Shouldn't games with the soundtrack on them be included?

[Drkirby]

Hello, first time posting here, but I just wanted to make note of something. Tons of old PS1 games, and other Disc based games, have the full soundtrack on the disk, and can be properly ripped with a PC. A good number of PS1 games will even flat out work in a normal CD player, and have all the tracks labeled. Like a great example is Rayman. Pop the PS1 game into a PC, and you will see "Rayman OST" pop up. All the tracks are listed and named.

Anther is Namco Museum Volume 1. It has 8 remixed songs on it, and not only that, the programs had a since of humor and named all the tracks after Madonna tracks and put Madonna as the artists and composer for all of them (The real composer is listed in with Madonna.) I was hoping to come here to find the real name of the track, only to realize the site doesn't even acknowledge such things.

[Ira]

It's been discussed before (in fact there's another thread on this on the first page of this subforum.) Check here (http://vgmdb.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2876) and here (http://vgmdb.net/forums/showthread.php?t=430)

[Drkirby]

Ah. I am going to agree with the people who say Red Book Audio should be listed. I mean, with Rayman, the thing calls its sell the Rayman OST, gives the track titles, its more then I expect from most sound tracks of that day.

[Brad Evans]

Tomb Raider! Tomb Raider! Tomb Raider!

[Secret Squirrel]

If we add redbooks to the album database, we should add every game to the album database. There are ways to extract music from any game, and play it in a media player.

[Kaleb.G]

If we add redbooks to the album database, we should add every game to the album database.
Sounds like a great idea! ='D

[Drkirby]

If we add redbooks to the album database, we should add every game to the album database. There are ways to extract music from any game, and play it in a media player.

You could just start adding Red Book now, and worry about other game music later.

[NaturalChemical]

You could always limit it to Red Book audio, give it its own category, and disallow other gamerips.

[Blitz Lunar]

limiting to redbook would not make sense if we're seriously going to database game soundtracks that don't have official releases. the redbook format is a technicality, they're not albums any more than compressed audio streams or sequenced soundtracks are, as SS touched on.

however i do agree that the redbooks would be a good place to start, since they'd be the easiest to deal with, having absolute times and track orders and such.

[newsblade]

I agree with SS.

One of the principles that should be adopted is the word "coherence". If we start to input RA info here... we would open a precedent.

Redbooks = Soundtest that doesn't need to convert to use on a CD player

It doesn't matter if the music format is cda, ogg, mp3, wav, snd, etc. To be coherent, if we had that info here, we would have to insert every music from every game*, because it's there - we only need a specific player (physical/software/plugins) to listen it.

*- not to mention every music from every version/platform of the game!

[Jodo Kast]

I see nothing wrong with compiling a list of known games with redbook audio, and adding it to the site as a curiosity, a sort of trivia, just for fun thing (just a list). For example, the Falcom discography lists the known redbook audio games (for Falcom games), and it is interesting to know such things.

The accessibility of redbook audio does make it different. Sure, one can extract the music from the Super Mario 64 cartridge, but it takes a hell of a lot of work, especially if you're the first one to do it.

[Kaleb.G]

From what has been said in the past, we're waiting on properly integrating the product database before considering this. Also, one problem with Red Book Audio soundtracks is that most don't have track lists.

[Jedi QuestMaster]

Also, one problem with Red Book Audio soundtracks is that most don't have track lists.

I can see that as a problem. Most will have to be listed as 'Track 1' etc.

Plus, the database seems to be busy enough just dealing with CD/Tape/Vinyl soundtracks as it is.

[Drkirby]

I can see that as a problem. Most will have to be listed as 'Track 1' etc.

Plus, the database seems to be busy enough just dealing with CD/Tape/Vinyl soundtracks as it is.

There are some CDs where the tracks do have names, like Rayman for the PS1. Plus, one helpful thing people could do is to track down the real names of the songs, based off of official releases of the soundtracks.

[KeyLogic]

There are some CDs where the tracks do have names, like Rayman for the PS1. Plus, one helpful thing people could do is to track down the real names of the songs, based off of official releases of the soundtracks.

Well, Age of Empires II CD has Red Book audio, which is just one large track with all of the songs mashed within and there are no particular cues in-game to compile and tracklist. Also, there's no official soundtrack release for this either to make any comparison. I'm thinking that a large numbers of Red Book audio CDs will be like this.

[Brad Evans]

If anything, can't we just make a list of games that contain redbook audio? Like it's been said, there is little reason to make most of them full blown entries since most don't have tracklists.

[Jedi QuestMaster]

There are some CDs where the tracks do have names, like Rayman for the PS1. Plus, one helpful thing people could do is to track down the real names of the songs, based off of official releases of the soundtracks.

I said most, not all.

And like has been said before, there isn't always going to be a source to go off to name these tracks.

Acclaim's Extreme-G promo CD (http://vgmdb.net/album/7512) is in the same situation (seriously, the courses in the game have no names!) & this was an actual soundtrack CD.

Another thing, if VGMDb isn't including RedBook, why are Rare's digital mp3 files listed here?

http://vgmdb.net/album/8365
http://vgmdb.net/album/8367

It seems to make less sense. It's just Rare's website hosting the files at 128kbps (last time I checked).

[KeyLogic]

Another thing, if VGMDb isn't including RedBook, why are Rare's digital mp3 files listed here?

http://vgmdb.net/album/8365
http://vgmdb.net/album/8367

It seems to make less sense. It's just Rare's website hosting the files at 128kbps (last time I checked).

From what KeyLogic understands, music made available in digital format can be cataloged here on this site so long as it's being hosted through the official website for that game. La Tale (http://vgmdb.net/album/15240) is another example of this.

[Secret Squirrel]

Another thing, if VGMDb isn't including RedBook, why are Rare's digital mp3 files listed here?

http://vgmdb.net/album/8365
http://vgmdb.net/album/8367

It seems to make less sense. It's just Rare's website hosting the files at 128kbps (last time I checked).
That game rip became eligible for an entry when its copyright owner decided to release the music in that form. Note, if they had put an ISO up of the game CD, and said "here's the game for free", the redbook (or whatever form the music takes) wouldn't be eligible.

Digital albums are already problematic though. We need to think of a better way to handle them as more and more music is released that way.

[lenneth02]

If anything, can't we just make a list of games that contain redbook audio? Like it's been said, there is little reason to make most of them full blown entries since most don't have tracklists.

I would definitely contribute a lot to the database if there's ever one on the website.
Lots of SGCD/NGCD(all of them)/Saturn(90%)/PSX games I tossed in my CD player have redbook tracks but unfortunately no official soundtracks were released for these games, a shame really.
(I have Rayman, Blue Saber Knights & Nouvelle Fanpasia Gulliver Boy in mind right now, the redbook tracks are truly great)

Why not adding a new category to the website and add these games in ?
(by category I mean adding a new entry to "publisher type")
Shouldn't be a problem in my opinion, as long as those are spotted easily and not confused with albums. (could add a different color just for them or anything else, dunno)

It's a VGM database after all (VGMdb - the music of visual arts and games), the audio tracks contained on the game discs shouldn't be left apart, it makes little sense.
Not adding them as new entries is understandable, but there should be a mention of them somewhere.

But there's another problem, if we begin adding redbooks to the database then what would happen to "non-redbook games" (cartridges for example), we forget about those, like they have no music at all ?

Anyway it will be a tricky decision from the staff if there's ever one concerning this matter, unless the idea is just thrown to the pits :)

[Ira]

It's a VGM database after all (VGMdb - the music of visual arts and games), the audio tracks contained on the game discs shouldn't be left apart, it makes little sense.
Not adding them as new entries is understandable, but there should be a mention of them somewhere.

Cataloging music that appears in games (that may or may not be on soundtracks) is something that should happen in the future, assuming the product system ever gets fully implemented.

[Cobra]

As much as I use to enjoy listening to the music off of my Mega-CD and Saturn games, personally I think it'll be a bad idea to extend the site beyond actual OSTs. Just about any game ever created has music to it. Then, as already mentioned, you have the same game released on multiple platforms. It'll just be crazy.

I personally enjoy this site as a collector of soundtracks. Even if the music can easily be ripped from the game with Groove on Fight being an example. I still got the soundtrack in appreciation of the artist's composition.

[saltlick]

they should not add a redbook section.

but maybe a forum topic listing redbook games.

[kyubihanyou]

NO

Cartridges and CDs both have sound files; one format's just more adaptable than the other. For Redbooks, they would be the closest thing to an OST for those games lacking one, but they are NOT to be considered an OST. They are "game rips," pure and simple.

On the other hand, this is a VGM database and should have something regardless of OST release in order to fairly represent all games. However, going through a countless number of files and incorporating all of that information is simply not worth it. I say expand artist pages to include a list of games worked on and their roles in said games; I bet it'll give people a reason to fill in the Biography sections a little more than they already have. :)

[NaturalChemical]

That sounds like a fantastic idea. Allowing for a full list of games that an artist has worked on is always a great resource, and what better place for it than here?

[Boyblunder]

I also feel that a redbook section would be wrong. It would just be a means of bumping up huge collections that don't exist =)

[Brad Evans]

I also feel that a redbook section would be wrong. It would just be a means of bumping up huge collections that don't exist =)

People already do that by listing albums they only have in mp3 format from DLs.

[saltlick]

no because its a game.

[Myrkul]

I got a strange question..

I know we'r not taking soundtracks on game cd right now.. but what about Tapes ?
There's lot of games in the end of 80's/early 90's that have tracks (or at least 1 track) on the B Side of the game.. (ex: Side A game -- Side B music/soundtrack).

Could we accept this kind of "enclusures" ?

PS: at the moment, i added a bunch of tapes, but they were all released separately as a bonus (ex: the game & the soundtrack tape are not on the same tape).

[NaturalChemical]

Personally, I'd say that Side B soundtracks are the same as Redbook, since the idea is basically the same. I really don't see a difference.

I say expand artist pages to include a list of games worked on and their roles in said games; I bet it'll give people a reason to fill in the Biography sections a little more than they already have. :)

However, I'm still strongly in favour of this. IMO, the information is what's really important, and it seems a tad bit silly to ignore everything without an official release. Adding them to the artist page seems a good compromise.

[Blitz Lunar]

totally, that's what i'd like to see. no other site can do it as well as vgmdb can. sites like snesmusic and project2612 are inconsistent and sometimes plain wrong (and the powers that be can't/won't update them), GMCL is now gone but even when it was up it was japanese. mobygames and gamefaqs lack the specific interest in game music credits. wikipedia is just hopeless these days too.