Comments on: Blast Off Forever

Blast Off Forever

jake — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:31:03 -0800

Since there's a chiptune thread going on, I figured I'd show y'all that Game Boys don't have all the fun! Here's one of the tracks I performed at last year's Blip Festival, written under the constraints of the Neo Geo arcade system -- very much a classic "chiptune" machine, even though it featured snazzy FM synthesis and limited PCM waveform data.

I love FM synthesis more than almost anything -- from pop albums to today's phone ringtones, it's all around us, but too often overlooked as a fascinating way to generate sound. It's challenging to program good instrument patches with, but the timbre is so rich that it's worth it. If you're interested in getting into this kind of stuff yourself, or just want to read more about it, I've collected a ton of links to interesting articles and sites (and even forums) that specialize in FM stuff. Enjoy!

By: jprind

jprind — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:10:24 -0800

Rad! That thread actually reminded me to go back and find a previous tune of yours.
I will go dig around in your links when I am not at work.

By: Mister Cheese

Mister Cheese — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:42:22 -0800

Awesome. I was just about to complain in that thread that there weren't enough chiptunes in Music. Oh man, I'm hitting up those links after work.

By: lekvar

lekvar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:50:26 -0800

FM synthesis is like black pepper. When used in the right amounts it makes everything better, but too much and the whole concoction becomes unpalatable.

This tune is delicious.

By: AppleSeed

AppleSeed — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:31:44 -0800

Greatness.

By: danb

danb — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:50:52 -0800

Man, this is awesome. Great FM synth sounds, a fun composition, and there's a section in 7. Be still my heart!

By: RokkitNite

RokkitNite — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:26:54 -0800

Oh you awesome. This reminded me of the music off Carrier Air Wing - which is a Good Thing.

By: Jofus

Jofus — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:10:33 -0800

Holy shit, this is just the best damn thing ever - the synth horns! the harmonies! the transitions! the timing shifts! the brief diversion into Zappa world at 2:35!

I JUST WEE'D A LITTLE BIT!

By: booticon

booticon — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:36:00 -0800

Epic.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:07:47 -0800

It's so exciting I can't stand it. This will be the soundtrack for when I put on my ninja suit, climb into my giant robot, and fly across the city.

By: Popular Ethics

Popular Ethics — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:25:24 -0800

Turns out this IS the perfect song for blasting space aliens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyxolArsE78

By: mkn

mkn — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:22:49 -0800

Oh shit it's virt. Awesome.