NES/SMS soundchip comparison

Did the NES or SMS have better soundchip? From what I've heard, music on the NES tends to sound fuller, like there's more going on. The SMS/Game Gear music I've heard all sounds very similar. It just seems a lot more generic. A good example of this is comparing the NES Mega Man tunes with the songs from the Game Gear version. How well can they perform with samples?

the NES soundchip is better in every way. The SNblahblah chip on the SMS is garbage, unless by SMS soundchip you mean the YM2413. Then it's better imo.

The NES soundchip is technically better, but many people appreciate certain SMS soundtracks as much as anything on NES.

Personally I love the SMS soundtracks of Miracle Warriors, R-Type, Wonderboy 1 - 3, Alex Kidd In Miracle World, Phantasy Star, Golvelius, Ultima IV, Ys and others. I still love many NES soundtracks as well, but one doesn't cancel out the other for me and as much as some people hate SMS sound, many games still have great compositions.

I always thought R-Type and Space Harrier had great soundtracks on the SMS as well. R.C. Pro-Am and Cobra Triangle represent some of my favorite NES soundtracks.

Technically speaking, I have no idea why two square waves, one triangle, and one white noise is absolutely superior to a three tone sound generator and a white noise channel. They look the same to me, but certainly sound different.

NES had, by far, the better sound chip. There are some Master System games that achieve a good use of the console’s sound chip (Sonic the Hedgehog 1 for example), but still, the music in the average NES game is better than what can be found on the average MS game.

Sunsoft really knew how to push the NES sound chip:

Originally Posted by Loggo

Sunsoft really knew how to push the NES sound chip:

Sunsoft really knew how to push sound chips.

The NES had the better sound hardware for sure, but I wouldn't be so bold to say the SMS was garbage in comparison. If the SMS sounds like garbage, then the NES is only slightly higher class garbage. They're both definitely in the same bin. There are lots of tunes that I appreciate on both systems. The NES can extend lower and have something that almost resembles bass whereas the SMS can't do that as well. The NES waveforms also seem to have a bit more texture to them while the SMS sounds smooth and clean, maybe a bit too clean. I am not a big fan of the SMS FM sound chip. I have yet to hear it used well. Some people say "it sounds almost like a Genesis". Those people are stupid and should have their ears dissolved in a vat of acid because they clearly do not deserve to keep them. The drums on FM-enabled games are ALWAYS horrible, just awful. I usually prefer PSG over the yucky implementation of FM. It may have the CAPABILITY to sound better, but they never used it other than the SMS BIOS. It has all of these channels and they only use 2 or 3. Plus, the sound effects suck in FM-enabled games.

Originally Posted by Joe Redifer

The NES had the better sound hardware for sure, but I wouldn't be so bold to say the SMS was garbage in comparison. If the SMS sounds like garbage, then the NES is only slightly higher class garbage. They're both definitely in the same bin. There are lots of tunes that I appreciate on both systems. The NES can extend lower and have something that almost resembles bass whereas the SMS can't do that as well. The NES waveforms also seem to have a bit more texture to them while the SMS sounds smooth and clean, maybe a bit too clean. I am not a big fan of the SMS FM sound chip. I have yet to hear it used well. Some people say "it sounds almost like a Genesis". Those people are stupid and should have their ears dissolved in a vat of acid because they clearly do not deserve to keep them. The drums on FM-enabled games are ALWAYS horrible, just awful. I usually prefer PSG over the yucky implementation of FM. It may have the CAPABILITY to sound better, but they never used it other than the SMS BIOS. It has all of these channels and they only use 2 or 3. Plus, the sound effects suck in FM-enabled games.

There are a few Mark III FM tracks from various games that sound similar to a few Genesis FM tracks from various games (mostly RPGs), but nothing sounds quite like a Genesis.

I like Golvellius in FM and PSG.

Golvellius doesn't sound too bad, but most SMS FM tunes seem "out of tune" for some odd reason.

Overall, having played all of the games I own that support both, I haven't ever felt like the PSG music was "going backward" or had that impulse to turn on the FM to get away from it. I have only briefly played most games though. After Burner, Alien Syndrome (especially), Altered Beast, Aztec Adventure, and Golvellius all convinced me to be glad for paying $80 or so for the expansion module.

I have always found Meka's FM sound emulation superior to Fusion as well.

The NES soundchip was better, but the SMS sound chip was still good enough to create some nice tunes.

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...it-sound-chips
This was already pretty much done here.


One thing the SN chip CAN do than the NES can't is 3 simultaneous square waves. (not much, but it's something)
It doesn't seem like many if any SMS tunes use software envelope effects. (that could boost things rather significantly if used tactfully)
That old 1979 SN7649 is one of the most bare bones sound chips ever made (of the 3 major sound chips released in 1979 -POKEY, AY8910, SN- it was definitely the weakest by a fair margin).

It doesn't seem to have as much room for tweaks/growth as the others (or the NES or SID for that matter). There's a bit of room for different styles, but it seems like there's a large amount of the sound that stays the same. (rather than POKEY, the AY, NES, and SID tending to sport a much broader range of sounds and styles)
This includes the chiptune demoscene, though I'd have thought more software tweaks would have been pushed the the SN. (then again, the format on battleofthebits is specifically tied to the master system, so it would be within the hardware/software tweak limitations of that specific configuration)

Edit:
Hmm, seems like botb has added some interesting stuff lately, this breaks a fair bit away from the SMS norm:
http://battleofthebits.org/arena/Ent...nt+Samba/5181/ (starts with VERY typical SMS sounds but then makes a dramatic shift)


Another thing I've wondered about is why they didn't release the FM add-on (let alone built-in FM models) to their more successful western markets (even North America was significantly more successful than Japan and lasted a few years longer too). An FM add-on would have been more elegant with the SMS as well: rear expansion port closer to the AV port to allow simpler and more aesthetically pleasing installation. (you'd still need to piggyback on the SMS AV port like the Mk.III since there's no audio lines on the exp port, but it's still a bit better than the Mk.III at least)

I wonder what sort of impact that would have had on the US/EU markets.

Yup, NES tend to sound a noiser with a lot of "noise basses" (don't know how all those instruments are called) while SMS sound like something space-like. (Sure not in every games)


I love GG megaman soundtrack. IMO, the main tunes in these music sounds more epic. Plus, it also stands over average SMS soundtacks. (And I like basses here)


And after all it all depends on how each composers use the hardware (GG version of Desert Strike vs SMS here):

There are lots of cool tunes for the SMS, but the soundchip is terrible.