"}Something a little different for y\u2019all instead of my usual mashup goof.
I think it\u2019s interesting how the chorus effect in \u201cOutride A Crisis\u201d from Super Hang-On\n is achieved. Most enthusiasts are familiar with how multiple sound \nchannels can be used to simulate reverb or delay, but essentially any \ntime-based effect is possible, given enough channels and fine enough control.
If you don\u2019t\n know what chorus is, it duplicates a signal many times with slight variations in pitch and timing, creating a thicker and richer sound. \nUsed in a certain way, it is an identifiably \u201c80\u2032s\u201d type sound, as it \nwas very popular with guitarists at the time.
In \u201cOutride A \nCrisis\u201d, Mr. Hayashi uses a total of five channels (six during the \nguitar solo) playing the same three notes roughly in unison (with slight variations in pitch and timing) to create a chorus effect that simply \nwould not be practically possible with most other chips. And that\u2019s \nprecisely why I find it so interesting: it uses so many of the YM2151\u2032s \nsound channels that I think achieving only a single effect on a single \ninstrument\n\n would be seen as a \u201cwaste\u201d by many composers. But Mr. Hayashi, \napparently, thought it was very important to have a chorused guitar in \nhis song.
I think this is an illustrative example of how making something special while working with limited resources is not always a matter of how far you can stretch your \u201cbudget\u201d (in other words, not how full or complex an arrangement you can create), but rather how creatively you can use the materials.
Thanks to Sonic of 8! for the VGM.