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Plogue's Chipsounds Soft Synth Resurects Chip Music
Musicians who yearn for the electric buzz of genuine chip music but don't want to compose in machine code on antique hardware have a new creative option with Plogue Art et Technologie's chipsounds software synthesizer (www.plogue.com). The result of four years of research, chipsounds aims to accurately reproduce the unique sonic character of classic console and computer audio within a musician-friendly interface that runs as a standalone application or as a VST/AU/RTAS compatible plug-in.
The chipsounds software emulates a number of venerable chips including the TIA from Atari's 2600 and 7800 console, the Ricoh 2A03 as used in the Nintendo Entertainment System and its custom variant that powered the original Game Boy, the POKEY chip from Atari's 400/800 series of computers, and the SID chip behind the Commodore 64's instantly recognizable sound. The software also delves into esoterica with a variety of additional chips rescued from the technological tar pits including emulations of the Odyssey 2's P824X chip, the D1867G from Casio's VL-1 mini keyboard, and the AY-3-8910 that provided sound for the Intellivision console and Atari ST computer.
We spoke with Plogue's David Viens to find out more about this ongoing project.
Jeffrey Fleming: Why do think chip music has such an enduring appeal?
David Viens: Well that is one of the most difficult questions to answer considering how personal it is. Some people feel a nostalgic attachment to the sounds and minimal arrangements, but it's important to realize that...