Would it be possible to convert (or transfer?) the song 'Step On Beat' from the Genesis/Mega-Drive version of OutRun to play on the Arcade version of OutRun?
I'm keeping this question simple and straightforward and not getting into the lines of code in the game programs, etc.
Mod/Admin: Feel free to move this if it's better suited to Emuchat or Programming.
The stupidest question is the one you don't ask -Right?
> Would it be possible to convert (or transfer?) the song 'Step On Beat' from the > Genesis/Mega-Drive version of OutRun to play on the Arcade version of OutRun?
It's *possible*, but it would be very difficult and wouldn't sound the same once it was converted. You're better off muting MAME and playing the .VGM in Audio Overload or whatever
> Would it be possible to convert (or transfer?) the song 'Step On Beat' from the > Genesis/Mega-Drive version of OutRun to play on the Arcade version of OutRun?
Question 1: what part of the game code (in hex?) corresponds to (what we can compare it with since this is the source) the music track of 'Splash Wave'?
Genesis/Mega-Drive version
Uses the Yamaha YM2612 sound chip
I don't have access to the info regarding the Genesis version of OutRun. Searches bring up rom links or I'm not searching hard enough
Need to find where Sound Data is located, what part of the hex code correlates to the music track of 'Splash Wave'.
Research how this compares to the data from the Arcade version.
If possible - use the code from the Genesis version that relates to the music track 'Step-On Beat' and see if it can't be added to the arcade version's code or replace the lines of code of another song (if memory/space limitation would be an issue).
At the moment I know this is beyond the scope of my abilities, but I'm sure I could do something if I persist. *sigh*
Notes to Self
eta: Things to consider: if it's wrote in another programming language, or would that even matter?
eta2: Different Programming Language? Probably not. I recall from my days of dabbling with the cheat engine in MAME that some of the cheats for Super Hang-On could be ported over to the Genesis version. So I'm assuming there must be a fair amount of things that are similar in both versions of the game.
> I haven't tried it myself, but cannonball supports any wav file you want to throw in > there.
I'm kinda aware of that (from reading that blog/site)... But that would just be cheating.
What my intended goal here is -if you take the synthesizer/sound chip that the Genesis uses - with input from the game which tells it to play (this) it sounds a certain way. If the data that tells the arcade synthesizer/sound chip what to play sounds another way (e.g. "better") is it not possible to send the arcade synthesizer/sound chip the data for the Step-On Beat music and get a better sounding rendition of 'Step-On Beat'?
Again, that is my intention. And as I've said before - I'm sure it probably isn't that simple. But it would be the same song - just 'arcade'ified. :-/ Something (I'm sure) nobody has ever heard before....
Yet.
I do welcome an explanation as to why I could be wrong -since I suspect I might be. It would be a good lesson.
Also, I'm sure this isn't anything I could do myself. I just want to get the idea out there. Whatever can bring it to light.
> I do welcome an explanation as to why I could be wrong -since I suspect I might be. > It would be a good lesson.
Wasn't there a very similar thread here just recently?
The problem is that the "song" data in a console or arcade game isn't stored as MIDI, or anything portable like that. The instructions are at a much lower level, and you're basically not going to be able to take instructions written for one sound chip, feed them to something else, and get back anything recognizable. It's kind of similar to how code compiled for an x86 processor won't run on ARM (for example) and vice versa.
I'm sure RB will be here shortly to explain it much better than I have.
> I'm sure RB will be here shortly to explain it much better than I have.
You have to call his name three times.
Wound up, can't sleep, can't do anything right, little honey / Oh, since I set my eyes on you. / I tell you the truth. I can't get it right / Get it right / Since I met you...
> > I do welcome an explanation as to why I could be wrong -since I suspect I might be. > > It would be a good lesson. > > Wasn't there a very similar thread here just recently? > > The problem is that the "song" data in a console or arcade game isn't stored as MIDI, > or anything portable like that. The instructions are at a much lower level, and > you're basically not going to be able to take instructions written for one sound > chip, feed them to something else, and get back anything recognizable. It's kind of > similar to how code compiled for an x86 processor won't run on ARM (for example) and > vice versa. > > I'm sure RB will be here shortly to explain it much better than I have.
I don't mean a straight transfer of the data, but converting/translating via comparative processes with known/similar song data from the 2 different versions.
Edit: Surely it or similar has been attempted before so I couldn't have anything meaningful/revolutionary to add here.
> The problem is that the "song" data in a console or arcade game isn't stored as MIDI, > or anything portable like that. The instructions are at a much lower level, and > you're basically not going to be able to take instructions written for one sound > chip, feed them to something else, and get back anything recognizable. It's kind of > similar to how code compiled for an x86 processor won't run on ARM (for example) and > vice versa.
Right. The song data generally starts out as MIDI, but ROM space costing what it did in the 80s and early 90s it's almost always converted into some specific format for the player program and sound hardware in use. You'd have to untangle that, *and* figure out what assumptions were specific to the 2612 "OPN" FM synth and convert them to the 2151 "OPM" synth. Real emulation old-timers will recall that MAME in the 0.2x era and early versions of Genecyst both attempted to translate FM data on the fly from the OPM/OPN chips the game used to the YM3812 OPL chip that was ubiquitous in PC soundcards. They will also recall that the results almost always sounded like someone waterboarding cats.
In this case it's not necessarily so dire because the 2151 is more capable than the 2612, but you're not going to get anything like an exact soundalike out of it.
You do, but it's OK. I get a bee in my bonnet about weird things sometimes, too.
I guess what you're saying is theoretically possible, but it would be a serious amount of work. First, you'd have to find all of the data that represents the song you're looking for, which I'm thinking may be non-trivial in and of itself.
Then, you'd have to basically decode all of the information. At a very simplified level, it would be something like "make this kind of sound, at this pitch and loudness, starting at this time, and lasting for x seconds". Do that for every note or sound in the song.
*Then* you have to figure out how to format the same info for the sound chip on the hardware you're going to. Select an appropriate sound for each voice, and translate all of your information you decoded. Then you'll probably have to make a million tweaks to account for differences between the hardware.
*Then*, assuming you want to hear the song in-game, you'll have to find a way to hack it into the arcade ROM without breaking anything else.
So as a project, sure, I guess it's something you could attempt if you have a lot of free time. If nothing else, you'll learn a lot about how sound hardware from that era works. If all you really want is to hear an "improved" version of that song, you'd be better off finding someone to transcribe it by ear (or trying it yourself, if you're musically inclined). Then you could have a MID file that you could run through any kind of synth you want and tweak to your heart's content.
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'Step On Beat' from the Genesis/MD to arcade version of OutRun?
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