Including shmups, of course! Just thought that this would be pretty offtopic anyway.
So, i'm wondering which vgm used hardware synths when music was created. I'm more interested in analogue synths. Especially modulars. So, if you know examples please share (that might be proved with interviews with musicians or maybe you are 99% sure on what you hear), as i'm under impression that most electronic videogame music after chiptune era is software-based.
Hardware synths in game soundtracks
Re: Hardware synths in game soundtracks
Tons of stuff back in the day...and probably quite a lot today too. There are still at least a few people using classic synths for smaller productions; the other week I ran into some indie game (don't remember the name other than that it sounds like "Ratchet and Clank," it's mainly notable because the designer and the community are having a debate over aesthetics) whose composer is using one classic late '80s or early '90s keyboard to do everything. However, even "back in the day" lots of people who had a keyboard also had a computer to do editing on, and today almost all products which look just like a classic synth are really just a computer in the box. Is the Fairlight CMI software, or hardware? It had, after all, its own built-in software sampler and synthesis, and it's not fully analog. But it's also clearly hardware, at least 50 pounds of it. I'm not a musician but to me it looks just like a matter of having the best tool for the job, and even today many people find the classic keyboard input best.
As far as the general history goes, before MP3s and apart from MIDI, a lot of game soundtracks were on CD with a synth soundtrack (Raven's CyClones) or used some kind of sample-based playback system like MOD, XM, or whatever (Uplink, the Crusader series - Andrew Sega says "Death to General MIDI!" - and of course most classic Unreal engine games) where many of the samples were made by the artist on a keyboard. Into the early MP3 era, the quality of effects put together on a keyboard is still good enough that a lot of classic soundtracks seem to have been produced just that way, without much post-production (Zak Belica's Counter-Strike: Condition Zero work, which is still used in the Nexon MMO version of the game, seems to be an example of this, but it still sounds pretty good). Bang-for-the-buck and ease of use of many of these workstations is still pretty good today. I think that for many musicians they are still relevant, and from what I've seen of the NAMM shows of recent years, the major trend is to try and balance flexibility with simplicity. Perhaps, ultimately, the question really doesn't quite matter, because some post work has to be done to get away from that manufacturer demo sound for a console.
In terms of details...System Shock 2 calls up music tracks to build a dynamic soundtrack, and for Josh Randall's pieces, the equipment used is listed here:
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.p ... ost1588334
I'd like to know about some of the "inbetween" seeming games. A lot of titles from the mid-2000s use a lot of premade beats and sound effects (Ninja Gaiden on Xbox is a good example of that, I think) but I don't know where hardware vs. software synths come into that.
As far as the general history goes, before MP3s and apart from MIDI, a lot of game soundtracks were on CD with a synth soundtrack (Raven's CyClones) or used some kind of sample-based playback system like MOD, XM, or whatever (Uplink, the Crusader series - Andrew Sega says "Death to General MIDI!" - and of course most classic Unreal engine games) where many of the samples were made by the artist on a keyboard. Into the early MP3 era, the quality of effects put together on a keyboard is still good enough that a lot of classic soundtracks seem to have been produced just that way, without much post-production (Zak Belica's Counter-Strike: Condition Zero work, which is still used in the Nexon MMO version of the game, seems to be an example of this, but it still sounds pretty good). Bang-for-the-buck and ease of use of many of these workstations is still pretty good today. I think that for many musicians they are still relevant, and from what I've seen of the NAMM shows of recent years, the major trend is to try and balance flexibility with simplicity. Perhaps, ultimately, the question really doesn't quite matter, because some post work has to be done to get away from that manufacturer demo sound for a console.
In terms of details...System Shock 2 calls up music tracks to build a dynamic soundtrack, and for Josh Randall's pieces, the equipment used is listed here:
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.p ... ost1588334
I'd like to know about some of the "inbetween" seeming games. A lot of titles from the mid-2000s use a lot of premade beats and sound effects (Ninja Gaiden on Xbox is a good example of that, I think) but I don't know where hardware vs. software synths come into that.
Re: Hardware synths in game soundtracks
"Software in box" is a thing, though often it has some specific additions to sound because of ADC (if i'm not mistaken) and other things, like old hardware samplers messed with sound a bit and people could recognize that by hear.
But i'm curious the most about modular synths which lost popularity when digital synths came and regained it relatively recently. But as i said, it's interesting for me about what game composers used in general.
Another thing to bring up is TB-303, famous acid bassline stuff. It was relatively often in late 90s game soundtracks but was not sure how often the real one was used, as there was also famous ReBirth software.
But i'm curious the most about modular synths which lost popularity when digital synths came and regained it relatively recently. But as i said, it's interesting for me about what game composers used in general.
Another thing to bring up is TB-303, famous acid bassline stuff. It was relatively often in late 90s game soundtracks but was not sure how often the real one was used, as there was also famous ReBirth software.
Re: Hardware synths in game soundtracks
Oh, looks like DOOM (2016) has Polivoks, Korg MS-20 (or controller?), some modular rig etc. used in creation of soundtrack
https://youtu.be/ua-f0ypVbPA
https://youtu.be/1g-7-dFXOUU
https://youtu.be/ua-f0ypVbPA
https://youtu.be/1g-7-dFXOUU