Integrating them neatly into a modern DAW setup would be a whole ’nother problem. With these capabilities, a computer with a soundfont-compatible sound card or synthesizer can render audio content that is similar in quality to that of a professional digital sampler. You’d be looking at hunting down a few antique pieces online or at car boot sales and then figuring out how to get sound out of the things (presuming that they’re in working order). A soundfont bank also contains other music synthesis parameters such as loops, vibrato effect, and velocity sensitive volume changing. The original 8-bit machines are still prized by chip purists for the pioneering, authentic and nostalgia-inducing sounds they provide, but the producer who fancies taking the traditional route to chiptune heaven may find it hard going. While chip music was low quality in the technical sense, it was rich in character. The term ‘chiptune’ was actually coined later to describe Amiga tracker music that mimicked the older 8-bit machines however, the terms are often used interchangeably nowadays. 8-bit samples, chiptune instruments, drums & sound effects based on classic games. The results are now known as chip music, or chiptune. Many of the home computers and video game consoles of yesteryear had audio circuitry and sound chips that could be programmed (and continue to be, by hardcore enthusiasts) to pump out lo-fi tunes from their distinct-sounding hardware.
