Transcribing & Porting Cover Music - Pico-8 Music Tutorial #57

In this tutorial, I take you through my entire process of listening, transcribing and porting tunes into Pico-8.  In this case, music from a C64 game called Cybernoid 2. Skip to 2:15:40 to hear the final version. (Also attached is the sheet music and Pico-8 cart)

This was recorded during a music masterclass, so I’ve roughly edited out stream chatter. It’s still a long video (over two hours!), so you can still see the slow, raw process. I also only transcribed and arranged the first couple minutes; the original is over seven minutes long!

I’m fairly fast at transcribing.  You may be new to this, and not have a background in music theory, but this is still doable for everyone.  It will just take more trial & error and of course, practice! Let me know if you have any questions. 

Most of the video is plain work, but there are a few interesting points of discussion that I’ve time stamped (best used in YouTube)

Time Stamps:

• 0:00 The game plan
• 0:26 Listening
• 3:40 The general process
• 4:30 Using slow downers
• 5:10 Getting started
• 5:55 Listening to the different parts
• 8:00 Basic form of the introduction, listening to the melody/arpeggiation
• 11:30 Nuances/Parts that aren’t notated (pitch dips, drums)
• 19:45 Next section
• 20:25 Making note of repetition/ratios/form between parts and sections
• 21:35 Transcribing the bass part
• 23:30 Comment from chat: Comparing transcription with original
• 28:15 More about repetition, ratios, development, and form
• 29:00 Comment from chat: Listening to the arpeggiation at slowest tempo
• 31:25 More about repetition, development, and form
• 34:20 Transcribing melody
• 45:35 Transition into Pico-8
• 46:00 Getting started & figuring out the tempo
• 49:05 Bass sound design
• 53:50 Arps/Melody sound design
• 1:01:50 Setting up the form
• 1:16:10 Writing the drum fill
• 1:19:00 Designing the pitch drops
• 1:25:35 Setting up next section, drums
• 1:28:40 Writing the bass
• 1:37:05 Using the new PAT/SFX feature
• 1:39:40 Comparing original with Pico-8 version, making changes
• 1:42:15 Setting up next section
• 1:46:15 Writing new arps
• 1:49:45 Melody input and sound design
• 2:06:20 Finishing up last section
• 2:15:40 Final version!