8-bit rendition of the entire Shatter soundtrack composed by Jeramiah "Module" Ross in 2009.

Created in FamiTracker with no expansion chips (2a03) in 2013! (2 square, 1 triangle, 1 noise, 1 DPCM sample channel)

Module's discography: https://module.bandcamp.com/

8-Bit Shatter Album

The original soundtrack to "Robinson Cruising", an underwater treasure gathering sim programmed by Dmitriy Shmilo (https://twitter.com/dmitriy_shmilo), with art by Adamastor (https://twitter.com/adamastor_dev).

This game was an entry into the Godot Wild Jam #41, running from 14th-23rd January 2022, with the theme this time around being "Ocean". From the beginning, I wanted to include one the wildcards in my work (an optional limitation to add a unique challenge in addition to the main theme) as one out of the three available was "Sound of Y'all" - all sounds in-game are made with your mouth(s)!

I had particular enjoyment and satisfaction with doing some weird and wonderful recordings and altering the shapes, pitches and tempos to come up with something completely original. With the use of echo and reverb to get some underwater vibes going, being permitted to apply effects to your mouth sounds gave way for endless possibilities! Bubbles, crickets-like sounds, beatboxing and everything in between - I hope you enjoy the results as much as I did.

Recorded with my phone's microphone, cut down with Audacity and mixed/EQ'd with SunVox.

Game description:

"Robinson Cruising is the most realistic submarine treasure gather simulator to date. Play as Robinson on their quest to hoard as much underwater bling as possible."

Game link: https://dmitriy-shmilo.itch.io/gwj41
All game jam entries: https://itch.io/jam/godot-wild-jam-41/entries

Robinson Cruising OST

A three-track compilation of atmospheric concept tracks in the realm of a classic triple-faction Real-Time Strategy game.

The Alliance, Delinquents and Chakahans are all attempting to reside peacefully on the latter's home planet but after the Alliance-Delinquent split, it has been nothing but chaos.

An elite group of electronically-enhanced humans, the Alliance was unearthed to maintain order and structure in an ever-increasingly disorderly empire. Naturally, those that had bodies that rejected the mandatory implants were shunned by the rest of society and inevitably, resentment grew within the ranks of the Alliance. While the elite at the very top put on a brave face, lower down the ranks were beginning to suffer from this disparity between classes that were formed in residential sectors. If you did not have an implant, you were right at the very bottom of the Alliance, cannon fodder for those that were frustrated that you were still kicking around their territory. Butting heads for so long with your enemy can only end one way - with segregation and with violence.

All the Delinquents asked was that they could remain as part of the Alliance after their bodies rejected the cranial implants that are mandatory for induction into the Alliance but they were mocked and shamed for not having the elite bodies to house these enhancers. Naturally, fuelled by anger, many of them broke off to forge communities of their own, growing ever larger as the gene pool for the Aliiance began to shrink exponentially. When you have millions of potential "rejects" in the pool, they began to evolve their culture and ultimately, form a new race of bodies. The ultimate hate has been passed down through generations and is ingrained in their psyche - almost equated to something more like a religion. They are now seeking their final goal, their final test - their revenge.

The Chakahans originally welcomed the Alliance to their planet for colonisation 4,691 moons ago but after the Delinquents broke off from the Alliance, they have since been attempting to maintain peace between these two battling nations. All they ask for is that they are allowed to continue their way of life by maintaining that ritualistic culture - a luxury that one would assume that they could have, it being their own home planet. They have instead found themselves acting as mediators, caught in the middle of the conflict and it is not looking like tempers are cooling in the near future. On one side, they have an arrogant group of elite humans who want nothing to do with anyone else. On the other side, they have rabid rage-filled rejects seeking revenge on their forefathers. You could say that it's the blind versus the blind and the enlightened must help the other parties see clearly and seek clarity.

I've always wanted to write some faction-specific music for a fantasy RTS so I took the opportunity while completing a challenge for the Music Weeklies regular themes! Thanks to the team there for the encouragement and help getting through some creative block by providing some necessary themes so I can get out of the habit of just creating mindlessly!

Three Faction Action

An album that documents my feelings towards the time that I spent hovering around the cities in World of Warcraft, particularly from the original title through to the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

Ten original tracks inspired by whatever activities I used to get up to in the cities of the Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor and Northrend. Whether it was sitting down answering questions from the quiz bot and having AoE dancing battles in the auction house, taking the flight path down into the depths of the city or launching a raid on the opposing faction's capital, I have nothing but nostalgia for those days of old.

Primarily focusing on my progressive and atmospheric style, I hope to encapsulate what each area on the map where these cities resided truly meant to me. Whether that is heavily modified sounds or pure FM synthesis, I hope to have produced something that meshes well yet ebbs and flows between upbeat heavy/dance tunes to slower and mysterious atmospheric tunes. A small nod to gameshow theme tunes thrown in to boot.

In the order of the track list, the cities represented are as follows:
1. Stormwind City
2. Ironforge
3. Darnassus
4. The Exodar
5. Orgrimmar
6. Thunder Bluff
7. Undercity
8. Silvermoon
9. Shattrath
10. Dalaran

My original ideas were noted back in 2015 but I finally put the hard graft in over these past five months to get these released. I do hope that you enjoy this foray into what I remember from playing back in the day! 

Composed using SunVox.

Vocals by Jon Herbst (Oh Cheese and Eggs, Terrace of Moon Cakes, Totemic Might).

Samples both recorded by Jon Herbst and utilised from LMMS' included sample library.

Album art by Jon Herbst.

Cities Above and Below

"Cyber Moon Rising" is a six-track album based on some original video game music ideas for a 2D platformer in a cyberpunk-esque environment. The classic stereotypical things that you would expect based on current thoughts on what the 22nd century could look like - neon signs, a deep dark blue/purple hue to the streets and a lot of open-market locations.

Cyber Moon Rising

Originally composed for the project "Slime Jammers" as part of the GBJam 9.

Unfortunately, a minimum playable prototype wasn't finished in time so it was never submitted for the game jam but I decided that I'd release the tracks anyway so things don't go to waste!

Slime Jammers was going to be a racing game made in Unity in a similar vein to that of the "Top Ride" mode in Kirby Air Ride for the Nintendo GameCube.

First time that I've tried to make music for a racing/party game but I thought it turned out well, if not a bit eclectic and "out there" - what I was going for though!

Composed with love using FamiTracker and utilising the FDS expansion chip for that beefy bass.

Thanks to the rest of the team for giving things a go anyway!

Game jam entries: https://itch.io/jam/gbjam-9/entries
Album art by jinx: https://twitter.com/vrisking

Title

Originally composed for a project as part of the MechJam II.

Unfortunately, a minimum playable prototype wasn't finished in time so it was never submitted for the game jam but I decided that I'd finish writing what I'd started and release the two tracks anyway so things don't go to waste!

The game was going to be a 2D game where the player sits inside the cockpit of a mech and controls each leg independently. Able to utilise steam-based weapons and others like a chaingun and rocket launcher, the player navigates the level in the style of the older "Wolfenstein" games.

I tried to give the tracks a grungy, atmospheric vibe and calling in some deep and steampunk-esque instruments to fit the brief and I thought they turned okay! I didn't have much reference material to go by in the end so it ended up being more of a free-form job!

Composed with love using FamiTracker and utilising the Namco 163 expansion chip for those custom waveforms.

Thanks to the rest of the team for giving things a go anyway!

Game jam entries: https://itch.io/jam/mechjam2/entries

Altmos

Chiptune rendition of the credits theme from Shatter, written for the OST Composing Jam: PASTIME I.

https://itch.io/jam/ost-composing-jam-pastime-1

Shatter - Homelands (Credits Theme) #OSTCompJam

The champion battle theme from Pokemon R/B/Y, redone in Famitracker with a VRC7 swing.

Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow - Champion Battle - Famitracker VRC7

Ocean Dive

Ahoy Mate (menus)

Pokemon X/Y Wild Battle Theme - Famitracker 8-bit

Pokemon Colosseum - Normal Battle - Famitracker 8-bit 2a03

It's been a rough three months but I'm finally back with another track. I've been wanting to revisit the Street Fighter universe once again after covering Ken's theme from Street Fighter II: The World Warrior so came back at it with another of Ken's tracks, along with Alex!

...the banger that is -JAZZY NYC '99- from their stage.

An iconic theme from the fighting game community - as soon as I hear the track start, all I can hear is a member of the crowd shouting "LET'S GO JUSTIN", that being Justin Wong vs. Daigo Umehara playing Chun-Li and Ken respectively. 

A moment culminating in an incredible full parry from Daigo against Chun-Li's super. Unforgettable.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my rendition of the theme, putting a different and ever so slightly slower spin on a classic. All the best.

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike - Alex & Ken Stage -JAZZY NYC '99- (FamiTracker, 2a03)

No holds barred on this one for sure. I must admit that I haven't checked out a huge amount of the music from the new Pokemon Scarlet & Violet games on the Nintendo Switch but I must say that this one is an absolute banger.

I'm glad that Game Freak went back to some more "sensible" naming of their protagonist teams but I'm not sure about some of those outfits! The music goes hard though - HAWD.

This one is just absolutely relentless and I attempted to double down on that trance vibe to go even harder on bringing that out, along with the background instrumentation to give a little bit of a new vibe to the piece. 

While the soul is still there, I hope that I was able to bring the variety of styles that I wanted to the table in some form of chaotic harmony. The balancing and mastering on this one might not have been the best but it's the most difficult one to date that I've had that really challenged me.

I learnt a lot from working on this track that I hope I can bring forward to future endeavours. I'm really drained after this one, both physically and mentally so likely to take a couple of days off to recouperate after this monumental effort. Heh, I hope it was worth going for that wild ride!

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet - Team Star Grunt Battle Theme

I've had this one on my list for a while as I've been a bit afraid to tackle something like this. Originally, I had it down as a cover in FamiTracker using the N163 chip but due to my recent pickup of a new DAW in LMMS, I decided to give it another shot.

I didn't realise that I would love the Tekken 7 OST, given that a lot of the tracks are Drum n' Bass related but the Jungle Outpost and Arctic Snowfall themes really go hard. They get you so hyped and in the zone, in my case ready to get completely destroyed by the AI due to my incompetence. Yoshimitsu isn't quite what he used to be...

Ruminations aside, this is my first time trying this sort of genre. I think it turned out alright but there are still a lot of intricacies that I had no idea about that I still need to brush up on. The bass and snare drums are surprisingly difficult to get an adequate sound on.

Tekken 7 - Jungle Outpost Round 1 (Equator Line 1st, LMMS)

I popped into a stream the other day and was immediately hit with a bout of nostalgia as I realised that the soundtrack from Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition (Stairway to the Destined Duel) was playing! I played away countless hours spamming duels against Mokuba and Trusdale (not sure that was a translation error as it was Yugi's grandpa). Easy free packs unless he whipped out the Cyber Stein & Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon combo. I never actually progressed that far into the story but might eventually have to give it a playthrough if I can find a fun stall / mill deck.

I love this theme as it's so upbeat and bouncy - it really hits that friendly duel vibe, even though we were just there to smash faces. Compared to other GameBoy Advance soundtracks, this one doesn't use that many channels but the sound design is on point throughout. The main and battle phases are always hype, especially when the defending monster flips over. Because of that, it actually translates really well into a classic 4-channel track while being able to utilise the pulse channels for multiple sections.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition - Duel Theme 1 (FamiTracker, 8-bit)

As a continuation on from my previous duel theme from the incredibly nostalgic Gameboy Advance game Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition (Stairway to the Destined Duel), I decided to attempt to bring the second main duel theme a bit more up-to-date with an electronic re-imagining! Not modern by any stretch of the imagination but I think it still very much retains the spirit of the original. This theme plays for a few of the other main characters from the series, including Mai Valentine.

Combined a few synths as well as some (hopefully) cleaner drum samples to make those chords really stand out. I made a few adjustments to those to give my own spin on those progressions and buildup / release of tension towards the end. 

Still using the stock instruments and samples that come along with the LMMS DAW but bringing what I can to the experience and hope to eventually play around with the ZynAddSubFX plugin very soon!

Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition - Duel Theme 2 (LMMS)

Chakahans

Delinquents

Alliance

This track has an incredible amount of nuance in it with many different moods, swings and melodies but somehow, it all ends up coming together coherently. That is truly a testament to the compositional power of the musicians working on the Pokemon franchise.

Due to this, it ended up being incredibly difficult to transcribe and bring it back down to earth with only four channels and while I think that I overused some custom arpeggios a little, I think it came out okay.

This is actually my first "demake" from generation V I believe, that being the Pokemon Black 2 / White 2 and original Black / White versions. Colress only appears in the second installations but man, this is a quintessential theme that somehow wraps up what the scientists at Team Plasma were all about!

Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 - Battle! Colress (FamiTracker 2a03, 8-bit)

Track 01 / 10 from my newly released original album composed entirely in SunVox, Cities Above and Below - "Oh Cheese and Eggs".

Many evenings were spent in the Stormwind City auction house, dancing randomly, channeling AoE spells and answering questions from user addons such as the infamous quiz bot! It was always a chilled out time there, waiting for queues to pop, finding additional party members for a dungeon or raid and recruiting new guild members! Getting ten signatures for my first ever guild was a fun time.

Who could forget attempting to get to the top of the fountain in the main square, unfortunately made redundant by the eventual introduction of personal flying mounts.

Due to these dancing ogres, banging music and overall atmosphere, my biggest takeaway vibes that I got from this was that sense of a server rave or always a party going on and yes, I did know what was always going on down the road at the second play area, that being Goldshire.

Hence, I wanted this first track to be a bit of a party with those 80s synth vibes and a few vocals repeated a couple of times:

Oh cheese and eggs
Oh how they taste so good
Oh cheese and eggs
Cheese on toast too

There was always a meme going around about what the original lyrics to the main Stormwind City theme were but for those of us that didn't understand what they were, "oh cheese and eggs" was always the first thought and that explains the title.

All the best.

Oh Cheese and Eggs

Track 02 / 10 from my newly released original album composed entirely in SunVox, Cities Above and Below - "Pint-sized Gnome".

Sure, the great central forge, Halls of Explorers and all of the tinkering going on in the city was great but you haven't really lived until you've been inside of one of the famous taverns of Ironforge. Drink, get merry, drink some more, belch, rinse and repeat!

It's a shame that the taverns weren't really a gathering place for a lot of players but it was still fun to vibe and get your essential rested bonus. Plus, the music was always great there. Because of this, I went with a more laid back, off-beat vibe to sum up the feeling of maybe drinking alone, even though you were still surrounded by your Dwarven brethren. Such a lonely place but bustling at the same time.

Outside of the bank and auction house was always far busier but just off to the side, there was a tiny little pocket of solitude to drink your woes away and forget about everything that happened that day. Also, Gnomes were always just the right size to punt around the tavern to release some of that tension!

The eventual introduction of the Monk class would rectify the lack of any playable alcohol connoisseurs (aka Brewmasters) so until then, any of my favourite race of Dwarves had to do when the going got tough! Short and tiny but incredibly powerful.

Pint-Sized Gnome

Track 03 / 10 from my newly released original album composed entirely in SunVox, Cities Above and Below - "Terrace of Moon Cakes".

The journey into Darnassus through the Night Elf starting zone on Teldrassil was one of my fondest memories, probably because I regularly leveled a character there with a friend and Druids being one of my favourite classes alongside the Priest and Warrior.

While the capital itself wasn't really that popular, I absolutely adored the serenity and the colour scheme that Darnassus provided. Purples and greens, alongside a few blues are a feast for the eyes.

Bringing that mysticism influence heavily into this track, the lack of inherent structure and use of some of my heavily modded vocals hopefully creates a sense of wonder and peace, yet for some reason there was always a slight sense of unease. Maybe it was the fact that it was almost deserted - waiting for something to happen, something to strike. Maybe it was because of what happened with Illidan Stormrage.

While Night Elves do not have any shamanic traits, I wanted to bring a little of that into it as I do feel that the Draenei would settle well in a place like this.

Dioniss aca.

Terrace of Moon Cakes

Track 04 / 10 from my newly released original album composed entirely in SunVox, Cities Above and Below - "The Crystal Maze".

I used to love taking the flight path into The Exodar, descending through the weaving path towards the core of the capital. Much like with Darnassus, The Exodar never really got a huge amount of love from the World of Warcraft population but it's true that it was never as connected to the rest of the alliance as cities like Stormwind and Ironforge were. That and the fact that this new city came along with a new expansion for a new playable race - the Draenei.

Such a beautiful city though, really utilising the sense of scale through the rapid changes in elevation. It did get to be a tad confusing at times though so it was never really as immediately recognisable.

As the Draenei homeland has copious amounts of crystal shards and larger masses, it did make me instantly think of an old UK gameshow that I still adore - "The Crystal Maze". That is where I got the idea to turn this into more of a TV show intro and keep it short, sweet and catchy. A simple structure, bassline and progression but no real complexity. A small nod to the "Blockbusters" theme tune also, another UK gameshow classic theme.

The Crystal Maze

Track 05 / 10 from my newly released original album composed entirely in SunVox, Cities Above and Below - "The Way of the Warrior".

For a Horde capital city, I spent very little time roaming the roads of Orgrimmar but that could also be down to the fact that I was in fact a filthy Alliance player. Funnily enough, my first character was Horde but then I realised that all of my friends played Alliance so naturally, I had to switch.

There used to be a UK martial arts gameshow by the name of "Masters of Combat" that the surroundings used to remind me of, so this theme ended up being a little more off-key and grungy. There is only so much one can do with an oriental base when it comes to analogue sounds and FM synthesis but I think that it turned out pretty well.

Actually, I think the only times I used to go to the city were when I had just made my way through the gates of Orgrimmar after playing through the Orc starting zone on a new character. Thinking about the designs, I do wish that I had given the Horde far more love but I cannot change that.

The Way of the Warrior

I absolutely adore what they did with the Johto Rival theme from the Pokémon Johto Journeys anime and I wanted to do something similar here for the Kanto rival! While there is no special battle music in the generation 1 video games, I did my best to think about what could have been created for them.

It was an inspiring move to actually turn the "Rival Appears!" track from Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal into a battle theme for the anime and it lends itself so well to it. The strings, the trumpets, the guitars. There is something about the sound from the anime versions that were composed - truly amazing.

Replacing the usual strings and trumpets with some synths and more percussive elements, I tried to blend what happens throughout the game where you fight your rival at many different points. Professor Oak's lab, Pokemon Tower, before the Pokemon league. When will he finally admit defeat?

Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow - Rival Appears! (Battle theme adaptation)

I've been wanting to do another track from the Pokemon anime and while it took my a while to get going, I finally finished one of my favourite songs from all of the films. Going to Latios! Sometimes also known as The Rescue for Latios.

It just so happens to come from the fifth Pokémon movie - The Guardians of Alto Mare Latias and Latios / The Guardian Gods of the Water Capital Latias and Latios (Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Latias to Latios / 水の都の護神 ラティアスとラティオス). I don't actually remember watching the movie at all but I am sure that I have at some point.

My main focus for this one was to work on my mixing as the panning and sound levels haven't really been up to scratch. I thought that the overall instrumentation fits the vibe well and instead of attempting to "force" a realistic brass sound, I went for something more akin to a square or sawtooth wave instead, which I think blended well.

LMMS tends to do those sweeping synth strings incredibly well and I hope to utilise more of that in the future. I'll have to see whether I can watch this movie again.

Time for a quick break over the weekend but normal service will resume from Monday, albeit with a new project going forward (hopefully).

Latios no Moto he!
ラティオスの元へ!
Going to Latios!

Pokémon Anime Sound Collection - Going to Latios! (ラティオスの元へ!, LMMS)

I actually finished this track after losing a bunch of progress in my current playthrough of Phantasy Star IV. It's a brutal game (as were most in that era) and I was very careless with not using my Land Rover when I should have. Missing the comfort of the cabin, I was destroyed mercilessly by a giant sand worm which managed to cause an earthquake of such magnitude that it also caused me to just exit the game.

In most cases, I would probably just drop the game altogether but I have been enjoying the story arcs so much that I will pass this one off as not saving frequently enough and being a little careless when it comes to later in the evening. Luckily, the music is so good on the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis that even though there are frequent random battles at every corner, I never get tired of them (at the moment).

What probably helps this is the fact that there are numerous ways to battle, or so it seems. Starting on your own to feet, you eventually transition to vehicular transport, both of which have their own unique theme. Topping that off with and incredible boss theme and I can't wait to get stuck back in.

After that rather large tangent, I was caught off guard by how incredible the music in the dungeons and structures are. I've listened to the OST countless times but actually experiencing them in-game gives a whole new layer of enjoyment and understanding. The bass in this track in particular is so grungy and satisfying that I just can't get enough of it.

You may also notice that for once, I've actually used some DPCM samples and guess what? It actually makes it sound so much better! When will I ever learn eh....

Phantasy Star IV - Organic Beat (FamiTracker VRC7)

I have good memories of my first Mortal Kombat games that I owned - Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance being the first and Deception being the second. I had actually played Mortal Kombat 3 many times before on a friend's Super Nintendo and enjoyed it immensely, Cyrax being my go-to character for that throw spam against the AI.

Bo Rai Cho was my favourite character from Deadly Alliance though. The drunken fist technique and throwing up all over the floor to make your opponent slip on the ground was always hilarious. The fatality of bouncing up and down on your opponent with your belly as they explode being equally hilarious to me during my teenage years.

I always used to play a lot with my brother-in-law who taught me a lot about trying to lose gracefully during a competitive setting as I was a terrible loser - an awful specimen of rage! I've since calmed down a little but I can still be fiercely competitive, stubborn and driven, to my detriment on most occasions. He always used to play Scorpion and Sub-Zero, either freezing me in place or GET OVER HERE and pulling me in with Scorpion's spear.

The Mortal Kombat games were always immensely savage and I've always loved them for that. I currently own Mortal Kombat X actually but have never given it the chance as fighting games can require an immense amount of practice but maybe one day I'll revisit it (or maybe Deadly Alliance and Deception instead....)

Anyway, back to the track after all that waffle. I hope I can do a lot more research and compositions when it comes to an acutely industrial, discordant and ultimately "crunchy" sound when it comes to tracks like these. Much like the game itself, this track is grungy, dark and technical. I think it gets a little bit of flak for this but I really do love the beat. I do hope that I did the game a little bit of justice recreating this theme, with sampled drums and all.

Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance - Character Select (FamiTracker 8-bit)

There are many UK game shows that I enjoyed a lot growing up and reminisce over frequently, Countdown being one of them. Richard Whiteley hosted it for a number of years since it's inception before passing unexpectedly which was a massive shame. I enjoy watching videos of his great wit and on-screen relationship that he had on the show with Carol Vordeman.

One thing that has stayed true and consistent throughout the show's lifetime,  however, was the main theme tune itself. I decided to pick the version that was used from 1988 to 1991 to cover as this one resonated with me the most and it was a huge jump in quality from the previous iteration. That, and the fact that I particularly enjoy this set of title sequences.

I think that this one translates rather well to a 4-channel 8-bit version, not just because of the simplicity in the melody but also the fact that the channels available are able to recreate those punchy sound effects that you get from the ones that were used - a ticking clock, a metronome almost. Thirty seconds to go to either come up with a word from a set of nine letters or solve the mathematical problem given six numbers and a randomly generated target amount! Can't beat it really. 

I hope you enjoy this very small slice of UK gameshow history and can enjoy the music for what it is worth.

Countdown Theme - 1988-91 (FamiTracker 8-bit)

Track 06 out of 06 is "The Chambers", the original chiptune version that was created for the project and what the second track, "One in the Chambers", is based on.

"Cyber Moon Rising" is a six-track album based on some original video game music ideas for a 2D platformer in a cyberpunk-esque environment. The classic stereotypical things that you would expect based on current thoughts on what the 22nd-24th century could look like - neon signs, a deep dark blue/purple hue to the streets and a lot of open-market locations.

Original sounds and music composed by Jon Herbst.
Composed using FamiTracker, the Dn-FamiTracker fork developed by the D.P.C.M. team.

The Chambers (chiptune ver.)

06 The Chambers (chiptune ver.)

Track 05 out of 06 is "The Bazaar", the original chiptune version that was created for the project and what the second track, "House of the Bazaar", is based on.

"Cyber Moon Rising" is a six-track album based on some original video game music ideas for a 2D platformer in a cyberpunk-esque environment. The classic stereotypical things that you would expect based on current thoughts on what the 22nd century could look like - neon signs, a deep dark blue/purple hue to the streets and a lot of open-market locations.

Original sounds and music composed by Jon Herbst.
Composed using FamiTracker, the Dn-FamiTracker fork developed by the D.P.C.M. team.

The Bazaar (chiptune ver.)

05 The Bazaar (chiptune ver.)

Track 04 out of 06 is "The Atlas", the original chiptune version that was created for the project and what the first track, "Through the Eye of an Atlas", is based on.

"Cyber Moon Rising" is a six-track album based on some original video game music ideas for a 2D platformer in a cyberpunk-esque environment. The classic stereotypical things that you would expect based on current thoughts on what the 22nd century could look like - neon signs, a deep dark blue/purple hue to the streets and a lot of open-market locations.

Original sounds and music composed by Jon Herbst.
Composed using FamiTracker, the Dn-FamiTracker fork developed by the D.P.C.M. team.

The Atlas (chiptune ver.)

04 The Atlas (chiptune ver.)

Track 03 out of 06 is "One in the Chambers", home to the underground racing scene that takes place amongst the abandoned but thankfully clean sewer network. These expansive tunnel systems are the perfect place for petrolheads to flex their muscles and drown in the true essence of competitive racing. Even though street car technology has advanced rapidly over the last 100 years, these members have managed to keep their old motors under wraps out of sight and beautifully maintained so that they can still enjoy the wail of pumping pistons and anything from four-cylinder engines upwards. There is nothing quite like the sound of a real engine sound echoing through the miles and miles of almost straight systems, broken up by perfectly adjacent junctions.

This is one of the very few things that connects man to that primal adrenaline rush of having control of speed and competition. No dirty tactics here - members are carefully vetted but attract many additional spectators that share that love for speed and pure engine noise.

"Cyber Moon Rising" is a six-track album based on some original video game music ideas for a 2D platformer in a cyberpunk-esque environment. The classic stereotypical things that you would expect based on current thoughts on what the 22nd century could look like - neon signs, a deep dark blue/purple hue to the streets and a lot of open-market locations.

Original sounds and music composed by Jon Herbst.
Composed using SunVox, developed by Alexander Zolotov.
Additional drum samples sourced from the LMMS stock sample library.

One in the Chambers

03 One in the Chambers

Track 02 out of 06 is "House of the Bazaar", one of the open market sections of the lower city, home to sellers of narcotics, weapons and other contraband items. What you see is what you get - anything goes and it doesn't matter how the items were obtained in the first place. Almost a "legal" black market if you will. Payments being taken by scanning your digital identification, to be put straight away on your historical track record. However, even though the "authorities" know what you have been purchasing, they know deep down that these sellers maintain the increasingly fragile balance of this newly devolved society.

At least food and drink are one of the very few things holding everything together that survives any ongoing change. People can still enjoy some good food and other forms of alcohol together to relax and unwind. Communities are still sociable with one another - that is one thing that can be said.

"Cyber Moon Rising" is a six-track album based on some original video game music ideas for a 2D platformer in a cyberpunk-esque environment. The classic stereotypical things that you would expect based on current thoughts on what the 22nd century could look like - neon signs, a deep dark blue/purple hue to the streets and a lot of open-market locations.

Original sounds and music composed by Jon Herbst.
Composed using SunVox, developed by Alexander Zolotov.
Additional drum samples sourced from the LMMS stock sample library.

House of the Bazaar

02 House of the Bazaar

Track 01 out of 06 is "Through the Eye of an Atlas", a step into a futuristic new world of technology, discordance and deceit. Sure, there have been many good things to come out of this revolution but with the good, there must come evil to maintain the balance and equilibrium of this world. Naturally, it was always going to turn into some form of dystopia but to what degree was always going to be a mystery. As we wander the streets, neon signs at every turn. Dealers, merchants, those who have just finished their working day. Out to finally have some rest and relaxation - a drink alone or some dinner with friends.

Some would say that the humans are regressing once again due to the will for freedom and utter disgust for anything that goes against their beliefs but that does nothing but further plunge their civilisations into deeper levels of anarchy. They finally realise the magnitude of the situation when barely anyone else wants to bring new life into this world for fear of what they would have to deal with even further into the future.

"Cyber Moon Rising" is a six-track album based on some original video game music ideas for a 2D platformer in a cyberpunk-esque environment. The classic stereotypical things that you would expect based on current thoughts on what the 22nd century could look like - neon signs, a deep dark blue/purple hue to the streets and a lot of open-market locations.

Original sounds and music composed by Jon Herbst.
Composed using SunVox, developed by Alexander Zolotov.
Additional drum samples sourced from the LMMS stock sample library.

Through the Eye of an Atlas

01 Through the Eye of an Atlas

"Thanks mister! Wow! You saved our lives!"
"NOOOOOOOO!"

"When I saw the Pikachu status, I kinda went crazy....... so I grabbed it!"
"NOOOOOOOO!"

"Wow! That means that we can run into that Ho-Oh any time! Wow!"
"No."

"Ash, you keep talking like that and I'm going to blush!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Wait - can't we battle first?"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"........."
"NOOOOOOO!"

"My will gives me strength, and now you'll see it first-hand!"
"NOOO!"

Some of my favourite lines from Brandon in the anime, particularly just the parts where he says NOOOOOOOOOO.

I've had this track stuck in my head for a while and after wanting to play through generation 3 again so I can finally take on the Battle Frontier (which I never did unfortunately), I decided to cover the track that is the last battle before you get the Gold Symbol!

I tried to incorporate a mixture of 3/4 and 4/4 rhythms into this track which I've seen other titles do, particularly the Brinstar Depths theme from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and while it was a mixture of success here, I think it generally blends well.

I do enjoy bringing some of these older Pokemon tracks into a more synthesized environment and hope you do too!

Pokemon Emerald - Frontier Brain Battle (LMMS)

After doing the Rocket Silo theme in LMMS a while back, I decided to revisit Super Crate Box to tackle an 8-bit version of the music from the first level of the game - the Construction Yard.

This is the music that I remember the most when I used to play to original game a long time back, mostly because it was the level you played when learning the mechanics the most and what gets you into the mood to get that new high score.

A lovely little arcade score attack shooter that takes place on a single screen and can easily be played on a small window. Maybe that helps when you're trying to hide it from others looking along with games like N+ at college ......

I've been bringing a bit more DPCM to my tracks these days and it definitely does bring more of a boost to some of them. Although by using the Zxx command to combat some sample popping, you do lose a bit of volume from the triangle channel in return so it is always a tradeoff on original hardware due to the limitations!

Super Crate Box - Construction Yard

There is something about fighting game music from the PS1 era that I really do enjoy. I find it far more atmospheric than what we see today but that does not mean that either is worse than the other. Times have changed with the gameplay and the music has evolved along with it.

I think this theme along with King's (which I hope to cover soon using LMMS instead) are two of my favourites from this game, even though I'm a Yoshimitsu main - can't beat that Shark Attack! Those chords in both of them, along with the synths used really are something else.

While I tried to stay faithful to the original in most of this cover, I did put my own personal spin on certain sections as always, where I feel that the track could benefit from some flourishes when it comes to translating it to the VRC7 expansion chip. Some of the default instruments are great but scattering in a few pitch slides for the pulse (square) and triangle channels really is fun to do. I do hope you enjoyed my rendition of this legendary theme for all those 90s fighting game community folks!

Tekken 3 - Nina Williams Theme (FamiTracker, VRC7)

What an incredible stage that King had in Tekken 3. I could have sworn that it was just a giant arena structure hovering way up in the sky where playable characters could wrestle it out against the best of the best. I never really played much of King as I couldn't really get my head around the grapple techniques that he heavily relied on - maybe that's also why I never really gelled with Zangief from the Street Fighter franchise, there are some similarities there.

As well as having an almost ethereal stage, the music is incredibly atmospheric with a mild breakbeat style with a lot of layered percussion to accentuate that. It's actually quite minimal overall but the instrumentation used after that intro section really packs a punch. I've always found it interesting how it goes from those soft opening synths to power chords in a matter of moments but it really does fit the stage so well.

I hope that I could do it a small amount of justice here. I think the soft synth sections were the highlight for me, while I may have been lacking somewhat in the instrumentation for the guitar sections and those little build-ups. I still haven't found a reasonable way to tinker with the fading in and out in LMMS and I haven't even scratched the surface when it comes to creating instruments myself so I have a long way to go there to get more of the sound that I am looking for.

Tekken 3 - King (LMMS)

8-bit rendition of the entire Shatter soundtrack composed by Jeramiah "Module" Ross in 2009.

Created in FamiTracker with no expansion chips (2a03).

Module's discography: https://module.bandcamp.com/

8 - Bit Shatter Album - #5 Freon World

8 - Bit Shatter Album - #4 Krypton Garden

8 - Bit Shatter Album - #3 Granular Extractor

8 - Bit Shatter Album - #2 Aurora

8 - Bit Shatter Album - #1 Kinetic Harvest

"Ruins" theme from Blue Dragon on the Xbox 360 in FamiTracker, no expansions.

Blue Dragon - Ruins - FamiTracker 2a03

Profile of Jonathan Herbst, a video game music composer from the United Kingdom. Creating original music and covers, specialising in electronic music - particularly Chiptune and FM Synthesis.

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