Hi, I am new to the world of music composition. I am currently exploring 8-bit art (graphics and music) and cannot find much information in particular about music. I designed a few music samples (I think that's what you would call them since they're short) and uploaded them here in hope that perhaps a fellow artist in this field can help me understand it better. I am not sure if I want to hire a composer for my project (tight budget) so I gave this a try.

About the samples: I made them with Linux MultiMedia Studio (chose for its open and cross platform capabilities) along with a few VSTs, Peach and Magical 8-bit Plug to get the retro feel. My goal is to sound as close to the NES as possible. The game itself is suppose to be a dark, gloomy, apocalyptic theme. For some reason, their file sizes are huge. If anyone has some insight in fixing this in LMMS (whenever I toggle the compression details it spits out something that doesn't play on a normal media player).

Also, does anyone know of any sites geared specifically toward 8-bit music composition? A C&C forum would be ideal, but I can deal with tutorials and various other reading material.

Hello there,
8-bit music is quite a niche, if you enter "Chiptune" into Google you'll find lots of sites and forums.
I'm not an expert on that, but I can tell you it's quite a "geeky" thing if you do it right (not in a derogative sense, of course). My brother over at umlautgames is in the middle of programming a synthesizer emulating an OPN2 chip for their next game. I screwed around with it a bit and it's pretty hard to produce sounds like the wizards at Sega used to, let alone without being an FM synthesis specialist... but I digress, that's 16-bit era anyway.

Regarding your samples, you got the right direction soundwise, although I must say it doesn't sound much like music to my ears, no offense!
What I was trying to say above was: the best way to sound like an NES is to look what the NES audio chip was capable of, and that wasn't very much compared to what you could do with any free synthesizer plugin. There's two pulse waves with only 16 different volume levels, one triangle wave with a fixed volume, one white noise channel and one 6-bit (!) DPCM channel. Some game cartridges added audio features, I think. I say use your search engine of choice for the exact specifications, make a template in your DAW with those specifications (put a Bitcrusher on samples) and off you go.

Regarding your samples, you got the right direction soundwise, although I must say it doesn't sound much like music to my ears, no offense![/quote]

No offense taken! I'm very new at this, and honestly, I don't have a rhythm beat in my body. But seriously, they're too short anyway.

There's two pulse waves with only 16 different volume levels, one triangle wave with a fixed volume, one white noise channel and one 6-bit (!) DPCM channel. [/quote]

I think this is where I get screwed up and lost. I understand the pattern differences between said waves, but there's not really wave options in LMMS (that I can see anyway) and I'm unsure how to separate the channels if doing so. Also not sure what 6-bit DPCM means either. Maybe somebody that uses LMMS can explain this a bit more clearer on how to? I'll read up on this stuff, but this is where I cannot find information too well on Google.

Some game cartridges added audio features, I think. I say use your search engine of choice for the exact specifications, make a template in your DAW with those specifications (put a Bitcrusher on samples) and off you go. [/quote]

I'm unsure of the exact specifications to compare to. I want something similar to either/both Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior 4 (which I hear DW4 has additional capabilities, but I have no clue where to start looking for).

Sorry, complete music composing newbie here.

I don't know your Linux DAW or the plugins you used, but Magical 8-bit looks and sounds like it could emulate the NES sounds pretty well. From what I see in their plugin description, you can choose between different waveforms that are quite close to what the NES chip does.

Regarding the DPCM, the NES is capable of playing back samples at a very low resolution. What you could do is download a bit reduction plugin and experiment with it a bit - Togu Audio Line has one for free.

As I wrote earlier, I'm not an expert on this particular topic and there are some freaks out there who actually perform live with modified NES consoles. You're probably better off asking one of those guys! (or maybe there's one here?)

I think 8bc.org is one of the bigger sites about chiptunes, but they're currently down.

I've heard your samples, considered you spent time on them (even if they are just samples) and I started thinking some things. I don't think there's anything like '8-bit music composition' - you can [mostly] always analyze the track and note that it derives from a real style, like jazz, rock, reggae, waltz etc. The theory behind the music will still be the same as any other in the world, it's just the media that's changed (and whatever requirements that come with it, say, looping sections and other technical aspects that do influence the composition). I think it's valid to say '8-bit music composition' if you're in the context of studying how are the samples best used and their expressive qualities, the best way to program them etc.


About learning how to compose. This thought comes to mind: it's a language. Do you know how to speak in Romanian or Japanese? how long do you think it'd take you to be fluent in them (fluent to the level you can write poetry and other artistic material using them)? the same for music. You need to be able to communicate with it. To produce quality material with it takes years of practice.

(Now, what I write here to you I'm writing for myself too, I'm also a student of music. With this in mind, -DISCLAIMER- I'm just a student of music and what follows may or may not be agreed by professionals of the field. Please keep the parts that make sense and discard the ones that don't. Also, since the following is my view on the subject, if anyone disagrees with it, please share! I'm very interested in opinions especially if they come from an experienced background.) 

There's a clear direction you need to take if you want to develop a full track for a level: form and structure. 
Your "musicality" will speak louder if you start implementing themes into your songs, and playing with them. You'll find you can make something sound much more like "actual music" if you do so. Have a main theme and variations, and bind them through other phrases that add more movement and interest to your piece. 
The process of creating themes and harmonizing them is driven by inspiration (always), so we know inspiration has to come first. You can't compose out of nowhere; you need a hero, a setting, a context, an environment to be able to look at, have a feeling about it (or much more importantly and valuable: realize what way you want people to feel about it), then express that through sound. To wisely translate inspiration into music requires from you a lot of experience (repertoire, studies in instrumentation, styles, orchestration\arranging etc.). It's funny, I notice most accomplished composers seem to have started playing an instrument when very young (< 10). Similar to pro tennis-players (they all start playing tennis when young).
Anyway, when you begin producing pieces (like the samples you posted), you won't have this experience at first - you have to start somewhere - so don't be afraid to experiment your way in.

There is really no best way to describe the process (since it's subjective). A possible way:

• Inspiration 1st. Can't compose out of nowhere. Find your inspiration.
• With your instrument, start playing and deciding\finding out the style of music (mambo, house, blues, "beach" etc.), harmony and themes you'll use for the piece. By the use of improvisation you have to come up with original material that sounds the way you want and makes sense. Take your time with this step. Do this preferably far away from a computer so you're not tempted to place any notes on any piano-rolls lying around. Use blank music sheets.
• After you've written all the material you will need, you have to architect it to have form and structure. You can write any additional material you need to bridge gaps, as you most likely will find them somewhere. You should also arrange\orchestrate what you've wrote. Then you can program the piece on your sequencer of choice with the samples you have, giving it the best quantization possible (i.e.: you can't reproduce all the nuances of real physical instruments, so there will be some compromises and wise decisions you'll have to make with those samples). Then mix and master the final output.
  
  Best of luck (to you and me)!
  
  EDIT: Corrected some phrases. English is not my first language but I think I can write poetry with it... 

Thanks for posting Kezigon. You've started to practice composing music, very cool. Now you need a guide.
I'm a composer and sound designer with a fair ammount of experience. Everyone begins by imitating something.

One suggestion is to open a midi file of a favorite song in your sequencer. Then listen to each track by itself(solo).
This will train you to hear each element of music clearly. That helps you make your own tracks clear and effective.
If the song works, it's because each part of it also works. Melody, chords, bass, drums, etc.

This is a good place to search:
http://www.vgmusic.com/

There are several youtube tutorials for GXSCC, that's a simple 8 bit DAW.

After you listen to a song, imitate it as best you can, track by track. Then you develop technique that you can use in your original tunes.


The best is to take guitar or keyboard lessons first, then go to your sequencer. The cross training is awesome.
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