Quest Studios

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daventry
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Quest Studios

#1 Post by daventry » Sat May 01, 2004 7:18 pm

Tell me about www.queststudios.com

Is it a Fan Website, or was it there when Sierra was still around.

Can you buy the Songs, or do you have to download them.

Why do they make CD Covers of the game songs, witch is a dumb question by the way.

Why don't they put the game songs on the CD with the cool CD Cover and sell it.

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#2 Post by navynuke04 » Sat May 01, 2004 8:19 pm

Quest Studios is run by Tom, AGDI's official musician. It's a fan site devoted to remembering the good old Sierra music.

I've known people (MI) that have downloaded all the songs for certain games and burnt them to CD.

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#3 Post by Broomie » Sat May 01, 2004 8:23 pm

Tell me about www.queststudios.com
It is a website by the AGDI musician Tom Lewandowski, who has an archive of ripped music from various Sierra adventure games, the quality is brilliant.
Is it a Fan Website, or was it there when Sierra was still around.
You could say it was a fansite but it seems to professional for that, and no it wasn't around when Sierra Online was around.
Can you buy the Songs, or do you have to download them.
You can download them, so don't get your wallet out.
Why do they make CD Covers of the game songs, witch is a dumb question by the way.
Incase you didn't know people do tend to download songs from the website, burn them onto a CD and listen to it in their CD players, the CD covers are just there to make it look nicer and more professional.
Why don't they put the game songs on the CD with the cool CD Cover and sell it.
This would be a huge copyright fiasco if this were to happen. Mostly all the songs on Quest Studios were written for Sierra games, by their musicians, if they were to find their music was being sold for a price, they wouldn't be to happy.

Hope that cleared everything up for you.

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#4 Post by Erpy » Sat May 01, 2004 8:37 pm

Is it a Fan Website, or was it there when Sierra was still around.
It was established in 1996, so it was already there during the time of Sierra's adventure era, so it's not "just" a fansite.
Can you buy the Songs, or do you have to download them.
You can download both MIDI-versions of most songs and digital recordings of certain ones.
Why do they make CD Covers of the game songs, witch is a dumb question by the way.
For the same reason lots of people distribute CD covers. It makes your burned CD look a teensy bit more professional.
Why don't they put the game songs on the CD with the cool CD Cover and sell it.
Even though Tom has official permission from Sierra to distribute the music, he isn't allowed to sell it.
It is a website by the AGDI musician Tom Lewandowski, who has an archive of ripped music from various Sierra adventure games, the quality is brilliant.
BTW, the right term is recorded, not ripped.

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daventry
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#5 Post by daventry » Sat May 01, 2004 9:26 pm

Wow, thanks. ;)

Now i'm gonna go buy another box of tissues. :p

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#6 Post by Erpy » Sat May 01, 2004 10:00 pm

What the???? That was random as hell.

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Last edited by Erpy on Sat May 01, 2004 10:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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#7 Post by daventry » Sat May 01, 2004 10:12 pm

Erpy wrote:What the????

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I meant thanks for the info. :rollin

I made a joke about the tissue part. :p

You would be sad too if you played your favourite tune from your old game you've played along time ago. :)

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#8 Post by Kurdt » Sat May 01, 2004 10:46 pm

He was talking about crying from happiness because he can hear his old favorites again, Erpy. By the way, your reaction was priceless. Thank you.

As for QS, I thought he recomposed them himself. By that, I mean he heard the songs and re-recorded them on his own, using his own instruments and such. I didn't know he took them straight from the games.

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Not really.................................................

#9 Post by The Knight » Sat May 01, 2004 10:47 pm

What the???? That was random as hell.
Potato would have been more random.

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#10 Post by Erpy » Sat May 01, 2004 10:53 pm

I didn't know he took them straight from the games.
I'm not completely familiar with the process of recording, but I believe it involves playing and recording them on a Roland Sound module and then doing editing to them in order to guarantee they sound good.

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#11 Post by Klytos » Sun May 02, 2004 4:00 am

I thought they were re-recordings of the original sierra soundtracks. Except for Girl in A Tower etc.

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Let the answers be known!

#12 Post by Brainiac » Sun May 02, 2004 4:40 am

Taken from the Quest Studios General FAQ:
Q. How do you 'rip' the music from these games?

This is the most frequently asked question! Most of the Sierra MIDI files have been recorded (not 'ripped') from the games. Anyone can record the MIDI data from software games provided the following applies: It must be MIDI music; you must have either two MIDI ports (one for playback, and one for recording), or have a hardware sequencer connected to your MIDI port's MIDI OUT. A third alternative is to use a MIDI 'loopback driver' under Windows, though the results are sometimes less than perfect. Keep in mind that when recording MT-32 soundtracks from most Sierra games, you have to also capture the System Exclusive patch bank which contains all the new instrument sounds for proper playback.

Many of the MP3 (MPEG digital audio) files have been provided by Sierra On-Line. I can only post these when Sierra allows. Others have been created from original MIDI data obtained from various sources. One only needs a sound card to record the digital output from a game. You can play the game in one Windows box while recording in another, or output the source to another sound card's LINE IN connection. There are also a couple of software 'audio extraction' programs available for this, GAP (Game Audio Player) being the most popular.
Q. Does Sierra know you're distributing their copyrighted music?

No...please don't tell them. Okay, I lied. They do know. Actually, Sierra has helped supply a number of hard to find games so that I could record the soundtracks from them! They don't want to see some of the great music from these games slip into obscurity...and neither do I! So the truth is that Sierra not only knows about this site, but also endorses and supports my efforts in maintaining it!
That should clear up any remaining questions, I hope...

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#13 Post by Tom Lewandowski » Mon Sep 20, 2004 2:06 am

Thanks Broomie, Erpy, and Brainiac. I was on sabitcal during the summer and didn't see all this discussion about QS. There's only one thing I would add...

We've also posted a large number of Sierra soundtracks that have been further "enhanced" beyond the composer's original theme. That is, a Sierra musician may have created a song for Roland MT-32 playback, and we may have 'added' more tracks -- more horns, strings, etc. -- to the original MIDI song in order to create a fuller, richer sound.

Back in the days when Sierra's MIDI musicians where composing MIDI music for game's, there were a LOT of limitations on how much could go into a song. The MT-32, and even later with General MIDI's "Sound Canvas" MIDI soundtracks, the playback was limited to only so many notes playing at once...and it wasn't very many. These limitations are completely removed with digital soundtracks. So, we've tried to present some of the old Sierra classics in a manner we think the composers might have if they were able back then.

A brief summary of the history of Quest Studios is at:
http://www.QuestStudios.com/quest/aboutqs.html

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#14 Post by MusicallyInspired » Mon Sep 20, 2004 3:32 am

Potato would have been more random.
Potato

Oh and uh what they said (so as not to go off-topic ;) ).

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You're welcome

#15 Post by Brainiac » Tue Sep 21, 2004 12:10 am

Tom Lewandowski wrote:Thanks Broomie, Erpy, and Brainiac.
No problem, Tom. I've frequented your site a fair bit and I'm working on downloading the various Soundtrack CD's you've put up (though some are a little confusing, with bonus tracks or utility data).

<wheedling mode in full effect>

I must admitted I'm honored to be thanked by you, Mr. Lewandowski. Any chance of being further honored by a music clip from QFG2VGA? :D

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Re: You're welcome

#16 Post by navynuke04 » Tue Sep 21, 2004 1:29 am

Brainiac wrote:Any chance of being further honored by a music clip from QFG2VGA? :D
Sure thing! Click here.

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Uhura

#17 Post by Brainiac » Tue Sep 21, 2004 1:54 am

Oh, I've listened to that one ad nauseum, Navy. I meant a new musical tidbit (or seven :D ).

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#18 Post by navynuke04 » Tue Sep 21, 2004 1:55 am

Heh, well Tom keeps the rest of them locked up pretty tight. Sorry. ;)

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#19 Post by Boogeyman » Tue Sep 21, 2004 4:55 am

I'd like to hear "Caravan to Rasier" from QFG2VGA!

Also, I am finishing my research on the Pizza Elemental.

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#20 Post by Fribbi » Tue Oct 19, 2004 1:19 am

Tom do have the intro music of Gabriel Knight 3? That music was so cool and very nice made.

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#21 Post by Tom Lewandowski » Sat Oct 23, 2004 5:31 pm

Fribbi....

I'd rather deal with Sierra game soundtrack matters on our Quest Studios Forum, where you'll also find a "Soundtrack Wish List" category for soundtracks you're looking for...

...but to answer your question, we don't have much from GK3's digital soundtrack and there's no plans on it in the near future. However, other QS members probably do and can provide links for you to the music. :)

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