Exeunt Ion

This piece was composed for solo piano and the audio hardware of the original Nintendo Game Boy (DMG-001), which was programmed using the software tool LSDJ.

The Game Boy outputs 4-bit sound on four audio channels. Channel 1 and 2 are pulse waves with variable pulse width. Channel 3 is a simple wavetable synth with some possibilities for modification (a lowpass filter, phase position, and vertical position). Channel 4 is a quasi-random noise generator with some rudimentary pitch control. There are also some effects, including vibrato (which at very high settings yields frequency modulation), panning, arpeggiation, and others.

This is not the first piece I've written for the Game Boy, but the idea of combining this primitive yet soulful hardware with an acoustic instrument was too interesting for me to pass up.

This piece was premiered by the composer on June 18, 2023 at the Mosswood Chapel in Oakland, CA.

BC

Recorded on March 3, 2025 at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, CA

Performed by Brett Carson and engineered by Elihu Knowles

Mixed and mastered by Brett Carson