Since the Turtles have been such a big part of my life, I had wanted to do something for their 25th Anniversary. What that turned out to be is TMNT 3 for NES, the Soundtrack, but in a way you've never heard it before.
For most of us, the audio from the NES was in mono. However, in many games, like TMNT, there were actually 5 different channels for audio, each with it's own unique sound. Unfortunately, it was impossible to hear what the tracks sounded like, until now.
Thanks to some modern technology, I have been able to extract these 5 channels, and arrange them for a stunning new audio experience. The 5 channels consist of the following:
1- Main Left
2- Main Right
3- Bass
4- Drum Brush or Rustle (Can’t think of the exact musical term)
5- Drums
To create the stereo image, the channels are placed as the following: -80 (1) -60 (3&4) +60 (5) +80 (2). Think of -100 as full left and +100 as full right. The goal was to create an even listening experience across both ears, so one side wouldn’t have all the music while the other had nothing playing. Channels 1 and 2 often ‘harmonized’ with each so that’s why they were spaced most apart.
Here is the
Sewer Level as an example. It’s a zip that contains the 5 separated channels. It also includes the 3 different mixes I made combining the channels: Original (Mono), Stereo, and ‘Clarity’.
Original is simply the tracks mixed as you would have heard them if you were playing on the NES. Stereo is the tracks spread out. ‘Clarity’, is what I call my 3rd mix, which are the tracks spread out and using some special effects that really enhance the sound, and my personal favorite, and the one I recommend.
The track list is as follows:
01 - Title 0:17
02 - Character Select 0:56
03 - Intro Pt 1 0:52
04 - Intro Pt 2 0:29
05 - Beach 2:15
06 - Boss 1:50
07 - Level Transition 1 0:05
08 - Surfin Sub 1:56
09 - Level Transition 2 0:05
10 - Bridge 2:15
11 - Level Transition 3 0:09
12 - City 2:30
13 - Level Transition 4 0:06
14 - Sewer 2:42
15 - MiniBoss 1:19
16 - Level Transition 5 0:07
17 - Technodrome 2:16
18 - Shredder 1:07
19 - Shredder Gets Away 0:07
20 - Elevator 1:50
21 - Rooftop 1:54
22 - Technodrome 2 2:21
23 - Krang 2:02
24 - Super Shredder 2:18
25 - Congratulations 0:18
26 - Ending Pt 1 1:09
27 - Ending Pt 2 0:59
28 - Game Over 0:06
TOTAL TIME - 34:19
Without further ado, here are the 3 collections in zip format:
Original
Stereo
ClarityComments and feedback are very welcome. This took me a long time to finish, so I’m interested in seeing what everyone thinks. I’m hoping that Krang even might consider hosting a package on the Technodrome website.
Anyway, enjoy all, and happy 25th!
