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Art Sonic CD Opening: Cleaned & Upscaled (...and a neat discovery!)

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by Tanks, Feb 7, 2021.

  1. Dek Rollins

    Dek Rollins

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    For reference, this is the original, this is the alternate vocal take that appears in Sonic Jam. The lead vocal is different for the entire song and in my opinion the Sonic Jam version sounds worse. I would assume they just grabbed a copy of the song for Origins without even knowing there were two different mixes.
     
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  2. Mastered Realm

    Mastered Realm

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    I honestly prefer the version in Jam. Either way, it's an easy fix.
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2022
  3. Ayu Tsukimiya

    Ayu Tsukimiya

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    Glad to see other people noticed this. I wonder where this second version originates from, though. It doesn't make sense for them to rerecord Keiko Utoku's part just for Sonic Jam. Maybe it's an earlier take that they keep using by mistake?
     
  4. Starduster

    Starduster

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    Maybe it’s because I’m trying to compare them on low volume during a car journey or maybe my musical ear is just truly shit - what’s the difference here?
     
  5. Ch1pper

    Ch1pper

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    Just alternate takes. The original version must have been one hell of a last-minute alteration considering how often the Jam version is used instead. The original one sounds rather out-there, like she just got in right after a flight and is out of breath or something.

    My question is: does Cosmic Eternity have this 'issue' too?
     
  6. Sai Start Marker

    Sai Start Marker

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    I feel like the only difference between the Mega CD version and the PowerPlay/10th Anniversary edition of Cosmic Eternity is that it's slightly extended. I suspect the original will be used here, but who knows?
     
  7. RetroJordan91

    RetroJordan91

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    Yeah I too also noticed that they used a different version of the song.. I could tell by the vocals.. but I never knew that this alternate version was actually from Sonic Jam.

    Regardless I don’t think it’s bad at all.. both versions sound just fine..I’m just happy that the vocals are back in general.. makes this version of CD much more definitive since we don’t have to mod the vocals back in
     
  8. Brainulator

    Brainulator

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    The version heard in Sonic Jam also appears in the 0.02 prototype of Sonic CD, dated December 4, 1992. It's probably just a early version of the track in which the differences are only really visible to a trained ear; the Mega CD video has an extended shot of the mountain that the original version doesn't (nor does the video in some of our earliest prototypes, apparently).
     
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  9. Blue Spikeball

    Blue Spikeball

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    I think it's agreed upon that the FMVs from the rereleases are earlier versions than the ones used for the original MCD release, missing stuff like the animation of Amy's skirt fluttering in the ending.
     
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  10. Dek Rollins

    Dek Rollins

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    My problem with the alternate vocal take in Jam is that she barely enunciates several words. The whole take feels sloppier in comparison to the original Mega-CD version. There's still a thick accent of course, but she isn't slurring her words.

    I can't think of anything since Jam that uses the alternate take.
     
  11. Ayu Tsukimiya

    Ayu Tsukimiya

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    I dunno if "earlier version" would be the right term. I think the mountain shot and Amy's skirt were just additions made when SEGA digitally traced over the animation, rather than anything actually made by Studio Junio's staff that existed on film and somehow got cut out or lost.

    Sega was pretty heavy-handed with correcting the artwork and designs when they digitized the FMVs (especially the ending), so I don't think it's a stretch to assume they added those cuts and details in.
    [​IMG]

    Agreed. Some of the lines just lack the same punch from the final version with how softly she sings them. It might be minor, but clearly the original staff thought it was worth rerecording, so I wish they'd bring it back.
     
  12. Black Squirrel

    Black Squirrel

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    I might have clocked this in the past, but the difference is so minor my instinct would have been compression quality.

    But it's still a Japanese lady singing nonsensical English. You still need the internet to work out what the words are.


    Fun fact: I didn't know Cosmic Eternity had the words "COSMIC ETERNITY" in the song until... 15 years after I first heard it?
     
  13. Sai Start Marker

    Sai Start Marker

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    Both SONICTEAM "PowerPlay" ~Best Song From SonicTeam~ and SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 10th Anniversary use the alternate take found in Sonic Jam. Funnily enough, the 2011 release of the soundtrack uses the original Mega CD take. No consistency at all.
     
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  14. Rosiero

    Rosiero

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    I actually kinda prefer the Sonic Jam take... in the original take, she mispronounces several words and there seems to be a bit less power behind some lines. But maybe I'm crazy since everyone else prefers the original :eng99:
     
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  15. RDNexus

    RDNexus

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    I only remember the JAM version.
    My brother only played the Mega CD version once, and we played the JAM CD OP&ED vids on our PC time and again, for years.
    So I also prefer the JAM take of CD OP&ED themes.
     
  16. McAleeCh

    McAleeCh

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    Not sure it's been mentioned here yet, but from the Famitsu stream, it looks like the possible animation error mentioned in the OP post of this thread has been fixed in the version of the intro used in Origins.
     
  17. Chimes

    Chimes

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    ok so i was looking at old sonic coverage when i found a clip of the sonic cd intro... but telecined in 1993
    now this is super important because this was during the contemporary coverage of the game

    snapshot.jpg

    as you can see there's a LOT more blue in the image. this shows that the film itself wasn't musty... yet
    now fast forward to 1996 when the PC port came out and OH MY GAWWWWD! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR FAAAAAAAACE

    vlcsnap-2022-08-10-11h22m56s607.png
    vlcsnap-2022-08-10-11h25m21s321.png
    vlcsnap-2022-08-10-11h26m32s723.png

    ...uh, yes, as you can see somehow the film/tape master of both the animated sequences had faded pretty terribly in the span of three(?) years. i can't even begin how to hypothesize what happened here since my knowledge on analog video and film reels are limited but i'd have to wager that they were rather poorly maintained. no one's talked about this yet so i thought id post it here
     
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  18. kcowolf

    kcowolf

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    Was that really because the masters had faded, or was it due to video compression or color limitations on the PC version?
     
  19. Chimes

    Chimes

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    I'm inclined to believe the latter because the Sonic Jam variant which came just a year later has the same faded colours, and every subsequent release of the video seems to have come from the same master. Aside from the PC version having a lower resolution and compressed frame rate to fit in a 700MB disc, everything checks out to be the same.
     
  20. PicklePower

    PicklePower

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    That upload of the 1993 video has a lot of compression artifacts, so maybe it doesn't have the right colors. How can we be sure that the colors are accurate on that video?

    [​IMG]