Episode 30: Castlevania Bloodlines

Retro Game Audio

Patrick and Steve are joined once again by Kevin Burke to discuss the Castlevania Bloodlines soundtrack. Sampled from a modded Sega Genesis to achieve a crisp, bright sound, we do a complete listen-through as we also explore some of the technical aspects of its creation. Show notes 1:35 - Kevin's vgm audio sources on original hardware project 6:22 - Bloodlines' history and context 9:10 - Konami's history with hardware and sound design, leading to the Genesis 15:53 - Contra Hard Corps discussion 18:27 - Bloodlines listen-through and discussion 28:10 - Why the sound mod makes the soundtrack sound better 39:41 - Demonstration of algorithm 4, polyphony in a single "monophonic" patch 45:03 - All FM instruments demonstration 51:35 - The "x" shaped envelopes used to create a gnarly instrument 54:06 - Michiru Yamane overview 1:01:57 - More game discussion and Portrait of Ruin tangent 1:06:28 - Demonstration of noise/hiss from the sound mod 1:22:20 - Bloodlines' music in later CV titles 1:25:48 - What Else Is Going On? 1:36:20 - Name that Game 1:37:16 - Song of the Week