Video Game Soundtracks on CD, Vinyl, and Blu-ray / MY LIFE IN GAMING 

Guys, please don't ever change. You guys are some of the few true content producers out there that hasn't turned into the cookie cutter mainstream garbage. You're a true art. Thanks for all the hard work.

I NEVER comment on you tube vids...but you guys do a great job and it's a pleasure watching your videos. I'm always anxiously awaiting whatever new video is coming up next! Also, a personal preference, I'm very impressed and pleased that you can review games, etc...without using ANY foul language...in this day and age, that's rare. Thanks for keeping your standards high, so that my kids (

This is an amazing video, guys! Thanks so much for making it. I love it when QUALITY youtubers bring more attention to VGM with this level of depth. You guys rock!

Donkey kong country soundtracks are incredible

I wish we could get some Tim & Geoff Follin releases. I'd most definitely order PLOK on vinyl in a heartbeat!

Man, I wish I knew all of this valuable information a long time ago. Now I have a cheap bootleg Klonoa Door to Phantomile soundtrack, but at least I know now.

4:54 So the blu-ray disk runs a web-server in ram for you to download the tracks via a web browser? That is insane! I can't believe I had never heard of that. I wonder if that is just a standard feature in the blu-ray spec, but seldom used?

The segment regarding bootlegs was really helpful, thanks.

I actually started picking up a bunch of "Super Famicom Magazine" insert CDs. They have songs from about 10-12 games each and are really useful for the radio show I run.

00:07 Video Game Music: My favourite category of music!

For the Super NES, I still have my original CD soundtracks to FF3 (called Kefka's Domain) and Secret of Mana. Both I ordered myself from the same Nintendo catalogue that offered up Star Fox Competition and Donkey Kong Country Competition carts. I didn't have the foresight to buy those carts, but I still have the CDs to this day. I will say that my new method of listening to and making Super NES soundtrack collections is to use the digital audio output mod I did on my 1CHIP-03 SNES. I've got a simple USB device that lets me rip the tracks in pure digital form. It sounds fantastic too! To make my soundtrack collecting even easier, I use the SD2SNES flash cart with the built-in music file player. Then I just download the actual music code rips, put them on the SD2SNES, and then digitally rip the playback. Now one could argue I could skip all that and just record the tracks from an emulator or SPC player, but I like knowing that my ripped tracks are taken from actual hardware, digitally.

What an enviable collection, guys! Great stuff

Amazing quality video as usual guys. I hope we finally get Skyward Sword's soundtrack one day. While I spotted it in the video, I was hoping for a brief mention to all the The World Ends With You soundtracks, remix albums, etc. I'm happy to have all of them, including the 5th anniversary live album.

The last time I remember someone recording right from a speaker was mid-2000s, back when razor flip phones were the shit, aha.

CDs and MP3s are still trumped by Vinyl. Analog sound will always be superior.

I'm not too hot on the Mondo vinyls. Unlike Data Discs, which are brand new masterings, the Mondo records are just Konami Kukeiha Club CD releases from years past where they cranked the bass a little bit. You can tell from that one track on the first Castlevania one where there is also game sound effects mixed in.

I always check vgmdb first before buying

Keep up the great work, 7800 Power supply, My Card... and Now a Patreon.

Great video. I really enjoyed it :)

I've been importing soundtracks for over 11 years. I have over 150 albums haha!

Wow, I think I have the same record player as Coury.

My favorite videogame sountrack of all time is... MediEvil for PS1.

I listen a lot to Gaming Music, almost Daily.

Great video, fellas. Keep it up.

DKC2, Sonic 3, and Kirby Super Star are my favorite osts

Great ep!

I've always loved the music from the original sonic the hedgehog game and donkey Kong country

+My Life in Gaming Can you please reply with the model number of your CD Boombox? I had the exact one growing up and I'd love to try and find another one on ebay. NOSTALGIA WINS!! Thanks!

Yep I made the same mistakes with bootleg soundtracks. I bought a lot of FF soundtracks, when I got them in the mail I noticed they looked funny and after some research found they were fake. Take it from me, always do your research before you buy.

Wait, is this the first video where we've seen Try and Coury TOGETHER?!

Coury's 1CD Chrono Trigger bootleg is a bootleg of a real CT PSX release soundtrack I think.

The "Zelda: Twilight Princess" soundtrack and the "Zelda: Twilight Princess HD" soundtrack is different. "Better late than never" doesn't really fit in this case, because there still is no CD version of the non-HD soundtrack :D

So where did you order all/most of the Japanese OSTs?

Final Fantasy Music is world class.....

0:22 Try with the piracy. Lars was right.

Anyone willing to part with their Super Hexagon vinyl LP contact me. I had mine on order and never received it :( so I really want to add it to my collection some day.

3:06 lol...

Damm this stuff can get expensive, the super Metroid soundtrack is the same price as the GameCube component cables. Can someone leave me a reply on if you know of any cheap physical media that has that soundtrack. I really want to have the soundtrack for the game that took the title of my favorite game away from Mario kart Wii.

My beloved Chrono Trigger OSV doesnt have the Square logo, got scared for a minute, checked the site and its the Original one, fortunally. Thanks for leting us aware of that. Never thought there would been such well made counterfeits around, gonna be more carefull next time i buy a soundtrack, luckilly all mines are original so far.

Clean your stylus, and keep making wonderful content!

8:45 ... guys...clean your needle :(

A game's soundtrack is so important to me. The most powerful memories I have of games from the past are of the music. Great video!

For me it's physical media or nothing

I wish that option to get on demand physical for CDs still existed. That'd be very useful for a particular artist I collect.

Loved this one! As always, top notch production that definitely sets you guys apart. Those Club Nintendo soundtracks were a godsend - I treasure my Galaxy 1 & 2 OSTs.

Oh my god, please clean your stylus! :O I think you should watch Snazzy Labs' video about vinyls.

I love video game OSTs. Great job.

When i was in japan i went on a huge Castlevania soundtrack binge.... i think i bought 13-15 altogether hahaha

Haha, watching this makes me realize even more why you guys are my favorite youtube channel. I own most of the same cds and was also a kid using a tape recorder to make soundtracks.

Physical CDs are worth it to an extent for me as purchasable downloads rarely let you download in the best possible quality. For example both Spotify and Google play lets you stream in 320kbps, but only download in 128kpbs VBR. Both having the packaging and being able to do my own digital rips in uncompressed quality and 320kpbs CBR mp3 for mobile justifies it for me, if it's something I really like.

Chrono Cross's OST is my favorite game soundtrack of all time. Yasunori Mitsuda is a god.

5:00 So you're telling me that a 40GB Blu-Ray disc only has 320kbps MP3? No FLAC, seriously?

Honestly I love this channels work. I always end up learning something new.

Whoa! I also have the Mystical Ninja OST, ordered way back when I was a huge fan. $1000 for the cd? That's nuts!

In the back of Amiga magazines you got adverts for PD libraries which sold indie games, demos and trackmos. Trackmos are probably the closest we got to game OSTs (ad even then, they were more likely to be original demoscene compositions rather than tracks from the games) MP3s from a BluRay?! I'd be wanting rips of the original audio track (which I'm assuming they'd be in high bitrate Dolby Digital or DTS) or to be able to choose a better codec such as AAC (no real point in using FLAC, I hear BluRays still use lossy audio) Nowadays, we have _symphony orchestras_ recreating game OSTs, though they tend to be of the Japanese games, Japan always paid extra attention to their soundtracks. Europeans would tend to bring in professional acts from the dance scene (Bomb The Bass and Utah Saints come to mind) though there are some legendry European composers - Martin Galway, David Whittaker, Chris Huelsbeck. You know, the Streets of Rage series are games I would have loved seen ported to the Amiga, I can only imagine how the soundtracks for these games playing through Paula and her mastery of PCM samples (I'm assuming if SoR was ported to the Amiga, gamers not familiar with the Amiga would say that the music sounds like a SNES, the Amiga's sound capabilities were more akin to the SNES than the MegaDrive) I guess the Streets of Rage Remake OST is the closest we're going to get, but those tunes as MODs man... ...the only problem was Sega ports to the Amiga *_SUCKED_* back in the day... but there are still games being released for the Amiga up to this day... Time Gal was recently ported over, for example.

Anyone hear know where I can buy?. The full Soundtracks of Zero the Kamakaze📀💿Squirrel CD Dark Orka... & Vectra Man by dark Orka Soundtracks, & Buy Junket📀💿Tommy Tallarico🤷🏿‍♂️full Soundtrack's, & 📀💿Sonic 3 full Album & knuckles if available 💿📀, & toxic cave from Sonic Spin Ball full album, this music really brings back memories of my childhood ✌🏿👨🏿✌🏿👨🏿 and won't matter too much whether it's the Super Nintendo version of music or mega cd...

Collecting music on vinyl is quite similar to keep playing retro games on a CRT: it demands an specific type of gear and set up whatever is modern or retro but meant to be all analogue for it's full enjoyment. And in the case of vinyl the format has lots of unique quirks and demand a dedicated care and handling, from the inner and outter sleeves material, brushes, how to store them to avoid damage or warp, coloured and picture discs vs black vinyl, domestic vs international releases, their manufacturing quality, prices and bonus goodies, original mastering vs digital remastering and many more that makes harder to get into it over simpler formats as CDs or digital music, just like modern vs retro video games.

Amazing video, guys! I love video game music and, for years, I felt kind of a "weird guy" for loving video game music so much and for record my own cassettes, just like you did! :) Cheers!

"and mine has a spine card" my hero :D

"spoiler warning for Kirby planet robobobot" *Me who hasn't played it* "Can't be that bad I'll just watch" *Flips over disc* 😮😮😮😲😲😲

I love video game soundtracks! Collect Vinyl guys. Best way to go in my opinion, as a person who collected CDs for years records hold their value much longer and are more durable. Not to mention tons more artwork.

The stranger thing about Japan's soundtrack market is the "arranged" CDs -- companies would commission remixes and professional musicians to play genre-specific music from said games, often under advertised on the covers. One in particular is F-ZERO, which got a smooth jazz-fusion treatment only released in Japan but arranged and played by US musicians from LA and featured Yellowjackets members! There's also the company "bands" like Kukeiha Club and their slew of "pro-fusion" jazz-rock arranges from Konami's shooters. Been collecting since late 1990s and it's certainly a coveted market not many collectors of games talk about!

5:00 "And transfer high quality mp3 versions" High quality, and MP3 shouldn't be in the same sentence.

Damn this vid saved me some hassle. Am in the market for the final fantasy soundtracks on cd currently and had no idea about the various printings. Good to know what to look out for, lifesavers!

Tbh- I knew pirating was a thing, never thought my game soundtracks could be targeted too, guess I am foolish but thank you for the info!

Sadly both my chronic trigger and final fantasy 7 soundtracks are bootlegs from ever anime and sm records. Got both years ago at comic con. It really was more common to find bootleg game soundtracks back then. It happens on vinyl as well buts it's not as common due to risks and cost of tiny print runs. Brought back a lot of memories. Also agree that mystical Nina on 64 had a great soundtrack, hard to believe it's worth so much.

Would love to own some video game soundtrack CD's, but the price... Well, I guess my first soundtrack CD will be Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night from kickstarter. I've bought mp3 albums though from composers, DLC or got from bundles.

Video game music was what ignited my interest in retro gaming. That stuff just sticks with you. I bought the physical CDs of Final Fantasy IV's soundtrack for my wife-to-be and I to use in our wedding years ago.

You guys forget to talk about PAC-MAN FEVER! "Pac-Man Fever", was released as a single in December 1981 and became a top-ten hit, peaking at #9 in March 1982 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning Gold certification by the RIAA for selling over a million records; the single sold 2.5 million copies in total as of 2008. Name me one other video game songs that made it to the top Billboard Hot 100.

Glad to see Game Dave getting some love. His is one of the most underrated RU-vid channels there is and he deserves WAY more subscribers than he actually has. I am just waiting for his channel to really catch on one of these days.

(Life Will Change starts playing) (I start freaking out)

One game that comes to mind that had an outstanding soundtrack was the US version of Lord of Thunder for the Sega CD (the European version had a slightly different soundtrack).

oh wow, so I wasn't the only person to record C64 (or whatever) music by holding my recorder to my TV speakers :D

I have to say that one thing that REALLY pisses me off these days is how whenever a game soundtrack gets released in physical form it often is released on vinyl only. This bothers me so much! I understand that people these days like vinyl and I thnk vinyl should be an option, but I seriously don't understand why vinyl has overtaken CD lately as the dominant form of physical music. Like just because I want a physical copy of music these days I have to go backwards in technology and spend a bunch of money on a record player and new vinyls? There are people like myself who love playing old games on CRT TVs, but that doesn't mean that most current TVs should go back to being CRTs! That just sounds stupid right? So why should so much music be released exclusively on vinyl? Sorry for the long winded comment, but I just had to get this off my chest.

Great, glorious, quality of My life in Gaming at the level expected. Thanks!!!!!

This was extremely informative. Now I need to sell all my fake MG/MGS soundtracks....

I just want to say, generally speaking... I completely and utterly disagree with the notion that physical media or CD's are in any kind of decline or in any way outdated. I have never gotten on-board with this iTunes and MP3 stuff as a legitimate replacement for physical music media, and never will. I dabbled a bit with the Napster thing back when it was a piracy service, for about a week, but after the novelty wore off, completely failed to see the appeal and still don't to this day, even after Napster went legitimate, and iTunes came into existence. I find it utterly ridiculous especially to pay for any kind of "music file" that just floats around in some digital ether of assembled code, in a way that you can't physically hold in your hand like you can with a CD, Cassette, Vinyl Album, or even an 8 Track. Every album I have ever loved, and every major music release I've ever cared about, I proudly have sitting in a physical format on a shelf and will go back to any time. But... good work on the rest of the video, even if I have an ideological objection to that early statement during the first part of this video, itself.

I used to record video game music to Hi-Fi Sterero VHS tape. My JVC S-Video deck had amazing sound, nearly CD quality for it's time (1992).

Good to see you guys getting into vinyl. Vinyl has been my number 1 love for years followed by videogames. Then Data Disc came along and put my 2 favorite things together. I have others but Data is producing the best audio quality.

2:55 -- makes the entire video worth it. (Followed by the epic masterpiece that is... the FF7 soundtrack.)

I buy video game soundtrack CDs for games I really like.

I only got the Socom 3/ Combined Assault soundtrack on CD, but it's one of my favourites and signed by the composer. Which is great. :)

Shmup soundtracks is my #1 category so many talents and passion going on in them

+1 for owning the original FFIV and VI soundtracks.

6 years too late for this comment but goddamn what an awesome collection

physical media ftw!

I've never seen most of these! I love getting sound track CD's, so this is pretty crushing! Hopefully I can find some online for a good price!

You mention a 2-disc soundtrack for Ocarina of Time a couple of times, but to my knowledge, one doesn't exist--only Majora got a 2-disc release.

I barely buy physical OSTs but Nier Automata was the big exception. Dear god that game has a wonderful soundtrack and I encourage you all to sample it. Of course, do play the game before really digging into the OST because it's best experienced in context.

SonMay discs are not bootlegs, just Taiwanese official editions (forbidden for sale outside Taiwan.)

The only issue I have with the music is that the crew couldn't make the opportunity to compare the sound quality between CDs and Vinyls on similar soundtracks. I know the pickings are slim to make comparisons, but there's still out there like the Dark Souls games as of late that do have both CDs and Vinyls in print. When it comes to Symphony of the Night getting a vinyl release, while having a CD release that's still in print, I hope someone would take that opportunity to compare. As for bootlegs, I only have one simple advice: NEVER BUY SOUNDTRACK CDs FROM CONVENTIONS. Granted, we're all culpable of this foolish decision, as did I during my start of buying game soundtracks, but that's an unwritten rule that should be acknowledge. Unless the CDs are sold at an official booth from Square or any established music store, there's a 90% chance the soundtracks sold at convention booths are bootlegs.

Are you guys check out the new GameCube HDMI External mod for the Gamecube, as shown off by Metal Jesus Rocks?

There's a lot of great cover musicians sharing their remixes on RU-vid! Metalltool for MegaMan stuff, PrincessZelda2020 for soundtracks all based on the MegaMan 7 music sounds, and a bunch I can't name off the top of my head. Maybe a video talking about those folks would be interesting? I'd watch it anyway.

Any chance you could do a video on how to get these on MP3/digital I love videogame soundtracks but don't buy much physical media anymore.

Waitz ... So my life in Gaming is just a Simulation too ... and we watching them in the same world ... so WE ARE STUCK IN GAME DAVES SIMULATION TOO WAKE UP PEOPLE

The only video game soundtrack CDs I have are the ones for Kirby's Dream Collection and the Switch port of Cave Story+. The first one's pretty amazing, though the second one falls a bit short due to it just being a mini CD sampler of the Famitracker version of the soundtrack; it's not the worst possible release, and I do enjoy listening to it every now and then, but it's not the best it could've been either in my opinion. Then again, you can't really fit a full-sized CD in a Switch game's keep case.

And you live im Brazil and never gone see all this cool things about video games Y-Y (Unless you have trucks of money)

I don't have too many, but I love getting game soundtracks when I can. They're mostly just nice to have, but there are a few I want that were taken off of RU-vid before I could download them and I'm grumpy about that haha. Also I really want to get discs for the Atelier and Ar Tonelico series at some point since Gust makes amazing music.

The only one I have is the CD that came with Killer Instinct on SNES. I no longer have the game witcg cost $99.00 AUD when released, I still have the soundtrack CD.

I've started a collection thanks to this video!