People who get upset over samples clearly have zero idea how samples actually work. People use samples all the time; that's literally what these audio libraries are meant for. I could list any number of my favorite game soundtracks which also use samples. Friggin Undertale and Deltarune's soundtracks technically uses samples, and I don't see anyone crying about their soundtracks. Using a sample masterfully is just as much a part of composition than anything else.
@@DMSwordsmaster mhm - i think the uninformed hate comes from... less reputable musicians that use entire basslines and unedited progressions from other material and claim that theirs is different, and better. but yeah, there's certainly a difference in quality between those 'musicians' and the mastermind himself.
I agree partially. In terms of composing yes, you still need to glue everything together but the so called Silent Hill signature sound is clearly noticeable in those samples before Yamaoka laid hands on it. Not to discredit his work and vision but the vibe was already there is what I'm saying.
im not disappointed at all cause sampling is so fucking cool and i still think akira is a wizard for finding and shaping these types of sound to his own taste
@@shadowdragonx07 Hell yea bro shit is actually art too like Everybody can sample its all cool but like making the sample sound completely fucking new in the context of a new song? That shit's crazy
@@joellemarron3452 1. what you mean by best sounding is completely subjective 2. sampling is still completely fine even if its just composed of one single sample lol its a prevalent thing especially in hip hop
@@CrysisVN In hiphop, yes. But it's focus is on rythm and rap and everyone knows they use samples. Since this is ambient music for an official soundtrack some people had the expectation, that the cool synth and guitar sounds are made by him. That's why it's disappointing to find out. Some tracks are just pitch shifted sample with drums or an extra pad chord. Of course not every track, Heaven's Night / White Noiz for example is still really good in my opinion - I exaggerated a bit in my previous comment. I still like this OST, I just had a different image of the artist before
The fact that Akira Yamaoka managed to take several random samples and make them one cohesive sound really shows his talent. You'd never know he used samples, ableit more obscure ones.
Me when my boyfriend asks me how work is going (? Honestly, the process of exploring sample libraries is one of the cooler things the whole samplong process involves, cuz it's very exciting to see a raw sound with potential and already imagining how you can absolutely obliterate it and alter it for your own purposes.
Fun fact: Zero-G is also known for starting the vocal synthesizer trend, when they helped make the first Vocaloids Leon and Lola, back in 2004! Basically, there is a through line connecting Silent Hill and Hatsune Miku, thank you for coming to my ted talk
About Omnisphere, it's an application for pc and mac, with wide variety of sounds, you can use it as a stand alone application or as a VST instrument inside digital audio work station like reaper or Cubase etc...
@@satanamogila9251 there was some dude in the comments here who left a shitstorm of replies calling yamaoka a hack and insulting his fans a few months ago but I think he deleted a majority of them. Nice woodsman pfp by the way Nvm he didn't delete them they just got buried
Akira yamaoka uses sampling the right way. I've seen people get mad at him sampling but listen to a pop song that just took the same beat, melody, and even chorus from an older pop song and not bat an eye.
It's amazing how you can sometimes not even realize when a sample is used, and how creatively Akira used samples in his music. I will forever be inspired by his work and pure brilliance.
It's really cringey to see comments from people criticizing Akira for not making technical or complex music, like they want. Akira Yamaoka has already said it, he does not intend to create the most complex music in the world, he only wants to transmit the emotions that are being seen during the gameplay, and nothing more.
And he did it greatly. I confess that I feel kinda dissapointed to know he didn't created every detail of the SH soundtracks, but it takes talent and attention to put something together pretty well.
Its the other way around, BT (the producer) sampled that key/note from the song Teardrop (originally released on 1998) and put it on the sample library (2002).
@@djapathy8967 Not exactly. How do you suppose music is made, eletronic music mostly, and sampled music? Well, by using samples from pre-existing media or creating new ones. Using samples to create new songs is legal. In fact, there is a whole genre dedicated to it called Plunderphonics. And you don't even have to credit anyone at all.
Holy shit, ElectroGlurp from A Poke in the Ear with a Sharp Stick was also used by Trent Reznor for the Precursor remix of Closer (the version used in the opening for Se7en)
@@pora-porawell coil is the one that did the Precursor mix, at least Danny Hyde was. The unrecalled one is just a reworking/alt take he put out of the original one.
@@pora-poraAnd I believe there's a bass sample in Into the Depths of Sanctuary from SH4 that's also in KoRn's SH song from Downpour, so my guess is that's also a sample Yamaoka used or KoRn decided to sample it from Yamaoka's track
I'd love to know how Akira comes across the samples. I mean, who would honestly *CASUALLY* listen to a 75 track album of "drum and bass samples" and happen upon one or two tracks and think "EUREKA!". I want to hear more about his process because these samples seem pulled out of nowhere.
@@razmatazz9310I think what he was saying was that it was more impressive that Akira used sounds intended to be used by Drum n Bass producers and re-interpreted them for these dark ambient songs he made. That’s just the art of good sampling.
Professional musician and sound designer here: yes, that's precisely how we come up with samples. I've taken samples from the most random places, it's all about experimenting, taking some random audio from somewhere and manipulating it until it sounds cool. It's as much a talent as it is a skill
this is literally the process mate, you listen to each and all the tracks and take mental notes of which have potential. you experiement with each in a sampler and figure out the reach of the sample.
What’s impressive is how each of these samples - from such a wide spectrum of sounds and textures - were modified and customized to fit with the aesthetic of the game they’re presented in.
Spectrasonics: Distorted Reality 2 and Bizarre Guitar were included in the (incredible) Omnisphere 2 synthesizer I got and I was so excited to stumble upon so many sounds from Silent Hill 2, my favorite game. And yes, people get weirdly upset when you bring up Akira used pre-made samples and patches for most of his ambient, atonal arrangements as if you're implying using samples and patches is a bad thing.
I love that he uses samples tbh. He's just like anyone else, and you can use those samples to make your own beats like the master did, and produce a crazy sound.
“Resting Comfortably” is my favorite Silent Hill song. It’s so eerie but calming at the same time. I’m amazed he was able to create that mood from that sample.
This is incredibly informative, thank you for making this. I had no idea video games back then used sample sets for their soundtracks, I still think Akria is a genius for transforming them into a horror context, the Silent Hill games would not have the same impact without it. also: kinda mental that spectrasonics - distorted reality 2 is literally the spyro 2 soundtrack broken apart
It's literally the Autumn Plains homeworld music lol, weird how a little kids game and a horror game can use the same tools but achieve completely different vibes. Can still totally hear the resemblance in both games tho. Edit: for another Silent Hill track that uses this sample check out "Peace and Serenity". One of my favs.
Nowadays composers and producers use a ton of samoles as well. We don't got sample cd's, we got samplepacks, and there's websties where you can buy a track and download every separate instrument to sample. Even more, I've spent entire afternoons listening to youtube videos with 3 views of high school bands to download and sample.
Mmmh... Hello??? He didn't just put the samples, he added beautiful dream-like music to complete the samples. It is his music that gives sense to this pieces of noise. Akira Yamaoka is an artist just by figuring out how to use this samples to compose the most melancholic and peaceful ST ever.
The fact that the these soundtracks are iconic and nothing has ever really sounded like them since is a testament to Yamaoka's ability to manipulate samples
8:06 the transition from the sample to the piece is insane it goes from a quiet contemplation to a child stuck in memories over an apt he believes is his mother.
You could play those Specrasonics Bizarre Guitar samples just by themselves and I guarantee people would just think they’re Silent Hill tracks. Such a masterful way of incorporating so many of them into SH2’s musical framework that it almost feels like it was always meant to be used in a Silent Hill game. Really like 3:15 especially.
It's just that SH was the highest profile usage of them.I can't hear Stuck in the Middle without thinking of Reservoir Dogs. It's not genius at all, it's just when something gets put in front of millions of people, it becomes a big part of the zeitgeist then embeds itself in memory.
@@trenta.958 no. Akira used ROYALTY FREE sample disks. These disks are made with that intention exactly - for people to use the samples in their music!! It’s stealing if ur sampling somebody else’s music or if you’re copying chord progression/melody (replaying them on different instruments) that is stealing yea or you could call it a “cover” The problem is people use the word “sampling” for everything nowadays. So the term sampling involves royalty free samples (legal) and stealing melodies from others (illegal) But stealing melodies is not sampling. It’s called covering or just plain stealing But using a small 2 second long sample of a synth-chord from a royalty free sample cd is exactly NOT stealing.
@@trenta.958 it’s not, the samples he used were royalty free, but you clearly know nothing about how copyright works, also, you’re clearly a hater, wthat the fuck are you doing here?
@@vibrantdragon3123 Looks like you're new to this? Stewart did in fact make the music for the games. The first four, at least (Spyro 1, 2, 3 and Enter the Dragonfly). I responded four months too late, I know but don't really care. :D
@@XavierXSims Copeland is very hit and miss for me but I do respect his madness. During covid I watched the original Equalizer tv show and he had some crazy scores on that. I also bought a Korg Wavestate a few years back which has a bunch of presets called Copeland-orch which are samples of his orchestra type rhythms, not sure if he was involved or their an homage.
Wow the way this man heard something in these sounds that you would never think to hear and sample it’s so amazing. What a genius. This is some of the best sample work I’ve ever seen… up there with J Dilla and Madlib
Gonna be honest, that's a little disrespectful to J Dilla and Madlib. Both of them were/are way more involved with transforming samples into brand new pieces of work and that doesn't even involve the process of actually crate digging to find those samples. The majority of what Yamaoka did was directly grab a sample from a sound library from a well known company like Spectrasonics or Zero-G and layer it over his own work with slight processing or directly take one of the pad samples to use as his own. Of course the end product is still amazing and is a huge part of my childhood but J Dilla and Madlib are on a completely different tier when it comes to sampling. Especially when you realize they were using MPC's and SP 303's and 404's.
Always interesting seeing game music being broken down like this. Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were pretty interesting. I noticed ‘Cuckooland Ghost Machine’ being used by Yamaoka too.
Most of this albums were made for being “sampled”. They are like now a day libraries, they are compilations of musical resources. That said, it is really interesting to see how he used them!
Are people on here really complaining about samples being used…? Must be people totally unfamiliar with the landscape of electronic music. Samples are cool guys, don’t be weird about it
As you can confirm in the comments, people are extremelly ignorant of almost everything concerning creativity on any industry. Yet keep bragging and consuming whatever influencers keep regurgitating about whatever they don't know about, but was payed to spread. Music is a blessing and using samples are harder than the average player thinks. And oh boy, just like everything beyond just playing anything.
If Akira took the samples as is and did nothing to them, then it would be "cheating" "stealing" etc, but they were reshaped and layered into something entirely different and thus became something different.
I also recognized 5:15 for being used in Xenosaga I's music for UMN Mode. That's so cool! I love seeing all the original covers for the sample libraries, too, really take me back.
Yeah, I recognize that one too. One of the few tracks from the first Xenosaga I actually liked. I thougth that sounded a little uncharacteristic of Mitsuda's style. Now I know why.
I love how Capcom used the same sample that Akira Yamaoka used for “Alone in The Town” in Silent Hill 2 for Lady’s Boss Theme in Devil May Cry 3. Neat and interesting stuff when game composers use similar sound samples for their soundtracks!
8:26 whoa! Interesting, anyone else hear the "All Gone" song by Gustavo Santaolalla from the first The Last of Us soundtrack? Pretty interesting! I doubt he sampled this or heard it but I always love finding similarities/familiarities, even if minor, in music
This is really really cool, thanks for doing this. Distorted Reality is a frikkin gem - especially love Undulater2, which is also a staple for all you Spyro fans out there. I believe that the SEDATION-sample is also used in Forest Trail from SH2 (atleast to my ear). Also, does anyone know the gritty industrial sample when fighting Leonard Wolfe in SH3? It's also used in Half Life 2 (Disrupted Original)
A sample can not only be adapted and given new characteristics but also, in the case of being part of a playable library, used as a musical instrument to create something entirely new. So what's really impressive is his musicality, the way he expresses himself, using different kinds of samples to help him create his original ideas... I find it very inspiring.
Love the creative intro. Awesome video. Great research into the samples too, that's one reason why I love Silent Hill, it's the sound design of the game that's really top quality, with how the radio goes crazy with static the closer you are to a monster and the music which sounds exactly like fear.
It's cool hearing the comparison of the source and what it turned into, some are super similar, and others are barely recognizable... Most, if not ALL of the original samples here are also made TO BE sampled, so that honestly relieved me a lot LOL
Love listing to the sound track of sh 2-3 to this day and still love it!. On those nights where it’s misty out. Can I just say still love the medley of room of angel is by far my favorite of them all.
What’s funny is- this is super nerdy- Akira sampled stuff, and for everyone like me, that is psychotic about remembering horror video games music from 2000-2006, I heard an Akira track sampled in the (pretty poor followup) sequel to Grave Encounters, Grave Encounters 2: Grave Harder, guest directed by what feels like Eli Roth.
It's so cool seeing what inspirations they had at that time and how creative and transformative artist can get making music, also it's so nice diving into the samples and discovering all this sounds
I have even more respect for Akira yamaoka because sampling sounds easy until you realize he painted several masterpieces with small loops and sound bites.
3:51 To this day, the strangest thing I think about "A Stray Child", is that at the very beginning of the song, there's this strange like, almost "Metal Thumping/scraping" Sound? This sound is also heard on the audio that Nasa released of the different kinds of audios that planets give off via radio emissions. Dunno if SH3 just uses the clip from the audio or what, always found that odd though..
Wow, the utilization of the sample at 3:15 is actually crazy. It's what makes me love sampling so much in music, the ability to completely transform the meaning of a sound by using it in a different context.
thank you thank you thaaaaank you for making this video. This blows my mind, knowing that he sampled from outer sources. This makes feel normal, sampling from other sources, using soundfonts, etc....for the longest time I would beat myself for not making an original sound...not anymore :) This means alot to me. Once again, thank you.
Every comment is: “A lot of people hate on the sampling. Idk why. It takes talent!”.... where? Where are all these people doing this? Where are all these comments? Because I’m sure not seeing them. The amount of people complaining... about the people complaining over the sampling is insane. Yet the supply of haters does not meet the demand. Out of all the years I’ve been on SH online communities... I’ve NEVER seen people hate on the sampling. People read this over and over and just assume it’s a popular opinion, even if they’ve never seen it.
People who complained Akira Yamaoka mostly using samples, they probably never heard of Industrial music which AY took inspiration from Throbbing Gristle/Psychic TV and Nine Inch Nails. Industrial music and Hip Hop/Trip Hop music are mostly very sample based music.
this is incredible!!, great job!!, i dont feel disappointed, even with all those samples, you need to be creative enough to make it have a rythm and make you feel an emotion, so i see no problem here!
Ill be greatful that someone out there takes ppls passions and creates unique flare.. its highest form of flattery when you create something completely new from other ppls work and ideas, like the ingredients to a dish, when added to your own might even compliment and increase the creativity of the dish..
I’m super surprised by the comments that people didn’t realize the soundtrack has always been sample heavy. I realized he samples from the very first Silent Hill. The track when Harry meets Cybil in the cafe was such a nod to the Twin Peaks theme.
People that cry about sampling are either elitists or just don't know much about music at all. Half the songs y'all heard have samples in them. It can be as small as one sound or a full song. Point is that it's not the action of sampling that is impressive, it's the intention. The way the artists use it and blend it in with the song they're making. For example Akira. Respect the process.
Wow! Quite interesting! Yamaoka's a great musician indeed, and for me, there's no problem with sampling. Actually I guess It's quite a clever way to create new musical pieces with a sample. Creativity, inspiration and the will to create a special feeling and ambience is vital. Many thanks for sharing! :3
Thanks for the post ! to come back to what some say, Akira Yamaoka uses samples to make his music, but the trip hop, ambient genre is essentially built like that, now everyone can use samples but managing to create something interesting and sufficiently constructive with it is not given to everyone, so to those who criticize, do as much and we'll talk about it again! and then making a full album with only new sound design is extremely long, it's not one or two projects per year that he would do but one every 2 years!
people who don't make music shouldn't comment on sample usage. often times they are ignorant to how much effort still goes into producing music, even with samples.
5:14 I wasn't able to find this particular sample outside of this video, but I immediately recognized that as also being used in Xenosaga 1's UMD mode music.
Sampling effectively like Yamaoka san has done, shows his immense adaptability and talent. Id like to see the people malding about him using these sounds, while trying to make their own soundtrack.
people getting mad a sample was used in place of an instrument should realize you can flip samples many ways to the point it doesn't even sound like the original sample itself
As a long time producer, it's always so cool to learn about the old sample CDs used in some of these big games! God if I could get my hands on some of these legacy sample discs ughghgh. Got lucky and found a small collection on ebay a while back, but they seem hard to find (at least where you don't have to pay $200+ for them!). I know they have a decent collection on internet archive as well, though some of the file formats are pretty specialized for older hardware samplers and can be a pain to convert.
People get upset when they realize Akira Yamaoka used samples, and it shows they’ve never tried to make a song with samples before.
People who get upset over samples clearly have zero idea how samples actually work. People use samples all the time; that's literally what these audio libraries are meant for. I could list any number of my favorite game soundtracks which also use samples.
Friggin Undertale and Deltarune's soundtracks technically uses samples, and I don't see anyone crying about their soundtracks. Using a sample masterfully is just as much a part of composition than anything else.
@@DMSwordsmaster mhm - i think the uninformed hate comes from... less reputable musicians that use entire basslines and unedited progressions from other material and claim that theirs is different, and better.
but yeah, there's certainly a difference in quality between those 'musicians' and the mastermind himself.
every game on the snes uses samples-
Now I want to know how they think of Daft Punk, and they sample *actual songs*
I agree partially. In terms of composing yes, you still need to glue everything together but the so called Silent Hill signature sound is clearly noticeable in those samples before Yamaoka laid hands on it. Not to discredit his work and vision but the vibe was already there is what I'm saying.
im not disappointed at all cause sampling is so fucking cool and i still think akira is a wizard for finding and shaping these types of sound to his own taste
chyea i was gonna say htf chu gonna get mad for useing sample sounds tu make somting OG am i right 🤔
@@shadowdragonx07 Hell yea bro shit is actually art too like Everybody can sample its all cool but like making the sample sound completely fucking new in the context of a new song? That shit's crazy
good thing this 'wizard' found "bizzare guitar" and "distorted reality" 1 and 2, because all of his best sounding tracks are only composed of that
@@joellemarron3452 1. what you mean by best sounding is completely subjective 2. sampling is still completely fine even if its just composed of one single sample lol its a prevalent thing especially in hip hop
@@CrysisVN In hiphop, yes. But it's focus is on rythm and rap and everyone knows they use samples. Since this is ambient music for an official soundtrack some people had the expectation, that the cool synth and guitar sounds are made by him. That's why it's disappointing to find out. Some tracks are just pitch shifted sample with drums or an extra pad chord. Of course not every track, Heaven's Night / White Noiz for example is still really good in my opinion - I exaggerated a bit in my previous comment. I still like this OST, I just had a different image of the artist before
The fact that Akira Yamaoka managed to take several random samples and make them one cohesive sound really shows his talent. You'd never know he used samples, ableit more obscure ones.
Not that random considering these sounds were literally made to be sampled
@@alphalax7747point still stands
The meat riding is crazy
I think Akira yamaoka Is a genius the most scary to silent Hill is the sound, the soundtrack
@@BruhNuts87 ikr? The music is great, but that's some stan shit right there. All people want is to lick boots of their favorite creators.
I imagine someone doing one of those "what are you listening to" videos and Akira just casually listening to "A Poke in the Ear with a Sharp Stick"
Me when my boyfriend asks me how work is going (?
Honestly, the process of exploring sample libraries is one of the cooler things the whole samplong process involves, cuz it's very exciting to see a raw sound with potential and already imagining how you can absolutely obliterate it and alter it for your own purposes.
THat one also appears in a NIN's Closer version that was used in the movie Se7en iirc
Jooo. Niezły odpał.
8:08 Akira Yamaoka turned this
8:14 to this... Beautiful.
Yeah .a genius
Examples like that are exactly why I must disagree with the people making him out to be some talentless hack in these comments
just pitched it down lol
there are by far better examples in this video. this one is just pitched down
Yeah. I just tried replicating what he did. I couldn't do it in the 2 minutes I played around with it. It would take some time
I was expecting the samples to be the non-creepy and non-distorted versions but they are just as fucked up and unnerving
Look up Glitchmachines' sample packs, those things are GOLD.
@@ambars_lairnice got anymore suggestions
Fun fact: Zero-G is also known for starting the vocal synthesizer trend, when they helped make the first Vocaloids Leon and Lola, back in 2004! Basically, there is a through line connecting Silent Hill and Hatsune Miku, thank you for coming to my ted talk
amen
Leon and Lola. Hmm, I'll have too look them up
Silent Hill and Hatsune Miku, now that's a weird combination
@@nodeberiaestaraqui93 Do you think she would have eaten pizza with Eddie
@@SnorlaxNumber143 lmao no
This proves that everyone takes his inspiration somewhere. Don't be ashamed when you feel inspired by something, that's how the masterpieces are done.
man this is gold, I'm a sound designer and I have all these library's
Impressive, you know where i could find these cds ?
😅folliwing for answer
Ayo
Also expecting info lol
About Omnisphere, it's an application for pc and mac, with wide variety of sounds, you can use it as a stand alone application or as a VST instrument inside digital audio work station like reaper or Cubase etc...
Those bitching about using samples, I bet you could have all the samples he used and wouldn’t have any idea of how using them like Akira did...
Who's bitching about samples?
@@satanamogila9251 there was some dude in the comments here who left a shitstorm of replies calling yamaoka a hack and insulting his fans a few months ago but I think he deleted a majority of them. Nice woodsman pfp by the way
Nvm he didn't delete them they just got buried
Curb Your grammar or you'll end up like jennifer garner Whoever you are haters 🖕
@@cutecat3662 Heed to your own advice, hypocrite.
Soundcloud Eyesthatburnthemind- Nightmare world
Akira yamaoka uses sampling the right way. I've seen people get mad at him sampling but listen to a pop song that just took the same beat, melody, and even chorus from an older pop song and not bat an eye.
Errrm but you have to be so heckin skilled to play an instrument !!!
It's amazing how you can sometimes not even realize when a sample is used, and how creatively Akira used samples in his music. I will forever be inspired by his work and pure brilliance.
And they forgot something very important her: His point was to make an ambiance for a game, not to make music for listening like Mickael Jackson.
It's really cringey to see comments from people criticizing Akira for not making technical or complex music, like they want. Akira Yamaoka has already said it, he does not intend to create the most complex music in the world, he only wants to transmit the emotions that are being seen during the gameplay, and nothing more.
And he did it greatly. I confess that I feel kinda dissapointed to know he didn't created every detail of the SH soundtracks, but it takes talent and attention to put something together pretty well.
0:38 Nearly 20 years later, and I can still remember the first time hearing that sound walking up the stairs to the 3rd floor of Woodside Apartments!
6:10 I recognize that sample that was used. It was also used in Massive Attack's "Teardrop".
sounds like rhe begining of Dissolved Girl
Its the other way around, BT (the producer) sampled that key/note from the song Teardrop (originally released on 1998) and put it on the sample library (2002).
Glad someone else noticed it
@@AvithOrtegasounds like copyright infringement lol
@@djapathy8967 Not exactly. How do you suppose music is made, eletronic music mostly, and sampled music? Well, by using samples from pre-existing media or creating new ones. Using samples to create new songs is legal. In fact, there is a whole genre dedicated to it called Plunderphonics. And you don't even have to credit anyone at all.
Holy shit, ElectroGlurp from A Poke in the Ear with a Sharp Stick was also used by Trent Reznor for the Precursor remix of Closer (the version used in the opening for Se7en)
Yeah, glitched me for a second there too. Same sample's in the Unrecalled version by Coil, go guess which's first.
@@pora-porawell coil is the one that did the Precursor mix, at least Danny Hyde was. The unrecalled one is just a reworking/alt take he put out of the original one.
@@pora-poraAnd I believe there's a bass sample in Into the Depths of Sanctuary from SH4 that's also in KoRn's SH song from Downpour, so my guess is that's also a sample Yamaoka used or KoRn decided to sample it from Yamaoka's track
the song of day of night was made with lapland and sleepcycle1 reversed i think, good recopilation of samples, salute :p
Yup indeed it was hehe :)
Drack! My hero!
Ah yes lappland the wolf girl
I'd love to know how Akira comes across the samples. I mean, who would honestly *CASUALLY* listen to a 75 track album of "drum and bass samples" and happen upon one or two tracks and think "EUREKA!".
I want to hear more about his process because these samples seem pulled out of nowhere.
That's probably exactly how it happened. They are SAMPLE CDs after all, and made for this purpose.
@@razmatazz9310I think what he was saying was that it was more impressive that Akira used sounds intended to be used by Drum n Bass producers and re-interpreted them for these dark ambient songs he made. That’s just the art of good sampling.
Professional musician and sound designer here: yes, that's precisely how we come up with samples. I've taken samples from the most random places, it's all about experimenting, taking some random audio from somewhere and manipulating it until it sounds cool. It's as much a talent as it is a skill
this is literally the process mate, you listen to each and all the tracks and take mental notes of which have potential. you experiement with each in a sampler and figure out the reach of the sample.
funny enough i use a similar process for searchjng for sound effects
0:27 was also sampled for Nine Inch Nails remix of their song, titled Closer, which was also used in the Se7en movie!
Remixed by Coil as Closer (Precursor) to be exact!
What’s impressive is how each of these samples - from such a wide spectrum of sounds and textures - were modified and customized to fit with the aesthetic of the game they’re presented in.
Spectrasonics: Distorted Reality 2 and Bizarre Guitar were included in the (incredible) Omnisphere 2 synthesizer I got and I was so excited to stumble upon so many sounds from Silent Hill 2, my favorite game.
And yes, people get weirdly upset when you bring up Akira used pre-made samples and patches for most of his ambient, atonal arrangements as if you're implying using samples and patches is a bad thing.
I love that he uses samples tbh. He's just like anyone else, and you can use those samples to make your own beats like the master did, and produce a crazy sound.
Nearly 100% of those upset are not working professional musicians or producers. It’s the uninformed outsiders looking in.
Sample Haters when the musician uses standard tuning instead of coming up with their own original A-G chords.
Even RDJ (Aphex Twin) used samples. Why the fuss.
@@ONOBITCH yes. Yes we do c:
6:31 this one is also used in Spyro Ripto's Rage, for the Idol Springs/Fracture Hills level
I thought so! It's my favorite Spyro music.
Spiderman Enter Electro - Shocker Theme
Also Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Sad Monster
“Resting Comfortably” is my favorite Silent Hill song. It’s so eerie but calming at the same time. I’m amazed he was able to create that mood from that sample.
This is incredibly informative, thank you for making this. I had no idea video games back then used sample sets for their soundtracks, I still think Akria is a genius for transforming them into a horror context, the Silent Hill games would not have the same impact without it.
also: kinda mental that spectrasonics - distorted reality 2 is literally the spyro 2 soundtrack broken apart
Most games (if not every game) of the late 90s until at least the early 2000s used samples from synths or sample libraries.
It's literally the Autumn Plains homeworld music lol, weird how a little kids game and a horror game can use the same tools but achieve completely different vibes. Can still totally hear the resemblance in both games tho.
Edit: for another Silent Hill track that uses this sample check out "Peace and Serenity". One of my favs.
Nowadays composers and producers use a ton of samoles as well. We don't got sample cd's, we got samplepacks, and there's websties where you can buy a track and download every separate instrument to sample.
Even more, I've spent entire afternoons listening to youtube videos with 3 views of high school bands to download and sample.
Mmmh... Hello??? He didn't just put the samples, he added beautiful dream-like music to complete the samples. It is his music that gives sense to this pieces of noise. Akira Yamaoka is an artist just by figuring out how to use this samples to compose the most melancholic and peaceful ST ever.
Indeed. It's certainly not just a random mash-up of samples. He has clearly manipulated them and added his own flavor to it, creating his own vision.
The fact that the these soundtracks are iconic and nothing has ever really sounded like them since is a testament to Yamaoka's ability to manipulate samples
Suddenly Akira Yamaoka isn’t a genius to me anymore, but rather a master.
8:06 the transition from the sample to the piece is insane it goes from a quiet contemplation to a child stuck in memories over an apt he believes is his mother.
You could play those Specrasonics Bizarre Guitar samples just by themselves and I guarantee people would just think they’re Silent Hill tracks. Such a masterful way of incorporating so many of them into SH2’s musical framework that it almost feels like it was always meant to be used in a Silent Hill game. Really like 3:15 especially.
Also if I was a kid those album photos also would scare the living shit out of me haha
It's just that SH was the highest profile usage of them.I can't hear Stuck in the Middle without thinking of Reservoir Dogs. It's not genius at all, it's just when something gets put in front of millions of people, it becomes a big part of the zeitgeist then embeds itself in memory.
this is really cool! the man knows how to use a sample
@@trenta.958 L O L
@@trenta.958 no.
Akira used ROYALTY FREE sample disks. These disks are made with that intention exactly - for people to use the samples in their music!!
It’s stealing if ur sampling somebody else’s music or if you’re copying chord progression/melody (replaying them on different instruments) that is stealing yea or you could call it a “cover”
The problem is people use the word “sampling” for everything nowadays. So the term sampling involves royalty free samples (legal) and stealing melodies from others (illegal)
But stealing melodies is not sampling. It’s called covering or just plain stealing
But using a small 2 second long sample of a synth-chord from a royalty free sample cd is exactly NOT stealing.
@@trenta.958 it’s not, the samples he used were royalty free, but you clearly know nothing about how copyright works, also, you’re clearly a hater, wthat the fuck are you doing here?
2 months later and i’m still astounded at how anyone could consider royalty free sampling on the same proportion with stealing
@@trenta.958 boo
6:31 Oh, hey! I recognize that sample, Stewart Copeland used it multiple times in his Spyro soundtracks. Neat!
Wooooww wait did stewart copeland made spyro soundtrack?
@@vibrantdragon3123 Looks like you're new to this? Stewart did in fact make the music for the games. The first four, at least (Spyro 1, 2, 3 and Enter the Dragonfly). I responded four months too late, I know but don't really care. :D
@@XavierXSims Copeland is very hit and miss for me but I do respect his madness. During covid I watched the original Equalizer tv show and he had some crazy scores on that.
I also bought a Korg Wavestate a few years back which has a bunch of presets called Copeland-orch which are samples of his orchestra type rhythms, not sure if he was involved or their an homage.
Wow the way this man heard something in these sounds that you would never think to hear and sample it’s so amazing. What a genius. This is some of the best sample work I’ve ever seen… up there with J Dilla and Madlib
Gonna be honest, that's a little disrespectful to J Dilla and Madlib. Both of them were/are way more involved with transforming samples into brand new pieces of work and that doesn't even involve the process of actually crate digging to find those samples. The majority of what Yamaoka did was directly grab a sample from a sound library from a well known company like Spectrasonics or Zero-G and layer it over his own work with slight processing or directly take one of the pad samples to use as his own. Of course the end product is still amazing and is a huge part of my childhood but J Dilla and Madlib are on a completely different tier when it comes to sampling. Especially when you realize they were using MPC's and SP 303's and 404's.
Always interesting seeing game music being broken down like this.
Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were pretty interesting. I noticed ‘Cuckooland Ghost Machine’ being used by Yamaoka too.
Postal 1 aswell!
never knew yamaoka used samples, but in retrospect in makes sense. it only gives me even more respect for his work. sampling is an art in itself
8:26 also used in the main theme song of the TV show “Breaking Bad”.
Very inspiring for any music producer
5:30 AMBATACAN
0:20 i kinda knew it was from a sample pack, but the idea of Akira Yamaoka going into a dentist office and recording a drill is funny to me
Anybody who complains about the mere fact that Yamaoka used samples has CLEARLY never listened to a single DJ Shadow song.
Most of this albums were made for being “sampled”. They are like now a day libraries, they are compilations of musical resources. That said, it is really interesting to see how he used them!
Are people on here really complaining about samples being used…? Must be people totally unfamiliar with the landscape of electronic music. Samples are cool guys, don’t be weird about it
do people think samples are cheating or something? lmao that's not how music works. samples are tools.
It doesn't seem to be common knowledge. In the case of Akira Yamaoka, he was tasking audio libraries designed for the sole purpose of being sampled.
As you can confirm in the comments, people are extremelly ignorant of almost everything concerning creativity on any industry. Yet keep bragging and consuming whatever influencers keep regurgitating about whatever they don't know about, but was payed to spread. Music is a blessing and using samples are harder than the average player thinks. And oh boy, just like everything beyond just playing anything.
It's like saying if you used a guitar then you cheated because you didn't make the guitar yourself
If Akira took the samples as is and did nothing to them, then it would be "cheating" "stealing" etc, but they were reshaped and layered into something entirely different and thus became something different.
I also recognized 5:15 for being used in Xenosaga I's music for UMN Mode. That's so cool! I love seeing all the original covers for the sample libraries, too, really take me back.
Yeah, I recognize that one too. One of the few tracks from the first Xenosaga I actually liked. I thougth that sounded a little uncharacteristic of Mitsuda's style. Now I know why.
Whoops I just made this comment too, wasn't expecting to find other Xenosaga fans here. Dozens of us!!
1:54 this one was also used in sh origins
In "White lies"
And in SH Homecoming's "The Terminal Show". I guess its such a great sample he had to use it over and over! x)
Yeah last I checked the title said 1-4.
@@locki_dos I know, I just said it was ALSO used in origins
The more time passes, the more we find out about this series. Amazing
looking up these samples just made me found out about eric persing and how he might be one of the greatest musicians of all time
I love how Capcom used the same sample that Akira Yamaoka used for “Alone in The Town” in Silent Hill 2 for Lady’s Boss Theme in Devil May Cry 3. Neat and interesting stuff when game composers use similar sound samples for their soundtracks!
8:26 whoa! Interesting, anyone else hear the "All Gone" song by Gustavo Santaolalla from the first The Last of Us soundtrack? Pretty interesting! I doubt he sampled this or heard it but I always love finding similarities/familiarities, even if minor, in music
You're right
omg yes
Wow, yeah! Good catch.
I wish Yamaoka made more music like this. Need more stuff like that
This is really really cool, thanks for doing this.
Distorted Reality is a frikkin gem - especially love Undulater2, which is also a staple for all you Spyro fans out there.
I believe that the SEDATION-sample is also used in Forest Trail from SH2 (atleast to my ear).
Also, does anyone know the gritty industrial sample when fighting Leonard Wolfe in SH3? It's also used in Half Life 2 (Disrupted Original)
this video is by itself an excellent sample library. Every sample is a seed one can use to create something new
A sample can not only be adapted and given new characteristics but also, in the case of being part of a playable library, used as a musical instrument to create something entirely new. So what's really impressive is his musicality, the way he expresses himself, using different kinds of samples to help him create his original ideas... I find it very inspiring.
Love the creative intro. Awesome video. Great research into the samples too, that's one reason why I love Silent Hill, it's the sound design of the game that's really top quality, with how the radio goes crazy with static the closer you are to a monster and the music which sounds exactly like fear.
I‘m almost glad that he used samples. Years ago I got the most of these samples as well to make some own Silent Hillish music.
That's awesome 👀👏
It's cool hearing the comparison of the source and what it turned into, some are super similar, and others are barely recognizable... Most, if not ALL of the original samples here are also made TO BE sampled, so that honestly relieved me a lot LOL
Love listing to the sound track of sh 2-3 to this day and still love it!. On those nights where it’s misty out. Can I just say still love the medley of room of angel is by far my favorite of them all.
Akira is self taught.
Let that sink in.
OK it's in. Do you want me to install it?
@@chunkytomatosoup1826Yes please.
This is amazing and so interesting good job finding them. I think the music for these games are art themselves
The people upset at this clearly don't understand an artist's creative process.
They think that "sampling" only means using a part of another existing song. I don't think they know what sample libraries and sample packs are
What’s funny is- this is super nerdy- Akira sampled stuff, and for everyone like me, that is psychotic about remembering horror video games music from 2000-2006, I heard an Akira track sampled in the (pretty poor followup) sequel to Grave Encounters, Grave Encounters 2: Grave Harder, guest directed by what feels like Eli Roth.
This format is so cool
Who'd have ever thunk a rough guitar pull would sound like a SAW trap spring?
*Goes to show how masterful their sound design really was/is.*
It's so cool seeing what inspirations they had at that time and how creative and transformative artist can get making music, also it's so nice diving into the samples and discovering all this sounds
I have even more respect for Akira yamaoka because sampling sounds easy until you realize he painted several masterpieces with small loops and sound bites.
3:51 To this day, the strangest thing I think about "A Stray Child", is that at the very beginning of the song, there's this strange like, almost "Metal Thumping/scraping" Sound?
This sound is also heard on the audio that Nasa released of the different kinds of audios that planets give off via radio emissions. Dunno if SH3 just uses the clip from the audio or what, always found that odd though..
This is one of those comment sections where it feels like you could scroll forever and never find "all the people complaining".
Wow, the utilization of the sample at 3:15 is actually crazy. It's what makes me love sampling so much in music, the ability to completely transform the meaning of a sound by using it in a different context.
bruh it pitch up and sped up added sum some drum you got that
@@Lovehateismyonlyname Nah.
thank you thank you thaaaaank you for making this video. This blows my mind, knowing that he sampled from outer sources. This makes feel normal, sampling from other sources, using soundfonts, etc....for the longest time I would beat myself for not making an original sound...not anymore :) This means alot to me. Once again, thank you.
I'm kinda happy for you 😅
@@gorlygorl1575 Don't write same comment twice.
@@gorlygorl1575 Don't write same comment twice.
@@namelastname5267 I don't know why it was posted twice
Everything is based on something, no shame in inspiration!
People get mad over sampling? That’s like getting mad at J Dilla for being one of the greatest producers of all time.
Every comment is: “A lot of people hate on the sampling. Idk why. It takes talent!”.... where? Where are all these people doing this? Where are all these comments? Because I’m sure not seeing them. The amount of people complaining... about the people complaining over the sampling is insane. Yet the supply of haters does not meet the demand. Out of all the years I’ve been on SH online communities... I’ve NEVER seen people hate on the sampling. People read this over and over and just assume it’s a popular opinion, even if they’ve never seen it.
Some people see one comment and make it out as if it's everywhere.
1:36 sewerslvt made me think that there would be an amen break segment
People who complained Akira Yamaoka mostly using samples, they probably never heard of Industrial music which AY took inspiration from Throbbing Gristle/Psychic TV and Nine Inch Nails. Industrial music and Hip Hop/Trip Hop music are mostly very sample based music.
Excelente, me gustó demasiado ver el giro que le dió Akira a estos samples
this is incredible!!, great job!!, i dont feel disappointed, even with all those samples, you need to be creative enough to make it have a rythm and make you feel an emotion, so i see no problem here!
This is amazing
I absolutely love Akira Yamaoka and is good see the inspiration for these legendary themes
The sample from :45 is so dear to me. Akira, God bless you for digging to find these samples. Still makes my eyes grow damp.
this is sacred, you did a beautiful work in this video, for those who loves Yamaoka this is a bible, thanks
Ill be greatful that someone out there takes ppls passions and creates unique flare.. its highest form of flattery when you create something completely new from other ppls work and ideas, like the ingredients to a dish, when added to your own might even compliment and increase the creativity of the dish..
I’m super surprised by the comments that people didn’t realize the soundtrack has always been sample heavy. I realized he samples from the very first Silent Hill. The track when Harry meets Cybil in the cafe was such a nod to the Twin Peaks theme.
People that cry about sampling are either elitists or just don't know much about music at all. Half the songs y'all heard have samples in them. It can be as small as one sound or a full song. Point is that it's not the action of sampling that is impressive, it's the intention. The way the artists use it and blend it in with the song they're making. For example Akira. Respect the process.
0:44 a world of madness 2:42 white noiz
the 2 silent hill 2 songs i ever listened to fully
Same they so relaxing and eerie to me that and claw finger from SH1
and Day of Night guys 🤝
0:23 Closer (Precursor) also uses this sample
"So what kind of music do you listen to?"
"Its complicated..."
I've been looking for these sample packs for a very long time. thank you
Wow! Quite interesting! Yamaoka's a great musician indeed, and for me, there's no problem with sampling. Actually I guess It's quite a clever way to create new musical pieces with a sample. Creativity, inspiration and the will to create a special feeling and ambience is vital. Many thanks for sharing! :3
Beautiful use of this samples
Thanks for the post ! to come back to what some say, Akira Yamaoka uses samples to make his music, but the trip hop, ambient genre is essentially built like that, now everyone can use samples but managing to create something interesting and sufficiently constructive with it is not given to everyone, so to those who criticize, do as much and we'll talk about it again! and then making a full album with only new sound design is extremely long, it's not one or two projects per year that he would do but one every 2 years!
This is so incredibly cool thank you for making this
people who don't make music shouldn't comment on sample usage. often times they are ignorant to how much effort still goes into producing music, even with samples.
@@neetsamurai all i know is his silent hill OST work. I don't care about whatever else he's releasing. He's not my idol. hop off his johnson
All these ambient songs that were sampled definitely have a surreal creepy sound on their own
I got to get a hold of those atmospheric albums, they'll be trippy as hell to listen to at night or during a storm.
When I read «used samples» I was disappointed. Then I listened to all of them and was like «THAT’S WHY HE’S THE GOAT! THE GOAAAT!
The Silent Hill 2 Heavens Night OST is my favourite ❄️
5:14 I wasn't able to find this particular sample outside of this video, but I immediately recognized that as also being used in Xenosaga 1's UMD mode music.
Sampling effectively like Yamaoka san has done, shows his immense adaptability and talent. Id like to see the people malding about him using these sounds, while trying to make their own soundtrack.
people getting mad a sample was used in place of an instrument should realize you can flip samples many ways to the point it doesn't even sound like the original sample itself
As a long time producer, it's always so cool to learn about the old sample CDs used in some of these big games! God if I could get my hands on some of these legacy sample discs ughghgh. Got lucky and found a small collection on ebay a while back, but they seem hard to find (at least where you don't have to pay $200+ for them!). I know they have a decent collection on internet archive as well, though some of the file formats are pretty specialized for older hardware samplers and can be a pain to convert.
This is one of the coolest videos I’ve stumbled upon. It’s so neat seeing the sources of his material.
0:23 This sample was also used by Nine Inch Nails in the Precursor remix of 'Closer'.
Industrial trip-hop is a hell of a thing.