Nintendo Couldn't Stop Tweaking SM64's Music

A look at how Nintendo pulled a George Lucas on Super Mario 64's music across its different releases, even butchering it on its latest.
0:00 - You remember SM64, right?
1:24 - OST
7:04 - Disk Version
8:50 - Dual Screen
11:35 - All Stars
14:03 - SM64's music is personalized?
15:07 - Is Nintendo gaslighting you?
2 Corinthians 5 21

[@dublincalif]

I didn’t expect this video to get the attention it has, so firstly thank you for that. I’ve noticed a lot of the same feedback, so I want to address some here. Most common is people not hearing the differences. I expected this with some clips, but I did think some were more noticeable at the time. I’m a bit of an audio and music enthusiast, so I should’ve realized those details would stand out much more to me. Some people also came just expecting larger differences, which is understandable. Next is not showing enough audio comparisons. I had to keep the length of what I did show short due to the excessive copyright abuse in the YT system, but I agree that I still should’ve shown more. Another is taking issue with the idea of me conveying this as a ‘conspiracy’. That was a joke, but I understand if it wasn’t clear, funny, or well executed. Some people also either took issue with or didn’t “get” the writing style I experimented with. I was trying to make this niche subject more digestible and engaging, but I simply failed, and I would have written this video differently in hindsight. I also think I failed conveying the intention behind this video. I mainly wanted to share that these differences existed in the first place, since discussion or documentation of them hardly exists in any capacity online. Of course, some because they're minor, but I couldn't find discussion of major ones like the SM3DA release either. Finally, I noticed some common misconceptions about the OST release, and I think this is due to me glancing over some important details. I'll dump a lot more info about it below for anyone interested. I appreciate all of the feedback, and I will take it all into account to try and make better videos in the future. Like I mentioned in this video, the Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack (PCCG-00357) was made largely with the help of Pony Canyon. They're a company that specializes in making soundtrack releases of various media, typically for CD at the time. In this soundtrack, they are credited for manufacturing, distribution, as one of the executive producers, along with some other roles. Hirokazu Tanaka is credited as director, but as far as I can tell, he was not involved with, or at least not publicly credited in SM64 on the N64. Koji Kondo is only credited as composer, piano (for the piano arrangement of Piranha Plant's Lullaby), and commentary (in the booklet). It seems he didn't have too much control over this particular soundtrack release, with various impactful roles being credited to other people. It's hard to even gauge exactly how much he had to do with the final outcome of SM64's music on the N64. He did sound programming on SNES games he composed for, but not with the N64. He could have been working closely with Hideaki Shimizu, the sound programmer credited in SM64, but it's likely he was focusing more on the composition side. He said he composes by immersing himself in the game and each section he's composing for, but with N64 games, that often leaves him working with intense deadlines due to those games typically only coming together some months before release. The back cover of the SM64 OST (PCCG-00357) thanks Nintendo staff members for helping while under tight schedules coinciding with the game's release. This soundtrack was released after the game, but seems to have begun production before the game's release. It also says it's made as the first installment of their "Nintendo 64 Sound Series" with hopes of having a broader audience enjoying music from their games. With all of this, there's a lot of room for speculation about specific details, but I think that should help clarify some of the common misunderstandings about the role and production of the OST.

[@T1duzz]

Was about to give Feedback on the fact that you talk about stuf but don't show the comparisons. Now that you mentioned the copyright system of YT it makes a lot of sense! But you should not put your work down as much. You have a very pleasant way of talking and one can feel your enthusiasm for the craft. Don't forget that most people who like something, do not comment. This is your channel, and you know your intentions. Trust in that. I watched your Wii Video first before this one and immediately subscribed. Also I love that you are sharing so many Midis on your website FOR FREE. Rare sight. These Videos are a solid foundation. Excited for your future content. Keep these docs coming! Make the Videos you want and dont think about if its "boring" or not.

[@LoopHole101Z]

Appreciate this post alot, cleared up a bunch of things. I apologize for my rudeness. This video got me genuinely interested, and I really want you to remake this video!!!

[@TheUnbearded]

"That's actually quite a difference, huh?" Me: 🤷

[@zs9652]

That was my reaction too lol. It just sounds less compressed in the official soundtrack.

[@painzockt]

​@@zs9652Oh THAT'S the difference? I was thinking I'm tone deaf or something...no surprise I didn't noticing anything watching this in my old smart phone.

[@jordy9606]

might be a placebo but i thought the bass was louder in the ingame version

[@Desparil]

I went back and rewatched that part three times because the only difference I could figure was the second one was a bit louder maybe?

[@AJLord]

​@@jordy9606i noticed that too actually!

[@stef7309]

EVERY MARIO 64 SOUNDTRACK IS PERSONALISED

[@gtfhfve]

OH MY GOD

[@mrjacktraphere3665]

NO WAY

[@EWTHEBEASTYT]

Bruh LOL love that theroy though

[@magnawaves]

MIYAMOTO CAN'T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!!

[@FortitudeJude]

Not really

[@brickblock369]

It's also worth mentioning that in 64 DS, Hazy Maze Cave's sine wave instrument in the beginning was replaced with the electric organ.

[@zheil9152]

Probably because the tiny speakers were so bad you couldn’t make out those low bass notes at the volume they would be in the N64 track

[@alexdoll4258]

​@@zheil9152 Yeah this is the reason. The DS speakers cannot output the kind of quality sound that was needed for the song or something along those lines so they just changed the song.

[@LandonEmma]

Sadly

[@Lou-yf1jo]

no

[@dutchdykefinger]

@@zheil9152 to be fair, even on good speakers, if change up the notes quick enough you still will hardly the difference between a E1 and F1 on a true sine wave that only carries the fundamental :D

[@Sauraen]

So I worked on the community tool for N64 music including SM64, and based on what I've seen and some external info about how music development went back then, this is likely roughly what happened. When Koji Kondo composed the music in his studio, he produced basically the OST version. It's very unlikely the music publisher modified the mixing or anything like that. Then he handed the MIDIs and instrument samples to the sound programmer, who implemented them in game. This is a combination of running them through some tools to convert them to the formats expected by the audio engine, as well as some manual work. If something came out way off compared to the OST version, it would have been fixed by hand, but if it was a little different, they would have moved on. Shindou used a later version of the audio engine where the release rate parameter got interpreted differently. It's been years since I touched this but I think might be something like: the SM64DD version is with the new audio engine but the old sample banks (reinterpreting the releases), and the Shindou version is that but after the sound programmer went back through and tweaked things. Perhaps the original release rate interpretation was a bug. Anyway, the OST is probably the canon version and the Shindou version is probably the canon N64 version, even though I'm used to and therefore like the JP/US version better.

[@dublincalif]

I think the publisher (and or the studio) were involved in the mixing of the OST, since they're credited as such on the back of the CD. I personally don't view it with too much authority. But I wasn't aware the Shindou version used a different audio engine. I'll have to take a closer look at it, I'm especially curious if there's any differences in the samples, even if extremely minor.

[@spyfoxguy]

In case anyone else was wondering, the tool he's referring to is called seq64.

[@bicyclesoda716]

@@dublincalif It is closer to what they used in OoT/MM.

[@codydfwn]

Was n64 the last console to implement audio engine/sound font? 🤔..

[@Sauraen]

@@codydfwn No, Nintendo used newer versions of the same dynamic music system (called Music Macro Language) for some BGM as late as Skyward Sword, and I think it's still in use for sound effects in BotW / TotK.

[@TheFirehands150]

Am i going insane or are people just finding out older consoles had lower quality music compared to the official soundtrack?

[@Polengue]

Wait until mfs starting saying "b-b-but art is not always intentional" like denying the way the music should actually be by it's creators

[@Professor_Utonium_]

You're seeing one of the many results of people getting into games that were made way before their time. A lot of the things that were given or taken for granted back then are completely alien to newer generations of people.

[@mariotheundying]

The problem probably is just sm64 being released early in the n64 life, if it had been released later (which wouldn't be a good decision), it would probably be fixed

[@agentblackbird9435]

I’m 20 but I *loved* BrawlBRSTMS as a kid, so I distinctly remember seeing the “OST version” label on songs from Mario 64 What song eventually made me realize it was different was Lethal Lava Land, because in-game some of the sitars sound off in one section

[@bluecar5556]

It's what happens when dingbats are born after the console released and have no clue what they are talking about. Imagine being born into an era with more modern consoles that didn't have such limitations. Clickbait.

[@tres4945]

Something that has always bothered me, is that the water theme is called "Dire, Dire Docks" when actually the music is played WAY before that course, in Jolly Roger Bay

[@thestripedmenace]

Tbh, DDD is a way more memorable stage...

[@Wrenchy247]

I think Dire Dire Docks was made before Jolly Roger Bay in development

[@raythepretentiousnerd]

@@thestripedmenaceBecause it’s bad

[@prodbyquick]

same with mario 3d world "footlight lane" appears WAYYY before that stage, in world 2's puffrod peaks

[@raythepretentiousnerd]

@@Wrenchy247 Yeah it was if I’m not mistaken one of the first levels to be developed for the game

[@gradient5319]

A little bit of criticism I have with this video is you comment on a bunch of differences with the sound and you don't show examples for a lot of them. I wish you would so we wouldn't have to just be wondering what you were talking about or having to find all different versions of the OST to listen to. Great video, tho, very cool info you brought.

[@toxic_shr00m]

Yeah, especially with Bob-Omb Battlefield, in which they clarified a difference I didn't notice when listening to the two clips back to back earlier in the video, then didn't play the clips again. Of course, I could just go back and listen again with the knowledge, but you typically don't want viewers to do more work than it's worth to understand a point, right?

[@Zawmbbeh]

I feel like the actual MIDIs were transferred with all the right instruments, allowing some touches here and there, some reverb, etc. It makes sense, it’s the VG OST equivalent of a remaster. It’s kind of like a level under those “Restored” videos, still maintaining the right sample rates and whatnot.

[@Zawmbbeh]

on that, the PAL reverb is a bit odd, I could always tell it apart based on the really odd sounding coin sound at the start of the game.

[@ssg-eggunner]

Atleast restored ones try to be accurate aside from sample rate

[@GamingGardevoir]

@@ssg-eggunnerSuper Mario 64 restored songs are high sample rate versions of the OST version

[@silentzorah]

I literally did not know about the stereo panning differences because I played Mario 64 on a mono CRT.

[@FigureFarter]

Poor you, Colonel would've shamed you

[@Sebeats98]

A mono TV...

[@carlosemilio5180]

​@@FigureFarterit was the 90's, kojima was being a bit mean there

[@artey6671]

@@FigureFarter I immediately thought of that after reading. To be fair, it probably is rather difficult to destroy a Hind D when your hearing is impaired.

[@bellowingsilence]

@@carlosemilio5180I think it’s something that a LOT of people would never notice, because many folks were running some old ass CRT TVs well into the 2000s… and after that, we “graduated” to the crappy little speakers we have on LCDs now… which are “stereo,” I suppose, but good luck enjoying the intricacies of any kind of audio through those.

[@melohavoc]

i read the title as Nintendo Can't Stop Tweakin

[@badusername765]

I’m surprised you missed the fact that the “plucky sine instrument” in Hazy Maze Cave is completely replaced with an electric organ in the DS version.

[@Tomtycoon]

When Mario dies in the all star version, the last 'HA' from Bowser is cut off. You only hear 4 insted of 5. Seriously frustrating me!

[@Zadamanim]

The most frustrating part for me is that Mario's voice lines are all pitched up in the All Star version.

[@LizardDude]

Good info. I do have a critique: It's very hard to think about intricate differences in pieces of music while you're blasting completely unrelated music at all times.

[@dublincalif]

Did you find the background music too loud, or would you have preferred there to be none?

[@LizardDude]

For a vid that's about music specifically, either none or the piece you're currently talking about.

[@MrTree-tr7pu]

@@dublincalif I appreciate the background music, personally! Although potentially slightly quieter could have made it easier to distinguish your voice.

[@andreiboroianu946]

@@LizardDude *your

[@JoeyQuint]

Just a few remarks about the video: it would have been nice to put more side to side comparison, pointing the difference, rather than just showing the version that was just mentioned. Especially at the beginning, there is a side to side comparison for Bob-omb battlefield but no difference is pointed out (reading the comments it seems it was about the panning, but I couldn't hear it on my speakers), and then differences are mentioned for Dire Dire Docks but they're not shown. Basically the video assumes we already know X or Y version of the soundtrack by heart, and probably assumes we're listening with headphones, so we'll immediately notice the difference. And that's a bit of frustrating when you don't, because the content is actually interesting. I'll have to listen again with headphones it seems.

[@gabrielv.4358]

frfr

[@xxsupersayen34xxnoe33]

99% of times I can't hear the difference, funny

[@Sebb_Music]

Listening on headphones I heard every difference

[@YAOMTC]

"That's actually quite the difference, isn't it?" Hell no, it isn't! It's so subtle I can't hear it at all! Dublincalif, did you really think this difference would be so obvious to everyone that it doesn't need pointing out?

[@polocatfan]

it's almost as if there is none 😲

[@CrateSauce]

Damn yall hatin

[@sahaprocks7751]

@@CrateSauceon god

[@PabbyPabbles]

It's actually a nice video about how Nintendo put in the effort to use the original uncompressed samples / remaster their OSTs in their album releases. Would have hit Like if it was called "Differences between Mario 64 in game music and OST releases" or something instead of the clickbait title

[@Oakey718]

i personally think the title hits perfectly, it's not full-on clickbait but just a good hook instead of being overly verbose or anything

[@PabbyPabbles]

@@Oakey718 OP changed the title before you came in, lol. Used to be _How Nintendo Tried to Cover Up SM64's Soundtrack_

[@plushquasar653]

It could also be that the n64 hardware didn’t have the best sound reproduction which is why you see frequency boosts/dampens vs the source material.

[@IntegerOfDoom]

It did well considering it didn't really have dedicated audio hardware.

[@amysel]

I feel like this video is trying to gaslight me, but I've seen enough ""audiophiles"" on the internet to know that this is genuine.

[@ImmacHn]

Look at the video's release date 📅

[@SirBuzz]

The title is definitely clickbait.

[@JackTheMurderer]

​@@ImmacHnMay 24.? The international day for people way to invested in old N64 ost, making boring videos about it?

[@derp2397]

is not about audiophilia, is about basic music mixing and sampler programming

[@supahcomix]

I've focused enough years of my life on MIDI to notifice a significant difference

[@CyrilCommando]

You know what I'll bet happened with the pitch bend in Hazy Maze cave - Those old consoles interpret pitch bend levels differently than some DAWs. I'll bet what happened was when they brought over the song from the console into their DAW, the pitch bend was totally ruined and they had to redo it. Interesting change.

[@ShroobDestroyer]

There's also the Mario 64 Beta/Spaceworld '95 Demo. The music that Dire, Dire Docks uses has a pretty unique sounding electric piano, I personally like it more than the one they used in the final one. Edit: Here's some footage with the sound sample playing in the background: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJmmn3x9jbqgpac I did a bit more research, and the sound sample most likely comes from the Yamaha TG77 Tine Electric Piano. Edit #2: Since I liked this sound sample so much, I decided to try making a little song using it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKrWm3WvYqtmmsU

[@midi_feline]

"Soundfont"

[@soundbreaker8174]

the official beta spaceworld demo is actually out there, but there are so many remakes and such that it'll be impossible to find also this remake shouldn't reflect what was actually in the

[@NebulonRanger]

​@@midi_felineI mean it's similar in concept to one.

[@RainLion10]

I thought you couldn't put links in comments anymore

[@benamisai-kham5892]

​@@RainLion10same, every link I post gets destroyed

[@ravio777]

I THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY DUDE! I played sm64 for the first time on 3d all stars, and I always thought the audio was slighty different than the speedruns I had watched that were played on the n64. Thanks for the great video!

[@mt2r-music]

Great video. I would’ve love to hear some more examples side by side but really interesting stuff.

[@mario64remix]

This is the type of niche, well researched videos we need more of!

[@Whitesnake273]

I would like to add the fact the final battle theme has a completely different portion in the DS version compared to the rest (a section where the piano is played slower than usual)

[@DE23]

Do you mean church organ?

[@Whitesnake273]

@@DE23 Yeah that lol, I couldn't find the exact word

[@dublincalif]

I double checked this, and there is some slight timing differences (among various minor quality/mix differences) between the DS and N64 version, but I really can't find anything like there being a completely different portion in the DS version. Everything seems the same as far as the arrangement goes.

[@Whitesnake273]

@@dublincalif I'm referring to the portion that starts at 0:31 in both songs, the DS version has a different tempo

[@dublincalif]

@@Whitesnake273 I see what you mean now. Sorry, I misinterpreted your original comment as there being an entirely new/different section to the arrangement

[@jademonass2954]

"That's actually quite a difference, huh?" ive replayed this section 6 times now, and i have yet to figure out the difference

[@LoopHole101Z]

interesting video, but the editing felt half assed. why not edit in and play the songs side by side with every difference mentioned? if the hi hats changed between versions, play both versions. its not like its that different that i can remember what it sounded like before. im also not a fan of how you setup the video, revealing that every region has its own differences. if this was a deep dive, everything should have been presented chronologically. at multiple points in this video i was confused over which version was which. also, you mentioned the shindo version, but you didnt say whether there were any differences with that version, you just went straight to the EU version. you also need to do more research, seeing from all the comments about lethal lava land and other songs major changes. tl;dr: very badly setup video overall, needs way better editing, research, and scripting to do this topic justice. this video isnt this.

[@dublincalif]

Thank you for the feedback. This isn't to try to negate or invalidate it, but these are my thoughts behind some of what you pointed out, along with a couple objective corrections. I didn't show every comparison because I figured most to be boring and repetitive, especially the endless amounts of minor mixing and panning changes. I should've at least added a couple more though. For the Shindou differences, I mentioned its notable differences, which aren't very many. Anything outside of that was the usual slight volume and pan type differences that apply to almost every single song. I was not able to find any of the differences any commenters have so far mentioned after a very thorough 2nd look. I'm open to hearing things I glanced over, but I really did compare every song from every version against each other. But I will try to do better next time, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.

[@CibuYT]

as someone who isn't musically smart enough to notice any difference, I'm convinced everyone including the comment section is made to gaslight people like me into thinking there's a difference when there's none

[@FezTheSpaceBiker]

This video really needed a headphone disclaimer

[@TeaCupsTeaPots]

@@FezTheSpaceBiker i'm wearing headphones... the ingame version maybe sounds a bit louder, but i'm hesitant to believe that's the only difference he's talking about

[@derp2397]

The difference is not about audio quality, is in terms of mixing and more technical related things to samplers (such as AHSDR) and so on.

[@weatherman1504]

@@FezTheSpaceBiker What this video needs is a less clickbaity title. You wanna know something actually deserving of this kinda title? The OST of Sonic CD. Replaced most of the music with completely different music between the US and JP releases. Literally all I've noticed different with the N64 and OST versions of SM64 music is that the OST version is less compressed, which is a nothing-burger of a difference for a title talking about some grand "cover-up" of the game's soundtrack.

[@CibuYT]

@@bluecar5556 whar ?

[@TeslabladePlaysMC]

3:19 One small thing, 16 kHz is "sixteen kilohertz" (equivalent to 16,000 hertz), not 16,000 kilohertz! That'd be 16 MHz, "sixteen megahertz", which is completely inaudible to anyone that's ever existed, even bats! otherwise, great video!

[@dublincalif]

You're right, classic mistake 😭

[@Eeevonn]

1:10 “That’s quite a difference isnt it?” *Me over here not knowing what the difference is*

[@Caeleb1234563]

How did you get through this video without mentioning that none of the songs are actually named after any of the levels? More of a mandela effect but it feels fitting for the video. Like bob-omb battlefield doesn't own the song that is actually called Super Mario 64 Main Theme.

[@IronInvoker47]

that's what bothers me the most. if i want to be as accurate as possible i can't call it bob-omb battlefield and i hate it. but aren't many other songs named after levels? I'm thinking of Dire, Dire Docks and Lethal Lava Land off the top of my head

[@dublincalif]

Yeah, track titling is another rabbit hole. I would make a video about it, but GST Channel already has a fantastic vid about the subject of game music titling, I'd highly recommend checking it out kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5OloYSKoLl5fJY

[@Nic_2751]

@@IronInvoker47ok to be fair, it’s not like it exclusively plays in Bob-Omb battlefield

[@NicD]

To be fair, there's still Lethal Lava Land and Dire, Dire Docks. But yeah, the "Main Theme" has been called Bob-omb Battlefield forever. And the first few entries of the Super Mario series are even worse about OST titling... On this matter, the worst game music Mandela effect has to be Stickerbrush Symphony from DKC2.

[@HruMan360]

why are the tracks even called the level themes? almost all tracks are used in multiple levels, it wouldn't make sense to call a track "bob omb battlefield" when it plays in like 3 other levels or call the track "slider" just because it's played in slider sections. Imo the "slider" theme should just be called the athletic theme because it's used in ttc, rainbow ride and a TON of other bonus levels like the vanish cap stage, ALONG with sliders (not only in the slider stages). And why is the underwater track called dire dire docks when it's the MIDWAY point of the game and not even the first time you hear the track? You could say that dire dire docks was the first underwater stage that was developed, but by that logic the bob theme would be called Whomp's Fortress because it's one of the earliest stages that was shows in a playable state.

[@blueberryoats]

oh my god ive been hearing these differences in separate uploads of this OST and it's been driving me crazy because no one ever mentions it... i thought i was going insane

[@JerrySM64]

What I find pretty interesting: The European N64 release of the game has a lot of the OST changes documented here. I grew up with both the European and the Japanese version of the game as my grandparents have the European version while I have the Japanese one. I always thought it's due to the different video systems and that the tracks play a bit slower in the European, but no. Inside Castle from the OST sounds almost EXACTLY like the European version of the game for example.

[@FigureFarter]

I noticed that the castle theme has much more reverb

[@swordofkings128]

Posting a positive comment. I appreciate the comparison. Especially 13:35, why would they put a low pass filter over the music? The brightness of that wonderful, unapologetic accordion sample is ruined...

[@sam3851]

Really great video! It's hard to believe this is one of your first videos like this, it's really interesting, well edited, and has a tight script. I showed this to my audio engineer friend and he loved it so much that he's buying me lunch, so, thank you for that

[@naomi9606]

i love these types of videos! they are extremely informative while having amazing visuals that enhance the experience. keep making these!

[@fatalfoams]

Have loved your synthesia videos for years… pleasantly surprised to see this type of content

[@Penguimus]

1:05 - Wow… sO dIfFeReNt.!.!

[@supahcomix]

There is you dead eyed ignoramus, download an SF2 once in your life. Maybe you won't make that big of an ass of yourself

[@thechickenconnoisseur1]

bom dia diferente :VVV

[@mrtycho26]

This and your last video have earned my sub! Very interesting stuff, can't wait for more!

[@45545videos]

I knew there was a printed CD for SM64, a lot of big games get Japan-only soundtracks. But to hear there was a US release!? Insane

[@GamingGardevoir]

Glad to see you back bud, I like this style of video!

[@derekarter6886]

I wish nintendo would allow some vinyl records to be made from their music

[@MastaGambit]

I wish nintendo would allow literally anything

[@Rediscool9]

@@MastaGambit You’re not that guy

[@weatherman1504]

@@Rediscool9 Nintendo is, in fact, that guy on a whole 'nother level.

[@MastaGambit]

@@Rediscool9 tfym by that lmfao

[@xpenzfan]

Great video, I actually didn't know most of the changes between the versions (aside from the weird Inside the Castle Walls disk version), though it would have been nice to hear more comparisons between the versions rather than just taking your word for it. That's not to say I don't believe you; I fully do. However, it would have been nice. Other than that, it was a well researched and well put together video! Godspeed.

[@swayzeetheking]

I misread the title as “Nintendo couldn’t stop twerking to SM64s music” 😭

[@jamesgames4553]

Fascinating video, thanks! Would be interested to hear more in a follow up video on those differences between the audio tracks from the original 1996 Japanese release, the US/PAL releases, and the Japanese Shindou version, as you hint at near the end! Unless the sound effects between the original 1996 JP release are the only big changes!

[@sgillman16]

You failed to mention the most noticeably different song, the Staff Roll

[@Drogie]

Sick video! Little fun fact: The German OST CD had a typo on the back, so when it was rereleased as a Nintendo Power Subscription bonus, they fixed it. So technically, there are two different versions of the case.

[@Fuzy2K]

What was the typo?

[@KingdomHeartsFan-mu9cf]

Now what about the songs used in the Minecraft Mario Mash-Up Pack?

[@aspookyladmusic4954]

Dude I'm loving these! I just came here from the last video about Wii playback and the only thing I can honestly say I have any criticism of is that I wish that for some audio examples you continued the song from where you stopped it previously lol. Keep this up. We need more videos like this as a society.

[@salvatorebonannoYT]

I’m just skimming through the video so you might have already said this a huge audible difference is the polish in the high end frequencies. Idk if that’s from n64 limitations or if they just mixed the songs differently for cd format

[@Brixster]

its a little bit of both. better technological room for higher sound quality, but there were also some conscious decisions made to alter some properties of the tracks on the CD release.

[@ianmoore5502]

Yeah he's going deeper than that, into many different idiosyncrasies of transforming the content. But you are definitely right, that's a big part of it

[@devonoknabo2582]

I'm being honest I can't tell the difference between them it's so subtle I don't know how you can.

[@gamemaster2022]

OMG you are playing Playstation Store theme from PS Vita in the background. So nostalgic! I didn't hear it in years!

[@_end3rguy_]

omg i did notice that the n64 music is completely different and not just a remix of the flinstones theme for all of the songs

[@judahbarracuda_]

Also, I do agree with some of the comments saying you should’ve explained a bit about the sound bites after the clips, but if it makes you feel any better, I caught most of the differences. Except the Bob Omb Battlefield one, that one kinda had me guessing. It definitely helps hearing the differences with headphones on though, so maybe that’s why.

[@caniplayzz]

I always used to play SM64 on an emulator but recently got a PAL N64 and I could've sworn that the OST sounded off, but i never looked into it. Great video!

[@jonathanhargraves2241]

Glad to see you come back with a banger!

[@brare45996]

As someone who isn’t very musically inclined, I have trouble hearing the differences. Could you please make a video with just them alternating? Especially if you can make visuals to indicate what instruments we should be paying attention to 🙏

[@therealmaggiemae]

the all stars section was very reminiscent of the sonic origins situation. eugh 😭 why do game companies keep making their official emulations and remasters sound muffled??? it escapes my comprehension to be honest

[@ssg-eggunner]

In the case of all stars it was god awful emulation whilst origins was due to them recording it with MD model 2 or beyond

[@judahbarracuda_]

I’m an aspiring musician and a huge Nintendo fan and your videos are so fascinating to me. Keep it up man, I hope you go far!! 🔥

[@nickbullinger141]

Reminds me of Those Who Stand Against Our Path from Xenoblade 2. In the games and on KZbin, there is just electric guitar in the transition between the opening and the body of the song, but on the trilogy box set, there are three descending brass hits

[@NebulonRanger]

Also, the version from Smash Ultimate is mixed differently

[@x8bitpixel]

Being a musician and noticing these differences when they’re played side by side makes me realize I wasn’t crazy and that I was right about the differences in the music that I had speculated about before lol. Great vid.

[@theastrogoth8624]

I read “Nintendo couldn’t Stop Twerking to SM64 Music”.

[@Yngdady]

Its not that deep - the OST is the original composition, n64 is just compressed to be as close to the original composition as possible while fitting inside a sound font pack for a computer to play a midi file

[@jacobzolt1469]

I had no idea what i was listening for in the first comparison, i was expecting substantial note changes

[@mylo445]

oh my god this was great please make one of these about doom

[@diskoBonez]

I'd be lying if I said I could honestly hear such subtle differences, but I am still extremely impressed with what you were able to uncover. It was especially interesting hearing about audio differences between N64, DS, N64DD and Switch

[@varietychan]

I noticied that too, especially with The Game Over music sounds jarring

[@modulador592]

If nintendo released OSTs on spotify “Super Mario 64 - REMASTERED 1996, 2004, 2006, 2022” “Main Title - 2022 Remaster”

[@nickfromm5315]

Plays literally 2 seconds.... WOW YOU CAN HEAR THE DIFFERENCE!!

[@sunkiimustdie]

You actually can lol

[@animeninja2749]

Ngl maybe is because im not using headphones but i cannot hear much of a difference

[@seanobrienplays688]

That's exactly it

[@guestc142]

Headphones are uncomfortable anyway.

[@hajilee4539]

@@guestc142 That's what I thought too until I tried and later purchased actually nice ones. If all you've ever listened to is shitty Beats headphones and Apple ear buds, of course you'll dislike them.

[@guestc142]

@@hajilee4539 I used to use a pair of sony IEMs. They're comfortable. I also used to own several pairs of headphones, which made the sides of my head sweat and hurt. Here's the thing, I like being aware of my surroundings. That's why whenever I HAVE to use earphones for recording/calling, I use only the right one. Having both in while talking is really disorienting and you don't know how loud you are when doing so.

[@guestc142]

@@hajilee4539 I used to use a pair of sony IEMs. They're comfortable. Here's the thing, I like being aware of my surroundings. (reply shortened)

[@CyanSixFour]

The slap bass sample in the N64 and OST versions had a somewhat noticeable silent delay before the note plays, which isn't present in the DS version, nor in beta footage of SM64, the latter of which sounds as though the sample was processed at a higher sample rate.

[@Justini0]

1:04 - I literally hear no difference (but am willing to listen again on my surround system).

[@Lucian4694]

the only difference i managed to pick out after relistening several times is that the cymbal sound at the start of the audio clip is slightly longer on the new version

[@tsvtsvtsv]

​@@Lucian4694many of the sounds have similarly longer tails - it's the same midi data playing on a slightly different sound engine

[@derp2397]

@@tsvtsvtsv Not only that, the samples has a fast attack while the N64 version the attack is slighty slow, making more soft the percussion

[@paperkittyyt]

How come you never went over Lethal Lava Land? that song has tons of pitch-related issues i feel like never get any attention!

[@dublincalif]

I didn't mention anything about it because when I compared it before (and I have again just to be sure) I couldn't find any notable differences besides volume and pan, especially not meaningful changes in pitch or tuning Edit: Nevermind, another commenter pointed out it was at the loop, and I was able to find it. My apologies.

[@imskyskyhigh]

hey paperkitty! aren't you a racist person who joked about the boycott?

[@paperkittyyt]

@@dublincalif Awesome! you should make another video over some stuff you missed! i will be subscribing

[@WolfmanArt]

As someone born and raised in Virginia, I can't imagine living anywhere else 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Nic_2751]

This is why the restored remasters are the true definitive way to listen to these

[@idunnoman9402]

Seeing a lot of comments saying that they don’t hear a difference, but I’m not quite getting that. I think the video does a good job at explaining the differences more than showing them though. Also the OST version is the best.

[@shalpp]

You think the top ends getting chopped off in 3DAS 64 may be a workaround in emulation to make sure the CPU timing doesn't get fucked up at all? Like it just might be rendering the audio at a slightly lower rate? I know the Wii vc tends to do that with n64 games (super noticeable in Mario kart)

[@GottaBGlitches]

A similar thing happened to the Sonic Rush soundtrack (except it hasn't gotten a re-release)

[@Fuzy2K]

I had wondered why the title theme and Hazy Maze Cave themes were different... Specifically, the title theme's kick drum is partially missing in the OST version, making the "boom, ba-ba... boom, ba-ba" sound more like "(silence), ba-ba... (silence), ba-ba", which I always thought sounded wrong to me

[@villagernumber77]

Simple explanation, the N64 in game version is a compressed version of the audio file or .mod file whilst the OST version is uncompressed

[@theopenrift]

I have to wonder if the OST version uses like, direct recordings of the source instruments that the N64's samples are from (I recognize some of the samples to be from Roland's Sound Canvas series of MIDI synths), instead of cleaning up the N64's formatted songs. Maybe they were reconstructing it from scratch?

[@mathiastoala7777]

I love finding small KZbin channels talking about very obscure little stuff with so much passion, it’s amazing 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@k1000tem]

The boss is back

[@azure_06]

when i bought 3d all stars the muffled sound was driving me insane, especially because noone cared, and i even googled it and it bought up no results

[@BringMayFlowers]

If I were to suggest a way to possibly highlight the differences, maybe show spectrograms, first the original waveform, the new one, and then fading into a difference image made by subtracting the new from the original.

[@RotcodFox]

It'd be really cool if you made a video about b3313, which is the largest and most ambitious SM64 mod out there. It's basically an entire different game

[@C_Corpze]

For those who don't hear the difference in sound clearly, I recommend you use headphones and put your volume up at a level where you can clearly hear the details in the music (just be careful you don't blast your eardrums).

[@wishbonefan]

I thought I was going crazy thinking that SM64 DS' castle theme sounded way different until this video

[@middleystars]

For the updated sound engine in the disk version and pal version, it's honestly my favorite. Everything sounds much cleaner!

[@joyconboyz1409]

I’m so thankful I’m not an audiophile. I can the difference when played back to back but it’s so minor and I have such a hard distinguishing which would sound better in an immediate comparison.

[@Wobuffet3]

this video is pretty dang good, but it would have greatly benefit from more comparisons

[@PabbyPabbles]

For reference if you're wondering about the few comments calling the title clickbait (including mine), the title used to be _How Nintendo Tried to Cover Up SM64's Soundtrack_

[@theemjay]

How did you not mention the missing bass drum from the OST Intro "Face" music? When I first heard the OST this made me lose faith in game music releases until Skyrim.

[@BenElliottSound]

The title theme panning the melodic instruments on the in-game title screen, but centering them on the OST is interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if it was done this way so that Mario's "hello" doesn't potentially get muddled up against the melody line. It's a small thing, but that's like, something every single person who boots of the game would hear. Repeatedly. Every time. They'd likely want that moment polished to a mirror sheen.

[@Chubby_Bub]

Inconsistencies like this are common when Nintendo doesn’t release a soundtrack so the only extant versions are game rips of varying quality depending on when and how they were ripped (or maybe just recorded). So I find it funny that Nintendo releasing an official OST only served to muddle things further! Personally when I collect soundtracks, I still differentiate game rips from official releases since they’re basically always different in some way.

[@lol-ih1tl]

Actually the main purpose of Mario 64 DS was to showcase the ability of using the touch screen to mimic an analog stick.

[@clouds-rb9xt]

What are your thoughts on Church of Kondo's SM64 Soundtrack Remaster?

[@dublincalif]

I have mixed feelings about those types of restoration projects, but I think it particularly works with Super Mario 64's soundtrack well compared to some other games. I think it's also a pretty decent job at it, some songs could use some work, but nitpicks aside it's still pretty good.

[@pokepress]

Nintendo actually sold a lot of game soundtracks in the 90’s via the “Super Power Club” catalogue that went out to subscribers of Nintendo Power. I think they may have had difficulty getting distribution via standard retail channels in the West, but I do seem to recall seeing one or two in game stores.

[@Orangienblue]

when emulator do you use to play Mario 64 all smoothed?

[@ASLB247]

Honestly, the biggest difference I always pointed to between the OST and In game soundtrack was the game over theme; where the OST didn’t have as noticeable of a slowdown and didn’t pitch shift as low as the in game version. I didn’t even know this until I got a game over in Mario 64 DS, which I thought was just a DS version exclusive…until I finally saw the game over of the original N64 version, and that was when I wondered, why would they change it to THIS extent for the ost? It never made any sense.