Pixelated Audio

Riding on the heels of our last episode (MAGWest Panel), Gene co-hosts with us once again for a Sega Genesis/Mega Drive themed Expansion Pack. We've got a lot of great music and hopefully some new stuff that you might have missed! Check the site for track list! pixelatedaudio.com/89

MAGWest was the first West Coast MAGFest event in Santa Clara, California (August 25th-27th) and we were stoked to be invited to do a panel this year. The topic we landed on was the sound system of the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and how the two sound chips (Sega PSG/YM2612) complemented each other for a rich audio experience.

This year and had two guests join in on the talk. Well-known chiptune artist and game audio advocate Inverse Phase and the master of the OPL2, Extent of the Jam. Sound chips, tunes, and some Inverse Phase originals included. MAGWest had tons of bands, music, gaming, and awesome people in the community. It was a blast! ---Oh, and pardon the audio quality!

For our panel, we included a visual presentation to help with some of the explanation. Check the site for the visual presentation. MAGWest Panel Slides

Heading back to the YM2608 for a look (and listen) at a game called Starfire for the  PC-9801. A system exclusive, 1st person action RPG, released on October 14th of 1994; developed and published by a small company called StarCraft Inc. It's an interesting game that, even though a Japanese only title, borrows heavily from Western games like "Might and Magic." More importantly, the music composed by Takeshi Abo, is a mixture of ambient, dance, and focuses on rhythm and pace to carry the mood. 

Join in as we discuss the music of Starfire and also chat with Takeshi Abo about his music from over 20 years ago!

http://pixelatedaudio.com/starfire/

The third Natsume NES/Famicom spotlight on the show features music from another strong composer. Dragon Fighter is a side scrolling action platformer, released for the Famicom in Japan in 1990, developed by Natsume and published by Towa Chiki. In 1992 the game was brought to the North American audience by a company called SOFEL Corp. Using the driver by Iku Mizutani, composer Kouichi Yamanishi delivers a similar style that retains everything we love about the Natsume sound. Join us as we listen to the music of Dragon Fighter on Nintendo's 8 bit powerhouse.

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For more Natsume featured music check out our other episodes:

Episode 78 - Mitsume ga Touru (Interview with Hiroyuki Iwatsuki)

Episode 37 - Shadow of the Ninja

We're taking a break... Don't worry, just this week. :) In this episode, we got together for a bit to listen to how we started (episode 1) that was released just over 3 years ago now. We talk a little about the show, how we've changed, the way it's produced, and the other additions as well. If you were expecting a normal episode, we do apologize but hope that you join in this mini retrospective on Pixelated Audio. - BRYAN & JAMES

In this installment of Pixelated Audio, we're heading back to the Game Boy featuring a soundtrack from a Japanese-only title called Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman Blade, developed by Sun L and published by Yutaka in 1992. This game is based off the short lived anime by Tatsunoko Production and Sotsu Agency. The game is a blast and has a great soundtrack composed by Norihiko Togashi, who has contributed to over 100 titles in his career (Battle Dodgeball, Ultraman, and Super Wagyan Land for SFC). Join us as we tear apart the audio from this cool action platformer.

Complete show notes and track listing at pixelatedaudio.com/84

BlaZeon is a horizontal shooter, developed by A.I Co and published by Atlus in 1992 for the arcade. Originally a Japanese only release, Atlus ported the game to the SNES for Japan AND the US shortly after (in the same year, 1992) The music (composed by Tsukasa Masuko) is totally pumpin' and deserves a listen. Join in as we dive into the soundtrack.

Lunar touched many gamer's hearts as it told the story of a young boy whose dreams of becoming a Dragonmaster begin to unfold. The game has remarkable storytelling (wether you love or hate the translation) mixed with adventure, love, and friendship that's a must-play for any RPG fan. But the key to any good RPG is the music. Noriyuki Iwadare's (岩垂徳行) composition brings out the emotional quality that can emphasize the excitement or tear your heart out with despair. And without him, this would have been a very different game. Join us as we discuss the music of Lunar: The Silver Star and the remakes as well as an interview with composer, Noriyuki Iwadare.

Show notes and track list at http://pixelatedaudio.com/82

The 90s were a particularly strong era for game audio on all fronts. The console market was thriving by creating a simpler way to play a game on the cheap, but the PC gaming scene continued to deliver unique experiences with many different hardware configurations. Guest, Gene Dreyband, joins us for a look at some 90s PC/AT music that rocked our world in this expansion pack.

Track List:

0:00:00 The Secret of Monkey Island Theme (IBM-PC Speaker) - Michael Land

0:06:32 Lagoon (Classic) - Fury of the Furries (YM3812/OPL2) - Frédéric Motte

0:14:20 Dream - Wacky Wheels (YM3812/OPL2) - Mark Klem

0:20:34 Transport Tycoon Deluxe Theme (YM3812/OPL2) - John Broomhall

0:27:49 Road 5 - Sky Roads (YM3812/OPL2) - Ott M. Aaloe

0:33:07 Intergalactic Travel 2 - Solar Winds: The Escape (YM3812/OPL2) - Dan Froelich

0:37:30 Dune Variation - Dune (YMF262/OPL3 - Adlib Gold) - Stéphane Picq

0:43:57 Industrious - Jazz Jackrabbit (ScreamTracker3 Module) - Robert Allen

0:52:39 Wolfgang Ritter - Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (MT-32) - Robert Holmes

1:00:06 The Uninvited Visitors - Dubious Island - Sorcerian Forever (YMF262/OPL3) - Falcom Sound Team jdk

We are back with another Music Disk volume to satisfy the craving for more FM synth!

Today we're featuring some select tunes from a disk title "Firecracker Music Collection vol.A: Comiket 42 Special" composed, arranged, and programmed entirely by CHEMOOL (Takahiro Yonemura). This disk was release for the PC-8801 on August 16th, 1992 and uses PMD v3.3 (by KAJA). Join us for some good ol' fashion doujin originals and arrangements.

For the track list head over to http://pixelatedaudio.com/80

If you want to support the show, please consider checking out our Patreon page as well! https://www.patreon.com/pixelatedaudio