Ultima Underworld Music (Remastered)

[XxMiltenXx]

Hello.

Does or did anyone of you play Ultima Underworld?

While I never personally played it much, I watched a Let's Play of it and I really enjoyed the music of the game.

Since that game is fairly old, I am trying to make "Remastered" versions of those songs. "Remastered" might not be the correct term, but it isn't a "Remix" either, as I simply aim to improve the overall quality of the songs, while maintaining as much of the original feeling of the game as possible. My inspiration is taken from how the sounds played on a Roland MT-32.

The first song I made public is "Descent" from The Stygian Abyss. It is a quite grim and dark soundtrack, as it reflects the hopelessness within the Abyss and the dangers that await in the depth.
https://youtu.be/BjGlUg7WGc0
"Wanderer" will follow within a few days.

I'll also add download links later if requested.

Feel free to say what you like and dislike about it.

[XxMiltenXx]

So, I have an update as 4 new tracks have been uploaded (1 is extremly short and another fairly short).

"Wanderer" from the Stygian Abyss: You are wandering around the Abyss, not knowing where you have to go, nor what dangers will await you within the depths.
https://youtu.be/J1Z-OopZgTc

"Victory" from the Stygian Abyss: A short fanfare when the Avatar is victorous against one of his many foes.
https://youtu.be/IdRstnu1-so

"Death" from the Stygian Abyss: A song that depicts the tragedy of the Avatar's death.
https://youtu.be/BKHfqfvYwRc

"Maps and Legends" from the Stygian Abyss: Mapping the labyrinth of the Abyss as you explore it, wondering what kind of Legends you might uncover and what awaits you in the dark.
https://youtu.be/7ppnpk1Q9Qo

[Rachael]

I have trouble believing no one's commented on this yet, especially with what is obviously a creative endeavor, and I am a bit disappointed in that, so I might as well be the first.

I've never played Ultima Underworld so I can't say any of this music evokes very heavy nostalgia for me. But it does sound very 90's like, and that much I do like. I think the music does have some room for improvement though and you definitely have the opportunity for that here, so I'd definitely say keep it up and keep posting it. I am sure you will find someone here who enjoys it.

[Gez]

I'm not very fond of UW1: The Stygian Abyss, but its sequel UW2: Labyrinth of Worlds is one of the best CRPGs ever made. Some tracks like the Ice Caverns theme are unforgettable.

[XxMiltenXx]

@Gez: UW2 will follow as well, so stay tuned

[XxMiltenXx]

A few more songs have been added:

"Ice Caverns" from Labyrinth of Worlds: A completely frozen world, apart from wildlife desolate. What hopes can one have within this place.
https://youtu.be/vt4PRa2uwEw

"Sewers" from Labyrinth of Worlds: The sewers beneath Britannia where you have to find a copy of the magic that has been cast upon the castle. A dark and grim place with a glimmer of hope.
The original flute was supposedly a pan flute. I replaced it with a Duduk, a more oriental instrument. I tried putting a pan flute, but the result wouldn't have been as good, unless I transpose the whole track.
https://youtu.be/gT7FQMIQQxY

"Prison Tower" from Labyrinth of Worlds: A part of a prison in another world, which is under the guardian's control. Goblins are in control there and they do not think very highly of you.
https://youtu.be/Q2Rls7ShkKU

[Gez]

Nice.

[Nash]

Wanderer is definitely my favourite... sometimes I would repeatedly ready then sheathe my weapon immediately just so that the random music selector kicks in, hoping it would pick Wanderer. :P

I finished UW1 a few times, this game is amazing. Hard to believe a game this massive existed back then. The puzzles got really cryptic towards the end so I unfortunately had to Google some solutions, but I enjoyed every bit of this game and look forward to another playthrough. It really does feel like a dungeon version of Deus Ex 1.

Another annoying thing about UW1 is the dreaded item bug - basically if there are too many items dropped in a level, I guess the item array goes out of bounds and it displays the "problems in object list" message. So I had to metagame and constantly pick up and throw stuff into water or lava (especially those stones the enemies throw at you, broken weapons, misc clutter and junk) to clean up the level item array.

I couldn't really get into UW2, I'm not sure why. I think because it got too big (world-wise... or should I say, worlds). But yet it still feels cramped. Might as well play an Elder Scrolls game if I wanted a big world.

[Gez]

I couldn't really get into UW2, I'm not sure why. I think because it got too big (world-wise... or should I say, worlds). But yet it still feels cramped. Might as well play an Elder Scrolls game if I wanted a big world.

It's completely different from an Elder Scrolls game.

First, the main series of TES games are open worlds. UW2 is closed, each world you explore is a dungeon crawl. That's a fundamental limitation of the engine which means the entire game is based around being stuck in dungeons. Hence the whole story with the Guardian encasing the castle in a giant blackrock geode, and your quest is to find out how to break it.

Secondly, there's a focus on dialogue that you don't get in TES games outside of Morrowind. (Arena and Daggerfall have templated conversations limited to asking for directions and rumors; Oblivion and Skyrim are burdened by voice acting and put the emphasis on combat).

[Naniyue]

I never could get into UW, as I hated the controls. If someone could modernize them like has been done for DooM, I'd GLADLY play the games!

[wildweasel]

I never could get into UW, as I hated the controls. If someone could modernize them like has been done for DooM, I'd GLADLY play the games!

You might be in luck...

Incidentally, I like these tracks quite a lot. Most of my memory of UW1's soundtrack is of the Roland MT-32 version, and this captures that orchestral essence well enough without it necessarily sounding like it's just a MIDI render.

[Naniyue]

Thanks! I'll keep an eye on that project's progress.

Funny enough, I've often found FM synth to sound better than the Roland renditions. You'd think it would be the other way around, but games like World of Xeen, Raptor, and Anvil of Dawn just don't sound right to me with Roland. Maybe the musicians made the compositions with FM synth in mind? Maybe I was too used to (S)NES and Genesis music at the time? Well, like anything else, again, it's all a matter of opinion.

UW intro via SB Pro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfFYJ42Rfws

Via MT 32:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqmRIoIz9UU

[wildweasel]

I find that games made after 1993 tended to see the MT-32 fall out of favor compared to proper General Midi supporting lineup like the Sound Canvas, Gravis Ultrasound, or AWE32. It's really the pre-92 stuff where the MT really shines; UW1 in particular, but especially games like Ultima VII which were designed specifically with it in mind.

[Viscra Maelstrom]

i'm not a huge fan of the MT-32's sound compared to the SC-55's, mostly because MIDIs for Doom and the like were generally designed to sound good on the SC-55, and it's what i use for MIDIs i compose myself. there are a few exceptions though were the MT-32 is just flat-out better, like the Monkey Island theme for instance. with that one, there is no contest: the MT-32 just flat-out sounds better than the SC-55.