I like how this theme completely sticks to a single sample w/ it reflecting one playing a “piano/string” combo patch on a keyboard…! Oh, & that “…Channel 6” really left out of this 1.!.!
For some reason, this song makes me want to tear up sometimes… The Ricoh RF5C164 really is one beautiful sound chip, huh? But one question remains.. Why not use all 8 channels??🤔
The SMPS-PCM sound driver used in the BIOS and in some Mega CD games reserved one channel specifically for playing SFX, since overriding channels as is done for FM and PSG channels on the Mega Drive side is not practical due to how the driver and the RF5C164 work. The driver updates tracks by copying sample data from program RAM (512 KB RAM where Mega CD sub CPU executes all program code) to the RF5C164’s waveram (64 KB of RAM from which the chip plays all sample data). Since the waveram cannot necessarily hold a given sample in its entirety, the driver has to keep trackof how much of the sample has been copied and how much room is left in the waveram bank. Overriding a music track with SFX means that we wouldn’t be able to copy the sample to waveram, and without that, there is no way to know where the sample or track should be when the override ends.
@@LukeBNSF Ahh, so you can hard-code a specific channel for playing sound effects due to the RFC5164’s disability to override channels? that’s actually a really clever feature! It also explains why so many Mega CD games mostly use the 2612/3438 and PSG for SFX instead of the PCM. A million thank yous’ for the explanation!😎👍
If I ever get into the clone console business and produce DVD add-one for Dreamcast. I’d like its bios music to have a similar vibe to this: Some monumental triumph of technological development and a great miracle of the machine age. With all the R&D that went into the original Mega-CD in 1991, it needed a reason to hype you up and showcase the incredible breakthrough that is the CD-rom. To get you the feeling of art magically bringing to life what’s seemingly physically impossible through technological progress and engineering. Though now that I think about it, nice bios music should really be reserved on something more modern, like something that can run in 8k with no slowdown, screen tearing or god-aweful loading.
You know what? I actually prefer the RF5C164 over the SPC-700. There’s something about the lower quality “reverbless” PCM that feels more ‘natural & raw’ compared to the SPC, which focuses more on being high quality at a cost. The RF5C164 feels oddly more peaceful in my opinion… as if it’s just trying to be itself, which it is! Hey, don’t get me wrong here! I was always a “YM2612 + Sega PSG” person, but that doesn’t mean I’ve never gave the SPC-700 a chance! Oh no, that thing is pure 🔥 when used right!👍
Because the RF5C164 outputs samples as compressed 8 bit PCM compared to the SPC outputting them as compressed 4 bit ADPCM (ADPCM is a more compressed format of PCM) with a Gaussian filter applied over them which makes them sound more muffled. It means the former technically has higher quality samples with higher frequences that can be heard, it's just that the distortion and noise from the compression is more noticeable, but I'd argue it's still better than the SPC 700 since when all channels are mixed together, you won't notice the distortion too much among the other sounds/instruments.
@@Turbulation1 OOOOOH! I was always a believer that the SPC outputted higher quality samples than the RF because I’ve always read that it’s bit rate was 16, and it’s sample rate is slightly higher. However, you are indeed right. The form of ADPCM you’re talking about is called “Bit Rate Reduction” (BRR), which does compress the bit rate from 16 to 4 if I could remember well, but I never knew about the Gaussian filter until now, which is the reason why the SNES’s DSPs sound so smooth. To sum it up, you just taught me that the SPC-700 relies on a filter to sound the way it does. It’s pretty satisfying to know that the RF5C164 really IS just being itself. This still doesn’t mean I don’t like the SPC though. (By the way, thanks for the info.👍)
either the rest of the song can be heard very faintly or my brain's filling in the blanks
That's because you heard so much that your brain is used to it
The piano and strings never get old
Wonder why they went with FM in the US...
I think Eur/JP BIOS is an amazing showcase of what the Mega/Sega-CD can do.
the Sega CD BIOS uses both FM and PCM.
@@BurnedNoodle I guess that could be the subject for another video, I always thought the US BIOS revisions only used the stock genesis FM chip.
How long I have been waiting for this deconstruction😊🎉
This is good music for an S-tier soundtrack
I like how this theme completely sticks to a single sample w/ it reflecting one playing a “piano/string” combo patch on a keyboard…!
Oh, & that “…Channel 6” really left out of this 1.!.!
Oh my lord! I’ve been looking for this one for a while and could never find it. Thank you so much. 😁
I'm a fan of the NA version of the bios theme, but this one is also good!
The piano was in mega cd 💿 in United Kingdom and Japan😮
One of my fav songs in the bios besides the NA one. Seriously, this is fitting for the aesthetics itself.
3:21 i can still hear the other part please help
Me too
seems to be a recurring phenomenon happened to me too
i havent even heard this that much
x2
Seeing the Sega CD's hardware capabilities and the Ricoh soundchip makes me really think that F-Zero would have worked on the Sega CD.
For some reason, this song makes me want to tear up sometimes…
The Ricoh RF5C164 really is one beautiful sound chip, huh? But one question remains..
Why not use all 8 channels??🤔
The SMPS-PCM sound driver used in the BIOS and in some Mega CD games reserved one channel specifically for playing SFX, since overriding channels as is done for FM and PSG channels on the Mega Drive side is not practical due to how the driver and the RF5C164 work. The driver updates tracks by copying sample data from program RAM (512 KB RAM where Mega CD sub CPU executes all program code) to the RF5C164’s waveram (64 KB of RAM from which the chip plays all sample data). Since the waveram cannot necessarily hold a given sample in its entirety, the driver has to keep trackof how much of the sample has been copied and how much room is left in the waveram bank. Overriding a music track with SFX means that we wouldn’t be able to copy the sample to waveram, and without that, there is no way to know where the sample or track should be when the override ends.
@@LukeBNSF Ahh, so you can hard-code a specific channel for playing sound effects due to the RFC5164’s disability to override channels? that’s actually a really clever feature! It also explains why so many Mega CD games mostly use the 2612/3438 and PSG for SFX instead of the PCM. A million thank yous’ for the explanation!😎👍
If I ever get into the clone console business and produce DVD add-one for Dreamcast. I’d like its bios music to have a similar vibe to this: Some monumental triumph of technological development and a great miracle of the machine age. With all the R&D that went into the original Mega-CD in 1991, it needed a reason to hype you up and showcase the incredible breakthrough that is the CD-rom. To get you the feeling of art magically bringing to life what’s seemingly physically impossible through technological progress and engineering.
Though now that I think about it, nice bios music should really be reserved on something more modern, like something that can run in 8k with no slowdown, screen tearing or god-aweful loading.
This brings back so much nostalgia.
Piano! 🎹
5:00 EVERYBODY NOW
You’re always early to a deconstruction video lol
Yeep
FINALLY YOU DID IT
nostalgia
The bass is as basic as it gets, 4 notes and that's it, repeat them a bunch of times
You know what? I actually prefer the RF5C164 over the SPC-700. There’s something about the lower quality “reverbless” PCM that feels more ‘natural & raw’ compared to the SPC, which focuses more on being high quality at a cost. The RF5C164 feels oddly more peaceful in my opinion… as if it’s just trying to be itself, which it is!
Hey, don’t get me wrong here! I was always a “YM2612 + Sega PSG” person, but that doesn’t mean I’ve never gave the SPC-700 a chance! Oh no, that thing is pure 🔥 when used right!👍
Because the RF5C164 outputs samples as compressed 8 bit PCM compared to the SPC outputting them as compressed 4 bit ADPCM (ADPCM is a more compressed format of PCM) with a Gaussian filter applied over them which makes them sound more muffled.
It means the former technically has higher quality samples with higher frequences that can be heard, it's just that the distortion and noise from the compression is more noticeable, but I'd argue it's still better than the SPC 700 since when all channels are mixed together, you won't notice the distortion too much among the other sounds/instruments.
@@Turbulation1 OOOOOH! I was always a believer that the SPC outputted higher quality samples than the RF because I’ve always read that it’s bit rate was 16, and it’s sample rate is slightly higher. However, you are indeed right. The form of ADPCM you’re talking about is called “Bit Rate Reduction” (BRR), which does compress the bit rate from 16 to 4 if I could remember well, but I never knew about the Gaussian filter until now, which is the reason why the SNES’s DSPs sound so smooth.
To sum it up, you just taught me that the SPC-700 relies on a filter to sound the way it does. It’s pretty satisfying to know that the RF5C164 really IS just being itself. This still doesn’t mean I don’t like the SPC though.
(By the way, thanks for the info.👍)
@@CapeBeagle You're very welcome.
Oh man I want to see the USA one
They already did both versions
@@ChristerMr6414 so they have, thanks
Beautiful
Sounds like Channel 0 lost to a game, so now it's pissed
1:40 Sounds like a old engine
the way channel 1, 2, and 3 moves is so weird :0
Love ur channel, do you know any websites where I can do what you're doing
Sounds like a movie ending with 1 2 and 3
You ever gonna do the Sega master system mark 3 startup music?
How did you manage to rip this?
You think you could do another one of earthworm Jim?
Is it bad I enjoy the US Bios soundtrack more?
🥹💕
Y£$