Chip Tune

This page is a stub, it may contain some inaccuracies, the author apologies for this, yet you can contribute if you find such oddities or simply knows a lot on the matter.

Chip Tune is both a continuity from the haydays of music on old 80's personnal computer/consoles and a part of the retro-computer mouvement.

It is also an underground electronic subgenre, or an inspiration in various musical performances.

It started as most computers and consoles featured some sort of sound-chip.

It also evolved as games often featured music and sound effects, thus spawning a generation of professionnal personnal computers musician.

AY-family scene

Amstrad 8 bit computers are part of the AY-family, along the ZX spectrum, most MSX and the Atari ST (which use a YM variant)

It is also to note that many arcade systems or home consoles also included an AY-family chip, as it was cheap and easy.

Most used AY/YM computers

Many computers from the "AY/YM-family" included a MIDI port.

Atari ST (with its YM) is notable for its built-in Midi port, enabling music programation with Q-Base and spawning an entire generation of electronic home-musicians thx to the power of the 16+ bit, and the fun of a decent GUI.

The ZX Spectrum 128 and the amstrad's Spectrum range (+2 and +3) also feature a Midi compatible port thanks to their RS232/Midi port. Of course Amstrad's ZX spectrum +3 is a clever choice as it include Disk drive.

MSX often featured such a Midi port, and were featuring a wide range of sound processors/co-processors :

MSX 1 : General Instrument AY-3-8910 soundchip

MSX2 : Yamaha YM2149 (PSG)

MSX2+ Optional sound chip: Yamaha YM2413 (OPLL) (MSX-Music)

MSX TurboR (3) :
- Sound chip: Yamaha YM2149 (PSG)
- Sound chip: Yamaha YM2413 (OPLL) (MSX-Music)
- Sound chip: PCM
- 8-bit single channel (no DMA), 16 kHz max using BIOS routines.
- Microphone built-in
- Sound chip: MIDI in/out (FS-A1GT only)

It is to notice that MSX computers were released in the USA as music machines instead of home-computers, thus were a niche in the American home computer market.

Amstrad's limitations

Compaired to ZX spectrum 128 specs, the amstrad clearly failed to impose itself on the AY-scene.

It lacks a built-in Midi Port.

as a result, an external peripheral is needed, being somewhat less reliable than a directly built-in connector.

It has heavier graphics.

the 10Ko differences in needed graphic RAM betwen Speccy and CPC makes a lot of difference.

Of course you could manage a better Ram/CPU ressources by disabling the screen display, yet this can't allows the use of the computer as a direct Musical instrument/mixing station.

ZX spectrum 128 and +2 and +3 were all supplied with 128Ko Ram while CPC/Plus ranges still included 64ko Ram computers (464-664).

Despite being quite cheap, the 464 couldn't compete.

As a result, no Chip-Tune bands actually use an Amstrad computer for live performances (but the ZX spectrums from Amstrad...)

This is somewhat of a shame, as the 6128+ would be a good machine for such purpose thanks to it's DMA channels and the possibility to put software on Cartridge/Rom.

Also as most ChipTune bands also feature video projectionsfrom the used computer in Live-performance, the CPC would shine too thx to its somewhat better graphic ability.

Godfathers of chiptunes on CPC

Most of the music programmers from the good old games we played still remain important influances on the scene.

Rob Hubbard
Ben Daglish,
Chris Hülsbeck
Tim Follin
Martin Galway
Jochen Hippel

Despite being mostly C64/SID related, most of them also programed AY ports from their music.

It is good to notice that some of those musicians/programmers actually perform live with other musician, playing their great game-musics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SID80s

AY Chip-Tune Live performances

Many chiptune performances involve one or more retro-computers used alongside traditionnal musical instrument or mixing devices.

Often a video retro-projector (pun) is used too to display video effectd and demos fitting with the music.

Here some exemples of AY live performances.

{{#ev:youtube|4ec57SO2KJU|300}} http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ec57SO2KJU {{#ev:youtube|f2y926Ew_HU|300}} http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2y926Ew_HU {{#ev:youtube|FJM39Jca2x8|300}} http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJM39Jca2x8

Other kind of ChipTune performances

The following exemples are live performances of computer's game classics, yet played on more traditionnal instruments and mostly inspired by C64 versions (yet you may recognise the songs from CPC too...).

{{#ev:youtube|DCPv2F4shug|300}} Deflektor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCPv2F4shug

{{#ev:youtube|8qUc6bTf0W0|300}} Commando

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qUc6bTf0W0

This one is played by a "classical" orchestra, of very popular formula.

Nintendo's Game Boy

Some cartridges and softwares allows to use most of Nintendo's portable consoles as live instrument or Remix effects generators.

Because such consoles are cheap and easy to transport, having an in-built video display, and being iconic of the 8bit or digital era, this is quite popular. {{#ev:youtube|tYBHpN6gSTw|300}} http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYBHpN6gSTw

It is to notice that even a Speak & Spell (Texas Instrument) or any good old retrogame featuring some sort of Sound processor can be turned into a digital instrument.

This is called circuit bending.

Media impact and controversies

The so-called world famous Timbaland (american succesfoul musical producer) was part of a controversy the day he was suited by a finnish Commodore-scener for having ripped entire parts of of one of his song into a Nelly furtado hit. I knew he was a talentless overrated robber. {{#ev:youtube|M4KX7SkDe4Q|300}} http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4KX7SkDe4Q

It is also to note that the SID from C64 is a sought-after vintage electronical chip, and some less scrupulous peoples actually cannibalise C64 units to remove the Sid chip and put it into musical electronic effect racks or PC cards.. {{#ev:youtube|lnTh4e0b-ic|300}} http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnTh4e0b-ic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HardSID

In a way it is better the amstrad is not touched by such phenomenon...