Many musical tracks in the New Super Mario Bros. series incorporate sound effects that enemies and objects on-screen may briefly react to. These sounds are usually vocal samples that punctuate the background music at the end of a melodic phrase. The mechanic was created because Koji Kondo "thought it would be fun for the visuals to change in response to the sound", and it was "the most [he] could do" to accomplish this due to having joined in the final phase of development.[1]
As it could otherwise be assumed that the in-game characters do not hear the background music, their reaction to these sound effects may be considered to break the fourth wall.
The first sample that was used for this purpose is "Paah", created by sample library vendor Best Service and found in Best Service Voice Spectral Volume 1. The same CD also contains "Taaaa", which was used for a similar but alternate sound effect.[2] Other samples have been used for the same purpose: Underwater stages from New Super Mario Bros. use a bell sample from the Series 4000 Hollywood Sound Effects Library, which was released in 1989.[3]Castle stages from New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. U use a cymbal sample from the Orchestral Kit section of EXS24, a sample plugin for the digital audio workstation Logic Pro (more specifically, Logic Pro 9),[4] while tower stages from these games use a short melodic trill in place of a distinct sample.
Icon of an audio speaker. "Paah" sampleFile info 0:22
Icon of an audio speaker. "Taaaa" sampleFile info 0:18
Icon of an audio speaker. "Cartoon Bell" sampleFile info 0:04
Icon of an audio speaker. "Orchestral Kit" sampleFile info 0:11
Icon of an audio speaker. "Tower Theme" trillFile info 0:02
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS / Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
The jingle that plays immediately after entering a painting in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS uses the "Paah" sample to play the first six notes of the Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros. Unlike later uses of the sample, it has no gameplay effect. This jingle marks the first time that the sample, or any other sample from a Best Service library, was used by Nintendo.
New Super Mario Bros. is the first game to give the "Paah" sound a gameplay function. In the ground, underground, sky, desert, beach, and volcano themes, some enemies and objects will react to certain sounds. A table summarizing entities' responses across different New Super Mario Bros. games can be found below.
In certain level themes, the "Paah" vocals are replaced with other sounds that have the same function. The "Ground Theme" and the "Athletic Theme" use the "Paah" sample, while the "Underground Theme", the "Desert Theme", the "Beach Theme", and the "Volcano Theme" use the "Taaa" sample. The "Underwater Theme" uses the bell sound effect.
There are two points in the "Fortress Theme" that act as "Paah"s; each is at the start of a slow trill that plays on bass marimba and either violas or cellos near the beginning of the loop. In the "Castle Theme", the sound of orchestral cymbals is used in place of "Paah"s.
On the World Map, entities such as Koopalings and Enemy Courses also hop in response to certain parts of the music. While the World 9 music has the proper data, it goes unused as nothing in the world animates based on this.[5]
Icon of an audio speaker. Ground ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Underground ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Fortress ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Underwater ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Athletic ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Castle ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Desert ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Snowfield ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Coast ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Jungle ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Lava ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Lava Cave / Underground Ruins ThemeFile info 0:30
In New Super Mario Bros. 2, the "Paah" sound reappears in the new ground theme and athletic theme, as well as the desert, beach, forest, snow, lava overworld, and lava underground music reused from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The xylophone glissando also reappears in the underwater theme. Additionally, this game is the only game in the series to incorporate "Paah" vocals in the music of Ghost House, tower and castle levels. The latter two also feature the sound effects that were previously used in their New Super Mario Bros. Wii renditions in place of the "Paah" vocals, but stage elements now only respond to the vocals.
The vocals with the "Paah" effect are distinct from the new "Lah" samples accompanying the ground and athletic themes, which were taken from the "ChorusLahFem" instrument from the Roland Sound Canvas SC-8850. These play alongside the melody in the ground theme and instead of the melody in the athletic theme. As the melody in these themes is otherwise the same as in their New Super Mario Bros. Wii counterparts, enemies and objects only react to the "Paah"s that were present originally.
Icon of an audio speaker. Overworld ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Athletic ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Ghost House ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Tower ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Castle ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. "Lah" sampleFile info 0:08
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]
In New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, the "Paah" sounds are present in the new "Ground Theme", "Athletic Theme", and "Snowfield Theme", as well as the returning underground, desert, and forest music from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and they retain their effect on gameplay from previous games. The xylophone glissando sound appears again in the underwater theme and retains its effect.
Icon of an audio speaker. Ground ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Athletic ThemeFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Snowfield ThemeFile info 0:30
In the Super Mario Maker games (namely Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2), the New Super Mario Bros. U game style reuses the underground, underwater, desert, and forest music from New Super Mario Bros. Wii and the overworld, athletic, and snow overworld music from New Super Mario Bros. U. However, enemies in these games do not react to the music, so the "Paah" sounds serve no functional purpose.
SUPER MARIO BROS. 25th Anniversary Special Sound Track PRESS START Edition[edit]
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Coin World arranges several New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. Wii themes that include the vocal sound effect. The sample used is different and was provided by a group of no less than four singers.
Icon of an audio speaker. Grass OverworldFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Desert OverworldFile info 0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Beach OverworldFile info 0:30
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, as Mario exits a Warp Pipe after entering from a Clear Pipe in the Mushroom Kingdom, the note that plays at the end of the cue in the background score is the "Paah" sound used in the New Super Mario Bros. games. The "Paah" sound can also be heard in a commercial for a McDonald'sHappy Meal promotion with the movie, specifically during the second transition between Mario's parkour scene and the scene with the child looking inside their Happy Meal box.[6]
The table below lists the reactions of various elements in the New Super Mario Bros. games to these sounds. Many of these reactions are aesthetic, but some can have a small effect on gameplay, such as enemies making adjustments to their position instead of walking at a constant rate.
Performs a short hop if the player is far away. If the player is nearby, the Blockhopper will bounce wildly in their direction; if they are standing on top of it, it will bounce in the direction that they are facing.
Stops and does a short dance while facing the camera. When there are two vocals in short succession, it swings its arms to both sides and lifts its foot lower.
Like with the regular Koopa Troopa, it stops and does a short dance, albeit without facing the camera; when there are two vocals in short succession, it swings its arms to both sides and lifts its foot lower.
Turns its segments into orange-like fruit, enabling a Yoshi or Baby Yoshi to eat the Pokey in its entirety, with the former laying an egg with items inside after doing so.