The BEST Video Game Composer Duo You May Never Have Heard Of

[@CadenceHira]

So it turns out they DID make a Solstice 2 (Equinox) which is funny because I used a tune from that in the background music during the ZX Spectrum section. My mistake, I completely missed that. Also the drums in Solstice/Silver Surfer are apparently NOT sample channel, but instead clever triangle/noise magic. Thank you to the people who pointed this out and I'm very very very sad that I missed this because that's much more technically impressive than DPCM samples. Will try my best to deliver higher quality of research in the future👍

[@bouncypear_net]

One more relatively minor thing. There were two types of sound on the ZX Spectrum: the 1-bit beeper speaker, which is what that "crunchy" sound is, and the later 3-voice AY-3 chip used on later, slightly higher-spec versions of the computer. I would include more details but I need to sleep as I write this

[@lf222]

I legit thought you were sarcastically building to the no DPCM reveal

[@SpinningSquareWaves]

As @@bouncypear_net partially pointed out, 1-bit music on the ZX Spectrum is not 3 voiced. Technically, it actually has 0 voices! Any "channels" for 1-bit music have to be coded by hand using the CPU, often using hardware timers. People still make 1-bit music for the ZX Spectrum, and it can have up to 8 - 9 channels, depending on how you count. In fact, some of Tim Follin's sound engines had up to 6: 5 for pitch and 1 percussion channel that interrupted the others. "Chronos" and "Agent X1/2" are excellent examples of this. Edit: "Agent X2", while also having many channels, used an audio expansion for percussion. The AY-3-8910 warrants a separate discussion, though One reason why many of 1-bit songs sound like they only have 3 voices is because many of the channels are playing in unison with a slight detune, which gives a phasing effect to each duplicated note. Without this effect, each voice would just be an extremely thin pulse wave Another note about DPCM, SMB3 is also using that channel for the wood block sound, not just the steel drum. Kirby's Adventure is another track that uses the DPCM very well. One thing that's especially impressive about SNES music is that while samples are present, there is only 64k of RAM for all music, which is also used by the music player for multiple other things, including the sound driver state and an optional echo buffer. So, composers had to be very careful in what samples they used, with many often only being a single wavelength in size to afford more space. What's especially impressive about "Plok!", is that most of the OST only uses 5 of the 8 channels the SNES has to offer. Because of this, multi-note samples were used to achieve greater polyphony, which is not easily done with the SNES's limited sample memory. Also, if you're interested, I would highly recommend GST Channel's Artist Feature on Tim Follin, it does a great job covering the full scope of Follin's work. Also also, please cover more chiptune stuff! It's great to hear chiptune like this being discussed by music theorists 😁 Rest in peace, Mr. Follin 😌

[@tamashitrying]

I have a question about Pokemon Suite , the main theme after the intro part , I am trying to transcibe the theme to piano but can't seem to identify the last chord . I found the orchestral vers. on musescore . So , Can you help me please ?? at .5:30:54 / .5:43:26

[@BenadrylJackson]

Equinox is actually one of my favorites. It creates ambient soundscapes unlike anything else I've heard on the snes. Plus the boss music is an insane banger.

[@halfwitt464]

Geoff Folin and Tim Follin always put any soundchip on the brink of death. Rip Geoff.

[@Triler500]

PLOK MENTIONED

[@sniffyflakes8953]

It is a great day for the PLOK! fandom, rejoice Plokaholics!!! (All three of us)

[@ZTimeGamingYT]

Plok!

[@YuanAurion]

Do this day, I name my Monk or equivalent class characters Plok, 'cause they're throwing fists...

[@rowjelio]

PLOK , AKA the original Rayman

[@azarolotl]

RAHH!!!

[@Magnymbus]

" TIM IT WAS JUST PICTIONARY "

[@montlejohnbojangles8937]

Bless your heart, I had almost forgotten about this comment. XD

[@ItssCurlyFries]

IT'S JUST A PUZZLE GAME TIM! CALM DOWN!

[@snowolf494]

Solstice doesn't even use the DPCM (sample) channel, Follin brothers never used it in any tunes. All drums are made using a clever use of the triangle and noise channel, the triangle doing a quick swipe down to simulate a drum sound.

[@RED40HOURS]

was confused why she said they used the sample channel!! i just accepted it n thought "oh ig they did use samples" lol

[@masicbemester]

yeah there needs to be a pinned corrections comment for this and the "Spectrum speaker has 3 voices", which actually depends on software. What does have three voices is the sound chip in the 128K model of the ZX Spectrum, which isn't what was used for the Tim Follin speaker tunes.

[@CadenceHira]

ok that's crazy, i was trying to figure that out and ended up on the sample channel explanation. triangle kick is insane

[@tsvtsvtsv]

​solstice has Triangle Kick *and* Noise Triangle​ (on the in game music track) @@CadenceHira

[@ShabbyChip]

@@CadenceHira This is actually a very common technique within the chiptune scene.

[@olorin_i_maia]

Just wanna point out, the reason the ZX spectrum music sounds so crunchy is because the 3 channels are generated using software. The ZX only had a single output pin that you could either set high or low. Only makes the achievement more impressive!

[@sniffyflakes8953]

Tim was a technical wizard, even as a teenager. How did he managed to figure out to create more than 3 voices in the ZX Spectrum is nothing but a miracle. The chip was rudimentary, it had no hardware sound support at all. The only thing it had was a single channel beeper that was controlled directly by the machine's main CPU, making synchronous music and gameplay should be near impossible. Yet Tim not only managed to do that, but also creating music that are polyphonic as well??? How much this man disregard and downplay his works baffles me sometimes, he was heck of a genius and a revolutionary!!!

[@MapleLeafletMSX]

Many Speccy Follin songs also used 6 channels, like Chronos or Agent X II

[@bryede]

Yep, it's like the Apple II's sound, just a speaker connected to a single bit of control. You must push and pull the speaker with timed code to make a sound. Even the IBM PC speaker is more advanced since it can hold a tone.

[@tsonez]

This comment should be also pinned.

[@Asterra2]

Yeah there were a lot of technical inaccuracies in this video. The author got confused because a later iteration of the ZX had three SQUARE WAVE channels to tap, and Tim Follin did do some music with said chip, but the 1-bit music is what he's really known for. For the record, he didn't invent the technique per se. It was a common way of getting more out of a simple beeper speaker than a single square wave. Games on the Apple II had been doing it for years. The tradition met its climax, I would say, when the Sega Genesis was forced to play 4-voice digital music through its lone digital voice-the CPU was mixing all four voices. Could only be done for title or other non-intensive moments, as usual. But again, this is something that had already been done on the Amiga.

[@rowdyriolu1]

When the big drop in the Solstice theme hit I audibly went "WHOA"

[@SomethingWellesian]

Man there is so much more to come in that track. You’re in for a treat!

[@musicgardener2142]

When you love Prog Bands like Yes and Renaissance you will fall in love on the spot.

[@amnesite3573]

First heard it as a kid on the NES and it blew both my TVs speakers and my mind

[@danh945]

As a kid playing Solstice required patience because you just had to listen to at least 3 playthroughs of the theme tune before you could start the game haha.

[@amnesite3573]

@@danh945 I got that game as a young kid from my Dad's friend, which came with a couple area maps and a nice little "infinite lives" cheat (spoiler, it did in fact not grant infinite lives) which helped me immensely with playing that game - even with all those lives, learning that game entirely by myself, I burnt through all of them several times over, and it was still a few years before I ever saw the end of the game at all. Good times. Even the main game's music loop was somehow enchanting to me. Both that, and the colors on an old CRT. Definitely no other game experience like it.

[@AstaryuuGaming]

The Follins' work shown in this video sounds like modern music emulating retro-style tunes. Hard to believe these were ACTUALLY composed on those retro consoles.

[@MaxOakland]

YES. They must have been extremely influential on modern indie 8-bit composers. You can really hear it

[@AstaryuuGaming]

@@MaxOakland Absolutely, it seems to me that a lot of the techniques that define chiptune as a genre, like grandiose arpeggiating chords, triangle snares, and so on, were pioneered by the brothers Follin, or at least were popularized by them. That in mind, I'm fully comfortable saying they invented/pioneered/whatever verb you wanna use the music genre, even if at the time *all* game music was "chiptune."

[@WeeG-bwc77]

Talk about ahead of the curve.

[@joelcarrillo9802]

That Bad to the Bone arrangement sounds like it came from the Pokémon Black and White sound font, and it’s honestly impressive

[@flophawk]

waot i just realized is gear station just bad to the bone?????

[@GoobyShears]

@@flophawkno, gear station is just bluesy and bad to the bone uses a blues riff.

[@salmiakenjoyer7877]

Glad I'm not the only one whose brain brought up gear station from the depths of memory, for whatever reason.

[@wavesofbabies]

The whole soundtrack is so, so impressive. Even the Genesis version sounds good (though a lot different obviously)

[@CheesecakeMilitia]

Holy crap I'm so sorry to hear of Geoff's passing. I love that the retro game music community has really rallied around Plok's beach theme as a SNES masterpiece - making that one song more famous than the game itself. Thanks for going through some of the brothers' lesser known work!

[@Bane_Amesta]

The fact that I learned of Geoff's passing from a freaking Othello gameboy game, aka Spot, feels kind of criminal tbh, the game is as garbage as anyone can imagine, but the track that goes when you don't make a move, is insanely good.

[@notsyzagts7967]

The beach theme is good but overhyped. I don't think it's fair that it overshadows several other memorable and fun tunes in Plok. Nearly every song in that game is noteworthy in some fashion. For example, the boss theme is a banger. Let's rally around the WHOLE game and not just a fraction of it.

[@docdordof5063]

I think the ultimate bow to the brothers talents are the mistakes in this video. The ZX spectrum didnt have 3 channels. It had 1. Tim programmed his own music routine (at 14 years old mind you) that was able to interlace several channels in software, and then output it to the 1-bit beeper. This is why it sounds as tim himself put it "nails in a vacuum". Since any other waveform would be unnecessarily taxing on the cpu. But also, the brothers nes games didnt use samples, they used a rare technique of combining the triangle and noise channel to create the drums, which not only sounds great due to their clarity compared to the sample channel but also acts as a natural sidechain on the bass since only one sound can be played per channel at once. This made them clearer and louder than they would have been had they simply been stacked with the sample channel like most games did. They never cease to amaze.

[@cool3865]

i thought he was 14 when he was making music for the Spectrum?

[@docdordof5063]

@@cool3865 indeed he was, my bad!

[@DeskoDev]

Worth noting that the ZX Spectrum 128, released at the tail end of 1985, and most models released after did have a built-in 3-channel PSG (AY-3-8910, same as the MSX standard and Amstrad CPC line), so that's not entirely incorrect. Tim's earliest soundtracks were only made for the beeper, but he also used the PSG in most of his later games. Agent X II and Raw Recruit's title screens even used the beeper and PSG noise at the same time on models that supported it - this video just shows the pure beeper for the latter though.

[@Peepimus]

13:32 - Actually, I’m pretty sure there actually IS a Solstice 2. It’s just that it doesn’t the exact name being known as Equinox on the SNES. And yes, Tim/Geoff Follin return to compose for that game which overall sounds way more immersive than their usual straight-up bangers.

[@Kawa-oneechan]

Equinox is in fact called "Solstice II" for the Japanese release.

[@lotepamera9271]

no flak for the overlooking hira, but you literally put equinox music in the 2nd section of the video. how

[@cadenceslow]

gwimbly saying "ooh ooh ooh" out of shitty wiimote speakers is exactly what I needed to hear today

[@heretible]

Had no idea who these guys were and thought "oh a bunch of soundtracks from games I've never heard of might find something new and cool" only to realise I knew almost every song transcribed. My respect for the work that goes into this stuff has skyrocketed, thanks for making this video, it's really well made and can see how much effort it took.

[@ZTimeGamingYT]

The Follin brothers pushed the limits of what was possible and broke new ground in places no one thought to break, which is why I love their work. Everything they make is absolutely insane. R.I.P. to Geoff.

[@thawmas]

PLOKKERS FOR LIFE WE STAND BY PLOK TILL THE DAY WE DIE OORAH🫡🫡🫡

[@BillimanMCjon]

PLOK FOR LIFE

[@Nawakooo0]

I never expected Cadence to cover my favourite game OST ever but I'm so glad she did. More people need to know about Plok!!!!!

[@Shep-1701]

i LOVE my GRANDPAPPY and i HATE FLEAS!!!!!!

[@skittstuff]

boss makes a dollar, i make a dime. that's why i plok on company time

[@jiggyshark4511]

There's never gonna be enough words in the English dictionary to describe just how hard the Silver Surfer music goes. There's something about it that just makes the game feel so much more action packed than it is. It's a shame that the Follin brothers never quite got that big impactful game to put their stamp on, but they absolutely elevated every game they composed for. By far the greatest chiptune tracks of all time. Rest in peace Geoff, may your legacy shine ever bright

[@NickJerrison]

"The [...] Duo You've Never Heard Of" The first sentence in the video: "[...] you've probably heard of Tim and Geoff Follin" I jest of course. This was a lovely video! The news of Geoff's passing came out of nowhere and I didn't know it would affect me this much. The soundtracks mentioned here are almost exactly the ones I went to listen to after hearing the news.

[@Noel2339]

12:56 OKAY CADENCE Love how well-edited these videos have gotten. From the short memes spawning here and there to that little stereo jumpscare. Great stuff!

[@oliviawallace3636]

having never heard of these fine lads or solstice before, going from "oh this is a nice little tune!-" to "-HERE WE F-ING GOOOOOOOOO" in 2 seconds flat was a lifechanging experience, and i thank you for it

[@QactisX]

Go check out his interviews, Charles Cornells video on Pictionary, and compilations of Tim and Geoff’s music. Every single song they put out was a banger

[@martinthemarine920]

i used to listen to tim follin on the way to my college classes every single morning. i'd think, "maybe i should listen to another album today", and then i'd pull up the plok ost. so happy to see this video

[@samelCamelCase]

unironically my fav composer: Tim "ITS JUST PICTIONARY" Follin

[@hyakin7818]

If sega hired that duo to work on sonic 3 and knuckles michael jackson wouldn't have been ashamed to be credited as he described that his music can't be replicated on it as he thought it could

[@cool3865]

Tim did make a soundtrack for the Genesis, it was for a game that never got released, he also stated that he regrets not making more music for the Genesis

[@Commrade-DOGE]

@@cool3865time trax.

[@blitzy1993]

​@@cool3865 I believe it was Time Trax?

[@saulcross9690]

The ZX spectrum beeper had only 1 channel, it could simply be switched between two states and nothing more; that makes what Tim Follin did with it even more astonishing…

[@BigNerdSam]

>Spectrum uses crunchy 1 bit audio "Oh okay." >Smooth-as-silk Follin track playing "WAIT WHAT DID HE-"

[@clamsauce6239]

Great vid, I love the Follins' work. Minor nitpick, though - they did actually make a Solstice 2! Equinox for the SNES, music also composed by the Follins. RIP Geoff.

[@CadenceHira]

oh dang i didn't know that! i even used the equinox ost in the first bit and never noticed that. thanks for the correction!

[@-originalLemon-]

And how was cadence hira supposed to know that equinox is the sequel to solstice? It doesn't even sound like a sequel name, something like "Solstice II" or "The second solstice" would make sense. Or better yet, even "iceloss" would've made more sense since it's an anagram.

[@Henchgirls]

@@-originalLemon- Both are terms for specific parts of the year, the solstice is when the sun is the highest or lowest in the sky, the equinoxes are the midpoint between those two

[@bfish89ryuhayabusa]

​@@-originalLemon- I mean solstices and equinoxes are directly connected moments. In summer and winter, you have solstices. Their equivalents in spring and fall are equinoxes. Also, when you boot up the game, it does say "Solstice II", which was its official title in Japan.

[@lucasexequielvelazquez9156]

You should listen to the "Ghouls n' Ghosts" (for the Commodore 64) theme Tim made. There's an oscilloscope view of it on youtube. In that song he emulates the sounds of rain, wind, bells, clavichords, footsteps, heart beats, etc. using only three channels!

[@Nyalcoholic]

That Steel Drummy sound is called a Timbale !

[@owlyus]

Equinox is technically Soulstice 2, or maybe just a spiritual successor I dunno

[@bfish89ryuhayabusa]

It says "Solstice 2" on the title screen, and that was its official title in Japan.

[@christianslaughter8724]

Geoff passed away in April. Rest in peace ):

[@cjmarsh504]

RIP 😢

[@KINGTONY6]

I was really hoping to hear you talk about the boss theme from Plok. Regardless, fantastic video! I love the Follin brother's music and your breakdowns so this was something I'd hoped to see at some point.

[@CadenceHira]

when i was recording gameplay the plok boss theme jumpscared me with the laugh sample lmao great tune though i would have probably talked about that if i talked about a second plok tune

[@richtw]

@@CadenceHira I randomly came across the Plok soundtrack the other day, and the tune which stood out for me, as well as the Beach theme, was Back Home. Plenty of amazing chord progressions there! kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4PInqFrhbuEpc0

[@ollikuu]

Wild turtlebro spotted 🌞

[@De_an]

There are so many beat drops made by the Follin brothers that I wish I could experience for the first time again.

[@Dudeman23rd]

I'm convinced that hearing the bass kick in on the Plok boss theme for the first time permanently changes your brain chemistry.

[@jamespetercharles7532]

idk how but that last "rest in peace, Geoff" was one of the most emotional and soft condolences I have ever heard. this comment does not take away the magnificence of their work, only serves to amplify that subtle detail

[@clownypants2718]

we found them. they're literally the soundtrack brothers

[@TheTurnipKing]

the beeper didn't have three channels. thats all in software. The 128k also had a three channel AY sound chip in addition to the beeper, but the 48K only has the beeper.

[@kenneththompson4257]

I love the way your videos highlight how much care and love went into making these compositions. Your passion for the music really shines through the videos and brings me a deeper appreciation for the music even though I have no music theory background. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

[@wrolynwhitetree5956]

13:32 they actually DID make a Solstice 2. It's called Equinox, for the SNES. The Follin brothers are also credited as the composers.

[@MaxOakland]

I like the way you break apart the songs and show the chords and also the way you show the sheet music. That’s really cool and informative!

[@TANKAKUKA]

I think what drives me crazy about 9:51 is that there were only 2 samples used to create every synth chord combination in Plok, with each sample having the 1st, 4th, and 6th note in a major/minor chord. For the first 8 measures, 2 samples play what would've been a major 5th, with alternating phrases being played 2 semitones lower. Because each sample *is* a chord, however, it plays out 6 notes which result in a huge chord playing 1-4-5-6-8-10 (i think?). Super useful with playing so many notes as the entire soundtrack only uses 5 simultaneous channels to play its music (would highly suggest looking at an oscilloscope video of the ost :D). It is impossible to find a song on the ost without either the synth or guitar chord samples.

[@ssg-eggunner]

Not entire The title screen uses 8 channels

[@TANKAKUKA]

@@ssg-eggunner Yeah that's fair though its the only exception since most other tracks need to account for (and thus allot 3 channels to) sfx during gameplay. Title screen's not gonna have sfx so they used every channel possible.

[@LucasRCD]

It reminds me of how Jun Ishikawa, main composer of HAL games for the SNES, also composed most tracks for the system using only 5 channels (with the exception of Arcana, which uses 6). It's why the soundfonts for those games have such punchy percussion, to give the illusion of a fuller sound than it actually has as very rarely does the percussion take more than one channel (on occasion it's 2 for certain sections of music, usually accompanied by 2 string ensemble/brass channels and one bass channel), unlike most games on the system which use multiple channels for drums and have them share channels with sound effects.

[@fehzorz]

What's it called in music theory when a tune has a beginning where it implies it is far less dynamic and energetic than it is? Solstice, Pokey means business. Outside video game music, Deja Vu from Initial D (which also has a very interesting key change). Raining Blood starts as thrash then gets unusually and unexpectedly fast. Anyway it's my favourite thing in music

[@TheCatull]

Danke!

[@ISuperI]

Follin brothers mentioned, let's go! I remember stumbling with Solstice's theme back then a few years ago, listened to it out of morbid curiosity, and BOY what a pleasant surprise, then began searching through KZbin more about the composer's works and holy shit, the Follin brothers deserved way more than what they got

[@robogod3000]

Tim Follin rocks on EVERY System (especially on the C=64!)!! R.I.P. Geoff Follin(I ♥️ your SlySpy-Tune on the C=64!)

[@thedude5295]

This was a great vid. I had no idea that so many of my favorite tracks in games when I was a kid were made by the same guys. Bubble Bobble, Rock 'n Roll Racing, Solstice... all made by the same dudes. Who knew?

[@Bthelick]

Great breakdown and fitting tribute to the Folin legends.

[@flophawk]

8:23 YOU CANT JUST HIT ME WITH THIS OUT OF NOWHERE SJFJMDJFJDJG

[@swordleader_anim]

Ill always be a villian.. RUHEHEHEHE

[@RicharRest]

Very good tribute to the Follin brothers. R.I.P Geoff. They continue to be one of the best composers for video games. The first time I heard the Solstice soundtrack it blew my mind. Good video!

[@WimpyMcWeaksauce]

It's so funny that this tribute to 2 talented composers also includes that clip of DJ Khaled pretending to play a guitar.

[@prismarin3]

Never heard of these two before, but you can be sure that everyone I know will soon.

[@roboticbaboon3125]

The ZX Spectrum only had ONE 1-bit voice.. Or more bluntly, it just had one speaker whose membrane you could push to one side or the other - a total of two choices which amounts to one bit and nothing else. Squeezing more voices into it was Tim Follin's magic.

[@woodyxbready8189]

The fact that you transcribed their original music and even added your own "left to right stereo effect" is beautiful

[@daserfomalhaut9809]

I love when objective very straightforward videos like this have just the smallest bits of goofy editing and out there jokes just to keep you on your toes. The Big Bird clip killed me. Also, my favorite Follin theme is definitely the 60hz version of the Time Trax intro theme. That song went stupid.

[@TheDendran]

12:24 "...was intended to invoke a Stevie Wonder kinda vibe, and I can totally see that." My stoopid a$$: "Well, HE _did not..."_

[@Dudeman23rd]

Boooooo hisssssss

[@douglasyellow]

the c64 ghouls and ghosts soundtrack by tim is also incredible rip geoff :(((

[@eljidreigon8316]

Its crazy to me that nobody has mentioned yet in one of this style of videos diving into the Follin brothers works the Ghouls n Ghosts title theme for the C64, genuinely one of the most atmospheric tracks i have ever heard from a system from that era, it emulates somebody knocking on a door, wind, breathing and a realistc heartbeat, crazy stuff Great video! You gained a new sub

[@Andres33AU]

The Follin Brothers pushed the sound of each respective hardware to their absolute limits, it doesn't sound like anything else I've heard! RIP Geoff, your contribution to video game music will live on forever!

[@mirabilis]

RIP Geoff. You made some wonderful music. You brightened my world.

[@DaedalosC9]

its worth mentioning that in Rock n Roll Racing's Born To be Wild, the last part its exclusive to the game, pure Follin crazyness from the 3:28 in the track (unless its an improvisation from a live concert im not aware of)

[@capncoolio]

Okay I'm subbing af - just from how INTO the music you are, I know I'm gonna enjoy your work :)

[@LucasRCD]

Also, I'm surprised you never heard about Tim Follin's involvement in the soundtrack for the unreleased Genesis version of Time Trax, which was the only time he ever worked with the Genesis hardware.

[@Preohhh]

Hey, nice video! Great breakdowns of the tracks, and overall very good editing throughout. Definitely subscribed! The Follin brothers' music is very inspiring. To work with the limitations you have and embrace them, really showing that it isn't about the gear. Any piece of equipment is just a tool. Hats off to the Follin brothers and RIP to Geoff.

[@88bit]

Great video highlighting two of video game's most innovative composers!

[@Happter-N-Friends]

Tim, you didn't need to go so hard it's JUST PICTONARY.

[@BEHEMONAUT]

Thanks for the video, i got an education i needed but wasn't looking for. I own the game solstice but not a working NES, and the game was way too difficult to get into. Never heard of these guys but I'm glad I did.

[@whismurmagic7903]

Coming from a Yes fan, solstice at 4:32 is a direct riff from one of their albums (tales from topographic oceans I think?) so cool

[@leonardoalmeida1779]

That was really cool. Thank you! And congrats for the transcriptions!!!

[@silask.1966]

I CANT even begin to say how much I love your videos.

[@MFMegaZeroX7]

RIP Geoff. I didn't realize he died! Both Tim and Geoff were some of my favorite game composers.

[@ace0135]

great video I love watching video game music theory videos (even though I know squat about music theory) But I never would have guessed that composers making tracks from that far back would be so ahead of their time

[@vgmandstuff1381]

I love that Tim famously hated composing for the older hardware because of the limitations. He's done some real funk with Starsky & Hutch for PS2 once limitations were no more (and unfortunately, stopped composing for video games after its release). Thanks for your video, and thanks to the Follin brothers for all the inspiration. RIP Geoff

[@talideon]

Nah, it's the opposite: Tim enjoyed the older platforms more. He wasn't so much a fan of sample-based composition. After the SNES and Megadrive, he was spending more of his time in DAWs, which didn't afford the same kind of control and wizardry FM and subtractive synthesis afforded him. It's one of the major reasons he left the industry.

[@Moewenfels]

I always hear it as "fallen brothers" and its just as epic as their music.

[@NukeOTron]

13:31 Technically, Solstice 2 would be Equinox on the SNES, to the point where it was named Solstice 2 in Japan. Also features the Follins.

[@LucasRCD]

Solstice 2's (AKA Equinox) boss theme is an underrated banger from the Follin brothers. My favorite part of it is how the main beat is generated by just rapidly pitching up and down a single layered string(?) sample in such a way that it produces a popping sound, which makes for an instantly memorable techno beat. Would've been interesting to hear you talk about it and the sequel's overall change in music genre, being one of the few primarily ambient soundtracks on the system, alongside Jeremy Soule's work on Secret of Evermore. Another thing that could've been interesting to bring up would be the unreleased Genesis version of Time Trax, which was the only time the brothers worked on the Genesis hardware. Oh well.

[@k3ywarrior]

the plok's beach theme is the one song i've heard in YTPMV community but never knew where it was coming from, just hearing it came from SNES game made my mind blow nice video!

[@tsvtsvtsv]

12:24 the trumpet solo on this section of the track is actually a direct reference to dizzy gillespie's solo on Do I Do! figured that out ages ago but never heard that he talked about that influence. really neat stuff

[@biigoo2296]

Gosh, ive been really enjoying your videos, it makes me want to get back into music and try to learn a few instruments again while studying music theory properly.

[@shipmateadrian]

I love your style of videos. You seem so passionate about these topics and it's really contagious. Keep up the great stuff! :)

[@doxboxentertainment7649]

Immediately bought Solstice and may be streaming it soon

[@Sakanakao]

Tim and Mike Follin actually did a fantastic arrangement of the Bubble Bobble music for the Atari ST version published by Software Creations. I kinda thought that's where you were going with showing Bubble Bobble footage, but I didn't notice a mention of it at all, and it seemed to be the NES version which Tim wasn't involved with.

[@CadenceHira]

I was going to talk about it! but decided to cut it from the script to talk about bad to the bone instead. left the bubble bobble gameplay as an easter egg and also because I didn't have a zx Spectrum or atari st emulator.

[@sniffyflakes8953]

The recent surge of musicians discovering the genius of the Follin Brothers warms my heart, never thought you would make a video on them as well, what a pleasant surprise! Also, rest in peace Geoff Follin, it is a shame that one of the most incredible and underrated chiptune composers had passed away. P/S: The drums in Solstice, Silver Surfer are actually produced by the triangle channel! A common technique chiptune composers often utilized is to have constantly switching between the drums and the bass produced by the triangle channel. The drums are created by quickly pitching downwards the triangle, while simultaneously played with the drums created by noise channel, giving it a more realistic feel while saving space, as the DPCM would often take too much space!

[@Peepimus]

I’d feel like there needs to be more people who dissect the interesting music from more underrated classics. Some of mine are Mr. Nutz (SNES) & The Adventures of Batman & Robin (Genesis) which truly have their spark.

[@Mystic_Apollo]

Mentioning plok without that insane boss music track is criminal! Great video though, thanks for explaining some of these crazy sounds

[@capncoolio]

That first piece you featured, where you spoke about the interesting movement and tonality was a great one to start on - how did they even manage something so jazzy with that tech?!

[@StevenCusic]

I'm composing a remaster for that Solstice tune right now after watching this, i got all kinds of synths new and old but this would be great using the Korg X5DR it's the perfect blend of crunchy and dynamic which this requires

[@Retriku]

1:13 - It's worth mentioning that the clip you used for the theme song of Raw Recruit on the ZX Spectrum incorporated BOTH the beeper speaker for the main melody, AND the 3-voice AY sound chip only for the snare drums (you can faintly hear it in the clip, but it's there), and that's only present in the 128K models, which I believe is what Zeusdaz was using during his recording of the game. If played on the original 48K model, the snare drums from the AY chip are replaced with small rimshot soundalike clicks. This technique of using the beeper and AY sound chip isn't something only Tim Follin knows how to do. Jonathan Dunn, composer of the iconic title theme for RoboCop on the Game Boy and home computers, did the total opposite of it in his ZX Spectrum rendition of Chase H.Q. theme, where he used the beeper speaker for the drums, and the AY sound chip for the melody. The ZX Spectrum had two model variants during its commercial lifespan, the 16K/48K, which ONLY had a beeper speaker; and the ZX Spectrum 128K models (The 128, +2 grey and black, and +3), which included both the AY chip and beeper speaker.

[@bhamiltoncx]

13:37 Gwimbly always was my favorite in Smash Bros, but his debut in the Commodore 64 classic game “Mail Order Fentanyl-Heads” was always my favorite.

[@juli1403]

I love the consistent thumbnails! (Oh, and the video's not bad either, I guess)

[@CadenceHira]

gotta milk the algo

[@greatspaceadventure]

Cadence please do a spotlight on Jake Kaufman’s illustrious and colorful compositions!!! I’d love to see a music theory breakdown because that dude does some CRAZY stuff in a lot of his tracks :))))

[@lboy9889]

Love that you use Musescore! And the Musescore jazz font for your intro

[@stevenjones8575]

Now is a good time to mention that 1. the last half of the Chronos theme blows my mind, I don't know how he does that on a beeper, and 2. for some reason when Plok's beach theme loops, it doesn't return to the original tempo, it stays slowed down. Even the best among us make mistakes.

[@Plasmariel]

I feel like that's part of the song's charm and was in fact intended

[@LucasRCD]

Amusingly, the reverse occurs with Equinox's boss theme: It stays increased in tempo when looping.

[@Plasmariel]

@@LucasRCD that's also intended

[@LucasRCD]

@@Plasmariel I'm aware. I just find it amusing.

[@genericfriend2568]

When you took home a game featuring these guys, you weren't just taking home a game, you were taking home something impossible. You were taking home pure magic. If NileRed is the scientific equivalent of a modern alchemist, Tim and Geoff Folin were the video game equivalent of modern alchemy. Their work is beyond stunning.

[@WeeG-bwc77]

4:28 h o l y S H I T

[@mapg519]

Mfs really needed to show off

[@Zeldaschampion]

I'm glad somebody else took notice to these guys. Some of my favorite VG soundtracks weren't written by them.

[@katepuddings2]

TIM FOLLIN LESGOOOOO Plok my beloved ❤ And rip Geoff :(

[@SinisterSwiss]

Masters of their craft, the world is already a less soulful place without Geoff, RIP

[@NoelStalker]

I love your transcriptions!

[@vividescence]

the minute i saw the title i knew who it was and i love them so much

[@qaaris4280]

Tim also worked on the soundtrack for a game called "Future Tactics: The Uprising" and it is some of the best rock I have _ever heard._

[@thatmr.a8010]

Tim's been a personal hero of mine for 35 years, and is my fave VGM composer. I was so fascinated by these really crappy games that were my favourites because of Tim's magical melodies.

[@CBM64]

Their C64 tracks sound more raw and organic than most of the nes/snes tunes due to the nature of the SID chip. Be sure to check it out.