AC:NL just got added to the Nintendo Music app, it's mostly great but with a few issues. The good is that it's substantially higher quality than the in-game files, which were the only source for the soundtrack before. In game, there's a lot of noise, especially when bright sounds play. The very first track "HOME Menu" is a fantastic example, comparison on my twitter. This new version also preserves unique content all the way to 20kHz, the max for the codec used in the app, which is slightly higher than the game's 16.3kHz. This is great because not every release like this on Nintendo Music gets that kind of quality upgrade, even where it could be applicable.
Unfortunately, it's missing a good few tracks. I understand the exclusion of KK Slider tracks given they're included in New Horizons. We are missing the campground tracks, and I think generally just from the "Welcome amiibo" update, including the Puzzle League and Desert Island Escape tracks. We're also missing the TV tracks, music in a lot of items, which is also the case with New Horizons, so it's not completely unexpected.
Kapp'n's Sea Shanties are an interesting case. In game, each song, both Outbound and Homeward are split into two halves: A and B. For each half, there's 10 unique variations for "male", "female", and "both" in the case of a male and female player on the same boat. The variation for part A is randomly selected, once it's finished Kapp'n will say something, then randomly pick a variation for part B, both according to the group aboard. This means, if I did my math and understand the game right, there's 300 unique combinations for Going, and 300 for Coming Back. The versions included in Nintendo Music seem to be recorded from gameplay. Outbound happens to have Female A #1, and Female B #4. Homeward is Male A #7, and Male B #2. I of course don't have an issue with the way they handled these songs and I'm happy they're here in any form at all.
It seems there's some mastering problems in the Nintendo Music version, mostly clipping. It's subtle, but comparing closely, there's audible distortion on in Nook's Homes, and 4:00 PM, and it's even visible in the waveforms. They mostly sound like short clicks. In mastering, it's common to put a clipper or soft clipper before a limiter to catch peaks and stop them from driving the limiter, which otherwise can cause a pumping sound especially if the limiter has slow settings. Usually it's an inaudible addition, most tracks are somewhat full and a brief clipping of a short peak will get buried. However, Animal Crossing tracks are pretty light and are largely comprised of soft instruments. Clipping these even a little is much more audible. My guess is the mastering process was rushed given there was 188 tracks included, or maybe the mastering engineer just didn't realize. With Nook's Homes, the clicking is on the organ instrument, and without comparing to the original, it can just sound like part of it, a lot of organ or e-piano sounds have that kind of click. In 4:00 PM, it's on a synth sound, and it's also something that could easily slipped by.
Either way I'm excited to get a cleaner version of this amazing soundtrack. I hope we get other AC soundtrack in the future as well, I'm curious how they'll be handled since the rest are almost if not entirely sequenced.
Dublincalif
AC:NL just got added to the Nintendo Music app, it's mostly great but with a few issues. The good is that it's substantially higher quality than the in-game files, which were the only source for the soundtrack before. In game, there's a lot of noise, especially when bright sounds play. The very first track "HOME Menu" is a fantastic example, comparison on my twitter. This new version also preserves unique content all the way to 20kHz, the max for the codec used in the app, which is slightly higher than the game's 16.3kHz. This is great because not every release like this on Nintendo Music gets that kind of quality upgrade, even where it could be applicable.
Unfortunately, it's missing a good few tracks. I understand the exclusion of KK Slider tracks given they're included in New Horizons. We are missing the campground tracks, and I think generally just from the "Welcome amiibo" update, including the Puzzle League and Desert Island Escape tracks. We're also missing the TV tracks, music in a lot of items, which is also the case with New Horizons, so it's not completely unexpected.
Kapp'n's Sea Shanties are an interesting case. In game, each song, both Outbound and Homeward are split into two halves: A and B. For each half, there's 10 unique variations for "male", "female", and "both" in the case of a male and female player on the same boat. The variation for part A is randomly selected, once it's finished Kapp'n will say something, then randomly pick a variation for part B, both according to the group aboard. This means, if I did my math and understand the game right, there's 300 unique combinations for Going, and 300 for Coming Back. The versions included in Nintendo Music seem to be recorded from gameplay. Outbound happens to have Female A #1, and Female B #4. Homeward is Male A #7, and Male B #2. I of course don't have an issue with the way they handled these songs and I'm happy they're here in any form at all.
It seems there's some mastering problems in the Nintendo Music version, mostly clipping. It's subtle, but comparing closely, there's audible distortion on in Nook's Homes, and 4:00 PM, and it's even visible in the waveforms. They mostly sound like short clicks. In mastering, it's common to put a clipper or soft clipper before a limiter to catch peaks and stop them from driving the limiter, which otherwise can cause a pumping sound especially if the limiter has slow settings. Usually it's an inaudible addition, most tracks are somewhat full and a brief clipping of a short peak will get buried. However, Animal Crossing tracks are pretty light and are largely comprised of soft instruments. Clipping these even a little is much more audible. My guess is the mastering process was rushed given there was 188 tracks included, or maybe the mastering engineer just didn't realize. With Nook's Homes, the clicking is on the organ instrument, and without comparing to the original, it can just sound like part of it, a lot of organ or e-piano sounds have that kind of click. In 4:00 PM, it's on a synth sound, and it's also something that could easily slipped by.
Either way I'm excited to get a cleaner version of this amazing soundtrack. I hope we get other AC soundtrack in the future as well, I'm curious how they'll be handled since the rest are almost if not entirely sequenced.
Image from @NintendoAmerica on twitter.
2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 72