Proto Launch Base Zone Act 2 Reinstrumentation V3

At long last the ultimate culmination of 2+ years of effort is here at last.
Ladies and gentlemen I proudly present to you V3 of my Prototype Launch Base Act 2 reinstrumentation project and I think I've truly outdone myself this time.
The whole purpose of this project was to translate the sound of the FM MIDI used in Sonic & Knuckles Collection (this specifically: • Launch Base Act 2 - So... ) to the November 3rd prototype and I feel this is as close as one can get to achieving that and I dare say not only was I successful but this thing is IMO how the Origins version was actually SUPPOSED to sound had SEGA put forth the proper effort and not simply relied on a prototype earlier than 1103 which uses a much older UVB.
I decided to do 2 runs of LBZ2 (S3 version and no SFX) showing both the upper and lower routes for this video so you can hear the song in full.
A different method was used to make this one, I used to simply use Audacity's record function to capture the lead and backing melodies using FL and sync everything else together using recordings. This method was flawed because syncing everything required tempo modifications and things got messy very quick so FL had to go which then presented me with another issue, how do I get the lead and backing melodies?
After looking around I discovered the Sonic 3 & Knuckles music editor rom by TheBlad768 and after toying around with it and the Exodus' audio logging function I discovered that by using this new method not only was the process more streamlined but now the syncing is much more spot-on to how it should be and as such yielded superior results.
Changes:
-Backing instrument combination has been changed one final time and is now organ/trumpet instead of organ/arp I decided to listen to the FM MIDI version again and I'm glad did because it made me aware that the arp was supposed to be a trumpet as well as a few other mistakes that needed to be addressed:
Originally I had it so one backing instrument plays for each part (organ for section A & C arp for section B) this was incorrect. It turns out both backing instruments are used throughout the song so things have been changed accordingly to reflect this, I think you'll agree that section B in particular greatly benefited from this.
-The low volume/echo channel has had its pitch adjusted to match the lead giving a more proper (although very subtle) echo effect.
-The DAC was tweaked once again. For V2 when I was working on the DAC I decided to boost the volume of all of the crash cymbals as well as the toms in section A to give more of an oomph to them. This was a bad idea in hindsight as it made both the crash cymbals and toms too loud and it clashes with the mix, so I started with a fresh version of the DAC and simply added the crash cymbals without touching anything else.
-The 3 notes before Section B in the lead/echo melody has been changed to match Origins/PC. This was literally a last second addition, someone was kind enough to send me the sequence last night so I could add it to the reinstrumentation.
I'll be posting a comparison video with Origins/1103/reinstrumentation 2 hours after the premiere.
I was also working on a 2nd version with a completely different selection of backing instruments however the results weren't satisfactory for what I was trying to do so it ultimately ended up being scrapped.
And with that I am officially considering this project complete, thanks to everyone who's been waiting patiently for this and I hope the results were well worth the wait.
I'd also like to take a final moment to thank some users who assisted me with this, for privacy reasons they have asked not to be named here but rest assured, your insight and feedback throughout all of this was very helpful and I could have never gotten these kinds of results without you.
Tools used:
Exodus
Audacity
Fusion 3.64
Virtualdub
Handbrake

[@2004DMP]

I am glad to have been able to help; you are now a Sonic 3 master.

[@AlexYardZone]

Congrats on the finished product! The main thing I notice is the additional crash cymbal at the start of measure 2.

[@2004DMP]

If you like this you're gonna love what else we have in store 😊