VGM CD's with Outstanding Audio Quality

[GoldfishX]

To counterbalance the other thread about loudness war casualties, list albums you feel have outstanding audio quality. This can be dynamics, mixing, samples used, etc. Just soundtracks that feel good to listen to over and over again. Usually that is my ultimate telling if an album is produced well: Whether or not I want to listen to it often.

My examples:

Grandia I Original Soundtracks: Subconsciously, I knew I liked these albums. Even despite a large portion being throwaway "mood" tracks and having limited enthusiasm for the orchestral disc. There was always "something" about those town tracks on disc 2 of the first OST that I could just put on and chill out to (unusual for me, as I tend to prefer more action-oriented fare). And the battle themes are some of the best in the business. It's some of the best sounding music in my collection, possibly THE best. Rich, full, samples that can be considered gamey but still a joy to listen to. The only drawback is picking through those darn atmosphere tracks on the second album. That, and I don't think Iwadare's follow-ups come close to matching the audio quality of the first Grandia.

Guilty Gear XX#Reload: Korean Version (Japanese release): Not just VGM, this is some of the best produced metal I have in my collection. All the detail is there, with breathing room to spare. The metal industry should be using this album as the standard for producing heavy metal albums. It literally gives me chills whenever I listen to it. Musically, I prefer Ishiwatari's melodies by a longshot, but the quality of the music on this far outstrips any of his releases.

Puzzle Bobble Variety: Random mention, but I want to mention for the drum samples. The first six seconds of Qi-Qi are a treat.

Most Yasunori Mitsuda stuff: Until recently, I had Mitsuda pegged as the most overrated VGM composer. But I dig his sense of melody and the production on his albums helps to add a lot of warmth. You really can hear it on good equipment. On my old, cheap speakers, Time's Scar would actually cause crackling and I thought there were issues with the music. Then I listened on good speakers and it was like, "Woah!"

Ys Perfect Collection (I-IV): Most early Falcom CD's do fine (although the JDK Band sounds rather thin), but Ryo Yonemitsu's arranges shine in regards to sound quality, as do the companion discs. Very crisp, very detailed, but detail is revealed when the volume is turned up (to me, a mark of an excellent recording). I'm still discovering passages and parts I haven't heard before on these albums.

Most Final Fantasy soundtracks up through X: Yeah, everyone complains about the synth on FFVII. But the layering on the music helps Uematsu's melodies shine, so if the samples don't bother you too much, you're good to go. The bass on FFVI's Battle Theme actually sounds better than most recorded bass parts on live music. All in, no issues whatsoever (can't really comment past X, as I stopped following the series).

Most SNES soundtracks in general: Lufia 1 and 2, Axelay, Seiken 2 and 3, Mario RPG, the FF soundtracks as stated above...Just beautifully layered with the right touch of warmth. The only SNES releases I can think of that aren't a joy to listen to are the Rockman X soundtracks and the SPC sets are just fine in that regard.

Tokimeki Memorial Sound Collection 2: The samples on the first Sound Collection sounded cheap, but they nailed it on the follow-up. I experience a great sense of warmth from this disc, even the tracks that just kind of hang around and repeat the melody. The 3rd and 4th Collections are good as well, but 2 has my favorite selection in the 4 part series, so my bias exists.

Megaman Legends: I like what they did with this album. There is an unusual mid-bass to it that gives it some serious punch, while leaving the mids almost totally unharmed. Even on low end equipment, this one sounds amazing.

King of Fighters 95 Original Soundtrack: Because the unofficial Dynamic Range Database doesn't lie! http://www.dr.loudness-war.info/details.php?id=6734