A Square Meal: ‘Mirage Diary’ by scythe

Originally Posted on the ChipWIN Blog on October 17th, 2019.
Edited by Wayne Manselle.

Just lovely, that’s how anyone who has listened to scythe’s music would describe his style if you asked them. His charming melodies and upbeat rhythms enter the ears but go straight to the heart. This quality made his second album ‘Nighty Night Stories’ win the VGMOnline AGMA 2018 for Best Chiptune Album. This time scythe is back with two LSDj and a whole new batch of tunes that will warm our souls and take our minds to explore the wonders and limits of an incredible fantasy. So let’s take a look over ‘Mirage Diary’ by scythe.

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A Square Meal: ‘Insect_Byte’ by 4 for Fake

Originally Posted on the ChipWIN Blog on January 23rd, 2019.
Edited by Aydan Scott.

Mexico is a land of contrasts and, of course, chipmusic is no exception to that. Maybe mostly known because of its raw sound and its so-called ‘iconoclastic nature’, the Mexican chipscene has overcome quite a few setbacks to become what it is now, and it’s given us a couple names to put it on the map. While chipmusic production – at a national level – has been slow in recent years, 2019 left us with an interesting work by one of the most prominent names around here. You may have listened to something by him before – I’m talking about 4 For Fake. Responsible for a vast amount of DMG mods and with a notable musical background, this technological laudator brings to us his first album made entirely in HoustonTracker 2. So let’s take a look at ‘Insect_Byte’ by 4 For Fake.

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A Square Meal: The SOUNDSHOCK Series

Originally Posted on the ChipWIN Blog on November 12th, 2019.
Edited by Wayne Manselle.

Beyond all the glamour and pageantry of the blips & blops, a misunderstood way of making chip music has grown and bloomed away from the spotlight of the scene – yes I’m talking about FM Synthesis. Of course, this is not a complaint, as we say in Spanish: “para gustos los colores”. The point is that, most of the time, a lot of cool things happen under the surface, things that are worth talking about and, from time to time, seem to be buried in the huge mass of crunchy sounds. The album series I’m covering today is not that. I can even say that it’s well known by everyone nowadays, precisely because the intention was –and still is– to direct your attention to the music and techniques used by those incredible musicians. Today I want to go back to one of the greatest compilation series centered on the FM side of the Micro Music, Demoscene, and Chiptune. Apt for newcomers and veterans, it will make you move and ignite the fires of love and interest in this particular approach to chip musicin your soul – hoping the inferno grows so big that it encourages you to search for new music or even make your own. So let’s take a look over the ‘SOUNDSHOCK’ Series by Ubiktune.

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En síntesis: tempo y grooves en DefleMask

Uno de los parámetros básicos que causan más conflicto al momento de iniciarse en el uso de DefleMask es el de la configuración de tempo. Aunque algunos podrían pensar que es un asunto de sentido común, la realidad es que tiene matices un tanto esotéricos; o en un primer momento así pareciera. Aunque el manual ofrece una explicación, esta profundiza poco en el ajuste preciso de esta función. Hoy compartiré lo que sé al respecto para que puedas comprender un poco mejor esta característica. Claro está que siempre se puede hacer un uso más sofisticado mediante la aplicación combinada de técnicas (como el uso de los comandos 9 y D); pero hoy nos centraremos en lo básico.  ¡Vamos a ello!

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Tres álbumes para iniciarse en el chiptune

Si bien es cierto que el chiptune puede ser considerado más una herramienta que un género musical por sí mismo, en ocasiones, la línea que separa dicho instrumento de su pasado en las consolas de juego parece imborrable; casi un estigma. No me malentiendan, es preciso saber de donde vienes para saber a donde vas; pero, con frecuencia, esto hace que se nos encasille en un cliché muy fácil y rápidamente. Por supuesto, un divorcio absoluto tampoco parece ser una respuesta adecuada. Por suerte, en este vasto mundo hay un poco de todo para todos. Es por eso que hoy quisiera compartir tres álbumes que podrían ayudarte a tener una visión más amplia del espectro que puedes encontrar en este emocionante medio. ¡Vamos a ello!

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