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Hi, it's me again!

For the past year or so, restored video game tracks (sometimes termed differently) have been popping up on YouTube. Have you noticed this?
For these projects, people ripped the song data from the game, looked for the samples used in synthesizers available at the time, and replaced the samples stored on the cartridge with uncompressed samples.
I am quite excited about it, but it also creates some tough decisions. For example, for your regular listening, will you listen to a high-quality rip of the Donkey Kong Country 2 soundtrack, or will you listen to a restored version?
More specifically to me, yesterday The Brickster uploaded a restored version of the entire Mario Kart: Super Circuit soundtrack. It's great, but the individual tracks often don't sound as great to me as they do in Cloou's version, who doesn't have the entire soundtrack available. What do I listen to?
Have you already looked up your favourite soundtrack with highly compressed samples to see if someone's already put restored tracks on YouTube?? Let me know what you're excited about!

[Mario Kart Super Circuit]

Hi, it's me again!

I have wanted to create this topic for a while, but with the recent news about Nintendo blocking unofficial soundtrack uploads on YouTube, and me having Christmas vacation, I thought it was the right time.
As I'm (almost) sure we all know, Nintendo doesn't release their games' soundtracks. At least, not commercially; rarely, a soundtrack is produced, but not on sale. I don't know why this is the case, as for most internationally released films soundtracks are released, I'm pretty sure, and some other companies (notably, Square Enix) do put out soundtracks.
In this topic, let's discuss the soundtracks that we would most like to buy!

For me, there is no question about what should be on number 1. It is:
Mario Kart Super Circuit
This game has an amazing soundtrack, even when you're used to the quality that Mario Kart is known to offer. However, presumably because the game was inexplicably put on the smallest GBA cartridge size available, the samples have undergone an extreme amount of compression. We know what the soundtrack would sound like without the compression, though!
First listen to this: https://youtu.be/MqrFVoyq5yE Then listen to this: https://youtu.be/Rm_KG-6ukHI
Aah, to be able to hear the entire soundtrack in that quality... what a dream!

For my second pick, one that might be surprising:
Super Mario Galaxy
This soundtrack is iconic, epic, and extremely good. It was released, but only to Club Nintendo members, and not commercially. It hasn't been available new for at least 10 years, I think, and it is not so easy to find it second-hand affordably either. It would be nice to have it available more easily, and it would be nice to have it on Spotify too!

And as the last one, for now:
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest
Of course it would be nice to have all three, but in my opinion, the second game has the best soundtrack of the trilogy by far. I would love to be able to request this on my favourite music listening website SST, it would be great to have on Spotify and I would like to have it physically too. This is just such a grand soundtrack! And if I'm not mistaken, the full version does in fact sound clearer than the in-game version, which would be welcome, even though this soundtrack sounds great in-game too.

I'm curious of your thoughts on these wishes, and moreover what you would like to see released yourself!
And if anyone has an idea as to why Nintendo isn't releasing soundtracks, feel free to contribute.

Hi, it's me again!

This might be a topic I'll reuse... I'm trying to do a transcription of this song, as a fun challenge and so I can listen to it in better quality (like most GBA soundtracks, the samples are noticeably compressed)
However I got stuck right at the beginning, as I can't figure out what the instrument used from the beginning is. There's a shaker, but I'm not sure about the tom-like sound. I'm using MuseScore 3 and the only option seemed to be the Roto-Toms, but they are pitched in a different way, and don't sound quite right either (I did succesfully use them for this theme from another game, but that sample does sound quite different, and is not used as the main melodic component.
I don't know what the percussion is entering the song from 5 seconds onward either. It sounds like wood blocks to me, but I don't think wood blocks are available in so many pitches. Then again, that doesn't mean the composer can't have used a woodblock sample anyway, of course. But you might be able to tell me otherwise.
Thanks for your attention!

(Edit: This OP is not up to date anymore)

Hi, it's me again!

I've wanted to contribute to NinSheetMusic for years, but I've always felt a barrier in that I'd have to get used to Finale Notepad, which is if I'm not mistaken, an outdated, free version of a music notation program.
However, I now once again have a specific reason to want to contribute: Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, widely regarded as the best Story of Seasons game, is getting a remake for the Nintendo Switch. In combination with this, a few weeks ago I ran a batch file on all of my GBA games to see if I could rip their music (i.e. if it used the Sappy sound engine). To my great surprise, Friends of Mineral Town was one of the games from which the soundtrack was successfully ripped: this surprised me because I thought I would have tried in the past, as it is one of my favourite games, and I'd already learnt two tracks on piano.
So my plan: listen to all tunes (the used ones, at least... there are a bunch of themes in the rip that I don't recognise at all ) and determine which ones could be easily played on piano, without too many musical sacrifices. For each of those, input the MIDI into MuseScore 3, and process/clean up the track (which could take an hour or two for some tracks maybe, but will certainly be a lot faster than carefully arranging by ear, and then inputting all of the notes). I will then print the sheets and play them; this will hopefully let me find inconsistencies or inconveniences in the sheets, so I can improve on them further where necessary.
And then of course I'd like to submit them to NinSheetMusic, because I bet some people will be looking for them, when the game is released for the Switch! (the music seems to have stayed mostly the same in the remake)
However, I could use some tips or encouragement on getting into Finale Notepad, and maybe advice on how to convert a MuseScore sheet to a good-looking NSM sheet.
I have been working on another project as well, and there are also older covers for which people might like the sheet music... this one, for example. But this Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons idea seemed like something good to start out on, especially considering the timing.
Edit: Listening to the rip again, I'm not sure if many could actually be arranged with all voices intact... but I know that for many games it is impossible (take a game like Super Mario Galaxy...), so that doesn't mean that I couldn't make an arrangement NSM-worthy... but it'd be more musically challenging.

Hi, it's me again!

Is there anyone here who can tell in what octave a human voice is singing? I can usually tell myself, but there's this one song where I can't figure it out: https://youtu.be/3bbgvA70Cjc If I sing it low, the verses seem too low, but if I sing it high, the refrain seems too high... I hope someone can help me out, as every time I sing this song I struggle.

Hi, it's me again!

I'm transcribing a theme where every part uses two triplets or one 6plet per measure, if there are any notes at all. Do I simply notate this using triplets in every measure (because a 6plet seems unconventional) or is there a way to make the entire song have this rhythm?
Thanks.
I figured I'd better ask before I finish the entire piece.

Hi, it's me again!

In the title I am asking for a GarageBand alternative. With that I mean the following: does anyone know of an affordable (<€50) piano roll-based composition program for Windows? It needs to have at least stereo panning and 'automation' (gradually changing the volume of individual instruments; I don't know why it's called 'automation' in GarageBand or what it is normally called, as I can't find it on Google), and it needs to have good instrument sounds (better than the default Windows MIDI library) included.
It does not need to have features like loops or automatic chords. I can compose myself.
Thanks, I hope there is something for me.

Hi, it's me again!

I was wondering which of these you would prefer?

I feel like the first looks nicer, but the second is easier to play.

Hello, would anyone here know how to transcribe the rhythm at the beginning of Harvest Moon: Back to Nature's Title Theme?
Here's a link to a YouTube video.
I've been trying to figure it out for an hour or so, as I can play the rhythm by feel, but when doing the bass walk-up to the main theme that doesn't work, as I have to combine things.

Hi, it's me again!
I'd like to try play Cackletta's theme from Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, as I really like it. I could perhaps transcribe it myself, but I figured that because it is quite popular someone might already have it notated. I Googled, but could only find notations for piano, with two staves instead of three.

Edit: I was certain that I posted the finished pdf here when I got it, but apparently not. Here it is! Let me know if I should take this down due to copyright infringement.

Hey! I wrote this thread for another forum a while ago, but I thought it might be interesting to share it here as well, as this forum is largely about video game music, after all.

Hi, it's me again!

I've had this idea for a while now, but never made it, and thought somebody would've beat me to it by now. But apparently not.
I'm interested, though: what's your favourite soundtrack per platform? Obviously, you'll probably only be able to list those for platforms you know quite a few soundtracks on.
Keep in mind there are many soundtracks I don't know very well, but if I see any soundtracks on somebody's list I haven't fully listened to yet, I hope to check them out!

This would be my own list at the moment:
Nintendo Entertainment System: Super Mario Bros., Koji Kondo. With only the most basic of tools at his disposal, Kondo succeeded in creating a soundtrack that wouldn't get repetitive and would stay fun even after 30 years!!
Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Donkey Kong Country 2, David Wise. This soundtrack is totally genius. Such a masterpiece, with many different themes, and for all, the atmosphere was set flawlessly. Stunning stuff.
Gameboy: Super Mario Land, Hirokazu Tanaka. So simple at its core, yet so incredibly well executed. These tunes are timeless.
Atari ST: Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge, Patrick Phelan. I love the ST's soundchip, and Phelan made the most out of it for this soundtrack, I think. All themes are awesome.
Playstation: Rayman, Rémi Gazel. A very impressive soundtrack. That's what it is.
Gameboy Color: Wario Land 3, Kozue Ishikawa. With very basic building stones, Kozue Ishikawa put very much thought into every one of her tunes. And as I learn more about music, I keep getting astonished by what went into these pieces.
Nintendo 64: Super Mario 64, Koji Kondo. Koji Kondo did it again. With some remixes, and many entirely new ideas, he composed another wonderful experience.
PC: SimCity 3000, Jerry Martin et al. This soundtrack features both new-age and jazz music, and both styles were captured perfectly, to my ears. Every single theme is unique, and it'd be hardly possible to choose a favourite, as every single one is a masterpiece and a great work of art.
Gameboy Advance: Mario Kart Super Circuit, Kenichi Nishimaki et al. Unfortunately these themes had to be compressed quite a bit to get onto the GBA, but when ripped they still sound great. The samples are very nice, the melodies, base lines, drums et cetera are super cool, and the whole thing simply fits very well together.
GameCube: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Kenta Nagata et al. A very well-crafted soundtrack, with a lovely atmosphere.
Wii: Super Mario Galaxy, Mahito Yokota, Koji Kondo. This soundtrack is grand. It's definitely worthy of the grand game. Very beautiful.
Wii U: Yoshi's Woolly World, Tomoya Tomita, Misaki Asada. The soundtrack to Yoshi's Island, composed by Koji Kondo, is one of my favourite soundtracks of all time. This soundtrack beat it. It has quite a high number of themes, and they're all amazing. Some cute, some happy, some scary, some awesome; all very, very well-made. Great job.

It was nice writing that, but I'm also interested in reading other lists! Don't worry, they don't need to be as detailed as this one. :P

Hello, I'm currently arranging Snow Land, from Mario Kart: Super Circuit.
There are some things that seem hard to write, but achievable to play. A relatively simple example is this one:

I'd want to make the selected (orange) note last as if it was a full note, while the other notes from the chord should remain chord. How would I write this?

Hey!
On Atari ST, I've got some software called Midi Music Maker, which lets me play midi files (or any sequencer files, really) on my keyboard. I can even configure what instruments the keyboard should use.
I could try to copy that onto my pc and use an Atari ST emulator, but I would like to know: might there be software available for Windows to do the same thing?

Hi, it's me again!

I don't think I ever shared my performances at this forum before, and I just refound this section. Playing sheet music from this site and actually having them featured somewhere? Hm, seems cool. I guess I'll look through my uploads and see which videos were of sheets on this site (lately I've been playing music by ear or transcribing it myself, but there are some earlier recorded ones using sheet music from here)
When I first started recording, for some reason I filmed my entire self and a bit of the room instead of only the piano. Oh well, not too big of a problem, I think, you can still see what I'm playing anyway.
I'm not sure if all of these are usable, but some might be. After all, I never recorded these to be featured anywhere else than my own YouTube channel, but I definitely wouldn't mind them getting used somewhere. This does mean I occasionally made some changes diverting from the sheets, though, but judge for yourself.

K.K. Aria (Aircheck) - Animal Crossing - The Deku Trombonist: https://youtu.be/dkGOzxxCzeE
Room Before Boss - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - Olimar12345: https://youtu.be/daG6RDQDp7c
File Select - Super Mario 64 - The Deku Trombonist:* https://youtu.be/-6yLZMs-9mQ?t=45s
Map Screen (Daytime) - Wario Land 3 - Cryo: https://youtu.be/EFnEgTeZXCc
The Frigid Sea - Wario Land 3 - Cryo: https://youtu.be/eCliGO6yEhc
Bouncy Wario - Wario Land II - Arqivus: https://youtu.be/8SFrfE4qI3k
Story Music Box - Super Mario World 2:** Yoshi's Island - Olimar12345: https://youtu.be/Xq3gdY0tD-8

*This video is quite goofy and probably unusable, but I'd like to share it anyway
**The audio for this video seems to get slightly out of sync with the video as it goes on.

As I said, I'm not sure if many if any of these will be usable as I didn't record them with the purpose of being used and such they might be a bit unorthodox, but oh well, else I've just shared them for fun, in a slightly inappropriate section!

Hi, it's me again!

I was playing some piano at my grandma's today, as I wanted to record some YouTube videos and she has the best feeling and best sounding piano I've ever played on.
I just now realised it has 85 instead of 88 keys.
I don't know how I didn't realise this before
It's never been a problem, though, I've never played something that needs keys that high.

Hey!
For an assignment for school I want to do a duet with myself, recording two parts separately and putting them together. (I'm not sure how I'll edit that, last time I thought I did it perfectly but nope... any tips for that are welcome too!)
I'm not great at piano like many of you probably are, but I taught myself through practice. This is an example of something I did to perhaps get an idea of my skill level: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCliGO6yEhc
I looked around this site, but couldn't fight anything that seemed doable.
Another thing is that it should be 5 minutes long, but I can combine parts. But most video game themes are so short that I'd need to paste like 5 of them together, which doesn't seem very reasonable.

So if anyone knows one or two parts written for two pianos that's not too difficult, please tell!