Dont get me wrong, the PCE can produce decent chip tunes. Its not a god awful system for music and sound as the Genesis is in most cases. But compared to what the SNES could do it does not hold up well. And those examples you linked are exactly what I meant - that music sounds very NES like [to each their own I guess but I had to mute the sound rather fast for those links]. The Snes can produce near CD quality music with its SPC. A better comparison I had in mind was SF2's sound and music vs the Snes version. The sound for the PCE version, which was developed by pros I might add [awesome port] is not up to par with the SNES but it is above the Genesis.
Snes Music-
Chrono Trigger
Someones top 10 list [not mine], good selections though
SF2 Music comparison between PCE/SNES/Genny
The SF2 comparison is debatable I will admit, most prefer how the SNES sounds since it has more "ambience" to it, but the PCE is closer to the Arcade and still sounds nice.
I think I know what you mean by NES-ish. I've seen other people describe the PCE's sound as such too, and even back in the day. Though I think it's more predominant in PCE music that uses simple square type sounds (like DE and others). PCE's chip is capable of a much wider range than NES, by far. One of these days, I need to make a 'what-the-f*ck-are-you-smoking-the-pce-doesn't-sound-like-the-nes-video-check-this-shit-out' video. I think what most people hear first, is the lack of extreme timbre bending of typical FM sound. That immediately separates the PCE's sound from FM. The second is it sounds nothing like sample-based synth, like the SNES or MODs. The closest thing people can relate to, is older PSG type sounds of the NES or similar systems. When PCE composers uses weak/thin drumkits and simple square-ish waveforms, I guess it doesn't help the PCE's case any.
PCE's capable of all kinds of sounds, though I admit a lot are metallic or in the mid range. And low octave waveforms tend to sound very similar to each other, and high octave waveforms tend to loose their distinctive-ness from each other in much the same manner. But there are games with synthetic background voices (chorus/bending notes like a human voice - like Devils Crush theme), complex harmonics of FM-ish like bell-ish tones, a range of all kinds of bass (guitar) sounds, and from sharp saw; to simple square; to haunting wobbly sinewaves; to those distinct sounds only on pce (both low and high pitch at the same time - like 1943 Kai). It's also capable of changing the timbre to a wide range on a note by note basis, where the NES can't touch (though sadly almost no PCE game does this). To me, it's pretty distinct from NES sound.
Try some of these:
<- Listen to the whole thing. It's long, but worth it.
<- rough of synth trumpet sound for most of the tracks.
<- this I think embraces that classic PCE sound
<- Bonk's Adventure's music has a pretty unique set of trumpet sounds that I've never heard used in any other PCE game.
<- Blazing Lasers. Lots of variety of sounds through out the game's tracks
<- more BL
<- Rtype. Doesn't sound like NES. Actually sounds better than the arcade FM.
<- Love it
<- a handful of tracks. Love the synthy saw sounds, among some other types of sounds in there. Shit, you don't even need to hear it. Just look at the waveform in the video - NES looks nothing like that.
If you think PCE sounds like the NES (sans some PCE games that probably sound close. There's always shitty technical compositions on every sound hardware), you need more exposure and game time with the PCE system.
The Snes can produce near CD quality music with its SPC.
Yeah, not quite. The sample ram is pretty small. Samples are compressed and on top of that have heavy filtering by the DSP. The small amount of sample ram means you have limited range of your sample to pitch output, before it starts having that off putting overstretched fake MOD sound. And to even fit them all in there, you end of using lower relative C-3 note resolution. You could actually replicate the PCE's tracks on the SPC, but they would sound pretty dull/filtered.Ys III on SNES sounds nothing like Ys III on TGCD, and that's not even taking into account filtering. I'm not saying it doesn't have its advantages, but it's not CD quality. It's strong point is the use of a single sample to replicate many channels (complex chords) and realistic sounds too, but they usually limited to trumpet and strings. Guitars and other stuff sound too tacky. Everything else it does, it replicating FM type sounds (sampled into waveforms). The would have been better off with 2xYM2151 and a few ADPCM channels (static playback). Or something along the lines of a real synth (with VCF's and such).
awack: Ohh, what stage is that? I don't remember that one.
Joe: got a link to that demo?
