Topic: Descent Mac Shareware Music

[Chaplain5]

Hey all, I'm new here!

Actually, I signed up because I wanted to ask this question (I hope that's not frowned upon? )

Years ago, my first taste of Descent came from the Mac Shareware demo. This demo had the three first levels of the full game. It also had a unique soundtrack.
I've researched this extensively and I know how the Macplay soundtrack was different from the PC MIDI soundtrack and whatnot.

The Mac Shareware demo, however, had pre-recorded tracks that were based (I believe) on tracks from the PC MIDI soundtrack. The piece used for level 3, for example, was a mix of the Level 13 Europa Mining Colony track.

I very much liked the soundtrack from the demo, and I've searched the internet for years trying to find it. It seems that a couple of other people remember this as well and have posted about it, here for example.

I have the shareware files on CD, actually, so if the music files can be extracted...

Thanks to anyone who puts their mind to this. I'd really like to be able to listen to that level 3 music again.

[-<WillyP>-]

rantthisspace.com/D1_share/D1_Shareware_-_Level_1.zip
rantthisspace.com/D1_share/D1_Shareware_-_Level_2.zip
rantthisspace.com/D1_share/D1_Shareware_-_Level_3.zip
rantthisspace.com/D1_share/D1_Shareware_-_Title.zip

[Chaplain5]

Thanks, man, close but not quite. These sound like they're from the PC Shareware. The Mac ones sound different.

[-<WillyP>-]

Midi will sound different depending on your hardware and on the sound-fonts you have installed. I don't know what else is out there perhaps someone will post some other files that are closer to what you want.

[Chaplain5]

I was under the impression that the soundtracks for Mac were always pre-recorded and it was the PC versions that got interpreted MIDI files, since Mac came later.

Am I wrong? 

[Scyphi]

WillyP...he's talking about the D1 redbook soundtrack. 

Which you can find all that and more, here:

Descent MacPlay Soundtrack

I believe the specific track you're looking for is listed as number thirteen in the linked list, "A Big Problem." If not, all the other songs found on the Mac version (demo or otherwise) can be found in that list.

[Chaplain5]

Thanks for the link, but still not quite. I'm familiar with the Macplay soundtrack (having played through and beaten the game on Mac) and I know for a fact that the Shareware music was versions of tracks from the PC game.

[Chaplain5]

Like I said, I have the files for the Shareware on disc. Could somebody extract them?

[Scyphi]

I'm not sure what it is you're looking for then...as far as I have always been aware, the soundtrack for the Mac version, both shareware and full version, is precisely the same...

[Chaplain5]

Did you ever play the Shareware version, incidentally?

[Scyphi]

For PC, yes, but for Mac, just the full version (which I still have on disk somewhere, incidentally), but there's a big difference between the Mac and PC versions, as it was my understanding that the Mac version came after the original PC version, and only inherited preexisting soundtracks from other versions of the game already on the market--it would not have any music that is original purely to it that didn't also appear on other versions too.

But since we all seem to be unclear on what you're looking for, here's what you can try:

Incidentally, the thread directly under yours is about a master collection of ALL official Descent music released. Odds are the music you're looking for is somewhere in there, just waiting to be found.

This link heads to the same site as before, but now just for the root directory for all D1 music available on that site, and odds are the music you're looking for is there too.

Might have to do a bit of digging, but it's gotta be in one of the two somewhere.

[Chaplain5]

I assure you that I've thoroughly dug through all those files, and the Mac Shareware music is nowhere to be found.

Question 1: Any word on having someone extract the files from my copy of the Shareware?

Question 2: Is there any old Mac software that would record the speaker audio from my old Mac?

[Chaplain5]

I assure you that I've thoroughly dug through all those files, and the Mac Shareware music is nowhere to be found.

Question 1: Any word on having someone extract the files from my copy of the Shareware?

Question 2: Is there any old Mac software that would record the speaker audio from my old Mac?

Found an old copy of Audacity for Mac OS 9.

Maybe I flash-drive it over to my old mac, set it up to record speaker audio, run the shareware, run the level....

[Chaplain5]

Darn, I can't get a working flash-drive that fits in my old mac. It's too old to connect to the internet, either.

So all I have to work with is the core files and my memory.

[Chaplain5]

The level 3 music, the one I'd most like to have, was a version of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIte3JkkAss