The Turrican Soundtrack Anthology Project

[Retro-Nerd]

Almost 20 years have passed since the last game in the series was released, but Chris has big plans to bring »Turrican« back from retirement –at least musically– with the production of the »Turrican Soundtrack Anthology«: The idea behind this is an epic limited edition box set of at least three CDs, which will feature almost every melody from the saga in newly arranged and recorded versions (including titles like »Concerto for Laser and Enemies«, »Metal Stars«, »Hall of Heroes«, as well as full length versions of all main titles and end-credits!). While this box set is bound to please every synthesizer music fan out there, new bonus recordings with the WDR Radio Orchestra are also lined up for the project, to be realised in the context of a new symphonic game music concert in November and supervised by the producers of the acclaimed »Symphonic Shades – Huelsbeck in Concert« event and album.


In order to realize these ambitious plans, a budget of at least 75,000 US-Dollars (about 58,000 Euro) has to be secured. To achieve this, Chris Huelsbeck is now asking his fans to support him in a Kickstarter campaign to make the »Turrican Soundtrack Anthology« become a reality. »My first Turrican album has sold roughly 10.000 units over the years«, Huelsbeck says. »I know that the games still have a following, too. This project is a personal dream of mine and I hope that together with all the fans, we can make this happen!

Sounds great. I think it is pretty realistic to reach the 75,000 US Dollars goal.

LINK

[Amiga1992]

"Newly arranged" is usually a bad idea, replacing the good old instruments that work well with modern stuff that usually just feels wrong, but if someone can do it, it's Chris.

[Adropac2]

hmm yeah i'd have to agree with that, samples running on Amiga have a certain tighter sound for obvious reasons and remixes never sound as good. I'd argue Chris Huelsbecks own redone versions suffered just a tad but they were still very welcome and handled well

People often seem to think that great songs from the past from older tech would benefit but a good example of how this just isn't the case is the gb Testris song- it wouldn't sound half as neat if a whole orchestra was behind it

Mr Huelsbeck's best work i think was when he worked so much with theme and chord- Turrican etc. It was less about arpeggio and better for it i personally think. It's harder work of course and i guess that's why he doesn't craft this way these days. Deep down though i'm sure he knows it's where his pure talent lies and it must be nice to revisit these pieces once more. And i'm not saying he hasn't produced some fine modern day stuff, just a shame he doesn't embrace in the art of melody writing quite so much anymore, for he's god like at it

[Amiga1992]

THere were worse and better cases. Rob Hubbard's re-arranged C64 music always sounded tremendously poor, noting the importance of the SID's timbre in Hubbard's compositions.

I wouldn't say the issue would be the Amiga's way of replaying a sample, rather than they usually take the tune and use NEW instruments for them. For example, if the Amiga tune had a DX100 bass sound, they might go and replace it for something totally different, like a Nord Modular bassline.


A friend of mine is taking his old Amiga tunes and replacing all the samples with better, higher quality versions of themselves, wherever possible. He went and resampled as much as he could.
The result is fantastic and doesn't loose the characteristics that made the original what it is.

[gimbal]

Originally Posted by Akira

"Newly arranged" is usually a bad idea

I've heard plenty of instances where it was done properly. The only thing you have to let go is that you compare the new work to the original; different age, different instrumentation - they are basically new tunes, not a "remake" of older stuff.

Best example yet IMO is the Final Fantasy: Advent Children soundtrack. That was done with real care and it paid off - even the tunes that are full metal / orchestra songs are spectacular, while woefully different from the in-game originals. Notice the IMO in there btw

[Predseda]

Originally Posted by gimbal

Best example yet IMO is the Final Fantasy: Advent Children soundtrack.

Or



I am still totally amazed of it and I have been owning this for a year now.

[wanderer]

His Turrican CD was almost a disappointment for me, with a bad track selection, too. The intense melodies that Chris produced came out of the hardware restrictions, squeezing his great talent to the max. Almost every remix I've heard, including his own, sounds flat and uninspired. Orchestra versions are nice, but have nothing to do with the originals.

He mentions nearly all Turrican tracks will be remixed and that's good, but after so many years, I'm not optimistic. I hope he plays Turrican a lot again before recording. I'll definitively back the project, wishing him good luck! The Turrican soundtrack is a legend.

[spannernick]

I love the Turrican soundtrack,I like it better than the game itself..,it the best Amiga game music I have ever heard but if its mixed to sound different from how it sounds on the Amiga then its not the same.You will need the old sound still in there to get the same great feeling from it when you hear it.

[gilgamesh]

This could be awesome. I just don't see where the orchestra comes in yet.
[ Show youtube player ]

[Retro-Nerd]

The orchester music would be bonus stuff.

[Retro-Nerd]

4Players: You have handled many musical themes of Turrican already on your first album in a huge medley, brought out their own CD for the series and can last for Symphonic Shades even an orchestra sing the familiar melodies. What can we expect in terms of the new arrangements and how the technology has developed further since then?

Chris Huelsbeck: Sound Technically seen, there are now virtually no restrictions. The possibilities are practically unlimited ... Unlike my previous studio recordings, where I either did not have enough memory in the sampler, or simply not enough synthesizer or sound modules were available. The new arrangements will be as in the first part Turrican CD keep close to the originals, but also expanded and ausarrangiert if it makes sense and improves a bit. I want to offer the audience something special, not replace just the sound of the compositions. If the game is repeated, for example, the subject of a final boss for a minute, it can be removed for the CD to a complete piece of 3 minutes.

LINK

[Amiga1992]

Sounds like I will stick to my TFMX files.

[john4p]

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

Sounds great. I think it is pretty realistic to reach the 75,000 US Dollars goal.

LINK

Lol it's already at 45k$ after a few days! When you started the thread it was just at 5k.

Awesome, every Turrican track remixed by the master himself - a dream will come true.

[gimbal]

Kickstarter is really strange to me. Wasteland 2 was already at several million, more than three times than what was "asked". It seems so unnatural that the targets are met so easily when you think how people keep their wallets locked in most other cases.

Of course not much has actually come out of the kickstarter things yet, but I see good hope for both the Turrican soundtrack and Wasteland 2 (a game I anticipate more than I did Legend of Grimrock).

[Retro-Nerd]

Well, at the moment only well known game/music maker legends asks for money. Would be probably different if complete unknown people ask for that kind of funding for a project.

[gimbal]

If I would do it, I certainly wouldn't get a dime.

I guess people can see through the money to what is really asked - not to back a project, but to back a project which would otherwise not see the light of day in the form that the developer intends. Wasteland 2 would probably not be in classic Wasteland style, but first person...

I think what it boils down to is that I underestimate the number of brothers and sisters we actually have in the world; true gamers who see the beauty in classic gameplay.

[Retro-Nerd]

That's true. And Shadowrun would be another boring shooter, insteed of a fine oldschool RPG. Kickstarter works for such "from freaks for freaks" projects, beyond that i have doubts.

[gimbal]

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

insteed of a fine oldschool RPG.

IMO, the finest old school RPG's have steeds in them.

[emuola]

Now it's time to dig our pockets:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...hris-huelsbeck

[Amiga1992]

Well i don't think this compilation will be any good, butif I had some cash now I'd donate, just to support one of my favourite composers and influences.

It's a good, tangible way to 'give back' for all the good work in the past.