http://famitracker.com/
Want to make real chiptunes and not those fake and awful-sounding MIDI conversions people put up on YouTubez all the time that require no effort whatsoever? FamiTracker is the program for you!
It's a tracker that emulates real NES/Famicom/FDS sound hardware as well as many on-cartridge sound expansions such as Konami's VRC6 chip. It's really easy to use and get into and if you've got a musical background, even better!
Let's me and you help put a stop to poopy MIDI conversions that people take credit for "making" (and making your own all-new tunes would be great too!)
I began using the program about a year ago and have mostly just done covers of some game tunes I enjoy (I'm not the world's greatest composer), so these should give you a good idea of what you'd want real NES-style chiptunes to sound like.
I tend to do my covers by ear, so some inconsistencies may occur as well as adding my own bits of flavor here and there.
Mega Man 9 - Galaxy Man's Stage Theme
One of my first few cover attempts. The MM9 tunes aren't actually composed with NES limitations, so I took a shot at giving it the business.
Gradius III - Mechanical Base
I wanted to take an SNES tune and NES-ize it trying to emulate the "Konami style" used in their NES games. The sampled orchestral hits are a bit hit or miss now that I listen to it again.
Ninja Gaiden Shadow - Stage 1 (GameBoy)
I wanted to take a GameBoy track and give it a bit more zazz, so I tried for a Ninja Gaiden II NES-style.
Chrono Trigger Opening
Probably the most ambitious cover I ever tried and the least NES sounding of the bunch. I sampled CT's timpanis and used Konami's VRC6 chip for the first time for some extra square waves.
Atomic Runner Stage 1
I'm likely the only person who cares about this game. I wanted to shrink the Genesis/Arcade original theme down to NES standards and I tried to emulate Data East's original NES style.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Lava Reef Act 1
Worked on this one with a friend and I really love how it turned out. Also uses Konami's VRC6 expansion for added melodies.
Touhou - Necro Fantasy (Ran's Theme)
Nothing too fancy, just "Hey I should do one of them there Toohoo musics." The last portion of the song wasn't covered because I didn't like the super high notes on square waves killing my ears.
Soooo...yeah... NES Music! Make some!
Connect With Us