Mission #2: Retro gaming

The Lounge Mission Briefs
#1

Welcome to Elektronauts Mission #2: Retro gaming!
The rules are as follows:

[ul]
[li]Elektron instruments to be allowed: All [/li]
[li]Allowed to use multiple Elektron instruments: Yes [/li]
[li]Methods of triggering SidStation: Any [/li]
[li]Maximum tracks: Three [/li]
[li]Multiple patterns: Yes[/li]
[/ul]
[ul]
[li]Synthesis: Yes [/li]
[li]Samples: No (except the single cycle waveforms I provide) [/li]
[li]Resampling: No [/li]
[li]Effects: No [/li]
[li]Overdrive: No [/li]
[li]Filter: Yes [/li]
[li]Oscillator per voice: One [/li]
[li]Waveshape per oscillator: Any [/li]
[li]Sub oscillator per voice: No [/li]
[li]2nd oscillator per voice: No [/li]
[li]Mixing in noise per oscillator: No [/li]
[li]Using noise as voice: Yes [/li]
[li]Oscillator acting as ring mod: No [/li]
[li]Song time limit: Three minutes [/li]
[li]Theme: Retro gaming [/li]
[/ul]

The octatrack may only use these single cycle waveforms:


but If they fit inside MD, MM or AR, or if you can make them fit, they may also be used there.
I’m trying to keep it simple and equal for all elektron instruments.

No post-processing or external effects allowed, apart from normalisation after recording.
Post submission to SoundCloud with download enabled, or similar service, and download link for sysex file(s).
Description of interesting techniques or tricks you used would be great as well!

Mission deadline: 00:00 Wednesday 10th of June.
Once deadline is reached, I shall collect the songs in a playlist, people listen to the tracks and vote.
Voting is done in a private message to me. Votes are kept anonymous.
Voting should be based on general “quality” of the track, whatever sounds good to you and also the retro game feeling you get from listening to it.
I’ll count the votes once everyone has voted (or after a week if people take too long)

Winner assigns the next mission.
The prize: Learning more about your machine and making cool retro music!

I won’t be taking part as I’m organising the mission.
Feel free to ask questions if the rules are unclear.
Have fun, and good luck!

Missions are NOT official Elektron competition.

Mission #1: A Single Pattern
#2

Sounds great for me! I’m really courious about the results… Count me in.

Is polyphony allowed ?

#3

3 tracks ?!??!?
Hole echo !

Thanks mikkel_zen for such a precise introduction for this new mission.
You and Zillamatic sent me to places I had never been before while driving my OT.

#4

Think I may actually get around to this one, hopefully.

May I humbly suggest the addition of a fourth track strictly for noise? This would give parity to the NES’s structure (two 50/25/12.5 pulse waves, a triangle and the noise gen)

#5

Regarding polyphony: Polyphony is allowed, but keep in mind the limit of maximum three oscillators simultaneously in total. So, three tracks with one oscillator or one track with tree oscillators, or something in between.

Regarding noise: No forth track will be allowed for dedicated noise. Noise is allowed, but must be used in other methods than in a fourth track. Considering the SidStations limitations, I’m making the rules as fair as I can.

Extra info regarding track limit: I put max three tracks in the rules for two reasons. One, for more easy correcting the results. Two, for you to not being able to use more than three sounds simultaneously.

So, the most important limitation is not the tracks available, but the max three oscillators available. The track limit mainly stops the ability of cheating. If you can make a tune using 16 tracks and still never exceed three oscillators being used simultaneously, it will be really hard for me to correct the result for cheating.

#6

Fair enough – I haven’t seen a Sidstation in the wild so I don’t know its capabilities. Thanks much.

#7

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]I believe the SID have three independent audio oscillators/tracks with [color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]four different waveforms per audio oscillator/track (sawtooth, triangle, pulse and noise) and one analog multi mode filter to send one, two or all oscillators through.

#8

SID can do ring modulation though. :wink:

#9

But OT can’n use oscallator as ring mod. That is why I criminalized it.

#10

Nice! Might join in on this one! :smiley:

#11

If the three independent oscillator thing is the most important thing in your mind, mikkel_zen :

  • can neighbours tracks be used to add effects ?
    I feel like the answer would be “no” for later cheating-detection activities but I needed to ask

  • most of all, can I use a master track ?
    For this I have a good excuse : I would love to add a bit-reducing filter on the 3 playing tracks. Plus it cannot really be seen as a fourth source.

Didn’t know things could get that crazy with a simple waveform, the only pattern I did tonight with only two tracks filled me with joy :slight_smile:

OT is so much fun ! And I feel like Missions are the best way to learn this instrument.

#12

No effects! No neighbors.
But I will say YES on the LOFI, but only sample rate reducer (SRR) and bit rate reducer (BRR), not the other parameters in the LOFI effect section.

I was originally going to put in the rules that all recordings must be 8-bit reduced before being submitted, but I concluded with myself that it was a too crazy, far out and insane rule.

#13

Correction:
Legal to use bit rate reducer (BRR) only on master track or after filter and no other parameters in the LOFI effect section.
Can monomachine and machinedrum do BRR by the way? If not, I have to criminalize it again…

#14

Man Ive been working on some tracks from Zelda but they involve my 6u modular and a few Navi & Link samples that go against the rules…

Oh well, I guess its about time I started some new tracks anyways!

#15

Daaaaaamn I read the rules a hundred times but for some reason my eyes never caught the line
“E f f e c t s : N O”.
:sob:

Oh, but Filter is OK.
That’s good.

No overdrive… I think this is not OT oriented, is it ?
Like the tiny “DIST” button of the OT filter is not what you meant by “Overdrive”, right ?

I love the ghost mandatory 8-bits reduction.
:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
You bloody pixelated monk !

#16

Cool mission!

#17

The DIST in the setup page of the filter in OT is not legal.
I see that as an effect and unfair to the SID.

#18

Drum programming -> trash
:sob:

#19

Ok. I’m not going to be a super strict nazi. I’m legalizing DIST. I guess I’m just too into being fair to the SID, even though that’s impossible. I hope this didn’t cause too much unnescesary problems.

#20

:joy:
trash -> drum programming

I had managed to get some drums without the DIST, but it was quieter :wink:

…

One does not say nazi, one says “pixelated-sounz-worshiping monk”