The Sega Genesis and Me
The Sega Genesis and Me
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Photo I took on May 31, 2019, the day I acquired this Model 1 VA7 Sega Genesis.
The Sega Genesis is quite an amazing console. Released as the Mega Drive in Japan in 1988 and later in 1989 in North America, it would become the big rival to Nintendo's Super Famicom, leading to the so-called "console wars" in the 1990s. The Genesis has two soundchips: one of them is a Yamaha YM2612. This is a 6-channel FM chip, which can make amazing sounds when it lands in the right hands. It's a cut-down YM2608 that was notably used in NEC's PC-88 and 98 series of computers, but it's still a powerful chip in my opinion. The second soundchip is a derivative of the Texas Instruments SN76489 (which some, including myself, call the Sega PSG). This is a 4-channel PSG with three square waves and a noise channel. It was included to give the Genesis backwards compatibility with the Master System (which requires the Power Base Converter since the cartridge shapes are different between the two consoles), but many Genesis games used it alongside the FM chip. Quite an amazing console with amazing sound capabilites indeed! But, I never thought of it that way at one time, thanks to a certain comment I once read in the past. Before we get there, let's head back to around 2009-2010, which was when I first discovered the existence of this console.
The Sega Genesis is quite an amazing console. Released as the Mega Drive in Japan in 1988 and later in 1989 in North America, it would become the big rival to Nintendo's Super Famicom, leading to the so-called "console wars" in the 1990s. The Genesis has two soundchips: one of them is a Yamaha YM2612. This is a 6-channel FM chip, which can make amazing sounds when it lands in the right hands. It's a cut-down YM2608 that was notably used in NEC's PC-88 and 98 series of computers, but it's still a powerful chip in my opinion. The second soundchip is a derivative of the Texas Instruments SN76489 (which some, including myself, call the Sega PSG). This is a 4-channel PSG with three square waves and a noise channel. It was included to give the Genesis backwards compatibility with the Master System (which requires the Power Base Converter since the cartridge shapes are different between the two consoles), but many Genesis games used it alongside the FM chip. Quite an amazing console with amazing sound capabilites indeed! But, I never thought of it that way at one time, thanks to a certain comment I once read in the past. Before we get there, let's head back to around 2009-2010, which was when I first discovered the existence of this console.
Spade's Grandpa gets a Sega Genesis
Spade's Grandpa gets a Sega Genesis
Back in around 2009 or 2010, when I was in 7th grade, I went to a flea market that has since been demolished (a strip mall now sits in its place). My grandparents were visiting me that day. At the time, they were living in Ohio. Over at the flea market, my late grandpa got himself a Sega Genesis and some games. When we got home, my parents hooked it up and he tried it out, which he also let me and my sister play on as well. The two games I remember we played were The Lion King and Mickey Mania. Both games have amazing soundtracks made by the great Matt Furniss. Since this was before I was curious about how retro consoles and computers made sound, I never gave a thought about it since I was too focused on playing the games. I also don't remember which model Genesis he got since this was essentially a decade ago, but I believe it may have been a Model 2 Genesis.
Back in around 2009 or 2010, when I was in 7th grade, I went to a flea market that has since been demolished (a strip mall now sits in its place). My grandparents were visiting me that day. At the time, they were living in Ohio. Over at the flea market, my late grandpa got himself a Sega Genesis and some games. When we got home, my parents hooked it up and he tried it out, which he also let me and my sister play on as well. The two games I remember we played were The Lion King and Mickey Mania. Both games have amazing soundtracks made by the great Matt Furniss. Since this was before I was curious about how retro consoles and computers made sound, I never gave a thought about it since I was too focused on playing the games. I also don't remember which model Genesis he got since this was essentially a decade ago, but I believe it may have been a Model 2 Genesis.
Sonic the Hedgehog and Tool-Assisted Speedruns
Sonic the Hedgehog and Tool-Assisted Speedruns
2013 was probably the time when I would discover more Genesis games beyond The Lion King and Mickey Mania. Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the games I saw a tool-assisted speedrun of. At the time, I had known that one of its tunes had existed in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but this was when I discovered more of its songs. Great and catchy tunes from Masato Nakamura to go along with the game! I also watched tool-assisted speedruns of Genesis games where *GEMS was used for their music and sound driver. GEMS usually gets bad reputation for sounding "terrible," but this was mostly due to the instruments that were included with it (that were often never changed). It can sound good when used right, though. You can watch the video on GEMS from anosci of the GST Channel by clicking here. I was intrigued about the sounds the Genesis could make, but that was going to change in the following year...
2013 was probably the time when I would discover more Genesis games beyond The Lion King and Mickey Mania. Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the games I saw a tool-assisted speedrun of. At the time, I had known that one of its tunes had existed in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but this was when I discovered more of its songs. Great and catchy tunes from Masato Nakamura to go along with the game! I also watched tool-assisted speedruns of Genesis games where *GEMS was used for their music and sound driver. GEMS usually gets bad reputation for sounding "terrible," but this was mostly due to the instruments that were included with it (that were often never changed). It can sound good when used right, though. You can watch the video on GEMS from anosci of the GST Channel by clicking here. I was intrigued about the sounds the Genesis could make, but that was going to change in the following year...
*GEMS = Genesis Editor for Music and Sound Effects
The Comment(s) That (Temporarily) Changed My Mind
The Comment(s) That (Temporarily) Changed My Mind
2014 was probably the first time I ever saw a "Genesis vs. SNES" comment. The comment was something along the lines of "Genesis is better than SNES because [something something muffled sound, gritty FM makes better guitars, 90s marketing slogan, blah blah blah...]." As someone who grew up with Nintendo products, that comment and several others started to make me hate the Sega Genesis. It was apparent that these kinds of comments had continued well past the fourth generation of video games. Eventually, I would end up avoiding looking at runs of Sega Genesis games all because of those comments. The only exceptions were the Sonic games and Superman. Since this was around the time I was curious about how the retro consoles and computer made sound, I decided that, except for the games mentioned, the sounds of the Genesis were terrible. So, for two years, I didn't give a thought about the Genesis, until I discovered something that blew me away...
2014 was probably the first time I ever saw a "Genesis vs. SNES" comment. The comment was something along the lines of "Genesis is better than SNES because [something something muffled sound, gritty FM makes better guitars, 90s marketing slogan, blah blah blah...]." As someone who grew up with Nintendo products, that comment and several others started to make me hate the Sega Genesis. It was apparent that these kinds of comments had continued well past the fourth generation of video games. Eventually, I would end up avoiding looking at runs of Sega Genesis games all because of those comments. The only exceptions were the Sonic games and Superman. Since this was around the time I was curious about how the retro consoles and computer made sound, I decided that, except for the games mentioned, the sounds of the Genesis were terrible. So, for two years, I didn't give a thought about the Genesis, until I discovered something that blew me away...
"He Made Music For This (Unreleased) Game!?"
"He Made Music For This (Unreleased) Game!?"
Between 2014 and 2016, I discovered the works of Tim Follin. The first games I discovered his stuff was Silver Surfer, which he worked on alongside his brother Geoff, and Treasure Master. The way he did NES music was nothing like what I had heard before. Triangle+Noise tricks to make a more realistic sounding percussion, using arps to (sort of) give the illusion of a chord, and other goodness made him a instant favorite. Most importantly, for this article, was when I discovered something from him that completely changed my thoughts on the Genesis. In mid 2016, I discovered his work for Time Trax. This a 1994 platformer that was released on the SNES, which has a different soundtrack composed by Richard Joseph, and is based on a 1993 Sci-Fi TV series of the same name. The Genesis version was never released, but a prototype ROM of it was leaked in 2013. When I discovered this, I had mixed thoughts at first, because I had dismissed the sounds of the Genesis as "bad" until that point. I did briefly listen to the SNES version's soundtrack, but ultimately I decided upon the Genesis version. Hearing this made me realize that the Genesis can sound great when it lands in the right hands, and dismissing it as "bad" is doing it a huge disservice.
Between 2014 and 2016, I discovered the works of Tim Follin. The first games I discovered his stuff was Silver Surfer, which he worked on alongside his brother Geoff, and Treasure Master. The way he did NES music was nothing like what I had heard before. Triangle+Noise tricks to make a more realistic sounding percussion, using arps to (sort of) give the illusion of a chord, and other goodness made him a instant favorite. Most importantly, for this article, was when I discovered something from him that completely changed my thoughts on the Genesis. In mid 2016, I discovered his work for Time Trax. This a 1994 platformer that was released on the SNES, which has a different soundtrack composed by Richard Joseph, and is based on a 1993 Sci-Fi TV series of the same name. The Genesis version was never released, but a prototype ROM of it was leaked in 2013. When I discovered this, I had mixed thoughts at first, because I had dismissed the sounds of the Genesis as "bad" until that point. I did briefly listen to the SNES version's soundtrack, but ultimately I decided upon the Genesis version. Hearing this made me realize that the Genesis can sound great when it lands in the right hands, and dismissing it as "bad" is doing it a huge disservice.
First Ventures Into Genesis Music Making
First Ventures Into Genesis Music Making
Since 2016 was the time when I was starting to make chiptune music, and I was learning about soundchips, I decided to try making Genesis music when I got hold of DefleMask in August 2016. Some of my first ventures of making Genesis music was covering Axel F, Barrel Volcano from Super Mario RPG, and the Temple stage from Super Smash Bros. Melee. I even remade one of my pre-chiptune songs from 2015 on the Genesis. These early Genesis songs I made used patches made or ripped by other users or from VGM files since I had no knowledge in FM synthesis. Late 2017 was when I decided to experiment with FM synthesis. My original song Moonlight Mountains was one of my first Genesis songs to use custom FM patches rather than those ripped from VGM files or by other users. After seeing a tutorial sometime in 2018, I eventually understood FM synthesis and how it worked when it comes to Yamaha's FM chips beyond the YM2612.
Since 2016 was the time when I was starting to make chiptune music, and I was learning about soundchips, I decided to try making Genesis music when I got hold of DefleMask in August 2016. Some of my first ventures of making Genesis music was covering Axel F, Barrel Volcano from Super Mario RPG, and the Temple stage from Super Smash Bros. Melee. I even remade one of my pre-chiptune songs from 2015 on the Genesis. These early Genesis songs I made used patches made or ripped by other users or from VGM files since I had no knowledge in FM synthesis. Late 2017 was when I decided to experiment with FM synthesis. My original song Moonlight Mountains was one of my first Genesis songs to use custom FM patches rather than those ripped from VGM files or by other users. After seeing a tutorial sometime in 2018, I eventually understood FM synthesis and how it worked when it comes to Yamaha's FM chips beyond the YM2612.
Current Stuff
Current Stuff
And here we are, in the present day. Over the years since discovering Time Trax for the Genesis, I would discover more amazing soundtracks that would pretty much make the Genesis one of my favorite retro consoles. Learning about FM synthesis and making my own patches for covers and original music got me to appreciate the Genesis for what it is and what it can do. Also, as you may have seen from the picture, I got an actual Sega Genesis on May 31, 2019. While I can't record from this console due to its motherboard revision, it was the best thing I ever purchased, good for just playing games or looking at demos off of the real thing. I'm glad I changed my thoughts on the Sega Genesis (or MegaDrive if you live somewhere outside the USA).
And here we are, in the present day. Over the years since discovering Time Trax for the Genesis, I would discover more amazing soundtracks that would pretty much make the Genesis one of my favorite retro consoles. Learning about FM synthesis and making my own patches for covers and original music got me to appreciate the Genesis for what it is and what it can do. Also, as you may have seen from the picture, I got an actual Sega Genesis on May 31, 2019. While I can't record from this console due to its motherboard revision, it was the best thing I ever purchased, good for just playing games or looking at demos off of the real thing. I'm glad I changed my thoughts on the Sega Genesis (or MegaDrive if you live somewhere outside the USA).
Thanks for reading this article! I wonder, what's your history with the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive?
Thanks for reading this article! I wonder, what's your history with the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive?
And for those who want a "too long, didn't read" version:
I hated the Sega Genesis back in 2014, but now it's one of my favorite retro consoles.
How a GameBoy Color sparked my interest in making chiptune music in the present day.
A section where I show you some songs I have made.
Abandoned album project.
A project where I completely revisit my old original songs made between July 2017 and August 2018.
A small page regarding the albums I decommissioned from my Bandcamp+a link to the archive of said albums
My history on the Chiptune Café Discord server from 2017 to 2020. I also talk about songs from an album I released in December 2020.
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