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Until the 1980s, video games had no background music – apart from simple beeps heard when moving from one level to another. Background music, however, adds excitement and atmosphere to any game. Over time, 8-bit music emerged, originating in Europe. One of the most famous examples is the background theme from Super Mario, a defining piece of 8-bit music.
8-bit music – also known as chiptunes, bitpop, or chip music – is computer-generated music. What sets this genre apart is the technology used to produce it. 8-bit music is created using the hardware and tools from vintage video games and computers. Systems like the Amiga 500, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) / Famicom, Commodore 64, and the Nintendo Game Boy were central to this style.
Early home computers like the IBM PC and Apple II used built-in system speakers controlled by the CPU, producing simple clicks and tones. While this allowed for more advanced sounds, it consumed almost all CPU power, leaving no resources for other tasks. To solve this, engineers developed a sound chip, which became the foundation of 8-bit music.
The first chiptunes were simple, consisting mainly of beeps. As computers became more powerful, they could generate different waveforms and play multiple channels at once. International sound exchange spread the style to America and Japan. A growing community of chiptune musicians emerged, producing sounds ranging from rock to pop to dubstep.
When home computers became more affordable in the early 1980s, people began upgrading their machines. Chip music producers made use of old computers and consoles, and chiptunes became especially popular in video games.
The first video game with chip music was Nishikado’s arcade title Gun Fight. The first game with an opening melody appeared in 1975. In 1978, Nishikado released Space Invaders, where the tempo increased as the player was attacked – marking the first time game music directly interacted with gameplay.
In 1980, Namco released Rally X, one of the first games to feature continuous background music during gameplay. Since then, 8-bit music in games has evolved greatly, with artists creating better tunes, converters, and trackers to replicate original hardware sounds.
The Spectrum was one of the first devices used to create chip sounds, featuring three sound channels, a beeper, and a 128k AY-3-8912 chip.
Later came the Commodore 64, which used SID chip filters instead of wave sounds. The Commodore Amiga, introduced in 1987, also set new standards in digital sound generation.
The Amiga had a four-channel sound system, while later consoles offered five channels – two pulse waves, one triangle wave, one noise channel, and one low-quality sample channel. Artists pushed boundaries: Tim Follin hacked the 48k beeper for polyphonic sound, and Chris Huelsbeck created a seven-channel setup on a four-channel Amiga.
8-bit music uses various waveforms, such as pulse (square) waves, sine waves, triangle waves, sawtooth waves, and noise – each producing a distinct chip sound.
Initially, 8-bit music was generated by simple tone generators, producing up to four sine-like beeps simultaneously. Every chiptune is built using specific chip sounds.
When choosing a chip sound, it’s important to follow its requirements and waveform characteristics. Trackers help maintain these limitations and ensure the output matches the actual hardware’s sound.
Chiptune composition follows patterns – sequences containing multiple tracks played at once. These patterns define when and how long elements play and whether they loop.
Waveforms and Their Chip Sounds
Notes assign chip sounds to musical notes, allowing for melodies of varying complexity. Effects send commands to play specific waveforms such as pulse, sawtooth, or noise.
Trackers are the main software for producing chip music. Music is arranged vertically in “tracks” where notes and effects are placed. Modern trackers support more channels than older ones.
In 1987, Karsten Obarski developed the MOD format for his Ultimate Tracker on Amiga computers. MOD files store 8-bit samples and are limited to four tracks. Chords are simulated by rapidly repeating notes. One of the most popular Flash MOD players was 8BitBoy.
Famitracker is a free Windows tracker for creating chip sounds without hardware. It exports to NSF files for playback on real hardware or use in NES projects, producing sounds similar to the 2A03 chip.
A popular Windows tracker supporting VST effects, synthesizers, and drum kits, and working with ITP, MOD, and XM files.
A browser-based tool offering guides for patterns, waveforms, and sequences, and detailed insight into building patterns.
A flexible music creation tool with more synths and effects than SonantLive, working on older Windows versions and mobile devices, including Android.
8-bit music continues to evolve and is still used as background music in games. With tools like SonantLive and SunVox, chiptunes can be produced today, enhanced with effects to make gameplay even more engaging.