E is for… Echo

Old school sound chips didn't have any effects built in, but you could always try to fake it. An echo can be created by programming the same thing on two different channels, and offsetting one and making it a bit quieter... but then you've just wasted another precious channel!

A more economic method is to program your tune in one channel, then go through and fill the gaps between notes with quieter "echoes" of earlier notes. This can really bring your tunes to life and, what's more, it sounds distinctly different from a normal echo effect.

Echo using one channel

Echo using two channels

E is also for... Emulators

You don't need to own a vintage C64 or a real Game Boy to make chip music - you can just use an emulator instead, which is a program for your PC or Mac that lets you run software.