fun fact, in Sega 3D Classics Collection on the 3DS, if you go to the extras menu and tap on the empty space on the bottom left, you unlock the master system version of Fantasy Zone, and this version has an exclusive FM soundtrack!
Episodes like this make modern Game Sack such an excellent show from a preservational, archival and informational point of view. The fact that all these games are being catalogued using high quality footage on real hardware makes them basically invaluable as a source
Love anything about videogame sound. It truly fascinates me to this day. I wish you'd do more episodes like this, talking about different arcade boards for example. One I'm especially crazy about is the Namco system2, that sound tickles my brain like nothing else. Have a great day and thank YOU for making Game Sack.
If there isn’t a video on the topic already, I would love a break down on the Super Nintendo sound chip versus the Game Boy Advance non existing sound chip. The GBA, according to a lot of resources, states that it is more powerful than the SNES, but what held it bad was having to allocate some of the CPU power for sound.
@@ynotwalk7391 that’s because the Master System outside of a few games kinda sucked due to a lack of variety but that’s more to do with Nintendo’s evil monopolistic practices which mean the Master System never stood a chance.
At the time, with few exceptions, only Japanese developers knew how to create good FM sound. This problem persisted into the Genesis era. Which is why GEMS (ugh) existed. There are a few games that show what the Genesis FM sound can do though...see the Sunsoft Batman game.
Joe I’m glad you made this video for two reasons. First the Master System is awesome and deserves more coverage. Second is this is basically an A-B comparison video that would normally be dull, but you have the ability to make it both informative and entertaining. Such a shame games did not use the PSG for sound effects and percussion and the FM for music, although I believe the Japanese BIOS did his with Space Harrier theme. It would’ve been much closer to the Mega Drive and just plain awesome.
As far as I know it's just not possible hardware wise - you can just have one or the other. I assume the JP Master System removed this constraint but no one was making games for just that.
I'm so glad I found gamesack, I first seen Joe on AVGN when he wished all deck enhancers would explode and I liked Joe's the best and went to his channel and been watching it ever since.
I have a soft spot for PSG sound on SMS because it’s what I grew up with. FM sounds inauthentic to me if that makes sense, although I admit it sounds better on some games. Great episode!
This episode was superb in many cases: The topic was interesting, especially for someone like me, who is sound lover in general. The FM sound had some good moments in a few games, but often felt to "clean" and generic, if this explanation makes sense. A little off topic, but I appreciate the fact that you announced upcoming flickering in games. I am not affected by it, but these small details are what I really like in your productions. As a big fan of your comedic parts at the end of your vids, I've been positively surprised that you tried out something new, with reading some comments/questions. To put my words in a nutshell: this episode was a really feel good episode and would like to see more of this. 👍🤘
I really miss the days when consoles had unique hardware. The different sound hardware gave these systems so much more personality. Great video as always, Gamesack never dissapoints on delivering quality fart sounds!
I've never been a huge fan of the PSG's Tootsie toy sound... it sounds like the ice cream man is coming up the street when I hear most PSG audio even for games that I know I like the actual composition of the music, so... the FM audio on Master System/Mark III games is such a life saver.
It is amazing how much a sound chip can affect the impact of a game. The FM sound makes a lot of these games feel like PC Engine releases. Great stuff, Joe! Thanks!
@@FallicIdol its heyday was before me, but my older sisters had a master system. It was good because tectoy officially licensed the master system, and it was assembled here. The NES wasn't, only clones came around with different names, so it was kinda weird all the games magazines talking about games for the NES, even though people didn't have an NES, and didn't necessarily know their clone was an NES.
I first learned of the Master System's FM capability on an early Game Sack so this is like full circle. Also the end bit is a nice change of pace as long as it's intermittent.
You are doing the lort's work Joe. Compiling all of this game footage between the PSG and FM sound and editing it must have been a lot of work! I am happy there is finally a resource for this being documented outside of just a list on Wikipedia. Thank you!
awesome episode...really cool to know how many games can play FM Soud. But I gotta say...all these years playing listening to PSG SOUND made me like it a lot...even Moore than the FM musics...
Even if these videos don’t get as many views as your other ones, I hope you never stop doing videos like this. To me these are so interesting and I love hearing the different sounds.
I’ve never had any personal experience with the Master System, so I appreciate this content all the more. The shift between PSG and FM can be quite striking. I always learn a few things when I watch these episodes, and I’m always grateful for them. Thank you.
Firstly, this was a very interesting concept for a video. Secondly, while your skits are a core part of this channel, the Q&A session was also very entertaining.
Those games brings back the memories. Compile could put out some great tunes in PSG. Too bag Sega did not put full support behind FM sound. Pretty crazy that some developers made a complete soundtrack in PSG an then another complete sound track in FM. I feel it was a missed opportunity to not give the Power Base Converter the ability to play SMS FM sound on the Genesis. Also a little sad FM sound was cut from the Game Gear. Loved the question and answer at the end but I also loved the skits. Would not mind alternating from one to the other just to mix it up. I just appreciate your work. Thanks you.
I would agree except that you'd miss out on all the subtitle possibilities, or like Die Hard you could mix it up. Game Sack 2: Game Sacker, Game Sack with a Vengeance, Live Free or Game Sack, etc...
Another amazing video and a one stop place to hear all the comparisons so thanks for the hard work as always Joe! I always thought the idea of a hidden soundtrack within games that have been dormant and waiting to be heard here in the US was so amazing and incredible that I generally like to play with the FM version as I feel it sounds "cleaner" in most instances but the fact that you can choose between PSG and FM is just a fantastic option. Keep up the good work as always man!
Yeah, much more expressive and realistic than, say, Resident Evil or those laughable characters in Final Fantasy 15, or Mortal Kombat 11, those games are for babies and totally unrealistic facial expressions. Hella
Yayyyy! A brand new game sack episode! There's something just soooo relaxing about this channel. Even though the only sega console I've ever owned is the Dreamcast (twice!) I still appreciate any new game sack.
It's a shame the Mark III FM Unit couldn't do both FM + PSG simultaneously like the JP Master System could, as the combination of the 2 elevates the possibilities so much, and definitely brings it closer to the MegaDrive. The MSX is a good example of what could've been with this setup as many games on that platform supported YM2413 + AY sound.
Dude! I was just about to tell everyone about your work where you combined the two but then saw this comment and realized it was you! I find those mixes you did absolutely freegin amazing!
Excellent! A new game sack. I didn't expect one today as it had pasted the regular time slot. FM on the Master System can sound great but in some cases the PSG can be better. I'm fortunate to own a Japanese Master System however I do miss the PSG in some games as that's what I grew up with back in 1987/88.
its episode 404, and you did not make a video about glitches/errors what a shame lol, but great videos as always, love when youtubers talk about retro sound hardware
Man, seeing developers get mileage out of the YM2413 ( or OPLL ) Is always something. The chip's probably one of the more restrictive ones since you get 16 patches ( only one is customizable. ), some preset drums in drums mode, and that's it.
It's restrictive but it makes it a lot more approachable for newbies to learn how to use it and then start getting creative trying to get around it's limitations :)
15 channels not sounds, the sounds are pre defined in ROM but you can only make user defined FM sounds on one channel. But you can use any of the predefined FM sound in ROM on any of the other 15 channels.
@@atomicskull6405 actually op is correct with the 15 sounds since there are 15 presets + 1 user preset (at a time anyway since you can have as many user presets as you want :-P). You get 9 channels in standard mode but only 6 if you have drums enabled (which consist of 5 separate channels for each drum component)
I’ve been loving these episodes centered on specific technical features. It would be super useful to see an episode on early surround sound implementations in retro games - very few people have talked about it on UA-cam!
Aww joe. Never stop uploading your sack whilst im in my sheets - watching you. Id miss it terribly. Anyway. Master system games with FM I love sega and miss my collection dearly...buuuttt as a sega fanboy; it gutted me i didnt even know about the fm sound till way after my collection went. That PSG Noise maker was a bit horrible, even back then.
I’m super excited for this episode. I owned a Master System and never knew about the FM model until much later in life. I thought it was rom hacks until someone explained it to me in YT comments. Probably lacked the hardware but it would have been cool if they added FM in the Game Gear
Yeah sorry. I noticed an error in the video at the last minute that I had to fix, re-export, then reupload with my ghetto Comcast/Xfinity internet. Then UA-cam had to take forever to process it only to stall at 99%, then reject the next reupload at 85%. It finally worked on the 3rd reupload, but as I type this 4K hasn't processed yet. Oh well, it will.
@@jpb7875 Google Fiber is supposed to be here with a pretty decent price like that, asynchronous 1GB (or more) and no BS. Google Fiber customers seem to love it so that's good.
Normally I don't care much for extended audio samples when I'm watching retro gaming youtube, but when I know what it is picking the video off the pile, I love them.
Audio is an essential part of a video game. Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, Ace Combat wouldn’t be the same without their incredible soundtrack. Thanks for making these videos!
So many people seem to really enjoy FM music. I've always much preferred PSG. I find PSG to have a charm that FM doesn't have.I even felt this way on PC and struggled back in the day to find samples I could load on my sound card that I didn't hate listening to.
Joe, U keep KILLING IT! it is like u r making the hsow just for me. I have the Mega SD flash cart supporting Fm sound, so this is important info I need to know which games to playw it the FM! Awesoamne work!
HOLY CRAP! I thought that Ys for the Master System only contained the first game, I had no idea that it had both Ys I & II, like the CD version! 😅 Game Sack, you just blew my mind. I might just have to play the SMS version again and give it it's due. Man, I had no idea why I thought it was just the first game. I guess the title threw me off, and I figured there wasn't enough room or something for both games on one cart. Very mistaken, obviously.
Nice video, Joe! Hoshi wo Sagashite has a pretty good fan translation (where the title was changed to Story of Mio) and it's a fairly decent adventure game with the involvement of Rieko Kodama of Phantasy Star fame. The game actually even has a reference to Phantasy Star!
The unfortunate reason most of the FM music sounds the way it does is because out of the 9 FM channels composers had available on the YM2413 chip, only one of them could be a custom 2OP FM patch that you could alter to your liking, while all the other ones are default presets that are typical instruments like snare drums or others. However, you could theoretically play an entire song with the one 2OP custom patch channel by constantly swapping between different patches on the fly. Mahbod's Tunes has made some incredibly sick YM2413 beats with patch swapping.
I've always loved game music and I'm huge into synthesis, so keep 'em coming! I'll always stick around 'til the end sketch even if it doesn't quite materialize.
Sound is just as important as looks in a video game to me. I play with a high powered receiver big Sony subwoofer and Bose speakers all around. Cranked up i really get into video games. Thanks for the video Joe
Very good work on this episode; an excellent reference guide for all of the FM enabled games, as well as the ones that need to be patched to work properly. I've noticed that the FM music on these games are commonly (but not always) done in an octave lower than the PSG versions. Doesn't make them better or worse; it's all a matter of preference; I like the option to have them both depending on my mood. The FM platform adds a lot to an existing strong OST like Ys though. On a side note Hoshi Wo Sagashite (Searching for the Stars) is translated as The Story of Mio and is said to take place in the Algo Star System of Phantasy Star fame, though the games are not really directly related.
Really liked the questions at the end. Don't get me wrong - the sketches are always something I look forward to, but as a "substitute" every once in a while - yeah, sure!
Haha the Dynamite Dux part caught me by surprise! Love that game to death....
I hope you guys can colab some time!
Sega Lord X absolutely hates Dynamite Dux
When is a colab coming? Inquiring minds want to know 😁
Dynamite Dux Dux Dux.
Best game in the universe, much better than Tears of the Kingdom and Final Fantasy (insert large number here)
fun fact, in Sega 3D Classics Collection on the 3DS, if you go to the extras menu and tap on the empty space on the bottom left, you unlock the master system version of Fantasy Zone, and this version has an exclusive FM soundtrack!
3 Game Sack episodes in 3 consecutive weeks, say less, can't express how badly I needed some Sack in my life right now, ive had a bad week
Don't be sad. Everything will be fine. Sending virtual hug :)
Same...
Legend channel
And this made things better for you?
i need some sack too i like to empty different sacks ^_^
Episodes like this make modern Game Sack such an excellent show from a preservational, archival and informational point of view. The fact that all these games are being catalogued using high quality footage on real hardware makes them basically invaluable as a source
Love anything about videogame sound. It truly fascinates me to this day. I wish you'd do more episodes like this, talking about different arcade boards for example. One I'm especially crazy about is the Namco system2, that sound tickles my brain like nothing else. Have a great day and thank YOU for making Game Sack.
If there isn’t a video on the topic already, I would love a break down on the Super Nintendo sound chip versus the Game Boy Advance non existing sound chip.
The GBA, according to a lot of resources, states that it is more powerful than the SNES, but what held it bad was having to allocate some of the CPU power for sound.
The Castlevania trilogy demonstrates the graphics vs audio trade offs brilliantly...to the detriment of the first two games.
I’d love for Game Sack to do an episode with “Good sounding “Genesis Games” we already have “The Worst sounding Genesis Games” this is long overdue.
@@Adamtendo_player_1 Devilish is a must. Too many people aren't even aware it exists, much less how great it sounds and who composed it all.
What is this madness? Another gamesack episode? Thanks Joe, don’t overwork yourself!
us OG fans remember the weekly episodes
@@SevenCompleted True! I remember the "shock" episode, where Joe & Dave announced going biweekly instead.
15:49 Didn't think Stadler could get it inside this episode, but Game Sack is pretty strong at crunch time.
I love these technical episodes, complete with some debunking of "people say this has it, but it don't"
people seem to crap on sms a lot, but i dunno it has a good number of top tier 8-bit games
@@ynotwalk7391 I actually just started Phantasy Star and it's really fun, in spite of the initial difficulty.
@@subtledemisefox try to imagine what is was like in the 80s. seemed like the best graphics ever, plus a massive quest
@@ynotwalk7391 that’s because the Master System outside of a few games kinda sucked due to a lack of variety but that’s more to do with Nintendo’s evil monopolistic practices which mean the Master System never stood a chance.
no
Omitting the FM sound hardware worldwide was such a bad decision.
Yeah such a shame. Although in some cases i prefer the PSG sounds (Monsterboy 3 just sounds soulless in FM)
Sega being the cheap fucks they always were.
Megadrive / Genesis v2.0 and later had crap audio hardware just to cut costs too.
it really adds polish to the overall library, more premium
With the option to revert to PSG as desired
At the time, with few exceptions, only Japanese developers knew how to create good FM sound. This problem persisted into the Genesis era. Which is why GEMS (ugh) existed. There are a few games that show what the Genesis FM sound can do though...see the Sunsoft Batman game.
That’s why the master system sounds sucks in the west with a few exceptions.
Joe I’m glad you made this video for two reasons. First the Master System is awesome and deserves more coverage. Second is this is basically an A-B comparison video that would normally be dull, but you have the ability to make it both informative and entertaining.
Such a shame games did not use the PSG for sound effects and percussion and the FM for music, although I believe the Japanese BIOS did his with Space Harrier theme. It would’ve been much closer to the Mega Drive and just plain awesome.
As far as I know it's just not possible hardware wise - you can just have one or the other. I assume the JP Master System removed this constraint but no one was making games for just that.
@@dudinacas35:00
I'm so glad I found gamesack, I first seen Joe on AVGN when he wished all deck enhancers would explode and I liked Joe's the best and went to his channel and been watching it ever since.
Oh man modern AVGN is so bad. James doesn't even play the games. At least you found a channel of someone who actually cares about gaming.
Nothin’ like a fresh Sack to get the week started. Thanks for your hard work, Joe!
Had a horrible Saturday, seeing game sack on my notifications made my night! So pumped!
Me too. Awful day
I have a soft spot for PSG sound on SMS because it’s what I grew up with. FM sounds inauthentic to me if that makes sense, although I admit it sounds better on some games. Great episode!
I'm with you. I prefer the PSG for Phantasy Star, for example.
This episode was superb in many cases:
The topic was interesting, especially for someone like me, who is sound lover in general. The FM sound had some good moments in a few games, but often felt to "clean" and generic, if this explanation makes sense.
A little off topic, but I appreciate the fact that you announced upcoming flickering in games. I am not affected by it, but these small details are what I really like in your productions.
As a big fan of your comedic parts at the end of your vids, I've been positively surprised that you tried out something new, with reading some comments/questions.
To put my words in a nutshell: this episode was a really feel good episode and would like to see more of this. 👍🤘
I really miss the days when consoles had unique hardware. The different sound hardware gave these systems so much more personality.
Great video as always, Gamesack never dissapoints on delivering quality fart sounds!
I've never been a huge fan of the PSG's Tootsie toy sound... it sounds like the ice cream man is coming up the street when I hear most PSG audio even for games that I know I like the actual composition of the music, so... the FM audio on Master System/Mark III games is such a life saver.
LOL that ice cream man part gave me a good laugh
That’s the best way to describe PSG sound. Especially Master System PSG sound is grating on the ears most of the time with its shrill tones.
@@GameSack You can have that one for free for a future Game sack episode, Joe.
I love the psg sound but you're spot on with that analogy 😂
@@USandwich64 Master System PGG sounds are grating on the ears with a few exceptions.
It is amazing how much a sound chip can affect the impact of a game. The FM sound makes a lot of these games feel like PC Engine releases. Great stuff, Joe! Thanks!
Keep 'em coming Joe. Huge fan.
As a Brazilian, any time he said "This wasn't released in America or Japan" I thought "Oh God, how did TecToy eff it up?"
Were you around when the Master System was prevalent? Id love to hear what it was like as a consumer
@@FallicIdol its heyday was before me, but my older sisters had a master system. It was good because tectoy officially licensed the master system, and it was assembled here. The NES wasn't, only clones came around with different names, so it was kinda weird all the games magazines talking about games for the NES, even though people didn't have an NES, and didn't necessarily know their clone was an NES.
Game Sack is my Sunday morning ritual, new episode or not.
Always appreciate the content Joe.
Joe, I love how you're using the sketch/animation for your intros now. I feel like you've *achieved (Game Sack Intro Final Form)*
I first learned of the Master System's FM capability on an early Game Sack so this is like full circle.
Also the end bit is a nice change of pace as long as it's intermittent.
You are doing the lort's work Joe. Compiling all of this game footage between the PSG and FM sound and editing it must have been a lot of work! I am happy there is finally a resource for this being documented outside of just a list on Wikipedia. Thank you!
Who is "the lort" ?
Is that a JoJo character?
Richard Scarrey?
Dr. Seuss?
Maybe you mean "the Lorax" ?
I just came from Yuzo Koshiro's official UA-cam channel to this. Quite fitting, really.
Yuzo Koshiro had an official UA-cam channel?
The FM version of that R Type hidden stage is such a classic.
the graphics in that stage slay the nes
@@ynotwalk7391 r-type was never released on the nes though
@@poble
i just mean in general, the colors esp
Another awesome episode!!! Thank you for all your hard work! These episodes are all fantastic!
Now this is a video I've been needing for a while. Trying to do my own research and find All these examples on my own was a real headache a while back
I'm still a relatively new viewer, but these are becoming a real treat for me each Sunday morning when I get home from work. Good stuff
That ending segment was great. Loved the video Joe!
There’s still room in my Saturday night for some Game Sack
awesome episode...really cool to know how many games can play FM Soud. But I gotta say...all these years playing listening to PSG SOUND made me like it a lot...even Moore than the FM musics...
Even if these videos don’t get as many views as your other ones, I hope you never stop doing videos like this. To me these are so interesting and I love hearing the different sounds.
Thank you for in depth coverage of sound in games. The switch in sound quality from 8 to 16 bit era was such a leap forward.
I must admit to being a big fan of these technical videos and the expertise behind them. Excellent all around- well done as always Joe.
This was a great episode, I know what amount of work that went into producing this, so just wanted to say it is very much appreciated.
I’ve never had any personal experience with the Master System, so I appreciate this content all the more. The shift between PSG and FM can be quite striking.
I always learn a few things when I watch these episodes, and I’m always grateful for them. Thank you.
Firstly, this was a very interesting concept for a video. Secondly, while your skits are a core part of this channel, the Q&A session was also very entertaining.
Those games brings back the memories. Compile could put out some great tunes in PSG. Too bag Sega did not put full support behind FM sound. Pretty crazy that some developers made a complete soundtrack in PSG an then another complete sound track in FM. I feel it was a missed opportunity to not give the Power Base Converter the ability to play SMS FM sound on the Genesis. Also a little sad FM sound was cut from the Game Gear. Loved the question and answer at the end but I also loved the skits. Would not mind alternating from one to the other just to mix it up. I just appreciate your work. Thanks you.
This might be my favorite episode of late. It’s insane how much difference the sound can make in perception of how powerful a system is.
Thank god. I need to unwind with this so badly. Thanx Joe!
Don't thank god. Thank the sack.
Wow loved this one too. What a great vid, it's so cool to actually know now in an emulator which sound to choose for games that have it. Thanks Joe!
Watched the whole episode with high quality head phones on and it was a blast, thanks a lot for the episode Joe
Game Sack doesn’t need a sequel, there's nothing that needs improvement.
I would agree except that you'd miss out on all the subtitle possibilities, or like Die Hard you could mix it up. Game Sack 2: Game Sacker, Game Sack with a Vengeance, Live Free or Game Sack, etc...
Love you mane, technical episodes are dope btw . The Q&A was hilarious 😂 . Can't wait for next episode ✌️
Another amazing video and a one stop place to hear all the comparisons so thanks for the hard work as always Joe! I always thought the idea of a hidden soundtrack within games that have been dormant and waiting to be heard here in the US was so amazing and incredible that I generally like to play with the FM version as I feel it sounds "cleaner" in most instances but the fact that you can choose between PSG and FM is just a fantastic option. Keep up the good work as always man!
Thank you for the fantastic videos as always Joe I loved the little ending skit.
Those planets from Galactic Protector are some of the most expressive things I've seen in a video game. They look traumatised.
Yeah, much more expressive and realistic than, say, Resident Evil or those laughable characters in Final Fantasy 15, or Mortal Kombat 11, those games are for babies and totally unrealistic facial expressions. Hella
Enjoyed the ep and the questions at the end! Should definitely do again sometime. Thanks for your hard work!
After all these years you're still cranking out original ideas. Well done!
Yayyyy! A brand new game sack episode! There's something just soooo relaxing about this channel. Even though the only sega console I've ever owned is the Dreamcast (twice!) I still appreciate any new game sack.
7:30 Joe, my FAVORITE THING is video game music. This kind of thing is absolutely my jam and this is an awesome episode. Keep 'em coming, please!
never thought I would watch an entire video about this topic, but glad I did
Thanks for posting, aesthetically challenged game review man. I've showed ValleyBell your video, made him happy.
Well thanks for calling me ugly.
@@GameSack You're welcome. Just keeping my bro humble.
@@GameSack can’t aesthetics be ugly?
What a great episode to watch with quality headphones, loving these long form videos as well!
It's a shame the Mark III FM Unit couldn't do both FM + PSG simultaneously like the JP Master System could, as the combination of the 2 elevates the possibilities so much, and definitely brings it closer to the MegaDrive. The MSX is a good example of what could've been with this setup as many games on that platform supported YM2413 + AY sound.
Yeah, many games have very weak effects in FM mode.
Dude! I was just about to tell everyone about your work where you combined the two but then saw this comment and realized it was you! I find those mixes you did absolutely freegin amazing!
@@f.k.b.16 there was no way I was gonna miss this episode hehe ;)
Louis I love your channel
@@dab7465 :))
Another great episode, so fascinating!
This could not be a more perfect video for me right now. I am obsessed currently with listening to midis on my old computer with OPL3 FM
27:03 "This game is pretty easy to beat, as long as you don't die".
Who'd've thunk it?
Weekly Game Sack! And Master System content to boot.
Praise Sega for this legend Sunday.
This was an awesome episode! Music has always been an integral part of gaming for me, so I really enjoyed this!
Excellent! A new game sack. I didn't expect one today as it had pasted the regular time slot.
FM on the Master System can sound great but in some cases the PSG can be better. I'm fortunate to own a Japanese Master System however I do miss the PSG in some games as that's what I grew up with back in 1987/88.
I was not aware of the PSG/ FM differences, and I would not have expected them to be night and day so often. Great episode, thank you! ^^
its episode 404, and you did not make a video about glitches/errors what a shame lol, but great videos as always, love when youtubers talk about retro sound hardware
Man, seeing developers get mileage out of the YM2413 ( or OPLL ) Is always something. The chip's probably one of the more restrictive ones since you get 16 patches ( only one is customizable. ), some preset drums in drums mode, and that's it.
It's restrictive but it makes it a lot more approachable for newbies to learn how to use it and then start getting creative trying to get around it's limitations :)
15 channels not sounds, the sounds are pre defined in ROM but you can only make user defined FM sounds on one channel. But you can use any of the predefined FM sound in ROM on any of the other 15 channels.
@@atomicskull6405 actually op is correct with the 15 sounds since there are 15 presets + 1 user preset (at a time anyway since you can have as many user presets as you want :-P). You get 9 channels in standard mode but only 6 if you have drums enabled (which consist of 5 separate channels for each drum component)
I’ve been loving these episodes centered on specific technical features. It would be super useful to see an episode on early surround sound implementations in retro games - very few people have talked about it on UA-cam!
This is a video I didn't know I needed, and I love it. Great work sir!
Aww joe. Never stop uploading your sack whilst im in my sheets - watching you.
Id miss it terribly.
Anyway. Master system games with FM
I love sega and miss my collection dearly...buuuttt as a sega fanboy; it gutted me i didnt even know about the fm sound till way after my collection went. That PSG Noise maker was a bit horrible, even back then.
I’m super excited for this episode. I owned a Master System and never knew about the FM model until much later in life. I thought it was rom hacks until someone explained it to me in YT comments. Probably lacked the hardware but it would have been cool if they added FM in the Game Gear
Same, I used to own it and realized 20 years later we were all missing out outside of Japan 🤕
I care about sound as well and I'm loving this episode. Also, nice shirt! I love Zaxxon on the ColecoVision. 💙
Hell yeah!! This episode was fucking awesome!! I really needed this today, thank you Joe.
Really love the audio focused videos. Not really an area I am interested in so it's nice to get a crash course here and there.
Keep doing what you love Joe. Keeping it fresh.
Love the episode. And love my Modded MasterSystem. My favorite game FM sound game is R-Type.
Posting kinda late, Joe, you had me worried.
Yeah sorry. I noticed an error in the video at the last minute that I had to fix, re-export, then reupload with my ghetto Comcast/Xfinity internet. Then UA-cam had to take forever to process it only to stall at 99%, then reject the next reupload at 85%. It finally worked on the 3rd reupload, but as I type this 4K hasn't processed yet. Oh well, it will.
@@GameSackI blame the sun trying to stop game sack with the northern lights
The Reddifer forgiven as im sure he has uploaded 3 weeks in a row now!@@GameSack
@@GameSack Move to Tennessee and get 1gb synchronous with AT&FT. $90 a month no promotional bullsack. Oh yeah, thanks for the new Sega video.
@@jpb7875 Google Fiber is supposed to be here with a pretty decent price like that, asynchronous 1GB (or more) and no BS. Google Fiber customers seem to love it so that's good.
Loved this episode! Got a few games that I didn’t know about that seem my cup of tea. Do more Q&A ending skits!
Normally I don't care much for extended audio samples when I'm watching retro gaming youtube, but when I know what it is picking the video off the pile, I love them.
Great episode. Been a game music junkie since I got my master system in 1987, so this really hit home. Love the end skit.
Audio is an essential part of a video game. Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, Ace Combat wouldn’t be the same without their incredible soundtrack. Thanks for making these videos!
Great Episode! The Master System is still one of my favorite systems.
Thanks for saving me from boredom, Joe!
Awesome episode, love the viewer questions at the end :)
20:08 Oh my god I love how it looks like you're just piledriving the survivors from atop a multi story building when you rescue them
So many people seem to really enjoy FM music. I've always much preferred PSG. I find PSG to have a charm that FM doesn't have.I even felt this way on PC and struggled back in the day to find samples I could load on my sound card that I didn't hate listening to.
Joe, U keep KILLING IT! it is like u r making the hsow just for me. I have the Mega SD flash cart supporting Fm sound, so this is important info I need to know which games to playw it the FM! Awesoamne work!
HOLY CRAP!
I thought that Ys for the Master System only contained the first game, I had no idea that it had both Ys I & II, like the CD version! 😅 Game Sack, you just blew my mind.
I might just have to play the SMS version again and give it it's due. Man, I had no idea why I thought it was just the first game. I guess the title threw me off, and I figured there wasn't enough room or something for both games on one cart. Very mistaken, obviously.
That’s me at 46:16! Super cool to see a random reply I left in March pop up to haunt me months later!
I use a drum machine that has FM synth capabilities so I really appreciate this episode Joe! Have a fantastic day! ✌️😎
Love sound stuff, and the ending fun Q&A totally could become a series from time to time if you consider so.
the best part of a sunday is a gamesack video !
Nice video, Joe! Hoshi wo Sagashite has a pretty good fan translation (where the title was changed to Story of Mio) and it's a fairly decent adventure game with the involvement of Rieko Kodama of Phantasy Star fame. The game actually even has a reference to Phantasy Star!
The unfortunate reason most of the FM music sounds the way it does is because out of the 9 FM channels composers had available on the YM2413 chip, only one of them could be a custom 2OP FM patch that you could alter to your liking, while all the other ones are default presets that are typical instruments like snare drums or others.
However, you could theoretically play an entire song with the one 2OP custom patch channel by constantly swapping between different patches on the fly. Mahbod's Tunes has made some incredibly sick YM2413 beats with patch swapping.
That explains why most ot this FM soundtracks sound repetitive. They were reusing the same instruments over and over.
The limited instrument set gives it a bit of an identity though.
I guess you can say its the Master Systems version of GEMs.
@@genxveteran No because Yamaha actually did a good job programming the built in FM sounds. They're limited but not terrible sounding.
Didn't grow up with anything Sega so love seeing these in depth tech videos about their consoles
I've always loved game music and I'm huge into synthesis, so keep 'em coming! I'll always stick around 'til the end sketch even if it doesn't quite materialize.
A master system video is always a reason to leave a like and enjoy
Sound is just as important as looks in a video game to me. I play with a high powered receiver big Sony subwoofer and Bose speakers all around. Cranked up i really get into video games. Thanks for the video Joe
love your clean recordings of the 3D games!
Right! I haven't figured it out yet. Feel like sharing Joe?
Very good work on this episode; an excellent reference guide for all of the FM enabled games, as well as the ones that need to be patched to work properly. I've noticed that the FM music on these games are commonly (but not always) done in an octave lower than the PSG versions. Doesn't make them better or worse; it's all a matter of preference; I like the option to have them both depending on my mood. The FM platform adds a lot to an existing strong OST like Ys though. On a side note Hoshi Wo Sagashite (Searching for the Stars) is translated as The Story of Mio and is said to take place in the Algo Star System of Phantasy Star fame, though the games are not really directly related.
They're also usually in a different key signature (albeit not always) meaning if you try and combine the two versions it sounds very out of tune
Really liked the questions at the end. Don't get me wrong - the sketches are always something I look forward to, but as a "substitute" every once in a while - yeah, sure!
Those square waves are so nostalgic, I can't help but love them, but the FM music holds up so well, today!