GEMS
From Sega Retro
GEMS |
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System(s): Mega Drive, Sega 32X |
Developer: Recreational Brainware |
GEMS (Genesis Editor for Music and Sound effects) is a Sega Mega Drive sound driver developed by Recreational Brainware. Commissioned by Sega of America to assist Western developers struggling with the unfamiliar sound hardware, it went on to see use in nearly 200 released games.
Contents
History
Early Sega Genesis hardware documentation was limited in all areas, but especially in audio capabilities. Unlike Japanese composers, who were more familiar with writing sound drivers and working with FM synthesis, their Western counterparts struggled to produce quality sounds. Seeking to address this, Sega of America reached out to developer Recreational Brainware to produce a solution.
The team consisted of Jonathan Miller creating drivers and firmware, Burt Sloane programming, and Chris Grigg and Mark Miller providing the software’s overall design. The result was GEMS, a 16-bit sound driver with a focus on MIDI interactivity. Sega of America was very pleased with GEMS and went on to distribute it to their various developers and publishers. Western composers and musicians now had a more familiar and reliable method for translating their instruments to the Sega Genesis hardware.
While GEMS is a very capable driver in the proper hands, it has also grown to absorb much of the ire modern fans have for the “twangy” sounds of certain Western-produced Sega Mega Drive games. As the driver was both widely distributed to developers of all quality, and largely used by developers unfamiliar with the hardware, much of the system’s shovelware library shares a distinct (and poorly received) sound.
Usage
By setting aside a shared memory space that allows the driver and game to directly communicate, music can be dynamically adjusted to match gameplay and easily integrated with the game’s programming. For example, pitch or tempo can be automatically adjusted per the amount of onscreen enemies or remaining health. Unfortunatel, while most sound drivers control playback speed with a single and easy-to-manipulate variable, GEMS requires the alteration of the entire track as stored in ROM to achieve the same effect.
Games that use GEMS
Mega Drive
Query: SELECT `cargo__releases`.`name` AS `name`,`cargo__releases`.`date` AS `date` FROM `cargo__sound` LEFT OUTER JOIN `cargo__releases` ON ((`cargo__sound`.`_pageName`=`cargo__releases`.`_pageName`)) WHERE `cargo__sound`.`driver` LIKE '%GEMS%' and `cargo__releases`.`console`="MD" GROUP BY `cargo__releases`.`_pageName` ORDER BY `cargo__releases`.`_pageName` LIMIT 1000 Function: CargoSQLQuery::run Error: 1021 Disk full (/tmp/#sql-temptable-15e6a-cf214c-ca.MAI); waiting for someone to free some space... (errno: 28 "No space left on device") (localhost)
- Akira (unreleased)
- Astropede (unreleased)
- Baby Boom (unreleased)
- Baby's Day Out (unreleased)
- Beethoven's 2nd: The Quest for Pups (unreleased)
- Beyond Zero Tolerance (unreleased)
- Chameleon (unreleased)
- DJ Demo Reel (unreleased)
- DynoBlaze (unreleased)
- GEMS Module Test Program (unreleased)
- Jelly Boy (unreleased)
- Lobo (unreleased)
- Monster Hunter (unreleased)
- Nuclear Rush (unreleased)
- Payne Stewart Pro Golf (unreleased)
- Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame (unreleased)
- Putty Squad (unreleased)
- R.B.I. Baseball '95 (unreleased)
- Relentless (unreleased)
- Scrabble (unreleased)
- Ship (unreleased)
- Stone Protectors (unreleased)
- Super Star Wars (unreleased)
- The Head (unreleased)
- Untitled Xaropinho game (unreleased)
- WildSnake (unreleased)
32X
Query: SELECT `cargo__releases`.`name` AS `name`,`cargo__releases`.`date` AS `date` FROM `cargo__sound` LEFT OUTER JOIN `cargo__releases` ON ((`cargo__sound`.`_pageName`=`cargo__releases`.`_pageName`)) WHERE `cargo__sound`.`driver` LIKE '%GEMS%' and `cargo__releases`.`console`="32X" GROUP BY `cargo__releases`.`_pageName` ORDER BY `cargo__releases`.`_pageName` LIMIT 1000 Function: CargoSQLQuery::run Error: 1021 Disk full (/tmp/#sql-temptable-15e6a-cf214c-d0.MAI); waiting for someone to free some space... (errno: 28 "No space left on device") (localhost)
- Beyond Zero Tolerance (unreleased)
- Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings (unreleased)
- Spot Goes to Hollywood (unreleased)
Development kit
On September 24, 2007, drx released the official GEMS development kit.
Download GEMS Development Kit
File: GEMS.zip (324 kB) (info)
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