Jump to content
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...
Buckshot

Aubrey Hodges info

Recommended Posts

baronofheck82 said:

Now hang on a second. Quake had a music score?

You never heard that?

Share this post


Link to post
baronofheck82 said:

Now hang on a second. Quake had a music score?


Now come on, if the Doom (PSX) ambient music is considered a musical score. Quake (PC) had just as well a similar kind of unsettling background music/noise.
The main difference is that it feels very "cold" and mechanical, while the Doom ambient music feels rather "warm" and organic.

They are both rather sick :)
I wonder if Mr. Hodges is impressed by it and if even the master of horror ambient sound feels slightly uncomfortable listening to it...

Share this post


Link to post
esselfortium said:


Between the email discussions with Aubrey, he talked to his label and it was mentioned Orchard is a owned by Sony if I am correct. Hell, I am fine if just the six videos with third party claims had ads on them if the claims were rescinded.

I am always either nervous or freaking out whenever I see content id matches on my videos because I'd rather not lose the 15+ minute video perk. I also appreciate Mr. Hodges taking the free time to talk things out with me about my videos with the claims on it.

Share this post


Link to post

Aubrey. Would you like to join Rob's aka Elbryan42 webcasts on TwitchTV? He's one of the guys that worked on the Doom 64 TC. He does webcasts on Wednesdays & Saturdays on 5:00-6:00 PM central time. You're welcome to join. Give him a surprise!

Link: http://www.twitch.tv/elbryan42

EDIT: Forgot one thing. Do you have twitter that I can follow you?

Share this post


Link to post
DustFalcon85 said:

Aubrey. Would you like to join Rob's aka Elbryan42 webcasts on TwitchTV? He's one of the guys that worked on the Doom 64 TC. He does webcasts on Wednesdays & Saturdays on 5:00-6:00 PM central time. You're welcome to join. Give him a surprise!

Link: http://www.twitch.tv/elbryan42

EDIT: Forgot one thing. Do you have twitter that I can follow you?


Sorry, no twitter. My website is aubreyhodges.com and you can get to my facebook page from there. Oh, by the way...I just released the album "Journey Into The Sacred Places". Took me forever. whew. Here's the link... http://aubreyhodges.bandcamp.com/album/journey-into-the-sacred-places

It's the polar opposite of my work in DOOM, but there are enough stylized similarities that you might enjoy it. -Aubrey

Share this post


Link to post

Mr. Hodges your work on the Doom and Quake games is astonishing! They really add mood and atmosphere that really enhance the experience. It's hard for me to say which is my favorite track, I love them all! Thanks for everything kind sir.

Share this post


Link to post

So I just found out recently that Aubrey released the Doom soundtracks. I immediately purchased them all. Due to my obsessive nature, I noted that most of the tracks were shortened and/or remixed compared to the actual in-game track lengths. I let Aubrey know about this, and he mentioned he might re-release an extended version for us OCD types.

I've provided below a complete list of all the track differences. Also, the OST has significantly more stereo reverb than my own PS and PS2 output for this game. Aubrey says he used an actual PS console for the source, so the only thing I can figure is that he's got a special model that has more reverb. Anyway, here's the list of track differences (note that these numbers have been triple-checked to confirm 100% accuracy on both the PS and PS2):

Level - Hangar:             8:13.500 (OST = 4:32.649)
Level - Plant:              2:17.100 (we both felt looping this twice was best at 4:33 approximately)
Level - Toxin Refinery:     7:15.500 (OST = 5:01.768)
Level - Command Control:    9:13.000 (OST = 5:01.768)
Level - Phobos Lab:         3:32.000 (see notes below)

The bass track channel for Phobos Lab stops after 27 seconds in-game, OST's bass track plays throughout and track is ended at 4:58.465 after two loops and a fade out. 

Level - Central Processing: 5:54.000 (see notes below)

The bass track channel for Central Processing ends after 10.5 seconds while it plays throughout on the OST, which fades out and ends at 5:09.976. 

Level - Computer Station:   5:18.250 (OST = 5:01.768)
Level - Phobos Anamoly:     7:42.000 (OST = 5:01.768)
Level - Deimos Anamoly:     7:05.500 (OST = 5:19.586)
Level - Containment Area:   5:01.750 (see notes below)

The initial bass channel for Containment Area ends after 12 seconds. The OST version plays throughout, and the track ends at 4:32.639. 

Level - Refinery:           1:19.200 (I used one repeat for a total length of 2:39, while the OST doesn't have the same repeating pattern as in-game, and ends at 4:14.451)

Level - Deimos Lab:         1:35.200 (I used 1 repeat for a length of 3:10.250, OST uses 1.5 repeats for a length of 4:24.784)

Level - Command Center:     5:20.000 (OST = 5:28.528 and is mixed differently at 3:17)
Level - Hell Gate:          4:29.500 (OST = 6:04.064 and is mixed differently at 2:33)
Level - Hell Keep:          6:24.000 (see notes)

The OST has the left and right channels swapped compared to in-game, and also is mixed differently at 1:35.800. The OST version ends at 4:32.639.

Level - Pandemonium:        2:58.400 (I used one repeat for a time of 5:56.5, while the OST = 3:42.598 and is mixed differently at 1:55)

Level - Unholy Cathedral:   5:14.500 (OST = 3:45.394 and is mixed differently at 1:24)
Level - Mt. Erebus:         5:25.000 (OST = 4:02.390)
Level - Limbo:              2:20.900 (I use one repeat and end at 4:41.250, while the OST is mixed differently at 1:05 and ends at 3:42.589)

Level - Hell Beneath:       8:18.000 (OST = 5:01.768 and is mixed differently at 2:46)

Share this post


Link to post
Aubrey Hodges said:

I am looking into this. I recorded exactly what came out of the Sony Playstation Test unit via the digital out so I am confident that the reverb and tone are accurate.


Aha! That's what it is then. The standard "public" Playstations do not have digital audio out, and obviously don't have the same reverb hardware setting as your Test unit model. I actually wish they did on both counts, as I like how much better the stereo separation is on your files!

At any rate, I spent all this morning re-checking those loop point times on each and every level track, and they are all 100% correct according to both the PS and PS2. I used the "Playstation Greatest Hits" Doom disc as the source.

Share this post


Link to post

I just realized I put "base" instead of "bass" in my track notes. Very sorry about that. Must be losing some brain cells in my older age!

Share this post


Link to post
Impboy4 said:

Keep in mind, I don't think anyone has done the rips for the Final Doom samples yet since the game uses different formating for its contents.


All sound effects and instrument samples are easily extracted from either Doom or Final Doom using a program called psound. I just used it to scan Final Doom, and it was able to extract everything no problem. Keep in mind you'll need to set the playback to 11025 Hz for the sound effects and 22050 for the music instruments.

Also wanted to point out you can get a few of the original instruments in 44,000 Hz off the CD set of the sound library called "A Poke in the Ear". Many artists have used this same library aside from Aubrey, including Trent Reznor and Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill 3 mostly). As has been pointed out by others, some of the sounds can be heard in a few X-Files episodes as well.

Share this post


Link to post

I must say, the music and sound effects really make PSX Doom its own game. The Playstation Doom was the first Doom game that I played as a kid (before ever founding out it originally was released for the PC). It's fascinating that almost each sound effect in the game stood out distinctively.

Like the BFG firing (and exploding) sounds in PSX Doom would absolutely thrill me as a kid, along with the Rocket Launcher to an extent.

The growling sounds that monsters make when they are roaming around the map completely terrified me as a kid, having no idea where the monsters may be and knowing they were out there looking for me...

The sound the Imp makes when actively roaming around the map made me think he was going "I'm gonna get him".

Using the sound effects, you also made basic tasks like stepping through a teleporter or opening/closing a door very creepy and scary to do. Loved the sound effects for these tasks in PSX Doom.

Share this post


Link to post

I just got done writing a very nice guide on how to remove the 60-cycle hum from the Doom 64 OST level music. This noise reduction technique greatly improves the quality and resolution of these tracks, revealing subtle notes that were previously drowned out by the hum. Here's the link to my step-by-step guide:

http://www.firebrandx.com/d64humremoval.html

Share this post


Link to post

this cycling hum sound is in the ost release? weird. I thought the n64 hardware wasn't even involved in Aubreys remastering process.

Share this post


Link to post
Sp00kyFox said:

this cycling hum sound is in the ost release? weird. I thought the n64 hardware wasn't even involved in Aubreys remastering process.


It is though. For the Playstation, Aubrey is using a special test unit with digital output to manually record the tracks. For the N64, there's no digital audio dev kit, so he's having to record the tracks via analog out (Aubrey can correct me if I'm wrong about this). In that regard, here are the options as far as the Doom 64 soundtrack goes:

1. Aubrey's rips with my noise reduction technique applied. This retains the analog nature of the sound, while removing that 60-cycle noise for better clarity in the low-volume range.

2. Mini-USF files. I recently got done editing a set of these sound files with proper end and fade points. These files require a plugin to be played in either Winamp or Foobar 2000 (my preferred VGM player). With these files, you get 100% pure digital sound completely free of noise, but the clarity is so sharp that you can hear more of the high frequency artifacts the N64's audio processing creates that are normally masked by the analog signal of the real hardware.

3. Doom 64 Ex's simulated audio. Also 100% pure digital sound with the added benefit of no high frequency artifacts, but some tracks will sound slightly different than the real hardware with extra notes and/or differently pitched notes. Kaiser claims this is due to the N64 actually being glitchy and not playing all the notes properly that were in fact in the code he ripped from the rom. Glitchy or not, many people might be turned off by this since they want to hear the same notes as played on the real hardware. Aside from these differences, Doom 64 EX technically has the best possible sound of the three playback methods for Aubrey's music.

Share this post


Link to post
FirebrandX said:

3. Doom 64 Ex's simulated audio. Also 100% pure digital sound with the added benefit of no high frequency artifacts, but some tracks will sound slightly different as the real hardware with extra notes and/or differently pitched notes. Kaiser claims this is due to the N64 actually being glitchy and not playing all the notes properly that were in fact in the code he ripped from the rom. Glitchy or not, many people might be turned off by this since they want to hear the same notes as played on the real hardware.


Next time I make an update to D64EX, I'll correct those notes during the data extraction process. I am aware of the Holding Area track, but I don't know which other tracks that I should look at as well.

Share this post


Link to post
Kaiser said:

Next time I make an update to D64EX, I'll correct those notes during the data extraction process. I am aware of the Holding Area track, but I don't know which other tracks that I should look at as well.


Yeah Holding Area with the first track that came to mind. I'm currently in the process of comparing wav signatures from EX's playback on each of the tracks. "Eye of the Storm" looked to be spot-on, and "Dark Citadel" is very close, but I found a couple of spots where the notes do not fade in at the same moment they do on the hardware version. It's about 99% accurate on that track I'd say.

One thing I will say though is EX's sound quality is simply the best. It blows both the real hardware away, and the emulated hardware from the miniUSF files.

Share this post


Link to post

just got done comparing Alpha Quadrant, and it also had several more notes than the hardware version. I've come to the conclusion that these notes do exist, but are played at an extremely low volume level for whatever reason on the N64. Other notes seem to fade in earlier on EX than they do on the N64 as well, though not all notes have this issue.

Share this post


Link to post
FirebrandX said:

Aside from these differences, Doom 64 EX technically has the best possible sound of the three playback methods for Aubrey's music.

Wanted to let you know about an awesome trick. Extract the MIDI lumps from doom64.wad, and then set VLC media player's FluidSynth sound font to the DOOM.SF2 sound font file. You'll then be able to play the MIDIs directly in VLC.

Of course this has the downside of turning any other MIDI you might play into a random collection of demonic voices, buzzing of flies, trumpets, and heavy military marching snare hits, but... hey. You could always compose your own music to use the sound font, too ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Quasar said:

a random collection of demonic voices, buzzing of flies, trumpets, and heavy military marching snare hits, but...

...it can't be any worse than watching X Factor.

Share this post


Link to post
Quasar said:

Wanted to let you know about an awesome trick. Extract the MIDI lumps from doom64.wad, and then set VLC media player's FluidSynth sound font to the DOOM.SF2 sound font file. You'll then be able to play the MIDIs directly in VLC.



Already had done something similar to this a year or two ago. I recall last time I messed with the MIDI lumps, I was playing them via SynthFont and messing around with the Fade and Pitch-Bend arguments. I had thought of manually "mimicing" the real hardware versions of the songs and reprogramming the playback to exactly match, which would net an absolutely perfect 100% digital version of Doom 64 music without the high frequency artifacts.

Share this post


Link to post

In reviewing the midi files in SynthFont today, I have to say I agree with Kaiser 100% that the N64's playback of Aubrey's music really is glitched and broken. I just compared the main intro music, and the midi file has properly building fade-ins and fade-outs, meanwhile on the N64 playback, there's glitched fade-ins and dropped notes that suddenly come back mid-tune.

So it all comes down to "authentic experience" versus "intended experience", with the latter having bit-perfect quality and no artifacts.

Edit: Also noticed SynthFont has an interpolation issue that leaves its own artifacts on notes that are played at low sampling rates. As such, the VLC playback method using FluidSynth is the better/correct way to play/dump the music files.

Share this post


Link to post
FirebrandX said:

In reviewing the midi files in SynthFont today, I have to say I agree with Kaiser 100% that the N64's playback of Aubrey's music really is glitched and broken. I just compared the main intro music, and the midi file has properly building fade-ins and fade-outs, meanwhile on the N64 playback, there's glitched fade-ins and dropped notes that suddenly come back mid-tune.

All just bugs in Midway's music engine, I'm sure. The N64 SDK didn't come with code ready to play music AFAIK, every company had to write their own library for it.

Share this post


Link to post

Further analysis with the VLC method shows some Doom 64 tracks are not being played properly compared to even EX itself. MUSAMB19 and 20 play incorrectly in VLC, and play even more glitched out when you save/convert them into a directly dumped flac file. Thus, the only way to get all 24 tracks correctly dumped is to do a live wave recording while in EX with the sound effects turned off. I'm in the process of doing this now.

Share this post


Link to post
FirebrandX said:

Further analysis with the VLC method shows some Doom 64 tracks are not being played properly compared to even EX itself. MUSAMB19 and 20 play incorrectly in VLC, and play even more glitched out when you save/convert them into a directly dumped flac file. Thus, the only way to get all 24 tracks correctly dumped is to do a live wave recording while in EX with the sound effects turned off. I'm in the process of doing this now.

But EX and VLC both use Fluidsynth, how is this happening?

Share this post


Link to post

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×