exploring the æsthetics
of retro gaming
consoles

pixeltone was born from a fascination with the technical limitations of early gaming hardware and how these constraints shaped a distinctive aesthetic language. the project investigates how limited color palettes, pixel resolution, and primitive sound synthesis created experiences that remain powerfully evocative decades later.

by mapping specific pixel patterns to synthesized sounds reminiscent of NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis audio chips, pixeltone creates a synesthetic relationship between visual composition and generated audio. the result is an interactive canvas where visual patterns trigger corresponding sound textures, creating a unified sensory experience.

the core of pixeltone is built with webGL for the visual processing engine and the web audio API for sound synthesis. Color analysis algorithms identify pixel clusters and patterns, which are then mapped to specific audio parameters including pitch, timbre, rhythm, and spatial positioning.

    technologies = {
        visuals: 'webGL';
        sound processing: 'web audio API';
        JS: 'vainilla';
    }

The audio engine implements several classic synthesis techniques including:

• pulse-width modulation (reminiscent of NES square channels)
• FM synthesis (inspired by Genesis YM2612 chip)
• sampled playback with bit-reduction (similar to SNES' SPC700)
• noise generation with variable filtering (common in all retro systems)