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https://www.smspower.org/Music/BattleSquadron-Homebrew

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While trying to figure out Furnace, I made a couple of cover versions.
One of them is this PSG cover of the title/intro theme from Battle
Squadron, specifically of the edited version Rob Hubbard created for the
Mega Drive port of the game. I preserved a couple of effects from Ron
Klaren's original, though, so the end result is a mix of both versions.

This is one of a couple of PSG covers I did while trying to figure out
Furnace. It's the Game Over / Highscore tune from Battle Squadron. I
tried to stay as close to Ron Klaren's Amiga original as possible, or at
least as close as the PSG allows for.

Kagesan, original by Ron Klaren - Battle Squadron Title Theme.mp3 (4.8 MB)

Kagesan, original by Ron Klaren - Battle Squadron Game Over Theme.mp3 (6.41 MB)

Wow! I love how the Game Over theme really shows how the PSG can bring out its sombre side! This's absolutely lovely.

Great, love these themes!

It's amazing what can be achieved with ability, time, and, above all, love.

Great tunes, I'm listening to them.
But I mainly wanted to mention that I found very nice the small twinkling stars (sprites) bound to each channel's volume. Lovely touch!

Man, this Game Over Theme hits hard! Kagesan, it seems you can do anything on the Sega 8-bit wonder, be it great graphics, nice music or good gameplay... You're the Master System Michelangelo.

Game Over. Top music.

Wow... It's great!
If I understand correctly, these are adaptations of Amiga musical themes?
It looks great on the PSG chip!
I don't know this tracker (Furnace). Does it remove conflicts between the PSG 3 channel and the PSG 4 (noise) channel ?
Because on Deflemask these two channels interact with each other... I have a hard time mastering them.
In any case, you did a great job. I don't know the original songs, and I'm going to listen to them right now, but they sound really good on PSG !

Thank you, all.

Atmostfear wrote

If I understand correctly, these are adaptations of Amiga musical themes?

Yes, although the title theme is actually an adaptation of an adaptation, because unlike the Game Over theme it’s not based on the Amiga original directly but rather on the Mega Drive version of the track. In comparison it’s missing the original's intro, a second solo and some transitions. I liked how these edits made the track feel tighter, so I felt that this version would translate better to the PSG.

The game's soundtrack actually consists of four tracks. There’s also an ingame tune and an ending theme. I’ve converted them both to PSG, too, and will release them when the competition is over.

Atmostfear wrote

I don't know this tracker (Furnace). Does it remove conflicts between the PSG 3 channel and the PSG 4 (noise) channel ?
Because on Deflemask these two channels interact with each other... I have a hard time mastering them.

Furnace is actually very similar to Deflemask. If you know the latter, you’ll feel right at home.

The interaction between the PSG's tone channel and noise channel is built right into the chip. You can either use them independently, but then you can use only three predefined frequencies for the noise, or you can 'sacrifice' the tone channel to make it drive the noise channel's frequency. If you choose that and also put the noise channel into the so-called pink noise mode, it will play the desired frequency four octaves lower than stated. Great for lower bass which the PSG is normally lacking, although the result sounds rather rough and buzzy, so it doesn’t really fit every composition. I didn’t use it in the Game Over theme for this very reason.

In Furnace, there are certain effects commands that control the mode of the noise channel. Unintuitively, Furnace wants you to leave the third tone channel empty and input all the notes onto the noise channel, but you get used to it.

Kagesan wrote

The interaction between the PSG's tone channel and noise channel is built right into the chip. You can either use them independently, but then you can use only three predefined frequencies for the noise, or you can 'sacrifice' the tone channel to make it drive the noise channel's frequency. If you choose that and also put the noise channel into the so-called pink noise mode, it will play the desired frequency four octaves lower than stated. Great for lower bass which the PSG is normally lacking, although the result sounds rather rough and buzzy, so it doesn’t really fit every composition. I didn’t use it in the Game Over theme for this very reason.

In Furnace, there are certain effects commands that control the mode of the noise channel. Unintuitively, Furnace wants you to leave the third tone channel empty and input all the notes onto the noise channel, but you get used to it.

Hmm... that's all very interesting. I have already tinkered with its features but without really understanding them.
Thank you very much for these explanations, I'm going to go back and study the Deflemask manual and experiment with all that!
Many thanks Kagesan!

Everybody is showing love for the Game Over theme (sure, it is great), but my favorite here is the Title Screen theme. Great job witht the bass and drums, specially the kick drum sound! The two low tom notes at the end of the drum fills in the B section also sound awesome.

Kagesan wrote

[...] If you choose that and also put the noise channel into the so-called pink noise mode, it will play the desired frequency four octaves lower than stated.

Pink noise is a kind of noise, that 'other' PSG mode is a 12.5% duty cycle wave.

sverx wrote

Pink noise is a kind of noise, that 'other' PSG mode is a 12.5% duty cycle wave.

6.25%, actually (12.5 is one of the NES's duty cycles).

chirinea wrote

6.25%, actually (12.5 is one of the NES's duty cycles).

Right, it's 1/16th. My mistake :)

Great job! I used to play BS on the Amiga then got it on Mega Drive, always loved the game over music too, a hidden gem!

sverx wrote

Pink noise is a kind of noise, that 'other' PSG mode is a 12.5% duty cycle wave.

You’re right, of course. I got it confused with periodic noise, which I have seen this mode being called frequently, even though it’s not technically accurate either I think (?).

Hey kagesan... Very gremlin graphics like music!!! Always loves hubbard and daglish work!!!! Feel as polished as all your entries always are!!!

... I hear the songs... And cannot stop thinking in a remake using your pigarus engine!!!!!!

eruiz00 wrote

... I hear the songs... And cannot stop thinking in a remake using your pigarus engine!!!!!!

Shush! I’m totally not working on something like that, I swear.

Joking aside, I must admit the thought did cross my mind, but in the end the game would have to be simplified significantly, so it would only superficially resemble the original. I'd rather develop something new and original that plays to the Master System's strengths than attempt a conversion that can only lose when compared to a better version.

Sweet!!!

I'd really love to learn more about instrumental sounds on the PSG - I wonder if it would be possible to share the .fur files too to give us a glimpse into the process? Unfortunately Furnace doesn't yet have a VGM import feature.

Kagesan wrote

I got it confused with periodic noise, which I have seen this mode being called frequently, even though it’s not technically accurate either I think (?).

I also read periodic noise a few times, I think it came from the fact that it's the noise channel (the fourth in the chip) set in 'periodic' mode - so it likely became periodic noise which doesn't make any sense but... <shrug>

The TI manual calls it periodic noise, even though technically that means something else. It’s just a 1/16 (or 1/15 in the original chip) duty cycle made by using a trivial feedback setup on the noise generator.

Hi Kagesan - did I read correctly this is your first-ever entry in the Music compo? This title screen tune is awesome - very addictive - tons of cool SFX, echos, vibratos, dive bombs etc. - I think a new SMS homebrew game could be built around this track - any input on design + GFX :)

Hybris, Battle Squadron, so many memories on the amiga... I close my eyes and go back in time...

Great, love these musics

Bravo

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