Comment by akarlsten

7 hours ago

I don't think this is necessarily good or even desirable, a lot of the SNES music was composed with the compression in mind and sounds off and weird when "remastered" like this.

Like this Pitchfork writer expressed it here about a classic SNES track from Donkey Kong Country:

Take one listen to “Stickerbush”’s fan-made “restored” version and you’ll understand why these compositional limitations are so integral. Here, the instruments appear uncompressed and reproduced through FL Studio. Wise’s wistful songwriting is retained, but completely missing is his intentionally impure palette. The instrumentation turns flat and unimaginative. Once-heavensent piano timbres are suddenly as ordinary as any run-of-the-mill ’90s new age track; the alto sax lead actually sounds like an alto sax, losing its unreal texture. Wise’s essential deployment of tension is absent without the compressed grain that elevates it. The idea of restoration is a “misnomer,” Wise said. He always meant for the song to be tethered to the restrictions of the SNES; he wanted to make limited sounds feel limitless. Like the comments section of the internet checkpoint, “Stickerbush” is a living time capsule.

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/david-wise-stickerbush-...

For an example of a really horrible audio "upgrade", check out the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy (remake) on the SNES where they replaced the well-crafted NES instruments with SNES samples just triggered for the same notes and beats. Theoretically could have sounded amazing but is like nails on a chalkboard. Not apples to apples comparison with these SNES->SNES restorations of course.