, which is why chiptunes like mine are sometimes referred to as "VGM" ("video game music"). To me, calling something "VGM" is a shorthand way of saying, "your stuff sounds like a song."

This isn't a value judgment on the modal, textural stuff. In fact, I'm going to use an example of this style of composing for today's best of chip. Listen for the really neat break beat thing at about 25 seconds in:

Best of Chip 4/29

This is from a Japanese artist, I think, called K-On? Not entirely sure, but I dig it.

Best of chip 4/28/10

I need to have features like this guy does, so people will think this blog is sweet, and therefore buy my stuff. So here's one I think I can maintain. I cruise around YouTube looking for cool chiptune stuff to comment on, so I'd like to take a moment to feature some interesting music and artists out there:

Dolorean Transit Chips it up with a piece from the FREAKING AWESOME Super Mario Galaxy Soundtrack: