Most of us, should at least got glipse of these usually 8 bit like, sometimes unwanted, sounds of piracy. Yeah the keygen music, I remember that even in early 2000's I had encountered keygens with sounds and that still goes on. It makes me ponder about them mostly in relation of the warez teams, for them is like a tradition? they have some utility? It's a need of self expression of those groups? Surely that tunes are part of the underground internet culture, maybe they are proud of them or maybe it's just routine, don't know. Also how they work on them, I imagine team R2R taking turns, like: ok for this release I will do the music...

I found this pretty interesting, maybe some people here have lore to share about this topic, also do you have some favourite keygen tunes?

 

It's annoying because if I forget to turn it off all I'm doing is installing a vst but in the other room to my wife it sounds like I'm on a gay porn website.

 

The people who crack music software often play and use the cracked software themselves - otherwise where is the fun? You can also immortalize yourself on the Internet, so after your physical death, your own creative music that you once made for a keygen will still exist.

Some of the music reminds me of the first pinball machines that were standing around and you put a coin in and could shoot a ball through the machine and the music was this 8-bit music, of course this 8-bit music was also created by a sound designer.

Team R2R Ableton Keygen Song

 

Team AiR - Digital Insanity (Welcome To Our World) [480p]

TEAM R2R - 2017 - KORG Legacy Collection

 

Started as "programmer music" in 80s microcomputers' demo and cracking scenes, showing off programming knowledge and ability to write extremely efficient code. There was a time when every game you played as a middle class kid started with an audio-visual tour de force by a cracking group.

Those infinite stacks of copied floppies!

Cracking remains a competition in intellectual bragging rights to this day. The music has become much more approachable; programming sound generators isn't necessary anymore - but I suppose "trve" cracking groups continue the tradition.

 

That would made sense if just the groups that crack music software were the only ones that do tunes for their keygens, in the 2000's you could see that it was a pretty generalized practice, I knew of keygen music mostly from games or general software keygen, I think that's more an element in the underground internet culture, like graffiti is in the urban culture

Interesting, it's a more ancient custom than I thought, I find it charming that teams like R2R keep this tradition in times that people care less and less about them.

 

There's always someone who goes first and also provides the ideas, the others just copy it.

Everyone back then wanted to be part of a group or part of a movement. Sometimes you also want to get the recognition that others get and then you usually imitate the behavior, we as small children also learned everything from our parents by imitation.

Everything changes when you think for yourself and swim against the current.

 

It would be correct to say "tracker music" not keygen music, it came from time when it was the only convenient way to celebrate the crack release with a very small footprint. Originated from Amiga then came to PC

There was an online collection of keygen music keygenmusic.net which is dead by now but the collection is saved here
https://archive.org/details/key-gen-music-music-pack-2020-03-full.-7z_202406

If you like similar music these are gigantic online tracker libraries with a player:
https://modarchive.org/
https://chiptune.app/
http://www.wothke.ch/playmod/
https://modtu.be/

True gems could be found there

 

Last edited: Dec 24, 2024

I can recall the days when a crackle low voice singing like....H 2 O...with a terrible tune behind it...win 98 days

 

Past And Future : Demo By Team H2O Part1

Past And Future : Demo By Team H2O Part2

 

I really like the perspective that those tunes are a way to celebrate the scene releases, it makes total sense, in a way they're digital fireworks. Also thanks for the resources, even if i'm not so into this genre (I'm more rock oriented), I think it's interesting cultural phenomenon, and it seems there's plenty material on this, more than enough to make an anthropological or art thesis around this custom.

 

Since it is illegal software, it is more for the underground, or in other words, this music will not appear on TV or radio because it will be associated with illegal software.

The Legacy of KeyGen Music: A Look at Tunes of the Key Cracker Era

The vast majority of us have been horrible people at some point or another and pirated software or at least emulated games on our computers at least once in our lives. Getting past the morality of it, it’s safe to say we all know the process of downloading an installer alongside a key generator that would help us get to our elicit activities, or an emulator with which to play the ROMs of import games we didn’t get in the states.

If you’re one of those ilk, then you are likely familiar with keygen music, or at least have had an encounter with the niche genre but didn’t pay it much mind. Maybe it was simply an annoyance on the way towards the goal of cracking your ill-gotten software, or maybe it’s a fond memory of the age of Napster, Limewire and pre-torrent times. Having attended MAGFest recently and become more interested in the demoscene, I’ve decided to revisit this.

more... www.originalsoundversion.com/the-legacy-of-keygen-music-a-look-at-tunes-of-the-key-cracker-era/

 

Last edited: Dec 24, 2024

Most keygens (key generators) use 8-bit music for several reasons:

1. Nostalgia: The 8-bit sound is reminiscent of classic video games from the 1980s and early 1990s. This retro aesthetic appeals to many users, especially those who grew up during that era.
2. Simplicity and Size: 8-bit music files are typically smaller in size compared to modern audio formats. This makes them easier to include in keygens, which often aim to be lightweight and quick to download.
3. Distinctiveness: The unique and recognizable sound of 8-bit music helps keygens stand out. The chiptune style creates a memorable experience, which can enhance the overall presentation of the software.
4. Creative Expression: The limitations of 8-bit sound can encourage creativity. Composers working with these constraints often find innovative ways to create catchy melodies and engaging soundtracks.
5. Cultural Associations: The association of 8-bit sound with hacking and underground software culture has become a part of the identity of keygens. Using 8-bit music reinforces this connection.

Overall, the use of 8-bit music in keygens serves both aesthetic and practical purposes, contributing to their appeal and cultural significance.

 

Yeah I know, and that's another reason that helps to understand that they're not seeking inmortality with these tunes, they're not for popularity or be praised, it's seems that's other the goal behind this music and think that it's more related to celebrations as was pointed above. This creations seems more oriented to the warez community, the "family", which in a way is pretty niche, and that humanizes everything a lot, there's a "more-than-data" thing in this tunes that's really pretty.

 

Last edited: Dec 24, 2024

Ok, but the 8-bit it's the vice not the means behind this practice

 

in the original arcade games, the music usually only played when it was Game Over.

 

The good old days!

 

Unfortunately more often than not, the songs were just taken from demoscene compo packs by keygen authors and in some cases even modified to remove credit from the original composer. Or converted from MOD to XM (maybe because the player they used only supported XM), or had instrument samples changed (saw this once or twice only).

But sometimes the songs were commissioned specifically for groups. Some groups like ViRiLiTY had their own musician members. And in the case of audio groups like AiR/H2O, the crackers themselves were often music producers and often just put mp3 into it, or made some song with the synth they cracked .

The tradition came from cracking games in the early 80s. When you cracked a game, it became more prestigious to add an intro screen with fancy graphics to show off and get your name known etc. Adding fancy music became a thing in 1986, when it became more common for c64 coders to use and understand music routines (classically, code that was ripped from Rob Hubbard's game compositions).

1986:

1988:

The Papillons tune was pretty famous and even got covered into keygens 20 years later.

 

I always loved the melodies of the keygens. one of my faves is the AIR key gen. I just Drilled it out with suno real quick haha..

https://suno.com/song/322b4499-5ce0-4e2f-90e4-08669e6c3c07

 

Yes, R2R just using tracker mods from other artists is why AIR (with their own music) will always be better than R2R!