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I Made a Retro Nintendo Song on a Laptop – Challenge

At the end of this post, you will be one of the few who knows exactly how to make your own epic retro Nintendo song. Let’s find out how…

By the way, this is a quick re-post of the original one that you can find here: This is How to Make Retro Game Music.

Remember the Nintendo Entertainment System?

Today, you will get 5 simple steps to create your own classical 8-bit Nintendo theme song. If you don’t know the Nintendo Entertainment System, or any of the legendary games, like Super Mario, Zelda or Tetris, this video is not for you. But if you are familiar with it, you will absolutely love this one.

So, take a seat and also make sure to watch the video to the end, as I will show you a neat gameplay compilation with an incredible self-created Nintendo theme song. So, please, don’t miss it.

3 Steps before you can make your Nintendo song

There are 3 quick steps you need to take before you can make your retro game music.

Step 1: install a D.A.W.

First, have your favorite D.A.W. installed. A D.A.W. is a fancy abbreviation for any music making software. Thereby, it’s important that it supports VST plugins.

A VST is nothing more than a virtual instrument you can use to produce sounds for your song. For example, FL Studio is one of the leading D.A.W.s that supports these types of plugins. Personally, I’m an FL Studio producer.

But if you’re new to it and you want to be able to make songs as fast as possible, you can now take an ultimate shortcut by following the FL Studio Beginner’s Guide. Just click this link right now and you can start as we speak.

Step 2: download the NES VST

Once you know the basics of your D.A.W., download the free NES VST plugin which is absolutely awesome for that retro Nintendo sound. All credits to the creator and you can start your download by clicking that link.

Step 3: install the NES VST

Lastly, after downloading the plugin, copy the NES-VST.dll file into your VST directory (e.g. “c:\program files (x86)\VstPlugins”). Then, go to your D.A.W., search for the NES plugin and add it to your list of instruments. Now simply open it and let the fun begin.

(Learn how to install VST plugins in FL Studio by clicking this link.)

By the way, having cool samples for your song is also fun. That’s why, as a token of appreciation, I’ve created an exclusive hardstyle sample pack that you can download by clicking this link. Go ahead, it’s completely free.

5 Steps to make your own Nintendo song

Feel free to watch the video, because we’re now quickly going to look at the 5 steps you need to create that famous 8-bit Nintendo music.

Step 1: make a melody

Select the square waveform on the NES VST and use the Piano option in your D.A.W. to make a nice melody.

Optionally, add some lower notes to beef it up. And again, you will find all the visuals in the video.

Step 2: make chords

Add another instance of the NES VST and again, select the square waveform. But this time, use it to make chords.

Chords are multiple musical notes playing together, which among other things, you can learn immediately in The Ultimate Melody Guide. Just click this link and get that vital music-theory basics into your system. Once you know the essential basics, let’s create some chords.

By the way, it can be smart to turn down the volume of your chords a little bit. After all, they’re stacks of 3 notes playing together and may sound a little bit too loud in your song.

Step 3: make a bassline

Add another instance of the NES VST and select the triangle waveform. Thereby, use it to make a simple bassline. It doesn’t have to be complicated.

Step 4: make a drum rhythm

Again, open a new NES VST, but now it’s time to select the noise waveform. The noise waveform is perfect for drum rhythms. So, use it to create a charming drum rhythm. Thereby, experiment with different notes, because the sound is slightly different on each one.

Step 5: arrange your song

Finally, put your song together by arranging your melodies and rhythms and save it as a WAVE or MP3 file when you’re done.

Enjoy your own Nintendo song

Then, it’s time for the most amusing part: showing off your theme song to your friends or add it underneath your favorite retro game. So, when we do all that, you can listen to the final result of an epic retro game music clip near the end of the video.

So, there you have it. In 5 simple steps, you have yourself an incredible retro theme song.

Get the skills to make incredible Nintendo music

And again, if you want to learn the essential skills to make songs quickly and create awesome melodies, start with the FL Studio Beginner’s Guide and The Ultimate Melody Guide. These well-received guides will save you a tremendous amount of time and effort. So, go ahead, click these links right now and I’ll see you there.

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