Indulge Your '80s Video Game Nostalgia With These 7 Synths

From analog synths to free VSTs: Replicating 8-bit sound is easier than you think.

Does the clean, hyper-produced sounds of electronic music ever have you missing the good old days of chiptune and 8-bit music’s crunchy, lo-fi textures? Luckily, you don’t need to dust off your old Commodore 64 or Atari in order to relive the wonder of those ’80s 8-bit video game soundtracks.

While modern production equipment might tend towards the high-def, there is also a counter-current of new synthesizers and VSTs that now allow you to bask in full-on ’80s video game nostalgia. Ranging from DIY kits that plug directly into your MIDI keyboard to cheap hardware synths like Teenage Engineering’s PO-20 Arcade, it’s never been easier to brighten-up your compositions with 8-bit noise. For those of you who prefer software, Korg’s Kamata production suite or Native Instrument’s Byte Riot both have done incredible jobs of making sure that chiptune hasn’t lost its magic in the conversion from the analog to the digital realm.

Head here for a useful guide to the best production tools for channeling your inner 8-bit fantasies.

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