Chiptune Alchemy / Console audio
Console Audio HardwareChiptune Alchemy
Tiny chips. Huge sound. How composers made unforgettable music with barely any room to work—and how those sounds live on.
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Blogs & Articles
Explore the sounds, stories, and techniques behind the things I love.
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Squared Circle Archives / Wrestling history
WrestlingSquared Circle Archives
The rivalries, big moments, and moves that made us watch. Follow wrestling from the Golden Era into the battles that changed the business.
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GamingHorror at the Controls
From the movie screen to your controller: sharks, slashers, and the games that let the monsters loose.
Explore the series →UFC & PRIDE / The chronological fight archive
Martial Arts & Combat SportsUFC & PRIDE: The Complete History
One event at a time, from the early Octagon to the PRIDE ring. The fights, surprises, and changing rules behind MMA’s rise.
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Chiptune Alchemy · Part 4
Chiptune Alchemy 4: 16-Bit Game Music & Composers
The 16-Bit Hall of Fame & Legacy Benchmarks Welcome back to Chiptune Alchemy! In our last post, we broke down the contrasting architectures of the 16-bit console war—comparing the Sega Genesis’s biting FM synthesis with the Super Nintendo’s PCM sample engine. Now, we’re putting theory into practice. The 16-Bit Hall of Fame To truly understand […]
Read articleUFC & PRIDE: The Complete History · Part 1
UFC & PRIDE: The Complete History — UFC 1
The Beginning · November 12, 1993 · McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado The first UFC promised an answer to a question martial artists had argued about for years: what happens when specialists from…
Read articleSquared Circle Archives · Part 3
Squared Circle Archives: Part 3 — Randy Savage
Randy “Macho Man” Savage (1985–1993): The Discipline Underneath the Madness Savage could make a match look seconds away from falling apart. He darted between attacks, argued, climbed, struck, and reacted as if…
Read articleChiptune Alchemy · Part 3
Chiptune Alchemy 3: Sega Genesis vs. SNES Sound
Into the 16-bit Console Era Welcome back to Chiptune Alchemy! In our last post, we broke down how composers used sheer engineering magic to squeeze unforgettable melodies out of the original NES and the Japanese Famicom’s standard 5-channel limits. But as the 1980s turned into the 90s, the video game industry entered a massive generational […]
Read articleHorror at the Controls · Part 10
Horror at the Controls: Part 10 — The Exorcist
Possession, virtual reality, and a game that survived under another name. A frightening noise comes from behind you. On a television, turning toward it means moving a camera. In virtual reality, it means…
Read articleHorror at the Controls · Part 9
Horror at the Controls: Part 9 — Predator
From the jungle to the concrete: when the hunter became the player. The soldiers have weapons, training, and confidence. Then something starts watching them from the trees, and the familiar action movie…
Read articleHorror at the Controls · Part 8
Horror at the Controls: Part 8 — The Thing
Trust, paranoia, and the horror of a negative blood test. You have tested your companion. The result says human. A few moments later, something bursts out of the person standing beside you. That can be a…
Read articleSquared Circle Archives · Part 2
Squared Circle Archives: Part 2 — Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan's WWF Moveset (1984–1993): Why Everyone Knew What Came Next—and Still Wanted to See It The opponent throws another punch. Hogan stops retreating. A finger rises, a head shakes, and the crowd starts…
Read articleHorror at the Controls · Part 7
Horror at the Controls: Part 7 — Alien
From the Nostromo to Isolation: when the scariest thing in the room became the rules. A motion tracker is useful until it tells you something you would rather not know. That is the problem at the heart of…
Read articleHorror at the Controls · Part 6
Horror at the Controls: Part 6 — The Evil Dead
Ash Williams, Deadites, and the art of turning panic into slapstick. There are several reasonable responses to finding an ominous book in an isolated cabin. Reading its associated incantations aloud is not…
Read articleChiptune Alchemy · Part 2
Chiptune Alchemy 2: Famicom Expansion Audio
The Hidden Soundscapes of the Famicom Welcome back, everyone, to Chiptune Alchemy. This Part 2 continues where we left off in the previous post, discussing the specific technology of the NES and the additional capabilities the Famicom introduced. We broke down how composers used sheer engineering magic to squeeze unforgettable melodies out of the original […]
Read articleHorror at the Controls · Part 5
Horror at the Controls: Part 5 — The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Leatherface, the family, and a very different kind of multiplayer nightmare. A chainsaw is a weapon, a warning, and a deadline. You hear it before you know exactly where it is. Once you do know, you may…
Read articleHorror at the Controls · Part 4
Horror at the Controls: Part 4 — Halloween
Michael Myers, the Atari 2600, and the danger across the street. An ordinary house. A quiet sidewalk. Someone standing still at the edge of your vision. Michael Myers does not need an alien planet or a dream…
Read articleHorror at the Controls · Part 3
Horror at the Controls: Part 3 — A Nightmare on Elm Street
When sleep became the enemy. A locked door might keep a slasher outside. A boat might carry you away from a shark. Freddy Krueger presents a less convenient problem: sooner or later, everyone has to sleep.…
Read articleHorror at the Controls · Part 2
Horror at the Controls: Part 2 — Friday the 13th
Jason Voorhees and the evolution of interactive slasher horror. You have found the battery. Someone else has the keys. The car is almost repaired, the woods have gone quiet, and your friend has just asked a…
Read articleHorror at the Controls · Part 1
Horror at the Controls: Part 1 — Jaws
From summer blockbuster to playable predator. One shark. Four theatrical films. Decades of games trying to decide whether you should fear the water—or become the reason everyone else does. That is the strange…
Read articleChiptune Alchemy · Part 1
Chiptune Alchemy 1: NES & Famicom Audio Hardware
How the NES & Famicom Changed Video Game Music Forever This series of blogs is gonna explore the limitations of the classic and beloved Retro Game Consoles, how they make sound, and how the legendary composers were able to still make amazing music despite the constrained parameters. For our first topic, we are looking at […]
Read articleSquared Circle Archives · Part 1
Squared Circle Archives: Part 1 — The Golden Era
The WWF Golden Era (1982/1984–1993): How Bigger Personalities Made the Wrestling Matter Hulk Hogan lifts André the Giant. Randy Savage launches a flying elbow. Ricky Steamboat rolls a shoulder off the mat…
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