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Does Anyone Else Find the Sega Genesis' Sound Annoying? (feddit.nl)

submitted 1 week ago by yarr to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world

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I've been revisiting some classic games lately, and while I love the Sega Genesis library, I can't help but find its sound chip a bit grating. There's something about the harsh, metallic tones and often scratchy quality that makes it hard to enjoy games at full volume. I know it has its fans, but compared to systems like the SNES or even some older consoles, it just seems unnecessarily rough.

Am I alone in this? Does anyone else struggle with the Genesis' audio, or is this part of its charm for you?

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[–] misk@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Genesis/MD sound is definitely crunchy but there were multiple different audio chips of varying quality used in various Genesis/MD revisions. I usually play retro games on FPGA so I can only offer general advice but a modern emulator should allow you to mix and match those. You might want to experiment and see if you like some combination better. It won’t ever be like SNES though as it uses a very different approach to audio.

[–] yarr 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I have tried various low-pass filters, but I think the buttery smooth audio of the SNES has spoiled me. It's a shame because the Genesis library has a lot of really impressive stuff.

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I didn’t mean audio filters but you’re probably using Kega, right? Might want to check Genesis Plus GX core in Retroarch. See the docs here: https://docs.libretro.com/library/genesis_plus_gx/

By an off chance it’s also possible that something weird is happening to sampling rate, like your digital output only works at 48khz while Genesis outputs 44khz. Makes it sound horrible for sure. Happened to me on some occasions on Mac with a modern USB-C display recently (but like in general and not emulators).

Mega Drive/Genesis FM[genesis_plus_gx_ym2612]

Select method used to emulate the FM synthesizer (main sound generator) of the Mega Drive/Genesis. 'MAME' options are fast, and run full speed on most systems. 'Nuked' options are cycle accurate, very high quality, and have substantial CPU requirements. The 'YM2612' chip is used by the original Model 1 Mega Drive/Genesis. The 'YM3438' is used in later Mega Drive/Genesis revisions.

MAME (YM2612) [mame (ym2612)] - Selects MAME (YM2612) [original Model 1 Mega Drive/Genesis] as FM synthesizer method which is fast and fullspeed.
MAME (ASIC YM3438) [mame (asic ym3438)] - Selects MAME (ASIC YM3438) [later Mega Drive/Genesis revisions] as FM synthesizer method which is fast and fullspeed.
MAME (Enhanced YM3438) [mame (enhanced ym3438)] - Selects MAME (Enhanced YM3438) [later Mega Drive/Genesis revisions] as FM synthesizer method which is fast and fullspeed.
Nuked (YM2612) [nuked (ym2612)] - Selects Nuked (YM2612) [original Model 1 Mega Drive/Genesis] as FM synthesizer method which is high quality but has high CPU requirements.
Nuked (YM3438) [nuked (ym3438)] - Selects Nuked (YM3438) [later Mega Drive/Genesis revisions] FM synthesizer method which is fast but has high CPU requirements.

[–] yarr 3 points 1 week ago

Thanks for the tip on the sample rate! I did not think to try that. I will try the GX core tonight and make sure the sample rate is set accordingly. Maybe it will finally change my mind about the Genesis' audio!