n00b questions about OpenMPT and the Sega Genesis sound chips

[djcouchycouch]

Hi there, n00b here.

Short version: is it possible to configure OpenMPT to sound like the Genesis YM2612 FM and SN76489 PSG sound chips?

Long version:

I'm working on a homebrew game for Sega Genesis, called Goplanes.

A few videos here, to give you an idea of its current progress:
Goplanes Dev Video 014: http://youtu.be/5kYjLdKqWHo
Goplanes Dev Video 015: http://youtu.be/tjb5SRYFVUA
Goplanes Dev Video 016: http://youtu.be/9zuKr1L7BFc

I'm currently working on figuring out what I'm going to do for sounds and music. For playback on the Genesis, I'm using the Echo sound library (https://github.com/sikthehedgehog/Echo). It's format conversion tools use the .xm format and the authors recommended using OpenMPT for music composition. So that's what I'm using.

I don't know a lot about OpenMPT and slowly getting familiar with it. One issue I'm having is that the OpenMPT instruments and the Genesis instruments don't sound anything alike, so I have to compose in OpenMPT, convert to Echo formats, and then run my game to see how it really sounds. For playback on Genesis hardware, a second set of instruments is used, taken from Shiru's TFM Music Maker (http://shiru.untergrund.net/files/tfmmaker152.zip).

It's a multi-step process that can be prone to user errors for a clumsy human like me. Not being very familiar with OpenMPT and trackers in general, I don't know if it's possible to make it sound like the Genesis sound hardware. If it were possible, then I'd just compose and play in OpenMPT without having to repeatedly test how it sounds, saving me a fair amount of time.

Does anybody have any ideas if this is possible and how it could be done?

Thanks!
DJCC

[psishock]

seems to me you're waaay overcomplicating this. The Genesis's native music format is VGM, and with Shiru's TFM Music Maker you can export all your composed stuff to that format directly. Also you have all the required sounds fully set on that tracker already. Why dont just just simply use TFM alone, instead of involving the Echo sound library. OpenMPT, xm converters and whatnot?

[LPChip]

There are a few ways to normally do this, but since you'll be converting your song at a later stage, VSTi's are ruled out.

So what you want to do is sample the sounds you want first, then use them in your song. You can sample from VSTi's though.

Basically you make a song, load in a VSTi (I know there's one that emulates this particular chip), tweak a sound that you want, and place one note in the pattern, at the end where the note should stop, you place a pattern break (IT, MPTM) its effect C00. Now, export your song to wav, and you have your sample. Repeat this until you have all the sounds, then load them in a new module and you can start composing.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: hmm, yeah... if what psishock suggests is still possible at your stage (sometimes you're limited by other people's choices) you should definitely go for that.

[Saga Musix]

<coda> use VOPM instead of samples (there are TFM/OPM instrument conversion tools), or fuck that library and use VGM Music Maker, which is a genesis tracker

[djcouchycouch]

Thanks for your answers, guys.