Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991

After QNA session with the twins , the twins continue to learning assembly the ZEPS and game catridges again then next day happens , Zaboru keep teaching the twins then Yugo ask him , "Boss-sama , aren't you gonna teach us how to make music for ZEPS!?" Zaboru smile "Of course , lets go to to special room"

Zaboru led them to a smaller workstation in the corner of his office. A large CRT monitor, a keyboard, a MIDI synthesizer, and several pieces of audio equipment were neatly arranged.

"Alright," Zaboru said, cracking his knuckles. "Now, let's talk about game music. Unlike modern computers that can play full recorded tracks, ZEPS uses synthesized sound generated in real-time. That means we have to compose music in a way the hardware understands."

Zaboru powered on a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, a popular FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesizer of the time.

"This is one of the main tools used for making game music," he explained. "FM synthesis lets us create a variety of sounds by modulating different waveforms. Home consoles don't have the same power as arcade machines, so we have to be efficient."

He pressed a few keys on the synthesizer, demonstrating the distinct metallic and bell-like tones FM synthesis could produce. "For games, we keep it simple: bass, melody, harmony, and percussion—all using electronic synthesis."

Next, Zaboru turned to his PC. He loaded a tracker software called "MML Composer," which allowed music to be programmed using a text-based system.

"This is Music Macro Language, or MML. Instead of just playing music, we write it as code, and the console will generate the sounds in real-time. Here, let me show you."

He typed:

#TITLE ZEPS Theme

T120

L8 O4 C D E F G A B >C

"This code sets the tempo to 120 beats per minute and plays a simple scale. Let's hear it." He pressed the Enter key, and the ZEPS hardware emulator on his PC-98 produced the electronic beeps of the scale.

Zaboru then explained how drum sounds were created. "Since we don't have sampled drums, we make percussion using noise waveforms."

He typed another MML command:

V10 @10 C V12 @14 G V15 @20 C

"This tells the sound chip to play a short burst of noise at different frequencies, simulating a snare drum and hi-hat."

The console produced a rhythmic clicking sound. Yugo's eyes widened. "So every sound is just a modified electronic waveform?"

"Exactly," Zaboru confirmed. "We tweak frequencies and modulations to make the best use of limited sound channels."

To create a full song, Zaboru composed a short looping tune by layering melody, harmony, bass, and drums. He entered the following:

T120

L8 O4 C D E F G A B >C

L8 O3 G F E D C

V10 @10 C V12 @14 G V15 @20 C

The emulator played a simple but catchy loop. "Once I get a melody and rhythm I like, I tweak the instrument patches on the FM synth, adjust the timing, and make sure everything loops smoothly."

"Once the track is ready," Zaboru continued, "I convert it into raw binary data and embed it into the game code. The ZEPS sound chip reads these instructions in real-time and generates the music on the fly."

He pointed at a ROM burner on his desk. "Finally, I write the game data onto an EPROM chip and test it on an actual ZEPS console."

Yugo was nearly vibrating with excitement. "This is awesome! You're literally coding music into the game itself!" Yuna, though less enthusiastic about game music, nodded in approval. "It's fascinating"

Zaboru smirked. "It takes practice, but once you get the hang of it, making music this way feels like second nature. Now, who wants to try writing their first game track?"

Yugo raised his hand instantly, while Yuna sighed, already knowing she wouldn't be able to avoid learning it too.

And with that, the twins trying making music for video games