Different sound chip in CoreGrafx?

[Dicer]

So this was asked over at NEOGAF and it's the first I've head of it...

Core Grafx has a different sound chip right? I remember hearing that it causes issuses with sound effects in a small number of games, so they switched back to the chip from the OG PCE in the Core Grafx II

Is there truth to this and if so anyone have some links to information?

[NecroPhile]

The CG and SGX do use a different revision of the sound chip, but I don't know about it causing issues with games, explaining why they changed back to the original design.

[TDIRunner]

I had heard that the revised sound chip was to correct sound issues from the original PCE.  But if that's true, I'm not sure why they would have switched back on the Core Grafx II.

[CrackTiger]

The original PCE sound chip has a bug which causes an error or makes a bad sound when playing samples above a particular quality. The CoreGrafx and SuperGrafx have the bug fixed and are capable of better quality samples. Unfortunately, they didn't carry over the bug fix to the Duo hardware. :/

Tom made a demo that takes advantage of the bug-free hardware:

► /6280a/sgx_dump.wav

So, if you're looking for the hardware with the best potential sound, the CoreGrafx 1 and SuperGrafx are the way to go.

[Mednafen]

"Best potential sound" for what, homebrew?  The HuC6280A takes the punch out of some of Air Zonk's sound effects, and there's at least one game whose name I can't recall off-hand where the music is a clicky mess with the HuC6280A.

Edit: "Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman" is the game with the clicking problems on HuC6280A.  Though reconsidering after testing a number of games, it's likely there are many more games that sound subjectively "better" on the HuC6280A than sound worse.

[CrackTiger]

"Best potential sound" for what, homebrew?  The HuC6280A takes the punch out of some of Air Zonk's sound effects, and there's at least one game whose name I can't recall off-hand where the music is a clicky mess with the HuC6280A.

So the lesson is, only use a SuperGrafx for SuperGrafx games and keep a dedicated PC Engine setup that is either a white PCE or CGXII CD combo or a Duo system to play PC Engine games?

[Mednafen]

So the lesson is, only use a SuperGrafx for SuperGrafx games and keep a dedicated PC Engine setup that is either a white PCE or CGXII CD combo or a Duo system to play PC Engine games?

That sounds...sound. :p
It really comes down to taste, and if you want to play the games as the designers' intended...but it's possible that later PCE games were developed with a HuC6280A, so...I don't know, it's good to have options and know that games will sound subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly different at least.

[CrackTiger]

Well, at least the PC Engine is very consistent compared to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive revisions.

I'm looking forward to Tom releasing roms of some of his 6280A sound projects.

[Ergot_Cholera]

I have a Core Grafx I & II and both of them use the Huc6280. Its possible that someone swapped the case of the CGII at some point but I only ever recall seeing HuC6280A in a super Grafx and a PAL Turbo Grafx.

[Vimtoman]

It's also in the LT.

[TurboXray]

The "popping" of the original 6280 on large volume changes is annoying, but I think most developers avoided worse case scenarios. Besides, it's one of those things where if you can't or don't notice - you're better off. Because once you do notice it, you'll probably never "unhear" it.

 There's a trick where someone took a snes sound module and converted it to play the samples on the NES with n163 chip to play samples as short waveform chunks at same related frequencies - updated over a slower envelope time. That would also probably sound better on the 6280a than the original. But again, homebrew stuffs.

[thesteve]

i wasnt aware of the sound difference
the versions are interchangeable on the boards

[Joe Redifer]

So what does the TurboGrafx-16 have? The super awesome sound chip which sounds amazing or the crappy one which isn't even worth listening to and embarrassing to own? The Turbo came around about when the CoreGrafx and SuperGrafx did... hence the name.

[NecroPhile]

Which version does the three LA PACs have?  Presumably they're all the same and just branded differently, but who knows.

[CrackTiger]

It sounds like we can't trust that all Turbo/PCE systems were made using one or the other. Since they made so many TG-16 units at once, I would be surprised if both versions made it into the overall batch.

[TurboXray]

Well, the 6280a has only been documented as being in the first Core Grafx and the SGX (which came out around the same time). Never had reports of it being in the Duo, CGII, Duo-R/RX or the TG16 and original white PCE. No idea about the handhelds or the "shuttle".

[thesteve]

well i have a TurboExpress open with a 6280A in it