Akumajo Dracula for X68000 soundtrack

[Frank M]

I know this isn't a Sierra game, but I was wondering if anyone here as ever recorded an MT-32 MIDI soundtrack for this game.

[Laust]

Not to my knowledge, which is a pity as it is a wonderful soundtrack, lovingly optimized for each supported sound device (internal FM, MT-32, SC-55). Konami did release them all on CD a few years back.

Cloudschatze recorded the SC-55 soundtrack, but as far as I know never undertook the rather large task of editing the resulting MIDI into suitable tune-sized bites. It's quite possible someone in Japan recorded the MT-32 MIDI soundtrack, but if so I've never come across it.

Do let us know if you find anything!

[Frank M]

Do you happen to know where I could find the SC-55 soundtrack then?

[Great Hierophant]

Judging by Castlevania Chronicles for the Sony Playstation, (which is a port and update of the X68000 original) each type of music is very good.  On the music device selection screen Konami actually names the compatible modules.  For LA synthesis it names the MT-32, CM-32L or CM-64.  For GS synthesis it names the SC-33, SC-55, SC-155, CM-300 or CM-500.

In one game we can see the breadth of IBM PC game music, even if the original title was for a system as remote from a IBM PC as possible.  The FM Synthesis is based off the YM-2151 chip, similar to the YM-3812 OPL2 and YM-262 OPL3 chips used in the Adlib and Sound Blasters.  Next we get music composed for an MT-32 or compatible device.  Finally, we get what was rather new at the time, Roland GS midi synthesis.

I do have X68000 disk images for Akumajou Dracula, but as all X68000 emulators are Japanese only, I would need guidance on how to get the game to work in a good one.  Moreover, would it support external, non-emulated midi modules?  (This is not unheard of for emulators, as Steem, the Atari ST emulator, does and I successfully tested it with King's Quest IV and my CM-500.)  Using the Playstation disk is rather cumbersome.

[Cloudschatze]

Cloudschatze recorded the SC-55 soundtrack, but as far as I know never undertook the rather large task of editing the resulting MIDI into suitable tune-sized bites.

I was never happy with the MIDI data that I recorded due to my unintentional shortening of "Wiched Child" (sic). I'm at the point where I can make a re-recording, though, from the sounds of it, others are willing to undertake the task.

I do have X68000 disk images for Akumajou Dracula, but as all X68000 emulators are Japanese only, I would need guidance on how to get the game to work in a good one. Moreover, would it support external, non-emulated midi modules?

Try the XM6 emulator, which has an English menu system.
http://www.jcec.co.uk/X68emu.htm

The X68000 emulators I've used, including EX68 and Win68k, support the Windows MIDI mapper, which will allow you to use an external MIDI module without issue.

[Great Hierophant]

There are times when I truly appreciate owning a CM-500, and getting Akumajou Dracula to work on the XM6 emulator, which it does with some graphical glitches, is one of them.

The game does have a sound mode, so you can hear all the midi tunes for yourself without actually playing the game.  I would suggest that this makes making midis for the tunes something of a low priority.

[Cloudschatze]

Great Hierophant,

I'd also like to direct you to the following website, if you're not already familiar:

http://gyusyabu.ddo.jp/MP3/MP3.html

Japanese computer-game music in streaming radio format, and background information on the games and their supported sound-devices.

One of my favorite websites - 'nuff said.

[Alistair]

Frank asked me to record the MIDI's once, but never got back to me. Is this a nice score?

- Alistair

[Laust]

Great Hierophant,

I'd also like to direct you to the following website, if you're not already familiar:

http://gyusyabu.ddo.jp/MP3/MP3.html

Japanese computer-game music in streaming radio format, and background information on the games and their supported sound-devices.

One of my favorite websites - 'nuff said.

This would be nice if they didn't for some inexplicable reason run the music through some kind of equalizer and push the treble way up. If you use headphones, it's unlistenable (hurtful even, at least to my ears) without doing some equalizing in the player to get back to decent levels again.

As for the music to Akumajo Dracula, Konami already released a nice 2 CD soundtrack for it entitled "Castlevania Chronicles Original Soundtrack", with all four arrangements of the tunes (X68000, MT-32, SC-55, and the new PSX remixes) and a couple bonus tracks I think. The music is also in the PSX game as Hierophant noted, but not at the same quality since the audio in the game is compressed.

[Great Hierophant]

I'd also like to direct you to the following website, if you're not already familiar:

http://gyusyabu.ddo.jp/MP3/MP3.html

Japanese computer-game music in streaming radio format, and background information on the games and their supported sound-devices.

One of my favorite websites - 'nuff said.

I didn't know about the site, but I do now and appreciate easy to use X68000 emulators all the more.  (I wish the PC9801 emulators were as easy to deal with.)  In short there is a whole universe of MT-32 and a good amount of GS game music out there that remains virtually unexplored and unheard by Western ears using the real McCoys.

[Kaminari]

WinX68K HighSpeed (Keropi Kōsoku) is a much better emulator than XM6.

I wish the PC9801 emulators were as easy to deal with.

Anex86 and Neko are very user-friendly -- providing that you're a bit familiar with the machine, but isn't it the case with any emulated system?

[Glottis]

As for the music to Akumajo Dracula, Konami already released a nice 2 CD soundtrack for it entitled "Castlevania Chronicles Original Soundtrack", with all four arrangements of the tunes (X68000, MT-32, SC-55, and the new PSX remixes) and a couple bonus tracks I think. The music is also in the PSX game as Hierophant noted, but not at the same quality since the audio in the game is compressed.

I have a nice MP3 VBR copy of this album. Although when compared to other Castlevania albums most of the tracks on this album could be rated mediocre or bad even. This is just my opinion.

The 2nd disc of the album contains the CM-64 and SC-55 MIDI arranges. Some of those arranges sound rather good, but apparently somebody at Konami Music Entertainment decided best to leave out any reverb or effects. The overall sound of the MIDI arranges thus is tinny and hollow.

[Kaminari]

I'm not a great fan of Konami's arranges; seems to me that the Konami Kukeiha Club was not very gifted with MIDI, at least not as much as Falcom. Konami's realm of expertise was definitely FM.

[Glottis]

Yeah I agree. Still there are better examples of what they can do with MIDI.  Detana!! Twinbee has some really good MIDI tracks. They have been released on a official album too. More info about the game here.

[Kaminari]

Just to inform you all that the X68000 MIDI soundtrack (both MT-32 and SC-55) is available at the Hoot Archive.

Hoot is a Japanese player pretty much similar to M1 -- it uses a collection of patches and playlists in order to read the music directly from the game EXEs/ROMs (which you normally have to get by yourself, but the Hoot Archive takes care of that). The interface is kind of confusing, but you get access to hundreds of great PSG/FM/MIDI soundtracks.

Some quick MT-32 recordings...

Black Mass
Simon Belmont

[Fancia]

Kaminari, is it possible to use Hoot to convert the MIDIs to standard MIDI files? I'm not using Windows, so I can't use Hoot to listen to the music conveniently.