LSDJ

LSDJ, short for Little Sound DJ, is a music tracker for the Nintendo Game Boy handheld console. It enables users to compose chiptune music directly on a Game Boy by sequencing notes, control changes, and effects across multiple audio channels using a pattern-based interface.

Running on a Game Boy cartridge, LSDJ utilizes the Game Boy's four audio channels—the two pulse wave channels, the wave channel, and the noise channel—to produce sound. The program organizes music into patterns, songs, and banks. Users create patterns by entering notes and effect commands for each channel, then arrange patterns into songs to define playback order. Instrument definitions and effects include notes, slides, vibrato, arpeggios, and envelope-like parameters. Data is saved on the cartridge, enabling portable composition and performance without a computer.

Compatibility and usage: LSDJ works on original Game Boy and Game Boy Color hardware and is compatible with emulators that emulate the Game Boy sound hardware. It has a dedicated community that shares song libraries, tutorials, and documentation, and it remains a popular tool in the chiptune scene.

Legacy: LSDJ helped popularize game-boy–based music production and inspired a generation of trackers and hobbyists. The project has seen updates and forks by community developers, and remains available in various forms and ports.