The Family Bass - Music with an NES

[rcarmo]

https://www.linusakesson.net/music/family-bass/index.php

[ethagknight]

So many other videos are amazing as well. I am blown away.

https://www.linusakesson.net/music/vivaldi-summer-presto/ind... https://www.linusakesson.net/music/withering-bytes/index.php

[RamRodification]

This was great.

I always recommend watching his old Chipophone video (homemade 8-bit synthesizer from a repurposed old electronic organ). He has made many cool instruments since. Some of which maybe more tehcnically impressive, I can't tell. But this one is probably still on my all time top 10 "most enjoyment from watching a Youtube video" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1pchpDD5EU

Such cool sounds and he plays it well!

[klodolph]

For those who want to try it out, you can also access these sounds in a somewhat easier way by using an NES audio emulator in your favorite DAW, or by using one of the various tracker programs:

https://www.mattmontag.com/projects-page/nintendo-vst

http://famitracker.com

[xxr → klodolph]

This one lets you play the bass on the left hand of a keyboard and the square waves (should really be PWM) on the right hand:

https://aframe.itch.io/famikondo

[mock-possum → klodolph]

Further, FYI: famitracker has a few different variants, with DN–famitracker being the fork, currently closest to accurately reproducing, the NES and the most common extant sound expansion chips: https://github.com/Dn-Programming-Core-Management/Dn-FamiTra...

And Famistudio is an excellent alternative if you prefer composing on a piano roll: https://famistudio.org

[Dwedit]

Seems like a homebrew program that uses the Miracle Piano would be a lot nicer to use than a Famicom keyboard.

[omoikane]

I am a fan of these Famicom/NES synthesized sounds, they have a flavor that is rarely found in modern game music. There are a few musicians who does rearrangements of songs for playback on the Famicom, example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM3bYVt-c1k

Original song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIKKyrGGaDk

[gwbas1c]

IMO: Play the second video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gds1EeQGMaQ&t=166s) for a few seconds, and observe when Linus plays with the Japanese Famicom keyboard.

It'll give you a good idea for what he's making. (The music video is also really cool.)

[Lammy]

Super cool, and I also love how this page has text and still-image content equivalent to what's said and shown in the video.

[kstrauser]

This is the nerdiest, hackeriest thing I've seen in ages, and I love every moment of it. That was brilliant.