Methods of SNES Songmaking

Listed here are the two methods we'll be deep diving into, C700 VST and SNESMOD, as well as a few other options.

Surprisingly, the Super Nintendo lacks a definitive "gold standard" songmaking tool. In this way, it differs from a lot of popular systems and soundchips of yore – the NES has FamiTracker, the Gameboy has Little Sound Dj, the PC-98 has BambooTracker, and so on. SNES tooling is comparably imperfect, though several options do exist, and many more exist incomplete. This guide aims to face this reality by covering the best options available in fine detail.

C700 VST

A free VST plugin emulating the SNES soundchip through which you can input MIDI data and record playback to .spc (SNES chiptune file) or .smc (SNES ROM). Notably, this means you can create hardware compatible chiptunes right in your DAW of choice!

SNESMOD

A converter tool that takes an 8-channel .it tracker module file and converts it to .spc (SNES chiptune file). Any tracker that can save .it modules will work – the modern standard is OpenMPT.

Additional options to consider

The multi-chip tracker Furnace offers SPC700 as an option with no file export. An incomplete converter tool exists called furSPC. If you're a big Furnace fan this option may appeal to you still. Although Furnace's emulation is pretty accurate overall, it is imperfect, and some of its features (such as its wavetable synth) might not translate properly on real hardware.

If you own a SNES and a MIDI keyboard, Super MIDI Pak both lets you play your system like a synth and can produce .spc files; this of course is a costly option, but a cool one!

If you are only after "authentic SNES sound" to use in a DAW for fuller productions, consider the (paid) VST chipsynth SFC as well, which has accurate and fully-featured SPC700 sound usable like a synth. However, it has no file export, making it outside the purview of this guide.

There are several options utilizing MML, which is essentially programming the music directly in text form. Though perhaps a more esoteric method of writing music, it is powerful and has a lot in common structurally with composing sheet music. Via the compiler tool AddMusicK and the Super Mario World ROM hacking community, MML has a rich history on the SNES. Here are some resources to get involved:

  • To learn more about MML in general, check out pedipanol's MML guide. It does not have information on the Super Nintendo specifically but it very clearly describes the concepts and methodology of MML.
  • To learn about AddMusicK, which is intended to add custom music to a Super Mario World ROM hack, check out this guide.
  • There is a contemporary feature-rich fork of AddMusicK called AddMusicKFF.
  • Another modern, multi-platform development related to AddMusicK is Ramekin, a tool designed to make composing bespoke tunes for SMW ROM hacks much easier.
  • A modern MML-focused sound driver for the SNES that isn't related to ROM hacking is Terrific Audio Driver – this may appeal to those who simply want to make music with full control over all 8 SPC700 channels.