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CHIPTUNE.EXE

CHIPTUNE.EXE

TRANSPORT
TEMPO
120 BPM16ths · 125ms
VOICE
AUDIO
LEAD · SQUARE · C4 to E5
E5
D5
C5
A4
G4
E4
D4
C4

One column is a sixteenth. Bar lines fall on 1, 5, 9 and 13. The grid is an eight row window onto five octaves of the same pentatonic run the dock plays, C2 to A6. Notes of this voice that sit outside the window keep playing, and the lime count next to the arrows jumps to them.

PRESETS
MIX
6 notes
4 notes
4 notes
EXPORT

Every note is synthesised on the spot. No audio files, same as the rest of the system, so a pattern is nine numbers and three bitmasks.

ready · NEON_DRIVE.PAT loaded

CHIPTUNE.EXE HELP

sixteen steps, three voices, five octaves of the same pentatonic run the dock plays, synthesised on the spot.

DOING SOMETHING
  1. load a preset, or start from the pattern already on the grid.
  2. pick a voice. LEAD, BASS or BLIP. the grid only ever edits the one that is selected.
  3. click cells to place notes. a cell you switch on auditions itself once audio is on.
  4. press PLAY. it unlocks audio on the first press, so there is no separate switch to go and find.
  5. set the tempo with minus and plus. 60 to 200 bpm in steps of 4, and a change lands on the next sixteenth without restarting the run.
  6. mute a voice in MIX, or COPY PATTERN AS JSON to take the whole thing away.
WORTH KNOWING
  • the grid is an eight row window onto five octaves, C2 to A6. notes of this voice outside the window keep playing, and the lime counter next to the octave arrows jumps to them.
  • the note counts in MIX count all five octaves, so they are how you notice notes you cannot currently see.
  • one bar of sixteenths, bar lines on 1, 5, 9 and 13. there is no second bar and no swing.
  • sending the tab to the background pauses the run and hands the audio device back.
  • TEST TONE plays the dock's own eight pitches, which is the fastest way to tell a muted tab from a broken app.
KEYS
Arrows
move between cells. reaching past the top or bottom row scrolls the window by a row, so a keyboard can reach all five octaves.
Space
toggle the focused cell on or off.