Which Sonic CD soundtrack do you prefer?

[Oizo]

The US soundtrack is massive, but I definatly prefer the Japanese one, this soundtrack is pretty near from the music that i've got on my iPod, it's way more groovy, powerful, and very inspiring.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Oizo

[Chaos Warp]

Looking through this, I am actually surprised how many people prefer the US version. I always thought that the general opinion of the fanbase was that the JP/EU soundtrack beat the US soundtrack.

[Sean]

The elitism that particular JP soundtrack fans have over the US ones is astounding. When it was initially announced that the 2011 release of Sonic CD would only have the Japanese soundtrack, you can almost taste said fans' air of self-imposed victory.

I don't see this kind of attitude displayed by US soundtrack supporters over the JP supporters. So what's the deal?

[Blue Blood]

The elitism that particular JP soundtrack fans have over the US ones is astounding. When it was initially announced that the 2011 release of Sonic CD would only have the Japanese soundtrack, you can almost taste said fans' air of self-imposed victory.

I don't see this kind of attitude displayed by US soundtrack supporters over the JP supporters. So what's the deal?

Because all US soundtrack supporters are just contrarians and deep down you all know you're wrong.

*hides*

[Luigi]

You cannot prefer this:

Over this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1_Wu71LU-I

The American track definitely fit the darker atmosphere of the race. I'd much rather race to the sound of a heavy metal guitar, over a jazzy piano with orgasms in the background.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Luigi

[Dr. Mechano]

You cannot prefer this:

{video}

Over this:

{video}

The American track definitely fit the darker atmosphere of the race. I'd much rather race to the sound of a heavy metal guitar, over a jazzy piano with orgasms in the background.

I can and I do prefer the Japanese soundtrack, particularly for Stardust Speedway. In this thread, opinions!

I prefer the Japanese soundtrack overall. It fits the Sega universe's overall feel a lot better, whereas the US soundtrack evokes a very "SatAM-esque" vibe overall, in my opinion. Not that it's bad music, but I feel the Japanese tracks fit the intended mood of the game a lot better, particularly when it comes to Eggman's music.

Wacky Workbench is the sole exception; I actually like its US tracks better, as they have the sort of funky style I'd expect out of the Japanese version.

EDIT: I feel like the soundtrack debate is less about quality of music, per se, although that's an aspect of it. I think it's more about our notions of what classic Sonic's atmosphere actually was.

To an SoJ fan, Sonic CD's plot was a wacky time travel romp wherein Eggman tried to establish his own statue-filled egotistical empire on Little Planet, assisted by a robotic double of his nemesis, and... that's about it. SoA fans tend to regard CD's story as being more about the corrupt Dr. Robotnik enslaving the purity of nature for its own sake, or something along those lines, and ergo gravitate toward the darker feel of the US soundtrack.

Not a perfect correlation, but I think it's a significant one. Fans of the SoJ storyline prefer the Japanese soundtrack, and likewise fans of the SoA storyline typically prefer the American one. As a Japanese continuity fan, my choice is unsurprising.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Dr. Mechano

[Octarine]

You cannot prefer this:

[JP Stardust Speedway Bad Future]

Over this:

[uS Stardust Speedway Bad Future]

I can, because sirens. Every song needs sirens in it.

I played CD for the first time with the American soundtrack, but that was only a few years ago, so I never really got attached to it. I've come to like both soundtracks about equally, though I have a slight bias toward the JP/EU soundtrack for being more consistent with the past versions of the songs, since I apparently have soundtrack OCD. It also has the far superior version of Collision Chaos, which is totally the best song to have come out of either version and one of my favourite songs in the franchise.

But really, it varies on a song-by-song basis for me. I prefer the US versions of Palmtree Panic and Tidal Tempest by a small margin, but the bouncy, fun JP version of the boss music is considerably better than its counterpart (and the JP soundtrack wins by default on the final boss for actually having a separate track for it). I like the vocal version of Sonic Boom better than You Can Do Anything, but the title screen version of YCDA works better than the Sonic Boom instrumental. I'm hard pressed to remember either version's special stage music. So on and so forth.

EDIT: Am I even allowed to proclaim that I've been ninja'd when I'm seventeen minutes late? In this thread, Octarine types really really slowly.

Edited January 28, 2012 by Octarine

[Blue Blood]

You cannot prefer this:

*Stardust Speedway BF JPN*

Over this:

*Stardust Speedway BF US*

The American track definitely fit the darker atmosphere of the race. I'd much rather race to the sound of a heavy metal guitar, over a jazzy piano with orgasms in the background.

I can and most definitely do. There's an energy to the JPN one that makes it fitting of a race. Yeah I'm not going to deny it's a bit jazzy and upbeat for Metal Sonic, but it still fits the stage and game in general. I can't say I feel the same way about the US one at all, where it's hard to even find a melody.

[Tornado]

You cannot prefer this:

Over this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1_Wu71LU-I

The American track definitely fit the darker atmosphere of the race. I'd much rather race to the sound of a heavy metal guitar, over a jazzy piano with orgasms in the background.

It's funny, because the two Stardust Speedway Future songs are some of the few NTSC-J tracks that even I think piss all over the NTSC-U ones.

Edited January 28, 2012 by Celestia

[Dr. Mechano]

I can't say I feel the same way about the US one at all, where it's hard to even find a melody.

This.

This was one of my issues with the US soundtrack, which was present in most (Not all; Tidal Tempest and Wacky Workbench had jammin' melodic music) levels.

The music was atmospheric, but so much so that it generally lacked any sort of catchiness or tune most of the time. And don't get me wrong, I like it as music on its own merits just fine, and I can appreciate the subtle atmospheric direction they were going for with it. However, I feel that it's somewhat unfitting in a Sonic game.

Edited January 28, 2012 by Dr. Mechano

[Meow]

I like both about the same. There are tracks on both soundtracks that I like, and that I dislike. They're both good to me.

[KazunaRei]

You cannot prefer this:

Over this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1_Wu71LU-I

The American track definitely fit the darker atmosphere of the race. I'd much rather race to the sound of a heavy metal guitar, over a jazzy piano with orgasms in the background.

You know I kinda see it like this:

For the Bad Future race the US soundtrack is more fitting. For the Good Future race the JP soundtrack is more fitting. :3

[Blue Blood]

You know I kinda see it like this:

For the Bad Future race the US soundtrack is more fitting. For the Good Future race the JP soundtrack is more fitting. :3

In the Japanese version the race music always switches to bad future. It doesn't in the American version (though does by mistake in the 2011 remake).

[Dr. Mechano]

For the Bad Future race the US soundtrack is more fitting. For the Good Future race the JP soundtrack is more fitting. :3

I almost feel the opposite.

The JP song has more of a bombastic vibe that screams "Whoa! Eggman's​ here! And he's built a giant gold statue of himself, and his robots are everywhere!" Meanwhile, the US one fits the more serene atmosphere of the Eggman-less good future.

[Vertekins]

I think that both the US and JP/EU songs for Stardust Speedway Good Future got across different aspect expertly.

JP/EU sounds like a dreck of a city where anarchy and discord reigns, epitomized in the unnatural, lurid pink light and constant lightning and skies filled with red smog. The siren-like sounds in it evokes imagery of police cars tackling crime in an evil metropolis.

US sounds like an evil metropolis where the citizens live in despair over the state of their surroundings though the feminine voice effects. I envision from the notes a kind of disbelief regarding what this zone has become in all of it's horridness.

They're very appropriate in their own ways but the JP/EU theme strikes more of a chord with me because it's more fast-paced, it has a perfect tempo to it, it corresponds with the sheer speed you can reach in the stage as well as the race with Metal Sonic.

[VO.SUPER]

This was my first time playing Sonic CD with the JP track (I only heard it before through music alone) and I must say, I was disappointed. I love the JP track as this funky and upbeat track to match Sonic CD. But I guess my imagination was wilder than it. The track sounded oddly quiet and the flaws of the levels made them seem less intimidating and crazy.

If anything, I've grown some distaste over certain elements of the track. For starters, that woman who kept singing during FInal Fury got me infuriated. I heard Final Fury behind her voice and it sounded great. Why was she there? At least Spencer's singers didn't get in the way of the song.

I almost feel the opposite.

The JP song has more of a bombastic vibe that screams "Whoa! Eggman's​ here! And he's built a giant gold statue of himself, and his robots are everywhere!" Meanwhile, the US one fits the more serene atmosphere of the Eggman-less good future.

I felt Eggman set up a rave with a drunk guy trying to imitate a dolphin. (Doesn't make me love the song less, mind you.)

Edited January 28, 2012 by VisionaryBlur

[Carbo]

EDIT: I feel like the soundtrack debate is less about quality of music, per se, although that's an aspect of it. I think it's more about our notions of what classic Sonic's atmosphere actually was.

To an SoJ fan, Sonic CD's plot was a wacky time travel romp wherein Eggman tried to establish his own statue-filled egotistical empire on Little Planet, assisted by a robotic double of his nemesis, and... that's about it. SoA fans tend to regard CD's story as being more about the corrupt Dr. Robotnik enslaving the purity of nature for its own sake, or something along those lines, and ergo gravitate toward the darker feel of the US soundtrack.

Not a perfect correlation, but I think it's a significant one. Fans of the SoJ storyline prefer the Japanese soundtrack, and likewise fans of the SoA storyline typically prefer the American one. As a Japanese continuity fan, my choice is unsurprising.

I honestly think the context you're envisioning here is giving fans a tad too much credit in regards to what opinions people have on regional "canon". I could give a lesser crap about what origins each region shaped for each other, and I still prefer the US soundtrack even if I've accepted JP's canon as the basis for all Sonic stories, and I can't say I'm a big fan of whatever the US churned out in their cartoons and comics back in the day.

Which ironically considering AoSTH and the original Archie comics was far more whimsical than the Japanese games were with their attempts at crafting "deep" plot backgro- Holy fuck no this is stupid and I'm not talking about this anymore.

[Gaming Misfit]

While I certainly love both, I have to say I like the JAP/EU version much more.

The Japanese and European version has some more zany and over the top beats to it. There's some crazy sound effects thrown in there (little children cheering, evil laughter, random rapping, etc.) and it's very intense and crazy sounding, I like that alot.

The US version is a bit more like the other soundtracks in the Genesis titles. More calm, lucid themes that go well with the environments. There's also a tad of rock beat thrown in the mix, which I love. Some level's music can go from being a calm environmental theme to a retro-head-banger style.

An example where I love BOTH is easily seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQClUnku80E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhrAiXz7tKM

In the end though, I just love the JAP/EU version more. They're both great in their own right, but this version steals my heart.

[D-Metal X]

When I was young and played Sonic CD for the first time, it was the US version, so its soundtrack will always have a place, nostalgically, for me.

However, having heard the Japanese soundtrack, I find it far superior to the US version by far. The US version has catchy beats now and then, but the Japanese soundtrack, in my opinion, just seems to fit the game better. For a lack of better terms, it just sounds more "Sonic-y" to me.

It has its wacky moments, sure, like the Boss Fight/Stardust Speedway/Metallic Madness background vocals, but they don't seem out of place in this Sonic game. It can be serious when it needs to be (such as saying "you messed up!" by setting the mood for a Bad Future [Palmtree Panic and Tidal Tempest are really good examples of this]).

So, overall, when it comes to each song, I like the Japanese version better. That isn't to say I don't like the US versions at all; Metallic Madness Present, Wacky Workbench Present, and all of the Stardust Speedway tracks on the US version are all great.

[Scorch]

In the Japanese version the race music always switches to bad future. It doesn't in the American version (though does by mistake in the 2011 remake).

According to The Taxman, that was done intnetionally. I have no idea why, though, since the Good Future track that Spencer Nilsen composed was designed to be fitting for both the stage's atmosphere and the Metal Sonic race.

[Blue Blood]

According to The Taxman, that was done intnetionally. I have no idea why, though, since the Good Future track that Spencer Nilsen composed was designed to be fitting for both the stage's atmosphere and the Metal Sonic race.

It was done intentionally by Taxman, but on a misunderstanding. The JPN soundtrack only did it originally because the GF theme didn't fit the race, but this was purposely not the case in the original US version because both tracks worked. Taxman didn't realise this, and so he set it to always play the bad future for both soundtracks.

Edited January 28, 2012 by Blue Blood

[Indigo Rush]

Both soundtracks have their merits, some work better than others, but when you get right down to it... we all have our own personal preferences or tastes. Music is one of those things that are based on opinion for the most part. Yes, there is a minimal degree of science to it: a track with a samba beat and xylophone might not work well in a mechanical base, but for Sonic CD, both soundtracks can work either way.

Which one you think is better, is, well, it's which one you think is better. Music is largely to the taste of the listener.

I like a mixture of both. Stardust Speedway's US for Present and Good Future, and the JP for Bad Future, to name an example for what I like.

[krazystitch]

Hmm..both soundtracks are great and I think that each has their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to certain parts, so..neither of them is really superior over the other or anything like that.

In the USA soundtrack, I love the intro and the ending music of "Sonic Boom" way more than the music played during those segments in the Japanese version. The lyrics, the guitar, the whole feel of it all is absolutely incredible and I love listening to it, whether it be because I'm playing the game or because it's on my phone. For the Japanese soundtrack though, I absolutely adore the Wacky Workbench Present music and the Past music for Quartz Quadrant. Oddly enough though, I always see people saying that they prefer the American Wacky Workbench music, but..I just don't think it fits.

So..overall, I guess I might say that the Japanese game has some better music, but..to be perfectly honest, there isn't any that I completely prefer over the other, like I said, some just have better parts than others in certain locations, so I'm perfectly happy to play through the game with either of them.

[Luigi]

American version is better. Fact.

[Indigo Rush]

American version is better. Fact.