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THE IRON GOAT
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presents

GAME: Mega Man 2
SYSTEM: Nintendo NES/Famicom
YEAR: 1989
COMPOSERS(S): Takashi Tateishi

SOURCE: Modded front-loading NES / dual-channel audio recorded directly from 2A03 chip
AUDIO CAPTURE HARDWARE: Amplified by FiiO E6, captured by Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro
AUDIO CAPTURE SOFTWARE: Audacity 2.0.3

TRACKS: 22
TOTAL TIME: 23:18
FORMAT:
--FLAC: Original dual-channel output from 2A03, full stereo separation, recorded at 24-bit/96kHz
--MP3 Stereo Mix: Custom mix with 55% channel crossover, LAME-encoded at maximum quality settings
--MP3 Mono: Full mono mix, LAME-encoded at maximum quality settings

DATE OF RIP: July 12-13, 2013


MediaFire
---------
(1/1): http://www.mediafire.com/download/f9mrgxuph6egdk5/Nintendo_NES_-_Mega_Man_II_OST_(1989).rar




Full list of releases: Thread 174131

Yes! Thank you! I've been looking for this stuff for awhile. And wow, your MM 1&2 infinitely beats the 2002 Capcom CDs (and obviously the botched 1&2 soundtracks on the E-can CDs). It's beautifully crystal clear, along with all the NES hardware rips you've done. Lovely stuff. I wish more people were doing what you're doing, instead of that inaccurate emulator rip BS. I hope you have more in store. :)

Yes, this sounds amazing...exactly how it should sound too. Good stuff. Thank you for your efforts.

May I put in a request for Silver Surfer (if you have it)?? :D

Yes! Thank you! I've been looking for this stuff for awhile. And wow, your MM 1&2 infinitely beats the 2002 Capcom CDs (and obviously the botched 1&2 soundtracks on the E-can CDs). It's beautifully crystal clear, along with all the NES hardware rips you've done. Lovely stuff. I wish more people were doing what you're doing, instead of that inaccurate emulator rip BS. I hope you have more in store. :)

Thanks. The stereo output mod is definitely the way to go for NES audio. I have a pile of rips that I'll be releasing in another day or two (who wants some SCAT?!), and I'll probably continue ripping for the foreseeable future. There are still plenty of games on my list, so stay tuned.

---------- Post added at 04:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:19 PM ----------


Yes, this sounds amazing...exactly how it should sound too. Good stuff. Thank you for your efforts.

May I put in a request for Silver Surfer (if you have it)?? :D

No problem! If I can't squeeze it in with this batch of rips, it'll definitely be with the next one.

I love the work you've done, the effort and the excellent decision of using the hardware... However, I only have a little tiny complaint: the drums. In all the rips you've done (Castlevania, Megaman, Silius) you put the drums in the left channel. I know I'm nitpicking, but would be nice to hear it at center and the rest splitted. Probably would be impossible for you, since you're using hardware. But had to tell you. Thanks, nevertheless.

I love the work you've done, the effort and the excellent decision of using the hardware... However, I only have a little tiny complaint: the drums. In all the rips you've done (Castlevania, Megaman, Silius) you put the drums in the left channel. I know I'm nitpicking, but would be nice to hear it at center and the rest splitted. Probably would be impossible for you, since you're using hardware. But had to tell you. Thanks, nevertheless.

Sorry, there's no way to do this with a console. The two square wave channels are mixed together and come out of pin 1 of the 2A03, and the triangle, noise, and PCM channels are mixed together and come out of pin 2. The chip only has these two output signals, and there's no way to isolate any of the five source channels. When I started doing NES rips, the best stereo solution I could come up with was to map the two outputs to left and right, and blend them together in software (I do a 55% channel crossover). The Akumajou Densetsu rip was a bit of an exception; the expansion audio from the cartridge was a third output channel, which made it possible to do two different stereo mixes, although the three outputs still couldn't be separated into their component channels.

It would be theoretically possible to do a "real" stereo mix of NES audio using emulation software. Since some emulators allow you to adjust volume levels for individual sound channels, you could export each channel as a separate wave file and mix them together in software with a pan and volume value specified for each one.

As an experiment, I tried a mix similar to what you described, with the triangle/noise/PCM signal in both channels (with a slight L/R offset) and the square waves panned more to one side. This is probably the best that can be done from a straight hardware rip:
http://www.mediafire.com/?paa1n3uu23nzqmu

Goat, I was just wondering, are you using actual game carts for the all the NES rips, or NSF files as well? I assume recording from the game cart on Genesis is relatively painless given there's usually a sound test on the main menu (I think? I was never too into Genesis), but that isn't true for any NES game I remember. I was just curious on how you're doing it since, as I'm sure you're aware, NSF files can be messed up and inaccurate.

Goat, I was just wondering, are you using actual game carts for the all the NES rips, or NSF files as well? I assume recording from the game cart on Genesis is relatively painless given there's usually a sound test on the main menu (I think? I was never too into Genesis), but that isn't true for any NES game I remember. I was just curious on how you're doing it since, as I'm sure you're aware, NSF files can be messed up and inaccurate.

Good question. First of all, I'm using an Everdrive N8, so (compatibility allowing), I can load any US or Japanese game into my console. (I also have a collection of physical carts if I need them; due to the EDN8's lack of support for the MMC5, I recorded Castlevania III from my original cartridge.) Obviously, my preference is to use sound test modes whenever possible. When a sound test isn't available, I then try in-game rips. Codes (Game Genie and otherwise) can sometimes help here. For instance, I used invincibility codes for both Silver Surfer and Abadox. In some cases I'm not even able to get a clean audio capture this way (usually due to sound effects), so I'm left with no choice but to go to the dreaded NSF files...

Here's what I do: I use a program called NSFImport (a modified version of FamiTracker) to load a track from an NSF file. NSFImport can export the track as an iNES ROM (essentially just the audio data embedded in a 6502 program shell), which can be loaded into the Everdrive and played back on the console. (The Everdrive doesn't yet support NSF files directly.) I have to do one track at a time, but I can essentially create my own sound test with this method. It's a roundabout method, but it's still the game audio program data being played back on an actual NES. I'm mindful of possible issues with NSF files, so I listen to the results carefully. So far I haven't noticed any problems or anomalies (and I've even done some in-game comparison rips). While not my preference, this has proven to be an adequate solution for when there's no other way to record a particular track. That having been said, I would like for anyone to inform me if there seem to be any problems with any of my rips or tracks. I strive for accuracy, and if possible I'll make any necessary fixes or re-recordings.

On that note, I've never used VGM files for any of my Genesis rips. The reason is that the VGM_Play program that will play VGM files on a Genesis console is imperfect. It's mostly accurate, but it plays the files too slowly. Consequently, I only rip Genesis audio from sound tests or in-game.

I gotta say, that Silver Surfer sample blew my mind. It's amazing. I've used the NotSoFatso plugin with winamp and some tinkering here and there, but having the hardware produce the sound is way better. I think I just need to get used to your rips, like I enjoy The Beatles in stereo. Superb work, as I said, and thanks for taking the time to answer me.

Oh my lord! That Silver Surfer sample is freakin' amazing sounding. Holy crap. I hope its a preview of what's to come. :D

Thanks, Goat.

Good question. First of all, I'm using an Everdrive N8, so (compatibility allowing), I can load any US or Japanese game into my console. (I also have a collection of physical carts if I need them; due to the EDN8's lack of support for the MMC5, I recorded Castlevania III from my original cartridge.) Obviously, my preference is to use sound test modes whenever possible. When a sound test isn't available, I then try in-game rips. Codes (Game Genie and otherwise) can sometimes help here. For instance, I used invincibility codes for both Silver Surfer and Abadox. In some cases I'm not even able to get a clean audio capture this way (usually due to sound effects), so I'm left with no choice but to go to the dreaded NSF files...

Here's what I do: I use a program called NSFImport (a modified version of FamiTracker) to load a track from an NSF file. NSFImport can export the track as an iNES ROM (essentially just the audio data embedded in a 6502 program shell), which can be loaded into the Everdrive and played back on the console. (The Everdrive doesn't yet support NSF files directly.) I have to do one track at a time, but I can essentially create my own sound test with this method. It's a roundabout method, but it's still the game audio program data being played back on an actual NES. I'm mindful of possible issues with NSF files, so I listen to the results carefully. So far I haven't noticed any problems or anomalies (and I've even done some in-game comparison rips). While not my preference, this has proven to be an adequate solution for when there's no other way to record a particular track. That having been said, I would like for anyone to inform me if there seem to be any problems with any of my rips or tracks. I strive for accuracy, and if possible I'll make any necessary fixes or re-recordings.

On that note, I've never used VGM files for any of my Genesis rips. The reason is that the VGM_Play program that will play VGM files on a Genesis console is imperfect. It's mostly accurate, but it plays the files too slowly. Consequently, I only rip Genesis audio from sound tests or in-game.

Awesome! Thanks for the clarification. In case our requests holds any sway on what you do next, I think my top list would be:

1. Asterix
2. Mega Man 3, 4, 5, 6
3. Batman Return of the Joker
4. Batman
5. Smurfs
6. Target Renegade
7. U-four-ia / Hebereke
8. Ninja Gaiden II
9. Pictionary
10. Mother / Earthbound Zero

;)

You know, I'm getting used to the stereo effect as you use it. Can't wait for MM3!

thanketh

Truly putting the 'mega' in man. You sir are a gent for sharing this. Not to mention all the hard work behind it. Splendid I'd say, truly marvelous.

Awesome! Thanks for the clarification. In case our requests holds any sway on what you do next, I think my top list would be:

1. Asterix
2. Mega Man 3, 4, 5, 6
3. Batman Return of the Joker
4. Batman
5. Smurfs
6. Target Renegade
7. U-four-ia / Hebereke
8. Ninja Gaiden II
9. Pictionary
10. Mother / Earthbound Zero

;)

Actually, replace Pictionary with Dr. Mario and nudge it up to number 2. :p

Just bumping because this guy's rips make me cry. :'(

Hey guys!
I'm sorry but I'm having issues d/lin' this awesome OST here. Is the link broken or something ?
cheers

I don't mean to be negative, but that Silver Surfer sample mp3 is way too muddy/bass heavy for me (not a fan of the fake stereo either). I think the NSF sounds fine, but that's just my opinion.

@ArcaDen the download worked fine for me, but it auto DLs as soon as you click the link, so go check where you're downloads are stored and you should see it.

thank you

Thanks.