Pulse Pulse Wave Noise (Solution)

by Brian Mazzaferri and Robyn Speer

This puzzle is a chiptune in 16 pieces, designed by Brian Mazzaferri, leader of the chiptune-rock band I Fight Dragons. Thanks, Brian!

You need to overlap the tracks starting at the right moments of time so that they form a coherent tune. Useful checks:

  • The main theme of the tune repeats twice.
  • The percussion forms a regular rhythm.
  • This is an authentic Game Boy-style chiptune, so it can have at most four simultaneous sounds, at most three of which are pitched notes.

These are the offsets needed for each track, measured in multiples of 0.1875 seconds:

  • 1: +46
  • 2: +27
  • 3: +58
  • 4: +1
  • 5: +1
  • 6: +56
  • 7: +11
  • 8: +55
  • 9: +51
  • 10: +0
  • 11: +6
  • 12: +43
  • 13: +21
  • 14: +35
  • 15: +0
  • 16: +25

Here is what the tune sounds like.

When you put the music together correctly, the interlude between the two halves consists of:

  • The "you found a secret!" tune from Legend of Zelda games:
    • Track 4: G5
    • Track 9: F#5
    • Track 16: D#5
    • Track 8: A4
    • Track 3: G#4
    • Track 12: E5
    • Track 7: G#5
    • Track 15: C6
  • Eight other random-sounding notes in a different instrument:
    • Track 13: A4
    • Track 1: G4
    • Track 6: E3
    • Track 2: F3
    • Track 10: D5
    • Track 5: A2
    • Track 11: F4
    • Track 14: E3

The non-Zelda notes are all naturals (white keys on a piano), and fall within a span of 26 scale steps. Let the lowest note be A (it really is an A) and it spells the answer ONE FRAME.