Genre Research Project 90/1362: Bitpop

Bitpop is a type of electronic music and subgenre of chiptune music, where at least part of the music is made using the sound chips of old 8-bit (or 16-bit) computers and video game consoles.

Among systems used include the Atari 8-bit computer, NEC PC-8801, Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System, Amiga, Game Boy, and Mega Drive / Genesis. The sounds produced from these systems can be combined to any degree with traditional instruments, such as guitar and drums, modern synthesizers and drum machines, or vocals and sound effects. Some artists use software-based emulators or virtual synthesizers to recreate the sounds of 8-bit systems, while some use hardware synths, which use the actual sound chips from those systems, such as the Sidstation, Midibox, and trackers.