[Dag]

Notes from the liner... notes. It doesn't read well but you get the idea. Enjoy (?).

Spoiler:

From the interview
* During his Deja-vu days Sakuraba saw Wolfteam was hiring people part-time and sent a demo tape, wanting to live off from his compositions. His soon-to-be-boss Masaaki Uno hired him full time. Sakuraba never played any games, nor was used to computers so he had to do that first.
* The demo tape surprised Uno and wanted to hire him immediately.
* Tamura too was in a band and wanted some work related to music, saw they were hiring. He did the interview with Sakuraba and the company's boss Masahiro Akishino. His music was very different from Sakuraba's and he never had played games but was hired, doing stuff related to vocals and others (with some the help and tricks from Sakuraba).
* The music request would be like "sad song", "fast song" and stuff, also like "dungeon", "field.
* There are accounts of Sakuraba writing songs really fast but he denies, it was really more like the schedule was super tight so he had to work turbo.
* Both did sound effects (Tamura around Hiouden II).
* Tamura comments Ryota Furuya was a part-timer, and his music was more of a classical type. Sakuraba did the most songs, then Tamura, lastly Furuya.
* As for who-did-what, Sakaraba says the complicated, banging songs are his (laughs).
* Tamura add the opening, boss, etc, ie. "main" songs are Sakuraba's. Field are his and Sakuraba's. Furuya did stuff in a more "I want to write this" vibe; not really many songs.
* The music style (in ToP's case more orchestra and less rock than prev games) was decided by other staff.
* The sound driver was done by the person in charge since Hiouden, which he fussed over. Sakuraba was always asking for better sounds too.
* Sakuraba says he [/they, Tamura doesn't comment] wasn't involved in ports after the SFC version, just handed over(?) the data.

From the track interview/commentary
* Sakuraba did about half, Tamura did 1/3. Battles and heavy songs are Sakuraba's, Tamura had many event and character songs.
* "TAKE UP THE CROSS" (Sakuraba): simple and loop-conscious.
* "BE ABSENTMINDED" (Tamura): like FIGHTING OF THE SPIRIT and many others, made like a 'singable melody'.
* "MINT" "ARCHE" (Tamura)
* "RAISING A COURTAIN" (Tamura): both did field tracks but this one is Tamura's. They divided their work like "list from to here". The cleaner(?), melodious tracks to Tamura, the heavy and dark to Sakuraba.
* "SYLPHS'" (Sakuraba): Sakuraba was asked for a windy song as it was for a wind spirit. So he added some white noise from an analog synth. Tamura asks Sakuraba if he tries changing the key whenever he can, but he responds he doesn't really think about it.
* "SAKURABA SOLO" (Sakuraba): real tough to implement (piano only bank, MIDI data kept to minimum). The line in ToP where the Sakuraba NPC says he 'plays better when tipsy' it's because he drank a lot at the time (not anymore).
* "OLIVE VILLAGE" (Sakuraba): vacation, latin type (which he likes, also jazz rock and fusion).
* "FIGHTING OF THE SPIRIT" (Tamura): never thought it'd get that popular, pitch-bend. Tamura's melody loop style is maybe rock (ex Beatles) type, but also loves japanese pop songs.
* The writer comments FIGHTING was arranged in the PS1 OST by Sakuraba [this is wrong, it's credited to Masayuki Sakamoto], Tamura likes this one a lot and the guitar used.
* "FINAL ACT", also "THE SECOND ACT" (Sakuraba): Sakuraba says it's a 'good tempo' song. Tamura comments the 'slap' [?] is quite Sakuraba-like, and he agrees he likes a lot.
* "CONCLUSION" (Sakuraba): 'something special has come' vibe.
* "WHO IS GOOD OR EVIL?" [implied Sakuraba]: goes after CONCLUSION, Tamura comments it a bit baroque, which Sakuraba says maybe it's because he likes baroque style.

Fin.


Since Sakuraba confirms he/they didn't handle the ports let's see:

Spoiler:

PS1 staff roll:
* PlayStation Version Data Making: Hiroyuki Suzuki, Kazufumi Kurosawa, Kazuya Ishizuka, Kenichi Suzuki
* Music composer: Motoi Sakuraba, Shinji Tamura
- The only relevant credits I could see are the data-making dudes (rest are regular programmer and graphic people).
- From those, I think Hiroyuki Suzuki has composed while the rests are planners, maybe he converted the music?

GBA staff roll
* Sound Manager: Shuji Ikegami
* Sound Arrangement: Takeshi Arai
* Sound Program Support: Shuji Ikegami
* Localization Music Composer: Hiroshi Tamura
* Music Composer: Motoi Sakuraba, Shinji Tamura
- I assume Takeshi Arai did the port, which makes sense since he did ToP arrangements in Symphonia and 8-bit music in 7th Dragon.
- Hiroshi Tamura should have done "OPENING(OVERSEAS)" and maybe "TOMORROW IS A HOLIDAY(OVERSEAS)" but could be Arai again since it's just the original version (GBA "TOMORROW IS A HOLIDAY" is an arrangement of YUME-WA OWARANAI).

PSP staff roll: (in the PSP section)
* Music Composer: Motoi Sakuraba
- Meaning "CREDIT(PSP)" would be his (if it wasn't evident enough)

Other notes:
- Missing 3 cutscenes tracks used in ToP PSX (by Sakuraba I assume).
- Missing the lower pitch variations of Morlia Gallery SFC (also Triumph PS?).
- uses sound test names where available but keeps the slight differences between them (ex. MYSTERIOUS JA"P"ON <> MYSTERIOUS JAPON / SYLPHS' <> SYLPH), I approve.