• 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

D

dogen

Member
zmet said:
Been playing some Cosmic Carnage and the music in that game is so good. I don't think it uses any of the 32x's extra channels for the music, so I guess it does count technically as Genesis music.
Click to expand...

The same guy did the music for power rangers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvGv-hm45GU

and some pretty good music for a shin chan game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94qrcAkLAqc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3yXGcGcjpE

and a tennis game

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV9X10nMwnw
 
J

jett

D-Member
E

ElectricThunder

Member
S

sixteen-bit

Member
lazygecko said:
Here we go: Mega Man X - Full Soundtrack (Sega Genesis)

And here is a .zip archive with all the tracks in .vgm format, completely playable on the actual hardware: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByppANKBZSvaNVhCcEF6WGZLVjg

Took about 2 months to do, and I learned some neat new tricks on the way like how to make orch hits completely in FM.
Click to expand...

Awesome work.

So I can load this on an Everdrive and play it on my Genesis? Any plans to do the same with your old Super Metroid medley?

Thanks!
 
L

lazygecko

Member
sixteen-bit said:
So I can load this on an Everdrive and play it on my Genesis? Any plans to do the same with your old Super Metroid medley?
Click to expand...

Haven't done so myself, but there are tools (Stef's XGM) that let you compile .vgms into a ROM that you can put on a flash cart.

The Super Metroid stuff was done with plugins in a DAW. That was almost 9 years ago now, sheesh. It's only really now that the tools have matured to the point where I can make them in a hardware-compatible format and also support the wider range of features on the soundchips (Multi-channel PCM is still not supported in Deflemask which I used to make it, but I can live without that. Utilizing the full channel 3 functionality is way, way more important to me).
 
S

sixteen-bit

Member
lazygecko said:
Haven't done so myself, but there are tools (Stef's XGM) that let you compile .vgms into a ROM that you can put on a flash cart.

The Super Metroid stuff was done with plugins in a DAW. That was almost 9 years ago now, sheesh. It's only really now that the tools have matured to the point where I can make them in a hardware-compatible format and also support the wider range of features on the soundchips (Multi-channel PCM is still not supported in Deflemask which I used to make it, but I can live without that. Utilizing the full channel 3 functionality is way, way more important to me).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the explanation. I'll look into it!
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
lazygecko said:
Here we go: Mega Man X - Full Soundtrack (Sega Genesis)

And here is a .zip archive with all the tracks in .vgm format, completely playable on the actual hardware: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByppANKBZSvaNVhCcEF6WGZLVjg

Took about 2 months to do, and I learned some neat new tricks on the way like how to make orch hits completely in FM.
Click to expand...

How do you do this? What programs do you use? Do you write the notes by hand or use a MIDI interface? What Z80 driver do you use?
 
S

Shredderi

Member
lazygecko said:
Here we go: Mega Man X - Full Soundtrack (Sega Genesis)

And here is a .zip archive with all the tracks in .vgm format, completely playable on the actual hardware: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByppANKBZSvaNVhCcEF6WGZLVjg

Took about 2 months to do, and I learned some neat new tricks on the way like how to make orch hits completely in FM.
Click to expand...

This is absolutely amazing. So how do you actually do these?

I already knew from Contra:Hard Corps that the genesis does hard guitars and drums very well and this just goes further to prove it. The main thing to me that is inferior in Genesis is the Synth Brass sound (sigma stage1).
 
L

lazygecko

Member
Laevateinn said:
How do you do this? What programs do you use? Do you write the notes by hand or use a MIDI interface? What Z80 driver do you use?
Click to expand...

I make them in Deflemask (site is down at the moment) which is a multi-system chiptune tracker. I would guess that also counts as the driver, although there is no way currently to read the modules directly on the system (I think someone is working on that), so the only method of playing them on the system itself is through the .vgm exports (which are inherently more bloated in size due to how the format works. For instance the Flame Mammoth .vgm is 95kb while the module itself is 17kb, and that's with the drum PCM samples included inside the module. Were this data stored in an actual game the samples would be treated as a separate bank which all the songs collectively pulled from, so the size of each track would be significantly lower than even that).

zDiaJYo.jpg
Click to expand...
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
lazygecko said:
I make them in Deflemask (site is down at the moment) which is a multi-system chiptune tracker. I would guess that also counts as the driver, although there is no way currently to read the modules directly on the system (I think someone is working on that), so the only method of playing them on the system itself is through the .vgm exports (which are inherently more bloated in size due to how the format works. For instance the Flame Mammoth .vgm is 95kb while the module itself is 17kb, and that's with the drum PCM samples included inside the module. Were this data stored in an actual game the samples would be treated as a separate bank which all the songs collectively pulled from, so the size of each track would be significantly lower than even that).
Click to expand...

This is great, thanks. I've been wanting to start using my X68000 for music composition for a while and I think this will be a good starting point.

Frencherman said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljhxbDd6WIo

2nd Chance :)
Click to expand...

This definitely takes advantages of the SNES' strengths but I wouldn't say it blows the Genesis (or the Saturn lol) away.
 
linko9

linko9

Member
That's really great work!
I'd still stick with the original given the choice :D

edit: Chill penguin is amazing
 
O

Opa-Pa

Member
God damn, lazygecko delivers again. MMX's is one of my favorite soundtrack so this is the biggest treat.

Also, maybe this is asking too much, but do you have .vgms of other covers of yours? I'd love to listen to them outside of Youtube.
 
F

Fularu

Banned
Unpopular opinion :

Genesis SF2' soundtrack >>>>> SNES SF' soundtrack

It's even more pronounced in SSF2. Punchy, close to the arcade (well closer), more alive

Just so much better :D
 
D

dogen

Member
Fularu said:
Unpopular opinion :

Genesis SF2' soundtrack >>>>> SNES SF' soundtrack

It's even more pronounced in SSF2. Punchy, close to the arcade (well closer), more alive

Just so much better :D
Click to expand...

Except the snes improved with super and genesis got worse lol.
 
T

Timu

Member
Fularu said:
Unpopular opinion :

Genesis SF2' soundtrack >>>>> SNES SF' soundtrack

It's even more pronounced in SSF2. Punchy, close to the arcade (well closer), more alive

Just so much better :D
Click to expand...
I noticed quite a bit of people saying this for these reasons.
 
M

MTC100

Banned
This one is hard to beat for other SNES games and probably impossible for any Genesis game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkRvgb27xnU

It's quite Rare for a composer to compromise with the systems shortcomings in such a brilliant and Wise way :)

lazygecko said:
Here we go: Mega Man X - Full Soundtrack (Sega Genesis)

And here is a .zip archive with all the tracks in .vgm format, completely playable on the actual hardware: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByppANKBZSvaNVhCcEF6WGZLVjg

Took about 2 months to do, and I learned some neat new tricks on the way like how to make orch hits completely in FM.
Click to expand...

Sounds a lot better than anything Sega did on their own system, well with their Sonic games at least, makes you wonder where they went wrong. I know most tracks by heart as I have played MMX for an eternity on my SNES and unraveled every secret long before the internet was "a thing".

This sure sounds a bit different than I remember it but not by a large stretch, I'll need to relisten to the original snes sound files to compare it.
 
R

RyudBoy

Member
jett said:
Both the SNES and Genesis versions of SSF2 sound like ass compared to the arcade version. CPS2 was just on another level.

Arcade
Genesis
SNES
Click to expand...

LOL You wish the Genesis version sounds like that. You got the wrong link there.

This is what the shitty Genesis version sounds like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STKYFRi1_6A

The dude who said the music got worse in SSF2 on Genesis was right. The music in SCE was pretty damn good, though.
 
M

MTC100

Banned
I think sound engineering was more difficult on the Genesis than on the SNES -or their sound artists just gave a crap, who knows...
 
CharminUltra

CharminUltra

Member
I was never a huge fan of the SNES sound quality. On top of that, my friend owned a TurboGrafx with Ys Book I & II, which he'd let me play often. Not a fair comparison probably, but after listening to that, going back to SNES quality audio was hard.
 
J

jett

D-Member
RyudBoy said:
LOL You wish the Genesis version sounds like that. You got the wrong link there.

This is what the shitty Genesis version sounds like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STKYFRi1_6A

The dude who said the music got worse in SSF2 on Genesis was right. The music in SCE was pretty damn good, though.
Click to expand...

Seems reverb was added to the video I posted, yeah. And the problem with your video is that the volume is way too low. :p

I think I like the Super version better.

But they both sound pretty bad compared to what could've been.
 
C

Celine

Member
The Violinist of Hameln - Inside the Crimson Castle

The Violinist of Hameln - Battle against Sizer

Wolf Child - Map

Wolf Child - Stage 5

Uncharted Waters 2 - Caprice of Lute (by Yoko Kanno)

Waterworld - Diving

Spawn - Title

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest - Doom Castle


Hyper Iria - The sky
Hyper Iria - Tower

Super Off Road:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh0LGMClffw&feature=channel_video_title&fmt=18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXgiDpJwGHQ&feature=channel_video_title&fmt=18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5SlL3Wz3tw&feature=channel_video_title&fmt=18

The Lord Of The Rings - Title Theme

The Ninja Warriors - Final Boss

Clock Tower: The First Fear - Don't Cry Jennifer
Clock Tower - The Nightmare is Finally Over...
 
M

mr jones

Ethnicity is not a race!
lazygecko said:
I make them in Deflemask (site is down at the moment) which is a multi-system chiptune tracker. I would guess that also counts as the driver, although there is no way currently to read the modules directly on the system (I think someone is working on that), so the only method of playing them on the system itself is through the .vgm exports (which are inherently more bloated in size due to how the format works. For instance the Flame Mammoth .vgm is 95kb while the module itself is 17kb, and that's with the drum PCM samples included inside the module. Were this data stored in an actual game the samples would be treated as a separate bank which all the songs collectively pulled from, so the size of each track would be significantly lower than even that).
Click to expand...

Holy shit you're on NeoGAF.

Guys, the stuff this guy does with FM sound is CRAZY.

Not to sound like a fanboy... you know what? No. I AM a fanboy.

Can you imagine your Mega Drive sounding like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpj_fN9k91g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrHJGNdE7-c

As Techno said, you're a beast dude.

ridley182 said:
I was never a huge fan of the SNES sound quality. On top of that, my friend owned a TurboGrafx with Ys Book I & II, which he'd let me play often. Not a fair comparison probably, but after listening to that, going back to SNES quality audio was hard.
Click to expand...

That's absolutely an unfair comparison. Comparing full redbook audio to chiptunes?
 
R

RetroGameAudio

Neo Member
I think the issue with a lot of Genesis music, which causes people to think it sounds bad, is that the 16-bit era saw a transition to using lots of composers who weren't necessarily adept in the sound programming department. Of course that was a thing before the 16-bit era, but I suspect that as systems began to support more channels of audio, and MIDI became standard/ popular, a lot of game developers would hire someone to write the music and then hand it off to a sound programmer. Or to use tools that made it easier for the composer to 'not worry about it'.

So without proper TLC (just mapping voices to simple FM sounds without much experimentation and care in the sound design), that can get you some very bland and boring soundtracks.

The Genesis can sound great though. I definitely prefer the best stuff on the Genesis to the sound of the SNES.

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys is one of my favorite Genesis soundtracks. It's my favorite version of that particular soundtrack as well. I think it's much better overall than the SNES soundtrack, and the chiptune synth sounds are more likeable than the full redbook audio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CvTvcAYtS0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHoFLQr__WQ

Ecco: The Tides of Time is another one of my favorites. Both Ecco soundtracks are great, providing some very atmospheric and mellow tracks. It sounds heavily inspired by European electronic music (like Bernard Fevre), which would make sense given who made it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUvOE1xil7g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32S2oJuANxo

Jewel Master. Not much to say about this one, but it has some ripping tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZCghKRIAa0

Darxide is a 32x game, but it uses the stock audio (maybe uses additional 32x audio for SFX?), so it fits in with Genesis/ MD soundtracks. It has some awesome stuff-

https://youtu.be/JwkvjIUD2sU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8pAVqUoTWI

Streets of Rage 3 has some really impressive stuff too. The first two games have a lot of great sounding tracks and memorable themes (so people understandably, usually like them more). But SoR 3 went off the deep end with trance/ jungle inspired themes and stands apart from the crowd:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo2zGky1Jhw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qRr0KpJRX4
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

My thoughts after trying every SNES, Genesis and Amiga game
2 3
135
10K
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
495
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
2K
SirTerry-T replied
Top Bottom