Visualizing Super Mario Bros. 2's music engine

Channel:

Xkeeper

Subscribers:

1,570

Published on March 13, 2018 9:23:31 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaxT70-oIqY

Game:

Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988)

Duration: 5:13

1,212 views

54

Here's a video with a script I wrote that visualizes some of how SMB2's music engine works.

The offset at the top left is the current music pointer; the information below that is Square 1, 2, Triangle, and Noise. DPCM isn't on here yet, because I kinda forgot about it and it's like 2 in the morning.

Each channel has its own offset after the main music pointer, and it looks like channels can choose to "loop" that segment. Square 1 seems to be the master control, choosing when to move onto the next segment.

Some of these overlap, but this script isn't sophisticated enough to show that yet.

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