AudibleNinja Audio Blog

I thought I would write a little about making .MOD files...

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 12:17:00 -0400

I thought I would write a little about making .MOD files today.

First, if you follow me, you probably know I’m big into chiptunes. Making a four channel MOD is very similar to making chiptunes, your sound palate is somewhat limited, the available channels are limited, and both can be made with trackers - vertical sequencing environments rich with hexadecimal mindfuckery (they’re actually quite easy to use).

If I had to equate making 4 Channel MODs with another form of music, I’d definitely have to say it’s a LOT like making SID files (MODs = Amiga, SIDs = Commodore 64). Even though MOD files rely on sample-based instruments and SID files rely on the SID chips’ and their synthesizers, they’re both also very similar:

MODs and SIDs both use 4 channels
Unlike Gameboy or Nintendo chiptunes, MODs and SIDs both can use all 4 channels equallly (Gameboy’s DMG chip channels are [Pulsewave] [Pulsewave] [4-bit DPCM] [Noise], Nintendo’s 2A03 chip - [Pulsewave] [Pulsewave] [Trianglewave] [Noise] [6-bit DPCM])
Because of this, composers can squeeze as much data in as possible - if the resolution of the drum track is in whole notes, you can put extra notes between the beats to give the illusion of 5 channels.

Another weird feature of MODs is that two channels are hard-panned left and two channels are hard-panned right. This is another “feature” that makes composition a lot more deliberate. You really have to distribute as evenly as you can - I’ve tried to keep one lead track on both sides and split the bass on one side and the drums on another for this particular track. It’s definitely a new concept for me, but it’s interesting.

MODs are also closely related to their younger brothers - XMs. They’re both tracker formats, but while MODs use 8bit samples, XMs use 16bit samples, and dont have many of the restrictions of MODs (more channels can be used, volume envelopes, more effects, longer samples, different loop types [Ping Pong!] in the samples, and a wider range of notes).

All that being said, MODs (like most restrictive formats) can be pretty frustrating to make, but they’re also a whole lot of fun. Go download Open ModPlug Tracker or MilkyTracker and start messing around!

This is going to be the first track off of my next album. Aside...

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 15:51:01 -0400

This is going to be the first track off of my next album. Aside from a VERY select few, you’re hearing it FIRST. The rest of the album is a ways off, so this is a early early early preview - but I hope you enjoy it!

Oh my. I have let this audioblog go FAR TOO LONG. I debated...

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 14:17:24 -0400

Oh my. I have let this audioblog go FAR TOO LONG. I debated putting up the news of my new album back in September, but I figured all you folks that may be reading this would DEFINITELY already know about it. (For those who don’t - CHECK IT OUT) No - this blog is for SPECIAL goodies, first looks and unheard nightmares, snippets of my genius and stupidity, an insight to my tunage, an open source diagram of hopeless audio. AND FEAR NOT - lots of stuff is on the way!

<3 Will

Hey Audio Blog! Here’s some actual tunage for you,...

Sun, 23 May 2010 10:24:00 -0400

Hey Audio Blog! Here’s some actual tunage for you, brand-spanking-new. It’s still in the final phases of completion, but I thought you just might like it.

Did this for a visual communications class, but thought someone...

Wed, 19 May 2010 20:54:51 -0400

Did this for a visual communications class, but thought someone might find it useful!

Click for fullsize!

Oh Hey Tumblr. I forgot about you. Have some chiptunes!

Thu, 06 May 2010 16:08:00 -0400

Oh Hey Tumblr. I forgot about you. Have some chiptunes!

So I just realized I haven’t been giving any love to my...

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:04:27 -0400

So I just realized I haven’t been giving any love to my audioblog. Here’s something I’m in the middle of, will probably end up throwing some vocals on top, would love to bring on a pretty lady’s voice for layering purposes. Anyway, it’s just a neat track where a billion things are automated and new layers keep joining in. I usually hate those, but I liked the way this progresses.

Here’s a really terrible remix of the Theme of Cave...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:46:51 -0500

Here’s a really terrible remix of the Theme of Cave Story, probably one of the best freeware games that you could ever ask for.

I wanted to brush up on my FM Synthesis skills, and I have a...

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:22:13 -0500

I wanted to brush up on my FM Synthesis skills, and I have a long ways to go still, but I pooped out some spy music for you, complete with a GOD AWFUL keyboard solo that was totally improvised and (as I’m sure you could tell) recorded in one take. I was gonna scrap it, but it reminded me a little of Soft Machine.

Stayed up until 5 making this crappy drum and bass remix of...

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:03:23 -0500

Stayed up until 5 making this crappy drum and bass remix of Sgt. Peppers….tangential much? MP3 Encoding was awful as well!

Couldn’t stop listening to this song tonight, so I...

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:37:35 -0500

Couldn’t stop listening to this song tonight, so I figured I’d throw out a quick dubstep chiptune meld remix. Toots FTW :D

Another new track, fresh off the export button. Not 100%...

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:29:56 -0500

Another new track, fresh off the export button. Not 100% finished, but I think I’m happy with it. Vocals done in one take, that’s why they’re so raw. That and all the reverb, delay, chorus and hard panning.

In keeping with the drunken graffiti pirate robot nonsense,...

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:15:55 -0500

In keeping with the drunken graffiti pirate robot nonsense, here’s a track that will not be making it on my next album, but I am totally in love with it anyway. It’s like the ugly kid that doesn’t get to play with the other kids because he is just so ugly. The lead in this is SO freaking obnoxious that it makes me cringe, but at the same time I can’t stop listening to it. Help?

Searching around old files (~2004) I found an old project...

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:43:54 -0500

Searching around old files (~2004) I found an old project titled “The Graffiti Pirate Robots” and thought I’d share. The delivery is pretty horrible, but I think the joke’s still pretty funny.

@marinazoe Happy Birthday! Now, I know what you’re...

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:51:29 -0500

@marinazoe Happy Birthday! Now, I know what you’re thinking, why would someone give me such a crappy tune for my birthday? Don’t I deserve way better? Of course you do, but there’s more tl;dr stuff that goes along with this that I will post shortly in the comments section. Hope 25 is fun!

Just finished a track from my next album, From Behind the Black...

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:02:01 -0500

Just finished a track from my next album, From Behind the Black Curtain It Moves. This one was fun to make, finally putting good use to a few sample sets I made. The vocal samples at the end were run through my favorite auto-tuning plug-in Yamaha Pitch Fix, which was also abused on the last track I posted.

Last night Browning stayed over and we made a bit of a...

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:35:34 -0500

Last night Browning stayed over and we made a bit of a glitchfest. He laid down some sporadic pads over a simple 2-step drumtrack, then I went back and redid the drums to fit the pads, then we recorded some vocals, did all kinds of stuff to them and added some more glitchy bits with some ringmod.

So I finally got around to organizing (somewhat) my Reaktor...

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:54:44 -0500

So I finally got around to organizing (somewhat) my Reaktor ensembles, and I stumbled across one of my old favorites: Steampipe. Steampipe is such an expressive softsynth that I would be hard pressed to show you an adequate example. However, I did throw something together just for kicks. Guitar thing and Organ thing made with Steampipe, Noises made with Metaphysical Function (another ens favorite) and drums sampled from the set I had in my apartment half a decade ago.

A Little New Years Dub for the 2010 Crew! This was one of those...

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:24:24 -0500

A Little New Years Dub for the 2010 Crew! This was one of those “How-did-I-do-that-in-2-hours” tracks, a good omen of productivity in the New Year.

More Sonic2 Remixology for your consumption!

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:34:00 -0500

More Sonic2 Remixology for your consumption!