SC-88Pro: ZUN's MIDIs the way they were intended to be heard (100% COMPLETE)

~Hakurei Shrine~ > Touhou Addict Recovery Center

(1/32) > >>

Romantique Tp:
1: Introduction
Here's an era of Touhou history that doesn't get talked about much. In the years between the release of Mystic Square and Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, ZUN graduated from university and got hired by Taito. It's normal for young japanese programmers to completely cease their doujin activities once they get hired, but ZUN continued to contribute to the Seihou Project as a music composer. He also made some arranged versions of his old compositions which were posted at his site, on a (now hidden) page called "東方幻想的音楽". At the time, most simple doujin games were distributed in low capacity floppy disks and download speeds were very slow, so his music had to be distributed as MIDI files, which are much smaller than recorded audio files such as WAV, AAC and MP3.

MIDI files contain no audio information. Instead, they function like a script for a synthesizer, containing not just the notes to be played but also control messages, allowing composers to use model-specific features such as the ability to heavily edit how an instrument is played and activating effects such as reverb or guitar distortion. Almost every model of synthesizer responds differently to these messages (if they respond at all) on top of having different sounds, so playing a MIDI file on a synthesizer other than the one specified by the composer will often result in the music sounding completely different from intended. Like most japanese MIDIs you'll find on the internet, the MIDIs made by ZUN were meant to be played on a Roland Sound Canvas, more specifically the SC-88Pro.

Released in the second half of 1996, the SC-88Pro is the successor to the SC-88 (1994) and the SC-55 (1991). The 88Pro became extremely popular among japanese desktop musicians for including many instrument samples from expansion boards for the JV-1080, a highly regarded synthesizer used by almost every professional composer that worked with MIDI in the 90's. While the sounds in the 88Pro lack the depth and expression that they have in the JV-1080 due to simplified instrument programming and some samples being cut down, they still sound familiar enough to fool people into thinking that many game soundtracks made with a JV were actually made with a 88Pro. Some commercial game soundtracks were indeed made with a SC-88Pro though: a few well known examples are Thunder Force V, Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, Ys Complete (also in Ys Chronicles as an alternate soundtrack), Kanon, Mother 3 and the Pokemon games for the GBA (RSE and FireRed/LeafGreen).

ZUN used the SC-88Pro from 1999 to 2001. In mid-2001 he got the newer SC-8850, which he quickly got rid of (compared to the 88Pro it's just more of the same... but with compatibility issues). In late 2001 he got another new hardware synthesizer, the same one he uses to this day. However, before he got this new synth he had already finished pretty much all of the tracks for Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, Kioh Gyoku and Dolls in Pseudo Paradise using the 88Pro. Since this new synth sounds very different from the 88Pro, he decided to arrange what he had done so far, which became the WAV versions of the music. In other words, the MIDI versions of the EoSD and Kioh Gyoku soundtracks are ZUN's original compositions, while the WAV versions are arranged and sound pretty different.

2: Recording & technical details
The following was used for recording:

Synthesizer: Japanese Roland SC-88Pro, firmware Ver 1.02 (the most common)
Software: Steinberg Cubase Pro 8.0.30/8.5 and Wavelab Pro 9
Audio and MIDI interface: Edirol SD-90
Cable: KnuKonceptz Krystal Kable 2 Channel 1M Twisted Pair RCA Cable
Original file format: FLAC, 44100 Hz, 24 bit

I took special care to ensure that these recordings sound as close as possible to actually listening to the 88Pro in person: All of the annoying loud hiss and distortion you may have heard in other recordings of this synth aren't present in mine. The file names are the same name as the original MIDI files, but they're tagged with the japanese names of the tracks.

There are about 150 tracks in total, about 10 hours of music.

----------------
Important: These files are big. If you have download speed or stability issues, try using a download manager such as Free Download Manager. Also note that these have none of the processing that ZUN does to his current music, so this will sound way quieter than usual. Increase the volume on your headphones or speakers. BTW you should totally get foobar2000 to listen to these.
----------------

3: The Music

☆YouTube
Do you appreciate the time spent on this and want to help these recordings show up higher in YouTube search than the stock Windows MIDI synth stuff? Read this post.
^^^^

Games where the SC-88Pro MIDIs are the original soundtrack:

-秋霜玉 (Seihou Project 1: Shuusou Gyoku) (OST/original)
-稀翁玉 (Seihou Project 2: Kioh Gyoku) (MIDI original)
-トルテルマジック (Torte Le Magic) OST
-東方紅魔郷　～ the Embodiment of Scarlet Devil (MIDI original)
-秋霜玉 (Seihou Project 1: Shuusou Gyoku) (C58 Trial)

SC-88Pro arrangements and miscellaneous compositions from ZUN's site:

-その他の作品　～ ZUN's Strange Works (original music)
-ZUN's PC-98 Touhou MIDI arrangements
-秋霜玉 (Seihou 1: Shuusou Gyoku) (arranged OST)

Games where SC-88/SC-88Pro MIDIs are included as a bonus:

-東方封魔録～ the Story of Eastern Wonderland (MIDI version)
-東方妖々夢～ Perfect Cherry Blossom (MIDI version)
-東方永夜抄～ Imperishable Night (MIDI version)
-東方花映塚～ Phantasmagoria of Flower View (MIDI, trial tracks only)

Bonus:
-Official SC-55, SC-88, SC-88Pro, SC-8850, SD-90, Super Quartet, SD-20 MIDI demos and information
-Kioh Gyoku original SC-88Pro MIDI soundtrack vs WAV arrange

If possible, please use the playlists when sharing these videos with others.
This makes it easier for people to listen to other tracks from the same game if they want to. YouTube's recommended videos feature has unfortunately become useless for this.

Tip: Looking for a recording of a specific file but don't know the track's name? Just search for the filename between "quotes", like this: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22th5_06.mid%22

☆Full Download

-FLAC (16-bit):
Dither: MBIT+, Noise Shaping: Medium
4.56 GB: Google Drive | Mega

-AAC (VBR, Highest Bitrate):
MP4 lossy audio. Official closed source Fraunhofer IIS encoder.
1.37 GB: Google Drive | Mega

The 16-bit FLACs should sound the same as the original 24-bit recordings for as long as no further audio processing is applied.
This includes dynamic range processing, equalizing and encoding to a lossy format such as AAC/OGG/MP3. If you downloaded the 24-bit versions previously and you don't plan to do any of that, feel free to delete them and download the zip file above.

Romantique Tp:
☆Original 24-bit recordings

The colored dates mean the following:

Black: These are average SC-88Pro MIDIs. The instruments aren't very heavily edited and the use of 88Pro-exclusive stuff is kept to a minimum.
Brown: These are MIDIs for the older "vanilla" SC-88. The 88Pro is able to reproduce these perfectly, as it comes with all of the old instrument samples and the same synth engine as the SC-88.
Red: Also for the SC-88Pro, but the instruments are edited and there's heavy use of 88Pro-exclusive features. These sound off on any other synthesizer. The closest to PCB-era music.
Purple: These tracks were originally composed for another synthesizer, but ZUN also made a quick SC-88Pro version. Quality may vary.

☆秋霜玉 (Seihou Project 1: Shuusou Gyoku) (arranged)
Polished and arranged versions of the first Seihou's soundtrack. Posted on ZUN's site.

2001/05/02 Shuusou Gyoku ~ Clockworks Title screen Theme ZUN's comment2001/03/05False StrawberryStage 1 ThemeZUN's comment2001/03/08Primrose ShiverStage 1 Boss - Milia's ThemeZUN's comment2001/03/11Illusory Imperial CapitalStage 2 ThemeZUN's comment2001/03/13Disastrous GeminiStage 2 Boss - Mei and Mai's ThemeZUN's comment2001/03/23Illusion of Flowers, Air of Scarlet DreamStage 3 ThemeZUN's comment2001/03/07Firmament ArmyStage 3 Boss - Gates' ThemeZUN's comment2001/03/06Illusionary Sputnik NightStage 4 ThemeZUN's comment2001/03/17Mechanical Circus ~ ReverieStage 4 Boss - Marie's ThemeZUN's comment2001/03/14Illusionary Girl from CanaveralStage 5 ThemeZUN's comment2001/03/27Magical Girl's CrusadeStage 5 Boss - Erich's ThemeZUN's comment2001/03/30Antique TerrorStage 6 ThemeZUN's comment2001/04/10Dream Machine ~ Innocent PowerStage 6 Boss - Vivit's First ThemeZUN's comment2001/04/16Illusory Science ~ Doll's PhantomStage 6 Boss - Vivit's Second ThemeZUN's comment2001/04/29Girl's Divinity ~ Pandora's BoxStage 6 Boss - Vivit's Third ThemeZUN's comment2001/05/13Silk Road AliceExtra Stage ThemeZUN's comment2001/05/23The Witches' Ball ~ MagusExtra Stage Boss #1 - Marisa Kirisame's ThemeZUN's comment2001/05/31Dichromatic Lotus Butterfly ~ AncientsExtra Stage Boss #2 - Reimu Hakurei's ThemeZUN's comment2001/05/02HerselvesEnding ThemeZUN's comment

☆秋霜玉 (Seihou Project 1: Shuusou Gyoku) (original)
The music as heard in-game. These have a heavier feel than the arranged versions.

2000 Shuusou Gyoku ~ Clockworks Title screen Theme ZUN's comment2000False StrawberryStage 1 ThemeZUN's comment2000Primrose ShiverStage 1 Boss - Milia's ThemeZUN's comment2000Illusory Imperial CapitalStage 2 ThemeZUN's comment2000Disastrous GeminiStage 2 Boss - Mei and Mai's ThemeZUN's comment2000Illusion of Flowers, Air of Scarlet DreamStage 3 ThemeZUN's comment2000Firmament ArmyStage 3 Boss - Gates' ThemeZUN's comment2000Illusionary Sputnik NightStage 4 ThemeZUN's comment2000Mechanical Circus ~ ReverieStage 4 Boss - Marie's ThemeZUN's comment2000Illusionary Girl from CanaveralStage 5 ThemeZUN's comment2000Magical Girl's CrusadeStage 5 Boss - Erich's ThemeZUN's comment2000Antique TerrorStage 6 ThemeZUN's comment2000Dream Machine ~ Innocent PowerStage 6 Boss - Vivit's First ThemeZUN's comment2000Illusory Science ~ Doll's PhantomStage 6 Boss - Vivit's Second ThemeZUN's comment2000Girl's Divinity ~ Pandora's BoxStage 6 Boss - Vivit's Third ThemeZUN's comment2000Silk Road AliceExtra Stage ThemeZUN's comment2000The Witches' Ball ~ MagusExtra Stage Boss #1 - Marisa Kirisame's ThemeZUN's comment2000Dichromatic Lotus Butterfly ~ AncientsExtra Stage Boss #2 - Reimu Hakurei's ThemeZUN's comment2000HerselvesEnding ThemeZUN's comment2000Titled MaidName Register ThemeZUN's comment

☆秋霜玉 (Seihou Project 1: Shuusou Gyoku) (C58 Trial)
The music for the trial is slightly different from the final version. The boss themes have the most noticeable differences.

2000 False Strawberry Stage 1 Theme ZUN's comment2000Primrose ShiverStage 1 Boss - Milia's ThemeZUN's comment2000Illusory Imperial CapitalStage 2 ThemeZUN's comment2000Disastrous GeminiStage 2 Boss - Mei and Mai's ThemeZUN's comment2000Illusion of Flowers, Air of Scarlet DreamStage 3 ThemeZUN's comment2000Firmament ArmyStage 3 Boss - Gates' ThemeZUN's comment

☆東方靈異伝　～ Highly Resposive to Prayers

2000/03/05 Eternal Shrine Maiden Theme of Levels 1-4, Hell Levels 16-19 ZUN's comment2001/09/27Eastern Strange Discourse Theme of Hell Levels 6-9 ZUN's comment2001/01/07The Legend of KAGE Theme of Makai Levels 16-19 ZUN's comment2000/10/29Iris Ending theme ZUN's comment
☆東方封魔録　～ the Story of Eastern Wonderland

1999/10/15 Hakurei ~ Eastern Wind Stage 1 theme ZUN's comment1999/12/12 Love-Colored Magic Stage 4 Boss - Marisa Kirisame's theme ZUN's comment2001/07/21Complete Darkness Final Boss - Mima's theme ZUN's comment
☆東方夢時空　～ Phantasmagoria of Dim.Dream
Reincarnation makes the 88Pro run out of polyphony...

2001/10/30 Reincarnation Mima's theme ZUN's comment2000/01/16 Tabula rasa ~ The Empty Girl Ellen's theme ZUN's comment2000/07/23 Vanishing Dream ~ Lost Dream Kana Anaberal's theme ZUN's comment2001/04/23 Eternal Full Moon Nighttime Ending theme ZUN's comment
☆東方幻想郷　～ Lotus Land Story

2000/01/16 Witching Dream Reimu's Stage 1 theme ZUN's comment1999/12/19 Spirit Battle ~ Perdition crisis ver 1.01 Stage 3 Boss - Elly's theme ZUN's comment2000/01/16 Alice Maestra Stage 4 theme ZUN's comment1999/10/13 Maiden's Capriccio Stage 4 Boss A - Reimu's theme ZUN's comment2000/10/13 Vessel of Stars ~ Casket of Star Stage 4 Boss B - Marisa's theme ZUN's comment2000/06/04 Sleeping Terror Stage 5 Boss - Yuuka's theme 1 ZUN's comment2001/04/04 Faint Dream ~ Inanimate Dream Final Boss - Yuuka's theme 2 ZUN's comment2000/02/28 The Inevitably Forbidden Game Extra Stage theme ZUN's comment
☆東方怪綺談　～ Mystic Square
The TXT file for Dream Express says it was arranged for the SC-88, but the MIDI doesn't switch the synthesizer to SC-88 mode. I've recorded both 88 and 88Pro versions.

2001/05/10 Dream Express Stage 1 theme ZUN's comment2001/05/10Dream Express (SC-88) Stage 1 theme ZUN's comment2000/01/10Dimension of Reverie Stage 2 theme ZUN's comment2001/06/28Romantic Children Stage 3 theme ZUN's comment2000/10/22Maple Wise Stage 4 theme ZUN's comment2000/06/18Forbidden Magic Stage 4 Boss - Yuki and Mai's theme ZUN's comment2000/10/02Crimson Maiden ~ Crimson Dead!! Stage 4 Boss - Yuki's theme ZUN's comment2000/01/04Treacherous Maiden ~ Judas Kiss Stage 4 Boss - Mai's theme ZUN's comment2000/08/06the Last Judgement Stage 5 theme ZUN's comment2000/04/02Legendary Illusion ~ Infinite Being Final Stage Boss - Shinki's theme ZUN's comment1999/10/23Alice in Wonderland Extra Stage theme ZUN's comment2001/09/05Peaceful Romancer Extra Ending theme ZUN's comment
☆トルテルマジック (Torte Le Magic)

2001/05/20 Witch of Love Potion Stage theme ZUN's comment2001/05/20Magical and Hopeless Boss - Chou's theme ZUN's comment2001/05/20Sacred Battle True last boss - Cointreau's theme ZUN's comment
☆その他の作品　～ ZUN's Strange Works
The TXT file for some of these say they were made for the SC-88, but the MIDI doesn't switch the synthesizer to SC-88 mode. I've recorded both 88 and 88Pro versions.

2000/01/10 Magician of the Twilight Violently in fantastica ZUN's comment2000/01/10Magic of LifeCruel Alice series ZUN's comment2000/02/23Plastic Space Shuusou Gyoku '99 (named arbitrarily) Stage 1 ThemeZUN's comment2000/02/23Plastic Space (SC-88)Shuusou Gyoku '99 (named arbitrarily) Stage 1 ThemeZUN's comment2000/05/21Inventive City Shuusou Gyoku '99 Stage 2 theme ZUN's comment2000/05/21Inventive City (SC-88) Shuusou Gyoku '99 Stage 2 theme ZUN's comment2000/01/10Fantasy Corridor Slow-tempo wild music ZUN's comment2001/01/14 Hourai Illusion ~ far East Shuusou Gyoku Extra stage theme (unused) ZUN's comment2001/01/14Hourai Illusion ~ far East (SC-88) Shuusou Gyoku Extra stage theme (unused) ZUN's comment
☆東方封魔録　～ the Story of Eastern Wonderland (original)
ZUN's first published MIDI work, made for the vanilla SC-88. Somewhat different from the FM versions.

1997 Eastern Sealing Magic Record ~ Pure Land Mandala Title screen theme ZUN's comment1997 Hakurei ~ Eastern Wind Stage 1 theme ZUN's comment1997 She's in a temper!! Stage 1 Boss - Rika's theme ZUN's comment1997 End of Daylight Stage 2 theme ZUN's comment1997 Power of Darkness Stage 2 Boss - Meira's theme ZUN's comment1997 World of Empty Dreams Stage 3 theme ZUN's comment1997 Bet on Death Stage 3 Boss - The Five Magic Stones' theme ZUN's comment1997 Himorogi, Burn in Violet Stage 4 theme ZUN's comment1997 Love-Colored Magic Stage 4 Boss - Marisa Kirisame's theme ZUN's comment1997 Eastern Sealing Magic Record ~ A Phantom's Boisterous Dance Final Stage theme ZUN's comment1997 Complete Darkness Final Boss - Mima's theme ZUN's comment1997 Extra Love Extra Stage theme ZUN's comment1997 The Tank Girl's Dream Extra Boss - Rika's 2nd theme ZUN's comment1997 Forest of Tono Ending theme ZUN's comment1997 Legendary Wonderland Staff Roll theme ZUN's comment

☆東方紅魔郷　～ the Embodiment of Scarlet Devil
ZUN's original compositions for EoSD, with different instrumentation and other differences compared to the WAV versions. (Increase the volume for the intended sound, even if it sounds loud enough.)

2001 A Dream That Is More Scarlet than Red Title screen theme ZUN's comment2001 A Soul as Red as a Ground Cherry Stage 1 theme ZUN's comment2001 Apparitions Stalk the Night Stage 1 Boss - Rumia's theme ZUN's comment2001 Lunate Elf Stage 2 theme ZUN's comment2001 Tomboyish Girl in Love Stage 2 Boss - Cirno's theme ZUN's comment2001 Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea Stage 3 theme ZUN's comment2001 Shanghai Alice of Meiji 17 Stage 3 Boss - Hong Meiling's theme ZUN's comment2001 Voile, the Magic Library Stage 4 theme ZUN's comment2001 Locked Girl ~ The Girl's Secret Room Stage 4 Boss - Patchouli Knowledge's theme ZUN's comment2001 The Maid and the Pocket Watch of Blood Stage 5 theme ZUN's comment2001 Lunar Clock ~ Luna Dial Stage 5 Boss - Sakuya Izayoi's theme ZUN's comment2001 The Young Descendant of Tepes Stage 6 theme ZUN's comment2001 Septette for a Dead Princess Stage 6 Boss - Remilia Scarlet's theme ZUN's comment2001 The Centennial Festival for Magical Girls Extra Stage theme ZUN's comment2001 U.N. Owen Was Her? Extra Stage Boss - Flandre Scarlet's theme ZUN's comment2001 An Eternity That Is More Transient than Scarlet Ending theme ZUN's comment2001 Crimson Tower ~ Eastern Dream... Staff Roll theme ZUN's comment
☆東方妖々夢　～ Perfect Cherry Blossom (Trial)
Originally composed for another synth. ZUN didn't put much effort into the SC-88Pro MIDI versions.

2002 Mystical Dream ~ Snow or Cherry Petal Title screen theme ZUN's comment2002 Paradise ~ Deep Mountain Stage 1 theme ZUN's comment2002 Crystallized Silver Stage 1 Boss - Letty Whiterock's theme ZUN's comment2002 The Fantastic Tales from Tono Stage 2 theme ZUN's comment2002 Diao Ye Zong (withered leaf) Stage 2 Boss - Chen's theme ZUN's comment2002 The Doll Maker of Bucuresti Stage 3 theme ZUN's comment2002 Doll Judgment ~ The Girl Who Played with People's Shapes Stage 3 Boss - Alice Margatroid's theme ZUN's comment
☆東方永夜抄　～ Imperishable Night (Trial)
Originally composed for another synth. ZUN didn't put much effort into the SC-88Pro MIDI versions.

2004 Eternal Night Vignette ~ Eastern Night Title screen theme ZUN's comment2003 Illusionary Night ~ Ghostly Eyes Stage 1 theme ZUN's comment2004 Stirring an Autumn Moon ~ Mooned Insect Stage 1 Boss - Wriggle Nightbug's theme ZUN's comment2004 Song of the Night Sparrow ~ Night Bird Stage 2 theme ZUN's comment2004 Deaf to All but the Song Stage 2 Boss - Mystia Lorelei's theme ZUN's comment2004 Nostalgic Blood of the East ~ Old World Stage 3 theme ZUN's comment2004 Plain Asia Stage 3 Boss - Keine Kamishirasawa's theme ZUN's comment
☆東方花映塚　～ Phantasmagoria of Flower View (Trial)
Originally composed for another synth. ZUN didn't put much effort into the SC-88Pro MIDI versions. The drums play the wrong notes

2005 Flower Viewing Mound ~ Higan Retour Title screen theme ZUN's comment2005 Spring Lane ~ Colorful Path Reimu Hakurei's theme ZUN's comment2005 Oriental Dark Flight Marisa Kirisame's theme ZUN's comment2005 Flowering Night Sakuya Izayoi's theme ZUN's comment2005 Adventure of the Lovestruck Tomboy Cirno's theme ZUN's comment2005 Deaf to All but the Song ~ Flower Mix Mystia Lorelei's theme ZUN's comment2005 The Mound Where the Flowers Reflect Pre-Battle Conversation theme ZUN's comment

☆稀翁玉 (Seihou Project 2: Kioh Gyoku)
ZUN's original compositions for Kioh Gyoku. Most of these tracks are very different from the final WAVs.

2001 Jingle Seihou Project logo Yep2001 Kioh Gyoku ~ Fairy Dance Title screen theme ZUN's comment2001 [url=http://www.mediafire.com/download/qk9ryy651mw9tkz/kog_01.f

Mеа:
Oh oohh these are such a treat, wonderful job with these! Missing a few personal gems, but I'll keep them to myself until you seem finished with your project. I'm curious, how were you able to determine which version of the synthesizers they were meant to be played on?
This is a substantial contribution to the fanbase.

Leon゠Helsing:
Ooh, voting for EoSD... Because vampires. :V

By the way, is 24-bit FLAC really needed? Most of the guys I know just go with 16-bit FLAC.

Romantique Tp:

--- Quote from: Меа on October 26, 2015, 03:17:21 PM ---Oh oohh these are such a treat, wonderful job with these! Missing a few personal gems, but I'll keep them to myself until you seem finished with your project. I'm curious, how were you able to determine which version of the synthesizers they were meant to be played on?
This is a substantial contribution to the fanbase.

--- End quote ---

Thanks. The MIDIs from most japanese sites come in a .lzh file (it's like a zip or rar) which include both the MIDI and a text file. The text file will usually tell you which synth/playback mode the MIDI was made for.
The manual for the Windows Touhou games actually list the SC-88Pro as a system requirement if you want to play with MIDI music.

--- Quote from: Leon゠Helsing on October 26, 2015, 03:24:51 PM ---By the way, is 24-bit FLAC really needed? Most of the guys I know just go with 16-bit FLAC.

--- End quote ---

16 bit FLAC is more than enough for stuff like CD rips and distributing your own finished, mastered tracks online, yes. In these cases 24 bit is just a waste of space. Since these tracks are unprocessed (they aren't "mastered", making them quieter than average), I decided to record them in 24 bit to give people the freedom to do the processing themselves if needed for stuff like danmakufu projects.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

Go to full version