**_This article [originally appeared](http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-resurrection-of-mario-paint-composer) on Motherboard. _**

The year is 1992. Nirvana's _Nevermind_ has just displaced Michael Jackson's _Dangerous_ at the top of the Billboard Album charts, and another critical moment in music history is about to occur. I'm referring, of course, to the release of Mario Paint for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

The game, which came packaged with a mouse and mousepad, was a basic drawing utility that also allowed users to create looping animations similar to GIFs. It also featured a music composer that was driven by classic Nintendo sound effects.

Though Mario Paint has an enduring legacy among gamers, game developers, and critics, it might be remembered most for the music composer feature. That's thanks largely in part to YouTube.

Now, more than twenty years later, Mario Paint has experienced a sort of resurrection through the magic of emulators and mods. A crew of intrepid amateur chiptune musicians like [​Adam ​Haacke](http://globegazette.com/mcpress/news/local/haacke-pursuing-love-of-music-in-unique-way/article_67a7f30c-0c57-57cd-a4fb-c02d5f6206b4.html) have taken to YouTube to show off their uncanny ability to cover the hits of yesterday and today using Nintendo's iconic sound bank. There you can find everything from insanely accurate versions of Dragonforce's "Through The Fire and Flames" to Toto's "Africa" to Nirvana classic "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

A bit of caution: Once you go down this rabbit hole it may consume you. My fate was sealed when I heard the sound effect one god damn genius used to vocalize Ian Curtis' voice for the Mario Paint version of the Joy Division classic "Transmission."

But wait, there's more (and [even more on Motherboard](http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-resurrection-of-mario-paint-composer)):

**Thank you everybody for 1 million views!**

I love this song, and I hope you enjoy my interpretation in Mario Paint :)

About the video: I made this in 2010, my senior year of high school, back when Mario Paint videos were at the height of popularity. The tempo was set to 2944, which puts the tempo so high that notes will sound like they are played at the same time when placed on adjacent lines. This is why most "beats"  have clusters of up to 4 or even 5 lines of notes. This bypasses the 5 note limit of the program, as well as give me more options for volume control of each line.

I also did not use the vanilla Mario Paint sounds. People more impressive than me can utilize the normal sounds in great ways, but I personally just liked the soundsets that other users (SatoshiLyish, Cat333Pokemon, Adolfobaez, Friedfischer) had created. But each note was still individually placed, and each volume bar still manually adjusted. I did not import any MIDI file or cheat in any other way, I just changed the sound files each symbol played because I liked the way it sounded.

I still do mess around on the program from time to time. With all the programs like Super Mario Paint, decline of soundfont usage in the community (and mastery of the original soundset that is now standard), I have found my skills have significantly diminished and the songs I make feel subpar.

Thanks to all of you for making this time in my life a good time and giving me a reason to enjoy recreating and uploading Mario Paint music. 

For Emily, my girlfriend when this was uploaded, now my loving wife. A story 10 years and counting :)

Africa - Toto - Mario Paint Composer

To download my music go to: http://adolfobaez.bandcamp.com 
My facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/adolfobaezmusic

Smells like teen spirit by Nirvana with a Futurama style

Mario Paint- Smells like teen spirit (Nirvana)

Did I miss something? Share in the comments.

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Mario Paint has an enduring legacy among gamers, game developers, and critics, but might be remembered most for the music composer feature.

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I Heard Joy Division Played on 'Mario Paint' and Lost Control Again

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This story is over 5 years old.

I Heard Joy Division Played on 'Mario Paint' and Lost Control Again

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