Update (June 3, 2013): Indie Statik has written a great article on this situation.

The story of the Retro Game Music Bundle is just as much the story of many lifelong musical journeys.

Every musician is influenced by the works they’re exposed to while growing up, and every musician hopes to one day work with (or jam with!) the heroes of their youth. Everyone on the GMB team is a musician, and the vast majority of us drew our earliest inspiration from video game scores. In those days, music-data had to be heavily optimized in order to fit in small amounts of space, and without realizing it we received our first lessons in counterpoint, mastering, sampling, harmonization, and other concepts that would later form the backbone of serious music educations. Many of us pursued our music studies with the goal of someday composing for video games (at least one of us, GMB founder Josh Whelchel, has already done this).

Throughout the college days and afterward, we maintained close connections to that early music, whether it involved tossing on the Myst soundtrack to help focus our minds for study, blasting some Duke Nukem bootlegs on the way to an audition, or just queuing up the 7th Guest to put a classy - and creepy - spin on a halloween party, the music followed us, continuing to inspire us to get out there and make music of our own.

A while ago, we talked to composer Alex Brandon about putting his Tyrian soundtrack on an upcoming Game Music Bundle, and he suggested that we also reach out to 7th Guest’s composer, George “The Fat Man” Sanger. It was with that conversation that the idea of the Retro GMB was born. We realized that this was our chance to work with many of our composer-heroes and to take our own creation - the GMB - to new heights. We sat down and made a list of the games WE would be excited to see on a retro bundle, and got in touch with the studios responsible. Initially, we half-expected to hear nothing back - Josh was friends with Alex, and Alex was friends with George, but now we were literally sending e-mails to studios like 3D Realms/Apogee, Cyan Worlds and Epic Games out of the blue.

And then we got the first reply - Robyn Miller wanted to know more and to chat on the phone. It was pretty hard to tone down our excitement at just getting to talk to him. We explained the GMB and he said he’d like to think about it. About an hour later, we got another e-mail - and Myst was on board, joining Tyrian and its onetime “rival” game, 7th Guest (which had its sequel, 11th Hour, thrown in to boot!).

We got an affirmative reply from 3D Realms, not only including Duke Nukem 3D, but tons of other classic Apogee games like Wacky Wheels, Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure, and Major Stryker (actually sending us physical copies of the games!). Soon after, we heard back from Epic Games - they were onboard for Jazz Jackrabbit 1 and 2.

There was only one small problem - the soundtracks didn’t exist, and the studios didn’t have any available resources or time to create them. We were pretty bummed, until we realized that our very love of these soundtracks had over the years inspired us to pursue the skills necessary to solve this problem. We’d need to draw on a lifetime’s experience - the memory of hearing those songs for the first time, the physical hardware of our childhoods, and the musical and technical skills gained in school, but we were confident that we could rebuild these and more soundtracks - keeping true to the originals while making them sound crisp, vibrant, and every bit as viable as they were in the old days.

We literally dug into our childhoods, with various team members producing parts - Josh had his actual childhood computer shipped from his dad’s house in Kentucky, along with an old Sound Blaster 16 with an authentic FM chip. Sebastian dug through his old software CDs to find a legitimate copy of Windows ‘95, and Jesse took on the task of getting the former to accept the latter, which involved researching and buying the right model of parallel ATA hard drive off of Amazon (incidentally, you can still buy “new” P/ATA drives). Combined with an old CD-ROM drive that someone had left, literally, on the sidewalk near our office, we had a reasonably well-working sound capture machine.

Most of the games had available audio files, or an audio test mode - one of those things we never really understood when we were younger, but found ourselves profoundly grateful for now. Some of the games had neither, and needed to be played entirely through with the music on and SFX off - Ryland got stuck with that task, and performed admirably. Then, Ryland and Josh mixed and mastered the recordings to bring out their original magic, and our designer, Amanda, created beautiful album art for each game. In the process, the soundtracks were transformed them into professional-quality albums.

Epic Games and 3D Realms signed off on our recreations, and we added them to the bundle. We had created a beautiful collection of the best soundtracks of our childhoods. Still, it felt like it was missing something… Fans of the GMB know that we usually showcase brilliant indie soundtracks from up-and-coming composers. Many of these people are our friends, and we knew that they felt much the same way we did about these albums. In that spirit, we approached 3D Realms one more time and asked if they’d be willing to co-sponsor a Duke Nukem remix album so we could give the remixers and indie composers a chance to show their support, too.

They said yes.

We immediately tapped our friends and fellow fans, asking if they’d like to do their own take on a Duke Nukem track. Unsurprisingly, they were as excited as we were about the project. This might be one of the biggest licensed remix albums out there, with artists including: Hyperduck Soundworks & Stemage, Disasterpeace, Zircon, Tyler Burton, Eirik Suhrke, Kunal Majmudar, Blake Robinson, Whitaker Trebella, Coda & DJ Bouche, Jeff Ball, and Virt. Alex Brandon was so impressed with the idea, he even did one himself!

For a retro bundle, this collection is full of firsts - It’s our first-ever collaboration with long-established studios. We’ve got the first-ever official releases of classic soundtracks like Jazz Jackrabbit 1&2, Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem 2, Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure, Major Stryker, Shadow Warrior, Star Gunner, and Wacky Wheels. And, of course, the Duke Nukem remix album is like no project we’ve ever undertaken.

We’re immensely proud of this bundle, and truly thankful for all the efforts of the composers, engineers, designers, remixers, and - first and foremost - fans, without whom none of this would have been possible. It’s truly been a lifelong journey, and we’re thrilled to release it to the world.

One of the highlights of the Retro Game Music Bundle was that we got to talk to a lot of our composer-heroes via e-mail (spoiler: they’re all awesome guys in real life!) but perhaps no moment gave us the nerd-jibblies as when Robyn Miller wanted to chat on the phone. I mean, this was the co-creator of Myst - arguably the most-influential PC game of our childhoods! This was the man who had written music we had sat and listened to for hours (okay, so part of that time was spent trying to crank valves in the right order, but still…)

So it turns out that Robyn is an awesome guy in real life (told you it was a spoiler.) He’s also still up to his old tricks - telling awesome stories and composing thought-provoking, slightly unsettling music. He’s currently directing a film called The Immortal Augustus Gladstone (Official site: http://augustusgladstone.com).

There definitely seems to be more to this film than initially meets the eye, too. Apparently its title character has started his own YouTube channel… http://www.youtube.com/user/augustusgladstone

Like a seasoned puzzle-crafter, Robyn’s pretty tight-lipped about the actual content of the film or the purpose of Augustus’ YouTube channel, and the trailer itself raises more questions than it answers (I found myself drawn in by its unabashed use of color and chilly, ambient soundtrack, unsurprisingly). Still, I know I’ll be following the ongoing development of the film, which is slated for a 2013 release.

Robyn DID said we could reveal the awesome poster at the top of this post (which he finished only a few days ago). Like I said - awesome guy. He also offered to answer a few choice questions about his latest work:

What led you to develop the idea for The Immortal Augustus Gladstone?

Robyn: It all started out as a short film for “24 hour film festival”. The idea was to write a script and shoot and edit it in 24 hours. It sounded fun. I started with a character — a southern, insecure vampire — and a friend and I shot around 20 minutes of interviews with Augustus (who was at that point unnamed). That’s when we found out we were a week late - the 24 hour film festival had been the previous weekend! 

But now that I’d developed this character, I began to have all kinds of questions about him. Where was he from? What was his history? And what would happen if someone like him got the thing he wanted the most: publicity, cameras, and lots of attention. Like for example, a documentary film crew surrounding him 8 -12 hours a day? So I couldn’t get it out of my head to turn Augustus’ story, and some of his history, into a feature length film.

Augustus has an odd blend of character traits. Is he based on a real person?

Robyn: I grew up in Texas and I have some friends from the South, so I feel like I’ve met Augustus many times over. There’s the type of Southern gentleman who is upper-crust, well-mannered, moralistic, and highly-educated — I think that’s who Augustus is trying to be. But he’s not that person. Maybe he’s forgotten how to be that person. What we do know about him is that he’s hospitable, kind, obsessed with TV and movie stars, and living in the corner of a bombed-out hotel. We also know he has epilepsy… which I culled from my own history with epilepsy.

Now that you mention it, the guy playing Augustus looks rather familiar…

Robyn: I went into with this idea that I step into Augustus’ skin, the same way I’d I wear my own. That’s what I tried to do. But I had absolutely zero idea how emotionally taxing that would be. I think a month of Augustus aged me five years!

Was it difficult to star in a film which you were also directing?

Robyn: Most of the time it wasn’t a problem. In other films it could have been. I think there were one or two scenes in which my own emotional investment in the character began to cloud my ability to direct the scene. Luckily, I was surrounded by an incredibly talented and supportive crew.

How is making a film different from making games?

Robyn: In some ways, this actually felt a lot like Myst because we’ve kept things small; the crew was small, and so decisions could be made quickly. With such a small crew, we all had to wear a lot of different hats, creatively speaking.  There were some extremely talented people working to make Augustus a true representation of their combined efforts. In that way, Myst was the perfect preparation for this project. 

The Game Music Bundle 4 is now available!

For $1 or more you can get the soundtracks to:

• Retro City Rampage
• Dear Esther
• Spelunky
• Indie Game: The Movie
• Shoot Many Robots

For $10+ you’ll get all of that, and:

• Hotline Miami: The Takedown EP
• Joypad Powerup EP
• Skyrim Main Theme by Lindsey Stirling and Peter Hollens
• Kanto Symphony EP
• Adventure in Pixels by Ben Landis
• Jottobots OST
• POP:ME1 OST

Thanks for supporting the Game Music Bundle!

With the first iGame Music Bundle coming to a close, we thought it would be a great time to share some more wonderful soundtracks with you. Highlighted below are a few of the best soundtracks available for free (or PWYW with a minimum of $0).

• Virt’s Double Dragon Neon is everything you loved about retro video game music, with more of that classical virt punch. Don’t miss it!

• Danny Baranowsky’s Canabalt Soundtrack changed the game for mobile game soundtracks, earning a well deserved “PLAY WITH HEADPHONES” disclaimer when the wildly successful game launched. Just listen to it, and you’ll know why. (His Gravity Hook HD soundtrack is killer, too)

• Zen Albatross’ Masada Gestalt is a chiptune single that will blow your mind. It reminds me a lot of the soundscape employed in the NES Maniac Mansion. I always enjoy seeing him perform at MAGFest, as well (an event you should be familiar with).

• Chiptunes = WIN \m|♥|m/ is a 51 (FIFTY-ONE) track compilation of some the best chiptune artists active right now (Chipzel, Crashfaster, Danimal Cannon, this list goes on forever). I’m hard pressed for a reason as to why you haven’t yet downloaded this gem.

• || Music has a huge catalogue of (mostly) free albums and soundtracks. They’re all great, so allocate a few hours to picking up these albums curated by Disasterpeace and Phlogiston.

Lastly, our friends at Ubiktune have launched their very own bundle of seven great albums, ALL for only $1 - don’t miss the UBIKTUNE BUNDLE: PILOT.

What’s some of your favorite free (or cheap) video game inspired music? Let us know in the comments below :D

As always, we’ve got more great physical gifts to give to the top 20 contributors of the Game Music Bundle.

The #1 Top Contributor will receive:

• The actual Ocarina used by Cris Gale to record the Horn Soundtrack!
• Everything below

The Top 10 Contributors will receive:

• Austin Wintory signed page from the HORN musical score.
• Big Giant Circles’ “Puzzlejuice Soundtrack” on CD
• zircon & Jeff Ball’s “Globulous Soundtrack” on CD
• Austin Wintory’s “Spirit of the Cosmos” on CD
• Everything below

The Top 20 Contributors will receive:

• Romain Gauthier’s “Squids: Wild West” soundtrack on CD
• Ocarina Diva’s “Ocarina Overture” on CD
• Austin Wintory’s “Sound of Darkness” on CD

For more pictures of these awesome prizes, check out the Game Music Bundle website.

The iGame Music Bundle is now available!

For $1 or more you can get the soundtracks to:

• Horn (by Journey’s Austin Wintory)
• Globulous
• Puzzlejuice
• Squids: Wild West (Debuted on iGMB)
• Organ Trail: Director’s Cut

For $10+ you’ll get all of that, and:

• Aliens Incursion
• Wyv and Keep (Debuted on iGMB)
• Splice
• Mecho Wars HD (Debuted on iGMB)
• Polymer (Debuted on iGMB)
• iBlast Moki 2
• Just added: Super Hexagon EP
• Unlockable: SUPER STICKMAN GOLF
• Unlockable: HAPPY STREET

This bundle is very important to me because it highlights how truly amazing mobile soundtracks can be. There are a lot of great iOS soundtracks (think Sword and Sworcery from Game Music Bundle 2 and Squids on GMB3), and they deserve a lot of attention. We’re here to show you that the music in your handheld’s games can be is probably great, too.

It is a privilege to include Austin Wintory’s Horn soundtrack - the only mobile game that I know of featuring a live orchestra. It’s a great trend to set, and we’re pleased to share the results with you. (Watch this video!)

Later this week we will have more information about what exactly the Top 20 contributors will receive.

Thanks for supporting the Game Music Bundle!

Spelunky!  It’s always a pleasure when I get to boot my XBox 360 to play the fantastic Derek Yu masterpiece that is Spelunky.  But while infuriating procedural adventures are swell, the real treat for me is in the funky FM soundtrack provided by Eirik Suhrke.  I remember reading early posts about the soundtrack which received mixed reviews from fans, and I remember thinking: “these people are CRAZY - how can you NOT enjoy a heavily-jazz influenced live jam session infused FM soundtrack,” and that’s EXACTLY what you’ll get with the Spelunky Original Soundtrack (you’ll also get some killer chiptunes, but that’s not what I came for, just a nice treat).

If I were to describe the whole experience, I’d basically tell you that an Adlib got drunk with a hot betty from the Fillmore and made these sweet, sweet sounds. I mean, how can you pass on a live saxophone solo in the middle of a this end credits groove? (it’s not that you can’t, it’s that you shouldn’t)

My only qualm with this soundtrack is the presentation of the tracks. We’re not treated to any looping tracks or fadeouts, and Eirik is keen to move from one catchy hook to a turnaround, to another equally incredible hook. The trouble here is that you’ll definitely want to hear these each more than once, even if the whole album plays gaplessly very nicely.

All in all, buy this soundtrack.  Then tell your friends you bought it.  Then you can buy it again if you want, I don’t know - do what you like.

My top picks: Temple A, Mines B, and Wrath of Yama.  But like I said, the whole thing is good.  Protip: Make a playlist with the whole soundtrack, and duplicate the tracks you love back to back.  Thank me later.

- Josh

A puzzle game like Globulous, really requires something that’ll not just compliment the experience, but enhance it. From this soundtrack, I really feel that. The combination of bitcrushed beats and synthetic arpeggios flying through an array of beautiful acoustic instruments from guitar, to violins, a beautiful distant piano (Cliff Sine is a notable one!) , and an array of combinations that just meld together, rather than clash. 

A subtle array of rhythmic elements here and there keep the music pulsing forward without making it too energetic, for a puzzle game, I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

A favourite track of mine is actually Cliff Sine, I get a real Super Mario Galaxy vibe from the spaced out arrangement, and the instrumentation. Really lovely. And Stone Clockwise, which is used in the trailer 

Fantastic work by Zircon and Jeff Ball, I’ll be eager to hear more collaborations from these two!

- Chris

Fighting games with their adrenaline pumping button twitching requires a special kind of music to really make it work. It can’t be too slow and in the background but if it’s too in your face you lose focus and starts getting stressed.

Tekken, to me, strikes the perfect balance. 

TTT2 is a musical continuation of Tekken Tag Tournament, one the most sought after Tekken soundtrack in it’s native country of release and it both captures what made the original good and adds a lot more. The core is electronic music where the hooks are sounds more than melodies. Focus is on the production, the growling synths, the processed voices and the overall soundscape. This is where TTT2 really shines.

TTT2 is proof that current Japanese game music can be just as relevant as the classics you know and love. It shows that there are reasons to stick with a similar team of composers for long periods, they grow with the games and the company. I’d rather blast this in my headphones than most contemporary electronic music out there and I probably would even if I didn’t love Tekken.

Support the composers and the legendary game music label SuperSweep, buy the soundtrack at Amazon today: http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B005T9EC6A/ref=dp_change_lang?ie=UTF8&language=en_JP

- Mattias

Composed by Akitaka Tohyama, sanodg, Keiichi Okabe, Rio Hamamoto, Taku Inoue, Yoshie Arakawa, Satoru Kousaki, Go Shiina
Published by SuperSweep
VGMdb entry