Power Base Mini And Mini FM Converters for Genesis/Mega Drive

[Takumaji]

The Power Base Mini and Mini FM Converters by Rondo Products let you play Master System games on your Genesis/Mega Drive. Mini FM also adds FM sound for games that support it, like R-Type, Rastan, Double Dragon, etc. (see full list here).

The first version of the Japanese Master System came with an extra Yamaha YM2413 soundchip already built in which provides 9 additional channels of FM voices while it was left out of all American and European models that only had the standard 4-channel PSG chip.

I ordered a Mini FM from Castlemania Games for $69.99 ($49.99 for the Mini) for my model-1 Mega Drive but it also works with other official Genny console versions except for Genesis 3 and Nomad which need to be modded first to accept SMS carts. The cart is small enough to fit in both US/EU and JPN slot types. You can disable FM by holding down the pause button on the cart while a game boots.

The converters do not support Sega Card games or lightgun/3D equipment.

Considering the current going prices for original Sega PowerBase converters for model-1 and 2 consoles of $100 or more, 70 bucks seems like a good deal to me and you also get FM sound which really adds a lot to the games. Here is a video with a comparison of standard PSG and FM sound:

There are multiple ways to add FM sound to your SMS games, most of which require original Master System/Mark-II/-III consoles and modifications with custom-built hardware add-ons while others are meant to work on Genny/MD. FM-modding a model-1 Master System is relatively straight-forward as the console comes with an internal connector for it but things are way more complicated on Master System 2, it's a mod job that I would not recommend to a soldering n00b. If you don't happen to own an Everdrive X7 and up or original hardware with FM support but still want to play your original SMS carts on Genny with FM music and fx, I think the Mini FM converter is one of the better solutions available.

 

[roker]

You can also do all this with the Mega EverDrive X7 and Pro, unless you want to use original carts/cards.

 

[Takumaji]

You can also do all this with the Mega EverDrive X7 and Pro, unless you want to use original carts/cards.

I'm referring to the X7 in the last paragraph, great piece of kit but I was looking for a FM solution that lets me play my original carts.

If there's one small gripe I have with the Mini FM, it would be its cart size and placement of the pause button. The original Sega PowerBase converter is a huge beast that firmly sits on the console, pushing the pause button in a hurry is no problem while a hard push on the pause button of the Mini FM which is mounted on the front/label side of the cart may lead to a crash or freeze if the slot of your Genny/MD is not tight enough. So far I had no probs, been holding the cart with my right hand while pushing the pause button with the thumb to avoid waggling, hope it stays that way.

 

[roker]

I'm referring to the X7 in the last paragraph, great piece of kit but I was looking for a FM sollution that lets me play my original carts.

word.

I skimmed your post.

I've been messing around with some Game Gear conversions. Some are good some are bad, but worth messing with:

Game Gear to Master System - Hacks - SMS Power!

 

[Takumaji]

Nice, thanks for the link, gonna check them out.

 

[madmanjock]

I truly was blown away when I tried Phantasy Star FM sound on SMS, it makes a day and night difference.

 

[yagamikun]

I ordered the FM Mini in October of 2021 and it FINALLY came in last week. But yeah, playing SMS games in FM is a game changer. I don't have any nostalgia with the console, but I do with the GG. Even then, games like Sonic 1 are even better with the FM synth. Shame not all games utilize the FM, but the games that do really benefit.

I've been playing my SMS library on my Mega SG for the FM sound over the last few years, but wanted the Mini to use on my Mega Drive so I could play on my PVM. While it took over a year to get here, definitely worth it. Nice to finally play these games on a warm CRT.

 

[Takumaji]

I ordered the FM Mini in October of 2021 and it FINALLY came in last week. But yeah, playing SMS games in FM is a game changer. I don't have any nostalgia with the console, but I do with the GG. Even then, games like Sonic 1 are even better with the FM synth. Shame not all games utilize the FM, but the games that do really benefit.

I've been playing my SMS library on my Mega SG for the FM sound over the last few years, but wanted the Mini to use on my Mega Drive so I could play on my PVM. While it took over a year to get here, definitely worth it. Nice to finally play these games on a warm CRT.

Yeah, FM makes a huge difference. The standard PSG sound is not bad per se but very thin, drums (based on white noise) are there but have no punch. Not so with FM, here you get proper arcade-style sound with a nice bottom end and punchy percussion. Good stuff.

Sega should have added FM to Euro and US consoles as well or at least they could have provided a connector on the console and sell a FM module later on like they did in Japan with the FM Sound Unit for the Mark III console.

That said, I do have a soft spot for some of the PSG music and sound fx, it's a nice take on the scratchy and wild multi-channel chip sound of the early days, takes me back to the early 80s when I battled with coaxing something not too horrible out of the Speccy 128's AY chip or later on the SID, even though the latter was on a totally different level than the SMS and Speccy chips.

 

[zaneiken]

My only gripe with the Master System's FM audio is that sound effects are also FM - and they sound awful. Compare that to Konami Famicom games with expansion audio.

 

[Takumaji]

My only gripe with the Master System's FM audio is that sound effects are also FM - and they sound awful. Compare that to Konami Famicom games with expansion audio.

You're right, some FM-based sound effects aren't as good as the PSG versions. Thankfully, not all games with FM support also have FM fx, some like R-Type or Wonderboy in Monsterland have FM scores but still keep most of the PSG fx intact.

The FM chip of the Master System has a few peculiarities which makes efficient fx programming difficult, it lacks the finesse of other Yamaha chips like the YM2151 which was used in many arcade boards of the time (1984 and onwards) or the YM2164 found in various FM synthesizers and soundcards. However, the YM2413 was considerably cheaper and still powerful enough for a home system so Sega opted for it as a cost-effective solution for adding FM capabilities to the console.

 

[Neo Alec]

A limitation of the YM2413 they went with is that it can't change instruments. (It's actually a budget version of the YM3812.) The games all sound the same, and I personally tire of it quickly. So although the FM was probably perceived to be an upgrade back in the day, to my ears today I generally prefer the PSG sound, probably mostly due to nostalgia. I will admit that certain games like Phantasy Star are a decent upgrade overall.

We used to play SMS with FM sound using a Mark III (with the FM expansion module) and a converter. I have the X7 as well now.

The MSX FM expansion cartridge uses the same chip. Aleste sounds more or less identical on both platforms while using FM.

 

[Takumaji]

A limitation of the YM2413 they went with is that it can't change instruments. (It's actually a budget version of the YM3812.) The games all sound the same, and I personally tire of it quickly. So although the FM was probably perceived to be an upgrade back in the day, to my ears today I generally prefer the PSG sound, probably mostly due to nostalgia. I will admit that certain games like Phantasy Star are a decent upgrade overall.

We used to play SMS with FM sound using a Mark III (with the FM expansion module) and a converter. I have the X7 as well now.

The MSX FM expansion cartridge uses the same chip. Aleste sounds more or less identical on both platforms while using FM.

Yeah, the YM2413 has some 15 or so melodic and percussive presets which can be loaded into registers while it only has a single register for a custom patch. It's one of those cheap FM chips which require a deep understanding of composition and arrangement if you want to get somewhere, just take OutRun or Fantasy Zone II for example. The FM versions of their respective themes push the gameplay forward in my opinion because they have way more body and oomph than the thinner PSG version. That's mostly due to clever arrangement and some coding tricks which even added a crude form of echo and delay.

It's a pity that regions outside of Japan did not get FM, I would have loved to hear what some gifted 80s Westerm chip composers could have come up with. I'm thinking of Ben Daglish, Rob Hubbard, Chris Hülsbeck, Martin Galway, Jeroen Tel, etc.