Chiptune: A Simple Composer

Write music like old game consoles made. Tap notes into a grid, chain patterns into a song, and share it as a WAV, MIDI or video file.

Chiptune is a step sequencer for writing music in a style of old game consoles. Simply tap a note, tap a cell in the grid, and it will play sounds from one of four NES-style channels. Chiptune has two pulses, a triangle and noise. Each channel is synthesized live rather than sampled.

Patterns are customizable from 4 to 64 steps and can be chained into an arrangement. This lets a piece go from just a single loop into a full song with intros, verses, choruses, etc.

WRITE • Compose on a grid of notes with 4 to 64 steps per pattern • Customize your track to cut notes short or let them ring • Set the tempo by typing it or nudging it a step at a time • Easily undo any changes • Three sample songs to play and take apart • A How it works guide explains the controls

SOUND • Two pulse channels with four pulse widths, from thin and nasal to full square • A triangle channel ideal for basslines • Tunable noise for drums like a hi-hat or a low rumble • Volume, decay, and arpeggio controls per channel, so one channel can fake a chord • Sounds come with basic presets

ARRANGE • Create sections with a named pattern and a repeat count • Loop one pattern while editing or play the whole song • Add multiple tracks of any sound when four channels aren't enough • Custom iPad specific layout in portrait and landscape

SAVE AND SHARE • Songs autosave as you work so you never lose anything • Duplicate a song to try something slightly different • Export any song as a WAV file with a seamless loop or with the last notes ringing out • Export as a MIDI file to keep working on your notes in another music app • Export a video of your song playing, as a scrolling grid or a game cartridge, to post on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube

Chiptune works fully offline and never asks for a subscription. No account, no ads, no tracking.