Games Week on MusicRadar

Games week

Games week

Videogames and music have always made for easy bedfellows. Guitar Hero and its ilk might represent the most obvious meeting point, but music has been a crucial part of games culture since the days of the ZX Spectrum.

This week, MusicRadar is celebrating this unique and sometimes strange relationship by (among other things) immersing itself in the chiptune scene, exploring the world of games soundtracks and finding out just how easy (or difficult) it is to get your music into Rock Band. We'll even show you how to turn your videogame controller into a MIDI one.

Here's what we've got so far - keep checking back here for more.

Games Week

A-Z of chiptune
Games and music collide in a bleepy 8-bit celebration

The ultimate chiptune producers' gear guide
From classic hardware to free plug-ins

Kansas vs The Disco King: Games Week's 8-bit theme revealed
Hear Carry On Wayward Son go chiptune

How Kansas's Carry On Wayward Son went 8-bit
A step-by-step guide to the making of our Games Week theme

The best 8-bit covers albums in the world… ever!
The Beatles, Daft Punk, Muse and more get the chiptune treatment

Game over: 27 years of rock star videogame badness
Jacko! Shaky! Journey?! Come witness the carnage when rock and games collide

12 weird game soundtracks that had no right to work (but did anyway)
An expert guide to the weirder side of game music

Rock Band Network: get your music in the game
Find out what it is and how it works

10 essential tips for aspiring videogame composers
An indie developer gives his advice

How to use a Wii Remote to control Ableton Live
Create a Theremin-style setup and navigate your DAW

How to use a Guitar Hero controller to control Ableton Live
Turn this gaming peripheral into something useful

Games Week is coming… and we need your ideas for a theme tune
Choose a song for The Disco King to cover

Also try…

How to make an 8-bit video game FX sound
Get the '80s lo-fi vibe using a free synth

The MusicRadar team

MusicRadar is the number 1 website for music makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, djs or producers...

GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high- quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts. TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars. STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the actual craft of music making that no other music website can.