(From Wikipedia:) ''A '''chiptune'''This page is a stub, it may contain some inaccuraciesor chip music, is music written in sound formats where all the author apologies for this, yet you can contribute if you find such oddities or simply knows sounds are synthesized in real time by a lot on the matter.computer or video game console sound chip, instead of using sample-based synthesis''
Chip Tune is both a continuity from the haydays of music on old 80's personnal computer/consoles and a part of the retro-computer movement.
Chip Tune It is both a continuity from the haydays of music on old 80's personnal computer/consoles and a part of the retroalso an underground electronic sub-computer mouvementgenre, or an inspiration in various musical performances.
It is also an underground electronic subgenre, or an inspiration in various musical performances. It started as because most computers and consoles featured some sort of sound-chip.
It also evolved as games often featured music and sound effects, thus spawning a generation of professionnal personnal computers musician.
==AY-family scene==
Amstrad 8 bit computers are part of the [[AY]]-family, along the ZX spectrum, most MSX and the Atari ST (which use a YM variant), but also Oric-Atmos.
It is also to note that many arcade systems or home consoles also included an AY-family chip, as it was cheap and easy.
==Most used AY/YM computers==
Many computers from the "AY/YM-family" included a MIDI port.
Atari ST (with its YM) is notable for its built-in Midi port, enabling music programation with Q-Base and spawning an entire generation of electronic home-musicians thx thanks to the power of the 16+ bit, and the fun of a decent GUI.
The ZX Spectrum 128 and the amstradAmstrad's Spectrum range (+2 and +3) also feature a Midi compatible port thanks to their RS232/Midi port.Of course Amstrad's ZX spectrum +3 is a clever choice as it include Disk drive.
MSX often featured such a Midi port, and were featuring a wide range of sound processors/co-processors :
*MSX 1 : General Instrument AY-3-8910 soundchip
==Amstrad's limitations==
Compaired Compared to ZX spectrum 128 specs, the amstrad Amstrad clearly failed to impose itself on the AY-scene. Perhaps because it was less popular worldwide, perhaps because it lacks a built-in Midi Port.
*It lacks Also it is to notice that Amstrad CPC's AY soundchip has a built-in Midi Portlower clock than most of its competitor, running @1mhz while Atari ST is @2mhz or ZX spectrum128 @1.77mhz
as a result, To have MIDI on an Amstrad an external peripheral is needed, being somewhat less reliable than a directly built-in connector.
*It has heavier Perhaps Amstrad's tunes were not as complex because the computer needed more space for graphics, therefore there was less for music.(The 10KB differences in needed graphic RAM between Speccy and CPC makes a lot of difference.)
the 10Ko differences in needed graphic RAM betwen Speccy and CPC makes Of course you could manage a lot better Ram/CPU ressources by disabling the screen display or reducing it's size, yet this can't allows the use of differencethe computer as a direct Musical instrument/mixing station.
Of course you could manage a better Ram/CPU ressources by disabling the screen display(But, yet this can't allows the use of the computer as a direct Musical instrument/mixing station.there are PLAYlist utils see AYCplayer -[[AYC]]-)
Also the fact that *ZX spectrum 128 and +2 and +3 were all supplied with 128Ko Ram while CPC/Plus ranges still included 64ko Ram computers (464-664).
Despite being quite cheap, the 464 couldn't compete.
As a result, no not a lot of Chip-Tune bands actually use an Amstrad computer for live performances (but the ZX spectrums from Amstrad...). Worth of notice is the french [[Ultrasyd]] who may uses an Amstrad CPC6128 alongside Atari ST and Nintendo Gameboy and actually produced some tunes for the CPC scene as well.
This is somewhat of a shame, as the 6128+ would be a good machine for such purpose thanks to it's DMA channels and the possibility to put software on Cartridge/Rom.
Also as most ChipTune bands also feature video projectionsfrom the used computer in Live-performance, the CPC would shine too thx to its somewhat better graphic ability.
==Modern Tools==
Soundtrakers inspired from 16 bit computers applications have become the easiest tools to compose and produce chiptunes on Amstrad CPC.
{{#ev:youtube|GTIvkKZxKww|300}}
Kellyon, a great song by [[Fenyx Kell]] said to be composed on a CPC using the Starkos tracker from Targhan/Arkos. Courtesy of [[Sacrenouille]].
==PLUS range==
The [[AY]] inside the [[ASIC]] features DMA channels, enabling additional tricks and may compare better with SID from C64 or even 16 bit musics.
The better example may be the [[Prehistorik 2]] intro music with its 16 bit flavour. (It uses sampled music).
Also the inclusion of sampled screams in [[Rick dangerous 128+]] is another modern example of what can be achieved.
The modern Hacking or the ACID chip may enable better uses of the Extra PLUS capabilities in Sound field. Cartridge oriented Soundtrakkers with DMA managment may be Produced.
==Godfathers of chiptunes on CPC==
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SID80s
{{#ev:youtube|oCoS9k-BKe8|300}}
A compilation video of notable good musics on CPC.
==Games Music Remakes==
{{#ev:youtube|UJcCc76P6gU|300}}
A video featuring remakes of good old Game's musics : Leisure Suit Larry (Amiga), [[Burnin' Rubber]] (Amstrad), Earth Shaker (Spectrum), Shao-Lynn's Road (Amstrad), [[Tai-Pan]] (Amstrad), Feud (Amstrad), Olli and Lisa III (Amstrad).
Lots of Amstrad's tunes here...
==TV Documentaries==
{{#ev:youtube|mLHEj2boPLs|300}}
==AY Chip-Tune Live performances==
Here some exemples examples of AY live performances.
{{#ev:youtube|4ec57SO2KJU|300}}
*The following exemples examples are live performances of computer's game classics, yet played on more traditionnal instruments and mostly inspired by C64 versions (yet you may recognise the songs from CPC too...).
{{#ev:youtube|DCPv2F4shug|300}}
*Nintendo's Game Boy
Some cartridges and softwares allows software allow to use most of Nintendo's portable consoles as live instrument or Remix effects generators.
Because such consoles are cheap and easy to transport, having an in-built video display, and being iconic of the 8bit or digital era, this is quite popular.
==Media impact and controversies==
The so-called world famous Timbaland (american succesfoul American successful musical producer) was part of a controversy the day he was suited by a finnish Commodore-scener for having ripped entire parts of of one of his song into a Nelly furtado hit. I knew he was a talentless overrated robber.
{{#ev:youtube|M4KX7SkDe4Q|300}}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4KX7SkDe4Q
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HardSID
In a way it is better the amstrad is not touched by such phenomenon...
==Links==
* [[PlayCity]] : a modern peripheral to enable an extra pair of AY chips for your Amstrad CPC/PLUS.
'''Amstrad CPC chiptune scener'''
* [[Fela Borbone]] and his [[Mierdofón]]
* [[Fenyx Kell]]
* [[Ultrasyd]]
Wikipedia's pages :
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_music
The de-facto Amstrad chiptune scene : *http://ay-riders.speccy.cz/ *http://zxtunes.com/authors_list.php?&ln=eng Also check up the '''Category:Music and sound''' to learn more on the matter. Other Websites : *http://www.chiptune.com/ *http://8bitcollective.com/search.php?s=amstrad [[Category:Music and sound|*]][[Category:CPC History]][[Category:Video contents]][[Category:Stub]]