In the News

TCTD Links for 2010-06-19

In the News

TCTD Links for 2010-03-24

software • TCTD 2009 Awards

TCTD Awards 2009: Best Software

Now this category was a bit more difficult for me and staff to work through, as we saw lots of updates to old software as well as new products that allowed the creation of amazing new works of chip art and music. Ultimately what TCTD considered was new features, current functionality, and importance to the scene’s growth and development.

Here are your nominations for Best Software of 2009:

LittleGpTracker – The little LSDJ clone/son/replacer that could just kept going, with ports to the PSP and Dingoo platform, new features like soundfont support and an overall great rapport between its developer and users of one of the best up and coming music applications for portable systems.

Famitracker –  The best all around Nintendo tracker got support for additional expansion sound chips, and with the ability of the Powerpak to emulate these chips, it became even more useful as a tracker that can realistically and reliably enable playback on real hardware. FT will have to watch its back, however, with the release of Neil Baldwins NTRQ upcoming in 2010.

XPMCK – MML is slightly arcane for most of the composers in the international chipscene, but XPMCK’s developer has added bug fixes and new features to this stable and encompassing platform for developing music on various chip platforms.

Chipsounds -I can hear the sphincters of dozens of chiptune purists clenching in anger. However, Plogue and his staff need to be commended for their academic, accurate yet respectfully designed suite of sound chip emulators. Still early in its life, and not yet perfect, Chipsounds is a significant step forward for the chip music community in that a company would place so much effort in a venture seeking to balance commercial viability and easy of use with accuracy and authenticity.

LSDJ – Perhaps responsible, more than any other current application, for the current wave of chip music popularity, Mr. Johan Kotlinksi’s LSDJ saw in 2009 many fixes and features added to what many thought was already a finished stable product. Still highly influential and incredibly usable, here’s hoping for even more growth as the program marches past the 4.0 milestone

Chipmusic • software

FamiTracker 0.3 Appeared

famipngAfter many beta releases, finally a new version of Famitracker. Details:

Version 0.3.0 is ready! News in this version

– MMC5 expansion sound support

– Improved pattern editor (possible to select multiple channels, drag’n’drop, control+drag = copy, shift+drag = mix)

– Ctrl+wheel = Transpose selected notes

– Shift+wheel = Increase/decrease instrument, volume and effect values

– Scroll lock = Toggle follow mode

– Control+D = Duplicate frame

– It’s possible to edit directly in the frame editor by double clicking

– Customizable keys for note cut, repeat and clear field

– Added second highlight

– Added a repeat action key

– Added a second highlight option

– Fixed a bug with the tremolo effect

via FamiTracker.

Chipmusic • software

BOOdAw’s Nes News round Up: Famitracker! Dev Carts!

A Couple of updates via

Changes in v0.3.0

MMC5 expansion sound added
Updated pattern editor (selection in multiple channels, drag’n’drop, control+drag = copy, shift+drag = mix)
Ctrl+wheel = transpose selected notes
Shift+wheel = increase/decrease instrument, volume and effect values
Scroll lock = toggle follow mode
Control+D = Duplicate frame
It’s possible to edit directly in the frame editor by double clicking it
Added a repeat key
Added second highlight
Added a second highlight option
Customizable keys for note cut, repeat and clear field
Fixed a bug with the tremolo effect
Fixed the volume restore bug on note offs in VRC6 channels

And also news of a new Powerpak alternative
via

UNES
is a PowerPak alternative.  Albeit quite goofy and a very original
design of its own pretty much makes the NES an extension of your
personal computer.  The UNES would liken more to SIO2PC and APE (of
Atari 8-bit) than current flash carts — even though that is not the
most accurate example.