Rayman 2 Soundtrack OST (FLAC, 44kHz) - PSX rip, Revolution and Remastered

[deton24]

I wrote about it before. I thought you understood but, whatever.
You upload lot of music on your channel, so you still can use it in your future uploads.
Generally, it is even worse that it was resampled before upload. From the same reason I wrote above. And original files were 44kHz. From some reason it's better to leave resampling process to YT. At least that was conslusion of tests on 96/192 kHz files.
YT will compress audio stream again, no matter what codec and sample rate was used. By uploading lossless audio stream, we avoid recompression.
Using 48kHz in some Vegas is justified when files are really 48kHz - YT in OPUS should be also 48kHz. It should preserve those frequencies.
Spek on downloaded video or extracted audio should show everything. I recommend JDownloader.

[A1020nt]

Oh wait I did test the lossless upload, sorry. I just forgot about this, don't know why.
In fact, I just left this solution because it took too much time to create the videos and I also had to upload all of them consdering how big the videos were in term of size.

[A1020nt]

I also plan to upload the RayTunes version, is it a good idea?

[deton24]

It is no point in doubling the files.
Majority of my files covers complete Revolution rip, though some Revolution's versions are less abridged.

Generally, it would be good idea to upload some files from Revolution rip, if they're not present in my files.

[raymanrules77]

Your PSX remaster is amazing. The quality is much better than what is currently on RayTunes.
But there is one track that is missing that I really enjoy and that is the 72nd track on RayTunes: Into the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire.
It seems you only had the Extreme Heat in the google drive link.
Looks like that track does not exist in the PSX version because I checked a playthrough of the whole game and that track is skipped.

[deton24]

I'll look closer into the issue, and PM you when The Intro will be done.
Thanks for respects.
Regards

Done. Google Drive repositories updated.
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/3/fold ... DVVak8zNEk


- moved Grolem Prelude and Pirates Patrol reprise, to obsolete (they were in main tracks already)

[raymanrules77]

Oh wow!
Amazing!
It's so much clearer!
Thank you so much!
Now the soundtrack is much more complete.

[deton24]

~deton24 presents~

Rayman 2 Fall 2019 EP OST -
Few completely new tracks and some new versions.

- Completely brand-new Prologue version added. Now normally processed like other tracks, unlike previous very LQ mp3 version.
- Intro Sanctuary of Stone and Fire
- Globox Disc Minigame track
- Whale Bay PT.2 Beta/Prototype
- The Top of the World Part 1 added (started as a project for kooz, on his previous request. Regards)
- Pyralums added
- Added missing segment from FGL (dirty water machine section)
- new Fairy Glade version added
- new-old The Machine, now with ReplayGain, added. Recommended listening in Foobar2000 for RG (though it's quiter).
- Bayou PT.1 from PSX 44kHz remastered
- new-old The Top of the World Part 2 (PSX), now added also in "complete" folder


Download:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FDlbh ... 3Am5GZSMXn


You can also redownload the whole OST repository with these tracks - folder "complete":
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

Old versions moved to relevant folder.

Please let my know if you want me to process any track missing from Droolie's Revolution Complete Edition Rip. Or if you have some remarks about any of the files.

Greetings


edit. 2020
Finally, after 5 years I repaired tags and filenames in the (almost) "complete" repository folder.
Enjoy

[Salo92]

Hello!

A good two years ago I scoured the internet for a high quality ost of rayman 2, and was thrilled to find your project. It is by far the highest quality out there and I have listened to it plenty of times. However despite the quality I find myself going back to a version on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7-QZ2O-Bz0
or downloaded here:
https://chauthanh.info/animeost/album/r ... eat-escape

The tracks are put together very well and they flow beautifully. Is there any chance you'd consider remastering those tracks with your great quality snippets?

I'm open to trying it myself, of course I'd need your files and a bit of a tutorial.

I'd love to hear from you!

[deton24]

Hi there! Majority of the tracks on your list are remastered already.

Do you want me to make from scratch some specific tracks or extra fragments not included?

Some basic info about the tools I use can be found here:
viewtopic.php?p=1055463#p1055463
There you also can find some source files - different soundtrack rips from various platforms (see at the top).

Recently I also use additionally Spleeter to unmix music and mix it again. It helps getting better results with some music.

We will see. Maybe I'll do some in-depth tutorial on the subject in future.
Meanwhile I've added some basic tips about mixing using Spleeter stems.

[Salo92]

Wow, that software is amazing! I downloaded Audio cleaning lab 3 and after some messing about have settled on settings that really seem to make the music come alive.

It may sound even better if I could combine my source file with higher quality bits (the only version I found was 192kbps), but that would take dozens of hours.

For now I am very happy with the results. I have already remastered other soundtracks, and have many more to start on. Cheers!

[deton24]

It's great to know that you're doing fine with Magix/Soundforge.

I'm curious how much Izotope RX brings into the functionality of this workstation and overall sound, and is it crucial, or really worth it since I don't have it yet and haven't heard in action. I only know that some of their plugins: Izotope Imager and Vocal Doubler are available for free.

Feel free to share with your works e.g.
here or on https://downloads.khinsider.com/ (contact via email), squid ROMs forums (FFshrine forums successor) or on your YouTube channel (e.g. I recommend to contact with RingsofGenosis channel owner who was writing with me in this topic (a1020n a.k.a. TheMygoshi, maybe you can PM him). He has plenty of possibly interested subscribers in game soundtracks. He doesn't have any monetization in his videos.

If you publish on YouTube, keep it as lossless as possible. I recommend it as follows:

Here I have a bat script file based on ffmpeg, allowing to convert all your FLAC files in the folder, put nearby the script, into mkv.
In 4K.png input any image.

Don't put there images in resolution lower than any x1440p - it will be output video resolution.
You can upscale in e.g. XnView MP.

QHD/+ resolution doesn't cause YT recompressing audio AAC to Opus, but gives Opus at the upload moment. With lossless audio as a source it results in the best quality achievable on YT.

After conversation, MKV container will have the same MD5 checksums like in source FLAC file (checked in Foobar2000 properties), so it works like MKVMerge, AVIDemux, Handbrake.

Changing FLAC to WAV or other extensions in bat file might work as well. It looks like it just copies stream instead of recompressing. But I'm not sure in case of other extensions than FLAC. But MKV (Matroska) supports dozens of them.

Download

There is ffmpeg attached above as well, but you can download the newest version from elsewhere. The script is optimized and converts on instant.

If I could recommend you any soundtrack to remaster that I know people are waiting for, it would be L.A. Noire.
Majority of the known ripped files from the game are in mp3 mono low bitrate.
I think I saw one version in normal quality, but it was probably official OST, and it lacked lot of the songs.

And also not every single track in my Rayman 2 release is remastered. E.g. some mini-game tracks should be very easy to remaster AFAIK.

Good luck

PS. As I mentioned in issues section in the linked topic, make sure in Spek that your result files don't have frequency cut corresponding with source file.
You can change it, and even take it as an advantage in some cases when you have too many sibilants, and you need some frequency cut. Eventually you can change sample rate during rendering of the ready audio file.

As a bonus I can share with the info that in 2016 Premium version there is hidden option Deesser (weak and strong) as a preset in the plugin Multimax though it normally serves for something completely different. Since I discovered I made a lot of projects, and it was a game changer in some of them, and it's different than Desser in Cleaning section. I recommend trying out during filtering some sibilants after using e,g. Sound Brilliance plugin or other saturators (harmonic enhancers), distortion, or EQs like Sound Cloner (both "Brighten Video Sources" and using presets like 70s, 80s, Disco, etc.).

If you need some introduction about Spleeter, just download this and process some files (GUI):
https://github.com/lazydevyo/SpleetGUI/
or
https://github.com/boy1dr/SpleeterGui

If you lack CPU with AVX or Nvidia GPU, and it doesn't work, use https://www.splitter.ai/ (recompresses to mp3 if source file was mp3) or https://ezstems.com/
or if you hit in the long queue, use that
Be aware that my 2016 Premium version has 4 tracks limitation and in such case you need to use 4 stem model.
But for now I recommend rather MDX-Net instead.


___________
Changelog:
- Woods of Light remastered added - 30.05.21
- (above) updated and fixed - 25.09.21
- Walk of Life remastered added - 17.10.21

Repository: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id= ... sp=sharing

edit. 17.10.21
Eric Chevalier posted a few songs from Rayman 2 in mp3/320/44kHz.
https://ericchevalier.com/jeux-video/

Download:
https://ericchevalier.com/wp-content/up ... -2-Gen.mp3
https://ericchevalier.com/wp-content/up ... Globox.mp3
https://ericchevalier.com/wp-content/up ... Forest.mp3
https://ericchevalier.com/wp-content/up ... -Swamp.mp3

And also, Droolie extracted the cutscenes from PSX version of the game, and they have background sounds hardcoded, and 22kHz anyway, so it wasn't worth to bother anyway:
https://mega.nz/file/QPwUVYhD#mv9tVIRfH ... zNYWoLVVyI

[The_Real_Razorbeard]

So, I've listened to the latest version of the 'HQ' soundtrack, with the Revolution-exclusive tracks and all, and the quality is stunning, it must be said. Really sounds as close as one could get to Eric and Ubi digging up source files and putting them back together. However...I've noticed that while you have the tracks wholly new to Revolution, you don't have a lot of the new variations and transitions it added to existing tracks incorporated, despite that seeming to have been the plan at some stage. Did things change? Was the disparity in quality too much to feel blending them would be up to your standards?

The place this stings the most for me, personally is with The Precipice. The current Gdrive version is missing the new opening from Revolution, as well as the '~Crazy Warship~' segment, to borrow from Raytunes's track names. The version I still hold as my gold standard as far as arrangement, however, is the 'full mix' created by Saxdude26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZKAfotZw8s

Which uses ~Crazy Warship~ as a bridge between ~The Great Escape~ and ~Falling~, as well as blending in the segments from 'Main Theme ~The Great Escape~'. Put all together I think it offers the most cohesive, complete version of the composition, without repeating too many parts in a row. I'd love to hear something like this restored to the kind of quality you've managed to achieve on the Revolution tracks, though I certainly understand it'd be a lot of work.

Sadly, my own skill with audio engineering is next to non-existent, and I don't have the money to buy any of the full/premium versions of the software you recommend, regardless. To say nothing of the matter of time/motivation with how draining just existing can be in the US these days. Still, if you or someone else ever picks up the torch on creating 'full' arrangements, I'd be forever grateful--and I doubt I'd be the only one.

[deton24]

you don't have a lot of the new variations and transitions it added to existing tracks incorporated, despite that seeming to have been the plan at some stage. Did things change? Was the disparity in quality too much to feel blending them would be up to your standards?

I have some minor unreleased stuff requiring some polishing. It has some reprise tracks and lacking segments as separate tracks arranged like at least one as separate in Kooz line-in DC soundtrack. I planned much more, but I need some time and a fresh head for it.
Currently no, Revolution segments can be more or less matched to other versions' standards, but in most cases, I don't have my original projects to work on original masters to preserve the original feel and quality of current remasters while trying to reflect 1:1 Revolution full arrangements, so it might be more about adding new tracks or even segments as new tracks in some proper way.

Thanks for any advice on what's still lacking in the project. I was noting something that's left from time to time, but any specific requests are fully welcome because I lose myself frequently in this mess.
I'm glad you liked the work.

Also, I never wrote about it here, but Eric Chevalier released four tracks in 44kHz and more on his site.
There might be fuller arrangements (can't remember now)
https://ericchevalier.com/jeux-video/

[AniCator]

I recently rediscovered those four tracks Eric uploaded, really cool to hear the Woods of Light (a.k.a. Forest) with the intro and ending in 44.1 kHz.
It's a 320kbps MP3 so the quality is pretty good, but it of course isn't lossless.

EDIT: One thing I am noticing is that it appears to be a slightly different mix, some reverb effects are slightly different.

[deton24]

That's right. Probably the soundtrack we used to know was mixed for the final game somewhere in Ubi Studios, or final multitracks/masters got lost, or simply Mr Chevalier wanted to rework it, and now simply him or someone else did the mixing here more from scratch, maybe even using original stems/multitracks from before that game release period, so maybe it was made from a different session/multitracks/stems, or not, and it was just all intentional to make it sound like that.

[EmielBoss]

Thank you so much for all your hard work! I've used your compilation as a basis to edit and sequence an unofficial soundtrack album, to make it more of a cohesive, tight, naturally flowing listening experience: https://archive.org/details/rayman-2-th ... soundtrack.