Plogue Chipsounds makes chiptune & video game sounds easy – review

Time travel is always hot in Torleyville, so when I caught wind of Plogue Chipsounds to make classic video game sounds via Synthtopia, I lamented not bouncing back earlier to apply for beta-testing. In any case, it was released a couple days ago, I bought it this morning, and have been jamming with it synth, er, since. Like any new addition to my computer music family, I enjoy the breaking-in process of getting to know all about what arrived. Ugress posted his review early, so I read his candid thoughts. I've really enjoyed his nods to C64dom like "Kosmonaut" and "Makina Fifth", so his blow-by-blow points were thoughtful.

Thankfully, Ugress' list of what's not so hot with Plogue Chipsounds wasn't a breaker for me, but good to know he spotted missing parts of the SID implementation. I also agree the UI could be more beautiful, and I found some bugs — now I wonder what's the best way to report them, I helpfully would! (David, if you're reading this…)

However, amidst all the sample packs and various soft synths out there, Chipsounds still stands out as a sort of 8-bit audio encyclopedia, collecting not just the SID (both 6581 and 8580) but more, as lovingly illustrated by Create Digital Music. There are a few oddball, bonus waveforms like lofi drum samples. Supposedly, quirks of each have been replicated, and I've noticed a few. Those of who you want more grit will need to apply post-process plugins; surprisingly, Chipsounds' own effects section only has a reverb. I don't require a Sylenth1-style battery, but bitcrusher (obvious choice) and other "flavor enhancers" would've been welcome. However, my chosen DAW, Ableton Live, already has a wealth of stuff I could chain easily. I'M JUST CONCERNED ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE OK?

Speaking of Live, there appears to be another bug where, at least with the AU version, preset names aren't recalled when a project is reloaded. And I noticed one instance in which a sound I tweaked wasn't saved as expected with the project, but I couldn't repro that. More testing needed!

Chipsounds, despite being able to benefit from a UI facelift, is pretty easy to use. As much as I find it nifty to boot a C64 emulator and use SEUCK to generate SFX, that's clunky. BIG ATTRACTION for me is I can play Chipsounds live; I don't have to program in register values or other workflow tedium. Also, I count keyswitching as a prime highlight as demonstrated in one of the below videos, and it's also intriguing Garritan's ARIA engine powers this, as that's historically been used more for classical and acoustic libraries.

I conclude a unique strength in Chipsounds is going to be creating "super combos" which weren't originally possible, surpassing hardware limitations. Since I don't like using soft synths multitimbrally on different channels, I may still make use of the mechanism by going the stacking route. I'm not a sucker for 100% authenticity but if the taste is "close enough" and I can go beyond with convenience, this is what ultimately counts.

The included range of presets is quite a diverse variety, but feels limiting — only 3 pads despite all the beta-testing? C'mon. Being able to sort the presets by original machines or a sortable browser more like Arturia's also-vintage approach in Analog Factory would be king. Drawing on more of my experiences, I don't expect as many presets as FabFilter Twin, but since you've come this far with Chipsounds to make it "playable" (as advertised), a wealth of rich presets would be nothing less than indispensable. As a sound designer, I volunteer to contribute!

I also hope David & the Plogue peeps will consider adding Aftertouch modulation — with my new 49SL MkII, it's a MUST for expression, and shouldn't be that hard to implement. Aftertouch is one of those controls that often gets overlooked, but once you're aware of it, you can't go back. (If only it were as ubiquitous as iPhone multitouch.)

Sadly, and I knew you were gonna ask this, there's no Chipsounds demo version yet. But I noticed David just posted 3 screencasts, and of course, included above in this post are the obligatory Torley videos. 7 of them, from initial experiences to jamming with various sounds. (The UI does NOT disappear when choosing sounds and such; that's a special feature of Screenflow that hides what's in the background. I could set the background to be partially visible in the future.)

I'm looking forward to Chipsounds becoming quite popular as a widely-cited tool to lower the entry barrier into making chiptunes. NOW GET YOUR GAME ON!