How did you get started doing Mario Paint videos?

I started by randomly playing Mario Paint on my SNES one night. As I normally would do, even as a kid, I went directly into the music editor. I loaded up the Mushroom song, my favorite stock tune. I then remembered my Mario Paint Players Guide and had an idea; copy all of the compositions from there and upload them to YouTube. I completed a few and remember realizing that these songs weren't from any traditional video games. Knowing Mario Paint's limitations, I knew I had a narrow selection to chose from. I began listening to old 8-bit music, and came across the Tetris music from the Game Boy that most people would recognize. Since Mario Paint can only make use of 24 measures, I had to cut out most of the song and loop it. The video seemed to pick up a lot of attention, so I continued to make more.

Do you use the SNES or an emulator?

I mainly use an emulator for the sake of saving my work. Mario Paint allowed you to save one song, but only up to 24 measures of it, whereas emulators can save multiple states.

How many hours does it take you to make a song?

It really depends on the song. My first real 'famous' song (Dr. Wily's Castle 1) ended up taking 8 working hours in one sitting. The editing wasn't the best and I didn't expect it to attract as much attention that it has. The Earthbound Medley took 26 hours in the course of three days. Most songs usually take me between 2 and 5 hours, on average.

Do you take requests?

Yes, I do. Due to Mario Paint's limitations, not all songs are possible, but I do try them first. You can submit your ideas as an e-mail or YouTube comment, or through the special YouTube video I made just for that purpose.

How are you able to create these songs?

I do everything by ear. I generally create my own harmonies and modified bass lines to accommodate the limitations. None of my music is transcribed (simply copied over from other sources).

Why do you use dogs and cats and other annoying sounds?

I use them because it is Mario Paint. They are what make the music in Mario Paint so unique from everything else.

What do you use to record your songs?

My earlier works were created using the emulator ZSNES and HyperCam to capture the screen. I then used CyberLink Director to edit the videos on the PC. I now use I use an emulator called ZSNES and a screen capture program called Snapz Pro X for MacOSX. I then use iMovie to piece the separate states together.