Need help buying symphonic DQIV soundtrack

[EvilRedEye]

Hi, hopefully I'm posting this in the right place and aren't horribly offending everyone!

I recently played Dragon Quest IV on the DS and spent the whole game thinking that the music would sound so much better with a proper orchestra. So now I want to buy a symphonic version of the soundtrack but am totally baffled by the range of options available. I stumbled across this place on Google and you seem pretty knowledgeable so hopefully someone will be able to help me.

There seem to be three versions, this one performed by NHK Symphony Orchestra (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KICC-6323), this one performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KICC-6317), and this apparently longer one by Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KICC-6303). Were any of these version recorded more recently or sound better than the others? The upcoming symphonic thing for Dragon Quest IX is done by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, so are those like the 'standard' versions or something? If I buy other Dragon Quest albums I'd like a consistent set, so should I go with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra ones so I can get the one for IX?

Please help a confused game music fan!

[jeffd8382]

Hi there!

I hope this info doesn't come too late... but here's what I've found:

- The NHK recordings, I believe, were in most cases the first versions released, after each game release. (in the case of I & II, the first were done by the Tokyo Strings Ensemble) Some fans find these to be the best performances.
- The London Philharmonic recordings were released shortly after, and in most cases, I think that these are the fans' favorites... the performances are mostly spot-on, and the recordings are clean and mixed well. These recordings were re-released and remastered around 2000. They were then reprinted this past year, along with most of the other DQ titles.
- The Toyko Metropolitan recordings were Sugiyama's way of updating all his symphonic suites by completely re-recording them with a new orchestra. (these were first released around 2005). So DQ VIII & DQ IX have only been recorded so far by this orchestra. Most fans of the series are less impressed by these recordings, since the mixes sound more like a live performance (heavier reverb and more distant sounding). Some audiophiles have also claimed that some compression has been used as well, reducing dynamics a bit.

Here's my opinion on DQ IV:
I would go with the London Philharmonic recording first... I believe it's the best balance of performance, sound quality, and good mixing. The NHK recording is nearly as good (IMO), with the battle theme actually being performed at a more even tempo and better than the London. So if that's a HUGE favorite, maybe go with the NHK recording... especially since the regular battle theme is longer than the later recordings. Sometimes the brass section sounds a little flat though on that recording, where it sounds perfectly in tune on the London one. The Tokyo recording is performed very well too, but the muddy mix really bugs me, as it does with the other DQ titles in that series. As far as having a consistent set, it's probably unlikely we'll get new recordings of DQ VIII & DQ IX anytime soon... particularly recorded by London Philharmonic or NHK and packaged in the same way the re-releases are packaged... so if that's REALLY important to you, you'd have to go with the Tokyo Metro recordings.

So there you have it! Hope that helps some...