First post, by Cloudschatze
- Rank
- Oldbie
Emerson, Lake & Palmer...
Pink Floyd...
Yes...
Progressive rock giants, whose musical proficiency and instrumentation can hardly be thought of as appreciable sources for MIDI adaptation, especially when arranged for a device commonly regarded as stodgy and limited - the "vanilla box-of-sounds" that is Roland's SC-55. Right?
Not hardly.
Mitsuru Sakaue, of Idecs Inc., apparently thought otherwise back in the 1990s, and fully utilized the latent capabilities of both the SC-55 and Roland's GS specification to craft some of the most amazingly programmed MIDI files I've yet heard.
If you're intimately familiar with these songs, you'll likely appreciate the remarkably faithful conversion efforts that went into the instrumentation and effects usage. Unfamiliarity isn't a detriment though - prepare to experience several sounds you likely never thought the Sound Canvas capable of, and a greater degree of realism for others. I will give fair warning, however, that "MIDI-fied" vocals in any form are almost universally awfulness incarnate, requiring an above-average suspension of disbelief even here, and despite some pretty decent timbre matching besides.
Basically, if you have any preconceived notions about the SC-55, or you're simply guilty of considering "Grabbag" to be a fine example of MIDI sequencing, these ought to blow your mind.
(Note that while the original MIDI files were specifically arranged with and for the SC-55, I've recorded the playback from an SC-55mkII due to its improved sound-stage and clarity.)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Trilogy
♫ "The Endless Enigma (Part One)" - "Fugue" - "The Endless Enigma (Part Two)"
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
♫ "Speak to Me" - "Breathe" - "On the Run"
♫ "Time"
♫ "Money"
Yes - Close to the Edge
♫ "Close to the Edge - I. The Solid Time of Change, II. Total Mass Retain"
♫ "Close to the Edge - III. I Get Up, I Get Down, IV. Seasons of Man"
