You Can Now Use Your Nintendo Console as an 8-Bit Synthesizer With a New PC App

Avicr has released a new app that allows players to transform their classic consoles into a fully functional synthesizer, whether they have managed to hold on to their original systems or purchased a reissued version. Named SynthNes, the software allows users to control the system’s five dedicated audio channels NES’s with a digital instrument of their choice using a MIDI controller.

The reason why this works on the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is that it was released during a period in videogame history when consoles were sold with dedicated sound chips. As early as the 1980s, computer processors and storage technology were still in their infancy, and the way music was produced in videogames at the time was to effectively encode a set of digital instructions (think of it as computerized sheet music) for the sound chip to play.

Given the close association between sound chip driven music and the 8-bit videogame graphics that were prevalent at the time, this reveals the origins of popular music descriptors such as the niche electronic genre chiptune, as well as the origins of popular music descriptors such as the 8-bit videogame graphics.

Aside from the need for a NES to begin, converting your vintage system into an electronic music instrument will only necessitate the purchase of an Everdrive N8 Pro cartridge and the installation of the SynthNes application on a PC.

For more information, visit Avicr and place a bid on the download link for SynthNes.V by naming your own price.