Chipmusic hardware





Modern machines

Wikipedia MOS Technology SID / Hardware reimplementations
Website Elektron SidStation - Professional synthesizer with a built-in SID chip Wikipedia MySpace
Website hard plAYer - 8 bit tunes hardware player YouTube
Website HardSID 4U - PCI sound card with 6581/8580 SID chips Wikipedia YouTube
Website HyperSID - Synthesizer with all the C64 SID chip hardware capabilities, controllable by its VSTi
Website MIDIbox SID - DIY synthesizer that has soundchip from the original Commodore 64 Wikipedia YouTube YouTube
Website Midines - Cartridge interface (game) that enables MIDI control of the NES sound chip YouTube
Website OTO Machines Biscuit - 8-bit effect hardware (converters, digital processing, analog resonant filters, MIDI) YouTube
Website SIDstick - Pocket-sized SID chiptunes player YouTube
Website SwinSID - Hardware replacement for SID sound chip placed in every Commodore 64
Website The Chipophone- 8-bit Chiptune Organ YouTube
Website The hardware chiptune project YouTube
Website Uzebox - Retro-minimalist homebrew game console with MIDI-IN interface Wikipedia YouTube


MIDIbox SID V2 in a MB-6582 case made by Wilba
MIDIbox SID V2 in a MB-6582 case made by Wilba
[mp3] Audio demo by Thorsten


Elektron SidStation
Elektron SidStation
[mp3] Audio demo by Cortex83


OTO Machines Biscuit
OTO Machines Biscuit
[mp3] Audio demo by official website




Bitcrusher machines

A Bitcrusher is a digital audio effect, which produces a distortion by the reduction of the resolution or bandwidth of digital audio data. The resulting quantization noise may produce a ''warmer'' sound impression, or a harsh one, depending on the amount of reduction. Note : Bitcrusher exists in audio plugin (VST, AU...) too. Check here !

Wikipedia Bitcrusher
Website Copilot FX Antenna - Sonic destruction pedal for guitarist YouTube
Website D16 Group Decimort - High quality Bitcrusher, works with its VST plugin (on Windows) or AU plugin (on Mac)
Website Frisco ABC-1 - Bitcrusher pedal for guitarist
Website HEXE BitCrusher - Pedal for guitarist
Website Lo-fi Arduino Guitar Pedal
Website Red Panda BitCrusher - Pedal for guitarist


D16 Group Decimort
D16 Group Decimort
[mp3] Audio demo by A Particle Lovestory




Fuzzboxes

A fuzzbox (or fuzz box) is a type of effects pedal comprising an amplifier and a clipping circuit, which generates a distorted version of the input signal. As opposed to other distortion guitar effects pedals, a fuzzbox boosts and clips the signal sufficiently to turn a standard sine wave input into a waveform that is much closer to a square wave output.

Wikipedia Fuzzbox
Website 8-Bit Fuzz - Pedal has a synth feel to give a broken Nintendo sound YouTube
Website Legend of fuzz - Fuzz pedal for guitarist
Website MWFX The 8-bit - Handmade pedal for guitarist


8-Bit Fuzz
8-Bit Fuzz
[mp3] Audio demo by the official website




Old machines

Wikipedia Sound chip

8-bit computers
Wikipedia Amiga 500 / 1000 / 1200... + chiptrackers
Wikipedia Amstrad CPC + chiptrackers
Wikipedia Apple II / IIc+ / IIgs + Apple II DMS Music Software
Wikipedia Atari 520 / 1040 STe... + chiptrackers
Wikipedia BBC Micro
Wikipedia Commodore 64 / 128 / VIC-20... + chiptrackers
Wikipedia MSX + chiptrackers
Wikipedia PC with chip soundcard (as AdLib or Sound Blaster) - YM3812 (OPL2) and YMF262 (OPL3) are the sound chips
Wikipedia SAM Coupe
Wikipedia Sinclair ZX Spectrum + chiptrackers
Wikipedia VTech Laser 200 (Laser VZ200)

8-bit consoles
Wikipedia Arcadia 2001
Wikipedia Atari 400 / 800 / 2600... + chiptrackers
Wikipedia ColecoVision
Wikipedia Magnavox Odyssey2
Wikipedia Nintendo DS + Korg DS-10 Synthesizer Plus or NitroTracker
Wikipedia Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Wikipedia Nintendo Gameboy + LSDJ or Nanoloop
Wikipedia Sega Megadrive (Genesis)

8-bit synthesizers, keyboards
Wikipedia Casio SK-1 - More infos here
Wikipedia Casio SK-5
Wikipedia Casio VL-1 - Note that a VST plugin emulates it : here
Wikipedia Ensoniq Mirage DSK1 / DSK8 - 8-bit digital sampling keyboard
Reading Others normal and modified (circuit-bent) old keyboards


Nintendo Gameboy
Nintendo Gameboy
[mp3] Audio demo by She




Circuit bending

Circuit bending is the creative short-circuiting of electronic devices such as low voltage, battery-powered guitar effects, children's toys and small digital synthesizers to create new musical or visual instruments and sound generators. So, do-it-yourself (or DIY) !

Wikipedia Circuit bending
Website Bent Festival - The first and ongoing international Circuit Bending festival
Website Bend Me I'm Famous FR
Website BitCrucher Bending - Tutorials (in French), bended instruments, music...
Website Casper Electronics - Circuit bent sound gadgets and custom creations
Website Circuit Bent - Circuit bent instruments
Website Circuitmaster - Videos
Website Computer Truck - Music and circuit bending
Website Dataglitch - Label of few lo-fi artists
Website GetLoFi - A circuit bending blog with a lot of circuit bending tips and resources
Website Oscillateur.com - Schematics, circuit bending f.a.q.
Website Playboy's Bend - Circuit bending musical project
Website Q.R. Ghazala's How-To - Ghazala's official website tutorial
Website Roil Noise Circuit Bending - Circuit bent instruments, samples
Website The Beta Testers - Circuit bent instruments, tutorials...
Book : Circuit-Bending, Build your own alien instruments

Book :
Circuit-Bending,
Build your own alien instruments


Speak & Read Circuit Bend
Example of a bended instrument : Speak & Read, made by BitCrusher
[mp3] Audio demo by BitCrusher




Chipmusic shop

Accessories, consoles, cartridges, DIY products...

Website HKEMS - Hong Kong
Website Kitsch-Bent Chipmusic Shop - US - Possibility to send packages to Europe (England, France, Germany...)
Website Nonfinite Electronics - US
Website Rob Webb's shop - UK
Website Transformer - US


Kitsch-Bent Chipmusic Shop
One accessory at Kitsch-Bent Chipmusic Shop




Tags : hardware, machines, chiptune, chipmusic, 8-bit music, sound, bitcrusher, noise reduction, noisy, lo-tech, lo-fi, glitch, diy, circuit bending, bent instruments