Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Masa's Demo Versions (Gamespeed)

A complete collection of the Demo versions of the music from Sonic 2, remade from scratch to match the tempo's the final game music uses, with the original Synth, alongside tracks that never had demo versions originally produced!
This whole album comes by way of Nuclear! One of the most talented and knowledgeable folk I know of when it comes to Sonic the Hedgehog, Nuclear has been working for a little while now to find all of the instruments used in the Sonic 2 Demo's, to ultimately end up creating what you're listening to here! All tracks, minus 21, 24, and 25 (which are reused from the official release) are recreated from scratched, sequenced faithfully to what's heard in the Demo's, down to the (lack of) panning in some of these Demo's! And, as a bonus, Nuclear even recreated some tracks not on the Demo album, including the Title Theme, Invincibility Theme, Staff Roll, Drowning Theme, alongside version 2's of some songs, with changes to better resemble their final game counterparts!
All of this was done using a mix of Yamaha SY77 hardware, and Gospel Musicians TGX-99 library for the UVI Falcon sampler! The results here are downright impressive, and I am honored to be able to share this here with you all. Nuclear really knocked it out of the park with making this happen, and I hope every single one of you watching enjoys this release!
If you would like to check out Nuclear's own works, please do check out his KZbin channel, where you can find various song deconstructions, remakes, and a new series, going over how to make songs in the styles of various different sonic composers: / @nukeledge
Lossless download link with a RAR file for convenience, and a folder with individual songs, if you only want to pick out specific songs: drive.google.c...
All of the instruments used here can be found on the ever useful NEWER VGM Sound Sources sheet, which is a fountain of knowledge for anyone seeking to accurately recreate the sound of a specific game: docs.google.co...
And, if you enjoy our work, might I recommend you check out our side channel, Church Sermons? This channel allows our team to go out and create any kind of cover they want for whichever game they want, often delivering some honest to god fantastic covers (I HIGHLY recommend checking out Nuclear's Latin Fusion Remix of Angel Island Act 1). If that interests you, you can find the channel here: / @churchsermonscok
Timestamps:
(00:00) 00. SEGA
(00:01) 01. ~Bonus Track~ Title Screen
(00:12) 02. Emerald Hill Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(01:56) 03. ~Bonus Track~ Invincibility
(02:15) 04. Chemical Plant Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(04:21) 05. Aquatic Ruin Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(05:51) 06. Casino Night Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(08:06) 07. Hill Top Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(09:49) 08. Mystic Cave Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(11:56) 09. Oil Ocean Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(13:42) 10. Metropolis Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(15:26) 11. Mystic Cave Zone (2P) - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(17:27) 12. Casino Night Zone (2P) - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(19:09) 13. Death Egg Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(21:08) 14. Death Egg Robot - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(23:17) 15. Emerald Hill Zone (2P) - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(24:45) 16. Sky Chase Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(26:27) 17. Wing Fortress Zone - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(28:19) 18. Special Stage - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(30:09) 19. All Clear - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(31:29) 20. ~Bonus Track~ Staff Roll
(34:15) 21. Boss
(35:43) 22. Super Sonic - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(36:34) 23. Options - Demo Tape Gamespeed
(37:22) 24. Results
(39:37) 25. Unused Song
(40:37) 26. ~Bonus Track~ Oil Ocean Zone (Ver.2)
(42:24) 27. ~Bonus Track~ Metropolis Zone (Ver.2)
(44:08) 28. ~Bonus Track~ Special Stage (Ver.2)
(45:49) 29. ~Bonus Track~ Drowning

[@dikkekipgaming]

Very cool to finally hear these songs in the correct tempo without any distortion

[@Sean-D78]

Well technically the slower tempo is the correct tempo from the composer as the change was done after they translated the songs to run on the Mega Drive

[@festivevacancy]

i really like to think about masa's versions being the stage personality alone but the mega drive versions being the stages viewed from sonic's point of view as him passes through them.

[@diegovargasdiego]

Show me the real sonic 2 soundtrack: Sonic 2 HD I said the real Sonic 2 soundtrack:Masa Demos This video: perfection

[@Judersthegoofygoober]

Yes

[@SonicandMarioGames]

The demo tapes kinda felt like HD/uncompressed versions of the game's music tracks, which they sorta are to a degree, but this really demonstrates that perception. Nuclear did an amazing job on this. The tracks that didn't even have provided demos originally sound very authentic here to an eeriely impressive point. Loving the reconstruction and deconstruction of these awesome tunes.

[@simplyhoodie]

This is awesome to hear!! Love the Masa demos, just hated the slow speed

[@TheMasonGamer]

This version of Hidden Palace having a proper ending to it unlike the other songs is proof it was meant for a cutscene rather than stage music

[@Leonard_Wolf_2056]

Why would any of the devs put a minute long cutscene in sonic 2?

[@TheMasonGamer]

@@Leonard_Wolf_2056 It obviously wouldn’t be this long in-game unless there’s a small playable section when it starts

[@thoseonetrains]

Ah yes, SEGA totally means "My God" according to the captions.

[@GayKermit-._-.]

No matter the intentions it's accurate either way.

[@FnafVhsR]

Me too

[@koopaeliminator4148]

Nuclear, you have done the impossible. You made Masa's demo version of Mystic Cave *kinda* good.

[@koopaeliminator4148]

Coming back to this, I see the Staff Roll was included? Very interesting to hear a take on that, since demo versions of the Staff Roll themes for both games were *not* included in the original album.

[@pablomovil86]

Bless you Nuclear!!!

[@britan1019]

21:08 l actually love this just as much as much if not more than the genesis version

[@FoxerTails]

I've waited in anticipation for this to release. Been keeping up with the previews on Discord and KZbin. Nuclear did a stellar job on this one.

[@clockworkknightweb]

Genuinely incredible! The only change I would have personally made is putting all of the tracks in the order they are played in the game, especially now that all the tracks that previously were not included are here. That said, most of them are so it's just a small personal nitpick. Other than that, absolutely amazing stuff, and I've been waiting for something like this since the album arrived at my doorstep almost 12 years ago... I feel old now.

[@Arcany]

this version of mystic caves goes crazy hard tbh

[@Useott]

Death Egg Robot in HD nakes me want to cry, IMO it's the best final boss theme, and with the visuals

[@eliel_360]

YEEEESS I'VE WAITED SO LONG FOR SOMETHING RELATED TO NAKAMURA 'S DEMO TRACKS

[@eliel_360]

EVEN THE THEMES THAT ARE NOT PRESENT IN THE ALBUM??? HOLY SHIT

[@MisterSheeple]

This is such a lovely surprise! Hats off to Nuclear!

[@spontman]

The timing is eerie. I was just listening to these demos the other day.

[@someobscuremusicchannel]

Beautiful

[@TemporaryCrown]

Dam this goes hard

[@texticks]

this is amazing!!

[@cake2943]

Metropolis zone sound so much different in midi

[@segaretro92]

absolutely incredible

[@jasontheredfox]

Wow that's spectacular

[@Epsilonsama]

Oh my God this is amazing. Thank you Nuclear.

[@pausegill]

thank you nuclear!

[@SonicROMHacks]

Just imagine if the Casino Night Beta theme was made using these digital instruments

[@Giratina31290]

Stunning

[@Leonard_Wolf_2056]

Sounds pretty good. I am dissapointed Sega didn't package in the demo soundtrack(gamespeed) in any of the sonic 1 & 2 re-releases.

[@USMCbrantley]

That base in Chemical Plant! Gotta love it

[@evdestroy4121]

Nice work

[@JamesR624]

Sonic 2 but compsed by the audio engineers that worked on Johnny Test. There's more whipcracks in these demos than BAH's in the New Super Mario Bros. soundtrack.

[@DemonDethchase]

Nice, very nice... Also, was there not a Maas styled Staff Roll from the first game made by Nuclear?

[@NoahtheEpicGuy]

the only thing I dislike about these demo tapes is how obnoxious the power kick and power acoustic snare drum sounds are. at least, assuming similarities to GM, I think they're from the power kit. maybe the electronic kit.

[@Leonard_Wolf_2056]

Sounds like the power kit. I call it the hammer snare. I get the bass and the drummer are the engine of the car but the snares are really loud... and i really dont like this type of power snare.

[@sheik124]

these are fantastic recreations of the demos! Aquatic Ruin sounds like it got stifled hard by the Genesis compared to what he had in mind. granted, a ton of these actually sounded better coming out of the Genesis, CPZ demo is hilarious to listen to...that song sounds like it was made for the FM patches and samples they used in game. kinda why I liked Naofumi Hataya's Act 1 remix for Generations but really didn't like Tee Lopes' Act 1. that lead patch is too iconic.

[@mr.autism8539]

I love it

[@therealratdweller]

sonic 2 as a late 90's pc game

[@IkaraPopsicle]

Just.. amazing, I could barely hear a difference between these and the actual demos (besides the speed) Though, in my opinion, Mystic cave sounds more fitting with the drunk-like speed and the synth

[@rassilontdavros3004]

Why _are_ all of the officially released demos are so slow compared to the final versions, anyway? Was the album mastered from old tapes and actually authentic to how Nakamura initially intended them, or was the original sequence data played back in the 2010s at the wrong tempo? The fact that the change is so consistently present makes me suspect the latter, but that begs the question of why the handful of tracks that _are_ at the "correct" tempo are so.

[@DefinitiveDubs]

It's how he intended them. Some Sonic 1 tracks are at a slower tempo too.

[@SonicROMHacks]

I don’t recall the S2 Title Screen and the Invincibility Music being part of the CD. I own a copy of this CD from Japan.

[@SonicROMHacks]

And it was also not tampered with before obtaining it either as it was still in its plastic wrap.(Surrounded by Bubble Wrap

[@milesfernando]

"And, as a bonus, Nuclear even recreated some tracks not on the Demo album, including the Title Theme, Invincibility Theme, Staff Roll, Drowning Theme, alongside version 2's of some songs, with changes to better resemble their final game counterparts!"

[@pharthuro]

Those were exclusive to the gamespeed versions

[@SusiTerry]

what are these? are these songs composed on a synthesizer before being converted to the genesis like with 3d blast?

[@MisterSandmanAU]

​@@ChurchofKondohI thought Nakamura directly programmed the Mega Drive versions of the songs himself

[@contttttt]

@@ChurchofKondohhonestly very interesting to learn about sonic music. wonder if theres any sonic 3 demo tapes? (and also, hopefully the sonic 1 staff roll demo tape)

[@golden_manzen]

​@@contttttt well, most of sonic 3 composers created songs specificly for genesis. You can find sonic 3 midis with sc-88pro soundfont, which sound pretty similar to these demos, but they are with tracks from sonic origins (aka prototype tracks) 'cause Michael Jacksons samples cant be done in midi.

[@MatrixEvolution17]

this is very cool, does a version like this exist for Sonic 1?

[@avzarathustra6164]

interesting

[@bobmuzaik]

how'd you get such a clean version of the sega choir??

[@NUKELEDGE]

The mobile remakes of Sonic 1 and 2 as well as Sonic 4 Episode 1 and 2 have it at its highest quality.

[@masonasaro2118]

sonic 4 - 2

[@Hicks1968]

1:57

[@Abellgard]

Time stamps please

[@volodesi0000]

Hrm.. this is most definitely an acquired taste. Not a a fan of how the stages sound in this style.

[@reikoobray2573]

"Promo sm" 🌺

[@the-NightStar]

I find it hilarious that the Sonic 4 soundtrack got so much backlash for sounding like a bunch of ducks and sick cats getting run over, when it turns out these original demos that sold the entire soundtrack for the first game to begin with, all sounded just as horrible with the same terrible instruments as the Sonic 4 soundfont everyone hated. And yet everyone is lining around the block to call these demos brilliant works of genius.

[@gablink5190]

Its more so the compositions rather than instrumentation, i think the instruments used in splash hill are very similar to heroes seaside hill, but seaside hill loops arround the 3 minute mark where as splash hill loops at 60 seconds or less, leading to a repetitive song. This is just my interpretation tho.

[@NUKELEDGE]

As someone who likes both the demos (enough to recreate all of them) and Sonic 4 (enough to recreate all of it), yep, they're very similar in their philosophies of using a very specific set of instruments within an instrument. For example, there are some patches on the SY99 and Triton that Nakamura and Senoue respectively never touch, almost as if they have a sub-set of sounds that fits the idea for the style of the game in their head. A fun fact: Senoue wanted to do something similar to these tapes and have what we know as the Sonic 4 Episode II soundtrack along with FM versions of the songs, but Dimps said it wouldn't fit, so he didn't. (Source: Sonic Stadium Sonic 4 interview with Jun Senoue).

[@GayKermit-._-.]

Sonic 4 doesn't sound horrible, it just is.

[@ian09dbz]

these are different instruments lmfao

[@ProdByKRISP]

That’s because the composition is waaay better then sonic 4 ep1&2 and they don’t use the same instruments 😂😂😂. You literally could’ve just said i don’t like the masa demos and kept it pushing but decided to type whole entire paragraph of wrong.