The Commodore 64, or C64, was a popular home computer in the 1980s and early 1990s. It had an impressive sound chip that produced unique and recognizable chiptunes. These cheerful, bouncy tunes are still beloved by gamers and music enthusiasts alike. In this article, we’ll take a nostalgic journey back…
So Am I [ Bitpop Chiptune ] – Tribute to Ava Max – Made with C64 Driver/Samples & DAW (6 Channels)
It’s ok to be different, like a not so pure chiptune. 🙂
The lyrics of this song is something I can relate to:
Do you ever feel like an outcast?
You don’t have to fit into the format
Oh, but it’s okay to be different
It compelled me to do this song.
Made with ♥
Gavin
Star Wars Cantina Band [ Bitpop Chiptune ] – Tribute to John Williams – Made with C64 Driver/Samples & DAW (6 Channels)
My cover of the Star Wars Cantina Band song has been influenced with a combination of the styles of Rob Hubbard, Fred Gray and Ben Daglish. They’re Some of my favourite Commodore 64 Maestro’s.
It’s all the usual people you think of when asked which C64 musicians are your favourite. Add Martin Galway and David Whittaker to the list, also.
This time I’m using multiple sound channels for layered trills and arpeggios, filters and some quirky wavetable modulations to try to make an alien sounding set of Cantina Band instruments.
Made with ♥
Gavin
The Ecstasy of Gold [ Bitpop Chiptune ] – Tribute to Ennio Morricone – C64 Music Driver & Daw (6 Channels)
A classic theme from a totally classic movie. Not the main theme but I seem to be focusing on secondary themes that I feel, get overlooked.
Made with ♥
Gavin
Made with C64 Driver/Samples & DAW (6 Channels)
Why am I doing this? Still? I think most fundamentally, that I enjoy stripping sounds back to their most fundamental elements that a home computer can generate and that is ‘single cycle waveforms’. Yes.
It might be more voices than what the C64 was capable of but its still the same fundamentals.
Again, Martin Galway was such a source of inspiration on this one. His cover of this El DeBarge song was amazing.
Made with ♥
Gavin
Magnetic Fields IV – Yie Ar Kung Fu [ Bitpop Chiptune ] – Tribute to Jean Michel Jarre & Martin Galway – Made with C64 Driver/Samples & DAW (6 Channels)
This piece of music was one of my favourites of Jean Michel Jarre from his Les Chants Magnétiques album. Then 4 years later, a friend and me made a tape-to-tape copy of this game using a stereo system inside our local Chandlers store in Caloundra. We would ask if we could load the game in store to have a look at it and while we had the tape, we’d pop it in one of their dual tape Hi-Fi systems and copy it onto a black tape that we had just bought in the store. Haha. Naughty boys.
Anyhow, I loved Martin Galway’s rendition of this music. Since I’m a huge fan of both Jean Michel Jarre and Martin Galway, I wanted to do my own six channel version of this song.
Made with ♥
Gavin
Two Tribes [Bitpop/Chiptune] – Tribute to Queen – Made with C64 sound driver & DAW
Frankie Goes to Hollywood only made two albums and their first, “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” had multiple massive hits. Their music videos got banned then edited or replaced. They were ever so briefly huge!
Just another classic FGTH song gone Lo-Fi.
Made with ♥
Gavin
Kyrie [Bitpop/Chiptune] – Tribute to Mr. Mister – Made with C64 Driver/Samples & DAW
I was originally going to do this one with vocals but after trying to wedge the vocals in I thought, how would it go just as an instrumental. Maybe a few Galway-esque lead instruments…. Hmmmmm. Yeah, to hell with the vocals. 🙂
Made with ♥
Gavin
All I Want for Christmas was made with the sounds of the Commodore 64 using a C64 music driver then sampled into a DAW – 6 Channels
Merry Christmas you bunch of marvellous fuckers.
Made with ♥
Gavin
I Want to Break Free [Bitpop/Chiptune] – Tribute to Queen – Made with C64 sound driver & DAW
Made with the sounds of the Commodore 64 – 6 Channels
I wanted to do this one as a bit of a Rob Hubbard and Martin Galway hybrid in its feel. I don’t know if I’ve pulled it off bit I hope so.
Queen have gotta be my favourite band back in the 80s when I was growing up. I went back into their 70s stuff at the same time because they fascinated me with their “virtuoso” approach to music.
Made with ♥
Gavin