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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jun 18, 2017 12:47:34 GMT -5
Alright, cool. I had a look at Milkytracker now and it distinguishes between instruments and samples, but from what I've gathered the instruments are also samples (in .xi files). Not sure if the typical tracker effects (slides, vibrato, arpeggio etc) can be used on both categories or just the instruments.
I'm mainly interested in game tracks for this page though.
Edit: this series explains things pretty well so nevermind:
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Post by condroid on Jun 18, 2017 14:12:38 GMT -5
On the Amiga there are two different approaches to this: 1) Use of small single-cycle waveforms as samples in a regular tracker (so basically what Weasel describes above) 2) Using a dedicated synth tracker. One popular example is AHX, which is build around the capabilities of the SID chip and the instruments are defined as a set of parameters (not samples). AHX music essentially sounds like a 4-channel C64, and that same method was used in other music software as well producing similar results. The only surefire way to identify such music (case 2) is to look at the sound driver that was used in the game/demo. This isn't as easy as it sounds though, as there are a lot of obscure custom formats that are not very well documented, and some of them even use a mix of samples and synthesized instruments. How it sounds is not a good indicator as the two methods mentioned above can produce very similar results. I'm not hugely familiar with the IIGS music scene - most of it sounds sample-based - but technically the system had the same capabilities and would support synthesized instruments (like any PCM-based sound chip really).
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jun 18, 2017 14:49:19 GMT -5
AHX seems cool too and that track sounds great for what it is. Was it used for any games that you know? But it also strikes me as not using the Paula chip to its fullest. Wouldn't it be possible to have a software that emulates several chips at once, and also lets you put some samples in the mix?
Yeah it seems like a bit of a hassle. I thought AIIGS might be a good chip to add next since the library is relatively small at 208 games, but I'll probably do Amiga instead since it's easier to find the good stuff and I'm familiar with a lot of the music. Perhaps after Pokey (Atari 8-bit) which I've also looked at a bit in the past few days.
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Post by condroid on Jun 18, 2017 15:54:56 GMT -5
AHX seems cool too and that track sounds great for what it is. Was it used for any games that you know? But it also strikes me as not using the Paula chip to its fullest. Wouldn't it be possible to have a software that emulates several chips at once, and also lets you put some samples in the mix? The term chipmusic was originally coined (and used exclusively) for this sub-genre of synthetic Amiga music: i.e. anything that sounded like it was made with the SID chip. Does it use the Amiga to its fullest potential? No, certainly not, but that wasn't exactly the point. Why are there still 1000s of musicians making SID, tracker, or FM music today? It's just a stylistic choice, nothing else. There is synthetic music software on the Amiga that can use samples as well, e.g. SIDmon, which was also used in a few games. The Venom Wing soundtrack is a pretty good example for synth+samples using this sound driver. AHX came a bit later when the Amiga gaming market had already dried up so it was mostly used for demos.
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jun 18, 2017 18:21:48 GMT -5
Well sure, but the definition changed to any retro synth-based chip music and samples were a part of it on C64 and earlier as well. The page is mainly about pushing each chip to its full potential, so how well a more advanced chip can emulate a simpler one is lower priority. It's been a balance act at times since the early sample focused stuff is impressive in a different way. Personally I tend to like a combo of synths and samples with an emphasis on the former the best, and of course the distinct qualities of primitive synth music are in focus and why I wanted to make the page. It's also why I'm asking about all this when deciding on the next chip/platform.
Venom Wing sounds great, thanks.
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jun 20, 2017 13:58:51 GMT -5
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Post by backgroundnoise on Jun 20, 2017 17:43:06 GMT -5
My mistake. I assumed it only supported Adlib sound effects. What threw me off is that the music card option in the settings is referred to as MIDI and the music card selection menu was buried under an additional sub menu. Yes, it does have FM synth music, except for the wasteland terrain, which is silent.
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jun 20, 2017 18:03:26 GMT -5
No worries, that's cool that it does. Would love to hear it if you have a link or can upload.
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jun 25, 2017 18:24:51 GMT -5
Added a page for the POKEY (Atari 8-bit) chip: minirevver.weebly.com/pokey-atari-8-bit.htmlIf you enjoy MSX, ST and SMS PSG chiptunes, you'll probably like this one. Also updated the NES page a bit, so now it includes every known game using an audio expansion.
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jul 2, 2017 12:59:02 GMT -5
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jul 5, 2017 12:34:50 GMT -5
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jul 10, 2017 20:58:17 GMT -5
I've added a Roland MT-32 page: minirevver.weebly.com/mt-32-music.htmlA bit tricky to find good sources to link to for it and there's a bunch of OSTs not on YT yet, guess it was always kind of niche.
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jul 12, 2017 12:16:46 GMT -5
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Post by Weasel on Jul 13, 2017 21:43:02 GMT -5
I've added a Roland MT-32 page: minirevver.weebly.com/mt-32-music.htmlA bit tricky to find good sources to link to for it and there's a bunch of OSTs not on YT yet, guess it was always kind of niche. Oh geez, I hadn't been keeping track of this thread, but thank you! There's a lot of good picks in here and I'll be going through them tonight.
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Jul 14, 2017 6:11:40 GMT -5
You're welcome, there's always room for improvement. I've listened to a couple of tracks from each OST for the most part, but if there's a hidden gem among less impressive tracks then I veer towards focusing on the exception for the ranking.
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