Source: Mega Man X1 (SNES) - Flame Mammoth

"Flame Mammoth's stage from Mega Man X. The game has a great soundtrack as a whole, I'd love to hear what y'all make outta this one."

(Souperion)

Source: Silent Hill (PS1) - Claw Finger

"Silent Hill is not the most friendliest of soundtrack for remixers, and i can clearly see why. It's pretty much pure texture and noise, so it'd be the equivalent of panting a blank canvas, with 2 colours. Your not going to get much to work with, nor will it be easy to work with what you have. Any chance of something melodic will be almost impossible. It's rare to find such a composition. So why the hell did i turn to Silent Hill for my PRC source selection? It turns out there is more to like than dislike, and i like the idea of setting some kind of limitation by sending in essentially Noise and Dark Ambient music. The source i selected isn't from the same mind frame, but it belongs to a soundtrack who's primary aim is to scare the living crap out of you. It's not happy go fun time music. It's "Oh My God, I'm About to Die". 

This source stood out though, because there were a lot of cool moments in this piece. It's purely a synth based piece, using only a single instrument patch from the Korg Triton to generate the melody/chords (I don't know why i said melody, it's just a series of minor chords lol). What's interesting is the random beat skips that happen, it isn't just a pure 4/4 composition. It also has quite the textural sound to it, from a simple patch, sounds closer to some kind of electric piano like synth. It's kind of cool. Even though there is one patch/instrument, i notated it as 4 channels on the MIDI, largely because of how dynamic the synth is. It was too much to simply write as a single channel, i needed to do more. So i made a bassline for it, a background layer, as well as a deep pad to function as some of it's more ambient aspects to the sound. So what is a single sound becomes 4 channels, but they're really just representing one sound. The piece is only 50 seconds, before it goes through the endless looping phase. No other instruments debut, it's literally just a synth sound, and a very interesting one at that.

So why did i pick something, that has barely any substance to it? Even though there is production in regards to chord sequences, there is no drums or melody, or even a real working bassline. What i've MIDIFY'D was basically 4 channels produced from 1 sound. I did this, to get all of the properties of the sound transcribed, as well as make it seem like there is more to the MIDI than that, The reason for choosing this, was largely because i wanted something that encouraged creativity. How will you take this further? In Silent Hill the purpose is to create tension, atmosphere, an unerving soundscape. But as a standalone piece, it's very unique, and isolated. I love the tune, but it's how you will take it further that's where the magic is. You don't know where to take it. Is it an electronic piece? Is it orchestral? Who knows, imagination is key to making this your own. 

I haven't really talked about the game itself, which is what i usually do, but i got fixated on this cool interesting piece whilst talking about it, so i've taken up so many of my description talking about the track. Also note, i didn't just pick this, because it had a series of recognisable pitches lol, but also because i felt it could be a unique PRC round. To be fair, the only interesting thing i can identify from the games company, is that they are called Team Silent, and they were responsible for pretty much the first 4 games of the franchise. I've rambled too much, i'm sure you can read up about it in you're own time. Good luck with this one!"

(TheVideoGamer)

GAME: Silent Hill (PS1)

Source: Claw Finger



As usual here's the video:

And my own custom MIDI:

https://www.vgmusic.com/file/e349937ffade26f15903aad73a9564ae.html#disqus_thread

Source: Solar Striker - Stage 1 (GB)

"Okay I see and I understand.

In this case, I prefer to change my first choice to another game : 

Console : GameBoy

Game name : Solar Striker

Song name : Stage 1"

(Hleet)

Source 1: Game: Dolucky no Puzzle Tour '94 (Super Famicom) - Final Battle

Source 2: Terranigma (SNES) - Flight

Source 1:

I'm feeling some Dance Music this time.

This is Dolucky no Puzzle Tour '94, which is a hybrid between Puzzle Bobble and Columns. It's also been compared to Tetris, but that's probably because they all have the same format/idea. In this case, you have to have 5 matching blocks for the blocks to disappear. The grey blocks can only be removed, if they are next to 5 coloured ones, and they will vanish alongside the grey blocks. If any blocks reach the bottom of the screen, it's game over. It doesn't matter where you place the blocks, they just have to be next to each other. As you progress in each level, it gets faster and harder, as do with any Puzzle Games. Admittedly i've not played this, but then again not many might, as it's a Japan Exclusive. I haven't even heard of the Soundtrack either, until fairly recently. It was one tune that stuck out, which made me submit this source. That's the Final Battle music. I mean i listen to rave music, especially VGM tunes in that style, and i will say this is the first i know off, that features a fully looping breakbeat. It's even perfectly in sync, and it's a pretty good break (Even with it's Lo-Fi sample rate). But it's not the break that draws me in (Although it plays a part), but rather the composition itself. I kept on listening to it even when it was over, because it's such a good tune. It's very groovy, and surprisingly well produced, for a 2 minute piece. It's also the only rave tune in the game, as the rest of the soundtrack is Primarily Funk Rock and Jazz Fusion, which i kind of find amusing, as it's a complete 180 from the rest of the soundtrack.

I should also mention, Dolucky is the name of the mascot for the games company Zoom Inc (Not not the infamous video company, we all used during COVID), and was featured in plenty of other games, such as a soccer styled game and a baseball game. The last game they've made is from 2010, however no information has arisen to whether they are still active or not, but they do have a good library of games, so they are prolific in that regard. There's nothing else to really say, because this game is a more obscure one, and only me has learnt of the OST recently, and felt it was too good not to remix. Hope you do this one justice!"

(TheVideoGamer)

Game: Dolucky no Puzzle Tour '94 (Super Famicom)

Source: Final Battle

So here's the video:

And here's my own custom MIDI: 

https://www.vgmusic.com/file/378c7bcc5ecd960d11061a6ac12696a9.html#disqus_thread

Source 2:

"So, I've tried a remix of this track before and just did not get the results I wanted. Maybe this will get me in gear and actually do a full on remix of this track. Anyways, the game has appeared twice before on PRC and several times on OCR. The game is none other than Terranigma and the track is Flight.

And the MIDI for ease of remixing

https://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/snes/TN_-_Flight.mid

Best,

-A"

(APZX)

Source: Ristar (Sega Genesis) - Dancing Leaves

"I decided to go for a more recognisable game, with a more recognisable soundtrack. The game is often regarded as the one that needs a sequal, since only one game was made. It's also the one, that many people love the soundtrack for (Including me). It's a very fun game, similar to Sonic, but different enough to be it's own entity.

I'm talking about Ristar: The Shooting Star or commonly known as Ristar. The idea of a shooting star came quite a while ago, during the Mascot craze of 1990-1991. Sega wanted someone to rival Mario, and hope this mascot would sell a lot of Genesis games. Lots of designs were omitted, which would become characters in it's own right. One would be an Armadillo, which made it's way into Knuckles Chaotix as Mighty the Armadillo, And another would be a man in PJ's which becomes Dr. Robotnik (Or Dr. Eggman in the modern Sonic games). In the end a Hedgehog was chosen, which become the Companies mascot, and the face of the Genesis. Now one of them, was a shooting star, which whilst it didn't make the cut, it did get transformed into this game. It wasn't intending to outsell Sonic or overtake him. Instead it was going to be a franchise in it's own right, with it's own line of games, in the end only one made it to air, which is this Genesis Game (There is a Game Gear port, with different levels, but it's usually consider just a port, not a separate game, so really only one game made it to air.). Many of fans wish for a new game, but as of yet, no such thing has happened. Let's move onto a bit about the game, and then of course the kick ass music.

The game features a star called Ristar, who's soul purpose is to save his Galaxy from being taken by a pirate called Kaiser Greedy, who has mind controlled all the inhabitants of the plants to be under his control. There are 2 versions of the story, localized in each respective country. In Japan's version the people inside Planet Neer (Japan's name for Planet Flora), send out a message to Oruto, Ristar's mother, who awakens Ristar. It is then Ristar's job to fufill the wishes of the people, by stopping Kaiser Greedy from sending out his Mind Controlled men to gather the planet's elder.

In the Non-Japanese version (Basically the rest of the world), Ristar's Father is kidnapped (Who is known as a legend around the planets), and Ristar must save him from Kaiser Greedy's control. Kind of a unique plot, it's not often you see many stories like this in my opinion, and to me that's what gives the game charm.

There are also naming differences, between Japan and the rest of the world, Planet Neer in Japan, and Planet Flora in the rest of the world is one such example. The game involves a arm mechanism, which you use to grab on to items, enemies, and branches. This is what you use to get through the levels. I've played this game it's super fun.

This is a long description, so i'll finish with music. The music is just....awesome. Perfect mix of Uplifting melodies, unique drum grooves, and a tropical edge to some of the tracks, it's almost like it's summer music, but it's not. It feels like a mix of Hip-Hop and Electronic styles, fused with more of a tropical and big-band-ish edge. I don't know how to describe it, other than Happy Dance/Hip-Hop. It's also packed full of super dynamic melodies, rich chord changes in parts, as well as a more straight forward pop like affair. Pop music seems like a good term, even if it's not. It's just soo happy, and vibrant, i love it. The track in particular i went for is called Dancing Leaves, because it's the most dynamic for me, and allows for a good mix of styles if needed. On Parade was a close second, because i love that too, but this, i feel gives you more to offer. 

The track is very tropical sounding, but with a lot of heavy Jazz influences, some cool Samba/Latin like beats, some lovely syncopation and a great switch-up in the second half where it really gets Jazzy. It also has a nice electronic sheen to the whole thing, it feels like it was partially inspired by a dance track of some sorts. I also love how it's a bit simple at the start, then it really transitions into something complex, i feel there is a lot of scope for creativity here, that can work for all styles and techniques. I just love it, and i hope you have a lot of fun with this."

(TheVideoGamer)

And here's my own custom MIDI:

https://www.vgmusic.com/file/2e417e2d970461858bc526d7f75047ba.html#disqus_thread

Source: Tin Tin On The Moon - Main Theme (C64)

"Hey man,

First off, thanks Bunde for your awesome job at keeping this compo alive!

I had no source in mind, so I started by looking for unremixed tunes from my favourite composer, Jeroen Tel. I found this upbeat funky tune from Tintin On The Moon for C64. It might not be the best source from a remixing point of view, but I hope you enjoy!"

http://www.vgmusic.com/music/computer/commodore/commodore/tin.mid

You can find two other versions of the MIDI file on http://www.vgmusic.com/music/computer/commodore/commodore/

(OneUp)

Source: Plok!' - Beach (SNES)

Hello!

All right so for my selection I'm looking at Plok!'s Beach. Though I have never played Plok this particular bit of music has always interested me. And I've never really experimented with it much. It is definitely an interesting bit of music. And surprisingly this one does not have a remix on OCR. In fact only two of the tracks from Plok have remixes. Like come on people, get out there and do some remixing! There are some legitimately fun tracks in this OST.

Source MIDI: https://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/snes/PLOK_Beach_v2.mid

(APZX)

Source 1: Melty Blood - Blood Drain (PC)

Source 2: Mega Man Zero 4 - Straight Ahead (GBA)

Source 1: Wassup Thunder

I've never actually played the game this song comes from, but my source is Blood Drain from Melty Blood. This is most amusing, because I'm not really into Japanese Anime or similar styled games, but I sure can appreciate impressive music where I find it! I learned about this song when someone asked me to remix the tune for a project of theirs, and I got captivated by the beautiful composition, it's got an impressive blend of intensity, elegance, and a playful tinge. I'm certain everyone will find something inspiring to play with in this! Also, the song features vocals on the melody, but the midi translates the vocal line pretty well, so unless studionimbus wants to amaze us again with his Japanese 😁, it should be easily put to an instrumental!

Source 2: Souperion

"Straight Ahead" accompanies a mad dash to the control room of an orbital superweapon aiming at the last bastion of humanity. I wasn't too fond of the soundfont of Mega Man Zero 4, but it had a few great pieces like this one. Have at it.

2021 is almost over. Time for the traditional free round to conclude this year.

No source limitations (also non VG songs and originals are allowed), MIDI Rips are allowed. 

Source: Sonic Unleashed (Xbox3360) - Dragon Road (Daytime)

"This is a source that everyone will sort of resonate with, coming from a franchise everyone should know by now. If not, you have a lot of catching up to do. It's also one that took me quite some time to get the MIDI out for. It's also one of the many tunes, where people seem to get the notes completely wrong. So believe me, i went hard listening by ear. Luckily though, i manage to make it in just around a week (Alongside other stuff). 

The game i'm referring to is Sonic Unleashed. A game at a time period where Sonic had experienced an all time low. Sonic 06 was terrible, and people knew that the 15th Anniversary was a disaster, because all the games at that time just sucked, or were overshadowed by the bigger games. Since Sonic 06 was so bad, some people considered it the worst game ever. Sonic Team and SEGA knew, they needed to take a step back, and make something everyone can enjoy, without going too far into new territory, while also renovating Sonic into a more modern platform. This was the transition into essentially 2010's Sonic, where the big emphasis was speed. Unlike Adventure where speed was one of the many components into the character and the stage, in Unleashed it was the primarily focus, so much so that everything else was reduced to a mere background element. If you've played Unleashed, especially the Daytime levels (The night-time stages can be forgotten about, nobody likes them lol), you go at such lightning speed it almost gives you a headache, and personally for me, i love it. It's like riding your favourite rollercoaster over and over. It's soo much fun, especially when you blaze along with the background. 

Personally as well, i also argue it contains the most beautiful graphics to ever grace a video game. Like i'm not lying too, the only other game that i think is on par is Halo: Reach. The graphics are outstanding, even for a cartoony game, the environments are gorgeous.

And how about the music? That's what were here for right? Well it's also one of the top tier soundtracks, and yes i would consider it to be one of my top 20 best soundtracks in a video game. You probably think i'm a Sonic fanboy right? I am a fan, but nowhere near a fanboy. I only resonate with this game a lot, because i've played it, and for an extremely long period of time too. I just had so much fun with it, but seriously the music is no joke. Very professionally produced, yet has such a very cool fusion of genres. It takes essentially the cultures of each location it represents, and the music it predominately plays, combines it with heavy electronica elements (Mainly Drum and Bass), as well as rocking guitars. It's like a Rock Band went on a trip to a country, met an EDM DJ there, and collaborated with the local Orchestra playing music of the country. It's such a really good soundtrack (And also quite long and varied, since it has a lot of cutscene music. 4 hours is roughly the exact runtime of the whole album).

Dragon Road in particular (The location is Chun-Nan which represents China, but the stage name is Dragon Road), follows in the same descriptors. Thumping DnB beats blast through at 185bpm, while jazzy piano chords sit on top. Synthy basslines really emphasise the dance music parts, while traditional Chinese instruments provide the cultural accuracy of the location. Instruments including an Erhu, and a traditional Chinese Drum, specifically in the intro. All in all, awesome stuff, i hope you have fun with this (Lots of awesome ideas to be had here)

Note: This is the daytime version i'm doing. Not the hub worlds, or the Warehog stage. Just thought i'd get that out there."

(TheVideoGamer)

GAME: Sonic Unleashed (Xbox360)

Source: Dragon Road (Daytime)

And usual my own custom MIDI:

https://www.vgmusic.com/file/1b69875ce356f06140b61b70e71f9e50.html#disqus_thread

Source: Mystical Ninja Goemon - I Am Impact (N64)

"For my next choice, “I Am Impact” from Mystical Ninja Goemon on Nintendo 64. This was one of my favorite video games growing up—you could unlock a menu that allowed you to play all the music from the game! There are a lot of huge winners in this game’s OST, one of my favorites being “Kai Highway.” Ultimately, though, it was always “I Am Impact” that was my biggest ear worm. With its over-the-top instrumentation, high energy, goofy vocals and lyrics, I was humming this almost everyday as a kid. The source material is fairly simple, but there is so much that can be done with it! I look forward to hearing all of your beautiful voices!"

(Studionimbus)