Jazz Pianist Reacts to Mario Kart 8 Soundtrack

8-bit Music Theory- / @8bitmusictheory
Music of Mario Kart Article: kotaku.com/the-music-of-mario...
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[@CharlesCornellStudios]

Figure out a better fingering I dare you....this is actually probably very easy pls help

[@tylermccaw8092]

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!! ANALYZE CUPHEAD!!!!

[@ankylopea]

Could you review the Plants Vs Zombies soundtrack?

[@nathandieck6962]

minds already blown 😂😂

[@isaac-nm4xz]

me w my girlfriend

[@tylermccaw8092]

@Erin Tanli that’s what I’m saying

[@Saxologic]

Mario Kart Lives On ( ͡o ͜ʖ ͡o)

[@Rexmorgan687]

Best crossover of the year so far.

[@danielcolwell4306]

I've been looking for this comment for like the last 5 minutes...

[@zochitoast]

Nice

[@maxalaintwo3578]

The main man himself

[@pierryhenry9303]

Collab

[@8bitMusicTheory]

Man, thanks for the shoutout! Loving all of the game music videos you've been putting out lately!

[@lovelyunknown]

My favorite Music creators all in one area!

[@alexrawlings541]

8-BMT pogchamp pogchamp pogchamp favourite music theory channel

[@sheperdofidiots]

I love the Jotoro hat! I believe That was a Jojo reference. Well done!

[@Bobbias]

Love both of these channels. Always great to see KZbinrs shooting out other great channels.

[@moreblack]

@@sheperdofidiots also had a partial Za Warudo sound effect

[@connorbonstein4048]

The first time I turned on Mario Kart 8 and the music started, I didn't push a single button until the song had finished its loop. I was absolutely blown away.

[@TheBlueGoldenHawk]

Same, that main theme is an incredible opening to the game

[@qime]

I sometimes don't even want to play the game and just listen to every song

[@cooldebt]

Try these guys for some really good VGM including Mario - you can loop the music on Spotify too: kzbin.infovideos

[@Odincdaj522004]

That is my first thing to do whenever I play a game. I'm a trumpet player game nerd who now is a physician. Mario Kart was the first SNES game I played -- it's such a vivid Christmas memory -- and when I heard that part of the MK8 theme come out, listening to it after a long call night when I was in residency, in a full jazz band arrangement, I CHEERED out loud in my living room.

[@goombagang5080]

Lmao same here 😂

[@davidcookemusic2968]

I'm the voice of Morton Koopa Jr in Mario Kart 8, and the soundtrack is helped immensely by the smooth and dulcet sounds of my blaaargh!

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

Isn't his voice from a woman?

[@bb010g]

@@geschnitztekiste4111 IMDb lists David Cooke.

[@reinersfattits]

@@bb010g nope Morton is definitely voiced by Lani Minella. Other sites have credited her, and you can just tell it’s her when you compare her Morton voice to the other Koopalings that she voiced, and other characters in general that she voices.

[@Urugosh]

@@reinersfattits Lani does the voice in Super Mario Bros, but David does the voice in Mario Kart

[@Bluestoneklutz357]

@@Urugosh yup they don’t tend to reuse most voices

[@dominic508]

The ENDING THEME from Mario Kart 8 is grossly overlooked, it is a masterpiece of compiled themes and quotes from the various tracks with one of the hypest ending I've ever heard in *any* song.

[@DaNintendude]

The transition from Thwomp Ruins into Mount Wario is absolutely fantastic. Definitely one of my favorite songs in the game.

[@rexvermis]

Is it just the credits theme you're talking about or is there a specific ending theme?

[@dogman15]

@@rexvermis The credits theme.

[@dogman15]

@@DaNintendude Oh, by the way, I think you have it backward. In the credits, the Mount Wario theme leads into a brief quote from Thwomp Ruins (five notes), before going into the next, possibly final, section.

[@SeanGonzalezMDHEXT]

I prefer the one from Mario Kart 7.

[@tennenyt5311]

Soundtrack has always been such a massive selling point in Nintendo games

[@Pikminiman]

+

[@mboss2272]

And in classic Nintendo-fashion, they chose NOT to capitalize on that.

[@crosma09]

@@mboss2272 Actually, I learned this recently: They do! They released CDs of some of their soundtracks in Europe and Japan. Breath of the Wild, Link's Awakening, New Horizons, even the Mario Kart 8 soundtrack. All released on CDs and boxsets. You can get them imported or find rips of the CDs online. They just dont do it in America, sadly.

[@SophisticatedGoat222]

One of the reasons I love live recorded music is that it leaves room for tiny imperfections. When you leave it up to a machine, you'll never hear a faint breath between notes on a woodwind, or a slight echo from some particularly intense drums.

[@Zearo298]

actually, there is a form of this depending on your skill level in programmed music. there have been times when, while composing a melody or drum beat/fill in midi i've accidentally placed a midi note somewhere and discovered something i was not trying to do, and would never have thought of, but sounds brilliant, and i keep it, and sometimes it's even inferred future melodies or piece of that melody. that is, for all intents and purposes, a mistake, an accident, serendipity, and yet it was better than what i was trying to do. somebody who makes electronic music for a living likely does not have this happen as often, but i am sure things like this still happen all the time in electronic music through messing around with effects and settings and pushing things more just to see what happens, and sometimes what happens is accidentally brilliant. and i'd even go so far as to argue that it partially holds up to the idea that live music's interesting mistakes happen in one moment and are never the same again. listening to a live recording and identifying an interesting mistake is similar to one of these compositional accidents that happen in the moment, and may not have happened the same had it been composed several seconds later, but still get "recorded" just as a live recording may have. music is truly extraordinary.

[@Dragonking3787]

Both of those examples you gave are very much possible. Just depends on how complex the workstation is and how proficient the musician is with it.

[@Marvin_R]

a skilled artist can work such imperfections deliberately into synthesized music. patchwork staccato is a song with synthesized vocals from the hatsune miku voice bank of a program called vocaloid, but the artist who made it somehow managed to put some human imperfections into the vocals making the vocals sound a lot more natural.

[@iancorrigan7101]

With Midi controllers you can capture a lot of the human imperfections found in a performance, since it literally is one.

[@anomaliebeats]

Thanks so much for the shoutout! You're the best!

[@CoasterStuff1]

Hi!

[@imglub]

KNOWER! It’s a project with Louis Cole and Genevieve Artardi. It might be some of the best electronic/jazz/funk/pop music I’ve ever heard. Truly defining an era.

[@CharlesCornellStudios]

Yo I fucking love Knower

[@imglub]

@@CharlesCornellStudios please do a video 🥺 I would be so happy lol

[@ether2006]

Knower is da fuckon BOMB

[@vickas54]

@@CharlesCornellStudios +1 for wanting some analysis of the cool crazy sh-- Louis Cole and the gang do!!

[@alexmelillo1247]

@@CharlesCornellStudios We want a knower video!

[@Fordi]

You brought up how the music changes when you go underwater, and I wanted to point out that this kind of blink-and-you'll-miss-it diagetic mix change to the non-diagetic soundtrack is absolutely one of Nintendo's favorite mood tricks. My favorite example is the interior and exterior of Hyrule Castle from Breath of the Wild, but they've been pulling it as early as the first Luigi's Mansion.

[@leandru7]

BOTW Hyrule Castle has another even more subtle diagetic change! When you're near enemies, snare drums will fade in, like a drummer on a battlefield, and they'll fade out again when you're away from enemies.

[@jakefeingold1126]

Diegetic*

[@tempest_dawn]

At the end of the day, live or synthesized it's all still music. It all still takes creativity to do well, and it's all still impressive as hell.

[@cooldebt]

Agree. An you can even turn the tunes into jazz standards: kzbin.infovideos

[@christopherperry8389]

You can play synths live, live doesn't imply not synth

[@mezmerism107]

Yeah, and I still can remember Super Mario Bros soundtrack from 1-1 until the water level.

[@neek01]

on top of that, instruments do get sampled and some of the plug-ins nowadays are getting better and better

[@sbubbt2318]

@@mezmerism107 that’s basically the entire soundtrack lmao. there’s only like 4 level songs.

[@Hey_Jamie]

0:50 me to my ex boyfriend in high school 1:13 him to me

[@maxisatube]

Bruh

[@sublimecg8605]

I truly wish, that sometime in the far future, when I am old and grey, humankind will have come up with the technology to inspect the human mind on a mind-blowingly small scale, just so they can surgically remove the memory of this comment from my brain

[@IsharaShrestha-Rai]

Wow, this comment

[@blubby5379]

I hate and love this comment so much

[@helloimellieful]

Fantastic....just brilliant

[@peterparker2260]

Figured I would say something before Saxologic gets here.

[@tysonsutherland3501]

So say something 😒

[@peterparker2260]

@@tysonsutherland3501 Uhhhh, I love you : )

[@ryenboi6119]

u were there for Charles but not for Uncle Ben

[@angel-hf2yo]

@@ryenboi6119 oof

[@maxisatube]

Hi

[@wavr_734]

Charles' passion and enthusiasm for music in its many variants puts a huge smile on my face every time

[@SeraphsWitness]

This track is so hot. Nintendo has always tipped its hat to jazz music in a lot of its titles. Pretty amazing.

[@designtechdk]

If you haven't checked out the Japanese Funk-Jazz scene, go do it! CASIOPEIA is one of my favourites :)

[@stanislawmenschow2625]

Damn, thank you. This is right up my alley!

[@karltorento3358]

T-Square vs Casiopeia Live is the best concert I’ve never been to

[@Pattamatt1998]

Between Casiopea and T-Square, there is some really phenomenal music going on there. Dream Hill and Circuit Wanderer are probably my two favorite tracks from each group respectively

[@designtechdk]

@@karltorento3358 yes, same

[@amaice]

CASIOPEIAAAAAA

[@kfsee4035]

I love how every single jazz musician reacts to a bari line like Charles at 2:40 I made an identical face and noise

[@lukejohnson614]

Did you guys hear that bari line? 🌟YIIIIiiiikes🌟

[@JonathonV]

The Booster Course Pass takes it to a whole new level. Their revamp of the Maple Treeway soundtrack somehow mixes a cajón, a flute, and a string ensemble with duelling melodies between a harmonica and a saxophone. Speaking of sax, the solos in Sydney Sprint are incredible.

[@CinicoMG]

An interesting thing on synth vs live band music in videogames is how synth tends to be much more melodic. NES and SNES era games as well as retro-inspired indie games show this very well. Those melodic synth tunes are VERY memorable, to the point where almost anyone can recognize and maybe even sing the tune to Mario Bros, and although soundtracks from recent games are much grander in scope and general music quality, they lack that simple, memorable melodic line that gets instantly recognized.

[@milesl.2467]

you decide to post this. ONE. DAY. after i taught it to myself. when i could have just watched you. I LITERALLY DID THIS YESTERDAY WH-

[@helloimellieful]

F

[@hopelesslydull7588]

Same fingering?

[@milesl.2467]

@@hopelesslydull7588 I played the C-B-C line with with my left hand because it was too hard to do with my right, but everything else was the exact same

[@juanpabloranninger7967]

this is the way

[@simon_96]

Commisioned by google to jinx you

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Coconut Mall is the best piece of Mario Kart music You can’t change my mind

[@notacat600]

Ay another Cuban

[@kevinsundelin8639]

This is the truth

[@rymoo27]

Mount wario is so much better lol

[@rymoo27]

@@maxpieters7934 you are also correct

[@ohgodno]

i agree, but i do think that coconut mall and specifically the mario kart lick are on par with eachother

[@BobofWOGGLE]

The progression of game sound tracks through the years from "2 square waves and a dream" to big band & symphony orchestra really is amazing to look at.

[@chrislang2118]

You've gotten so nuanced and well spoken and I'm just really proud of you.

[@williamhiegel2756]

Could you do the Cuphead soundtrack? On second thought, maybe people will get some PTSD from it... But the music is great!

[@StopmotionStudios13]

Ooh yess cuphead soundtrack would be a no brainer for charles channel

[@NoahKrisko]

PLEASE

[@arturomarzoratti8742]

holy shit yes

[@cooldebt]

I heard this and wanted to play cuphead: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZ3Qe4tqhKqWecU

[@rahroy4712]

That whole soundtrack had me making the stank face, that one face where it’s so good that it just forces that face from you

[@modernmusicofthedarkages296]

I totally DIG live instruments. I recently rediscovered the musical era between 1920 and 1950 and OH BOI what great Big Band pieces/masters are there!! I can not stop listening to jazz Big Band

[@joshl.8950]

Check out the jazz genre bebop. It's Chaotic bliss imo 😆✊

[@pinkiepopstarpie]

Another game with an incredible soundtrack is Super Mario Galaxy!

[@TierRune]

There is a track in Mario Kart 8 that references Gusty Garden Galaxy.

[@JaeBushido]

@@TierRune Cloudtop Cruise is the one that is

[@JaeBushido]

It's my favourite games

[@matthewwalton7288]

Haywyre is a REALLY cool jazz pianist that produces jazz EDM hybrid music. He really pushes that envelope and I'd recommend checking out some of his work.

[@samuelcabasan]

Charles on the fingering intro: dumbest thing ever. Me an intellectual: If it's dumb and it works, It's not dumb.

[@getgle]

Until you develop an RSI from the weird fingering lol. (I'm joking but only partially, I'm self taught on piano and have pretty bad wrist issues now, I suspect that my weird fingering probably didn't help with that)

[@extras5164]

Well it can hurt you in the long run which would be pretty bad, so use good fingering, and it’s not so horrible to figure out or look up to correct

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

I’m gonna build a Mario Kart course at my palace Perhaps if I did that they’ll feature me in the game

[@theoriginalcows1357]

kmmy why u watch Charles

[@J00rcek]

Hey dude, why can't a dictator be interested in music, dude? You hatin on dictators now?

[@certifiedpossum8655]

@@theoriginalcows1357 because his videos are that good

[@florussnow2117]

Oh hi Bowser

[@Numbnuts007]

You're probably going to get a copyright claim for infringement on Nintendo's property.

[@makeitrainbow8119]

The original transport tycoon soundtrack was composed entirely using midi sounds and it's so good. They remade it in 2014 with entirely real instruments and it sounds amazing too. Definitely worth checking out as an example of both extremes being used with the same goal

[@irishvikings3656]

My favorite artist that uses mostly computerized sounds is Porter Robinson. He creates amazing songs using his keyboard and/or a laptop. A lot of the vocals are also modified by software on the computer, and some of it sounds just like a real singer, whereas other vocals are meant to sound like a robot. He’s really talented imo

[@toothless2323]

Could you pleeeeease analyze “The Incredibles” by Michael Giacchino??!!

[@jonathanwatson268]

Or just pieces from everything he's done. I love all his stuff!

[@brycehunter6975]

that would be baller

[@TurtleInc]

YES

[@lindaindaindainda]

Yes, just Michael Giacchino in general!!

[@toothless2323]

@@jonathanwatson268 love him too

[@TopaT0pa]

live vs. synethesised music is like painting vs. photo. You can make art with both, but it's different. This doesn't mean it can't be combined (KG & Morricone, Sungazer, ...)

[@fountainexe]

0:17 That fingering makes so much sense I won't lie - since its 50% of the population's steering skills.

[@LosantoBeats]

Alex Moukala is a great example of what 1 person with a computer is capable of doing. Great orchestral/cinematic pieces.

[@christianloizou4463]

You laugh at crossing your 4th over your 3rd finger, but that's exactly what my piano tutor is telling me to do when playing Bach...

[@AlessandroSistiMusic]

Organist here. 3rd finger goes over 4th. Longer fingers go over shorter fingers.

[@christianloizou4463]

@@AlessandroSistiMusic Actually come to think of it, that's what I'm doing. No wonder I can barely play the piece...

[@squishy949]

Something I find particularly interesting in synthesised music is the craft of sound design. Rather than just the pool of timbres a live band can physically make there is the possibility to synthesize literally any timbre you can imagine. Benn Jordan has a fantastic video describing how additive synthesis works and shows off an example from one of his songs called Starlight where he has additively synthesised strings that shift between sounding like a real cello and synthy/broken noises as he randomises the harmonics in the additive synthesis. That aspect of electronic music and instrumentation fascinates me. In some ways it's intimidating to have so much choice but for those with the creativity to use it the possibilities are amazing.

[@teqnify63]

Limitation breeds creativity. The only reason we still make cool stuff is cause we *don’t* know how to make everything

[@sniper007uk]

Your excitement in infectious. Not sure how you landed on my feed, but thank you for the excellent video :)

[@TheRedCreeperTRC]

Great video, really good food for thought too! Love you bringing up a discussion about the difference between digital and "real" physically played music disappearing

[@TrigJegman7]

4:40 "I'm going to put a link in the description to a really great article"...but no link was there :(

[@emily_kim]

It is there!! Sorry ik this is late

[@napostrophen]

Mario soundtracks are such masterpieces

[@a-ramenartist9734]

There are things you can do with synthesizers that you can't with live instruments, and vice versa, they both have their unique situations

[@RionCaughman]

I am a massive fan of both electronic and live music. And I love both. They have so much to offer in their own right. Most specifically, Madeon's album "Good Faith". It mixes the practical and electronic aspects so we'll, you almost miss there is a blend, and forget that a computer is vital to the sound.

[@Ari_Bytes]

I love the Vsauce formula, ask one question, answer some other deeper question! Not even ironic, this is the good stuff! Great video!

[@magatamaagitsune5635]

Mario Kart 8 music has a lot of similarities to the Japanese jazz/fusion genre of "Casiopea" ☺️

[@diegomodesto256]

was looking for this comment

[@DNF.2]

I love when KZbinrs actually invite viewers to think and answer pretty good questions, like when you asked if "live music is always better than synthesized music" or not? That opens the debate, and in that way you have more contact with your viewers than when you just show off how good you are and how much knowledge you have about a subject. Good job!

[@DNF.2]

I bring another question, have you thought how difficult or more exhausting must be to mix or create music for for games? I mean, think about how many outcomes may be in a single moment in the game. If the player in Mario Kart stays still or goes very slow, then the orchestra will play a theme and the mix perhaps includes a big brass section. But what about when the player goes super fast or falls under water or in a pond or the mud, then the track perhaps no longer would have the brass section there, but instead a flute playing as protagonist bc Mario is now running under water! So the outcomes are infinite, so can be the mixing.

[@eventidestudios]

This video really speaks to me. I’ve been developing my own indie game for a little over a year now and I decided early on that I would need a composer to help with my vision. And I gotta say, I am absolutely blown away by what one (extremely talented) individual can do with just a keyboard and laptop. Music is always something I’ve dabbled in just enough to have a basic understanding of how things work. And when I see my composer make a track and then I listen to what he’s made in just a day or two, my jaw is on the floor. Kudos to everyone out there making music on their own, your work is valuable and your music is beautiful.

[@hexology7846]

Hey Charles, have you ever considered exploring the persona series music? It’s great!

[@gilagal777]

Oh my God yes!! All of Shoji Meguro's music is so incredible, all the Persona games have amazing soundtracks!

[@Ghost_with_Bow]

Yes yes yes, please yes Yes

[@harmonygaleria6311]

Yes please!

[@samuelbeltrami5647]

Ah yes persona vibes

[@RobinNashVideos]

I've been saying this forever. I hope he does

[@ParmaJohnIV]

In my opinion, I love combining electronic music with live instruments. I love synths and drum tracks and 808s but I also love Fender Rhodes, Hammond Organ, or even an upright bass. Combining Live and Electronic music is the way.

[@daniellmartin1993]

This is why I come back to your videos, because it's not just you sitting in front of the video, making the occasional comment; you actually analyzed the soundtrack and gave information on the history of Mario Kart.

[@seankurtis2151]

TOP TIER ENERGY. You're super great on camera man. Great content.

[@davepadilla6652]

Charles at 3:11 Musicians: JoJo fans: Allow us to introduce ourselves.

[@user-po2bo9hi8u]

Is that a mother ffffng JoJo reference??!?!!

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

I didn't even understand what this edit had to do with JoJo, why'd he have the Jotaro hat there?

[@lirneim8013]

@@geschnitztekiste4111 it's like he's using a stand ability

[@jonathanwatson268]

I just love all Nintendo music from every era. They do such a good job making timeless music that is as enjoyable the first hour you play as it is the thousandth hour you play. I also enjoy synthesized music as much as real instruments so I guess I don't really put them in different categories in my brain. It's all just good music. People like Mezerg go in their own epic catagory though!

[@mcorvatta]

Amazing video, you made me realise things that otherwise I've never even would have thought!

[@ross42]

At first I was like "Oh, 14 mins on Mario Kart" and all of the sudden you are wrapping up. Your videos are so enjoyable.

[@eliconkle4335]

I saw Anomalie live and he's absolutely phenomenal as you watch his passion for his music

[@jessedubin3404]

I think to answer the question of "is live music always better music?" we really have to be critical of what we mean by "better music". Like against whose criteria are we judging this. Because if a purpose of music as an art form is to make people feel an emotion, to tell a story, you can't tell me that a computer-generated (but human created) track that references 1990s MarioKart doesn't make people feel something when they hear it. I think part of the magic of both computer-generated and live-performed music is the human behind the audio. That there are decisions being made with the goal of making us feel an emotion. I feel like traditionally people have defined what "good music" is in the language of what live performance is capable of, so when digital music can't meet those standards because it doesn't speak the same language, people call it bad. But I would argue that it's not inherently bad or worse, in the same way that live performance is not inherently good or better. It's just a matter of what language you're using to communicate :)

[@cooldebt]

Agree. The first time I noticed the genius of games music was Club Penguin - the few looped bars was so pleasant you never got sick of it and I thought that was amazing. Then these guys really opened my ears to how much clever VGM there is out there: kzbin.infovideos

[@C123Martins]

I think you nailed the efficiency of movement of that one. Hence, the speed of your execution of the line. props.

[@Weloz92]

Everytime that I see a conversation about technical limitations for old videogame music I can't help to think about the Champion Blue's theme from Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow. That piece was definitely composed to be played by a full orchestra one day, and the fact that they still managed to get that majestic, intense feel just by using maybe 4 channels of 8-bit chip sounds still blows my mind.

[@RoyceRemix]

A worthwhile conversation, tho I was hoping to witness you actually reacting to excerpts of the soundtrack to get your specific thoughts on passages, instrumentation, etc

[@dedblank_again]

Music is music. Doesn't matter where it is generated. Only takes one composer and an optional interpreter.

[@stilljustawalrus8135]

Agreed

[@NuiYabuko]

Exactly. Limitations aren't needed. Preferences are another thing though. But the common implication that synthesizer is worse is unnecessary.

[@ramm1535]

The blurring of the lines between traditional instruments and synthesized music fascinates me. Makes me immediately think of Tristan Shone and his physical Midi controllers for his Industrial/Doom Metal pieces. And Martin Molin of the band Wintergatan (remember the Marble Machine? that guy) who also makes his own instruments including synth controllers like his "Modulin". Great Stuff, love to see it.

[@matheuscastello6554]

oh my god the mario kart lick!!! im incredibly surprised and happy you covered it!! wish people would pay more attention to video game music ^^

[@quantumeasy7004]

3:12 *D I N S T R U M E N T S*

[@metanim1]

I think there is a certain type of mental connection we have when we know something is played by real people. Case in point, we assume that they are fundamentally different despite being saved in the same format and played to the listener in the same way. Knowing that someone played it creates a human connection that isn't shared with machines

[@JeithKarrett]

ok noob

[@AnthonyBecker9]

I just love your enthusiasm

[@connorfine7273]

I think much like something like CGI, the best use of mediums in music harnesses a combination of synthesized and live music, you use the benefits of synths to make up for what live music can't do, and the live music adds a human, lively imperfect element to the synthetic instruments

[@meaningless_pineapples9002]

“You can see a very solid argument for that.” Charles is seeing music

[@oslal]

you've heard of the licc, now get ready for the cartt

[@lorenzopierdominici2413]

And then the bikk (bike)

[@iocomposer]

Fun episode, Charles. I used to make music for games in the mid-90s and to your point, it always felt like I (we) were sort of doing things both inferiorly and more advanced than traditional music production at the time. Of course it was all looked down on as "bleeps and bloops" but the interactivity set it apart in a very unique way. I found it very charming in its own right. I love watching it all evolve from a spectator perspective... now we have the best of all worlds. :)

[@Sky-TheYouTubeAccount]

Wow there's some great stuff on your channel mate.

[@hudsondunbar7853]

Love the discussion where we talk about how far we can produce virtual ensembles. I can't think of an example off the top of my head, but in the last...even 5 years, samples have become much more deeply processed, with computer power catching up to match the complexity of these incredibly detailed sounds. I mean, it's amazing that in our new composition/technology major at Auburn, there's a required class called "Orchestration for VIRTUAL Ensembles" and an Advanced DAW Operations class on top of that. And audio engineering, etc... I mean hey I love live ensembles, but enabling more creativity and accessibility? When stuff is starting to sound this good, I'm not mad

[@VeritabIlIti]

"It Can be hard to tell the difference between a real drumset and software" *zooms on Misha*

[@brannycedeno6823]

Who or what is that?

[@tucker6072]

I literally was talking to my dad about this yesterday and I used the example of the snow theme from Mario 3D Land/World. The first game used synths while the second one used a full orchestra, which just adds so much to the piece. This is why I don't think computers will be replacing live instruments anytime soon. Here's the song: 3D Land (synth): kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIrSgWaVpZdghJo 3D World (orchestra): kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqi1Z5Z-rNSNqq8

[@mario4everd]

I mean there's many comparisons you can make back and forth but it all depends on how the music is constructed and how or if it benefits from live orchestration or not and who's doing the rearrangements since in the end it's subjective tastes anyways. In the comparison you made I feel both pieces serve a different function in mood anyways as the 3d land synth piece is constructed to be more like a lullaby and the 3d world fits the more grandiose nature of the game as it's a bigger more fuller version of it's handheld counterpart. Personally I wouldn't really swap the music from their respective platform as I feel they were intentionally made for the game they were made for and honestly I find the live instruments replacement ideology ridiculous. Any instrument serves it's purpose in how it's constructed for the piece they were made for and there's many digital and synth music that would lose it's purpose if replaced entirely with live instruments and vice versa. The example you chose just so happens to benefit greatly from both but I can think many examples that the opposite is true as well. Usually pieces that are ethereal for example but not in the typical way of trying to sound heavenly but more a different idea of perfection or something that is beyond normal human comprehension. Because digital music can sound "perfect" it tends to really enhance this effect especially for segments and atmosphere that tend to want to replicate this feeling. An example like this is perfect from demon souls kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWi7p2Ojf9B7ptk&ab_channel=XularusXIII compared to the remake's own interpretation with a bit more added strings and embellishments from people's voices here kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGbEfoOGjJeLd5Y&ab_channel=VideoGame%26CinematicSoundtrackArchive In your mind, if you are used to listening to "real" music I can see people tending to prefer the actual remade ost but as a person who personally believes the game's atmosphere mood is dependent in what I find more appropriate, the original track evokes the game's feelings closer to how I interpret it Without the voice embelleshments and the added strings to evoke obvious dissonance, the track tends to sound more sad and lonely in a world of uncertainty because it sounds unnatural but also calm and serene because of it's sense of "perfection" which creates this perfect feeling of the unknown. Other tracks that do this in their own specific way as well is this track kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKaWg3p8oMuJnas&ab_channel=OshiDood A similar idea is replicated here but in a genius way. The entire game is full of scares and horror yet in this waiting room where you are safe from all of that, music like this plays. Again the eeriness of perfection creeps in here too, it sounds ethereal but not in the sense that it's heavenly but that the inevitable is to come but for now you are safe. The perfect atmosphere of what you are facing isn't completely human and this choice of music enhances it perfectly. The one game that really changed the way of how I view music in this was this tune made by the japanese female composer saori kobayashi: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jn6bfnh8gc5mfdk&ab_channel=videogamesoundtrack0 I'm really glad I experienced it at such a young age because it opened my eyes/ears to the ideas of complex harmony/form/rhythm yet it sounded so cohesive and perfect for the situation and not a string of just random notes and ideas even as they all play off and weave in and out of each other while being mostly digitally made and the unreal sounds it provided. And it all starts with the choice of sounds and chords in the beginning of the song that even as a kid caught my attention because I've never heard anything made quite like it and I remember at a young age it made me tear up even if it was just "synth/digital" music "mostly". Her sense of evoking japanese and middle eastern musical knowledge into digital music but making it sound alive with complex harmonies and rhythms blew me away. And again it reflects the theme of the game where the world of panzer dragoon is inhabited by these "god" like figures called ancients and their designs are both robotic like and organic. So it felt it like it fit this world and this place while also being both harmonically and rhythmically rich. I know charles likes to promote jazz musicians and the fact that they are making some kind of breakthrough with these ideas but honestly Japanese composers have been way ahead of the curve in this practice for a while. Many video games/movies/anime have experimented with this stuff since these composers tend to be real jazz/classical musicians that either came from a Japanese music school or those that paved their own creative path like nobuo uematsu. With old video game tech they were limited but because of those limitations they learned a craft on how to make these unnatural sounds sound natural to them and made music others would orchestrate later because these bleeps and bloops got through to people. In the end anything is made from the choice of the human and their input and touch. Watch andrew Huang for example and he explains the beauty and explorative nature that comes with digital music as you can even find a way to find your own voice as there's many ways to customize and create it or maybe you want to borrow or try something that someone else has created just like a real instrument someone has crafted. My ear finds both real and digital music beautiful.

[@AyeshaShaSha]

SO GLAD you went into this soundtrack because it is the BEST!!! As a huge lover of live music, this soundtrack is so easily repeatable for me. The main intro theme is just EPIC... The saxophone is just.... 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤 HOW you did that lick I'll never know hahaha!

[@ColbyDavid]

When talking about synthesized instruments vs live, it really comes down to atmosphere and tone.

[@StanRain]

If you want to up your dating game, that first 90 seconds has a lot of gold!

[@Zack_Taylor]

I hate that "synthesize the 🅱️instruments" killed me. I guess I'm a zoomer.

[@iseegreen5297]

🅱️I 🅱️oo am 🅱️ig 🅱️oomer 🅱️oo

[@Zack_Taylor]

3:04

[@brockpiano]

@@iseegreen5297 🅱️a🅱️a🅱️ooey

[@an_annoying_cat]

i love how theres now a specific racing game sound now that both gran turismo and mario kart incorporated jazz into the soundtrack now you have mixes of fusion songs that have that vibe, like yatabe track day

[@Phantoon]

You touched on it here, but one of the great video game specific things is context sensitive music, like the underwater / overwater bit mentioned, or adding layers to music based on lessons in the level (Super Mario 64) or addition of Yoshi. Or even just remixing the music based on life lost (Street Fighter II).

[@M-Groen]

Could you explore the SIMS building soundtrack. It's great.

[@mr.rul0005]

Well a wise man once said, "Well... If it works it ain't stupid", that being said that is a messed up fingering lol

[@Phoney72]

The bass playing throughout the entire soundtrack is incredible

[@blakejohnson9823]

I like the live sound because a group of musicians can play off the feel of the music and as an ensemble the energy from eachother will effect how they play. In digital only music it's just computers doing as they're told. Even a person playing synth can fit in with that feel of a live ensemble. You're still going to play the notes off the page but there's a sense of soul coming from the music and coming from the performers.

[@casperdewith]

3:35 It has appeared in every single Mario Kart title theme as far as I know.

[@Miller053]

Shadows moving in the background, Charles is kill.

[@ryanwalz2416]

no.

[@endthefighting]

One of my favourite tracks ever is Mark Mothersbough's return to ping island - a seamless transition from electronic sounds to orchestral madness.

[@jasobeats2644]

Great input / feedback on an Amazing soundtrack!!

[@gusslx]

I think there's advantages and disadvantages in both sides. Live performance with traditional instruments feel different, but is usually limited to the mechanical hability of the musician and the domain of sounds that the instrument can emit. None of these happens on electronic music. The only limit there is creativity (and knowledge about the production software). I'd put as a good example the whole Celeste OST, since it has a truly beautiful combination of both worlds in some pieces (like Joy of Remembrance), and others are purely electronic (like all the B-Sides).

[@tommaxwell4470]

This is truly how you celebrate St Patrick’s Day, by analysing Japanese Video game music.

[@AidanKedzierski]

Some of the greatest digital music I've heard is the soundtrack to The Adventure Zone by Griffin McElroy. He had very little musical experience beforehand. And he uses leitmotifs masterfully and it's wonderful.

[@speroentertainment6990]

I think there will always be that thing that live music has that makes it so special. But the elimination of gatekeeping is awesome thanks to some crazy, really real sounding instrument packs.

[@M00nSlippers]

I am so down for you becoming an anime and video game music analysis channel, lol.

[@StrictlySteam]

Get this lad to a million subscribers.

[@fireaza]

On the topic of synthesized music vs live, I remember Robin Beanland saying that the music in the remake of "Conker's Bad Fur Day" is mostly unchanged from the original, aside from using all live instruments instead of synthesized obviously. That is, aside from the pitchfork boss battle music, it's at a slower tempo since they couldn't find a banjo player who could play that fast!

[@jespertobiassen9668]

Loving the game videos. Saw something a while back on the music from Link’s Awakening remake. They made a point about how limited the composers were by space on the cartridges, meaning that EVERY note had to be near perfect, because it was very expensive in terms of byte-real estate.

[@NekoHanyouHanaru]

Charles do you edit your own videos? If so YOU NEED TO GIVE YOURSELF A RAISE. I was ✨wheezing✨

[@landonshaw1755]

0:00 - 1:14 charles laughing at his piano

[@RC-1290]

When simulating things it can initially be easy to overlook some parts of live performances that turn out to be way more important. Either because of the time it takes to create a comprehensive simulation efficiently, or because it simple takes some distance to pick up on it. But after that I think it mainly depends on mastery of these tools, just like with other instruments.

[@Swiglr]

I'm unbelievably glad you are not straight lying to my face I thought you were about to say raycon sponsored this episode when you talked about good sound quality and doing music Justice