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FamiTracker
I come from mainly composing and arranging metal music, and if one were to ask me what are some common techniques within the genre, I would be able to answer it pretty well. It is to my understanding through listening and reading what others have to say that Chiptune and certain metal styles are similar composition-wise. I have found that a lot of my techniques that come from the metal composer in my fit really well in a chiptune setting. I am wondering if there is anything like certain chord progs or just anything composition wise that is a staple in chiptune music? Anything that I should know that I probably don't already, or anything I should be incorporated in my songs? Like... stereotypical techniques almost!
I don't know if this is the kind of answer you're looking for, but in most cases when you're writing chiptunes, channel economy is very important. Unless you're using a chip like the SPC700 (SNES/Super Famicom) or the OPL3 or something with a large amount of channels, you want to make the absolute best use of the small amount of polyphony you're given. Not to toot my own horn, but in my Creepy Crag cover from Plok! (bundled with Famitracker 0.4.0) I was extra careful to make sure none of the channels was having idle time (bar triangle). Might be worth checking out.
My advice is that there's always, always something for a channel to be doing, and unless silence is actually a musical device in your track (or you're forfeiting the DPCM channel), no channel should be idle at any time, at least ideally. Echo, unison, harmonics, harmony... Depending on context, these are all things that that extra channel you're not using could be doing!
As far as chord progressions, counterpoint or any other element of music theory is involved... Music's music. You're not exempt from any rule that exists outside chiptunes, nor bound to anything specific that doesn't exist anywhere else... My answer would be different if you'd asked during the 1980's or early 1990's, because back then chiptunes had to represent something, be it a background tune for a level, a tragic cinematic, a boss battle, etc. Then you have the added limitation of having to create music that suits a certain idea, mood etc. while adhering to a strict polyphony limit (in most cases, including the NES). But nowadays, you're basically free from that burden, so go nuts and make whatever you wish! :)
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That was a fantastic answer. Utilizing every channel and all of its features seems like common knowledge, but it's without a doubt something that I need to consciously think about while writing. Thanks for your input!
[quote=jrlepage]My advice is that there's always, always something for a channel to be doing, and unless silence is actually a musical device in your track (or you're forfeiting the DPCM channel), no channel should be idle at any time, at least ideally. Echo, unison, harmonics, harmony... Depending on context, these are all things that that extra channel you're not using could be doing![/quote]
I wouldn't say "always". But "almost always", certainly. Whenever I have an empty channel, I think about what could go in it. Usually, if I don't want to have harmony, then doubling up the melody either with an echo delay or with slight detuning (using the P81 or P82 command), possibly also with an octave shift, usually does the trick. If you do use the Pxx command, though, remember to reset the tuning to P80 once you start to do something else with the channel.
Also, if you're using expansion chips, I think it's less important to use all the channels all the time, though making minimal use of the expansion may seem a bit silly and too much like cheating.
RE: Composition Techniques Specific to Chiptune?Posted: 2012-09-11 13:56
In addition to channel economy, another thing you'll see in chiptunes is unusual timbre constructions. Naively, you have only four - 12.5% pulse, 25% pulse, 50% pulse and triangle. Aside from playing two different timbres at once in certain intervals, you can do things like:
-Playing one pulse then swapping to another, usually after one frame. Six ways to do this in 2A03.
-Starting at one pitch then swapping to the target pitch. 12 0, 7 0, 5 0, -5 0, -7 0 and -12 0 are all examples. Useful on the triangle channel since it has no other way to designate the 'head' of a note.
-... Or you might jump pitches a bit just after the note's start. 0 0 12 0 12 0
-Cycling through all the timbres. 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 2 2 | 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2. In VRC6 you can ascend/descend the different pulse widths nicely.
-Instead of focusing on the start, focus on the end - one frame before the next note, cut the channel, or swap timbres, or get really quiet, or drop by an octave... Lots of possibilities.
-Same channel echoes. Could take up anywhere from half the instrument time to just one frame before.
-Arpeggios taking up anywhere from two to seven or more pitches, with 1 to 5 frames between pitch changes, ascending or descending, ending abruptly or fading out. Pretty much every way you could think of constructing an arp sounds a bit different.
-Stuttering the sound, e.g. with channel cuts in between.
-Pitch bending into notes or out of notes, upwards or downwards.
-Combinations of any of the above!
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i think a really great non-DPCM technique is to combine squares or triangles with noise to make a stronger drum sound. i don't know why i just find it exceptionally aurally pleasing
RE: Composition Techniques Specific to Chiptune?Posted: 2012-09-11 16:47
[quote=Patashu]In addition to channel economy, another thing you'll see in chiptunes is unusual timbre constructions. Naively, you have only four - 12.5% pulse, 25% pulse, 50% pulse and triangle. Aside from playing two different timbres at once in certain intervals, you can do things like:
-Playing one pulse then swapping to another, usually after one frame. Six ways to do this in 2A03.
-Starting at one pitch then swapping to the target pitch. 12 0, 7 0, 5 0, -5 0, -7 0 and -12 0 are all examples. Useful on the triangle channel since it has no other way to designate the 'head' of a note.
-... Or you might jump pitches a bit just after the note's start. 0 0 12 0 12 0
-Cycling through all the timbres. 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 2 2 | 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2. In VRC6 you can ascend/descend the different pulse widths nicely.
-Instead of focusing on the start, focus on the end - one frame before the next note, cut the channel, or swap timbres, or get really quiet, or drop by an octave... Lots of possibilities.
-Same channel echoes. Could take up anywhere from half the instrument time to just one frame before.
-Arpeggios taking up anywhere from two to seven or more pitches, with 1 to 5 frames between pitch changes, ascending or descending, ending abruptly or fading out. Pretty much every way you could think of constructing an arp sounds a bit different.
-Stuttering the sound, e.g. with channel cuts in between.
-Pitch bending into notes or out of notes, upwards or downwards.
-Combinations of any of the above![/quote]
Man, I wish I could try these out. My laptop battery just died. I'll definatly try these techniques when I get home. Thanks!
A stereotypical technique I've seen (and shamelessly imitated) involving the bassline is to alternate two notes an octave apart in various drum rudiment patterns. These are very easy to loop and are fun to syncopate with the drums. A couple of examples:
[quote=Ares64]i think a really great non-DPCM technique is to combine squares or triangles with noise to make a stronger drum sound. i don't know why i just find it exceptionally aurally pleasing[/quote]
Yes! Composers like Neil Baldwin, Alberto José González and Tim Follin (three of my favourite composers from back in the days) used this technique all the time, and it's indeed very aesthetically pleasing!
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[quote=jrlepage][quote=Ares64]i think a really great non-DPCM technique is to combine squares or triangles with noise to make a stronger drum sound. i don't know why i just find it exceptionally aurally pleasing[/quote]
Yes! Composers like Neil Baldwin, Alberto José González and Tim Follin (three of my favourite composers from back in the days) used this technique all the time, and it's indeed very aesthetically pleasing![/quote]
even so you need to be tricky about how you use the channel you want to use for drums. drum tracks can't be too fast or else it negates the possibility of a coherent bassline being used in that channel
As far as musical stylings go I feel chiptunes are an open book, capable to do any genre, style or sound in an 8-bit form, I personally have Jazz and Ragtime to influence some of my music, and some of its just imitating a style of another chiptuner, To semi-respond/add to Pancho, I like adding a ragtime/waltz bassline sometimes, example:
C-2
C-3
C-3
G-1
C-3/G-3
C-3/G-3
Etc, It is alot of fun as usually is very upbeat, as far as techniques go, listen to everyone else :P
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[quote=DalekSam]I wasn't aware such a diverse "genre" (hint: it's not a genre) has composition techniques.[/quote]
It kind of does, in that you need to think about things you wouldn't otherwise while otherwise implementing the same musical vision. Things like 'Oh, I literally don't have enough open channels to dump in this chord I wanted, I need to figure out how to approximate it or maybe use an arpeggio' or 'I need a cool sounding lead but I can't just dump in a synth, I need to experiment with duty cycle changes or pitch changes or something / otherwise think at a low level'
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bite-sized songs inspired by rhythm game music, in Famitracker: http://soundcloud.com/patashu
