KickStarter System Shock 1 Remake by Nightdive Studios

[Bad Sector]

Yeah the Roland version is obviously superior (and actually listenable), the FM synth one sounds like Adlib is having a seizure while trying to imitate it.

 

[Ash]

Mac version sounds best to me. I definitely wouldn't try to argue objectivity when it comes to minor differences in music though. Unless you guys are referring to audio technicalities.

 

[schru]

I should specify though that it's not a ‘Mac version’ per se, as it's one of three remixes meant for listening outside the game, which were included with the Mac release. The Mac version itself used the same MIDI files with the system's soundfont.

SC-55 recordings and the bonus Mac tracks, if anyone's interested: https://mega.nz/file/LBlEQTaL#5IZlRE58Ky_c3kvl-gJKsWXmnNxdhxArUNZzpM6jHBE

 

[randir14]

Nightdive probably got a nice cash injection from Microsoft for the new Quake release. Maybe they should use it to finish the fucking game now. When they opened pre-orders a few months ago they claimed it would release "late summer" which is rapidly approaching with no news.

 

[schru]

I definitely wouldn't try to argue objectivity when it comes to minor differences in music though. Unless you guys are referring to audio technicalities.

In a way, this generally does come down to technicalities when it comes to MIDI, though, as composers usually worked on one module and additional track versions or alternative playback modes were made in a more cursory way. The Yamaha and Gravis Ultrasound were probably the second best options after Roland's sound cards and modules and they may have decent guitar and drum samples, but a lot of tracks from popular games sound off or just not as good on them:

(1:47)



Yamaha:

(1:23:15; 42:05 for Roland RAP-10)



And in the fewer cases where the music wasn't composed on Roland's modules, the difference is quite notable when using (probably) the right one:



(29:35)

 

[Lemming42]

Thought it was popular opinion that the SS1 soundtrack is amazing. The cyberspace music is just fucking wicked, gets you so pumped up that you forget how janky the cyberspace segments themselves actually are.

I also think Medical is one of the best opening tracks in history, even better than Doom's E1M1. The eerie slow start as you wake up and look around the deserted medical bay, then the sudden total change in pace when the first medical bot comes careening towards you with its chopper-blade-things active.

 

[gurugeorge]

OK I admit it I love this shit too:

Though it sounds like something one of those old school kids toys you'd find at a dollar store or street market would play and I wouldn't dare play it with anyone else around lol.

The original DOS version of the intro theme is one of my favourite bits of computer music ever. It's incredibly raw, computery and wiry, exactly how a hardcore cyberpunk should sound. The various MIDI, Roland, Mac and other versions are tamer, milder and worse.

I agree that sounds great, but that doesn't sound like the standard OPL3 synth chip that was ubiquitous in those days. It actually sounds like one of those famous synthesizer chips, the one that predated the OPL3 and wasn't on PCs but on something else (Amiga? the BBC micro?) that people did those hobbyist pre-MIDI (on computers) multitrack synth tracks with (was it actually called "tracking" or something)? You can get good software emulation of it now and it's used a fair bit for flavour in modern pop. It was a proper synth with its own distinctive character.

Goddammit what was it called?

Ah, the SID! That was it, and it was on Commodores and Commodore 64s.

 

[cvv]

I agree that sounds great, but that doesn't sound like the standard OPL3 synth chip that was ubiquitous in those days. It actually sounds like one of those famous synthesizer chips, the one that predated the OPL3 and wasn't on PCs but on something else (Amiga? the BBC micro?) that people did those hobbyist pre-MIDI (on computers) multitrack synth tracks with (was it actually called "tracking" or something)? You can get good software emulation of it now and it's used a fair bit for flavour in modern pop. It was a proper synth with its own distinctive character.

Goddammit what was it called?

Ah, the SID! That was it, and it was on Commodores and Commodore 64s.

I don't know about all that, not that savvy in IT audio, but it's the Soundblaster 16 version that I first played the game with. Would recognize it anywhere, listened to it like a million times back in the day.

BTW as goofy as it sounds the PC Speaker version sounded really fucking badass too but sadly, can't find it anywhere anymore.

 

[schru]

The remastered sound track released by NightDive includes Sound Blaster 2 renditions of the OPL version. Full play-list:

 

[Netch]

The remastered sound track released by NightDive includes Sound Blaster 2 renditions of the OPL version. Full play-list:

Any way to get the different renditions/sound fonts in the remaster? Whatever default sound font the game uses for the soundtrack is pretty bad. In Ultima Underworld you can just go into some ini file, modify a couple lines of text or something, and change the game's sounds from the default piano key based noises, but I don't know how to do that in System Shock. I recall seeing an option for changing the sound font in the game's menu but I don't remember it being functional.

 

[schru]

Any way to get the different renditions/sound fonts in the remaster? Whatever default sound font the game uses for the soundtrack is pretty bad. In Ultima Underworld you can just go into some ini file, modify a couple lines of text or something, and change the game's sounds from the default piano key based noises, but I don't know how to do that in System Shock. I recall seeing an option for changing the sound font in the game's menu but I don't remember it being functional.

You can select music device type in the setup program that comes with the DOS version, the same kind that came with most DOS games. DOSBox has pretty satisfactory OPL emulation, so an Adlib or Sound Blaster option should produce a result close to the video. I don't know if the Enhanced Edition retains support for modes other than General MIDI, but you'd need to have some other method of emulation or the real hardware even if it did.

Otherwise, there are of course virtual synthesizers that work with custom soundfonts, such as CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth. There's also Roland's virtual synthesizer Sound Canvas VA which emulates SC-8820, which has SC-55 map compatibility.

 

[Netch]

Any way to get the different renditions/sound fonts in the remaster? Whatever default sound font the game uses for the soundtrack is pretty bad. In Ultima Underworld you can just go into some ini file, modify a couple lines of text or something, and change the game's sounds from the default piano key based noises, but I don't know how to do that in System Shock. I recall seeing an option for changing the sound font in the game's menu but I don't remember it being functional.

You can select music device type in the setup program that comes with the DOS version, the same kind that came with most DOS games. DOSBox has pretty satisfactory OPL emulation, so an Adlib or Sound Blaster option should produce a result close to the video. I don't know if the Enhanced Edition retains support for modes other than General MIDI, but you'd need to have some other method of emulation or the real hardware even if it did.

Otherwise, there are of course virtual synthesizers that work with custom soundfonts, such as CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth. There's also Roland's virtual synthesizer Sound Canvas VA which emulates SC-8820, which has SC-55 map compatibility.

Interesting. It's a shame the EE doesn't have built in support for that stuff like the DOS version. Maybe the next time I play I will go to the trouble of figuring out a way to get the music set up to sound like this:

 

[gurugeorge]

I first played SS with the CD-Rom version with the full VO (which was pretty amazing), and I had an AWE32 with the Yamaha DB50XG daughterboard (I was doing music at the time, and that was my home system for piddling about with, the DB50XG was a very good little midi "ROMpler" with decent sounds and a lot of controllability via MIDI (e.g. filtering). In SS it was on a par with the SC-55 in terms of quality but it probably lacked some subtleties the SC-55 version had (seeing as the music was written on the thing).

Sounded pretty incredible at the time.

The music for Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri was in a similar vein to SS's and I enjoyed that with the same setup (cracking game too).

 

[schru]

Interesting. It's a shame the EE doesn't have built in support for that stuff like the DOS version. Maybe the next time I play I will go to the trouble of figuring out a way to get the music set up to sound like this:

...

Sound Canvas VA is the most faithful option short of getting one of the SC-55-related modules, but there are probably fan soundfonts made specifically for the game. I do wonder why NightDive didn't try to modify the sound system to work with recorded segments and samples, but perhaps it just can't be done seamlessly because of the dynamic variations and layers the tracks have.

I first played SS with the CD-Rom version with the full VO (which was pretty amazing), and I had an AWE32 with the Yamaha DB50XG daughterboard (I was doing music at the time, and that was my home system for piddling about with, the DB50XG was a very good little midi "ROMpler" with decent sounds and a lot of controllability via MIDI (e.g. filtering). In SS it was on a par with the SC-55 in terms of quality but it probably lacked some subtleties the SC-55 version had (seeing as the music was written on the thing).

Sounded pretty incredible at the time.

The music for Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri was in a similar vein to SS's and I enjoyed that with the same setup (cracking game too).

This site has sample recordings from many different MIDI modules, including several from Yamaha: https://www.wavetable.nl/system-shock/

 

[gurugeorge]

Interesting. It's a shame the EE doesn't have built in support for that stuff like the DOS version. Maybe the next time I play I will go to the trouble of figuring out a way to get the music set up to sound like this:

...

Sound Canvas VA is the most faithful option short of getting one of the SC-55-related modules, but there are probably fan soundfonts made specifically for the game. I do wonder why NightDive didn't try to modify the sound system to work with recorded segments and samples, but perhaps it just can't be done seamlessly because of the dynamic variations and layers the tracks have.

This site has sample recordings from many different MIDI modules, including several from Yamaha: https://www.wavetable.nl/system-shock/

Yeah the Sound Canvas VA would be the pukka authentic version, although it does cost a fair wee whack. There are two fan-made SC-55 soundfonts one could use with Coolsoft's virtual midi synth, so that's probably the easiest free way of trying to get something pretty close to the SC-55 midi music sound in old games. The soundfonts aren't authentic (i.e. they're not a clean lift of the actual ROM), they're re-sampled from actual SC-55 modules - although they probably won't lack too much in terms of sound quality for all that, but they will probably lack some of the subtlety in MIDI control.

 

[ironmask]

Man the new music sucks. I get they want to change the direction to fit the horror tone more, but this shit has no personality or soul. It reminds me of the generic music you hear in those "1 hour relaxation ambiance" videos on youtube. The new music just doesn't fit the horror tone at all and it crashes with that 90's art style they're going for. System shock 2 had way better ambiance music and they should of copied that.

 

[Trithne]

Man the new music sucks. I get they want to change the direction to fit the horror tone more, but this shit has no personality or soul. It reminds me of the generic music you hear in those "1 hour relaxation ambiance" videos on youtube. The new music just doesn't fit the horror tone at all and it crashes with that 90's art style they're going for. System shock 2 had way better ambiance music and they should of copied that.

At first glance I thought you'd linked MedSci 1, and was thinking "MedSci 1, Ambient, what?"

It always gets me how MedSci 1, the first real track you hear, is this big adrenaline-pumping track, in one of the gentlest areas in the game, and then you'll go into MedSci 2, a great ambient piece, to Engineering, where the more active sound works because it's trying to make you rush through the maze, then you get the Ops theme in Eng 2, which is throws you right back to spooky ambience while you navigate the cargo holds.

 

[ironmask]

Yeah. SS2 soundtrack was weirdly placed. Still love it though.

 

[ciox]

Yeah. SS2 soundtrack was weirdly placed. Still love it though.

It's not weird at all.

For the first three decks, the same structure is used, there is a mostly intact and well-lit hub with an upbeat music theme, and around it are sub-levels that are darker and in worse shape, and have a creepy ambient music theme.
It gets a little more complicated after that since the decks are designed a little differently, but they tried to follow the same system.
The upbeat music themes are also rigged up to play the most intense bits when you are in combat or close to combat.

This is why it's stupid to turn off the music for more immersion, like some recommend, the soundtrack is already tuned to what is happening on-screen.

 

[Morgoth]

I turned the music off in Shock 2 for more immersion.

 

[A horse of course]

I turned the music off in Shock 2 for more immersion.

I can't even hear the footsteps with the dumb music.

 

[Nano]

You didn't play SS2 if you turned off the music. Get out of here with that bullshit.

 

[SharkClub]

The reason we have shitty generic sci-fi bioshock soundtrack #52313461 attached to the System Shock remake is because of the plebs who got filtered by SS1 & 2's soundtracks. "Wtf why isn't this just generic ambient background noise instead of dnb?" Fucking losers ruining video games.

 

[Morgoth]

You didn't play SS2 if you turned off the music. Get out of here with that bullshit.

The soundtrack itself is catchy, but completely inadequate for the game. Can't hear the fucking hybrids approaching when there's a techno beat droning.

 

[SharkClub]

Are we just pretending volume sliders don't even exist in video games now?