22 comments to Doom Playstation: Official Soundtrack

  • Dennis Scholz  says:

    Greetings!

    I’m a long time fan of DOOM and the PSX OST is one of my all time favorites, it just so happened that I found out who did this masterpiece thanks to the DOOM wiki – internet is great, sometimes. Reminds me a lot of the NIN soundtrack to Quake, but I actually prefer this one. Great work!

    You know I once bought the Sega Saturn version (a lackluster port of the PSX one) just because it’s probably the only one you can play in a CD player, although some tracks are missing and I’ve been looking for an official release of the soundtrack on CD for years but never found any.

    I think I’ve seen a cover of an OST once, but it was ages ago…was this ever released on CD? Please let me know, I’d love to have a proper OST of this. I’m just not too fond of downloading the youtube bits, kind of a music collector here (though they’re helping a lot for the tracks I’ve been missing so far, thanks!)

    Regards, Dennis

  • Marcus  says:

    Thanks for releasing this Masterpiece !

    Since a long time ago I have been playing Doom and always loved the atmospheric music that went along with the Playstation version so when I heard news you released the songs in digital format I felt really happy. So immediately I grabbed a FLAC copy from your site and can honestly say the digital version improves the compressed music used in the game considerably !

    I remember a long time ago pausing the game each level to copy the music and listen back later. ahah I can now really enjoy the music in its crystal clear glory !

    Thanks !!!

    Regards,

    Marcus

  • tercüme bürosu  says:

    Thanks for releasing. It’s a real matserpiece. I always loved the music of this game and know I can enjoy the music.

    Thank you again!

  • decorators  says:

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  • Jawine Westland  says:

    Great to see this is now up for sale! As I was looking for a CD but no joy.

    $10 is a steal for this and looking forward to the higher quality…though there’s something interesting about a lo-fi rip in a way, it suits the mood 🙂

  • Leon  says:

    sweet. finally a high quality release, responding to the requests of the fans.
    what are hero
    hats off to you
    and even some bonus tracks thrown in, legendary

  • Firebrandx  says:

    The original soundtrack that got me hooked on Doom in the first place! After reviewing this collection, I found the quality to be simply superb! However, I noticed many of the tracks are mixed differently than they appear in the game. For examples:

    Stage “Hanger”:
    The original stage track data is 8 minutes and 13.5 seconds long, while the OST version is only 4 minutes and 32.6 seconds long. Furthermore, the OST version mixes in a different segment starting at 3 minutes and 18 seconds.

    Stage “Toxin Refinery”:
    The original stage track data is 7 minutes and 15.5 seconds long, while the OST version is cut short at 5 minutes and 1.7 seconds.

    Stage “Command Control”:
    The original stage track data is 9 minutes and 13 seconds long, while the OST is remixed at 57 seconds and is only 5 minutes and 1.7 seconds long.

    There are many more stages with these same differences. Also there is notably more stereo echo in the OST selections than in the original game. I’m guessing all this was done to streamline and polish the OST, but if you’re a stickler for a “CST” version, you’ll still need the original game source.

    • admin  says:

      The length of the tracks on the soundtrack were determined by the fact that in many cases the sequence simply looped and repeated the same material so that the level could go on forever with music playing. I made the decision to present just the fresh and original length before the loops occurred. After thinking on this quite a bit recently I have decided that I will be adding super long length remixes as an additional bonus and will send download codes to everyone who has previously purchased the product so that they can get these new extended tracks.

      As far as reverb is concerned, I did not add or change anything. What you are hearing is coming straight out of the PlayStation from the original game and no settings were altered. It’s possible that the mastering process in conjunction with the change in listening paradigm has altered the perception of what was there all along. The game mix had the music pretty far in the background so that the monster and weapon sounds were prominent. In listening as a stand alone experience the ears hone in to the details far more critically as the brain is now completely focused on the ambient music material. I think that’s most likely what’s happening in this case. I will announce the new extended versions soon and the codes will be sent on the same day. I also recently discovered a track that was never completed due to the deadlines for that project. I plan to finish the track and release that one as well.

      -Aubrey

  • Firebrandx  says:

    Thanks for the reply Aubrey!

    I do recall the PS DOOM games turned off the intense reverb effect once the player went outdoors, so it’s possible I may be hearing the difference sue to that. I also used the PS2’s digital out port to listen to the music directly from the game, and there’s always a possibility the reverb wasn’t emulated properly there either.

    In regards to the track loop points, I made quite certain my lengths on the track data are correct. I did this by looking at the actual wave signature pattern in Goldwave, and you can clearly see where the wave pattern loops back to the original starting point. Take the Hanger for example, here’s a picture of the wave pattern from 8 minutes and 13.5 second game data track, and below it the scaled OST version:

    http://www.firebrandx.com/downloads/psdoomhangertrack.jpg

    The wave signature is unique and ends at 8:13.5 Directly beyond that end marker, the track loops back to the beginning (which I truncated off). I was very obsessive-compulsive about getting each of these loop points exactly correct, because I love the music so much that I don’t want to miss a second of it 🙂

    I’d very much like to help out with the extended OST version by providing the exact loop points for each track if you’d be interested. I’ll write back with a complete set of the loop point times for each track shortly!

    -FBX

  • Firebrandx  says:

    Whew! It took me a few hours to exhaustively analyze each wave file for the differences. Below are my findings, and I will do some further cross-referencing with the original playstation on a few of the track issues:

    Level - Hangar: 8:13.500 (OST = 4:32.649)
    Level - Plant: 2:17.100 (we both felt looping this twice was best at 4:33 approximately)
    Level - Toxin Refinery: 7:15.500 (OST = 5:01.768)
    Level - Command Control: 9:13.000 (OST = 5:01.768)
    Level - Phobos Lab: 3:32.000 (see notes below)

    The base track channel for Phobos Lab stops after 27 seconds in-game, OST's base track plays throughout and track is ended at 4:58.465 after two loops and a fade out. I'm going to cross-reference the track difference on the original playstation to make sure this is not an emulation glitch in the PS2.

    Level - Central Processing: 5:54.000 (see notes below)

    The base track channel for Central Processing ends after 10.5 seconds while it plays throughout on the OST, which fades out and ends at 5:09.976. This will be another track I cross reference with the original Playstation to see if it is an emulation glitch in the PS2.

    Level - Computer Station: 5:18.250 (OST = 5:01.768)
    Level - Phobos Anamoly: 7:42.000 (OST = 5:01.768)
    Level - Deimos Anamoly: 7:05.500 (OST = 5:19.586)
    Level - Containment Area: 5:01.750 (see notes below)

    The initial base channel for Containment Area ends after 12 seconds. The OST version plays throughout, and the track ends at 4:32.639. I'll do the same cross-reference deal as before.

    Level - Refinery: 1:19.200 (I used one repeat for a total length of 2:39, while the OST doesn't have the same repeating pattern as in-game, and ends at 4:14.451)

    Level - Deimos Lab: 1:35.200 (I used 1 repeat for a length of 3:10.250, OST uses 1.5 repeats for a length of 4:24.784)

    Level - Command Center: 5:20.000 (OST = 5:28.528 and is mixed differently at 3:17)
    Level - Hell Gate: 4:29.500 (OST = 6:04.064 and is mixed differently at 2:33)
    Level - Hell Keep: 6:24.000 (see notes)

    The OST has the left and right channels swapped compared to in-game, and also is mixed differently at 1:35.800. The OST version ends at 4:32.639.

    Level - Pandemonium: 2:58.400 (I used one repeat for a time of 5:56.5, while the OST = 3:42.598 and is mixed differently at 1:55)

    Level - Unholy Cathedral: 5:14.500 (OST = 3:45.394 and is mixed differently at 1:24)
    Level - Mt. Erebus: 5:25.000 (OST = 4:02.390)
    Level - Limbo: 2:20.900 (I use one repeat and end at 4:41.250, while the OST is mixed differently at 1:05 and ends at 3:42.589)

    Level - Hell Beneath: 8:18.000 (OST = 5:01.768 and is mixed differently at 2:46)

  • Firebrandx  says:

    I just got done confirming all tracks play identically on my PS as they do on my PS2, and all of my loop point data above is 100% correct. I was also able to confirm that neither my PS nor PS2 have any where near the reverb effect heard in the OST. Is it perhaps because you have a special model of Playstation? Here’s what I used:

    Game = Playstation Great Hits Doom
    Console = Playstation model SCPH-5501
    Source = Analog output

    • admin  says:

      In order to record the tracks heard in the OST I used an official Sony Playstation Test model via the digital out playing the original Doom Playstation disc. I went to every level and allowed the tracks to play into Logic Studio via the digital in. They sounded exactly as I remember creating them while I recorded. I spent a great deal of time creating the reverb presets and they are supposed to be very wet. That was done in order to smooth the low quality samples some and give the impression that the music was high quality redbook rather than midi. It sounds like a bug is revealing itself in your setup somehow. I vaguely remember some issues regarding the onboard reverb unit while we were developing the game. I can assure you that the reverb in the OST is correct though.

  • admin  says:

    Ya know it might be as simple as the fact that you lose alot of signal via the rca analog vs the digital out. Dunno. Could be a possibility.

  • admin  says:

    What do you mean by Base Track Channel? As in low sounding drone ie. Bass sounding? That might be a bug we were getting at times where certain midi channels would cut out. I thought that got fixed before we shipped though.

  • Firebrandx  says:

    We’ve pretty much figured out that the Playstation Test units are using better/different hardware than the public Playstation Consoles. Both the PS2’s digital out, and the model SCPH-5501 Playstation’s analog output have the exact same reverb and stereo separation, which I estimate are only 25% the quality and intensity as your test unit. All this really doesn’t matter in the end since your Test unit reverb and separation actually sound quite a lot better than the public PS versions do! I’d much rather listen to your files, so all we really need to sort out is the other issue concerning loop data and a few of those tracks where one of the base-sounding channels drop out (also confirmed happening on both public PS and PS2’s).

    I’ve uploaded a private link for your to hear my output files for the levels. I will PM the link to you on Doomworld. Nobody else will get this link, and I’ll delete the file package once you finish downloading it. The files were a direct digital-to-digital feed from the PS2’s optical out port and directly in to my computer’s digital sound card. I’ve since compared the files to the analog output of my 5501 Playstation’s analog output, and the have the exact same features and loop points.

  • Firebrandx  says:

    PM sent on Doomworld!

  • Firebrandx  says:

    Correction: I meant “bass”, not “base” in my track notes. My apologies for that!

  • Albert1  says:

    This is the template every horror game soundtrack should be created from.

  • DarkMustard  says:

    Hi there!

    Thanks for this great soundtrack!
    Scared me to death when i was playing PSX-Doom in a dark room as a kid 😉

    Am i wrong, or is the Intermission text once the player completes the Ultimate Doom missing?
    Not a big deal since its only a minute of talking with a music-snip of “Finale” 🙂
    i think it was on the cd-audio-part of the psx-doom-cd, but i could be wrong.

    keep up the good work .. Mustard

  • AloneonMars  says:

    Was playing the awesome BrutalPSXDoom mod yesterday and on the very first level i just stood and looked out at the pixelated mountains on Mars whilst listening to every note of the incredible ambient soundtrack. It is without doubt the greatest soundtrack to any game i have ever played. No other music places you in a virtual enviroment and gets so deep inside your head quite like this. PSX Doom will forever remain my all time favourite game and not because of the actual gameplay itself, but because of it’s incredible atmosphere created by the amazing music.

  • matt  says:

    Hi!
    Is there any chance that this soundtrack will be included in the next patch in Doom Classic Complete on PS3/X360?
    This OST is much better than Bobby Prince’s.

    matt

  • Mark Sinclair  says:

    Hi Aubrey,
    Firstly, I want to tell you how much of an impact your Final Doom soundtrack had on me.

    Now I’m a college lecturer, pianist and record producer, but whenever I get the chance to experiment with sounds etc –
    I’m always reminded about hearing your ambient drones whilst running around those pixelated textures, I definitely have a darker ambient part of my musical DNA – so thanks for the inspiration!

    PS: I’ve also just discovered there is a Doom Classic Complete available on PSN – do you know if your soundtrack is on Final Doom for this release? If so – then I’ll buy it for that reason alone.

    Kind Regards,

    Mark

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