Turning a Gameboy into a synth - Can it be done?

[Eivind August]

I'm kinda obsessed with old school videogame sounds. And I have this old GameBoy Colour laying around. I tried LSDJ, but way to complicated and didn't really suit the way I make teh musics. So I started wondering, is there a way to (have someone) make a Gameboy into a synth? Like maybe create an input for a midi keyboard, or just butcher it and shove some keys into it? Without it costing a shitton? Or are there any small, cheap synths that are great for this?

[tommasters]

Lsdj has midi keyboard connectivity
You get the keyboard adaptor online and then there's a setting in the options
It controls the program like a normal midi keyboard so you don't have to program it beforehand unless you want to change timbre etc
Il dig up a video I made when I had it it could do lsdj for the same reasons you had but this made it way easier

[tommasters]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ploqjz755u8[/youtube]

There you go. So a drone into NASA attribute and lsdj doing the lead with the standard program no edits within the gameboy

You could do the same thing with lsdj an arpanoid and a freeze cause montreal assembly doesnt make the NASA anymore

[Eivind August]

Woop woop, there's the answer I've been looking for. Thanks alot, dude!

/thread

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

check out mGB and an arduinoboy or a usb midi adapter from nanoloop.
i actually was just messing w/ my gameboy as a midi synth (mgb) and a playable synth using the d-pad and buttons (humbletune chord). both a lot of fun!
viewtopic.php?f=149&t=6164&start=1515#p895979

[tuj]

nanoloop is the shit. I had one of the very first cart's.

check out http://ninstrument.com for a dock with midi for the GB.

[Eivind August]

Thanks for more protips.

On a side note: watched "Europe in 8 bits" last night. Fun and informative documentary, with some cool, crazy dudes. Even this norwegian duder Binärpilot that I hadn't heard about before. Should be watched back to back with "Reformat the Planet", which got me into using teh Gameboy as an instrument about a year ago.

[CyaNitrate]

Something else to check out if you have a Nintendo DSi or 3DS is Rytmik Retrobits. It's more of a composer/sequencer than an instrument, but it sounds freaking awesome, designed specifically for video game music...I just transposed Paranoid and NIB into it, nothing better than 8-bit Black Sabbath. I'll upload the video if i can figure out how (still new to forum board how-to). The only drawback is there is no direct MP3 export option...you have to run the phone jack into a computer and record with another program..Audacity was suggested, but I'm sure others would work. Or, just run it into the Aux of a stereo and rock!