- a lot of synths used in lee nicklen's music (think early nitrome games)- I can't really put my finger on what they are, but all I know is that they sound forgetin a++. especially the bassy sorta ones.
From what I can tell, the first two examples you gave mostly sound like pretty standard chiptune sounds, maybe more like those heard on a Commodore 64 than, say, NES.
On that note, there are a lot of
chiptune-specific sounds that I love, that you just don't hear anywhere else. Triangle waves and rapid arpeggios in particular.
I also really agree with you on the
acoustic bass. Hell, I even commented on the first video you linked! And as a SNES/Amiga music aficionado, I particularly appreciate the sound of a sampled acoustic bass like you might hear in
Donkey Kong Country. It's a sound I'm using extensively in
Chatters the Squirrel.I love the sound of the
tanpura, or "tambura" depending on how you anglicize it. It's just a drone instrument, so it can't actually play melodies, but it has a great sound. Some video game soundtracks actually sample a tanpura note and use it melodically, however. A great example is the
lava stage theme from New Super Mario Bros. It has an awesomely nostalgic quality I can't quite describe.
Of course, how could I go on this long without mentioning how much I love
every bluegrass instrument? Because I do. The banjo. The acoustic guitar. The fiddle. The mandolin. Plus, the upright acoustic bass fits right in here, as well.
