controller1.com

videogames and stuff

The Podcats: Music in Games

This week we’re talking about Music in videogames- Chip Tunes, Red Book, MIDI, Ad Lib, etc.

Keep listening past the first 30 seconds please.

 
 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
  • Share/Bookmark

Info & Utils

Published in Saturday, May 1st, 2010, at 1:02 pm, and filed under PODCATS.

Tags: ,

Do it youself: Digg it! • Save on del.icio.us • Make a trackback.

Previous text: .

Next text: .

4 Responses

  1. LisVender LisVender Says:
    May 2nd, 2010 at 9:08 pm

    Ah, video game music. I love this stuff. I’m with Cameron on this subject: the day that video game music became CD-based was the day it stopped being memorable.

    Actually, as amazing as some of the music was on the SNES, I still prefer the music from games on the NES. That little 8.5.0.2. chip just has a stronger, more confident sound. Rare’s NES games have especially great soundtracks. Solar Jetman is one my favorites.

    I also love chiptunes and .mods. They have a peppy, ringing sound that I enjoy. Giana Sisters has some good examples of it.

    I liked some of the music that could be made with the FM synthesizers used in arcade games and in the Mega Drive/Genesis. Streets of Rage 2′s soundtrack is absolutely stunning. My only complaint with the audio in those games is that all the explosions sound like farts.

    It’s a bit sad that with the push toward realistic graphics in games, we probably won’t hear many tunes in these boppin’ styles anymore.

  2. LisVender LisVender Says:
    May 2nd, 2010 at 9:11 pm

    Woops, I meant “6502 chip,” not “8502 chip.” Lousy clumsy fingers.

  3. Frostback Says:
    May 4th, 2010 at 8:50 pm

    Ah the sacred 6502, that holy of holies. Apples, Pets and Atari’s, they all wore it well.

    True enough the sounds chips of the past were instruments onto themselves. Would Pacman be the same if the designers used sampled sounds instead of an electronic “wonka wonka” noise as it munched its way through the maze?

    Not likely.

    Having said that…

    Would Pokersmash have half the ambience without it’s spectacular soundtrack, composed just for the game?

    Would today’s videogames have the huge audience they currently have if their soundtracks didn’t reflect the listening habits of their audience?

    But I have to admit this isn’t something I think about a lot either, which is one of the things I like about this site. You guys obsess over stuff that nobody else really cares about.

    Please take that as a compliment :)

  4. George George Says:
    May 5th, 2010 at 5:27 am

    next week’s podcats- religious overtones in Wizball or just a bad RF convertor? a chilling report no gamer can afford to miss.

controller1.com © 2010. Theme Squared created by Rodrigo Ghedin.