Making Your Own 8-Bit Nintendo Sounds in NI Massive

There are plenty of sound packs out there you can buy that feature 8-bit sounds, but as you will see in this helpful tutorial making your own 8-bit Nintendo sounds in NI Massive is incredibly easy!

In this video, you can see that there is a Super NES 8-bit emulator being used to compare the sounds being created throughout the lesson. It’s a nice thing to include, because you can really see and hear just how easy this stuff really is. We have featured tutorials in the past that show how to make chiptune sounds with Massive, but this one is specifically focused on recreating a few of the most classic sounds used in old school Nintendo video games. It’s not just a fun thing to know, it can also be used in many different types of popular music today!

The first sound showcased is the classic square, or pulse, wave 8-bit sound. Almost too easy to call sound design, and the secret to making this one identical to the original is the use of a bitcrusher. The second second covered is the triangle wave 8-bit synth. This one uses both a Tele Tube Amp effect on the FX tab and a Sample & Hold insert effect. The third sound featured is the noise sound that was used in plenty of classic games, although sparingly in most. This one is the only example that does not require the use of one of the main oscillators. Simply turn up the Color and Amp on the Noise panel, set it to White Noise, and insert a Sample & Hold effect. The fourth sound in this tutorial is an 8-bit sawtooth wave synth. Load up a sawtooth wave and insert a Bitcrusher effect and there you have it! The last sound is a slightly distorted, or crushed, version of the previous sound. First, load up a Square-Saw II wavetable, set it to sawtooth, add a Tele Tube Amp FX and them insert a Bitcrusher effect. That’s it!

So you see, you can recreate these classic 8-bit Nintendo sounds in NI Massive in less than a minute each. And, it also gives you the chance to tweak them to fit in your projects exactly the way you need them to. So there really is no reason to go searching for these classic video game synth sounds.

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Cheers,
OhmLab