The GOOD Songs In Sonic Superstars? | Music Producer Reacts

[@TeeLopes]

Great video! It was very educational, even for me, since I'm not formally trained. The "tribal chanting" you refer to was conceived as a choir of jungle animals (think gorillas, bears, cuckoos, and other birds) singing and dancing together, broadway style. It just sounds cool. Not everything needs to be over-analyzed! :) I'm delighted you've enjoyed my music, keep doing a great job!

[@break-beat-sonic]

Holy Fuck it's the man himself

[@dannyfenton1688]

Hey Tee Lopes. Love your music. Would you be down to show your process making some of these tracks in the future?

[@TerceiroLugar]

WHOA

[@robertlauncher]

Yeah it did feel like he was about to call the chanting “Racist,” which what, the mere act of tribal chanting was made up by the white man? Is that the PC drug they’re snorting now? Or is it cultural appropriation because chanting belongs to uhhhh oh wait a lot of cultures did that lol

[@ddduv]

OMG IT'S YOU

[@appleofdoom]

20:22 The composer for this piece, Hidenori Shoji, actually composed a lot of that style of music during the early 2000s working on soundtracks for Super Monkry Ball and F-Zero GX

[@lse2]

oh that is cool as hell

[@testmandd]

this is the correct way to make reaction content. actually add something important to the content. i love this so much

[@prodbymercury]

Speed Jungle Act 2 is done by Hidenori Shoji, a composer who helped shape pretty much all of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon and Super Monkey Ball soundtracks! I'm a big fan of his work and was very happy to see him on this soundtrack

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

he's done my favorite track in the main campaign to be fair, something about some of the melodies in that track make me think about very obscure songs in the franchise and i love it so much

[@Seven19inkling]

For future reference these are the tracks Tee Lopes worked on for this game - Opening/Title Screen (Arranger)* - Bridge Island Act 1 (Arranger)* - Bridge Island Act 2 (Arranger/Co-composer)* - Speed Jungle Act 1 (Composer) - Sand Sanctuary Act 1 (Composer) - Lagoon City Act 2 (Composer) - Chaos Emerald Special Stage (Composer) - Super Sonic (Co-composer)* - Invincibility (Co-composer)* And any other song is by other composers Jun Senoue Hidenori Shoji Rintaro Soma Takahiro Kai Whenever you hear any song with Genesis snare drums it is a song composed by Jun Senoue, He did this before with the Sonic 4 ost and it wasn't pleasant either, He is a amazing Guitarist and has composed some of my favourite Sonic vocal songs but when it comes to recreating classic sonic music he misses everytime. If you want a comparison of what Jun is capable of without genesis synths, compare Splash hill Act 1,2,3 from Sonic 4 kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXvFnKSooZp8l8Usi=JxqFjV1nAUZ2UJHg to Splash hill zone re-imagined where Jun and Tee recreated that song and Jun uses his awesome guitar instead of these synths. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXzJoJiApp5snKMsi=v8YWzdQEPKKA6kPg Makes me so sad that he is capable of so much more.

[@eh5732]

Someone please pull Jun Senoue away from the Mega Drive soundboard! They need to realise just because it's 2D Sonic you don't need to evoke 16 bit sounds you can do whatever you want! Mario Wonder just came out and that doesnt try to sound like the SNES games.

[@vividcolorandrichaudio6134]

It's funny how you didn't mention that Senoue is behind much of 3&K's ost and MOST of 3d Blast's ost (composer and programmer). Listen to Sonic 4's ost beyond Splash Hill, and beyond Episode I. Splash Hill are the weakest tracks in the whole saga. Casino Street onwards has several tracks that are on par with what he made for 3d Blast, and even SA2 in some cases, like Mad Gear Act 2. In fact, Sonic 4 references 3d Blast's music several times and it fits like a glove. Stop spreading this myth that he "misses every time" when his style hasn't changed in the slightest, and he started out his Sonic career making 3&K's most iconic tracks. He clearly still knows his shit, and much more than Tee does. Every "Genesis remix" Tee Lopes has done has been inauthentic. Meanwhile, Superstars has genuine FM much of the time. If you hate the """Sonic 4 synths""", then god forbid you ever listen to Azure Lake or Sky Sanctuary, because it's the exact same sound but compressed.

[@bluerious5475]

@@vividcolorandrichaudio6134I’ve played the sonic 4 games before and splash hill isn’t even a weak song the way you say it is, it’s just bogged down by the limiting choice of instrumentation. Saying that using the sonic 4 synths is a bad choice to limit yourself with is perfectly fine. You can hear especially in this soundtrack just how much the songs composed by Jun could have been much better without those limitations. (And hell, the egg fortress songs are actually pretty solid, if only *way* too short for the levels they play in) There’s a reason why Lopes’ compositions for this game are much more preferred by most, including professional producers like the original uploader of this video. (Also, none of the sonic 3 music uses the sonic 1/2 snares like the sonic 4 soundtrack does, it’s a very different sound from the genesis chip)

[@OMR3333]

Sand sanctuary is too good imo

[@vividcolorandrichaudio6134]

@@bluerious5475 If limitations are bad by default, then Tee Lopes is just as bad because he too uses limited selections of instruments. Sonic Mania was almost entirely Korg Legacy stuff last time I checked. On top of that, Episode II used entirely different tools than Episode I, and Superstars expands on that further with combining Episode II with new instruments and even some genuine FM. So it's not like his music is particularly limited. The Sonic 2 samples are most likely an executive decision, since they're more iconic. I'm assuming Senoue has access to a million drum samples at this point.

[@misterholmes221]

I'm sorry, that chant in Speed Jungle is hype. It fits for the environment, and works as what a tribal chant is suppose to do. Get you started, hyped, "ready to go" kind of feel. My opinion.

[@adriaen21]

And It's actually sad that Act Sonic's Hype FELL for me. Because in the teaser Sega Uploaded of the Speed Jungle Music, Act Sonic had those Chants at the start that, like you say, add a lot of hype.

[@misterholmes221]

@@adriaen21 I see what you mean.

[@ButSeriouslyThough]

You know, these are probably the most inviting videos talking about music theory that I've ever seen. You can talk about it in a way that is somehow pretty clear to me even though I don't know a thing about music theory. The fact you seen to be genuinely engrossed by music makes it even more interesting and welcoming. I am enjoying these videos and I am starting to seriously wonder about getting knowledgeable about music theory now! The way you can talk about it passionately and immediately show practically what you are talking about makes it very, very interesting to watch (and hear, of course) and makes one want to learn what you know.

[@chroinglepersonal]

I am begging for more of these videos, for the most part when I see a video “analyzing” a soundtrack it’s usually just a guy listening to it and barely saying anything about it, I love how in depth and educational these videos are! I’d love to hear what you have to say about the rest of the soundtrack!

[@vaporcranberries]

Reminds me of those Sonic music theory videos

[@eh5732]

Its sad the boss music is such a miss. The Sonic Advance games got such good boss themes squeezed on the GBA

[@manuelmakesartz]

The boss theme of Sonic Advance 2 is, without a doubt, one of the most aggressive Eggman themes. It's amazing!

[@BrutalSalamander1]

All the final boss themes sound great. The regular boss themes on the other hand...

[@Gyrokun]

@@BrutalSalamander1 Advance 1's boss theme is the only one that's meh

[@Gyrokun]

@@manuelmakesartznot Advance 3's?

[@manuelmakesartz]

@@Gyrokun Compared to Sonic Advance 2's? No. On it's own? Sure.

[@PhilBo-fp9mz]

SEGA needs Tee Lopes to direct more of their music

[@sediew]

Exactly, not necessarily arrange all the songs but give all the composers and arrangers a sense of direction and coherence

[@mascott1157]

I wholeheartedly agree, and/or he should have done the whole soundtrack this time (Lagoon City was safe though, that one can stay. lol).

[@lordred8845]

@@mascott1157 Exactly my thoughts.

[@sediew]

I really like these videos because they teach me a lot of music theory while reacting to really good and bad soundtracks. Im so excited for your Sand Sanctuary Zone and Lagoon City Act 2 reactions!

[@lilmattere]

There are a lot more Superstars songs you should give a listen to - Sand Sanctuary, Pinball Carnival (both acts), Lagoon City (all acts), and Cyber Station for example, Oh and Press Factory! i'd love to hear your reaction :)

[@maxxatom]

Frozen base and egg fortress are pretty good too

[@lilmattere]

@@maxxatom Frozen Base Act 1 is probably one of my favourite tracks from the game if i'm honest. It's very uplifting, and the chords that support the main melody are beautiful imo.

[@Dee-Jay_rarim]

I want sand sanctuary for yesterday!

[@Edsh4rd]

Out of all these tracks you listened to, only Speed Jungle Act 1 was Tee Lopes. Usually if you hear the Sonic 1 drum snare and the odd arrangements in these tracks, it was done by Jun Senoue. The second part of the Fang theme is actually from his theme in Sonic Triple Trouble on Game Gear, so that part is supposed to call back to that, but Jun’s choice of synths really ruins it. I really want to see you deconstruct all the tracks in the game if possible. There’s so much here that’s good and so much that makes for a good educational experience.

[@AMemeableChannel]

The Fang boss makes the early boss theme look like a masterpiece tbh

[@szszabolcs9582]

HOT TAKE!!!!!! (being serius the Fang theme isn't THAT BAD...sure it "killed our familly", but come on)

[@AMemeableChannel]

@@szszabolcs9582 True, true. Still not a good song lol

[@garsrandom4358]

@@szszabolcs9582usually, yes, it isn’t that bad However this version, it indeed is a peice of dogsh*t that was used for someone to replace the soap when taking his shower

[@anasrompro4320]

It sounds silly

[@dannyfenton1688]

I’m invested. I wouldn’t mind if you analyzed the whole ost to this game but that’s just me.

[@X-3181]

my favorite tracks from the OST are definitely pinball carnival act 2 and lagoon city act 2

[@LordXsi]

Thank you for your work! Great video! Instead of the internet just saying “this is great, this is meh and that is trash”, we now have a professional actually explaining what’s going on. Please keep going with these videos!

[@jaketheletterd]

i'm happy this kind of content is seeming to become more common cause i love hearing musicians analyse and just generally be interested in game soundtracks i enjoy (or in this case soundtracks i enjoy like 70% of)

[@tuskoub]

I'm so excited for him to break down Pinball Carnival Act 2 and Lagoon City Act 2, if he continues.

[@flamelurk]

Really surprised people took your comment about the chanting so seriously. Regardless, it's a good video as usual. Happy you got to listen to my favorite track in the OST.

[@lse2]

fr lmao

[@GuivenYongChart]

I charted the first piece as part of the jungle mix. really liking these bouncy rhythm and spice up the chart overall, enjoy playing it too.

[@jezSonic]

3:08 (Only those who tried playing His Word on a piano will understand) Me after almost hearing "His World" there: PLEASE PLAY IT TO THE END!

[@unfractured_]

In my opinion, Sky Temple is a great "turn your brain off and jam" kinda song. It's nice to listen to and not think about the structure and composition of the song. It's why i think it's Jun's best song on the soundtrack, and my favorite of Jun's songs as well.

[@sonicslayton]

Pinball Carnival and Lagoon City are the standouts of the soundtrack

[@jez_chill983]

I'm not sure if this is the case, but i think Fang's theme and the Sky temple theme may have been made by Jun Senoue, for some reason he has this fasination for using the Sonic 2 snare when he tries to make songs that sound classic Sonic-like. You can confirm this by checking any song in the Sonic 4 ost

[@harmoniecloyd2830]

Finally im not he only who notices this. His music always sound like metropolis when it comes to classic sonic, its so repetitive and annoying!

[@calvinospina7307]

The Sonic superstar sound tracks are intended to be reminiscent the OG Sega Genesis Sonic soundtracks for nostalgia, it works for old Sonic fans like me lol

[@blueblastarts533]

The best kind of compliment you could receive would indeed be something like "wait, he's not doing what I think he's doing, he's just that good."

[@MILK_IDOTMASTER]

sky temple (in the begining) just sounds deadass like launch bass and i love it, cuz its not launch base but it is. im sure yk what i mean

[@oplayernojento7693]

Laggon City act 2 is a amazing stuff too, my favorite music of the soundtrack

[@R00TB33R]

Always cool to see someone so passionate having fun

[@Purpbatboi]

there is literally nothing wrong about the chanting?

[@NolrizTheGamer]

He didn't say it was wrong, he just feels like it's kinda cliche (stereotypic), but overall no big deal

[@Gnidel]

I think it makes it a jungle theme song instead of Great Tee Lopes Song Number 2137 that would universally fit anywhere. I like such theme cliches.

[@Purpbatboi]

might be just me, but the way he's speaking in (1:08) just feels he was trying to say the chanting felt like something bad It felt like they were trying to say it has a bad stereotype, native people tend to live in forest/jungle regions and they do chant depending on their culture @@NolrizTheGamer

[@metalsilver7718]

I didnt think that it was cliche at all tbh?

[@RaphielShiraha64]

It could be seen as offensive@@Purpbatboi

[@dusk173]

You should listen to Sand Sanctuary. In my opinion, it’s the most underrated track in the entire game, and it’s my favorite.

[@futabamajima]

I think it'd be fascinating if you checked out some of the unused versions of songs in this game. Some Jun Senoue tracks had beta versions before they were rearranged by Tee Lopes and others, so you can make a direct comparison between the more modern sounding tracks and the Sonic 4 stuff

[@theivace9705]

The intro as a whole is the best part of speed jungle to me.

[@LocalHumanYT]

Lagoon city and sand sanctuary are great tracks, would be cool to see you react to them

[@JovialEclipse]

8:10 Not me thinking he was gonna pull the Buddy Holly on us.

[@littlebigplaylbpgames9676]

Egg Fortress both acts are soo good you must listen to them...

[@Bajso84]

Love this zone. Especially the Act 2 track. Hahah, that Fang miniboss theme actually works for me. I feel like its annoying on purpose, and the tinny sound makes it appear as if coming from the speakers on Fangs hoverbike. Thats my feeling. Very annoying, but I think it fits. But it was likely another placeholder that got to stay. Nextup I think you should check out Pinball Carnival

[@LegamSSF]

In some strange way, this soundtrack really highlights the genius of the previous classic soundtracks. Not only that, but Superstars really allows us Sonic fans (especially non-musicians) a platform to discuss / appreciate what made the classics great. Maybe this was Jun Sunoue's plan all along lol! That said, I wouldn't mind having more exploration of this OST. There's something about having a soundtrack with such a disparity of highs and lows that makes it a great case study for music composition / theory.

[@enigminator3578]

I was trying figure out what Speed Jungle Act 2's reminded me of and I just came to the realization that it would fit really well with Ape Escape.

[@break-beat-sonic]

I don't see a lot of people talking about Sand Sanctuary, it was also made by Tee Lopes and it's just as good as the Act 1 of Speed Jungle

[@djmasterbuilder323]

13:51 this man really jamming in sync

[@OhadLutzky]

10:43 am I the only one hearing the reference to Sky Sanctuary Zone? (the low synth which twiddles that way throughout the whole track)

[@lse2]

I was actually hearing a bit of Lava Reef, but I do hear Sky Sanctuary now that you mention it!

[@RadiantBlazeVA]

Cannot wait for you to talk about Pinball Carnival (all acts) and Lagoon City (all acts) + Sand Sanctuary those were the highlights of the ost for me

[@g10viwho70]

Frozen base (act tails) is the only 16 bit banger

[@MinoruGLS]

For some of you who don't know: Actual beats are called "downbeats", between these are "upbeats", between all these are "offbeats" which have the less musical pressure on them (idk, can't think of better words) The "new material" that LSE mentioned is usually known as "musical development" which is balanced with "musical repetition"

[@CaramelFoxSFW]

Sky Temple Zone Act 1 gives me freedom planet vibs not sure if it's from FP1 or FP2, but I do hope to see you look at those amazing OSTs in the future.

[@StormyDoesVR]

Can't wait to see the next episode, hearing you break down these songs and go over what makes them great or mediocre is amazing!

[@UnimpressedMTT]

I watched your video on bridge zone and on speed jungle zone I love how u descriptive u are with the music I would love to hear your opinion on fang mk2 when u get there cause I really love that track it sounds so fire 🔥!!!

[@Leetheslayer]

Also the synth part of the fang boss is I’m pretty sure it’s his motif

[@ginnnnnn00]

would love to see your thoughts on pinball carnival! its such a good track imo

[@alexkuntmm7201]

Sand Sanctuary as well

[@eneaslepro2010]

WOW I JUST REALISED SKY TEMPLE ACT 1 USES THE BASS LIKE IN LAUNCH BASS IN SONIC 3

[@jonathanodude6660]

10:42 reminds me of mystic cave zone

[@djw315mw2]

I can't wait for you to get to Lagoon City Zone act 2. That's one of my favorite songs in the game

[@AnimalXing]

These vids are so cool and so educational; subbed!

[@sammysuru]

Speed Jungle Act 2 was actually composed by Hidenori Shoji, whos also heavily worked on music for the Yakuza games!

[@dreadcrimson7966]

I am patiently awaiting the moment he gets to the unused Cyber Station boss theme. Not the 8-bit version, but the other one. That and Press Factory act Fruit are what I'm hype for.

[@s0shadow]

i'm really interested in what you think about egg fortress act 2. i THINK (don't quote me on this) that it's the only solo Jun Senoue composed song where he didn't use the genesis soundfont or those obnoxious genesis drums and as a result is COMPLETELY different from his other solo songs that you really didn't like such as the boss theme, fang the hunter theme, and sky temple

[@NinjaV_Editz]

I’m waiting for Press Factory

[@D-W-N-Xsist]

Loving these deconstructions no cap 🔥🔥🔥 keep it up

[@brandondyer6546]

No disrespect to the other composers but only if Tee Lopes did the whole game.

[@thepoweroffreesh6820]

We wouldn’t get peak like pinball carnival act 2 then

[@BearBoyJW]

This 10:33. I need a piano mashup of this song now haha.

[@ramadhanadriano7650]

If i were imagining it, it would be like megaman 11 where the music still have that nes feel but improve on that kind of sense.

[@Mr_Sega]

I agree, I think the chanting is clique. But it does fit as the setting of the game takes place on an island with an ancient tribe.

[@DaSwagGoose]

If you ever get to it, i think the best songs in the game are sand sanctuary act one and pinball carnival act one

[@ed_999]

this series can't end after only two episodes!!

[@FuzHammer]

Standard final boss theme is my personal favourite of the most so would be interested in seeing your feelings on that

[@redviolet8235]

I JUST LISTENED TO SAND SANCTUARY AND IT IS GREAT. You have to listen to it.

[@zebulan1485]

In the game files, some early versions of tracks were left in, most (but not all), which I think give an interesting perspective on how some tracks were touched up in arranging later on: kzbin.info/aero/PLQrY_MTc2CpGhq_4P6rufb4qIrY1sx9Vz I think it would be interesting to do a video comparing some of these to their final versions. Cyber Station Act 1 even has not one, but two beta versions from different points in its development, which are both significantly different in arrangement from the final version. Seeing how some tracks got touched up does make it feel like other tracks were undercooked, and it's frankly bizarre that the standard boss themes (which you hear repeatedly throughout the game) are among the weakest in terms of arrangement.

[@RemSenS912]

It’s bizarre that they felt the need to touch up other tracks but not the boss themes which needed THE MOST touching up lol

[@maxxatom]

Sky temple sounds more like it’s supposed to be in a Mario kart game, but using sega percussion

[@andrewlins9747]

Do Pinball Carnival next! I love the song but don't know why exactly, maybe hearing your reactions clarify me

[@sanicmaniac]

8:10 this made me realize the famous Weezer lick is a minor 4

[@Laekith]

You should talk about Cyber Station Zone cause it's by far my favorite song in the game and it's by Jun Senoue.

[@GAME_GAMBLER]

Another great video! Its always awesome seeing videos like this analysing tracks from video games. Id honestly love to hear your thoughts on Pinball Carnival. Its one of the only acts that does the usual thing or remixing the act 2 theme as both act 1 and 2 were done by the same composer. Its a favourite of mine for that reason (plus i think it sounds super classic sonic styled).

[@dale_dpg]

Loved this video! I know nothing about music theory but learned so much! I'd love to see more vids like.

[@dale_dpg]

Would love a reaction to Mario Wonder's soundtrack, especially the Factory theme

[@jonathandias7006]

Egg Fortress Act 1 and Cyberstation are good Sounds as well

[@ManuSpring]

Wait 'till he gets to press factory

[@testmandd]

you should keep covering this ost

[@sometf2player752]

I definitely want to see you react to the late game boss theme as it’s definitely better than the early game boss theme

[@TemporalZack]

I'm sure a bunch of fans are willing to see you analyze the whole soundtrack. A lot of us don't really have much musical knowledge, so we can hear what's wrong about some of the tracks but can't put them into words. So I think your analysis could possibly resonate with a lot of people's thoughts.

[@Plasmariel]

Hey! Love the analysis! I strongly recommend hearing the composer Tim Follin, he's the most bonkers video game composer, absolutely impressive stuff. Namely, he did maybe the coolest Genesis OST for an unreleased game in hexadecimal programming. It's called Time Trax (look up the 55hz version if you want the best middle ground between music speeds, that's the intended one)

[@deslardesslok]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🦇 🎃 👻 ☠️ 💀 🍬 11:54p.m. 10/31/2023

[@vanilla7981]

I hope you keep doing these cuz I just gotta know what you think of Lagoon City act 2. My fave song from this game

[@sanicmaniac]

4:33 for a second I thought that was Bad Apple lmao

[@JohntheUltraGamer]

Personally, Act Sonic is one of my favorite songs in the game.

[@Camad]

The chanting is Goated??

[@lordred8845]

Just an opinion on Sky Temple. If you remember, Sonic 4 OST's main problem was track looping in 40-50 sec max (Sky Fortress 1 from ep. 2 is a great example of that). If you find and listen to the EARLY version of ST, you'll notice that it was heavily rearranged - beta ST is shorter (loops around 1:12), lacks the intro & overall structure is VERY different from the final, while the actual game version loops around 1:55, meaning this is a LONGEST track Jun ever done in this style. I can't say he outdone himself with this one, but it sounds WAY better than any Sonic 4 track, I'd say. And while I'm no composer by any means, I agree that ST feels a bit rushed and unpolished even in its final state. But I like it anyway, it's my 2nd favorite from the game, 1st is Sand Sanctuary :)

[@IconicCROSS]

I wish super stars soundtrack came out on Spotify. The good songs deserves to be free Edit: hop off the chanting the dong wouldn't be nearly as good without it. Got ne hyped and ready for the act before it really began

[@ghisvail]

Another great analysis. I would be keen to know what you think of the final boss song? It feels so uplifting and amazing, but I can't point out what makes it so from a technical perspective.

[@chrischavez1994]

breh got filtered by the sonic 4 music

[@missloopy]

i love this little series so much

[@wasquash]

sand sanctuary is so fire bro

[@partystar91]

Cannot wait for you to get to Pinball Carnival, Lagoon City and Sand Sanctuary. Love those songs. Keep it up!

[@zeusthefox1585]

To clarify things theme that second part that you didn't like, that's actually from his original theme.

[@rylanthompson9968]

There’s a tribe chanting because knuckles was in a tribe before everyone died in it

[@MjfdfrHhgeshmjr]

idk how you really get a perfect thing on your songs man but they are always be fire and masterpiece really and you can do it don’t give up on it

[@rezenhasqn8308]

I'm waiting him to the hear Pinball Carnival act 2 I love this song!

[@1Onsokumaru1]

Tee Lopes A.K.A the god king never disappoints. Also your explanation of Sky Temple Zone is a perfect description of why I didn’t like it, I just couldn’t really describe why. None of the notes seem to be working together

[@thomashatch3673]

There's a tribal society there (lost?) that Trip is a part of, the Sungazer Lizards. There's statues of them all over the jungle, so what's the problem? Tribes exist, it's not offensive to have them in fiction.

[@TheAlphazoneYT]

Respectfully your concern about the chanting is misplaced. Chanting is not specific to any culture at all. Anyone can chant especially in conjunction with music. It’s fine. Literally meant to hype up the song.

[@lameduck7569]

I need to hear him listen to the riders music 😁 i think he'll love it