Gruber posts
Posts: 260
Files: 549
Dirtmouth, Hollow Knight (Pico-8 Cover)
In the video above, you can here my arrangement of Dirtmouth, from Hollow Knight, in Pico-8 . Composed by Christopher Larkin. Listen to the original here.Thanks to Retrisma for the suggestion!Attached are: 2 Pico-8 carts Sheet music Mp3Because of the simple composition and instrumentation, this was fairly easy to arrange in Pico-8. One of the constraints that Pico-8 imposes on composers is tempo within an SFX. If you listen to the original, the tempo from note to note often fluctuates, ebbing and flowing every phrase. This is characteristic of ...
Vulfpeck - Tee Time (Pico-8 Cover)
A Pico-8 cover of Tee Time by Vulfpeck, from the album Mr Finish Line. Thanks to David Meslin for the request!Check out the original here.Attached are: 4 Pico-8 Carts Sheet Music Mp3As usual, the sheet music is mostly accurate, but there are always mistakes and typos. Let me know if you find any!Unique to this arrangement is my "side-chained" snare drum. I used a custom instrument (06) to play a "donk" sound, followed by the bass. This freed up a row to use for 3-part harmonies. You can hear it more directly here.Thanks for list...
Pico-8 Music Tutorial #58 – Creating a Drum Beat (Advanced)
This tutorial was inspired by this tweet.How can you get more variety in drum sounds? The answer is to use the instrument editor!In this tutorial, I show a basic workflow for creating your own “drum kits.” In Pico-8, you can easily loop a music pattern and edit the sounds simultaneously. This creates the tightest possible feedback loop, so you can seamlessly create and edit your sounds.In the next tutorial, I’m going to do the same except with bass sounds and bass lines. Ultimately, we’ll be able to combine drums & bass in a cart, make ...
Some Sonic 2 Music, in Pico-8!
If you follow Pico-8 development, you may have seen BoneVolt's Sonic remake. We're currently working on squishing as much music as possible into this game, which led me to listen to some music from Sonic 2.Hoping I could use them in the game, I transcribed the music from Emerald Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone (sheet music, Mp3's, and Pico-8 carts are attached!). In the video above, you can compare the originals with my Pico-8 arrangements. (Watch/Listen to the full songs here and here)I thought there'd be enough room for at l...
Gruber Update! – Any Requests?
Hey everyone!TL;DR: Are there any songs you’re interested in hearing in Pico-8 or MilkyTracker? I'm open to suggestions!I’m postponing Music Masterclasses until there’s more demand. In the meantime, I’m still here to help, answer questions, give feedback - whatever you need to support your practice. Send me a message, leave comments, be in touch!--First of all, hi! Hope you’re well. Thanks for reading, and thanks for being here.Most importantly, here’s a picture of our new puppy, Levi. 5-month Yorkshire Terrier. He’s the best....
Visa (Charlie Parker) - Piano & Pico-8
This is a quirky, polytonal(ish) arrangement of another Charlie Parker tune called Visa. In the video above you can hear a piano version, and then a version in Pico-8.Attached: Lead sheet (based on this version) Score Pico-8 cart Pico-8 audio (mp3)A few interesting notes:This was inspired by the idea of practicing "spatial independence" between the right and left hands. Playing and improvising in say, C Major, means the hands gravitate towards a hierarchy of notes (or space) based around that key. This can be problematic if the pianist ...
Transcribing & Porting Cover Music - Pico-8 Music Tutorial #57
In this tutorial, I take you through my entire process of listening, transcribing and porting tunes into Pico-8. In this case, music from a C64 game called Cybernoid 2. Skip to 2:15:40 to hear the final version. (Also attached is the sheet music and Pico-8 cart)This was recorded during a music masterclass, so I’ve roughly edited out stream chatter. It’s still a long video (over two hours!), so you can still see the slow, raw process. I also only transcribed and arranged the first couple minutes; the original is over seven minutes long!I’m...
Donna Lee (Piano & Pico-8)
In the video above you can hear my piano arrangement of Donna Lee by Charlie Parker & Miles Davis, followed by a Pico-8 version. As you know, I've been practicing and writing about improvising counterpoint at the piano. After creating and practicing exercises for so long, I find writing formal arrangements is the next step to internalizing these relationships. The goal isn't necessarily to play it like this every time, but to use them as starting places for improvisation.I did something similar for another bebop tune called Quasimodo. I...
Animal Crossing, Welcome Horizons (Pico-8 Cover)
A Pico-8 cover of the title music from Animal Crossing, New Horizons. Composed by Kazumi Totaka.Attached is: Sheet music Pico-8 Cart Pico-8 Audio (mp3)I have some more sheet music and Pico-8 arrangements I'd like to make, but I'm also open to requests. Let me know!
Quasimodo by Charlie Parker (Piano & Pico-8)
In the video above you can hear my piano arrangement of Quasimodo by Charlie Parker, followed by the Pico-8 version. This is the result of working on counterpoint, hand independence, and some polyrhythmic accompaniments (dotted quarter notes in 4/4).Attached, you'll find: Pico-8 cart Pico-8 audio (Mp3) Lead sheet in Eb Piano arrangement sheetsLet me know if you have any questions!
Pico-8 Music Tutorial #56 – Feedback Series #5
Hey everyone!I found another fun cart on the Pico-8 forums called A Hat on TimeThis is kind of a continuation of the previous tutorial, where I discuss composition as an exploratory process – playing and listening to individual parts, then playing and listening to them in relation to other parts.These ideas have been on my mind for a while now, and I’ve been thinking about designing another Pico-8 tutorials series with a focus on composition. What do you think? What topics would you like to see covered? Time stamps: 0:00 Choosing & playing ...
New Masterclass Schedule (April/May)
Hey everyone, I hope you’re doing well in these crazy times.I’ve set new masterclass dates. If you’re working on any projects, music or otherwise, come and share!Be well, stay safe!Chris / Gruber
Pico-8 Music Tutorial #55 – Feedback Series #4
Hey everyone!This tutorial/feedback video features a hilarious cart on the forms called “Can’t Win With Cats.” It also reflects some fresh ideas I’ve been having about composition (which may eventually form a new tutorial series). I still need to iron out the language, but I believe every action while composing, in Pico-8 or otherwise, is a process involving these five areas: Playing with sound/parts (melody, bass line, percussion, sound design) Playing with relations between parts (foreground, background, rhythmic relations, harmony, m...
March 2020 Update! – What am I up to?
People ask me all the time – “What are you up to?”I usually respond, “nothing much” or “same old stuff," to save them from a long conversation :)Really, it’s been a crazy 2020 so far. Above is a video with some music and WIPs from a bunch of projects I’m involved in. Everything from Pico-8 composition, jazz piano, sound design and Wwise implementation.I’ll be taking this week off, back on March 9th. I hope to have a new Pico-8 Tutorial ready for the next week.--Jazz Piano, Songs Without Words (0:00) – Music by Fred Hersc...
Songs Without Words - Fred Hersch (Jazz Piano)
April 10/20 Update – All transcriptions are complete and attached!March 22/20 Update – Post now includes three solo piano transcriptions!--Six tunes by Fred Hersch. Here's the album on SpotifyAttached are all the lead sheets and solo piano transcriptions: Aria Ballad Tango Duet The Moon's Lullaby WaltzI’m confident these are 99.9% accurate, but undoubtedly, there are typos, and corrections will need to be made. Please let me know!
Feedback Series #3 - Pico-8 Music Tutorial #54
I’m really enjoying this tutorial format! Found a cute cart on the forums called Lunar Mission and spent 25 mins playing around with it. Time stamps below.Are you working on any music/sound? Message me!-- 0:00 Choosing & playing a random cart 1:30 Taking a survey of all the SFX and patterns 2:10 Using instrument 6 2:53 Starting music at SFX 08 3:39 Adjusting range and volume to find expression with instrument 6 4:20 Using the instrument editor to find expression with instrument 6 7:35 Kick drum sounds 8:55 Using instrument editor to better co...
Feedback Series #2 - Pico-8 Music Tutorial #53
Hey everyone!For this tutorial, I picked a random cart from the Pico-8 forums. I spent about 20 minutes making a low, ominous, bass drone. Includes lots of ideas on using the instrument editor and different paths to explore when composing your own!Apologies for the video quality, I forget to reset it from a previous recording.In retrospect, one thing I wish I demonstrated better is using loop points to simplify workflow. Most of the SFX are really just a sequence of two or three repeating rows. But I use all 32 rows, which makes this seems more...
How to Write Triplets - Pico-8 Music Tutorial #52
This (hopefully) answers one of the most common questions about writing music in Pico-8. "How do you write triplets?"Because Pico-8 SFX are 32 rows, it can be difficult to write music that uses triplets, or anything subdivided in 3. This tutorial is meant to help you: Hear the difference between duple and triple meter Setup a "time keeper SFX"I have two other tutorials on this subject that might help clarify these things: Odd Meters (Noob Theory 6/10) - Pico-8 Music Tutorial #42 3 Ways to Write in Odd Time-Signatures- Pico-8 Mus...
Feedback Series #1 - Pico-8 Music Tutorial #51
Thanks to Pixenop for sharing this cart last masterclass! I got a bit carried away and ended up spending about an hour on it. But I covered a lot of topics. Because this was done on stream, I edited out most of the chatting to focus on the music and tutorial content. Time stamps are below (which are best used on YouTube). Hope you enjoy!-- 2:03 Using empty space to add depth 2:45 Adding an echo 5:00 Adding another part 6:30 Getting rid of redundancies 8:00 Consolidating parts 11:30 Adding arppegiation 12:55 Transitioning between sections of a c...
Let’s Create a Drum Beat! (Part 6/6) - MilkyTracker and Chiptune Tutorial #14
This is the LAST tutorial of six on creating a drum beat in MilkyTracker. In this tutorial, I take all the sounds I’ve created and put them together to form some drum beat.The full video is about 23 mins long. Below are the time stamps, observations, resources, workflow ideas. Intro 0:00 Tab hotkeys 0:22 Two ways to copying samples and instruments between projects 1:03 Previewing the drum kit 3:02 Composing a kick and snare pattern 3:25 Adding snare space 4:38 Using different volume values for expression 6:40 Composing a hi-hat pattern 8:54 U...
Let’s Create a Drum Beat! (Part 5/6) - MilkyTracker and Chiptune Tutorial #13
This is the FIFTH tutorial of six on creating a drum beat in MilkyTracker. Part 5/6 is dedicated to using the sample editor in ways I haven’t explored in previous tutorials – creating weird effects, sounds, and bits that MIGHT make it into our drum beat, but maybe not!The full video is about 25 mins long. Below are the time stamps, observations, resources, workflow ideas. Intro 0:00 Weird sound #1 0:30 Weird sound #2 5:00 Weird sound #3 9:22 Putting weird sounds together 13:35Workflow ideas: Manually generating different cycle waveforms in ...
Gruber’s 2020 Patreon Update!
Hey everyone, happy new year, hope you had a great holiday!First of all, THANK YOU, as always, for being a part of this community. Whether you’re here for music tutorials, Pico-8 music, jazz piano articles, or good ‘ol community support, I appreciate it. Of course, I’m always happy to hear from you. Feel free to reach out anytime. What are you interested in? What are you working on?A new year means updated goals and directions. There are a few changes I’ll be making over the coming weeks that I think will be of interest. This includes: ...
Let’s Create a Drum Beat! (Part 4/6) - MilkyTracker and Chiptune Tutorial #12
This is the FOUTH tutorial of six on creating a drum beat in MilkyTracker. Part 4/6 is dedicated to tom sounds. The full video is about 20mins long. Below are the time stamps, observations, resources, workflow ideas. Intro 0:00 What does a tom sound like? 0:10 The anatomy of a tom 1:10 Setting up the tom sandbox 2:03 Creating Tom #1 3:00 Using Resample in the sample editor 3:39 Playing with a mirror samples 6:13 Creating Tom #2 with a different waveform 8:30 Playing with a mirror samples 11:44 Adding attack to the tom 12:30 Creating a crossfade...
Let’s Create a Drum Beat! (Part 3/6) - MilkyTracker and Chiptune Tutorial #11
This is the THIRD tutorial of six on creating a drum beat in MilkyTracker. Part 3/6 is dedicated to cymbal sounds (hi-hats, crashes, rides etc). The full video is about 15mins long. Below are the time stamps, observations, resources, workflow ideas. Intro 0:00 Creating cymbal #1, absurd samples 1:10 Assembling absurd samples 3:33 Mix-Pasting a noise layer 5:28 Adjusting volume envelope 6:15 Creating cymbal #2 6:52 Assembling absurd samples 7:10 Mix-Pasting a noise layer 9:38 Using different pitches to produce different sounds 10:17 Creating mor...
Let’s Create a Drum Beat! (Part 2/6) - MilkyTracker and Chiptune Tutorial #10
This is the SECOND tutorial of six on creating a drum beat in MilkyTracker. Part 2/6 is dedicated to the kick drum. The full video is about 22mins long. Below are the time stamps, observations, resources, workflow ideas. Anatomy of a kick drum 0:00 Creating Kick Drum #1 2:28 Generating a pitch dip manually 3:18 Adding volume fades 4:43 Creating Kick Drum #2 5:04 Copying instruments/samples to other instruments/samples 5:44 Creating a sandbox of blank samples 6:24 Assembling samples to create a pitch dip 9:38 Adding noise to the attack 12:19 Add...
Let’s Create a Drum Beat! (Part 1/6) - MilkyTracker and Chiptune Tutorial #09
This is the first tutorial of six on creating a drum beat in MilkyTracker. I mean LITERALLY make a drum beat from scratch… every sound. The purpose of these tutorials is to help MilkyTracker users get more familiar with the sample editor. The sample editor can be a scary, intimidating place, even for intermediate users. After these tutorials, you’ll have a better idea of how you can use the sample editor to create sounds, manipulate sounds, be creative, and do it quickly!Part 1/6 is dedicated to the snare drum. The full video is about 31min...
News, Plans and Updates (November 2019)
Hello! I hope everyone is well and having a wonderful November. Here are a few updates and plans for the rest of 2019. Above is a video of some WIPs for your reference.MilkyTracker TutorialsLast month, I produced two MilkyTracker tutorials on panning and stereo effects (here and here). Next up, making a drum beat!I mean, ‘literally’ make a drum beat. Every sound. This is what you’re hearing in the two excerpts in the video above. Every sample was made natively in MilkyTracker. Kick, snare, cymbals, toms and more!When you’re getting star...
Panning Effects (Part 2/2) - MilkyTracker and Chiptune Tutorial #08
This is Part 2/2 on Panning & Stereo effects in MilkyTracker! By the END of this tutorial, you should know how to: “Delete” information using different Hotkeys Create stereo sounds using 2 channels Use effects Ex1 & Ex2 Use a 2nd sample to create stereo effects Create samples of a different length Change length display in the sample editor Use longer/shorter samples for creating more interesting instrumentsThe full video is about 25mins. Here are the time stamps (best used directly in YouTube) 5 Kinds of “Delete” Hotkeys? 0:00 Stereo So...
Panning Effects (Part 1/2) - MilkyTracker and Chiptune Tutorial #07
MilkyTracker tutorial on panning controls and effects! There’s lots of expression here for creating space, depth, echoes, delays etc.By the END of this tutorial, you should know how to: Adjust panning values in the instrument editor Use effect 8xx Use panning slides with Rx and Lx Hear the difference between 8xx, and Rx/Lx Use effect Pxy Creative panning envelopes Use Scale Y and Scale X in the envelope editor Sync envelopes with SPDThe full video is about 22mins. Here are the time stamps (best used directly in YouTube) What is Panning? 0:00 ...
