DAT 303 ~ Making Music

Pikachu made in Photoshop

This week I have been working on understanding how to use Milkytracker, an 8 or 16 bit music making program. After some fiddling about and making my own sound waves in the program, I was able to come up with a little tune. Ideally I want to learn to make or find some more interesting sounding samples. I did make a really nice sounding wave with the editor but it doesn't load for some reason. So I just stuck to a basic wave.

The files Milkytracker puts out are in .xi format, and I think that they can also be put out in .wav but I haven't figured out how to do that yet. [Edit: I figured it out.] I also have spent a while looking at LSDJ (Little Sound DJ) but it seemed to have a very steep learning curve and ideally I'd like to use it with the hardware it was built for (Game Boy) but the cards are no longer for sale and buying a blank card to put the purchased software on is a bit pricey.

Anyway, here is the little tune I made. It doesn't sound exactly as I intended because it get's pretty confusing figuring out which musical notes relate to the letters on the keyboard (for example, x on the computer keyboard is a D). But I'm pretty happy with it as the first thing I've made properly using this software.

It's certainly not Anamanaguchi but it's a start.

DAT 303 ~ The Story Behind the Game

GET OFF MY LAND

You have recently inherited a farm which was passed down to you by your Mother. The time is set in the present, though as your farm is in a remote location and quite small, you do not have access to modern day large machinery.

While preparing your field for crops, you dig up an artefact. Seemingly useless, you place this artefact in your pocket for later. Little did you know that this artefact, once held in your hands, will become the bane of your existence.

Once activated, or held, this artefact creates a rift in time.

With the rift in time activated, periodically your ancestors from the past will attack your farm under the belief that it still belongs to them. Even your loyal animals will turn against you if they’re touched by the ancestors.

Your job is to defend your land, or the farm will turn to ruin, and the village you live in will be destroyed.