HAL Laboratory music equipment
While electronic instruments have been a large component of popular music since the late 1960s, musicians began more heavily relying on the technology in the late 1970s. The emergence of the synth-pop genre in 1977 established the mainstream credibility of synthesizer-driven music, while the introduction of the Fairlight CMI, the first polyphonic digital sampler, in 1979 presented an economical alternative to hiring live musicians that gave composers greater autonomy over the final product. Both of these developments would have profound effects on the emerging field of video game music: early systems used downscaled digital synthesizers, and hardware advancements in the mid-late 1980s allowed video games to incorporate sample playback as well.
HAL Laboratory's composers have used many pieces of gear for their music since the late 80s, including samplers, sound modules, synthesizers, or real instruments. This page documents all of the known music equipment that composers at HAL Laboratory (such as Jun Ishikawa and Hirokazu Ando) have used specifically throughout the Kirby series' music. Official sources for these are referenced if available.
List
"Since" is based on first recorded usage (independent of it being in a Kirby game or not).
Yamanashi Office | |||||
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Type | Brand | Product | Since | Known user(s) | Relevant usage |
DAW | Steinberg | Cubase Pro 8[1] | (unknown, released in 2014) | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | |
Hardware | Alesis | D4 | 1997 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Dream Land 3 |
Hardware | KORG | Microkey[2] | 2016 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby: Planet Robobot |
Hardware | KORG | X3[2] | 1994 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Dream Course, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Kurzweil | K2000R[3] | 1994 | Tadashi Ikegami, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Kurzweil | Orchestral ROM | 1994 | Tadashi Ikegami, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Native Instruments | KOMPLETE Kontrol S61[4] | (unknown) | Yuki Shimooka | |
Hardware | Novation | Nova[2] | 2002 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land |
Hardware | Roland | A-88 MKII Controller[5] | 2022 | Yuuta Ogasawara | |
Hardware | Roland | D-20[6] | 1990 | Tadashi Ikegami, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Adventure, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3 |
Hardware | Roland | Fantom G6 | 2022 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival |
Hardware | Roland | JD-990[6] | 1997 | Tadashi Ikegami, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Roland | JV-1080 | 1999 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby Air Ride |
Hardware | Roland | SH-2[2] | 1997 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Roland | SOUND Canvas SC-8850[3] | 2001 | Shogo Sakai, Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kirby Air Ride |
Hardware | Roland | SN-U110-02 Latin and F.X. Percussions | 1993 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Dream Course, Kirby Super Star, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Roland | SN-U110-06 Orchestral Winds | 1992 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Dream Course, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Roland | SN-U110-07 Electric Guitar | 1997 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Dream Land 3 |
Hardware | Roland | SN-U110-10 Rock Drums | 1993 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Dream Course, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Roland | SN-U110-11 Sound Effects | 1992 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Dream Course, Kirby Super Star |
Hardware | Roland | SR-JV80-05 World | 2000 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Roland | U-220 | 1991 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Sequential | Prophet-6 | 2022 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival |
Hardware | Yamaha | DX100[3] | 1991 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Hardware | Yamaha | MU2000EX[3] | 2001 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby Air Ride |
Instrument | Ernie Ball Music Man | Bongo 4HH[1] | 2009 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Sound Track, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe Soundtrack, Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival |
Instrument | Roland | Aerophone AE-10 | 2022 | Tadashi Ikegami | Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival |
Instrument | Suzuki | Andes 25F[1] | 2009 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Sound Track, Kirby's Epic Yarn |
Instrument | Suzuki | Melodion[1] | 2009 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Sound Track, The Sound of Kirby Café 2 |
Sample Library | Best Service | Advanced Orchestra | 2001 | Hirokazu Ando, Shogo Sakai | Kirby Air Ride, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Sample Library | Digidesign | SampleCell II CD-ROM Library #1 | 1997 | Tadashi Ikegami, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Sample Library | EastWest & Masterbits | Peter Siedlaczek's Orchestra | 2003 | Kirby Air Ride | |
Sample Library | EastWest | Quantum Leap Brass | 2003 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby Air Ride, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby Star Allies |
Sample Library | Hollywood Edge | The Premiere Edition 1 | 1996 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby Super Star, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Sample Library | Native Instruments | Abbey Road 60s Drummer | 2018 | Yuuta Ogasawara | Kirby Star Allies, Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Sample Library | Native Instruments | Spotlight Collection: Balinese Gamelan | 2018 | Jun Ishikawa, Yuuta Ogasawara, Yuki Shimooka | Kirby Star Allies, Kirby Fighters 2 |
Sample Library | Native Instruments | Kontakt Factory Library | 2010 | Hirokazu Ando, Yuuta Ogasawara, Yuki Shimooka | Kirby's Epic Yarn, Team Kirby Clash Deluxe,Kirby Star Allies, Kirby Fighters 2 |
Sample Library | Native Instruments | SESSION GUITARIST: PICKED ACOUSTIC | 2019 | Yuuta Ogasawara | The Sound of Kirby Café 2 |
Sample Library | Sampleheads | Whole Lotta Country | 2001 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby Air Ride, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Sample Library | Sound Ideas | The General Series 6000 | 2000 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Sample Library | Ueberschall | Drum 'N' Bass Resonance | 2000 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kirby: Squeak Squad |
Sample Library | Vienna Symphonic Library | Special Edition Volume 1[7][8] | 2009 | Hirokazu Ando, Yuuta Ogasawara, Yuki Shimooka | Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Sound Track, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Software | AudioNerdz | Delay Lama | 2003 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby Air Ride ("Air Ride: Machine Passage") |
Software | e-instruments | Session Horns Pro | 2019 | Yuuta Ogasawara, Yuki Shimooka | Kirby Fighters 2, The Sound of Kirby Café 2, Kirby's Dream Buffet |
Software | IK Multimedia | MODO DRUM SE | 2019 | Hirokazu Ando | The Sound of Kirby Café 2, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby's Dream Buffet |
Software | IK Multimedia | SampleTank XL[2] | 2001 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby Air Ride, Kirby: Right Back at Ya! |
Software | IK Multimedia | SampleTank 2 XL[2] | ca. 2005 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby for Nintendo GameCube, Kirby Super Star Ultra |
Software | IK Multimedia | SampleTank 3[2] | 2016 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby Star Allies, Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Software | IK Multimedia | SampleTank 4 | 2022 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby's Dream Buffet |
Software | IK Multimedia | Sonik Synth 2 | 2011 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby: Planet Robobot |
Software | KORG | M1 Legacy Collection | 2016 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby: Planet Robobot |
Software | MAGIX | SOUND FORGE Pro 12 Suite[9] | 2022 | Yuuta Ogasawara, Yuki Shimooka | Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby's Dream Buffet |
Software | Modartt | PianoTeq 6 | 2022 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby's Dream Buffet |
Software | Native Instruments | Absynth | 2011 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby's Return to Dream Land |
Software | Native Instruments | FM8 | 2016 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby Star Allies |
Software | Native Instruments | Kontakt 5 | 2016 | Hirokazu Ando, Yuuta Ogasawara | Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby Star Allies, Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Software | Native Instruments | Massive | 2016 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby Star Allies, Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Software | Native Instruments | Massive X | 2022 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Software | Steinberg | Groove Agent One | 2011 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Return to Dream Land |
Software | Steinberg | Groove Agent SE[10] | 2016 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby: Planet Robobot |
Software | Steinberg | HALion 3 | 2005 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa | Kirby: Canvas Curse, Kirby's Return to Dream Land |
Software | Steinberg | HALionOne[11] | 2009 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Sound Track, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe |
Software | Steinberg | HALion Sonic 2[2] | 2016 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby: Planet Robobot |
Software | Steinberg | HALion Sonic SE[10] | 2016 | Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa, Yuki Shimooka | Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby Star Allies, Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Software | Steinberg | HALion Symphonic Orchestra | 2011 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby Star Allies |
Software | Steinberg | LoopMash[10] | (unknown) | Hirokazu Ando | |
Software | Steinberg | Padshop[10] | (unknown) | Hirokazu Ando | |
Software | Steinberg | Retrologue[10] | (unknown) | Hirokazu Ando | |
Software | Synthogy | Ivory[12] | 2010 | Hirokazu Ando | Kirby's Epic Yarn, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Software | YMCK | Magical 8bit Plug 2 | 2020 | Yuki Shimooka, Hirokazu Ando | Kirby Fighters 2, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby's Dream Buffet, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe |
Software Bundle | Arturia | Analog Lab V | 2022 | Jun Ishikawa | Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
Software Bundle | Native Instruments | KOMPLETE 12 Select[4] | (unknown) | Yuki Shimooka |
Tokyo Office | |||||
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Type | Brand | Product | Since | Known User(s) | Relevant Usage |
DAW | Apple | Logic Pro X[13][14] | 2017 | Megumi Ohara, Shogo Sakai | Kirby Battle Royale |
Hardware | Ensoniq | Unknown[15] | 2003 | Shogo Sakai | Kirby Air Ride, Kirby Mass Attack |
Hardware | Roland | Fantom-XR[13] | 2006 | Megumi Ohara, Shogo Sakai | Kirby Mass Attack, The Sound of Kirby Café, The Sound of Kirby Café 2, Kirby's Dream Buffet |
Hardware | Roland | SOUND Canvas SK-88 Pro[16] | 2006 | Shogo Sakai | Kirby and the Rainbow Curse |
Hardware | Yamaha | MOTIF-RACK ES[13][17] | 2011 | Megumi Ohara, Shogo Sakai | Kirby Mass Attack |
Instrument | Fender | Vintera '70s Telecaster Thinline | 2022 | Shogo Sakai | Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival |
Instrument | Yamaha | Montage 7 | 2022 | Megumi Ohara | Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival |
Sample Library | Native Instruments | Kontakt Factory Library | 2017 | Megumi Ohara | Kirby Battle Royale, The Sound of Kirby Café 2 |
Software | Native Instruments | Kontakt 5 | 2017 | Megumi Ohara | Kirby Battle Royale |
Noteworthy sound samples
The most well-known sound samples in the Kirby series come from Roland keyboards. These samples were first utilized in Kirby's Dream Course, but entered their most iconic form in Kirby Super Star. Many of these instruments were used through the '90s and beyond into the 2000s in games like Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, and Kirby: Squeak Squad. The last game to use these instruments extensively was Kirby's Return to Dream Land, but they still occasionally appear in newer games, especially in songs by Jun Ishikawa and Yuki Shimooka. The "retro" samples used in Kirby's Return to Dream Land and subsequent games are directly taken from the SNES, N64, GBA, and DS games; they weren't re-recorded from their original hardware.
Not all sounds are directly recorded from factory sound module presets though; Jun Ishikawa is known to heavily edit presets and program his own synths occasionally (an example of this would be the analog "quack" and bass synths used since Kirby's Dream Land 3 up until the DS games), and many composers play live instruments on their tracks. Hirokazu Ando plays ukulele, bass, and melodica; Shogo Sakai plays guitar, and even sampled his own playing for sequence-based games like Mother 3 and Kirby Mass Attack; Megumi Ohara plays flute; Yuuta Ogasawara plays drums and guitar. Jun Ishikawa also sampled guitar feedback for "Studying the Power Plant" using an electric guitar and his own reading glasses.
Sound samples recorded from HAL's sound equipment have been utilized by other composers, as well. In the early 90s, HAL and Dice co-developed the games Vegas Stakes and Othello World, thus several classic HAL Laboratory sound samples that ended up being used in the Kirby franchise were used in them; as another example, due to HAL co-developing Kirby & The Amazing Mirror alongside Dimps and Flagship, numerous samples from that game ended up in games developed by Dimps that had no involvement with HAL — such as Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure, which uses many Kirby samples (even ones that were originally lifted from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards). The opposite has happened too, as HAL Laboratory didn't rely completely on their own samples either; when the SNES was released, Nintendo provided a software development kit (SDK) to developers. In this kit there was a collection of sound samples recorded by in-house Nintendo composers for other composers and sound programmers to use, thus many SNES games (especially early ones) from different companies used them. Hal's Hole in One Golf relied completely on these samples. Alcahest and Kirby Super Star's string hit sample (used in Arena Showdown in the latter) comes from this SDK, and it can also be heard in the SNES port of SimCity, in Mario Paint and in the SNES port of Gradius III. As another example, the bongo used in Kirby's Dream Land 3's bad ending music also comes from it and is also heard in EarthBound and Terranigma.
Classic Era
"Classic Era" refers to games that used sound samples and sequenced music stored in their files, a few of these samples have become famous in popular media and among the video game music scene for providing the characteristic "Kirby sound palette":
- Jun Ishikawa - Bass Waveform
This waveform was made by Jun Ishikawa himself, which he referred to as "two piles" since that's what it looks like.[2] It was used in most Game Boy Kirby games. While not a sample by itself, the waveform was sampled and used in Kirby Super Star and Kirby's Dream Land 3. The sampled SNES version of the waveform was later used in Kirby's Return to Dream Land and in Kirby: Planet Robobot.
- Roland U-220 - P-21: Syn.Vox 1 [021]
This sample, a recording of a woman singing a sustained note, is commonly called SARARR or ARR1. The audio dates back to 1980, originating from the Fairlight CMI factory library before being borrowed by Roland.[18] It is notable for being heavily used by Jun Ishikawa in almost every Kirby game he has composed for (with its first usage actually being in Alcahest, albeit with a much shorter loop point). This sample was common in music released during the 80s; a few examples of well-known tracks that use it include Jean-Michel Jarre's "Zoolook", Tears For Fears's "Shout", and Art of Noise's "Moments in Love".
An example of the Kirby sample being used in popular media would be in Kero Kero Bonito's "Flamingo".
- Roland D-20 - I-A53: Pan Pipes
This pan flute preset was edited by Jun Ishikawa to remove the pitch envelope at the beginning, and he commonly used it in the 90s, starting with Arcana and lastly in Kirby's Dream Land 3. This one is also famous (more specifically, the PCM sample at the beginning is, as the rest is synthesized) in pop culture, as it was also part of the Fairlight CMI factory library, with its original name being "SWANEE" (although Roland calls it "Steamer"). A common and noticeable example of it in pop culture would be its usage in the Rugrats theme song.
- Roland D-20 - P-51: UserPattern
This percussion kit was prominently used by HAL in the NES games they developed in the 90s, noticeably Adventures of Lolo III, Uchuu Keibitai SDF, New Ghostbusters II, and most importantly, Kirby's Adventure. It was used one last time in Arcana.
- Roland SN-U110-10 Rock Drums - 10-002 ELEC DRUMS
Another percussion kit. This is probably the most well known one, as it is the source of many percussion sounds used in Kirby games since the 90s. The TR-like electric snare sample was used for the first time in Vegas Stakes, but the whole percussion kit was used heavily on the SNES version of Wario's Woods's soundtrack, due to Tadashi Ikegami and Hiroaki Suga composing and arranging it.
- Roland U-220 - P-41: Fantasia [041]
Another very famous sound. Originating in Roland's D-50 synthesizer, this sound became another staple of 80s and early 90s music, and numerous other sound companies tried to imitate it. Jun Ishikawa used this sound for the first time in "Milky Way Wishes", and is the only usage it was given in Kirby Super Star. Nonetheless, it was heavily used throughout Kirby's Dream Land 3's soundtrack. It was re-recorded and used again in the series' GBA and DS games. The SNES version of the sample made one last appearance in the Kirby's Return to Dream Land soundtrack.
- Ueberschall Drum 'n' Bass Resonance - 4indoorfloor
- Ueberschall Drum 'n' Bass Resonance - Speedomat
Drum loops used in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, coming from a drum 'n' bass sample CD called Drum 'n' Bass Resonance by Ueberschall. While not used often, they are notable for providing the game's songs with a very distinctive sound palette compared to the rest of the series. The first is a 180 BPM loop that comes from track 30, "4indoorfloor"; this is used in "Boss" and "Miracle Matter", with the latter also using it at half speed. The second is a 165 BPM loop that comes from track 64, "Speedomat"; this is used in "Heading for 0²" and in "Forgo's Treasures."
- Roland D-20 - I-A23: Celesta 1
This preset was used heavily in all SNES Kirby games composed by Jun Ishikawa. A remarkable use of it would be the background chords of Ripple Field: Ocean Waves.
An example of the Kirby sample being used in popular media would be in Snail's House's "My Valentine".
- Roland SN-U110-02 Latin and F.X. Percussions - 02-034 ORCH HIT
This orchestra hit was used in Boarding the Halberd, Havoc Aboard the Halberd, throughout the Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards soundtrack and, most famously, in Masked Dedede's Theme, including its Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival renditions. The sound is based on a similar preset from the Fairlight CMI, which sampled the opening note of "Infernal Dance of all Kashchei's Subjects", a movement from Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's 1910 ballet The Firebird, as performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra circa 1965.[19] The Fairlight sample and its soundalikes on other systems became ubiquitous in music throughout the 1980s, appearing in songs such as New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle", Kate Bush's "The Dreaming", and Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill", among others. This specific sound sample has also been used as a sound effect in some anime since the 90s.
Modern Era
"Modern Era" refers to games that use streamed music instead of sequence files:
- AudioNerdz - Delay Lama
This is a VST that has gained popularity on the internet due to its old CGI aesthetics and because of its simplistic nature in regards to voice synthesis, with people often joking about it. This VST was actually used by Jun Ishikawa in "Air Ride: Machine Passage", with the head size setting set to 7.95cm.
- Whole Lotta Country - MANDOLIN TREMOLOS
This preset comes from the Whole Lotta Country sample library by Sampleheads and has been used since Super Smash Bros. Melee, with its first usage in the Kirby series being in Kirby Air Ride. Only three presets have been used from this library, and this is by far the most used one, appearing in almost every Kirby game since Kirby Air Ride.
- Synthogy - Ivory
Ivory is a highly advanced and realistic grand piano sound library. It was first used in the Kirby series in 2010's Kirby's Epic Yarn, where both Tomoya Tomita and Hirokazu Ando used it.[12] Ivory has since become a signature part of Ando's composition style in modern Kirby games, thanks to his focus on acoustic, piano-driven pieces. Ando himself does not play piano, and instead programs the piano pieces heard in his music.[20]
- Suzuki - Andes 25F
- Suzuki - Melodion
The Suzuki Andes 25F and Suzuki Melodion are both melodicas, a type of aerophone. A melodica resembles a small keyboard, but is played by blowing into an air pipe attached to it while pressing the keys. The Andes 25F is smaller and has a sound resembling a recorder, while the Melodion is slightly bigger and has a sound resembling a harmonica. Melodicas became popular in Japanese indie music in the 90s and 2000s due to their quirky acoustic sound. They were first used by Hirokazu Ando on the "Stage Medley" track on the Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Soundtrack in 2009, and have appeared in most of his work for the Kirby series since then.
Hirokazu Ando playing "Green Greens" on his Andes 25F. This video comes from the Iwata Asks interview about Kirby's Epic Yarn.
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- Ricoh - 2A03
The Ricoh 2A03 is the microprocessor and sound chip used for the Nintendo Entertainment System (a.k.a. Famicom) game console. Many songs in modern Kirby games reproduce the 2A03's sound. What makes this remarkable is that the 8-bit waveforms (pulse, triangle, noise) used in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby: Planet Robobot, and Kirby Star Allies were individually sampled from a real Twin Famicom. [21] In contrast, later games use the Magical 8bit Plug VST.
- Sampletank 2.5 XL - Soprano Ahs lite
- Sampletank 2.5 XL - Soprano Ahs lite - Legato Ahs
A female soprano sample used by Hirokazu Ando starting in Kirby's Return to Dream Land (such as in "The Birthplace of Steel"). This preset is notable, as it had an important role in both "Fatal Blooms in Moonlight" from Kirby: Triple Deluxe and "Two Planets Approach the Roche Limit" from Kirby and the Forgotten Land, especially in the former, as it gave the song the sense of "bewitching feminine beauty" that Shinya Kumazaki was looking for [22]. The preset uses a technology called "Formant Shifting" which changes the harmonic frequencies in the sound to simulate a real human voice without changing pitch or using too many different sound samples.
- Native Instruments - Spotlight Collection: Balinese Gamelan
A sample library which emulates the essential instruments for gamelan, a type of traditional Indonesian ensemble music. Specifically, it consists of three core pieces: the roots (large gongs) that make up the main melody, the gangsa (metallophones) that create fast-paced and interconnected patterns, and the kettle gongs that add texture and variance. Because Shinya Kumazaki wished for Hyness's primary motif to be gamelan-style music, this sample library provides the core to all of Hyness's themes in Kirby Star Allies, though it is used in very non-traditional ways (such as in "La Follia d'amore"). Other notable instances of this library being used in video game soundtracks include the songs "Master Koco Trial" in Sonic Frontiers - The Final Horizon and "Alpine Skyline - Twilight Bell Path" in A Hat in Time.
Sound Effects
While most sound effects used in the Kirby series are engineered using small waveforms by the series' composers, some of them are taken from actual SFX libraries or have some interesting stories behind them.
- Hissatsu! Series Sound Collection
These sound effects come from the Hissatsu! Series Sound Collection library, some of these are recognizable for being used in many anime and japanese TV shows in general. In Kirby Super Star these are used for the Fighter, Yo-Yo, cannon, and slash sound effects respectively. Some of these are still used in modern Kirby games. Other Japanese video games like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Persona 5 also make use of some of these sound effects.
- The Premiere Edition 1 - PunchFaceHit4Sharp PE100401
This is a sound effect that was used a lot in media from the 90s and 2000s, be it TV shows, video games or internet animations and videos. In the Kirby series it has been used mostly for the Fighter ability, but it's also used for explosions, high-impact sound effects and for the Hammer ability. The audio showcases most of the different sound pitches the sound has been used at. While the series have used many sound effects from this library, this is the most notable one.
- Sound Ideas - The General Series 6000 - CONSTRUCTION, BACKHOE - CASE 680: START, IDLE, SHUT OFF, TRACTOR,CONSTRUCTION
- The Premiere Edition 1 - CrashMetalShatter PE110201
- The Premiere Edition 1 - CrashMetalShatter PE110401
Various sound effects from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. The first sound effect, a backhoe engine, comes from the General Series 6000 sound library; the Kirby series has used this sound library for many sound effects. This one is notable because it's used in "Studying the Factory" (as well as "Miracle Matter"), and it's commonly joked about around the community because "it sounds like a car that won't start".
The second and third sound effects are similar metal crunching sound effects from the Hollywood Edge Premiere Edition sound library. In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, the PE110201 sound effect is used when the mine cart driven by Waddle Dee crashes, while the PE110401 is used as a percussive sound in "Studying the Factory". Notably, in the Kirby: Planet Robobot rearrangement ("Studying the Power Plant"), the PE110201 sound effect is used instead.
- Novation Nova
This sound effect is used up to this day for the Warp Star since Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. This sound was made by Jun Ishikawa in search of something that didn't sound dissonant with the music and he specifically mentions using the Novation Nova synthesizer for it[2].
Trivia
- The Vienna Symphonic Library is the only sample library officially credited for its use in Kirby soundtracks, usually appearing within the booklets of soundtrack releases. This is because it used to be mandatory to do so with its commercial license before 2022. Commercial products using the library had to include a copyright notice indicating "orchestral samples in this recording from the Vienna Symphonic Library".[23]
- Jun Ishikawa bought his first synthesizer, a Roland SH-2, with his allowance as a student.[2]
- Hirokazu Ando uses colored fretboard markers on his bass, with each color representing a note: C = Red, D = Light Grey, E = Yellow, F = Green, G = Blue, A = Dark Grey, B = White.[1]
Gallery
- Megumi Ohara's office (2016)
Pictured:
Roland Fantom-XR
Yamaha MOTIF-RACK ES
Yamaha NP-30
Logic Pro X
Yamaha NS-10
Sony MDR-V6 - Hirokazu Ando's office (2017)
Pictured:
Cubase Pro 8
Suzuki Andes 25F
Suzuki Melodion
Music Man Bongo 4HH
Yamaha S80
Fostex NF-01A - Tadashi Ikegami's office (2001)
Pictured:
Kurzweil 2000R
Roland SC-8850
Yamaha DX100
Yamaha MU2000EX
MIDI Express PC and XT
E-MU Virtuoso 2000 - Jun Ishikawa with his KORG X3.
- Jun Ishikawa playing his KORG X3.
- Megumi Ohara writing music on her Yamaha NP-30.
- Megumi Ohara being supervised by Shogo Sakai while on Logic Pro X.
- Hirokazu Ando composing in his office.
- Pictured:
Music Man Bongo 4HH
Roland Fantom G6
Sequential Prophet-6
Yamaha Montage 7
Vintera '70s Telecaster Thinline
POD HD500X
Roland Aerophone AE-10G
Pearl Masters Premium - Picture of the staff who worked on Kirby's Dream Course. Hirokazu Ando is seen holding a Yamaha DX100.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Image of Ando's studio space
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2017 Keyboard Magazine Interview
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Melee Music Developer Interview
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Image of Shimooka's studio space
- ↑ Yuuta Ogasawara interview, HAL Laboratory blog
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Email from Tadashi Ikegami (misremembered D-20 as being a D-50, most likely due to it being way more famous)
- ↑ Kirby Wii Music Selection booklet
- ↑ Kirby: Triple Deluxe Soundtrack Booklet
- ↑ CEDEC 2022 Kirby Sound Team Panel
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Included with Cubase Pro 8
- ↑ Comes with Cubase
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Interview with Tomoya Tomita
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Image of Ohara's studio space
- ↑ Sakai Tweet
- ↑ Sakai Twitter DM
- ↑ Sakai Dokonoko post
- ↑ Another DM conversation with Sakai
- ↑ The Sarah ARR1 story
- ↑ The sound that connects Stravinsky to Bruno Mars, Vox, YouTube
- ↑ The Music Of Kirby: Still Tickling Gamers Pink
- ↑ HAL Laboratory Miiverse post; Japanese version of the same post
- ↑ Kirby: Triple Deluxe Soundtrack Composers' notes
- ↑ VSL Terms of License (as of 2016)
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