• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

SNES vs Genesis Sound

Sapiens

Sapiens

Member
RAIDEN1 said:
Well in some respects you could say you had to put in more of an effort to get decent sound out of Sega's machine as compared to the SNES..can't understand why Capcom would pull back on sound-quality..takes a hack to sort out their wrong-doings..

I admit in capable hands the genesis isn't always bad...thunderforce from 1992 was a prime example and many others on here show in capable hands you could get decent audio if you tried hard-enough...
Click to expand...

Such a naive argument - soundtracks that have had effort put into them should not count?
 
O

Opa-Pa

Member
jett said:
This is pretty nice actually.

I don't think one hardware is better than the other. When it comes to music and sound, the SNES and the Genesis are just completely different. It's funny how I used to be a hardcore SPC700 stan but over time I've come to appreciate and even prefer the Genny sound, despite having no nostalgia attached to the system.
Click to expand...

Same here. I was in the "Genesis sound hardware is literally inferior" fot years but now I can't get enough genny music.

I still have many SNES soundtracks among my favorites but the Genesis' trademark sound and the chip's seemingly infinite potential are just incredible.
 
J

jett

D-Member
Opa-Pa said:
Same here. I was in the "Genesis sound hardware is literally inferior" fot years but now I can't get enough genny music.

I still have many SNES soundtracks among my favorites but the Genesis' trademark sound and the chip's seemingly infinite potential are just incredible.
Click to expand...

Although there's still some good music on the SNES, I've really grown to much prefer the potential for crystal clear sound on the Genny over the muffled output of the SNES. And like others, I now feel like the Genesis is an instrument in its own right while the SNES has began to look more and more like the low-tier tracker it frankly is. The SNES does nothing that can't be done better elsewhere now, but the YM2612 has a unique sound of its own. For instance, I'm not really all that interested in listening to SNES renditions of music. :p
 
J

jett

D-Member
AtomicShroom said:
Not bad, but pales in comparison still. Also, is it done on actual Genesis hardware with actual Genesis limitations or is it just a Genesis sound font with basically no limitations? How would it fare if sound effects from the game had to play over it as well, etc.?
Click to expand...

Well this stuff is just academic obviously. I'm not sure what tools LegendOfRenegade or lazygecko use.
 
I

IronicSonic

Member
Aquova said:
I'll take your Theme of Simon, and raise you one Bloody Tears
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRYxLYi7qqo

She worked on the Rocket Knight Adventures and Contra: Hard Corps soundtracks. I'm pretty sure there's a Casltevania song in Hard Corps, but I can't remember which one. EDIT: I found it, it's a... bizarre rendition of Vampire Killer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0iC3CuRCgk
Click to expand...

Man, Bloodlines has such a great soundtrack creative and quality wise.

Hard Corps soundtrack is dope
 
tkscz

tkscz

Member
This thread has pretty much cemented for me that the SNES sounds better to me than the Genesis. A lot of Genesis sounds are electric noise at times, and while some SNES samples fall flat, I can listen to them easier than I can the Genesis sounds. Now I'm not saying the Genesis was bad overall, on the contrary, I can understand why some would choose it over the SNES, but for me personally, I like the sound of samples place harmonically than the Genesis electric sounds. Still will admit the Genesis does bass better than the SNES.
 
E

EPSYLON EAGLE

Member
D

dogen

Member
Vital Tundra said:
Personally SNES is my choice. Few composers could make the Genises sound good.
Click to expand...

It was more than just a few.

I mean, I have a playlist of music from just sega genesis games that's over 400 tracks long. And I don't just put anything in there. I have around 10x more.
 
J

jay

Member
SNES really falls down when it needs to be rocking. Castlevania is the obvious example. Instead of hard chip tunes the SNES game features a pan flute sample. Both the NES and Genesis games in the series do the music much better. More orchestral things definitely sound great on the SNES, though.
 
S

Shaneus

Member
dogen said:
It was more than just a few.

I mean, I have a playlist of music from just sega genesis games that's over 400 tracks long. And I don't just put anything in there. I have around 10x more.
Click to expand...
Could you share that playlist?

I'd love to see a kind of "best of" fine in either MP3 or (even better) VGM formats. The latter is what I listen to on my iPhone via the NoiseES app.
 
S

Shaneus

Member
jett said:
And like others, I now feel like the Genesis is an instrument in its own right while the SNES has began to look more and more like the low-tier tracker it frankly is. The SNES does nothing that can't be done better elsewhere now, but the YM2612 has a unique sound of its own. For instance, I'm not really all that interested in listening to SNES renditions of music. :p
Click to expand...
OMG, nailed it.
 
0

00ich

Member
EPSYLON EAGLE said:
More "eletric noises"

Out Run magistrally converted for Genesis
Click to expand...

At the expense of about any sound effects in game. The game reserves apparently one FM Channel for SFX and spends everything on the music. Not a bad choice to reproduce the feeling of driving with the stereo on, but it's racing game with no Engine sound because of that.
 
D

dogen

Member
Shaneus said:
Could you share that playlist?

I'd love to see a kind of "best of" fine in either MP3 or (even better) VGM formats. The latter is what I listen to on my iPhone via the NoiseES app.
Click to expand...

Oh, I guess lol. Give me a few minutes.

Also, this isn't all encompassing or anything, there are plenty of games I've never listened to.


Ok, this should work.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wbj2wj84x1xgirz/AACcVdRFJ83txdEEKTLy9BGYa?dl=0

I didn't upload treasure buster as that game came out recently and the soundtrack isn't free. It's definitely worth the price though.
 
S

Shaneus

Member
dogen said:
Oh, I guess lol. Give me a few minutes.

Also, this isn't all encompassing or anything, there are plenty of games I've never listened to.


Ok, this should work.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wbj2wj84x1xgirz/AACcVdRFJ83txdEEKTLy9BGYa?dl=0

I didn't upload treasure buster as that game came out recently and the soundtrack isn't free. It's definitely worth the price though.
Click to expand...
Oh, that's too awesome! I was just expecting a YT playlist that was already prepared, not the actual songs. You've made my Monday :)

And don't stress about the Treasure Buster OST, I'd already bought it a few days ago. It's absolute fire, and everyone here should check it out.

jett said:
And like others, I now feel like the Genesis is an instrument in its own right while the SNES has began to look more and more like the low-tier tracker it frankly is. The SNES does nothing that can't be done better elsewhere now, but the YM2612 has a unique sound of its own. For instance, I'm not really all that interested in listening to SNES renditions of music. :p
Click to expand...
Also, just on this point again, I didn't even realise that when you see the new VGM of "retro" titles, they almost always recreate what was done on NES. Not Master System because it wasn't really iconic enough, not MD/Gen because it seems pretty hard to replicate well and not SNES because any iconic kind of sound it produced can be done better via more all-encompassing trackers like in the good old days of MODs etc. (Side note: the wiki for the S-SMP likens the capabilities to a MOD/IT-esque system).
 
D

dogen

Member
Shaneus said:
Oh, that's too awesome! I was just expecting a YT playlist that was already prepared, not the actual songs. You've made my Monday :)
Click to expand...

I wish I had a youtube playlist, but then I would have to maintain two of them. Then there's all the other systems I have music for. It would take forever.

Anyway, most of the stuff is pretty well known, but maybe there's some stuff you haven't heard yet. Let me know what you think.
 
E

Easy_D

never left the stone age
EPSYLON EAGLE said:
More "eletric noises"

Out Run magistrally converted for Genesis

Magic Sound Shower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=andCy3R4YME&list=PLIUDVApcwTa29MIi4r4bnZIUEfLAlu0LB&index=1

Passing Breeze
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gckWKnrPoNs&index=3&list=PLIUDVApcwTa29MIi4r4bnZIUEfLAlu0LB

Last Wave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=550r5ef-MTk&list=PLIUDVApcwTa29MIi4r4bnZIUEfLAlu0LB&index=4

Splash Wave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6idNEhC6_UM&list=PLIUDVApcwTa29MIi4r4bnZIUEfLAlu0LB&index=2
Click to expand...

Magical Sound Shower sounds so good on the Genesis, god damn, those drum samples, Sonic wishes it had these jams. I kinda like how Passing Breeze sounds a lot like the Sonic 3 bonus stage at parts lol
 
D

DeadTrees

Member
Shaneus said:
Also, just on this point again, I didn't even realise that when you see the new VGM of "retro" titles, they almost always recreate what was done on NES. Not Master System because it wasn't really iconic enough, not MD/Gen because it seems pretty hard to replicate well
Click to expand...

This is ridiculous--software FM synthesizers have been around for over fifteen years. The lack of Genesis-esque soundtracks is due to apathy, not replicability.
 
D

dogen

Member
DeadTrees said:
This is ridiculous--software FM synthesizers have been around for over fifteen years. The lack of Genesis-esque soundtracks is due to apathy, not replicability.
Click to expand...

I think he meant in terms of effort required. But you're probably right too. The genny just isn't as appreciated as the nes.

In any case we do have Super Puzzle Platformer and Duck Game, which are pretty awesome too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3fe6pK3dv0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D760pqHQOUQ
 
S

Shaneus

Member
dogen said:
I think he meant in terms of effort required. But you're probably right too. The genny just isn't as appreciated as the nes.
Click to expand...
Pretty much. I know FM synths have been around for yonks, but the amount of effort to get a similar sound I'd imagine is far more than for getting anything in the vein of a NES.

Game aesthetics probably goes some way as well. Can't think of many games trying to evoke the Genesis' style in comparison to the NES.
 
P

Pachinko

Member
Shaneus said:
Literally!
Click to expand...

All that did was prove my point, Even the genesis remix of that DKC song is missing something.

Honestly I think it comes down to this - the SNES was better at sampling but in an ass backwards way , in order to make things sound good you HAD to use samples and as others have pointed out this didn't always work out well if the game in question left little memory for sounds. The Genesis had a full FM synth so there was a number of sounds it could make without resorting to using samples.

I've little doubt that given enough time and knowledge, you could certainly (as a composer) make the genesis really sing but, because it had a synth that used much less memory , most of the time you were forced to use that synth. The synth versions of sampled instruments (the same ones the SNES had to rely upon) pretty much always sounded worse. So , in those "right hands" I speak of, you'd recompose the song to be similar ... but different.

Many folks mentioning earthworm jim here and it's actually a great example to use , it happens that he special edition had redbook CD audio , in a way the "definitive" constraint free versions of each song.
New Junk City for EWJ special edition So here's the song with it's full non-compromised vision , everything is as good as Tommy intended it to sound (well, outside of maybe the more recent VGlive orchestral version I suppose).
New Junk City Genesis version Then, we got the version made for the original genesis , using what sounds like the FM synth and perhaps a single drum/hi hat sample in a few spots. It still sounds pretty good.
New Junk City SNES version and here we have an example of trying really hard to make use of those included snes noises but filling in the gaps with samples (like the hooting) , the drums sounds way worse and different instruments seem to make up the bulk of the song, it sounds quite a bit different despite being the same melody. The bass guitar is a nice touch.

Moving onto EWJ2 though, it seems like they found a better compression algorithm because the SNES version sounds pretty good.
EWJ2 Anything but tangerines Playstation/saturn This song was heavily sampled on electronic playground and Tommy T loves his guitars so ... I like to imagine that he made this and then smooshed it down to a 16 bit PCM track.
EWJ2 Anything but Tangerines SNES This seems to make much heavier use of sampling (though low bit rate samples) then EWJ1 did and obviously the guitar has been eliminated entirely but it sounds like a pretty good reproduction of the melody given the limitations of the hardware.
EWJ2 Anything but tangerines GEN and here... it seems very few samples are used, instead attempting to recreate the song with just the yamaha , it's admirable but it really loses something , it still has that tempo but the bass is oddly understated on the genesis. It ends up feeling just as odd as the SNES felt with the first game.

I'm not that familiar with the development of these 2 titles but it's really curious to me how EWJ2 made out so much better on the SNES compared to EWJ1 , not sure if they just targeted SNES hardware with the second game perhaps ?

For the record people - I like the SNES stuff better when it sounds orchestral - RPG's (squares stuff - secret of mana, FF6, chrono trigger)and stuff like Zelda , Super Metroid are all things I associate with that soundchip. In the right hands I'm sure admirable versions could be done on the yamaha soundchip (there's a pretty good rendition of brinstar out there on youtube) but it's just not the same.

Likewise , it would take an incredibly sample heavy remix to create something akin to thunderforce 4 or Streets of Rage 2 on the snes. Notice even Koshiro himself, when making SNES music - went for a different sounds (see Act Raiser).

Perhaps I'm in the minority here but even the Castlevania stuff sounds better on SNES and that was before too many extra samples were thrown in there. But Imagine a snes remix of Green hill or Emerald hill zone ? just bleagh, you can almost picture how muffled that would be. It would probably be pretty close to this... it's just not good right ? but feels as close as it would probably get

Man... if nothing else this thread just makes me want to sit and listen to old PCM tracks all night...
 
S

sfried

Member
It seems the thread is filled mostly with examples in favor of Genesis. Not, that I mind highlighting some of the better sounding tuned on the system (mostly coming from Treasure, Yuzo Koshiro, and a few other underrated ones), but isn't it a little unfair to not also showcase some of the better Super Nintendo ones as well?

Even looking back at Street Fighter 2 and its ports/versions, you can see the developers utilizing each (audio) hardware and tailoring the sound to its strengths. The aforementioned Earthworm Jim games were in the first game, the Genesis sounded a whole lot better, but in the sequel the SNES one manages to sound even cleaner/nicer than its Genesis counter part.
 
S

Shikamaru Ninja

任天堂 の 忍者
I really don't get the affinity for the Genesis sound. Everytime someone posts a link in favor of it, I click and just don't get it.

I actually love SEGA music from their 80s arcade boards and a bunch of the Dreamcast releases. But the Genesis just didn't do it for me.

SNES had some amazing soundtracks.
 
A

Aquova

Member
sfried said:
It seems the thread is filled mostly with examples in favor of Genesis. Not, that I mind highlighting some of the better sounding tuned on the system (mostly coming from Treasure, Yuzo Koshiro, and a few other underrated ones), but isn't it a little unfair to not also showcase some of the better Super Nintendo ones as well?
Click to expand...

I noticed that too. I think it's because the Genesis is typically considered the weaker system that its supporters are more willing to come to a topic like this with examples showing the opposite (including myself). Also note that with the exception of Castlevania and maybe Streets of Rage, most of the songs being posted are not ones that are well known today. Not many of the comparisons are using songs from Chrono Trigger or Zelda or Sonic because more people are familiar with them. Not that it's a bad thing, but the thread has been focused on lesser known examples, so everything by Nintendo or Square is kinda ignored giving SEGA a bigger presence.
 
J

jett

D-Member
sfried said:
It seems the thread is filled mostly with examples in favor of Genesis. Not, that I mind highlighting some of the better sounding tuned on the system (mostly coming from Treasure, Yuzo Koshiro, and a few other underrated ones), but isn't it a little unfair to not also showcase some of the better Super Nintendo ones as well?
Click to expand...

SNES music gets enough love on any given day.

Shikamaru Ninja said:
I really don't get the affinity for the Genesis sound. Everytime someone posts a link in favor of it, I click and just don't get it.

I actually love SEGA music from their 80s arcade boards and a bunch of the Dreamcast releases. But the Genesis just didn't do it for me.

SNES had some amazing soundtracks.
Click to expand...

That's a real shame you can't get over whatever hangups you have with the Genesis. :p I personally did, after being a long time SNES advocate and today I can appreciate what I couldn't before. Personally, I really enjoy the clarity and the "clean" ouput of the Genesis, compared to the muffled sound of the SNES. A good, clean lead on the Genesis is just incomparable to anything on the SNES.

Have some random wonderfulness:
Mega Turrican
Vapor Trail
Sub-Terrania
Gauntlet IV
Shining Force II
Jewel Master
Thunderforce IV
Verytex
Gleylancer (yes, again!)
 
O

Opa-Pa

Member
The main reason you see mostly examples of Genesis goodness is that saying the SNES had great music isn't a unpopular opinion at all, while claiming that the Genesis was a capable of good music (an understatement) is often seen as weird.

The concensus is that the SNES is "literally better" even though the debate is far more complicated and you end up having to throw tons of good Genesis soundtracks at people to even listen to you.

And for the record, the SNES has probably the most soundtracks I love from any system out there, and I still think the Genesis' capabilities are more impressive. I love to learn about its music so this thread is always a delight to me.
 
T

T.Slothrop

Member
Tim Follin's Time Trax is about the only Genesis soundtrack that gives the SNES a run for it's money. The Genesis does generally have a "cleaner" sound than the SNES, but in most people's hands it didn't sound that much better than the NES imo.
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
Wut. The Genesis had the scratchy low-KHz sounding music. The SNES samples were rich and smooth (Mario World and Pilotwings for early examples)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

My thoughts after trying every SNES, Genesis and Amiga game
2 3
135
11K
lionagony replied
Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu finds recent game music “boring” – here’s why
Opinion
37
2K
Guilty_AI replied
Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters Steam patch released for FFI-VI (patch notes + 38% bundle discount)
48
3K
Rran replied
The Steam version of Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster receives new update: First time it's discounted
Platform
2
532
kunonabi replied
Would you agree that Nintendo has always been better as a portable platform holder vs. a home console one?
Opinion Platform 2
52
3K
SirTerry-T replied
Top Bottom