Deep-Dive Guides Into Chiptune Composition and Score History

Long-form walkthroughs on how iconic 8-bit and 16-bit scores were built, note by note, straight from the composers who wrote them.

Guides for Understanding Game Music

Tutorials built from real interviews, sound-chip research, and years of listening

Learn to break down channel limitations, pulse waves, and noise channels the way composers did when scoring for the NES and Game Boy.

An overview of the PSG, YM2612, and SPC700, explaining how each chip shaped the tone of its era's most memorable soundtracks.

A practical framework for approaching composer interviews, drawn from our own sit-downs with veterans of the golden chiptune era.

Walk through how a single melodic phrase can evolve across a soundtrack, tying boss themes, town music, and endings together.

A look at how modern arrangers reinterpret 8-bit melodies for orchestras and rock bands, and what gets lost or gained in translation.

A guide to organizing your own soundtrack collection around composer catalogs instead of just game titles, for deeper appreciation.

Written by people who transcribe, research, and listen obsessively

Fact-Checked Interviews

Every composer quote and technical claim is cross-referenced against liner notes, archived interviews, and firsthand correspondence.

Written by Enthusiasts

Our contributors have spent years transcribing chiptune scores and tracking down composers most outlets never think to contact.

Long-Form, Not Skimmed

Each guide takes the time a real breakdown deserves, going beyond quick lists to explain the reasoning behind a score's structure.

Built With Reader Input

Many of our guides start as questions from readers in Aswan, Egypt and beyond, curious about a specific theme or composer.

Start with any guide and you'll never listen to a boss theme the same way again.