Tag: instrument

Popsicle TheoryLeave a comment

Lost tracks, found motivation

Hey all!

It’s been a while. Almost two years since my last post actually. I didn’t plan to disappear (again), but every time I wanted to write something, I told myself I’d do it after finishing a track. Two years and 22 unfinished tracks later, here we are.

I just went through almost all of my old project files (some are 5+ years old) and found a bunch I still like. 22 to be exact. So I’ve decided to turn this accidental archive-dig into something bigger: a full album. The plan is to actually finish it this time and release it near the end of the year (orrr maybe Q1 of 2026). That’s the goal anyway.

It’s been really fun rediscovering old stuff and realizing how much my workflow and taste has changed since then. Some tracks are full-on lsdj chaos, others never made it past the 8-bar loop stage in Ableton. But they all have something I want to expand on.

I’ve also been juggling way too many musical rabbit holes. I want to play more guitar and get better at chord progressions but then I end up watching youtube videos about weird tunings for hours. I also want to use lsdj more (also plenty of unfinished business waiting on me there) BUT I got a (VERY COOL) M8 tracker in april this year that I still need to update (and I really want to dive into the sampler). And.. my synths probably have dust on ’em older than some of my unfinished tracks.

Somewhere in all of this chaos, I also want to make videos of me making music (bought a crazy expensive webcam years ago but never used it), but then I accidentally walk into my gameroom and well, priorities. And of course there’s still family, friends, and work to balance in between everything else. WHY aren’t there 300 hours in a day?!

Anyway, I missed writing here. It’s nice to share what’s going on behind the scenes, even if it’s mostly me wondering why I named a file “idea_5_final_FINAL2.2.wav”.

So yeah, I’m back with 22 unfinished tracks, a ton of ideas, and finally ready to see them through. Time to finish what I started, make some music I’m proud of and actually get it out into the world.

~pops

Popsicle TheoryLeave a comment

Is a Game Boy an instrument?

When I tell people I’m a musician, the first question is always: ‘’what instrument do you play?’’

I could give them the answer they want to hear, I play guitar and know my way around a piano.

However, my main instrument is not the instrument you’d immediately think of. It’s a game console that came out the year I was born, 1989.

It’s pretty heavy because of the batteries, but small enough to store two of them in your gig bag. I even have room for my mixer and an effect processor. No roadies needed!

What are the pros of using a Game Boy as an instrument you ask?

  • Game Boys are relatively cheap (un-modded ones cost about 40 bucks)
  • They do not need tuning.
  • You can’t hit the wrong snare or key.
  • Instant serotonin boost when you hear the startup sound.
  • You can use it on the toilet.

Sometimes I play a set at a retro gaming convention, and I get a lot of confused visitors that think I’m playing Tetris or Mario, so I figured it’s time to explain the HOW. The WHY will follow some other time (I mean, there are easier ways to make music).

So as you can see both my Game Boys are modded. They are backlit so I can see my screen on stage. To make sure the audio is clean and loud enough for recording/playing live, they have a pro-sound mod as well (this also removes background noise). There are tons of mods to be found online, and I’d love to add some new ones to my Game Boys, but that’s something for the future.

The program I use to write music is called LSDj (Little Sound Dj). It’s a music sequencer (tracker) that can be run on an emulator, but my preference is to use it in combination with the actual hardware.

If you like numbers, you’re in for a treat. LSDj uses the Hexadecimal number system to represent all the values. Moving around the program feels like playing an actual game. There is a different button combination for everything and you can even draw your own waveforms to create different ‘instruments’.

Back in the day you had to buy a license online and flash the program onto a cartridge yourself. I own two cartridges with an integrated USB port, which makes updating LSDj and transferring music from my Game Boy to my PC a breeze.

LSDj was made by one person, came out in 2000 and is still being updated. How cool is that?!

It is also possible to incorporate LSDj into an already existing set-up. Midi-sync is fairly easy to set up, so the possibilities are endless.

Eager to try out this fun program for yourself? You can buy a license on the official website, it’s only a dollar!

LSDj has a steep learning curve but once you get used to all the button combinations and find your sound, it is a big help in the creative process of writing fun melodies and coming up with chord progressions.

So, to answer the question I asked at the beginning of this article: YES, all Game Boys are instruments, but not all instruments are Game Boys.

#music #lsdj #chiptune #gameboy #videogamemusic