Chiptyun - what is it and what it is eaten with - part one
Funny, but I do not remember more or less recent publications on Habré on this topic.
Well, at least I will try to correct this situation ...
Chiptyune is commonly referred to as musical works that are created in real time using an audio chip (eng. SID, sound interface device) of a computer or a game console — basically, first-generation devices are used. Also, if you look at the wiki, it will tell us that, among other things, chip music is a play on words, because the phrase is congruent with “cheap music” (cheap, inexpensive music), which is due to the fact that the creation of such compositions requires Mental investment, rather than financial.
')
This is mainly due to the killer simplicity of the schemes used at that time - for example, the famous MOS6581, the chip used to synthesize sound in Commodore64 (hi, Machinae Supremacy!), Supported only three tones at the same time, which is why for a person not accustomed to such music, it sounded, to put it mildly, coarsely - however, the purity and smoothness of the composition that during the heyday of chiptune, which now depends entirely on the skill of the musician.
As a rule, the music itself in the chip tune is encoded by writing simple mathematical expressions, which, in fact, set the waves, and add a noise channel to the heap. Thus, it is quite possible to understand that music is created mainly not by placing notes at the mill a la Band-in-a-Box , but by writing a separate, albeit uncomplicated, program; now, however, there is a sufficient amount of specialized software for target platforms that work according to the tracker mechanism - i.e. allow you to arrange samples sequentially.
Chiptyun flourished as such in the mid-eighties, along with the advent of the first massive eight-bit consoles, and at that time the most popular platforms for use were NES and the already mentioned Commodore64.
The first one used the Ricoh 2A03 chip, an eight-bit audio controller that supported the output of two equal channels with the generation of rectangular pulses and a change in the frequency of these, one channel of triangular pulses, which were used as bass instruments and one channel of white noise when creating games for NES. This processor has become one of the most popular on the scene, mainly due to its extensive programming capabilities and relative ease of use.
MOS Technology 6581 (aka 8580) SID, in turn, is a chip, which as such is responsible for the emergence of such a phenomenon as the demoscene. This controller, used in the CBM-II, Commodore64 and Commodore128 at one time became one of the first processors, which began to be widely used in home computers and consoles until they were able to reproduce digital sound on their own. It was developed by the notorious Robert Yannes , who after some time founded Ensoniq, a company specializing in the production of synthesizers, and the first engineering samples were ready five months after the start of work.
Taking into account the experience of Jannes, and then the need to increase the output of audio information, 6581 received very good characteristics for that time - three independent frequency generators with a range of 8 octaves (16-4000 Hz), four different variants of the waveform for each of the generators , multimode filter, ring modulators, and even an eight-bit ADC. All this made the MOS 6581 the most popular and popular processor in the demoscene, and not only - for example, in 1997, Elektron, based in Sweden, released SidStation, a synthesizer based on 6581, which is actively used by some alternative and metal musical groups, such as, for example, already mentioned at the beginning of the topic Machinae Supremacy .
Somewhere from 2005, chip music began to emerge from the shadows of basements, and gradually came to the concept of mainstream - along with veterans like Yerzmyey, Manwe, Gordon Strombola , new, young musicians - she, glomag, Saskrotch gradually began to appear on the scene; as mushrooms after the rain, labels began to appear, targeting just chip and 8bit music - the works of the veteran of this area, 8bitpeoples who entered the market in 1998, finally began to bear fruit; Mass chip-festivals such as the BlipFestival, held in New York, and its European version began to be organized. Even Russia did not stand aside - we began to appear performers who, for once, are not ashamed to be put on a par with Western musicians, which is in terms of technology, that in terms of melody and intricacy.
In addition, it should be noted that now everything is not limited to the old platforms of the end of the last millennium - today chiptune is played on numerous variations of the Gameboy handheld consoles, and on the Nintendo DS, and there is much more to list all the hardware - it’s just meaningless that its spectrum is incredibly wide. Thus, it is possible and necessary to say that the art form that originated over thirty years ago, which I am sure many remembered only thanks to XM-tyuns in keygens, continues to live, is not going to die, and is only preparing to conquer new heights.
By the way, in the future, if it is interesting for habrayusers, I can try to share my experience of using SID chips as musical instruments, as well as provide vivid examples of such self-made kitchen creativity.
8bitpeoples label discography - a large number of 8bit- and chiptune releases released under CreativeCommons
Commodore Computers - the history of Commodore and computers manufactured under this brand, ROMs, etc.
Site Machinae Supremacy , a metal band from Sweden, actively using SidStation in their music
Nectarine Demoscene Radio
Well, at least I will try to correct this situation ...
Chiptyune is commonly referred to as musical works that are created in real time using an audio chip (eng. SID, sound interface device) of a computer or a game console — basically, first-generation devices are used. Also, if you look at the wiki, it will tell us that, among other things, chip music is a play on words, because the phrase is congruent with “cheap music” (cheap, inexpensive music), which is due to the fact that the creation of such compositions requires Mental investment, rather than financial.
')
This is mainly due to the killer simplicity of the schemes used at that time - for example, the famous MOS6581, the chip used to synthesize sound in Commodore64 (hi, Machinae Supremacy!), Supported only three tones at the same time, which is why for a person not accustomed to such music, it sounded, to put it mildly, coarsely - however, the purity and smoothness of the composition that during the heyday of chiptune, which now depends entirely on the skill of the musician.
As a rule, the music itself in the chip tune is encoded by writing simple mathematical expressions, which, in fact, set the waves, and add a noise channel to the heap. Thus, it is quite possible to understand that music is created mainly not by placing notes at the mill a la Band-in-a-Box , but by writing a separate, albeit uncomplicated, program; now, however, there is a sufficient amount of specialized software for target platforms that work according to the tracker mechanism - i.e. allow you to arrange samples sequentially.
Chiptyun flourished as such in the mid-eighties, along with the advent of the first massive eight-bit consoles, and at that time the most popular platforms for use were NES and the already mentioned Commodore64.
The first one used the Ricoh 2A03 chip, an eight-bit audio controller that supported the output of two equal channels with the generation of rectangular pulses and a change in the frequency of these, one channel of triangular pulses, which were used as bass instruments and one channel of white noise when creating games for NES. This processor has become one of the most popular on the scene, mainly due to its extensive programming capabilities and relative ease of use.
MOS Technology 6581 (aka 8580) SID, in turn, is a chip, which as such is responsible for the emergence of such a phenomenon as the demoscene. This controller, used in the CBM-II, Commodore64 and Commodore128 at one time became one of the first processors, which began to be widely used in home computers and consoles until they were able to reproduce digital sound on their own. It was developed by the notorious Robert Yannes , who after some time founded Ensoniq, a company specializing in the production of synthesizers, and the first engineering samples were ready five months after the start of work.
Taking into account the experience of Jannes, and then the need to increase the output of audio information, 6581 received very good characteristics for that time - three independent frequency generators with a range of 8 octaves (16-4000 Hz), four different variants of the waveform for each of the generators , multimode filter, ring modulators, and even an eight-bit ADC. All this made the MOS 6581 the most popular and popular processor in the demoscene, and not only - for example, in 1997, Elektron, based in Sweden, released SidStation, a synthesizer based on 6581, which is actively used by some alternative and metal musical groups, such as, for example, already mentioned at the beginning of the topic Machinae Supremacy .
Chiptyun now
Somewhere from 2005, chip music began to emerge from the shadows of basements, and gradually came to the concept of mainstream - along with veterans like Yerzmyey, Manwe, Gordon Strombola , new, young musicians - she, glomag, Saskrotch gradually began to appear on the scene; as mushrooms after the rain, labels began to appear, targeting just chip and 8bit music - the works of the veteran of this area, 8bitpeoples who entered the market in 1998, finally began to bear fruit; Mass chip-festivals such as the BlipFestival, held in New York, and its European version began to be organized. Even Russia did not stand aside - we began to appear performers who, for once, are not ashamed to be put on a par with Western musicians, which is in terms of technology, that in terms of melody and intricacy.
In addition, it should be noted that now everything is not limited to the old platforms of the end of the last millennium - today chiptune is played on numerous variations of the Gameboy handheld consoles, and on the Nintendo DS, and there is much more to list all the hardware - it’s just meaningless that its spectrum is incredibly wide. Thus, it is possible and necessary to say that the art form that originated over thirty years ago, which I am sure many remembered only thanks to XM-tyuns in keygens, continues to live, is not going to die, and is only preparing to conquer new heights.
By the way, in the future, if it is interesting for habrayusers, I can try to share my experience of using SID chips as musical instruments, as well as provide vivid examples of such self-made kitchen creativity.
Related Links
8bitpeoples label discography - a large number of 8bit- and chiptune releases released under CreativeCommons
Commodore Computers - the history of Commodore and computers manufactured under this brand, ROMs, etc.
Site Machinae Supremacy , a metal band from Sweden, actively using SidStation in their music
Nectarine Demoscene Radio
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/81346/
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