I did NOT know real sonar sounded like THAT. Apparently, the Navy has sonar capable of 235dB... So like, bye bye organs. Yikes. Anyways, what's YOUR favorite water level soundtrack??
ALL of the Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco:Tides of Time for Sega CD (Mega Drive/Genesis is also good). The genius Spencer Nilsen! Lots of Pink Floyd inspiration.
Want to point out about the Mario 64 water track how the percussion kicks in when Mario emerges from the water and starts walking on dry ground. There's a simple snare beat that is eerily reminiscent of water dripping onto the floor like when you climb out of a swimming pool or turn off the shower. Just another great little illustrative element put in there by Kondo that was probably very much informed by the game design itself. I'd also add that, at least regarding this particular track, it's that distinction between the music on dry ground versus under water that helps further define the perception of being either submerged or surfaced. Simple touch, but pretty clever, imo.
There are actually two over-water variants. The simplest (Jolly Roger Bay's starting point) and the one with percussion and strings (in the cave with the falling pillars)
As a sound designer, I think about this stuff all of the time. Honestly, what we do in the movies is put a low pass filter on normal sounds and that accomplishes the goal perfectly. What I did on the underwater moments in the Super Mario Bros movie was that technique and then I filled up their movement with low passed body movements. It all sounds underwater but it can get muddy so to get things to stand out from the muck, I put in underwater bubbles that have high mids accentuating movement.
Ive been sound design for only a couple of years now and this is pretty much all i do, so glad to hear that the same thing is done by the pros a lot of the time 😅
Really liking the new editing cut ins adding further trivia and information that you either forgot or thought about later since you normally speak off the cuff.
When he was talking about the mystery of the ocean at 4:42 I was almost certain that it was a segue into "You can learn more about the mysteries of the ocean from today's sponsor Curiosity Stream," haha
Thanks for undertaking the "Aquatic Ambience" from DK. That song has stayed with me and I always considered it great music that goes beyond gaming. A real masterpiece.
As I don’t play the games, my introduction to the music is usually the brilliant jazz covers by The Consouls. I then go to the OST to marvel at the ingenuity of both. Aquatic Ambience is SO good!
Glad for this channel breaking down why iconic pieces of music work. An old friend of mine has been turning a story he's been working on into a video game for nearly a decade and he asked me to make the soundtrack for him. Man's completely tone deaf. I can't read music, haven't played piano since I was 10, and have no idea where to start. I know what music sounds good, I know how to play chords and notes, but the challenge of making something that's actually good has been a gargantuan task. Channels like this have made it possible for someone like me who's musically minded but never taken a music class to break down music in an understandable way.
Why is this comment so relatable lol? Literally making a soundtrack for a video game right now that my brother in law and my wife and I have been working on and I’m in the same boat lol
Yeah, because both deep ocean and space are eerily similar. Both vast and seeming never ending. Both can get really dark. Both we have limited knowledge on. And yes both are mysterious and calming
I love that you have "double rainbow all the way" levels of excitement every time you listen to a piece of music. It's contagious. You could honestly make crickets sound riveting.
Even in the first Sonic game, the soundtrack is just beautiful... Until it hits you with the stressful "you're out of breath" music, brilliant, but stressful.
The tempo also plays a big part. Rivers, lakes, oceans are slow moving, peaceful environments. So having slow tempo with soft/long release instruments matches that perfectly and the characters in the game are moving slowly underwater too.
@@leob4403 well that would obviously be much different than this music, would be cool if there was a underwater level where its normal, its peaceful, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT GETS SERIOUS. Thats what came to mind after seeing ur comment.
Dude I just want to say: I love how much you just love music. I love that you have a passion for every song you reference, and that you have something to say about all of them. I know it's the gig for your channel, but its so genuine and endearing, thank you for sharing your passion ❤
7:46 Man, there is nothing better on RUclips than seeing your passion for music in REAL TIME! It feels like you're on a ride. You have renewed my passion for music and helped me realize that analyzing it only deepens our appreciation for what music does to us. It's a truly mysterious and special thing on our lives and we should be SO grateful we live in a time where we can connect like this
The soundtrack from the water levels/places from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are also quite the masterpiece. The Water Temple music is ethereal, mysterious and echoey. Zora's Domain is its own vibe, too.
I'm not that familiar with the Zelda or Mario soundtracks, but I recognized the Water Temple theme because it's sampled in a song by Blank Banshee called "Eco Zones". Check it out! ruclips.net/video/7sGT3tmZJ5s/видео.html
Loved this breakdown! Fun factoid my audio engineering teacher shared with me: irl underwater sounds aren’t actually muffled, but rather the opposite! It is the sounds from above water which seem muffled when heard underwater. Sounds that originate underwater tend to be very bright. Water, being incompressible, transfers high frequencies very efficiently. But it also reflects them for the same reason. Next time you’re in a pool, stick your head underwater near a water jet, and you’ll notice it sounds very thin/bright. But voices of people above water will be super dark and muffled. Blew my mind because we always think of water as sounding muffled!
I didn't know David Wise also worked on the Donkey Kong music (or, in reality, I probably did but I just keep forgetting). I actually know and really enjoy David Wise's music from the... NES "game", "Taboo: The Sixth Sense". A very, very odd choice of subject matter to translate into a game for the NES, but it's held up by the astonishingly hype and mysterious soundtrack.
David Wise is my favorite video game compiser specifically for the Star Fox Adventures and DKC soundtracks. I'd say Dinosaur Planet, but honestly I think the SFA soundtrack is better and more fleshed out.
Another awesome feeling of Dire Dire Docks is that if you listen to the chorus, the smooth transition between high and low notes sounds like waves gently lapping the shoreline, or crashing heavily against rocks. It gives you the feeling of being inside those currents. I've heard many, MANY covers of Dire Dire docks, and depending on what instrument and combination is used, it could feel tranquil and calm, or majestic and treacherous. You could have the feeling of swimming over a coral reef, or sailing a ship though a storm. Kondo was a genius when it came to making awesome soundtracks for Mario.
We can really feel how much you worked on this video with the explanation parts, your work keeps on getting better and we love it ! Keep up the good work !!!
Your videos make me very happy. The joy you have breaking down and talking about the music is the most sincere form of why these games and songs made me so happy
Literally been watching these videos for years now and it’s crazy how much the style and quality have changed over time 🙌🏼 Charles is not only teaching us about music but also about how sounds travel through water 😂 and giving us multiple angles/different areas of interest during his info edits. I also gotta love the added piano graphic that shows what he is playing, it’s perfect to follow along with.
There's another component worth considering - the depth at which the exploration is taking place in these environments, and the way that the chord progression and rhythms describe how the water behaves at those depths. Aquatic Ambience describes a deep open-ocean environment with a rhythm that has a quality reminiscent of the way the sunbeams or bubbles waver as they pass through the water. Dire Dire Docks has a chord progression that, throughout its cycle, behaves like shallower water, going in and out in waves, with a rhythm to each phrase that mirrors the formation, crest and crash of a wave with the final note in each part. The use of a snare also mimics the sound of the rushing seafoam on sand. I feel like the rhythm and shape of the phrasing is even more important here than just the instrumentation and effects, but it's also easy to miss because those more visible elements are done so well.
I love how Aquatic Ambience is effective across so many different types of underwater environments, whether they be tranquil, treacherous, mysterious, or corrupted. The 2-2 underwater theme would sound really goofy in a polluted body of water.
strong nostalgia from playing when i was younger. the dire dire docks theme reminds me of my younger bro, RIP, super fond memories.... beautiful melody youre videos are so informative/technical/well edited.
Hope he reads this lol because I second that. There is no good reason every version of that song has so much passion. I like the smash Bros brawl version the most
That song deserves its own video for sure. The whole DKC2 soundtrack is incredible: Hot-Head Hop, Forest Interlude, Bayou Boogie, Krook's March, Crocodile Cacophony, and In a Snow-bound Land just to name a few.
There's something about the DK Aquatic Ambience theme that was always haunting, nostalgic, and emotional for me, even the first time I heard it. There's something so powerful that just invokes so much feeling that I can't even begin to explain it, but it's actually almost overwhelming. I've had a lot of video game songs really invoke a lot of emotion, especially now that I'm older and it's so nostalgic, but this song has always hit hard. I think the only other song that comes close for me is Schala's Theme from Chrono Trigger.
One of the very best immersive “water level music” tracks in my opinion is the Crashed Frigate Orpheon track from Metroid Prime. Criminally underrated track, on par with the ones mentioned in this video in my opinion, incredibly immersive
Finally another video of yours talking about videogame music. I love how gleeful you are during this entire thing. I'm marveled by the theme of the video itself, and also second hand marveled for your sheer joy of talking about music. You, sir, enforce my pleasure of listening to music just by hear you talking about it.
That can be a loaded statement to VGM nerds. It’s beautiful and technically amazing yes, but does it break your heart? Tracks such as “Nobuo Uematsu - Searching for Friends” hit at a very personal level. How music makes you feel and the order and method the composer used to create it is most important. That extends beyond technical theory.
@@lynxthewise7233 The feeling is mutual, I express a direct, personal opinion about music and others invalidate me, they feel my comment is unnecessary and don’t understand my intent, turning it against me. I am ready to die on my hill, are you? I value music over nostalgia. If you can't see past that... wake up.
I respect your opinion, though I don't understand how it can be a loaded comment that something was OP's favorite. Even then, I don't think OP should really care if it is.
Aquatic Ambience is literally my all-time favorite video game music track in history. It had absolutely NO business being so sexy for a Super Nintendo game! I didn't even know that the console was even capable of playing music that complex-sounding. I heard that David Wise did a LOT of creative engineering to massage the console into playing those exquisite tracks in Donkey Kong. Hats off to his ingenuity and creativity! It gave birth to a song that still brings tears to my eyes, and lulls me into serenity.
I highly recommend checking out the water world soundtrack for SNES, and the ecco (dolphin game) soundtrack for the Sega Dreamcast. Both OST's are amazing
@StanRain For waterworld on the SNES, listen to map, diving, and shop themes. They're incredible for the SNES. On that note also check out blue blue moon (super adventure island 2)
For waterworld, listen to the map, diving, and shop themes. Simply incredible for being on the SNES. Blue Blue Moon from Super Adventure Island is also very good
For ecco (defender of the future), I would highly recommend aquamarine bay, passage from Genesis, and the credits theme. Man the Genesis had/still has the greatest library of OST's of all time in my opinion. I've never played a Genesis game in my life but some of the songs have me ascending
Charles never ceases to amaze me with his musical theory and playing skills. Also as a fellow car guy, seeing Charles wearing Throttle House merch makes my heart happy
Gosh idk why, but your videos are so relaxing. Hearing you break this stuff down and explain it is really therapeutic. I play your content all the time while I’m studying. Keep it up man I love it!
Charles, I really appreciate your in-depth look at this particular score, but also the additional insight and research and analysis in the nature of the ocean and its influence for these Melodies, including things like echo, reverb, etc! Keep up the good work. It’s all about quality and you don’t fail to deliver. Thank you! - Kyle 😊
Off the top of my head: Final Fantasy V - Deep Blue Sea Final Fantasy VI - Serpent Trench Metroid Prime - Chrashed Frigate Orpheon Chrono Cross - Jellyfish Sea Final Fantasy X - Underwater Ruins All different feeling, but still evoke a sense of water.
I think personally, the ocean has very similar mixes of mystery, exploration, and discovery as space, and that when creating music to be played underwater, hints of the mysterious aspects of music designed in movies and shows that depict space were subconsciously used to tie the similarities of atmosphere.
I love your insightful and passionate analyses of video game soundtracks that we enjoy but otherwise take for granted! It's very interesting to learn what goes into creating a vibe in a composition. Keep up the amazing work 🫶
"Underwater" from Croc is perhaps my favourite piece of underwater video game music. I have huge nostalgia for that game and its soundtrack. It's deeply unsettling, which, due to my fear of deep water, definitely helps me feel immersed lol
Quick note on the artistic sonar, that's a weapon sonar i.e. a torpedo using sonar, they have a simpler ping as target ID is less important than "there is a big metal thing nearby for me to whack"
I've always loved both the Aquatic theme from DKC and the Dire Dire Docks theme from SM64 (and yes, the TMNT one too). nostalgia is up to 11. excellent video!
8:05 I WILL NOT BEHAVE SIR. Nah Aquatic Ambience is one of my favorite songs ever, so the video flipping to that out of nowhere is incredible. Also… I laughed out loud at this part lol. These videos make me want to learn to play piano 😅
I'm at 11:50 and the fact that the breathing (exhale) sound effect hasn't been brought up to the conversation is haunting me. I think that is the most telling part of the song that tells you that you are underwater using a breathing device and that exactly is what brings the most immersion at least to me.
Dire Dire Docks is one of my favorite songs to teach as a music teacher to intermediate students, especially to take a leap into a whole different level of skill. You can take a beginning intermediate student who's unlocked the whole world of music and get them intuitively familiar with the essential intermediate rhythms, melodic structure and chord structure. Grant Kirkhope from the Banjo Kazooie series was a main influence on my musical style and composition as well.
Dire, Dire Docks was the very first video game tune I ever learned how to play on the piano, and is still one of my favorites. The Super Mario Bros 1 underwater theme is definitely harder to play, but I have a weakness for waltzy tunes like that, so I also love playing that one. Switching to Sonic for a moment... Tidal Tempest Present, Japanese version. You'll thank me later. THE most beautiful underwater music in video game history. Yes, above even Aquatic Ambience.
"Switching to Sonic for a moment... Tidal Tempest Present, Japanese version. You'll thank me later. THE most beautiful underwater music in video game history. Yes, above even Aquatic Ambience." Based, I completely agree with you, the original Japanese version of Tidal Tempest Present from Sonic CD is transcendentally good and the GOAT of water level music. In my opinion, the Holy Trinity of water level music is the original Japanese version of Tidal Tempest Present at Number 1 and then Dire, Dire Docks at Number 2, then Aquatic Ambience at Number 3.
I'm glad someone is finally bringing this up. I always loved the Dire Dire Docks level just because of the soundtrack. It gave me that exact feeling you are talking about.
There’s a beautiful arrangement of Dire Dire Docks by Kyle Landry and it’s one of my favorite pieces to play. Even my local youth drum line group did a version of this when we did a video game themed show one year. Edit: I’m dumb, we didn’t play DDD it was the Mario Bros underwater theme.
The soundtrack of the movie 'le grand bleu' especially 'my lady blue' is a great music that gives the feeling of the underwater and the world of scuba diving❤❤❤❤❤
This was great. Nicely done! I’m so glad you brought up the idea of using a filter to cut the highs… I have a Moog Grandmother and am working on a track that I call Womb Sounds that def makes use of this. I also turn on the resonance a bit and use modulation to create sorta wave-like and bubble effects. It’s fun creating soundscapes based on nature!
Your appreciation for these tracks have brought me to tears this morning. It's sooo good to hear your thoughts and your excitement to these melodies and chords! I have felt so alone for so long... I've felt like... "dude.... no body else gets how absolutely amazing this music is!" And its frustrated me because I don't know how to articulate it to anyone but YOU DO!!!! Praise your gift!! Thank you so much for blessing me with this!
This is very well put together video. I love the editing you bouncing around in different environments and keeping the conversation fluid. Wonderful topic and I think you were spot on with your analysis. I'm really digging your channel as a fellow pianist
Your videos are always so validating and nostalgic for me. I spent hours as a kid loving a lot of the stuff you cover, and this Donkey Kong song is no exception. I used to swim around in those water levels and actively avoid moving past them, just to listen to the music. I love your analysis of the theory, composition, timbre and tonal qualities of so many things I've always loved, in many cases without ever stopping to ask myself why the source resonated with me so much.
It truly is iconic. Pretty much brings me to happy tears everytime. Every note was thoughtfully crafted, and they nailed that "feeling underwater" vibe. I never wanted that level to end as a kid. And speaking of, it has such a strong resonating nostalgia factor to me. Immediately takes me back to like '97-'98 over at my neighbor friend's house on a summer afternoon, playing this in their living room. That was where I first heard it before I got the game myself.
being NOT a music major, i had a difficult time describing how these tracks make me feel. you described it perfectly 👍i listen to a 10-hour long Dire, Dire Docks track when i'm focusing at work. That's how powerful that song is for me
I would love to hear your insight on more Underwater themes. Two Rareware classics come to mind: Atlantis - Banjo Tooie. Gloomy Galleon - Donkey Kong 64. Great vid!
My opinion is that the arpeggios sound like waves ebbing and flowing, and the tone of the e piano sounds deep and cold (as for soundtracks that depict stuff well i gotta go with waterfall from undertale caude its justs sounds like a cold dank cave with the light twinkly instruments that sound like water drops and the deep droning and echoey soujds that sound like a reverberating cave)
Dire Dire Docks has been my phone ring tone for, I wanna say, 6 years now, lol. When I get a new phone, I just go on Zedge and re-download it. I have a super fond memory of playing Super Mario 64 when I was little. I just happened to be playing one of the ocean levels while waiting for some friends to pick me up to go to the beach. That memory forever cemented Dire Dire Docks as the official "ocean theme" for me.
The visuals of seeing Mario underwater while hearing the score is most of what sells the "underwater sound", not the sound itself. If you played these underwater themes to 50 people who had never played or even seen the games, 49 of them would most definitely NOT say it sounds like and underwater theme song.
Aquatic Ambience always makes me cry man. Sounds so beautiful and of course the nostalgia factor. David Wise did some incredible things using the SNES sound chip. I'll forever attribute my love of music to that man. Dude is like a musical wizard.
I always thought Koji composed the DK music, I'm going to look into Wise's compositions and will definitely be pleasantly surprised by which games he composed for!
I did NOT know real sonar sounded like THAT. Apparently, the Navy has sonar capable of 235dB... So like, bye bye organs. Yikes. Anyways, what's YOUR favorite water level soundtrack??
Blub Blub Ocean and Deep See Diving from Kirby's Epic Yarn!
The various mario underwaters are great, but *world of illusion* is on another level: ruclips.net/video/fo-dCl1fa0I/видео.html
ALL of the Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco:Tides of Time for Sega CD (Mega Drive/Genesis is also good). The genius Spencer Nilsen! Lots of Pink Floyd inspiration.
Beach Bowl Galaxy
TWISTED TALES OF FELIX THE CAT
Actually to sound underwater you just have to be below C level. Major or Minor. Either works.
LMAO
You should've stopped at C level
@@zgSH4DOW I have a sinking feeling you’re correct…..
r/angryupvote
@@iLeetjeeh you honor me! ❤️
Want to point out about the Mario 64 water track how the percussion kicks in when Mario emerges from the water and starts walking on dry ground. There's a simple snare beat that is eerily reminiscent of water dripping onto the floor like when you climb out of a swimming pool or turn off the shower. Just another great little illustrative element put in there by Kondo that was probably very much informed by the game design itself. I'd also add that, at least regarding this particular track, it's that distinction between the music on dry ground versus under water that helps further define the perception of being either submerged or surfaced. Simple touch, but pretty clever, imo.
Just like Super Mario World for SNES. Hopping onto Yoshi added new percussion to the already playing music. Brilliant.
Also well worth mentioning that in Jolly Roger Bay, the string/pad doesn't start until after you enter the water. A beautifully underrated touch.
There are actually two over-water variants. The simplest (Jolly Roger Bay's starting point) and the one with percussion and strings (in the cave with the falling pillars)
A similar thing to that is in a Gen 5 Pokemon track. The percussion is added in only when you start walking.
ruclips.net/user/shorts_X6ZcMMQrck
As a sound designer, I think about this stuff all of the time. Honestly, what we do in the movies is put a low pass filter on normal sounds and that accomplishes the goal perfectly. What I did on the underwater moments in the Super Mario Bros movie was that technique and then I filled up their movement with low passed body movements. It all sounds underwater but it can get muddy so to get things to stand out from the muck, I put in underwater bubbles that have high mids accentuating movement.
Welp. That's just the coolest RUclips comment ever. Pack it up everybody you can all go home.
Amazing insight! Are you hiring by chance? 😅
Ive been sound design for only a couple of years now and this is pretty much all i do, so glad to hear that the same thing is done by the pros a lot of the time 😅
Shout out to Walter Murch for pioneering the art of filmic sound design. ❤️
Really fascinating stuff! Any other tips for underwater music? You seem to have some real in depth industry experience
This is an extremely well-made video.
I love seeing RUclipsrs I watch and enjoy commenting on other videos I come across. It makes me realize how connected the community can be at times.
@@TheAqualegendIt's quite fun, for sure.
Only 2 comments and 7 likes?
@@TheAqualegendLooks like a throttle house shirt as well
Kyle hill
The Zora’s domain music from Ocarina of Time is another aquatic masterpiece
This!!!
The water temple from OoT and TP as well.
Yesssss!!!!
Came here to say this and water temple!
Yar, I was surprised it wasn't brought up
Really liking the new editing cut ins adding further trivia and information that you either forgot or thought about later since you normally speak off the cuff.
Agreed. Great editing.
Yes, I like the Candid Charles Cam™️
It’s very Sesame Street and I love it
When he was talking about the mystery of the ocean at 4:42 I was almost certain that it was a segue into "You can learn more about the mysteries of the ocean from today's sponsor Curiosity Stream," haha
Yeah. Really good stuff.
Thanks for undertaking the "Aquatic Ambience" from DK. That song has stayed with me and I always considered it great music that goes beyond gaming. A real masterpiece.
As I don’t play the games, my introduction to the music is usually the brilliant jazz covers by The Consouls. I then go to the OST to marvel at the ingenuity of both. Aquatic Ambience is SO good!
I got through one of those 10 hour loops of aquatic ambience during 2 work days once. IMO It is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever made.
This and Stickerbush Symphony are transcendent masterpieces
@@cooldebtI’m going to check on that, sounds very interesting. Thanks 😊
@@audunskilbrei8279geez, man. It’s amazing how music can change your mood. This piece can really take your mind off 👍
Glad for this channel breaking down why iconic pieces of music work. An old friend of mine has been turning a story he's been working on into a video game for nearly a decade and he asked me to make the soundtrack for him. Man's completely tone deaf. I can't read music, haven't played piano since I was 10, and have no idea where to start. I know what music sounds good, I know how to play chords and notes, but the challenge of making something that's actually good has been a gargantuan task. Channels like this have made it possible for someone like me who's musically minded but never taken a music class to break down music in an understandable way.
hire someone on fiver like a modern man
As someone who's taken plenty music classes, it is a gargantuan task for me as well.
Why is this comment so relatable lol? Literally making a soundtrack for a video game right now that my brother in law and my wife and I have been working on and I’m in the same boat lol
Check out the yt shorts by Open Studio for some awesome piano/composing tips!!
I always find slight similarity between underwater and space-themed music. Your analysis about it being “mysterious but calming” really explains it.
Yeah, because both deep ocean and space are eerily similar. Both vast and seeming never ending. Both can get really dark. Both we have limited knowledge on. And yes both are mysterious and calming
I love that you have "double rainbow all the way" levels of excitement every time you listen to a piece of music. It's contagious. You could honestly make crickets sound riveting.
Underwater levels in all video games - always the most frustrating but always the best soundtrack.
Facts
It’s because the controls are different than the normal levels. Worse are only ice or „drunk“ (think Yoshi’s Island) gameplay scenarios
Even in the first Sonic game, the soundtrack is just beautiful... Until it hits you with the stressful "you're out of breath" music, brilliant, but stressful.
ice levels are more frustrating but I guess you could say they're just hard water levels...
@@spitfire7170stop it. 💀
The tempo also plays a big part. Rivers, lakes, oceans are slow moving, peaceful environments. So having slow tempo with soft/long release instruments matches that perfectly and the characters in the game are moving slowly underwater too.
Yes. That first tune in the video with two chords at that tempo suggests waves coming in and falling back again
Rivers and oceans definitely can be pretty violent too, think of tsunami or a river flowing over or something
@@leob4403 Missing the point.
@@leob4403 well that would obviously be much different than this music, would be cool if there was a underwater level where its normal, its peaceful, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT GETS SERIOUS. Thats what came to mind after seeing ur comment.
@@leob4403Then the music wouldalso be different. But usualy waterlevels are rather peacefull
Dude I just want to say: I love how much you just love music. I love that you have a passion for every song you reference, and that you have something to say about all of them. I know it's the gig for your channel, but its so genuine and endearing, thank you for sharing your passion ❤
7:46 Man, there is nothing better on RUclips than seeing your passion for music in REAL TIME! It feels like you're on a ride. You have renewed my passion for music and helped me realize that analyzing it only deepens our appreciation for what music does to us. It's a truly mysterious and special thing on our lives and we should be SO grateful we live in a time where we can connect like this
The soundtrack from the water levels/places from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are also quite the masterpiece. The Water Temple music is ethereal, mysterious and echoey. Zora's Domain is its own vibe, too.
Zora's domain in OOT is still one of the GOATs of water level songs.
was here to say this! thank youuuu
Yeesss, I second that
Don't forget Great Bay Temple and Lakebed Temple too.
I'm not that familiar with the Zelda or Mario soundtracks, but I recognized the Water Temple theme because it's sampled in a song by Blank Banshee called "Eco Zones". Check it out! ruclips.net/video/7sGT3tmZJ5s/видео.html
Loved this breakdown! Fun factoid my audio engineering teacher shared with me: irl underwater sounds aren’t actually muffled, but rather the opposite! It is the sounds from above water which seem muffled when heard underwater. Sounds that originate underwater tend to be very bright. Water, being incompressible, transfers high frequencies very efficiently. But it also reflects them for the same reason. Next time you’re in a pool, stick your head underwater near a water jet, and you’ll notice it sounds very thin/bright. But voices of people above water will be super dark and muffled. Blew my mind because we always think of water as sounding muffled!
Thank you for mentioning David Wise! Donkey Kong music is my childhood and is what inspired me to get into music.
I didn't know David Wise also worked on the Donkey Kong music (or, in reality, I probably did but I just keep forgetting). I actually know and really enjoy David Wise's music from the... NES "game", "Taboo: The Sixth Sense". A very, very odd choice of subject matter to translate into a game for the NES, but it's held up by the astonishingly hype and mysterious soundtrack.
David Wise is my favorite video game compiser specifically for the Star Fox Adventures and DKC soundtracks.
I'd say Dinosaur Planet, but honestly I think the SFA soundtrack is better and more fleshed out.
I love that this video breaking down a Mario track spends more than half its timing gushing over Donkey Kong country.
Aquatic ambience is 11/10
Late to this video, but yeah, it deserves it, lol
Yes. Seriously one of my favorite pieces of music. Not even vgm, music in general.
Another awesome feeling of Dire Dire Docks is that if you listen to the chorus, the smooth transition between high and low notes sounds like waves gently lapping the shoreline, or crashing heavily against rocks. It gives you the feeling of being inside those currents.
I've heard many, MANY covers of Dire Dire docks, and depending on what instrument and combination is used, it could feel tranquil and calm, or majestic and treacherous. You could have the feeling of swimming over a coral reef, or sailing a ship though a storm.
Kondo was a genius when it came to making awesome soundtracks for Mario.
We can really feel how much you worked on this video with the explanation parts, your work keeps on getting better and we love it ! Keep up the good work !!!
Dire dire docks will always be the first thing that comes to my mind when i think water and music
Your videos make me very happy. The joy you have breaking down and talking about the music is the most sincere form of why these games and songs made me so happy
I love watching your videos because of how excited you get over the awesome chord changes, it makes me excited too!
Literally been watching these videos for years now and it’s crazy how much the style and quality have changed over time 🙌🏼
Charles is not only teaching us about music but also about how sounds travel through water 😂 and giving us multiple angles/different areas of interest during his info edits.
I also gotta love the added piano graphic that shows what he is playing, it’s perfect to follow along with.
I’m loving all the little side tangents about science, old game limitations, and so on! Really helps give context
There's another component worth considering - the depth at which the exploration is taking place in these environments, and the way that the chord progression and rhythms describe how the water behaves at those depths. Aquatic Ambience describes a deep open-ocean environment with a rhythm that has a quality reminiscent of the way the sunbeams or bubbles waver as they pass through the water. Dire Dire Docks has a chord progression that, throughout its cycle, behaves like shallower water, going in and out in waves, with a rhythm to each phrase that mirrors the formation, crest and crash of a wave with the final note in each part. The use of a snare also mimics the sound of the rushing seafoam on sand. I feel like the rhythm and shape of the phrasing is even more important here than just the instrumentation and effects, but it's also easy to miss because those more visible elements are done so well.
I love how Aquatic Ambience is effective across so many different types of underwater environments, whether they be tranquil, treacherous, mysterious, or corrupted.
The 2-2 underwater theme would sound really goofy in a polluted body of water.
11:39 MAAAAN you were just before the part where the song actually starts! I was waiting for you to talk about the melody but you left me hanging! 😭
strong nostalgia from playing when i was younger. the dire dire docks theme reminds me of my younger bro, RIP, super fond memories.... beautiful melody
youre videos are so informative/technical/well edited.
Dire Dire Docks is one of the greatest pieces of music ever. 👌
Agree 100%
It’s great, don’t get me wrong, but listen to some Beethoven, Wagner, Bach, Dvorak. They were dropping bangers back then.
First piece of video game music I figured out on keyboard!
Jolly Rodger Bay has better music (its the same song I just like jrb better)
I task Charles to do "Stickerbrush Symphony" next - the absolute quint essential SNES track there is.
Originally intended to be a water level track, too.
Hope he reads this lol because I second that. There is no good reason every version of that song has so much passion. I like the smash Bros brawl version the most
That song deserves its own video for sure. The whole DKC2 soundtrack is incredible: Hot-Head Hop, Forest Interlude, Bayou Boogie, Krook's March, Crocodile Cacophony, and In a Snow-bound Land just to name a few.
Sometimes I listen 1 hour version music on RUclips during my work!
*Checkpoint*
Let's also not forget Zoras Domain and Water Temple: OoT
Zoras Domain is so amazing, goosebumps just thinking about it
dont remind me of the temple i took 6 hours on
@@myarmhurts-eeeeee I remember my cousin asking me what point I was at in the game and said "you'll need this" and he handed me a guide lol
@@manoz6194 nice
They say the music at the water temple was originally for an ice temple, if you listen to it again it does sound like it!
There's something about the DK Aquatic Ambience theme that was always haunting, nostalgic, and emotional for me, even the first time I heard it. There's something so powerful that just invokes so much feeling that I can't even begin to explain it, but it's actually almost overwhelming. I've had a lot of video game songs really invoke a lot of emotion, especially now that I'm older and it's so nostalgic, but this song has always hit hard. I think the only other song that comes close for me is Schala's Theme from Chrono Trigger.
One of the very best immersive “water level music” tracks in my opinion is the Crashed Frigate Orpheon track from Metroid Prime. Criminally underrated track, on par with the ones mentioned in this video in my opinion, incredibly immersive
Finally another video of yours talking about videogame music. I love how gleeful you are during this entire thing. I'm marveled by the theme of the video itself, and also second hand marveled for your sheer joy of talking about music.
You, sir, enforce my pleasure of listening to music just by hear you talking about it.
Aquatic Ambience is one of my favorite pieces of vgm hands down
That can be a loaded statement to VGM nerds. It’s beautiful and technically amazing yes, but does it break your heart?
Tracks such as “Nobuo Uematsu - Searching for Friends” hit at a very personal level. How music makes you feel and the order and method the composer used to create it is most important. That extends beyond technical theory.
@@excrono "People don't like when others have opinions and like stuff" is what you're saying - such an unnecessary comment. 😮💨
Agree. It's an absolute masterpiece of music.
@@lynxthewise7233 The feeling is mutual, I express a direct, personal opinion about music and others invalidate me, they feel my comment is unnecessary and don’t understand my intent, turning it against me.
I am ready to die on my hill, are you?
I value music over nostalgia. If you can't see past that... wake up.
I respect your opinion, though I don't understand how it can be a loaded comment that something was OP's favorite. Even then, I don't think OP should really care if it is.
Aquatic Ambience is literally my all-time favorite video game music track in history. It had absolutely NO business being so sexy for a Super Nintendo game! I didn't even know that the console was even capable of playing music that complex-sounding. I heard that David Wise did a LOT of creative engineering to massage the console into playing those exquisite tracks in Donkey Kong. Hats off to his ingenuity and creativity! It gave birth to a song that still brings tears to my eyes, and lulls me into serenity.
Ocean Force Point is my favorite so I raise my glass to you, fellow David Wise appreciator
I highly recommend checking out the water world soundtrack for SNES, and the ecco (dolphin game) soundtrack for the Sega Dreamcast. Both OST's are amazing
@StanRain For waterworld on the SNES, listen to map, diving, and shop themes. They're incredible for the SNES. On that note also check out blue blue moon (super adventure island 2)
For waterworld, listen to the map, diving, and shop themes. Simply incredible for being on the SNES. Blue Blue Moon from Super Adventure Island is also very good
For ecco (defender of the future), I would highly recommend aquamarine bay, passage from Genesis, and the credits theme. Man the Genesis had/still has the greatest library of OST's of all time in my opinion. I've never played a Genesis game in my life but some of the songs have me ascending
I have no idea why I hadn't subscribed already, but now I have.
I love your work analyzing video game music in particular -- great stuff!
That shimmering sound is a sweet chorus effect. Love this video. Just subscribed!
Some of the best video game music for real 😮💨
Charles never ceases to amaze me with his musical theory and playing skills. Also as a fellow car guy, seeing Charles wearing Throttle House merch makes my heart happy
This episode was AWESOME! I've always loved the underwater soundtracks in every game.
Also love the Throttle House hoodie - Charles a car guy!?
Dude, he sim-races as a hobby off camera. No shocker there.
@@Mr_Bedlam215 No way, I had no idea! Good to see another enthusiast. Thanks for telling me
@@milesm3419 No problemo. He's mentioned it in at least one video before lol
Gosh idk why, but your videos are so relaxing. Hearing you break this stuff down and explain it is really therapeutic. I play your content all the time while I’m studying. Keep it up man I love it!
Charles, I really appreciate your in-depth look at this particular score, but also the additional insight and research and analysis in the nature of the ocean and its influence for these Melodies, including things like echo, reverb, etc! Keep up the good work. It’s all about quality and you don’t fail to deliver. Thank you! - Kyle 😊
Off the top of my head:
Final Fantasy V - Deep Blue Sea
Final Fantasy VI - Serpent Trench
Metroid Prime - Chrashed Frigate Orpheon
Chrono Cross - Jellyfish Sea
Final Fantasy X - Underwater Ruins
All different feeling, but still evoke a sense of water.
You're exactly right. I looked all of these up just now. Uses a lot of the tropes that CC talked about here.
Castlevania Symphony of the night: Crystal Teardrop
Metroid Prime 2 - Torvus Bog Subterranean
I think personally, the ocean has very similar mixes of mystery, exploration, and discovery as space, and that when creating music to be played underwater, hints of the mysterious aspects of music designed in movies and shows that depict space were subconsciously used to tie the similarities of atmosphere.
I was literally playing this on my piano as I got the post notification...
i was watching another youtube video about it
U sure google aint bugged ur home 😮
Same… forgot about the telescreen I guess.
I love your insightful and passionate analyses of video game soundtracks that we enjoy but otherwise take for granted! It's very interesting to learn what goes into creating a vibe in a composition. Keep up the amazing work 🫶
Love the Throttle House t-shirt! Great video.
I thought I might have been the only one who noticed! I was so excited to have seen it! 😂
"Underwater" from Croc is perhaps my favourite piece of underwater video game music. I have huge nostalgia for that game and its soundtrack. It's deeply unsettling, which, due to my fear of deep water, definitely helps me feel immersed lol
Quick note on the artistic sonar, that's a weapon sonar i.e. a torpedo using sonar, they have a simpler ping as target ID is less important than "there is a big metal thing nearby for me to whack"
I like the effort put into this video :). enjoyed how you explained the "science" behind it
I've always loved both the Aquatic theme from DKC and the Dire Dire Docks theme from SM64 (and yes, the TMNT one too). nostalgia is up to 11. excellent video!
Dire Dire Docks is my favorite piece of music from any videogame.
8:05 I WILL NOT BEHAVE SIR.
Nah Aquatic Ambience is one of my favorite songs ever, so the video flipping to that out of nowhere is incredible.
Also… I laughed out loud at this part lol. These videos make me want to learn to play piano 😅
15:35 what song is being used in the background here? Its very quiet so not many can probably hear it. Its so beautiful 🥺
I was about to ask the same question
I'm at 11:50 and the fact that the breathing (exhale) sound effect hasn't been brought up to the conversation is haunting me. I think that is the most telling part of the song that tells you that you are underwater using a breathing device and that exactly is what brings the most immersion at least to me.
Dire Dire Docks is one of my favorite songs to teach as a music teacher to intermediate students, especially to take a leap into a whole different level of skill. You can take a beginning intermediate student who's unlocked the whole world of music and get them intuitively familiar with the essential intermediate rhythms, melodic structure and chord structure. Grant Kirkhope from the Banjo Kazooie series was a main influence on my musical style and composition as well.
7:07 that one second snippet of Space Junk Galaxy…
Exactly what I was thinking
Bro really went from video game music to a lesson on physics 💀
Me as both, a physics and music enthousiast, I can't complain
Dire, Dire Docks was the very first video game tune I ever learned how to play on the piano, and is still one of my favorites.
The Super Mario Bros 1 underwater theme is definitely harder to play, but I have a weakness for waltzy tunes like that, so I also love playing that one.
Switching to Sonic for a moment... Tidal Tempest Present, Japanese version. You'll thank me later.
THE most beautiful underwater music in video game history. Yes, above even Aquatic Ambience.
"Switching to Sonic for a moment... Tidal Tempest Present, Japanese version. You'll thank me later.
THE most beautiful underwater music in video game history. Yes, above even Aquatic Ambience."
Based, I completely agree with you, the original Japanese version of Tidal Tempest Present from Sonic CD is transcendentally good and the GOAT of water level music. In my opinion, the Holy Trinity of water level music is the original Japanese version of Tidal Tempest Present at Number 1 and then Dire, Dire Docks at Number 2, then Aquatic Ambience at Number 3.
YOU DID IT! thanks for the video. you also randomly played metroid fanfare at 14:02, go maridia !
I'm glad someone is finally bringing this up. I always loved the Dire Dire Docks level just because of the soundtrack. It gave me that exact feeling you are talking about.
There’s a beautiful arrangement of Dire Dire Docks by Kyle Landry and it’s one of my favorite pieces to play. Even my local youth drum line group did a version of this when we did a video game themed show one year.
Edit: I’m dumb, we didn’t play DDD it was the Mario Bros underwater theme.
Loving the Throttle House hoodie 🤙
The soundtrack of the movie 'le grand bleu' especially 'my lady blue' is a great music that gives the feeling of the underwater and the world of scuba diving❤❤❤❤❤
This was great. Nicely done!
I’m so glad you brought up the idea of using a filter to cut the highs… I have a Moog Grandmother and am working on a track that I call Womb Sounds that def makes use of this. I also turn on the resonance a bit and use modulation to create sorta wave-like and bubble effects. It’s fun creating soundscapes based on nature!
One of my favorite VGM pieces to play. I actually play this to warm my hands up before I practice or play. It’s so good!!!
Oh, the nostalgia !
0:10 It was also in Jolly Roger Bay, The other water level with the Eel in the ship.
Yep but dire dire docks was surprisingly created first
The throttle house logo. I love seeing my cross-cross among channels even unofficiLly
Your appreciation for these tracks have brought me to tears this morning. It's sooo good to hear your thoughts and your excitement to these melodies and chords! I have felt so alone for so long... I've felt like... "dude.... no body else gets how absolutely amazing this music is!" And its frustrated me because I don't know how to articulate it to anyone but YOU DO!!!! Praise your gift!! Thank you so much for blessing me with this!
This is very well put together video. I love the editing you bouncing around in different environments and keeping the conversation fluid. Wonderful topic and I think you were spot on with your analysis. I'm really digging your channel as a fellow pianist
The real question is can a gorilla breathe underwater for so long
So does the italian
Do not underestimate the Kongs
Underwater music from Metroid Prime is gorgeous, and it has all the qualities of proper water level
100% Drowned Frigate was my first thought when he asked for other iconic ones
Your videos are always so validating and nostalgic for me. I spent hours as a kid loving a lot of the stuff you cover, and this Donkey Kong song is no exception. I used to swim around in those water levels and actively avoid moving past them, just to listen to the music. I love your analysis of the theory, composition, timbre and tonal qualities of so many things I've always loved, in many cases without ever stopping to ask myself why the source resonated with me so much.
Wisdom is knowing what to do next; Skill is knowing how ot do it, and Virtue is doing it.
It truly is iconic. Pretty much brings me to happy tears everytime. Every note was thoughtfully crafted, and they nailed that "feeling underwater" vibe. I never wanted that level to end as a kid. And speaking of, it has such a strong resonating nostalgia factor to me. Immediately takes me back to like '97-'98 over at my neighbor friend's house on a summer afternoon, playing this in their living room. That was where I first heard it before I got the game myself.
Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.
Yes! I'm so glad you made this video! Totally valid & validating. The water level on Super Mario was always my favorite.
The chords and melodies you were playing as you explained Aquatic Ambience made me desperately want you to do a cover of it with your own twist, omg
being NOT a music major, i had a difficult time describing how these tracks make me feel. you described it perfectly 👍i listen to a 10-hour long Dire, Dire Docks track when i'm focusing at work. That's how powerful that song is for me
Her scream silenced the rowdy teenagers.
I would love to hear your insight on more Underwater themes. Two Rareware classics come to mind: Atlantis - Banjo Tooie. Gloomy Galleon - Donkey Kong 64. Great vid!
My opinion is that the arpeggios sound like waves ebbing and flowing, and the tone of the e piano sounds deep and cold (as for soundtracks that depict stuff well i gotta go with waterfall from undertale caude its justs sounds like a cold dank cave with the light twinkly instruments that sound like water drops and the deep droning and echoey soujds that sound like a reverberating cave)
Loved listening to you explain this and seeing your immediate understanding of what was going on. Subscribed.
people hate on the ffvii underwater music but i always loved it and it made me feel like i was underwater!
He took one look at what was under the table and noped the hell out of there.
I'm fully letting my emotions take hold for this video. I got this flood of memories of my mom playing Donkey Kong Country.
Thank you.
Dire Dire Docks has been my phone ring tone for, I wanna say, 6 years now, lol. When I get a new phone, I just go on Zedge and re-download it. I have a super fond memory of playing Super Mario 64 when I was little. I just happened to be playing one of the ocean levels while waiting for some friends to pick me up to go to the beach. That memory forever cemented Dire Dire Docks as the official "ocean theme" for me.
Maridia in Super Metroid.
Loving your video game breakdown videos. I really enjoy how much fun you have doing this.
R U wearing a Throttle House Sweater? Bad ass! Whoot Whoot Canadian Content!!!
Thanks for supporting other creators!
Shouted out YES as soon as you mentioned Aquatic Ambiance. Glad I’m not the only one who noticed the perfection and connection between these songs.
I am so happy you made this video. I am obsessed with this Mario piece of music in specific. The Dire Dire Docks. Goddamnit I love it
The visuals of seeing Mario underwater while hearing the score is most of what sells the "underwater sound", not the sound itself. If you played these underwater themes to 50 people who had never played or even seen the games, 49 of them would most definitely NOT say it sounds like and underwater theme song.
The base rhythm in Aquatic Ambience sounds like the rhythm of waves, as heard from underwater.
Aquatic Ambience always makes me cry man. Sounds so beautiful and of course the nostalgia factor.
David Wise did some incredible things using the SNES sound chip. I'll forever attribute my love of music to that man. Dude is like a musical wizard.
I always thought Koji composed the DK music, I'm going to look into Wise's compositions and will definitely be pleasantly surprised by which games he composed for!
Deep Blooper Sea (Mario Party 3)
Love how it baits you from Mario into the the DKC series that has one of the greatest soundtracks in video gaming history.