Super Pinball: Behind the Mask OST - Wizard [Obscure video game music covers]

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Synt5

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Published on June 1, 2021 3:42:05 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtNHpg-RewM

Game:

Super Pinball: Behind the Mask (1994)

Duration: 4:38

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Moving away from the canonical repertoire of 16-bit VGM covers, I present this 90's chillout cover version of "The Wizard", a great tune from the otherwise unremarkable SNES game Super Pinball: Behind the Mask, dressed in full Enigma-style.

From the beginning until up to 01:39, I preserved the original arrangement mostly intact (I just added a gradual intro instead of going straight to the beat). To prevent it from getting too repetitive, I inserted a small improv variation from 01:39 to 2:59, using elements from the original arrangement (plus a few easter egg Enigma musical references). From 2:59 onwards, I return to the original arrangement to finish the song.

In the early 1990s, Enigma's debut album MCMXC AD became a massive worldwide hit, featuring Sadeness and Mea Culpa. With its then-innovative mixture of gregorian chants, ethnic instruments, sensual melodies and groovy rhythms, it ended up being generically labelled as "new-age" or "world music" by (physical) record stores of the time. Little did they know, this foundation laid out by Enigma was so ahead of its time that it preceded the entire subgenre of slow-tempo, atmospheric chillout music we all love today.

Following the steps of Yuzo Koshiro and his Streets of Rage intro, other VGM composers would also drink from the same source. The Wizard is no exception: composed by Yusuke Takahama, its shakuhachi-like leads, bells and synth choirs accompanied by the iconic swinged 909 drums are a carbon-copy of the instruments found in Sadeness. So, it would make the most sense to materialize what was already there.

For this version, I recreated every instrumental part and every sound to match Enigma and its siblings of the early 90s. The result is a sonic trip to the past that I hope you'll enjoy.

Instruments used:

Lead - Novation Ultranova controlling via MIDI a Kontakt VST running an Emulator II library;
Bass - Roland Alpha Juno 1, acting as a synth on its own but also layered with a Dexed VST;
Choir - Novation X-Station controlling via MIDI the JV-2080, also layered with the Korg M1 VST;
Bells - Roland A-37 controlling the JV-2080, also layered with the Korg Wavestation VST;
FX - Arturia Beatstep triggering the notes on the JV-2080, but also controlling the FX depth;
Drums - Roland Cloud Tr-909 VST;

More nerdy music info below:

Drums

I recreated the original Sadeness drumloop from scratch, without sampling. If you read my SoR intro description, you'll know that this beat was originally sampled from Soul II Soul's Keep on Movin'. This meant that, in order to accurately recreate it, I actually had to go through a two-stage process: first I had to match the drums in Keep on Movin', and only then I was able to re-match the processing done in Sadeness. I used the Roland Cloud Tr-909 VST, which I definitely don't recommend: the attacks and nuances simply don't match the original 909, and it was very laborious to get it sounding right. Please Behringer, release the RD-9!

Bass

Choosing the right bass sound was tricky, since Enigma does not use typical synth bass sounds (a part of its charm). However, other Enigma-like acts from the 90's (i.e. Delerium, Deep Forest, Atman) recurrently use heavily-chorused synth bass sounds to match similar drum loops. Since the specific bass timbre in The Wizard suggested a DX7 bass, I opted to go both ways: I used the Alpha Juno to get the analog stereo spread through its built-in chorus, and layered it with a FM bass from Dexed.

Lead

The original Shakuhachi lead, as used by Enigma, is a notorious sample found in the EII library (Loon Garden disk). As one of the most recognizable Emulator II sounds (i.e. Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer), it was later "ported" to every other ROMpler around, but none would sound like the original. The only trick is that the Enigma version trims a bit of the attack to get a more sustained note.

Choirs & Bells

For the choirs, I layered the JV-2080 choir (Session SR-JV exp) with the classic choir in the M1 VST. The same was done for the bells, layering patches from the JV-2080 and the Korg Wavestation VST.

FX

The two base sounds I used for FX sounds came from the JV-2080: a descending hi-resonance sweep and a synth drone. I trigger the JV-2080 using the Beatstep pads, but also made a macro to control FX depth with the rotary knob. However, I later added a TON of processing using one of the harmonizer/delay programs in the Eventide VSTs (Eventides were used all throughout Enigma), which in the end made my knob-turning appear like I didn't know what I was doing...

If you're one of the two people who've read this far, I'll share a little personal story behind this song. In 1995, little me woke up one day quite fed up with school, and decided I'd skip class. My late father was at home that day, and didn't force me in any way: instead, we rented a game to play together all day long. This was the game, and I've never forgotten that day.

#SNESmusic #ObscureVGMcovers

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