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Best Chiptune SYNTH For iOS?

Hello,

Looking for an 8-bit (NES) style, 4 channel synth, to be sequenced elsewhere. Anything good out there?

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Comments

  • Sure would be amazing if someone ported Mutable Instruments Edges over, ala Braids, Rings, Elements and Plaits:

  • October - Chiptune Maker is pretty fun.

    I’ve heard great things about DefleMask as well. Apparently there’s a free version of it for PC.

    You could also pop SquareSynth 2 into a DAW and have at it.

  • October looks perfect. Thanks! Indeed, there are plenty of great emulator plugins on the DAW platform (Plogue stuff rules), but this October joint should bridge the gap nicely!

  • edited September 2021

    I like squaresynth 2 a lot. 8 multitimbral channels 5 voices each.

    https://apps.apple.com/us/app/squaresynth-2/id1439660868

    http://www.sonickitten.com/squaresynth

  • AUv3 plugins:

    • SquareSynth 2, Sinusoid, ShapeSynth, Phawuo, Cyclop, Phase84, Lagrange, Phosphor...can do similar sounds, but most of them aren't 'chiptune synths'.
    • Samplers loaded with the right waveforms can fake it - elsa, Quanta...
    • For drums - Fractal Bits, SKIIID, or a sampler.
    • Or faking it again - any VA with a bit crusher and EQ.
    • Sequencer & arpeggiator are pretty important for chiptune sounds.

    I use Cyclop, SquareSynth 2, Sinusoid, & elsa the most for these sounds, tricks and trills.

  • Op-L by Jorge Reales is a good choice

  • I use SunVox

  • @illiac1 said:
    Sure would be amazing if someone ported Mutable Instruments Edges over, ala Braids, Rings, Elements and Plaits:

    In miRack there are a lot of MI modules.
    Also, free Spectrum synth is a 4 MI modules bundle

  • In no particular order and only a ‘small’ selection.

    SunVox, Drambo, SquareSynt 2, Bleass Alpha, OPL, SidTracker64, Deflemask, Lagrange, FracralBits, Spectrum, Gadget (Kamata, Kingston & Tokyo), Poison 202, Grooverider…

    It’s more a matter of knowing how to program the sounds and what ‘kind’ of chip sound is needed. (Arpeggios, Leads, Percussion, SFX etc.).

    A lot of programming tricks are/were used and knowing these make it easier to create the sounds.

  • KORG Gadget has a chip synth in it

  • I wonder why no one has mentioned PAPU. Isn’t it a chiptune synth?. It says “Gameboy chip emulation”.
    Anyway it sounds fantastic!. I love it and highly recommend it.
    https://apps.apple.com/es/app/papu/id1523121135?l=en

  • @tahiche said:
    I wonder why no one has mentioned PAPU. Isn’t it a chiptune synth?. It says “Gameboy chip emulation”.
    Anyway it sounds fantastic!. I love it and highly recommend it.
    https://apps.apple.com/es/app/papu/id1523121135?l=en

    It's pretty limited when it comes to more 'advanced' chip sounds.
    Same with the SID emulation from the same dev...

    In order for the old chips to 'come alive' they need programmability to create the effects that are associated with 'chip sounds'.

    For example classic chip arpeggios are created by changing the pitch with semitone steps at 20ms(Once every pal frame) intervals without re-triggering the envelope using a saw waveform or a square with slow pulse width modulation.

    Classic tricks are changing the waveform and pitch on the fly to create percussion sounds (Noise, Square, Triangle) in a sequence.

    Others include sync and ring-modulation with separate control over the frequency of both oscillators, either using envelopes or step-sequencers. (Mostly used for sound effects).

    As long as a synth/app has a couple of 'step sequencers' most sounds can be re-created :)

    Most most 'variety' of chip sounds (supports many different chip types) with plenty of programming options Deflemask is hard to beat.

    And well, Drambo is highly rewarding for designing & creating chip sounds from scratch.

    The OP requested NES and for that Deflemask is 'da bomb'.

  • Much as there's a wealth of synths on iOS that can be programmed for 8-bit chip-tune style shenanigans, there's nothing to match Plogue Chipsounds (desktop OS's). It truly is the chip-tune motherlode.

    https://www.plogue.com/products/chipsounds.html

    To get the full collection isn't cheap, but it's worth every hard-earned penny. I've written a few begging emails over the years, pleading for an iOS variant but have always received a polite no by reply. Let's give it some AB forum pester power and maybe they'll cave! :)

  • edited September 2021

    Ever look at GarageBand? I mean, seriously. There are a TON of very high quality synths and effects options (completely free) for iOS users.

  • @jonmoore said:
    Much as there's a wealth of synths on iOS that can be programmed for 8-bit chip-tune style shenanigans, there's nothing to match Plogue Chipsounds (desktop OS's). It truly is the chip-tune motherlode.

    https://www.plogue.com/products/chipsounds.html

    To get the full collection isn't cheap, but it's worth every hard-earned penny. I've written a few begging emails over the years, pleading for an iOS variant but have always received a polite no by reply. Let's give it some AB forum pester power and maybe they'll cave! :)

    Oh yes I've been writing them for years asking for IOS version.

  • edited September 2021

    Am I the only one who hates chiptunes? It sounds like a Rick Wakeman LP played at 78rpm :smiley:

  • I love PWM so how could I ever even consider hating properly composed chip-tunes?! :sunglasses:

  • @oldschoolwillie said:

    @jonmoore said:
    Much as there's a wealth of synths on iOS that can be programmed for 8-bit chip-tune style shenanigans, there's nothing to match Plogue Chipsounds (desktop OS's). It truly is the chip-tune motherlode.

    https://www.plogue.com/products/chipsounds.html

    To get the full collection isn't cheap, but it's worth every hard-earned penny. I've written a few begging emails over the years, pleading for an iOS variant but have always received a polite no by reply. Let's give it some AB forum pester power and maybe they'll cave! :)

    Oh yes I've been writing them for years asking for IOS version.

    +1

  • The developer of Papu iOS has several free Chiptune desktop plugins. I'm finding that Papu on iOS constantly freezes in AUM. Are his desktop synths more reliable?
    https://socalabs.com/

    He apparently was the lead dev of Tracktion Waveform DAW.

  • @Simon said:
    Am I the only one who hates chiptunes? It sounds like a Rick Wakeman LP played at 78rpm :smiley:

    Hurries off to buy Rick Wakeman albums in bulk

  • Eumir Deodato is another artist that has inspired early chip music...

    (Sounds cool at both 1.25 and 0.75 speeds).

  • And for more 'chip tune' stuff, here's a seminar by the dude who wrote the firmware for some of the pocket operators...

  • Don’t have it but I think people who do like it….

    Moby Chip - Sequencer and every track has a monophonic sound.

    https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moby-chip/id1523253515

  • Pico Chipper I think it’s free but not sure. Somewhat limited.

    https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pico-chipper/id1184766678

  • @Samu said:
    I love PWM so how could I ever even consider hating properly composed chip-tunes?! :sunglasses:

    That intro is so dope.

  • Tweaky Beat is lots of fun and sounds great - no AUv3 though

  • SunVox dev is truly 'hard core' when it comes to (well I guess it classifies as 'Chip Music') music...

    (I mean seriously everything is programmed and he's scrolling thru the entire source code when the music plays).

    SunVox 2.0 will be 'epic' when released!

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