8 replies to this topic

[Radien]

Today I've spent a good amount of time going back to something I haven't done for years: sequencing MIDIs.

I'm having to learn Anvil Studio, and there's a lot I don't know about it yet. But I have yet to get to the mixing, so for now I'm doing what I do best with MIDIs: transcribing the notes as accurately as possible.

Before I go much further, I must tell what it was that inspired me to go back to this hobby after so many years. Well, as the thread title tells, it's a Lost Woods remix. This isn't the Kokiri Forest theme. Nope. It's the repetitive, truly "lost" sounding forest Light World theme from Link to the Past.

In LTTP the song is nothing terribly special... it's only about 20 seconds long, and while pleasant, it gets VERY repetitive. It was just enough for me to use for the Lost Woods in Master Quest, but I figured that players wouldn't be spending a huge amount of time on the thirteen screens that make up Zelda 1's Lost Woods.

However, Koji Kondo ended up making a much-needed remix of the song. I TRULY wish it had made its way into the game, but this happens sometimes... composers get rushed, and then receive more inspiration later, in time for an album of bonus music. It appeared on the Japan-only CD "The Legend of Zelda: Sound and Drama," which came out sometime shortly after LTTP.

The new remix is 3:39 long, and while repetitive in a sense, it loops around in such interesting circles that I can't help but enjoy it all the way through. It has a cuccoo calling in the background, a neat intro with synthetic chimes, plenty of interesting flute trills, and even the sound of leaves crunching underfoot later on in the song. If you haven't heard an MP3 of this remix, you really should.

Anyway, here's what I have finished so far. About 1/3rd of the song finished. Note that this is not my remix; it is a direct transcribal of a remix made by Koji Kondo himself.

http://bluecrescent....Woods_remix.mid

Now, if you're interested in MIDI work, it's possible or likely that I will need someone to help me out with this one. I don't have terribly good software for mixing stuff, and it would be nice if someone could help out with such effects as pitch bends, crescendos/decrescendos, and reverb. It all has to remain in general MIDI, but it's simple enough that I think it'll work just fine.

[/M/]

That sounds nice Radien. I've always wanted to try to do remixes for MIDIs, yet I don't find an easy way to learn how, or a program that makes it simple. =/

[Old-Skool]

Great! That makes two songs from the "Sound and Drama" CD to be turned into MIDI form for Zelda Classic (that I know of) so far, the other being the overworld tune (used as the overworld tune for New1st)

[Theryan]

This is great, man! You say it's 1/3 complete? Can't wait to hear the rest!

[Anthus]

Wait. If this is a true to the note MIDI transcription, of Koji Kondo's ALttP remix, then I think I know where a tiny part of OoT's lost woods comes from. Other than the first couple notes in the original version... Meh, just thinking out loud

That sounds nice though.

[Eddard McHorn Van-Schnuder]

no! i did also hear that OoT Lost woods thingy in it!
that'd be a cool ending to te song, having lost woods theme from oot in it! just like in theend credits of majora's mask!
but great remix anyway! i would definitley use this in one of my quests when it's done

[Radien]

That sounds nice Radien. I've always wanted to try to do remixes for MIDIs, yet I don't find an easy way to learn how, or a program that makes it simple. =/

Anvil Studio is pretty decent... if you know about timing, tempo, and piano notation, you can make simple MIDIs pretty easily. Messing with the volume and other modifiers -- or trying to change things like volume and tempo in the middle of a song -- is a bit more difficult, but some songs are simple enough that they don't need any of that. Some songs, for instance, seem to increase in intensity and volume, when it turns out they're just adding more instruments.

I also hear Cakewalk, true to its name, is even simpler to use than Anvil Studio. Both of them are free, more-or-less.

Great! That makes two songs from the "Sound and Drama" CD to be turned into MIDI form for Zelda Classic (that I know of) so far, the other being the overworld tune (used as the overworld tune for New1st)

Really? Cool! I'm going to have to listen to that again... do you know which track it is from the original CD?

This is great, man! You say it's 1/3 complete? Can't wait to hear the rest!

About 50% done now, although I put it down for a couple weeks during the holidays. I'm getting back to it, because activity in this thread motivated me to do so. ^_^

Wait. If this is a true to the note MIDI transcription, of Koji Kondo's ALttP remix, then I think I know where a tiny part of OoT's lost woods comes from. Other than the first couple notes in the original version... Meh, just thinking out loud

Hey, you're right! Good ear! That definitely does sound very close to the Lost Woods theme! While I'm not sure whether it's close enough to call it an intentional similarity, it really does show where Koji Kondo's mind was going...





Even if I don't use this in my quest, I would certainly enjoy it if someone else did. It's possible that it won't quite fit my Lost Woods as I'd like it to, but I'll be uploading it to VGMusic, so naturally, any of you will be free to download and use it as you please.

[/M/]

Anvil Studio is pretty decent... if you know about timing, tempo, and piano notation, you can make simple MIDIs pretty easily. Messing with the volume and other modifiers -- or trying to change things like volume and tempo in the middle of a song -- is a bit more difficult, but some songs are simple enough that they don't need any of that. Some songs, for instance, seem to increase in intensity and volume, when it turns out they're just adding more instruments. icon_smile.gif

I also hear Cakewalk, true to its name, is even simpler to use than Anvil Studio. Both of them are free, more-or-less.

Thanks for the information, Radien. I'll be sure to check out "CakeWalk", ( as goofy as that sounds.. =p)


Do you know any websites that help with beginning how to do MIDI remixes?

[Radien]

Thanks for the information, Radien. I'll be sure to check out "CakeWalk", ( as goofy as that sounds.. =p)

Hey, sounding goofy is better than sounding (and being) expensive.

Do you know any websites that help with beginning how to do MIDI remixes?

VGMusic has a dos-and-don'ts page that you should probably read. Although some of it is a little dated (mostly the program recommendations, though, which you can easily get from other people, like me, in this case).