Topic: Remastered the soundtracks of some D2 classics (posted by request of Red_5)

[Kaiaatzl]

I was bored, so I remastered the entire soundtracks of five classic D2 missions: Bahagad Outbreak, Encounter at Farpoint 2, The Entropy Experiment, Entropy 2 Vengeance, and Obsidian (this is the second time I remastered Obsidian).

They were remastered in FL Studio 9 with synths, effects, and in some cases, automation.

The download links are on the right side of the GoAruna page.

Bahagad Outbreak

http://www.goaruna.com/cijd

I know none of these songs were composed specifically for Bahagad (only one of the four was composed specifically for DFW), but I really like this soundtrack.  I haven't heard the whole original version of the level 3 music, but I know it's an instrumental version of "Creeping Death" by Mettallica.  I just can't stand metal singing.

Encounter at Farpoint 2

http://www.goaruna.com/cije

Very... interesting soundtrack.  Ranging from a nice techno ditty to Russian folk music.  I like Russian folk, but I don't think it fits into this mission's story.  It still had good music though, especially level 2, level 3, and level 6.  Most of the soundtrack would have fit better into a different game though.

The Entropy Experiment

http://www.goaruna.com/cijg

Luke Schneider created the midi soundtracks to his own missions, and I can't decide which were better - the songs or the levels.  The Entropy Experiment had an amazing soundtrack, and the level 2 music is still my favourite Descent song of all time.

Entropy 2: Vengeance

http://www.goaruna.com/cijf

Luke Schneider was on the D3 team, he should have been the one to do the D3 soundtrack.

Obsidian

http://www.goaruna.com/cijh

Amazing soundtrack by Doug Hale and Verran Eventide.  It was pretty easy to tell who did what song by looking at the midi file.  All of the songs by Doug Hale had comments on the midi channels that said "by Doug Hale", and they sometimes had titles.  None of the songs by Verran Eventide even had channel comments.
I remastered this soundtrack for a second time because the first time I hadn't done the level 7 song justice before.  I ended up using a lot of guitar synths (and I had more guitar synths at my disposal than the last time.)

[SaladBadger]

The Entropy Experiment had an amazing soundtrack, and the level 2 music is still my favourite Descent song of all time.

Funny, the Entropy II Level 2 song happens to be my favorite descent song... off by one

[Kaiaatzl]

Yeah.  That one reminds me of a really old game (older than Descent) called Zone 66.  No idea why though.

Something interesting: If you listen to the music from TrackMania United, it sounds like Luke Schneider could have done it.  A few of the songs even use some of his "trademark" riffs.  But I know that the composer for TrackMania is french, and that it's a she.

I noticed that the level 1 BGM from Obsidian sounds a lot like the Seaside Hill music from Sonic Heroes, but Obsidian came first.  (Obsidian was released in 1999, Sonic Heroes was released in 2003 in Japan).

[Bonzer]

Yes... this is how the EAF2 soundtrack is supposed to sound!  The sixth track might be my new favorite.

[Kaiaatzl]

Thanks.
And welcome.
The sixth track from EAF2 is one of my all-time favourite Descent midis too.

[Skyalmian]

Hehehe... Nicely done.

(The Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Ice Cap remix reminds me of the collection of remixes that are Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Hedgehog Heaven and Project Chaos...)

[Kaiaatzl]

Yep, I have Hedgehog Heaven (found it online... I don't think it was a commercial product).  I liked "Oil Spill" so much I put it in a TrackMania track (island environment with the Hell mod).

[Scyphi]

I have a smattering of both remixes from both soundtracks. Curiously, I happened to be listening to one of them (by chance) while reading this threat.

[Alieo]

Is that version of "Oil Spill" the rap version? Cuz that one is pretty cool!

[Schala]

I don't know where you specifically noted your Credits/Briefing2 correlation remix, but where did you come across the Briefing2 remix? I would love to download it! Thanks

[Alieo]

http://www.planetdescent.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=444

I hope this is the one you're talking about. I have ALL of them in this format.

[Schala]

Yes! Thank you so much!

[VANGUARD]

someone say Sonic? I was pleasantly surprised that my girl friend has some original sonic music. I'd love to hear "oil ocean" from Sonic 2 again.

So are these the "redbook" soundtracks from Descent 2?
Maybe I'll hear them when I get home. I hate having music on when at work, don't like to bother people.

[Kaiaatzl]

No it's not the D2 redbook music (though Alieo wants me to remix those, lol).  These are the midi soundtracks to some custom D2 missions that had such good midi music that AFAIK the songs were really popular in the community (though I don't know that for sure since I wasn't here yet when the missions were built).  I remastered all these midi songs in FL Studio to make them sound more like redbook versions of themselves.  These are all really good missions too, you should play the levels as well if you haven't yet .
Some pretty good examples that are all here:
Obsidian - Soundtrack by Doug Hale and Verran Eventide.  Rock-style soundtrack with a mix of guitars and pure synths in the midi version, I tried to use some realistic guitar emulators and guitar-style synths to expand on its feel.  My favourite song on the soundtrack is level 7, and that's also my favourite level in the mission (though I actually extracted the entire soundtrack before playing the mission, so I heard the song before I played the level).  I haven't ever finished playing through Obsidian, though right now I'm on the beginning of the last level in my savegame, which is farther than I ever got before.

Encounter at Farpoint 2: Dimensions - Wierd but awesome music that sounds like a mix of techno with Russian folk styes.  I've really like Russian music ever since I went to the Russian pavilion at Folklorama (a multicultural event in this city that you might have heard of), so I tried to play up the Russian feel of these songs, even at some extent downplaying the techno aspect.  Though it doesn't include the credits music because that was just a mishmash of some of the level themes, but it's still the best credits music I've ever heard in a Descent mission.

The Entropy Experiment - Luke Schneider was such a talented level designer that he got to work on D3 with Outrage.  He was also probably the most talented electronica composer in the community at that time.

[VANGUARD]

I don't really have Descent anymore. I have an iMac, and the original Descent game that won't work on my iMac. I still have D3 but that's D3.