Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

The place for all discussion on gaming hardware
Post Reply
Brad251
Posts: 270
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 8:06 pm

Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

Post by Brad251 »

I want to mod my NES so that it will output stereo audio. I'm not simply talking about using an RCA splitter to duplicate the mono signal into two channels. There is a mod where you can actually tap into the premixed NES audio and split it into two channels. The mod is explained here, http://www.chrismcovell.com/nesstereo.html.

I don't know how to solder and don't have the time to learn how. Does anyone know if there is anywhere I could send my NES to have this mod done for me?
User avatar
Syntax
Posts: 1774
Joined: Wed Aug 09, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Australia

Re: Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

Post by Syntax »

I had a play and its really not worth it imo.

You end up either having to mix the 2 channels back into each other slightly or it sounds really awkward.

Another alternative was run the channel 1 via dual mono left and right speaker and have a third speaker for channel 2 centre.
Brad251
Posts: 270
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 8:06 pm

Re: Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

Post by Brad251 »

NES games sound good using stereo output using an emulator. Is the emulator simply duplicating the mono signal or is it actually splitting up the pre-mixed game audio?
Ikaruga11
Posts: 1454
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2016 1:32 pm

Re: Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

Post by Ikaruga11 »

NES games aren't coded to take advantage of stereo sound, so it'd be pointless.
Brad251
Posts: 270
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 8:06 pm

Re: Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

Post by Brad251 »

It doesn't matter if they are coded for stereo sound. People have done the stereo sound mod and split up the 5 NES audio channels in the way that sounds decent. Whatever NES emulators are doing to the game audio, it sounds better. I want my actual NES to have audio that sounds just as good as an emulator.
gray117
Posts: 1233
Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:19 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

Post by gray117 »

I think the thing that is irking people is the suggestion that this is stereo. It is not. It is primarily a remix/re-balancing of the existing mono audio, and whilst it will allow you to separate/mix certain channels into separate jacks, there is no actual stereo left/right separation in the audio.

The channels described here are more like layers in a single picture i.e. if you wanted 5 sounds at once - say music comprised of 2 channels, shooting, explosion, announcer - (ignoring any other limitations) that's the 5 channels used. To have any more sounds one of the others has to stop/drop out.

Sending one channel to one ear more than another and calling it stereo; is like trying to make a 3d image out of a regular flat photo by looking at it through a pair of red/green goggles - without the prepared RGB offset this does not make the photo 3d - you're just fcking up the flat image: Taking red/green away from one eye over-amping it in another.

Now granted, it's not quite so destructive in audio terms as long as the L/R mix is sympathetic, and the idea of remixing the audio is interesting as an added facility to tinker with and this I think most people would regard as a good utility - but I think most people will also regard any substantial stereo separation as being more destructive than dynamic, and get annoyed if anyone classifies this as 'stereo sound' rather than, perhaps a 'stereo after effect'... as pathetic as it seems in the world of today with 7.1-atmos-and god-knows-what-else, having decent true stereo was a fairly big thing and remains the key audio standard.

If you DIY this or have someone else do this I'd really recommend breaking out the mixing to a separate box/controller - seems like something you'll want to experiment with on a per game basis depending on how the channels are used. I'd hate for you to go through this mod only to have a mix you don't like, might even be off for the odd game, and is impossible/difficult for you to then adjust. At the end of the day you should be able to set this up so that you can tweak (or even undo) the effects of this as desired. Good luck!
Ikaruga11
Posts: 1454
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2016 1:32 pm

Re: Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

Post by Ikaruga11 »

Brad251 wrote:It doesn't matter if they are coded for stereo sound. People have done the stereo sound mod and split up the 5 NES audio channels in the way that sounds decent. Whatever NES emulators are doing to the game audio, it sounds better. I want my actual NES to have audio that sounds just as good as an emulator.
It does matter. This mod won't give you true stereo. And "better" is subjective.
Makinx
Posts: 103
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:16 pm

Re: Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

Post by Makinx »

This is a such a basic mod that having it done by a modder seems like a waste of money. Also, I concur with the other posters that it is not worth it. Results will vary between games, but in general the fake stereo sounds weird and wrong.
thebigcheese
Posts: 707
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2016 5:18 pm

Re: Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

Post by thebigcheese »

Before deciding you want to do the mod, actually listen to what the emulator you say you like is doing and make sure it's the same. This mod is equivalent to basically putting, say, drums and bass on the left and lead and rhythm on the right. So if you are okay with, say, playing Mega Man and hearing "pew pew pew" out of your right speaker all the time instead of coming out the center, then go for it. But I suspect this is not what the emulator is doing. If you look at the mod write-up, you'll see that it taps two pins of the chip even though there are four channels of audio. In an emulator, you could completely separate all four of these channels. In real hardware, you cannot. That allows a lot more flexibility for an emulator. I suspect, however, that they are actually doing more of a pseudo-stereo effect where they have actually just duplicated the audio track, delayed it by a few milliseconds, and panned the two tracks left and right. This creates the illusion of a stereo sound image without actually having one and it is not really possible to reproduce convincingly in real hardware (without some more significant engineering).

So put on some headphones and really listen to what is coming out each ear in this "stereo" setup generated by the emulator and I think you'll find that it is not even remotely the same as what this mod does.
User avatar
arithmaldor
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2017 8:39 pm

Re: Where can I get my NES modded for stereo sound?

Post by arithmaldor »

Nt mini and Hi Def Nes are probably the best implementation of this right now
Visit Tinkerplunk for mods, repairs, and custom PCBs!
Twitter: @arithmaldor
Post Reply