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FamiTracker
Be honest here - who uses Arpeggios because of style who simply because there aren't enough channels to work with?
Many Euro-composers (like Tim Follin) use arpeggios excessevely and they sound gorgeous if used right.
I personally only use arps if there's absolutely no other way than waste precious channels. I can't quite put my finger on it, but for some reasons, my arpeggios always sound rather crude and unnatural.
So here I wanted to ask for general direction for me and everyone who tries and use arps more frequently: How to make these darn things sound smooth?
I have tried making them two frames per note long (i.e. "| 0 0 12 12" and constantly changing the duty cycle (i.e "| 0 0 1 1 2 2 1 1" plus using volume envelopes. But nothing sounds quite the way I'd like it to be. The only good arp I've got going was an orchestral hit done with the VRC6 in my [url=http://famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=5848]X vs Zero cover. But that's because this chip has more duty cycles and this special arp is rather short.
Thanks for help and have a good day
- Alex
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Yes, but what I think Alexander here is referring to are very quick arpeggios that let you pull off baseline chords like in [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9uWnr5oF8A]Asterix. Using long arpeggios strings like you mentioned sound nice, but it's an entirely different thing.
By the way, Alexander, if I were you I'd pop open an Asterix .NSF and play it reaaal slow to get a feel for how our European friends pulled it off.
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Hey, check out my [url=http://famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=5932]music thread!
Constructive criticism welcome!
My favcourite Gameboy-soundtrack is Obélix for the GB / GBC
I've already imported it into Famitracker using GBS Import, but those are usually pretty short arps and the one I'm in need of right now is a long background-arp. Same thing with NES-Asterix.
By the way, everyone liking Eurostyle really sould give this [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0jYSwvFlkw&list=PL4E49455C4D9237A6]underrated masterpiece a listen ^.^
PS European friends? Maybe look @ my location? :D
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The purpose of a programming language is to protect the computer against the programmer.
You want good examples of arps done right? Check out [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA]this, [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkYC9AhMLgw]this, [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhDC-VStQmU]this and [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzlQNgke9Ps]this.
And finally, [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZSF67F948]one from the C64.
Something to consider in that case is what kind of chords you want to cram into an arpeggio. It's much more natural if you do more than just major (047) and minor (037) triads, and instead use inversion for a nice transition. Then again, who's stopping you from using arpeggiated seventh chords or more?
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"im going to continue making this crazy stuff then after a while my style will be so sick that you will be like damn suuun that shit is so sick i dont even get it. i will be like bro its ok.. you dont have to." -omgdonut
My only advice is that you should try to use as few channels as possible. You should try using something like 2A03, N163 (1-channel) or FDS, because it might be easier to pull it off. Using multiple channels for arps is cool, but it's risky that it will become a big mess.
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[quote=]Be honest here - who uses Arpeggios because of style who simply because there aren't enough channels to work with?[/quote]
I will sometimes have two free channels and use one for the arp and a 2nd for an echo on that arp, or even an octave/duty cycle difference.
One thing I like to do is add additional octaves into the chords and play with self inserting them in different arrangements.
An easy example would be a major chord.
Step A; basic
| 0 4 7
Step B; figure out one octave up
| 12 16 19
Step C; figure out two octaves up
| 24 28 31
Step D; place all entries from first column
| 0 12 24 ......
Step E; same for other columns, now in succesion
| 0 12 24 4 16 28 7 19 31
Step F; do a sort of single channel echo and move over every 3rd entry by 3
| 0 XX 24 4 xx 28 7 xx 31
will become
| 0 19 24 4 12 28 7 16 31
And basically keep playing with octaves and positioning. Also, keeping a macro sequence on the duty cycle helps too. Moreso if they don't have a small lowest common denominator in size. Like the above arp has 9 steps so use a duty cycle macro like |0 0 1 1 2 2 1 1
Though to be honest I hardly use straight triads without some other added note.
As for volumes I do highly value rainwarrior's suggestion to "never have arpeggios with a straight volume" and always use an Axy effect. Though I think I generalize that and just make sure you are aware of how grating a straight volume is. I think the voluming should depend one the context of the song
I actually use arpeggios alot (Some of you have read my thread :3) And I used to have gigantic trouble with arpeggios as well, but I got the jist of it after a bit. So I think I can help a bit:
First. Unless you're Jeroen Tel, slow arps sound kinda bad IMO (Except the Follin's work, it works there) and I know how to make good slow arps. 1) have the instrument type changing constantly. I recommend doing: 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 and 2) I recommend doing a speed of 2 numbers per note, like this: 7 7 2 2 0 0 7 7 2 2 0 0 7 7 2 2 0 0 (This is actually the EXACT arpeggio that Jeroen Tel uses in Robocop 3.)
Second. I also recommend using very fast arpeggios, like Neil Baldwin or Alberto Gonzalez. Because it creates a greater illusion of chords, and it sounds and flows beautifully. Also have the instrument type here changing constantly. Like so: 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 for example.
Another thing that euro-composers often do is to have a "kick" at the beginning of their notes, which looks like this: (Arpeggio: 12 0) This is used to make notes more distinguishable from each other. I used it alot here: [url=]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk5Sq5vFOKQ Alberto was the absolute master of this trick, I recommend listening to his Smurfs NES soundtrack. While some composers, like Neil Baldwin, sometimes used what I like to call a "Negative kick," where he would have a type 2 instrument and use a negative number as the kick (Although when I try to do it, I can't get it to sound right. I'll keep tinkering around with it.)
Another thing: Euro composers often do not use DPCM as percussion (although I do.) What I have attached is an FTM that shows how to get DPCM-like percussion without using actually DPCM. It uses a combination of the triangle wave and the noise function. Have the Triangle wave create a small kick, which will serve as the drum's kick. Then, have some white noise play at the same time, which will serve as the drum's decay. Neil Baldwin was the absolute master of this on NES. This trick was also used on C64.
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...No wait, that's not how it goes.
[quote=Xiphos2000]Another thing: Euro composers often do not use DPCM as percussion (although I do.) What I have attached is an FTM that shows how to get DPCM-like percussion without using actually DPCM. It uses a combination of the triangle wave and the noise function. Have the Triangle wave create a small kick, which will serve as the drum's kick. Then, have some white noise play at the same time, which will serve as the drum's decay. Neil Baldwin was the absolute master of this on NES. This trick was also used on C64.[/quote]
Yes, that one is pretty well known. I often use the Triangle in combination with a fixed arpeggio so I can still use it as a melodic channel. As soon as there's also a noise percussion, you almost won't notive the missing frames in the bassline.
Plus, thank you very much for your arpeggio techniques Like I reviewed on your soundtrack, your arps use very good duty cycle modulation.
and constantly changing the duty cycle (i.e "| 0 0 1 1 2 2 1 1"
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Just copy this into your search bar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk5Sq5vFOKQ