Seems that turning sound effect volume to 0 in the options ignores cut scenes, especially the ones which merge into gameplay, example the first level where they fly in, you hear everything even sonic jumping off the plane and then silence once you gain control. I've played through this game about 3-4 times now, I like it but it's only a 7 from me if I had to give it a rating, also still annoyed that the spindash sounds and rolling sounds are reversed, why do dimps do such things? As for the music, I like it, it's trying too hard to be megadrive bit tunes but I do like it for what it is. Just a shame that sonic 4 so far is a complete mess and had its balls squeezed too hard at the very beginning, by dimps.
Ho. I suppose that's why when Sonic and Tails jump into the transporter to the Death Egg mkII, the brake and jumping sounds are playing too late. They are already in when they play. At least in the Steam version.
Ah, so people get where I'm coming from then? At any rate, it seems like we're all on the same wavelength. As has been said, I wouldn't mind Jun's compositions quite as much if there was a second composer to balance things out. This has no doubt helped the major games in the franchise. Because I'm noticing Jun's patterns in older games' music, it helps having other composers' songs in those games to listen to and separate from. Idea: Co-op between Jacques and Hataya.
What is that god awful shit I'm hearing in those remixes? Although I appriciate the fact that the person tried to do extended versions with new melodic themes, but you can't just layer on top of whagt is there. I have recently discovered the fact that I can save time by integrating complete midis into a composition, but I know that it must be transformed! The only reason I even use the midis are so I don't have to waste time creating notes from scratch. If I hear notes that are blatently wrong, I correct them as I go along. I'm working on my own Metal Sonic "Remix" and I promise you it'll be the best you've ever heard that doesn't use real live instruments. I even integrated my own Metal Sonic theme into it for added depth and variety (and admittedly for the OMG WoW factor). Stuff like this takes years to master on your own. My first compositions six years ago were shit compared to what I can do now...fortunately for me, I haven't permanently clung to the same chords or style over those years either!
I think he meant literally layering the 'remixed' Midi file on top of the original track, causing the double bass and all that. Hataya's Classic tracks are actual remixes of the original songs. They use the original song's composition, use a few Genesis sound samples to recreate certain instruments like the main melody, and top 'em off with little enhancements sprinkled throughout the new mix. These S4 things are obviously just the results of someone taking both the original mp3, the midi, and just squishing 'em together in some sequencer.
The fun fact is that Jun Senoue has what amounts to a complete Mega Drive sound font to work with, yet didn't really utilize it to any massive potential. Moreover, he kept a lot of his compositions to laughably short loop times (less than 30-40 seconds in most cases.) In the Mega Drive games, very few songs played in that length area, with Aquatic Ruin being the most obvious one. Let's look at Sonic 2, for example. Emerald Hill: 00'45" Chemical Plant: 01'02" Aquatic Ruin: 00'37" Casino Night: 00'58" Hill Top: 00'43" Mystic Cave: 00'56" Oil Ocean: 00'47" Metropolis: 00'49" Sky Chase: 01'16" (though really 00'40", an instrument change for the second loop and on hides the fact it's a short song) Wing Fortress: 00'46" Death Egg: 00'59" Boss: 00'36" Final Boss: 00'55" Special Stage: 00'50" Hidden Palace: 00'50" Excluding, for now, that Masato Nakamura has a great grasp on composition and made the Mega Drive's sound chip do glamorous things, let's compare to the entirety of Sonic 4. Splash Hill (00'35", 00'42", 00'33") Casino Street (00'50", 00'26" [mobile]/00'50" [console], 00'41") Lost Labyrinth (00'48", 01'00" (00'30' in actuality), 00'39") Mad Gear (00'38", 00'36", 00'35") Sylvania Castle (00'52", 00'55", 00'29") White Park (00'44", 00'48", 00'25") Oil Desert (00'38", 00'46", 00'42") Sky Fortress (00'27", 01'01", 01'06") Death Egg Mk. II (00'48") Boss (00'31") E.G.G. Station/Boss Ep. II (00'18") Metal Sonic (00'36") Neo Death Egg Robot (00'23") Death Egg Mk. II Core (00'55") Special Stage (01'36" , 00'59") One thing to consider about length of tracks is to look at the level it represents. While by the numbers there's very little deviation between 1992 and 20XX, consider that there are several levels in Sonic 4 where the loops are less than forty seconds yet the stages themselves go on for 3-4 minutes on good runs. The main killer for Sonic 4 however comes in Senoue's apparent weakness of composition and instrumentation. While there are a handful of songs in Sonic 4 that are objectively sound (Mad Gear 1 and Sky Fortress 2 & 3 immediately come to mind), others just sound horrible from either shortness, whiny synths, or very little variation of the Mega Drive sound font. You mostly only hear the snare abused everywhere aside from Oil Desert which brought in the Metropolis Zone styled beat and even a Mega Drive styled bass. When you look at Senoue's known work on the Mega Drive games, you have the following list: Sonic 3: All three Bonus Stages Balloon Park Act Clear Game Over Continue Sonic 3D Blast: Opening Menu Introduction/Panic Puppet - Act 1 Green Grove Spring Stadium Special Stage Invincibility Boss 1 (including the unused version that went on to be S4-1's boss theme) All Clear Note that most of his tracks tend to be of the carnival/circus persuasion and when he tries to dabble elsewhere, it sometimes falls flat on its face. Green Grove and Panic Puppet only began to really stand out when he remixed them with proper instruments over in Sonic Adventure, but otherwise remained three of the less memorable tracks from 3D Blast. Taksuyuki Maeda otherwise commanded that soundtrack (Diamond Dust, Gene Gadget, Panic Puppet Act 2, and let's not forget Rusty Ruin.) What's more baffling is that Senoue composed the better of the two boss tracks in 3D Blast yet had the nerve to deliver that joke set of boss tracks in Sonic 4. The fact of the matter is I don't think Senoue really has it in him to keep trying to do the retro sound when he was never that good at it to begin with. Most of his standout tracks are almost devoid of Mega Drive sampling (SNARES) and go full synth. If for some reason Sega elects to go for an Episode 3, I'd like to see someone else take the helm like Richard Jacques or Naofumi Hataya, both of which I think have compositional form to produce diverse tracks without forcefully shoehorning in Mega Drive noises for the sake of having them. Hell, here's one example of how Hataya trumped Senoue before the song was neutered in its final revision.
Wha.... Where did that come from it sounds awesome. Damn you Jun why do they let you make music for classic sounding stuff (I was going to say in general, but I do love Modern GHZ and Modern SSZ in Sonic Generations so I can't hate on him entirely)
One of several Sonic Heroes prototypes. I'll share one more track which will floor everyone. Yutaka Minobe's original Lost Jungle
How did Hataya and Minobe trump Senoue there? That Ocean Palace sounds like a bad YouTube remix of the final version and it really doesn't feel like it'd fit in the level. And Lost Jungle just sounds like a slower version of the final minus a few key instruments, which also doesn't fit with the stage because it was filled with quick action and being launched everywhere and running from a goddamn gator. So no, not floored. Although they're great songs in their own right, I'm glad Senoue improved on them.
You're... You're fucking kidding me, right, Blivsey? You don't hear the superior quality at all? You don't hear how Lost Jungle actually manages to take on the theme and have beautiful intertwining melodies whereas Senoue's version was streamlined synthy pop garbage? Gee, I know there's no accounting for taste, but shit.
Nope. Not what I said. I said it no longer fits the level. You don't hear how Lost Jungle actually manages to sit in the back of the room, sound pretty and do nothing whereas Senoue's version gets you into the correct, wild feel for the level? You're looking at the music from the "music" side. I'm looking at the "level" side of the music, and the level and the music just didn't match. Don't get me wrong, they're both great and I honestly don't hate Minobe's version (it's got dem melodies, as you said), but it just doesn't feel like THERE'S THAT BLACK FROG OH GOD RUN FROM THAT GATOR, it feels like watch the black frogs and the crocodiles in their natural habitats. You're acting like I said they're shit. Which they're not, although that Ocean Palace is pushing it.
Ocean palace funky style mix is superior to the final release but there are some areas of the drums that need cleaning up because they make it sound choppy.
