Rhythmic Dissonance in the Knuckles' Chaotix Soundtrack [Patron Request]

[@epiczeven6378]

As a 16-bit philosopher once said: *Groovy!*

[@DoubleADwarf]

Look! They're meatballs!

[@epiczeven6378]

Way cool!

[@KizulEmeraldfire]

Tender~

[@channingcheese2]

Ah, earthworm jimcrates. One of the greatest thinkers of his time.

[@agusgolturbo]

Ahhh jim, great philosopher, also earthworm. also cow, for some reason

[@insaneintherainmusic]

Your explanations are always so brilliant and clear, man! I guess it's time to get familiar with this groovy soundtrack now...

[@alio2269]

insaneintherainmusic - Carlos Eiene oh boy :D

[@mr.oranges5724]

Ayy lmao

[@DubiousDepthsRadio]

Check sonic cd

[@PotooPuppet]

"There's also a sick bongo part" lowkey killed me when I saw it lmao

[@ErebosGR]

Needs moar air horns and memes.

[@alexhirst8889]

My type of musical analysis

[@Bankai2169]

As a drummer, I love when you do a rhythmic analysis, because it's one of the few times I can understand what you're saying 😂😂

[@Magnetised_]

I was just gonna say that. This is one of the only videos on this channel I fully understand

[@iopklmification]

Yeah me too, it's weird to feel like the smart kid...

[@Hsel-lc1wt]

Yeah - same here. I love a tune with a good groove!

[@Kemet_hehe]

Same. Percussionist unite!

[@lrgogo1517]

Aaah, so _that's_ why I got it this time. He was talking about note timing rather than all that chord progression stuff!

[@lllPA94lll]

Writing great rhythms - a constant battle between making your beats sick, without letting them die.

[@heavywyvern7277]

that's some sick humor dude. lol

[@Shanx317]

this was really funny thanks

[@PaqAttax]

Thank you so much for this, I greatly appreciate it! I learned a lot from your explanation and the concept behind a Partido Alto. Now I know why the music from this game feels so good to listen to.

[@8bitMusicTheory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kickitoldskool]

Paq Attax Looks like you're first, so you get a Crown: 👑

[@PaqAttax]

Thanks!

[@MisterAppleEsq]

I love me some harmony, but this rhythmic analysis was cool as well! Also, now I'm going to be dancing to Knuckles Chaotix music forever, you jerk.

[@kuribirdie]

groovy as well*

[@MisterAppleEsq]

Why didn't I think of that?

[@Gwunhar]

Your editing is getting very good.

[@GregoryLTaylor]

SOOOOO glad you did this breakdown! Knuckles Chaotix is one of my FAVORITE game soundtracks! I always find myself listening to all the melodies and how it just plays in on its self and makes it so fun! Now thanks to you I know why! Keep up the fantastic work!

[@alondite215]

This might be your best video yet. Isolating the musical section/idea of interest, such as at 3:34, really helps clarify what's being discussed without trying to hear it through the rest of the music. Should definitely do more of that in the future. The editing is getting better, too. Nice work.

[@spookums5499]

I can’t understand half of this yet somehow I’m really really entertained

[@darkeco]

Ok, so this is the first video of yours i've watched and i don't think i've ever had more faith in a KZbin channel. The problem with theory for me is that there's so much information about the theory, but finding information about the APPLICATION, or at least the type of application i'm actually interested in is just so fucking difficult! A channel like this would probably be my dream job if i had the theory knowledge to pull it off. So envious man! :P I'm going to study this video closely. Congrats dude, you're the first channel i've ever wanted to support on Patreon!

[@NanoPlink]

I'm really happy to see more and more rythm analysis! It definitively helps some of my friends who didn't grow up in a rythmic focused environment. Keep up the good work :)

[@8bitMusicTheory]

Good to hear! In my experience rhythm is one of those weird subjects, where rhythmic knowledge/ability varies wildly person to person even among professional musicians. That makes it kind of tough to talk about it in a way that'll appeal to everyone, but it's also a really fun topic to break down!

[@NanoPlink]

I think you did a good job so far keeping those videos interesting *and* appealing. Maybe in the future as you grow the rhythmic knowledge of your viewers through your videos you could try to talk about a more advanced topic :)

[@TheJoukai]

Man, an analysis of Mother 3's music would be super interesting... I'm looking at you Strong One.

[@sonikku956]

It's interesting how new jack swing, acid jazz, house, and much more heavily influenced the music of Classic Sonic.

[@Oliver-tk4ii]

Thank you so much for these videos

[@AdmiralColdhead]

Knuckles Chaotix had that extra retro feel to it that the previous Sonic games didn't have. The drums, the way it sounds, it feels very modern for 16 bit music. I see Knuckles Chaotix's music as a big step toward video game soundtracks. The era it was in was still young and bright, but this was very advanced for that time. This Horizon, Speed of Sound, Decision and Decision 2nd, Take off, and Nice Meeting You. These songs are my personal favorites.

[@AGwolf2097]

I was super excited for Chaotix back when i was like 11 years old; I was a huge Sega and Sonic fan back in the day, and in my eyes Chaotix was yet another Sonic game that I had to own. I love the game, and was quickly able to grasp its mechanics, so I never struggled to play through it... I know the game has been thoroughly maligned for years... it's easy to jump on a bandwagon and joke about "how bad" a game is, but it's actually pretty competent. You can tell it was a little rushed, as it feels like there should be some more substance to it, but once you know how to actually play the game, it absolutely works. Unfortunately, because people have always been so dismissive of it, I think a lot of gamers have missed out on the soundtrack. It makes the Genesis and 32x SING, there's so much energy and variety to the music, and even if some of it is a little too quirky, it's still honest, if that makes sense :P The music makes the game an experience, and I hope your breakdown brings a little more attention to it. I'd love to have seen what you had to say about the special stage music (Tube Panic), about Techno Tower's theme (Electronica) AND it's prototype version from Sonic Crackers, some of the boss themes... I don't really have a grasp of musical language, but it's super neat to see you break down and point out the mechanics of things I've always heard in the songs :)

[@WT_Neptune]

The concept is definitely super amazing. Haven't played it though. I assume the execution is sloppy?

[@AGwolf2097]

it's not so much "sloppy" as perhaps just too obtuse for the casual player. Where the main Sonic games were super easy to pick up (their simplicity belying a reasonably elaborate set of mechanics), Chaotix seems like it expected the player to already know some of the subtle nuances of previous games in the series. That being said, Chaotix STARTS the player with a tutorial, one which teaches the player the core parts of the game's mechanics... And if someone impatiently skips this tutorial, I guarantee they'll have no fkn clue what they're doing as they stumble awkwardly through each stage. The biggest complaints Ive heard about the game are its controls, but if you're at least a reasonably capable gamer, and if you've gone through the tutorial, the game is more than playable. MY complaints with the game stem from how short it is, and I think it's a result of the 32x's failing sales. There's a lot of promise to the game, but I think development was cut short.

[@globalistgamer6418]

It's not sloppy at all, but rather it might expect too much precision from people used to casually running Sonic 2. You need to consider the counterweight of the second character whenever you make a jump, etc. In terms of the core mechanics, Chaotix is great, but the level design is bland, with five similar acts for each zone, which already don't really do enough to differentiate themselves from each other. But most of the levels still have good flow, and I would say overall it's still better than Sonic CD, and maybe on par with Sonic 1.

[@jeremyzorek]

So glad to see you using soundfonts for breaking up the music - hearing tracks with the instruments like they sound in a game helps to hear exactly what you're trying to describe in the music. Keep up the great work!

[@PiousMoltar]

As a big fan of the Chaotix soundtrack, but more notably a big fan of groove metal... you need some groove man. And I never expected a video like this to exist. Groovy.

[@kharrisgtr917]

+1 for the Louis Johnson cameo at 2:25

[@LEGOWillMattAnimations]

Homework can wait

[@brendan9734]

At least you'll get an A in music theory.

[@corgborg1288]

I’ve loved this channel so much since I found it and I’ve actually started analyzing every song I see and listen to. Thank you and keep up the good work!

[@connorkiss2614]

Thank you for doing a video on Knuckles’ Chaotix ! I’ve always felt that it’s soundtrack is hugely underrated

[@willia_music]

"propels the music forward" - while gameplay is doing a slingshot

[@alextirrellRI]

This is my first view on your channel. This stuff is right up my alley. Well done! I especially love the track isolation and your excellent transcriptions!

[@aaronmetz8707]

I've always struggled to isolate what I felt was lacking in my arrangements that I really enjoy about music like this and it's precisely that rhythmic dissonance you talked about in this video. Thanks for the information!

[@Malott0]

Your videos always bring me a rare happiness and interest in what I began to care so little about.

[@Malott0]

Thank you so much for all your hard work and I wish I could support you more

[@ProToTypeBeatmaker]

Many thanks my friend for an in depth look into the interworking concepts of rhythm! This is an eye opener for me!

[@lumigpictures]

I was surprised to see partido alto mentioned here like that. I wonder where you pulled that concept from? Here in Brasil, partido alto usually refers to a specific rhythm pattern applied in samba, and also to a traditional style of samba that involved poetic and melodic improvisation. Clearly, this concept is some sort of adaptation, and it's an interesting idea, but I think it kinda applies simply to samba in general. And I gotta tell you, as a brazilian, that music resembles in no way partido alto or samba as I know them, which goes to show that it's quite an adapted and distorted concept.

[@drizzlemaan]

This channel is bloody brilliant. I love it. Please keep it up.

[@jakedelmastro]

Wow, this is awesome. I've been finding these videos super helpful while writing my own funky video game soundtrack.

[@marseillais3423]

I've been waiting for an episode on Knuckles' Chaotix since I started watching this show! I have always loved this soundtrack for its funky Latin rhythms and laid-back vibes, which make it a blast to play drums or bass to. It totally captures the feeling of a tropical vacation with your best friends. Playing a vinyl release of this music at the start of a summer would be an absolute dream. DATA DISCS, please make this happen!

[@Magkraken2]

I find it amazing that you managed to write a 9 minute video about syncopation without once using the word "syncopation"

[@ThePianoFortePlayer]

Your videos always manage to make me feel good at a visceral level

[@davidglazer1748]

7:40 Timing the word "propels" to the video is a nice touch!

[@travbrack]

8 bit music theory drinking game: Drink when resolution is mentioned

[@Sigmaairav]

I would love to see you make a video breaking down the music of Xenoblade Chronicles. The music of that game has actually made me cry from how much I could feel every note and beat play out in songs like Mechonis Field and Guar Plains. Some of my all time fave music is from the Xenoblade Chronicles OST

[@QueenOfPessimism]

Sigmaairav and Central Factory and Fort Galahad!

[@juliannaroyal4202]

Your videos always inspire me to write some new stuff! Keep up the good work : )

[@vicanthonyortizsanchez8741]

7:16 that rhythm is also the "clave" of every bossa nova.

[@JSevion]

If I don't hear Evening Star one time in this video, I'm going to flip a table 8:44 Ahh. That's better

[@MystycCheez]

I really appreciate these videos because I have literally no where else to learn about rhythm

[@jinkuixtrupador7495]

I don't understand anything about music, but I enjoy your videos, they are very interesting and full of information.

[@dannymusic]

This video and concept is great! When talking about music theory, rhythm tends not to get nearly as much emphasis as pitch and tonality, but it is hugely important and can greatly affect how you hear and are emotionally affected by a piece!

[@8bitMusicTheory]

I couldn't agree more!

[@Gr4pefru1t]

3:14 that "shifting" you mention is called "phasing"

[@marekgogowski7377]

And that kids is how you write Djent. Syncopated 16th notes, dotted rythms and crossing the bar. Slap some 000 on an 8 string using a jazz voicing and booom your famous. Don't bother with odd time, srlsy(Ask Periphery). Awsome video, really helped me to understand some concepts I have been trying to crack lately. Thank you!!!

[@GUIM1797]

This is a great "starter pack" to some groove concepts. It's extremely unfortunate that so much music theory overlooks rhythmic concepts. Rhythm is... SO DEEP! It's amazing when you hear cats that can weave in and out of neighbor tempos and play odd-time signatures with absolute fluidity... BUT can also make a basic back beat sound deeper than the Mariana Trench. Ah, so much magic. And when you start talking about WHERE the hits of your drums are in relation to the absolute beats... oh, man, that's when the groove really starts forming! You start getting in on that deep Dilla/Questlove etc. magic (and so many others).

[@8bitMusicTheory]

It's so funny to me that there's basically whole genres of music devoted to exploring the space inbetween beats in different ways, and yet there's almost no theoretical language to explain that stuff. I mean even right now the closest people get to defining that classic "dilla beat" groove is calling it "that dilla beat groove"

[@GUIM1797]

Yeah, it is really interesting that one of the best (and most important) elements in music is often overlooked. What's funny is that when you start talking to beat makers, producers, and audio engineers some of them will really know what's up when it comes to "how the music sits" in the beat, but a lot of music theorists are just like... "uhhh... but I can tell you what scale an inverted Altered Dorian makes!" For instance I was checking out some DnB/Jungle production and first thing the cat mentions is how delaying the hi hat just a tiny bit behind the snare lets the snare be punchier because of how the transients interact. Then there's the "leave one drum perfectly in time and another one sloppy" concept which can be really dope. Or how two drummers slightly delayed can make a HUGE groove because of that delay making the hits sound so fat. It's sorta like... how we love the "chorus" and "detune" effects because things can be richer when slightly out of tune. Perfect tuning = sterile (generally) Perfect rhythm = sterile (generally) Then you start looking at African and Eastern rhythms and... well, then it's all over. Hahaha.

[@digamejh]

The soundtrack is probably my favorite part of this deeply-flawed game, so thanks for doing this!

[@PiousMoltar]

Definitely my favourite part. The graphics are kinda nice, but also kinda lame. Knuckles himself looks stupid. Mighty looks like a lazy Sonic 1 sprite recolour. Because he is. And the gameplay... oh God the gameplay. Atrocious. But yeah the music was awesome.

[@NickHoad]

This is the kind of thing I'd already worked out as I find rhythms very intuitive, but seeing it put into words and learning that the Pardito Alto has a name is always nice.

[@thePettiest1]

7:31 - "There's also a sick bongo part" Hell yeah, there is xD

[@matvarela]

Omg seeing that 32x box art reminded me of an obscure game i played as a kid called Tempo. It was a freaky platforming game where everything was a music note or a cd or something to do with music... and what a rad theme song that i think used the tag line "the groove is out of sight" lol

[@pfeifanddrum4610]

As a percussionist, this was great. This added a lot to my own creative lexicon :)

[@JustTutupa]

Great video! Really nice editing too!

[@ronaldo.araujo]

Good job, i didn't even know this game existed, it has such a beautiful art

[@SylverANGL]

Great vid, love those ones !

[@chocov1233]

I have always loved Knuckles' Chaotix's (aka "Chaotix" in Japan) soundtrack, but this video has made me truly appreciate it. Now I want to listen to it again.

[@architect_lxnn]

Thanks a lot! nice to see more videos about rhythm!

[@BIZaGoten]

I donteven understand notes but the way you show and explain it made it understandable and i liked it.

[@intelligentshitpastinginc]

Are you going to do another tutorial level sometime?

[@drdca8263]

intelligent shitpasting inc. yeah, I was going to say, I think maybe I need to watch those a few (...dozen...) more times before I get the other videos...

[@JizzburnGigaqueer]

I adore these rhythm analysis vids

[@BenjaminKassel]

Hyper-Hyper gives me a Mario Kart 8 - Electrodrome vibe with the lead synth. Never noticed that before.

[@KazeSenshi2929]

It is good to understand more about Sonic music bass tracks because they are pretty crazy :P

[@AbigBlackcat]

I don't know what you're saying, but I'm still so entertained!

[@thackeryscroggins9947]

Nice video man I’m subbed

[@carlpowell0]

what a fantastic video. thanks for your insight

[@akongas]

Such an awesome game and soundtrack! So under rated, wish they would re release the game

[@techengine64]

Really cool video❗️I have this game for the 32x

[@Chris-zs6fd]

You sir, just made yourself a new patron.

[@starguy26]

All I want for Christmas is an analysis of Animal Crossing New Leafs day cycle music

[@MrTurkmenistan1000]

Reminds me a little bit about fresh prince

[@nickdrexler-art]

Please do more videos on rhythm!!!! this is my favorite episode yet!!!

[@ChazzzyF]

It's cool to see a rhythmic analysis video. Now I just need to one day get an actual income so I can become a patron and recommend another game that's poised for a really good rhythmic analysis video.

[@timnixon9836]

Is there a schedule for your videos? I know making these videos take a long time, from choosing a game’s music to talk about, analyzing songs getting the video clips, etc. but I really like your videos and actually for the past couple days have been wondering when’s your next video. I learn a lot and the ideas you talk about make me think about challenges I can do for my music. If you do have a schedule, is it possible you could let us know what it is? And could I recommend you doing the live stream analyzations again? (either on YT or Twitch)

[@PaqAttax]

TJ he goes by patreon requests. People who donate $10 a month to him via patreon get to make request for whatever they like

[@timnixon9836]

Paq Attax okay I was just wondering if there’s a schedule for his releases? Like does he release on the 15th of every month or the 3rd or whatever. But thanks man

[@PaqAttax]

TJ no problem. I don't think there's really a set schedule from what I've seen. It seems to be completely random with the only consistency being about two or three patreon requests a month.

[@LethalBubbles]

A really interesting thing about this soundtrack is layers PSG Drum samples from the 32X on top of the Mega Drive's usual FM Synthesis. This is normal for a 32X game, where the focus is usually on the PSG with the FM accompanying it. However; in the case of Chaotix, the game was first developed on Mega Drive as "Sonic Crackers". Due to this, some of the tracks seem to be composed so that the FM can stand alone but others don't. I wonder if this can be used to determine when tracks were written by seeing which are FM heavy, but not in Sonic Crackers.

[@tsvtsvtsv]

the PSG makes it sound nearly identical to the game boy advance chip (six years before the GBA existed!) the sonic advance series, mario kart, a bunch of games have remarkably similar sounding samples

[@nickdrexler-art]

I love your videos :D

[@Zero-wt2yd]

We need more rhythmic analysis like this and the Kirby episode which I'd my favorite

[@butcherax]

If only the same level of expertise had been applied to the stage design...

[@TechBlade9000]

Thr rubberband ruined everything

[@junorequiem7199]

I am starting to understand some of the things you're saying and it sounds awesome Come on, after watching a few videos you're bound to start undertanding something

[@Ephex05]

Let's *Groove* tonight! Share the *spice* of life... thanks for the video!

[@TechnoColoredMuffins]

i found it funny when you said you hate using the word groove, i cant help but think of my band director in undergrad. hes an absolutely ancient percussionist and whether and instrumentalist or percussionist messes up, "boy, get in the groove!!" is his go to criticism 😂

[@LunaP1]

This is why I love Knuckles Chaotix soundtrack.

[@LeesPizza]

Oooh, missed an opportunity here. You should have called this video "How Knuckles got his Groove Back"

[@bygon432]

5:19 I've been looking for a name for this rhythm (or the shortened 3+3+2 version) forever. IT'S EVERYWHERE, IS THERE A NAME FOR IT?

[@ryanofarrell186]

Hey 8-Bit, you've mentioned before that Gusty Garden Galaxy uses the Lydian mode. I've noticed it's the same with the Spin-Dig theme. Also, Space Storm and Melty Molten both use Phrygian. Can you do a video on how to use modes from the SMG/SMG2 soundtrack?

[@WT_Neptune]

I just started checking out those themes thanks to your comment. SMG2 seems like it has a super underrated OST. I really like Space Storm.

[@Redhotsmasher]

If you think this percussion is sick, check out the soundtrack to the first Jazz Jackrabbit (especially the bonus stage and title themes). Funky percussion and funky bass lines.

[@64kram]

Anybody who played this game at the time knows the soundtrack is the thing that you remember the most.

[@Inogat]

wow I'm understanding some of it today! Maybe it's getting more accessible ^^.

[@mypaldan]

I bet you are a real treat on the dance floor: "I hate saying groove".

[@alfredoaran3372]

Not being a native english speaker, I've never really been able to understand the concept of "groove", is it strictly tied to the desire to dance-to something? Could someone define it for me please?

[@jjparkrocks]

Groovy music is sort of hard to define anyway. Bands like Earth Wind and Fire are groovy, and classical music isn't (usually). Eventually you'll get a feel for it. I imagine you already know what "groove" is, you just haven't matched it up with the word "groove" yet.

[@stephanvanderwoerd4405]

alfredo aran basicly music that makes you want to dance

[@benjaminfrank9294]

The groove is the syncope : playing hard sounds like snare a little bit later than the clic

[@nickmartin123456]

It's become a bit of a slang word, in addition to a music term, so it can be used in a lot of contexts.

[@TheStarchamber]

The best way I can think of to describe it is... it refers to how well the music flows, *despite* being heavily syncopated. For example: straight beat = no groove. Syncopated rhythms without much structure = no groove. Syncopated rhythms that still make sense with the underlying beat = groove.

[@Sanjixoxo]

This dude launched so many careers and set the for Alex Yard and others for Nerds who talk about video game music 🎉

[@coltonk.3086]

One of the most underrated OSTs ever.

[@deanyockey5939]

I'd love a video on kid chameleon. Its music was groovy as heck, and has a really interesting sound. It's probably some of my favorite game music.

[@violet_broregarde]

5:00 pass the goddamn butter pass the goddamn butter

[@DudeGuy369]

Well Daft Punk made the beat at 1:22 work in Face to Face, in fact that's pretty much the whole drum part.

[@FastRefleksX]

So this is where that one character is from. Neat :P

[@thistleblackfur1694]

If my high school music theory class was this entertaining, I think I would have loved it a lot more.

[@cyurle3940]

Best classic sonic ost out there

[@TripleTSingt]

5:05 the good old deadmau5 eighths ^^

[@evandempsey7613]

You're a groovy dude.

[@adamofathens]

Well done. I would like to see more about rhythm. As Philip Glass once said, we Westerners today tend to focus way more on harmony and not enough about rhythm.