ChipNomad Tracker

ChipNomad is a multi-platform tracker with LSDJ-like interface designed for creating chiptune music. Primary target platforms are handheld game consoles like Anbernic RG35xx.

ChipNomad manual

Currently supported platforms

• Anbernic RG35xx with GarlicOS 1.4
• Miyoo Mini with MiyooCFW (not tested but should work)
• macOS (Apple Silicon)
• Windows

Hardware Requirements

ChipNomad is written in pure C99 and can be ported to any platform that satisfies these requirements:

• Display capable of 40x20 characters
• 8 buttons: LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, A, B, START, SELECT
• Stereo 16-bit audio output
• CPU capable of running chip emulation or a platform with real chips

Background

I (Megus) started this project because I want to make real chiptune music on the go. LSDJ is amazing but it's only for GameBoy music. I come from ZX Spectrum scene, so I want to make music for AY-3-8910/YM2149F chips. I use M8 Tracker every day and love it. This is how I chose the approach to the UI. I considered making an app for iOS/Android, but I find using touchscreen for music making a painful experience and prefer a device with physical buttons. I have Anbernic RG35xx with Garlic OS which allows installing 3rd party native apps. This is how I chose the platform.

Building

ChipNomad can be built using either the traditional makefile or CMake:

Using Makefile

# Build for desktop (Linux/macOS)
./build-desktop.sh

# Build for Windows
# On Windows, run:
build-windows.bat

# Build for RG35xx
./build-rg.sh

Windows-specific Setup

To build ChipNomad on Windows:

1. Install MinGW (Minimalist GNU for Windows) which includes gcc, make, and other build tools

   • Download from MinGW website or use MSYS2
   • Make sure MinGW's bin directory is in your PATH environment variable

2. Download SDL development libraries for MinGW from GitHub

   • Extract the SDL files to a directory of your choice (e.g., C:\SDL)

3. Set the SDL_PATH environment variable to your SDL installation directory (optional)

   set SDL_PATH=C:\path\to\SDL
   

   • If not set, the build script will use the default path C:\SDL

4. Run build-windows.bat to build the application

   • The script will automatically copy SDL.dll to the build directory if SDL_PATH is set

5. The executable will be created at build\chipnomad.exe

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

• SDL.dll not found: Copy SDL.dll from your SDL installation's bin directory to the build directory or to your Windows system directory
• Compilation errors: Verify that MinGW is properly installed and in your PATH
• Linker errors: Verify that SDL development libraries are correctly installed and SDL_PATH is set correctly
• Runtime errors: Make sure SDL.dll is accessible to the application

Acknowledgements

ChipNomad wouldn't be possible without:

• LSDJ by Johan Kotlinski
• M8 Tracker by Trash80
• RG35xx app template by Anderson Antunes
• Ayumi AY chip emulator by Peter Sovietov