Good point. If you're determined to use a kazoo, use it as a kazoo. However, I doubt anyone would call a kazoo a superior instrument. The PCE sound chip does have a lot of flaws that require working around, and limit those who lack the time or talent to really push the chip. Truth told, there are many times I've thought to myself "Why didn't the PCE do anything like that?" when listening to NES soundtracks.
DEVO could make the kazoo work, I am sure.
I think the PCE didn't do certain things with their soundtrack simply because it's a different kind of sound. It's the same sort of argument as the kazoo and trumpet. You could hear SID and wonder "Well dang why doesn't the SMS do that?"
... but then you can listen to the SMS and go "Well dang why doesn't the SID do that!"
Every chip does what it does, and it does it good. I know when I hear overly arpped crap on the NES from Tim Failin, I don't wish the PCE was doing it. I do hear amazing drums in Soldier Blade, Blazing Lazers, etc, and go "hah, \o/". The PCE does plenty that the NES doesn't do without an additional chip.
The Genesis has 10 sound channels in total. It has the same 4 the Master System had and 6 new channels.
Yeah, I was talking strictly FM here, since it's the "new thing" the Genesis had over everything else that already existed.
The PCE was a little low on sound channels. It probably should have had 8. I'm not surprised it only had 6 considering Hudson was designing it to compete with the NES, but if Hudson had been more forward-looking, 8 channels and perhaps a discrete audio controller, instead of bundling the circuitry in with the CPU, would have been a more logical design.
Eh, 6 is a pretty solid number. If you look at the soundtracks, would 2 more channels have really added to the sound? Probably not. Look how much Konami did with 5 channels instead of 6. granted they also had the PSG... you often only hear it used for drums, and sometimes they end up using all 3 PSG channels to make one drum sound...
The NES didn't need 6. The original MSX only had 3! 6 seems fine.
The design of the PCE seems like NES mimicry in so many ways. Instead, they should have been looking at developments in arcade board design. That was part of Sega's success with the Genny. Then again, Sega had arcade hardware and software experience, and Hudson really didn't.
now, if only Sega got the "hey, dithering sucks ass" memo with their color choices for the Genesis...
I think 10 was enough for the MD. The MD had some excellent soundtracks. The sound effects usually sucked balls, but thanks to the FM and PSG there were some fantastic tunes. I agree that more can be done with fewer channels, though. Look as some of the best NES soundtracks. I feel like the PCE's audio solution was simply too inflexible, too difficult to push. 6 channels would have been just fine if there were just a little more it could do with them.
Right, 10 was plenty. Just like 6 was plenty. Just because another platform has more channels doesn't mean the PCE or the Genesis would need to do the same.
You can have an obscene amount of channels on the MSX. 3 PSG, 5 SCC, 9 FM from MSX MUSIC and 9 FM from MSXAUDIO... and I guess you could slap a moonsound in there too and have enough channels to kill a human.
But, you'll never see anyone doing this because there's little point. 9 channels of FM (or 6 + FM drums), or 5 SCC + 3 PSG (used basically as 1 channel drums), is more than enough to accomplish anything you could be thinking about doing with music on the MSX. When you add TOO many channels, is when music starts to get all jacked up and people start to do stupid things because they can.
Again, I'm used to hearing good stuff on the NES and wondering why PCE soundtracks aren't as good, and that's something I shouldn't be thinking.
If you don't like the waveform capabilities, it will be difficult to appreciate the thing, I guess. It's a radically different kind of sound. I'm glad it exists.
Im also glad there aren't hipster twits making awful dancemusic crap with the PCE like they do with the NES and Gameboy.
