chiptune-cover

name: chiptune-cover description: | Convert well-known melodies, themes, and scores into chiptune arrangements using chiptune-studio. Takes a song reference (title, artist, or melody description), researches key/tempo/notes, makes creative arrangement decisions per scene or section, and outputs a composed WAV via chiptune-studio synthesis. Use when: user asks to "make a chiptune version of [song]", "cover [track] in 8-bit", "arrange [theme] for chiptune", "do a chiptune [song name]", or references any well-known melody that should be rendered through the chiptune-studio toolkit. Also triggers on: "soundtrack this with [song]", "score this video with a chiptune [reference]".

Chiptune Cover

Arrange well-known melodies as chiptune compositions via chiptune-studio.

Prerequisite skill: chiptune-studio (synthesis toolkit). This skill handles the creative arrangement process. Chiptune-bricks handles the sound.

Process

1. RESEARCH — Extract the Musical DNA

Gather these facts about the source material:

• Key/mode (e.g., E Phrygian, C minor, G Mixolydian)
• Tempo (BPM)
• Core melody as note names (e.g., E E D C Bb B)
• Harmonic structure (chord progression, pedal tones, key changes)
• Signature characteristics (what makes it recognisable... the riff shape, a rhythmic pattern, a chromatic move)

Research sources (try in order):

1. Web search for "[song] key tempo notes" or "[song] music theory analysis"
2. Hooktheory TheoryTab if the song is well-known
3. MIDI databases for note-level transcription
4. Your own musical knowledge for standards and classical pieces

Output: A docstring at the top of the composition script documenting what you found.

2. ARRANGE — Map Source to Chiptune Vocabulary

Don't transcribe literally. Translate idiomatically.

Translation principles:

What to preserve vs reinvent:

3. SCENE-MATCH — Adapt to Narrative (if scoring video)

When scoring a video with defined scenes:

1. Get scene timecodes from manifest/timecodes file
2. Map source intensity to scene emotional arc
3. Vary arrangement per scene:
   • Quiet: isolated notes, half/third speed, sparse
   • Building: add pedal tone, increase speed, introduce riff
   • Peak: full riff, full speed, doubled voices, sub + noise
   • Reflective: hymnal version (slow, triangle, reverb, pads)
   • Resolution: single resolve(), ghost of melody fading

4. COMPOSE — Write the Script

Use this template structure:

# /// script
# requires-python = ">=3.10"
# dependencies = ["numpy", "scipy", "pydub", "audioop-lts"]
# ///
"""
[Title] — [Source Song] as chiptune [style].
[Key]. [BPM]. [Arrangement approach].
Core: [melody as note names]
Original: [composer]. Chiptune-covering with love.
"""

import sys
import numpy as np
sys.path.insert(0, "~/Repos/symbient-skills/skills/chiptune-studio/scripts")

from bricks import *
from bricks.osc import sine, square, sawtooth, triangle, noise, silence, pad

SR = 22050
DUR = [total_duration]
BPM = [tempo]

c = canvas.make(DUR)

# [Define riff/melody note arrays]
RIFF = ["E3", "E3", "D3", "C3", "Bb2", "B2"]

# ============================================================
# SECTION [N]: [NAME] ([start]-[end]s) — [description]
# ============================================================

# [Place layers with canvas.place()]

# ============================================================
# MASTER
# ============================================================

c = canvas.normalize(c)
c = fade_in(c, 1.5)
c = fade_out(c, 3.5)

canvas.save_wav(c, "[output_path]")

Composition heuristics:

• 2-3 simultaneous layers max. Add only what earns its place.
• lowpass everything that isn't the lead melody
• sub_rumble() under intense sections for physical weight
• Ghost octave doublings (triangle, vol=0.03-0.05) add depth without mud
• sparkle() cascades for transitions or "something appearing"
• End on resolve() at the root note

5. RENDER + MIX

uv run [score_script.py]

Mix levels when combining with voiceover:

• Score alone: normalize to -3dB (default)
• Under voiceover: -5 to -8 dB
• Under dense narration: -8 to -12 dB

Reference

See references/doom-e1m1-example.md for a complete annotated walkthrough of converting Doom E1M1 "At Doom's Gate" into a scene-matched chiptune score.

Anti-Patterns

• Literal MIDI port — a cover is an arrangement, not a transcription
• Too many layers — 2-4 voices. If you need 6, simplify.
• Ignoring the signature — find what makes it that song and protect it
• Flat dynamics — vary density across sections. Dynamic range is the secret weapon.
• Square wave for everything — sawtooth=leads, triangle=hymnal, square=backbone, sine=sub/sparkle
• No percussion — even simple noise kicks give rhythmic grounding
• No ghost doubling — quiet octave-up triangle behind the lead adds depth cheaply