Re : Cave Story (A pxTone remaster)

Dec 20, 2020 at 10:14 PM
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Re : Cave Story
A pxTone remaster of the Cave Story OST.

v Listen Here! v
Bandcamp

Re : Cave Story is a remaster of the original Cave Story soundtrack, the goal is to make listening to the soundtrack a more enjoyable experience overall.

It takes advantage of the capabilities of pxTone. There are some liberties taken, as well as some instruments that simply do not resample as intended due to issues in pxTone's resampling algorithm.
All of the waveforms, volume slides, and panning, is now smoother and more consistent, and many songs have had other frills added to them to help them really pop out better. The mixing in every song has been adjusted to make listening to the soundtrack just a bit less painful.
Included are Cave Story songs, Cave Story Beta songs, and a (not so big) surprise hidden in there. All of which are spruced up to sound cleaner than their original variants!

Credits
Daisuke Amaya (Cave Story OST, Cave Story Beta OST, Kero Blaster OST)
Noxid (Org to Ptcop converter)

Pxtone downloads:
Mega

Bonus, higher quality OrgMaker samples, ready for use with pxTone :
Mega


Yes, you can use this in your mod, I actively encourage use of this in mods infact
(Just don't forget to credit me, and lmk if you use it bc it makes me feel happy)
 
Dec 20, 2020 at 10:30 PM
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If only these were in Cave Story+
 
Dec 20, 2020 at 11:07 PM
War criminal
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Ofc it comes out during my birthday party. I'll take a listen when I'm able to!

Edit: Listening to them through Bandcamp. These are sounding pretty good so far!
 
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Dec 21, 2020 at 12:24 AM
2dbro
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Alright so here's my opinion of each and every track. Before I get into each one individually though, I have a few things to say in general. A lot of my critique is probably going to seem nitpicky and biased. Personally, I think the kick drum sample isn't great, and I honestly would prefer the regular Orgmaker Bass01 sample. Well, most of the drums are a little lacking in comparison to the grit and punchiness of the original drums, but that's just my 7 years org experience bias shining through. I had to do a double take for some of the songs when some of the original parts kicked in, those were a neat touch. But most of the complaints are probably going to be related to the drums. Probably.

THIS IS ALL FROM AN ORGMAKER'S PERSPECTIVE, IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

Access - The extra flute track that comes in during the second half of the song sounds out of place. I get that it's trying to follow the 'root note' but it doesnt really work (barely noticable but it's still there).

Balcony - This one is pretty good. I was half expecting some extra flourish but it sounds good from the get-go.

Balrog's Theme - The snare drum is probably a tad too punchy (not as gross and noisy) for the intro. The 'distorted guitar' tracks could also probably go without the pitch slides (it works good for the weird spacey melody/effect though).

Break Down - The underlying bass track sometimes overpowers the melody and doesn't follow the rest of the tracks melodically. I get what you're trying to do here but it would have worked just as well if not better if you just doubled the original bassline.

Cave Story - The new hi-hat sample works wonders here. It might be the new crisp samples or something but it seems like its lacking a little bit of low-end? This one's also pretty good (Still suffers from the weird kick drum sample).

Cemetery - The lead in this one is very very good. The snare sample works a little better in this song as well, with the little delay trails afterwards. Very nice.

Charge - This one is also quite nice. The pitch slide on the 5th track seems a tad overdone, but I do like the portamento used prior.

Eyes of Flame - So far this one seems to have the best usage of the new drum samples, the section where the snare gets pitched down is quite good. No complaints.

Gameover - I feel like the bass has a rather quick decay on some of the notes? I know its part of the original, but it sounds a little odd. Otherwise indifferent.

Geothermal - One of my favorite tracks from the original (if not my favorite) and this was great. There might have been an opportunity or two in the beginning to have some subtle pitch slides with the swelling chords, however the melody later on utilizes the pitch sliding so it might seem forced. I enjoyed the drum fill in the intro, which was definitely enhanced by the new drums.

Gestation - The intro feels neutered thanks to the new kick sample (common complaint, I know). When the lead kicks in during the second half of the song, the delay for the track seems a little unnecessary. Otherwise indifferent.

Get Heart Tank! - Portamento

Got Item! - Portamento

Gravity - The snare drum here probably could have been pitched up just a tad. I do like the little edit at measure 9 before the melody kicks in. The other various additions throughout the song are also quite nice. The middle section feels a little lacking due to the snare as well.

Halloween 2 - The bass feels a little too buzzy, but thats a complaint with the original song as well. The transition bit after the intro/verse thing (which I'm assuming is original, I don't remember it from the original) is pretty neat. I'm not sure if the lead sample (unusual sine) used there fits in with the rest of the 'enhanced orgmaker waves'?

Hero's End - Some of the pitch slides here seem a little unnecessary (especially in the latter section where every other note is pitch bending). The new section at the end is cool. Otherwise indifferent.

Jenka 1 - The tom sample works pretty well here. Bass is a little buzzy here as well? I'm starting to think its just the way pxtone is handling these waves. Enjoyed this one regardless.

Jenka 2 - Wave 93 here feels overmixed. I like the outro. Otherwise indifferent.

Labyrinth Fight - This one was pretty good, it didn't really seem like there were any real risks taken to enhance the song in any way, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. No complaints.

Last Battle - The lead trumpet wave sounds like it has a little bit of reverb on it? It's pretty nice. Snare sample feels a little low pitched in the intro, and the ride cymbal sample used sounds wayyy too pingy (I can hear a rather high pitched note resonating from it). Otherwise indifferent.

Last Cave - Similar problem with the ride cymbal sample as with Last Battle. I enjoy the portamento on the lead wave in this quite a bit though. The little electronic beeps and boops in the background during the repeat are also a cool addition. This one was good for the most part.

Living Waterway - Maybe turn down the hiopen track a bit? Otherwise indifferent.

Meltdown 2 - The kick sample again being a detriment to the track. There's a lot of bass drum work going down in the first verse, and the sample just sounds kind of bleh. The extra lead at measure 18 also seems a little unnecessary? Otherwise indifferent.

Mimiga Town - That ride sample sucks. Otherwise indifferent.

Mischievous Robot - This track feels very 'full' in a good way. The tom sample (my favorite of the bunch) is definitely helping the track during the intro bits. Very good.

Moonsong - The pitch bending on the backing lead albeit subtle feels just a tad overused. Unfortunately the original solo at the end doesn't really work very well (it goes out of key a few times; inb4 jazz notes). Otherwise indifferent.

On to Grasstown - The intro hi-hat could have maybe been pitched up a bit so that the sample is put to better use. Otherwise indifferent.

Oppression - The new drumbeat changes the feel of the original, which is fine. The underlying distorted guitar wave seems a tad overmixed, it's hard to hear the melody in the latter half over it. This one was okay, but some of the 'enhancements' seem unnecessary for this one.

People of the Root - This is my favorite track that ended up going unused in the original game. This version translates very well, no complaints.

Pier Walk - I don't think the lead track in the beginning needed half a measure's worth of delay. You could have just added the notes in there instead of making it a track-wide thing. Otherwise indifferent.

Plant - Making the 5th track super staccato probably wasn't the best idea. Otherwise indifferent.

Pulse - I think making the lead decay earlier here actually worked quite a bit. It sounds emptier but it works very well for this track. Enjoyed this one.

Quiet - I was half-expecting a delay during the intro on the main track for this one, but it works fine without it. This one could have probably used a little bit more love. Otherwise indifferent.

Run! - The 4th track could have maybe been turned down a bit. The bass also suffers from buzz syndrome (especially noticable when it goes lower). Otherwise indifferent.

Running Hell - The panning on the drums in the intro was neat. The rest of the song played out as I expected. This one was fine.

Safety - The snare sample here sounds really weak, and the lead track sounds very hollow? I'm not sure how to describe it. This one feels emptier due to the instrumentation, but the extra harmony tracks were a nice touch. Otherwise indifferent.

Scorching Back - This one reminds me a lot of Mischievous Robot in terms of feeling 'full'. This one is mixed very well. The pitch slides in this one actually don't feel overdone or unnecessary. My only complaint is how disgusting the wave99 sounds, but that's also a problem with the original song as well. This one was good, mostly.

Seal Chamber - Subtle pitch sliding on the bass here seems a little silly. The note decay on the main line is also a bit too quick, the notes should probably extend just a bit longer. Otherwise indifferent.

Snoopy Cake (Rockorg) - The intro here is okay, I was confused why the song didn't sound the way I remembered it until it actually kicked in. This one was fine.

The Way Back Home - The pitch slides on the lead track here were utilized pretty well, they didn't seem overdone or overbearing for this song in particular. I enjoyed this one.

Toroko's Theme - The harmony track in the later half of the song seems a little bit louder than it needs to be. Otherwise indifferent.

Tyrant - I think this song in particular suffers the most from pxtone bass buzzing. The bassline is not as boomy or as menacing as I'd like for this track in particular. It might be something to do with wave selection.

Victory - No portamento???? man you had it on all the other fanfares

White - This one felt just like the original did, not a bad thing. This one was fine.

Wind Fortress - The pitch bending on the arpeggios might be a little excessive? It works, though. This one was quite good.

Z_Cave Story_Beta Pitch - The hi-open usage here is a little much at times, could maybe turn the track down just a tad? Otherwise indifferent.

Z_Eyes of flame_Beta Pitch - This one doesn't seem as powerful as the actual song, but it still sounds fine.

Z_Zombeat - This is pretty good, it doesn't sound 1:1 with the Kero Blaster version so I'm assuming some creative liberties were taken? I enjoyed this one.

Zombie - Could have just made this into the full version of the song as well, really. This one is fine.

Anyways these were all relatively good. My only overall complaints would again probably be the drum samples used. These were cool to listen to for the last hour and a half. I was told somebody would do a spit take if I were to actually do this, so here you go.
 
Dec 21, 2020 at 12:38 AM
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I'm glad you enjoyed listening!
Yeah for the most part I didn't want to try making new samples, I happened to have a few samples leftover from other projects (namely the pulse waves and the org instruments remade in ptvoice)

Certain songs I wasn't confident enough in my own ability to want to change too much, some I sort of glossed over in terms of changes, though there are a few where I wanted to change quite alot.

The most consistent changes in all of the songs are exxagurated panning, giving each channel a subtle frequency offset, and of course mixing. The goal was to make each channel distinct, and to highlight certain parts of the song most people miss when listening to it that I think deserve more attention.

I'll keep these in mind in the event I revisit this!

Edit : Also you can blame the whole 'double take on new sections' thing on me being someone who has submitted rips to SiIvaGunner, gotta get that surprise in :p
 
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Dec 21, 2020 at 2:59 AM
War criminal
"Life begins and ends with Nu."
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So, these remixes. I'd say they're pretty solid. I do think there are a few snags with some of the songs, tho.
  • Too much of glissandos in the title theme, imo.
  • I can appreciate a lot of the liberties taken in the songs, though I wish you did take the liberty to add in a bass line to Pulse and Cemetary, for fullness' sakes.
  • I think Requiem should've been placed after the Hero's End part rather than in the middle of it.

8/10, would just drop them in Senyakyo. Though I am bit curious on your picks on the beta versions of Cave Story and especially Eyes of Flame getting their own covers. Seeing the beta music get some love in this cover, which is a huge point up when compared to other covers, they haven't done that, I'm a bit sad on some songs like the beta version of Plant and Meltdown 1 not getting covered.
 
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