chipsounds authentically emulates several vintage 8-bit-era sound chips (plus variants), down to their smallest idiosyncrasies. It also faithfully allows you to dynamically reproduce the accidentally discovered sounds effect tricks and abusive musical techniques that were made famous by innovative chiptune composers and classic video game sound designers, which for the good part of the last 2 decades, have pushed beyond the boundaries of the original chip designs.
chipsounds is powered in part by Plogue’s powerful ARIA 64-bit sampler/synthesis engine that also powers Garritan’s complete new product line (and is also featured in many third party applications). chipsounds reproduces the exact form spectra of the most sought-after classic sound chips, including their most well-known variations, as sonically accurate as possible without adding any non-authentic aliasing or DSP artifacts.
Research and analysis for this project has been made in house on Plogue’s large collection of cartridges, modified consoles and classic computers owned by the team and also on the chips themselves using custom made circuit boards and low level 8 bit software code.
Chips analyzed and included:
TIA (used in the Atari 2600 & 7800):
- Accurate Multipulse/Polynomial bit pattern waveforms for those unique combat, engine drones and powerful mix piercing “fake-saw” sound (used 2600 and 7800 consoles).
2A03 (and its GB variant) (used in the NES and GB):
- Accurate pulse width settings (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4).
- Drawable 4bit/32 step band-limited Waveform.
- Huge number custom and classic waveforms to choose from, including the unique triangle sound of the NES.
- Short (93/128bit) and Long (32767bit) noise patterns accurately modeled.
AY-3-8910 (and its numerous clones 8912/8913/8914/2149F) (used in Intv, ZX, ST, Arcades):
- Emulation of Sync Buzzer Envelope Looping tricks.
- Accurate logarithmic 4Bit DAC.
POKEY (Used in 400/800 series computer and Arcades):
- Fat and accurate Multipulse/Polynomial bit pattern waveforms with clock desynchronization.
SN76489AN (and its SN76496 SN94624N predecessor) (Used in the ColecoVision, SMS, BBC, TI, PCjr, Tandy and Arcades, that leaves very few):
- Basic and RAW, the purest chip there is.
- Different NOISE patterns for all variants, all emulated.
SID (including 6580 and 8580) (Used in the C64):
- The most important sound chip of the ’80s gaming era.
- Variable Pulsewidth, SAW, Triangle, 8bit noise and even combined waveforms.
- Most waveforms are actually SAMPLES of the real thing for 100% accuracy, especially for the combined waveforms.
VIC-I (Used in the VIC20):
- This chip is very underestimated gem with totally unique sounding waveforms.
- Newly discovered “Robotic” waveforms are emulated.
- Rough, nasty noise pattern too.
