Best use of drum samples in PSG music

[Black Tiger]

What are some of the best uses of drum samples in Turbo/PCE PSG soundtracks? Not simply cool samples or super high quality samples, but how they're actually incorporated into the music overall.

Feel free to note any amazing PSG drumming if any titles also stand out.


I think that Air Zonk is easily the best. Listening to the entire soundtrack in single sittings nowadays, I've come to appreciate the music so much more than I used to. The only way I think the drumming in this game's music could be improved is with higher quality samples.

Devil's Crush is another obvious one. Although I'm no PSG expert, I can't think of any other games that did a better job with drum samples before the release of AZ than DC.

[runinruder]

I love the drums in Blazing Lazers.

I think Shinobi III has my favorite drums for a non-CD game, particularly the maze-level tune.

[Tatsujin]

pc denjin is a tough one, indeed

[sunteam_paul]

1943 wins hands down, there's just something I love about those drums.

[Keranu]

I know I've heard a bunch of PSG tunes with awesome drum samples, but can't really name them off the top of my head. I know Batman had some decent ones, but I mostly like that soundtrack for other reasons. I keep thinking Soldier Blade had really good drum samples but I might be confused with another game.

[nat]

Aside from the ones already mentioned, New Adventure Island had some decent drums.

[esteban]

I love the drums in Blazing Lazers.

Yup.

Not that I even know the difference between drum samples and bleep-bleep-simulated-drums (does Veigues have real drums / percussion?)

[runinruder]

Not that I even know the difference between drum samples and bleep-bleep-simulated-drums

Ha, same here.  I love how the "snare" is being slammed in the Double Dungeons title screen theme, but I didn't mention it at first because, well, it doesn't exactly sound much like a drum.   

[Keranu]

Didn't Sinistron have an awesome drum beat for the opening title screen?

[runinruder]

Yep, good call.

[ParanoiaDragon]

I LOVE Shockman's drums, & music in general!  It's one of the best IMO.  Also, I think Coryoon should get a special mention.  Jackie Chan has some nice drums as well!  Oh, & I believe it's not PSG, but rather PCM last I heard from Malducci.

[esteban]

Oh, & I believe it's not PSG, but rather PCM last I heard from Malducci.

On this note, can one of the technical gurus help me understand? Yes, I want to know the difference between PSG  and PCM (I think I understand how ADCPM fits into the larger discussion of "console audio", which would include Red Book as well). I think it would be useful to describe a real-life example and describe what's happening with each sound channel. Thanks in advance .

EDIT: I think I meant to write "ADPCM", but at this point, my brain is mush. Anyway, is PCM shorthand for ADPCM? If so, does this mean that the ADPCM dialogue in Addams Family and PCM drum samples in a HuCard are really the "same" technology (outside of the fact that the dialogue spools from the CD). Yes, I'm totally clueless.

[Kaminari]

Roughly speaking, PSG is the cheap synth you can hear in the chiptunes (the part producing the more or less advanced blips and blops). PCM is the format in which the samples (drums, some sound effects) are encoded. ADPCM is a sort of compressed PCM that is often used in CD games in streaming form (Sherlock Holmes for example).

IMO, two chiptune composers really stand out on the PC Engine: Kōji Hayama (Moto Roader, Schbibinman) and Daisuke Morishima (Coryoon, PC Denjin, 1943). Hayama was the first guy to use a PCM drumkit in a HuCard game, back in early 1989. At a good third place, I'll put the gents from LMS/Compile (Gunhed, Devil Crash, Cyber Dodge, Cyber Knight).

On HuCard, the best PCM showcase would be Coryoon. On CD, I'd go for Cyber City OEDO 808.

[nat]

Funny you didn't mention the composer for Dungeon Explorer there. I find DE to have one of the best, if not THE best, soundtrack on a chip game.

[Keranu]

I LOVE Shockman's drums, & music in general!  It's one of the best IMO.

Agreed, great soundtrack. I also really love the first game's soundtrack, possibly even more.