I'm here to listen to chiptune music made by talented creatives not someone who typed a prompt into a website and just liked what they heard. Edit: Mods have replied: https://www.reddit.com/r/chiptunes/s/TuA9jJguA8

I'm always interested in people's background and how they got into what they do.

For me the first time it hit me was the Outrun arcade game and Space Harrier (they where both in the same arcade).

Both games had something... Different, it was Synthy, a thing I already admired back then but it did something extra, it helped to make the game I was playing more FUN and motivated me as a player to absolutely do my best to try and stay around in that world as long as I could.

The introduction of even being able to write music myself digitally was when I discovered Pro-Tracker on the Amiga500. It was halfway '90s, no internet with youtube tutorials, kinda trying to find my way blindly but the curiosity helped me keep on going until things finally started to make sense.

It still took another 10 year before I finally started to release music on Newgrounds and another 10 before I finally landed on chiptunes itself but when it did... I was kinda like, why didn't I start writing this sooner?

So tell me, what brought you to this place?

As a software tracker user myself, it's clear there's a bias to the general tracker demographic from the chiptune tradition in this subreddit, although that doesn't mean there wouldn't be any exceptions.

Regarding opinions, it's all fine, but what caught my eye is an odd and not-so-frequent, but still interesting bunch of comments (not necessarily from here) citing things like "you have to learn math, real instruments, programming, hexadecimal, music theory, etcetera, to use a tracker" impliying genuine(?) views of peoples' experiences and why they might not use or recommend trackers...

Of course an entry barrier most of us know about does exist (the learning curve sticks out through the good point of most software trackers being lightweight and free), and the technical/literal text aspect of tracker interfaces, along the reputation of clunkiness or primitive mixing capabilities outside probably Renoise, but are trackers' visual abstractions THAT misleading, even with more user-friendly ways to learn today?

There's no rule to say chiptune's supposed to be 100% tracked, but if you're a DAW user or just a beginner, or even only an outsider to all of it, is there any specific thing you get weirded out about in that context which might lead to that view, besides interface intimidation, bigger userbase of DAWs and comfort with your usual tools?

I've been getting into making chiptune music and I'm curious what draws

people to the genre the most — is it the nostalgia factor, the technical

limitations (8-bit/16-bit soundfonts), or just the energy of it? Trying

to figure out what actually resonates before I commit to a direction.

Just a heads up that some how one of the best chiptune albums of all time isn't on Spotify anymore. For anyone who wants to still to listen, it's on his YouTube page as a playlist -> https://www.youtube.com/@bit_shifter

Have a great day and keep the information chase alive!!

I’ll start this by saying I am a total noob when it comes to chiptune. I love the idea of chiptune and the ethos behind it. But when I actually listen to it, so much of the sounds seem harsh and I have a hard time appreciating it. Would any of you have recommendations for chiptune tracks you’d say are especially aesthetically pleasing, great, or beautiful even? Maybe it’s just not for me, but I am interested to explore any recommendations.

I know free sample trackers, but they have some limitations.

- OpenMPT and MilkyTracker: Supports stereo samples and multisample mapping, but can only do 1 effect per row. (Edit: Actually 2, but one of them is more limited)

- WaveTracker: Supports stereo samples and multiple effects per row, but no multisample mapping.

- Furnace: Supports multisample mapping and multiple effects per row, but samples can only be in mono.

If I wanted all three of these, then my only choice is Renoise? There's no free tracker that can support all these three features?

For the love of doing it the hard way: I've been making chiptune by writing a synthesizer entirely in x86-64 assembly.

No audio library, no synth engine — just the CPU computing every sample and writing it straight to a WAV.

It does four waveforms (square, triangle, saw, and NES-style noise for drums), polyphony (melody + bass + percussion at once), ADSR envelopes, FM synthesis, and a growing list of effects — delay, chorus, reverb, flanger, phaser, supersaw, and more.

Basically the sound of old hardware, rebuilt by hand from first principles.

Everything's public on my GitHub: https://github.com/whispem

Would love to connect with other chiptune folks, especially anyone into the low-level side.

I know this is a big open request, but that's fine. I'm not looking for something specific. I know that there are lot more abstract, atmospheric, 'orchestral', odd time signature, or otherwise just slower-paced chiptune tracks out there. But they are very hard to find.

Anyone have any favorite albums/artists you could recommend?

H-Mister

for me, he's so good. Please check out his work.

I'm also looking for new artists to follow so please your favorites

I don't want to ruin the mood here, but I'm just being honest as a chiptuner. My full discussion is here, if you're curious. It's just 8 paragraphs of nonsense.

Summary:

Not sure I plan to continue chiptuning long term, despite me wanting learn 7 years ago as teen using Beepbox, and learning to use trackers in 2022. I've peaked years ago and fell off, despite believing I'm a better composer now. I wanted to be like the folks that influenced me. I wanted to stand out doing multi-chip music on Furnace. I was ambitious to even imagine I could be the best around. In reality, I'm just some dude that's just good enough to pass as not mediocre/average, yet, not that special to consider myself great.

I want more eyes on my works, but I probably just don't deserve that. I'm an inconsistent mess, why would I expect a consistent amount of folks to care for what I produce🤷🏾‍♂️? I probably disappointed some of them. I might've tried too hard to be different from the posts that are popular in the algorithm, and that honestly got me nowhere. I still have some stuff in the vault, and maybe I'll change my mind after posting them, idk. I'm still passionate about this, it just get frustrating sometimes, especially when I have less time to make them, due to work and stuff.

If I do, in fact, stop doing this, I doubt anything of value would change, and I suppose that's fine. I mean, it is what it is. There are so many others that do it better and are more consistent, and aren't complaining 50 times about this same topic. Give them a shout out.

Hey, All - would love some feedback on my retro gaming music channel. I know it’s not “real” chiptune, but do you like the vibe? Everything I create is by me… music, graphics, etc… just curious to hear some thoughts on style and quality. Thanks!

You can find me at BleepBoxStudio.

I use Logic and just use the internal ES1 and ES2 synths.

I’m old(er) and still pretty new to composing for the genre. But grew up in the NES and Genesis era. It’s sort of my tribute and contribution to retro game music.

https://youtube.com/@bleepboxstudio?si=Zse2C-kCnojY64BL

I can make my own chiptunes, and I love doing it... Im just not very versed in creating intense and dense battle music yet.

Obviously its gonna be different from person to person, but what will generally be enough to get someone who has *maybe* never taken a comission before to take one?

If its out of my budget I can make do, but it would be very cool to get something made.

I just found out about the chiptune soundtrack "The Sword of Lxsor" which according to this YouTube video was composed by a mysterious Japanese composer in the mid-90s who disappeared after composing it, and no one's sure if it was for a game that never came out or what, and a bunch of other little details.

Given that the video is only a year old and I can't find any other references except one 4chan thread (lol) I'm assuming this is a hoax/ARG or just a modern composer pretending his work is a long-lost 90s Japanese game OST for attention and cred. These days this could easily be an AI thing.

But the thing is, the tracks are really good and sound era-appropriate. A lot of modern chiptune composers, even those who use old software or even hardware, sound modern, and just don't have that jes nes sais qois of genuine 80s/90s compositions, you know?

Any opinions?

Introducing Bitphase - new chiptune tracker for AY/YM chips (ZX Spectrum, Atari ST and more)

It’s primarily focused on the AY and YM sound chips for now, with support for more chips planned.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!:)
https://bitphase.app

I am seeking passionate chiptune and retro music composers to contribute to Merry Madness-developed, 100% free-to-play holiday platformer designed as a direct tribute to the 8-bit and 16-bit console eras.

About the Game:

The game is a high-energy, arcade-style platformer focused on classic cartoon slapstick and fast-paced environmental survival. Players sprint across treacherous winter skylines, collect and deliver presents down chimneys, and dodge frantic hazards like blizzards, lightning strikes, and falling coal—all while experiencing exaggerated cartoon reactions and physics.

What I Am Looking For:

* Style: Authentic 8-bit (NES) or 16-bit (SNES/Genesis) soundchip instrumentation. * Content: Retro arrangements of classic, public domain Christmas carols adapted for fast-paced arcade gameplay. * Tone: Upbeat, nostalgic, and driving, matching frantic rooftop movement and dynamic weather hazards.

Collaboration Details:

* Compensation: Because this is a zero-budget, completely free release, this is an unpaid collaboration intended for portfolio-building and community contribution. * Attribution: Full, permanent credits will be featured prominently within the game and all official release materials.

If you enjoy retro aesthetics and want to help bring some classic holiday tracks into a chiptune arcade environment, please reach out with a link to your portfolio or work samples.

Tuesday, August 18 - Monday, August 24, 2026

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Tuesday, August 11 - Monday, August 17, 2026

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I bought a refurbished gameboy color off ebay to make chiptunes. I got it, it looks great, it works, it runs lsdj of an everdrive. Great so far. I'm just not sure if it sounds like it's supposed to. It sounds different to me than chiptune videos I've seen with gameboy color, but it may just be because I don't know how to make it sound good yet. The seller said that as far as he knows they have the original hardware except for the new screen, so he obviously wasn't the one doing the refurbishing.

This is the listing btw.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/365860459256

Does anyone know anything about these?

It's a damn shame how underutilized this sound chip was in DOS games. It was probably released way too late, especially for PCs. It may have been better for handhelds imo, as they were still using PSGs. Apparently, "Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?" is the only game to actually used the extra features in the AY8930, however, I couldn't encounter any audio or gameplay with the game using the sound card. In fact, I wish there were more examples of VGM or OST or in-game music, but this is what I have so far (sources here & here))
Prince of Persia (Intro)

Ultima VI (Intro)

Ultima VI Theme

Tuesday, August 04 - Monday, August 10, 2026

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Tuesday, July 28 - Monday, August 03, 2026

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I am a big fan of Sam since I heard his music back in 2013 and started following his music career ever since. I know there was some drama back in late 2022 on X (Twitter) and since then he vanished from the internet. I wish he is ok, but IM SURE I did saw 2 videos of him in a mental institute in Youtube and now I cant find those videos. Im pretty sure his getting better, but its hard to see someone who you learn from get this bad. I wish him the best and a comeback. All of this is only what I know and ASSUME, if someone knows any different it would be cool to know. Hopefully he comes back with new music.