I feel like the reason final sonic zones don't go full danger mode is because it may be scary but you've already made it through so much so those few cheerful notes are here to remind you that this challenge is one you can still overcome
Also, I think it would be an inappropriate shift in mood if the zone got full danger mode after Sky Sanctuary. In Sky Sanctuary, you got all the hope and optimism to fight, and reaching the death egg (by jumping to it from that falling apart building) is triumph, not something that scares you. You are full of adrenaline and all in for making it to Eggman and kicking his ass.
Man that sudden guest appearance, that caught me so off guard. Crazy how fast you've grown this channel, it had 400 subscribers when I subbed and now you're at 16,300 as of writing this comment. Death Egg Act 2 would be my favourite music from the entire trilogy, gotta love that death metal style. Keep up the amazing work man, always love seeing a video pop up in my feed from you!
Oh mate, SO cool to see you here! The way you (literally) break songs down makes me appreciate just how much effort went into making them. Really love and appreciate your work!
(Sorry for the english errors, im from brazil) Man, i would like to thank you a lot for every single video that you made about sonic 3&k music theory. Im a starter in game developing and and every since i was young my favorite game was sonic 3&k and now with all those videos i can make a... not great, but a cool soundtrack inspired in my childhood game easier than ever, Thank You.
I'm looking to do the same thing too! I've always wanted to work on my own game and the ost was always the one thing I was worried about. But thanks to videos like these I've learned a lot more about video game music and how to set the scene for something in a video game and in music in general
Mesmo eu não entendendo absolutamente NADA do que ele fala, eu acho muito foda saber que a soundtrack de um jogo que eu cresci jogando é ainda melhor do que eu imaginava. faz você perceber que, mesmo jogando o jogo 100 vezes, vc vai deixar um detalhezinho passar despercebido, e isso só mostra o quanto esse jogo é uma masterpiece
Sky Sanctuary Zone's music took me into the stratosphere and an appearance of Cybershell was a nice touch. As opposed to Death Egg Zone in Sonic 3 sounds like Dr. Robotnick's unrelenting gravitational trap. I played it through the last boss on my SEGA Genesis. Then comes the part where I have to transform into Hyper Sonic in Doomsday Zone. This is a good lesson about Sky Sanctuary Zone's music.
Even now, those levels still look wildly epic. Sprite art works wonders in some games, especially when outer space is involved. I always thought of the classic Sonic games as having magic and soul, but now I see they also have tension and passion.
Cybershell suddenly appearing caught me completely off gaurd. The amount of sheer effort you put into these videos cannot be understated. Great job as always!
It has plenty of "meh" tracks but it has an amazing density of really stellar tracks, like Flying Battery, Hydrocity, Angel Island, the major boss music...
Prototype Sky Sanctuary sounds more mechanical and military to me, like you see the Death Egg in the background, this monolithic weapon of destruction is once again fully operational and everything is in danger.
That note about the dorian scale is very interesting, and I fully agree. Playing through that zone gave me a feeling of "there's no time to be emotional, it's time to MOVE", and seeing the use of the #6 finally made me understand why! thanks :)
Sky Sanctuary is my favorite track in Sonic & Knuckles. The arrangement is just amazing. The long sustained notes with the amazing LFO effects and vibrato is something only an FM synth could provide. A real gem on the Genesis Sound library.
12:41 fun fact: Each section of this is split between the Left and Right channels. When you split it out on an oscilloscope, it sounds like 2 robots arguing.
My favorite thing about the light bridges is that you're actually better off skipping them. You can get where you need to go faster, and you can even find hidden goodies in these sections of the level your motion would otherwise be automated. Once you realize this, it's likely to dawn on you that Eggman placed these things throughout the Death Egg to troll Sonic and waste his time. Allowing Sonic to get where he needs to go, but slowly and without giving him access to resources that could have helped him on his journey.
Wow, Cybershell appearance was a nice surprise. Thank you for teaching showing me more ways to love this sound track from my favourite game of all time.
With Sonic 2's Death Egg, I feel like the 3rd, 6th, and 7th make the song more creepy than uplifting because of the instrument used and the background melodies. I am no music expert, but I feel like it's a similar deal to Sandopolis' major 7th note: "That doesn't mean it necessarily makes the song happier, per se. If anything it's just a jolt of energy to keep you on your toes."
@@carpathia808 it would probably involve swapping the samples' names around in the ROM for DAC and outright editing of the track for PSG 3, likely using a tracker such as Deflemask
I INSTANTLY clicked for my two favorite songs from the entire S3K library. I hope you look at some of the Sonic and Knuckles Collection tracks like Carnival Night sometime!
I really do love these breakdowns, especially as someone who's musical skills have kind of stalled at playing "silent night" on the xylophone in school. Sonic music really does have so much thought put into it and it's great to see a science behind the art. Here comes the self plug... Sky Sanctuary is one of my all-time favourites and I love that we've got so many versions to compare. After the Sonic Symphony last year, I decided to try and edit together a medley, which took so much more time and effort than expected... and then I realised I missed out the Sonic Generations Sky Sanctuary hub world version! So, version 1 is here: th-cam.com/video/DnEht_kmzzo/w-d-xo.html (I've noticed the audio mixing is jank when listening on some formats) Version 2, including the missing Generations version and better mixing, certainly on the cards. If anyone ends up enjoying it, job done.
this is one of my favorite series on youtube. it absolutely blows my mind that someone is currently in the process of making a series about one of my favorite osts of all time from a game i have so much nostalgia and love for. and you somehow got cybershell to be a part of this too. thank you so much for making these.
Wow. . .always liked the original Sky Sanctuary's theme the best and I guess that's why. Also Death Egg does feel like a bit more of a fun romp to celebrate getting onto it at long last as opposed to being purely intimidating as our quite surprising guest explained. Amazing work! My blood's pumping to hear what's going on with Doomsday Zone's music!
A part of that whole thing about Sonic 2's Death Egg Zone from what I've heard is it's a remix of the Sonic 1's Special Stage theme, so perhaps that whole ballerina thing is more like you're up in a whole other space like that zone, but this time it's more like Robonik's rules goes in this one. It really does make me wonder how that Death Egg would have looked if they had completed it.
The way you use visuals alongside technical music theory really makes it more digestible. I have 8 years of instrument experience , but only a minor (hah) understanding of the theory of what makes music , well , music from a creative point. I think your style would be great for teaching in classes.
OMG. Even though I graduated in music, I feel like I learn so much from this channel! You don't just talk theory, you talk about how the theory works, and this is true musicianship!
YES! Shy Sanctuary is just such a grand song! I always get a shot of confidence when I first arrive in this zone. It almost feels like an end-credits song.
Hey, I just found this channel, and I want to quickly express my gratitude! While I've been enjoying channels like 8-bit Music Theory for some time, I have to admit their terminology is only digestible for me on a surface level. I really appreciate how you break things down in layman's terms, with helpful visuals, while also explaining basic music concepts along the way. I actually learn a lot more theory than I expected. It's also nice that you analyze other layers of the soundtrack like bass and drums, not sticking to the main melody alone, then see how it complements whatever is happening in the levels and compare it to previous titles. All of that, and all about my favourite franchise! I have much more understanding and appreciation of how these composers worked back in the day, and playing the games with this knowledge will definitely be more immersive. I see how much effort is put into this. Thank you, and I'll definitely stick around for more!
This is obscenely good content; expert knowledge about the music theory, incisive tie-ins with the games thematic components, and a well-written script, all compounded by articulate editing of both the instrumentation and the thought process behind what you're explaining!
the next mind-blowing video. Well worth the wait, thank you! i'll keep watching these as long as you can provide. and always feel free to use any game you're interested in.
I was fully expecting Cybershell to just troll us all, so hearing him discuss the music theory of DEZ Act 2 with such cogency and sincerity was an absolute shock and pleasure. I salute you, sir, and hope to see more quality content from you in the future (and you too, Alex, of course)
Another excellent video, I've been enjoying your music theory analyses of great soundtracks immensely! Speaking of which, I was super excited by the Dynamite Headdy reference! That game has one of the most ingenious and creative soundtracks ever, but it's hardly ever talked about. I'd love to see your take on some of the music from that game.
Just a trivia: There were two videos of Sonic Generations's Sky Sanctuary 1 and 2, with the music replaced by Sonic Before The Sequel's Hilltop Heights' 1 and 2 (sadly, offline now). They really took the whole sky thing of Sky Sanctuary and put it into a new, calming, yet strangely upbeat light.
Great video! This was one of my favorite tracks in the game as a kid, it has such a relaxing and almost "hopeful" feel to it. Love how it modulates from C major up to Eb major on that last bit before it resolves again at C major and starts over! Genius composition
I'm so glad someone else caught the similarity between Sky Sanctuary and You Can Do Anything! I accidentally stumbled on it when doing my Sky Sanctuary cover, and included the melody from YCDA, surprisingly no one seemed to catch the reference Oh man I disagree about the gravity sections in Death Egg not being stressful, I remember the upside down conveyor belt elavator with the bullets coming in from the walls giving me so much trouble as a kid
Honestly channel is amazing, i love your analysis and how you break things down along with how you explain them even if I don’t fully understand everything.
I love the Generations Modern version too, not going up an octave was deliberately subverting expectations for surprise and was definitely something I appreciated.
God I love your music theory videos. I watch them as soon as they get published! And sky sanctuary is my absolute favorite song from the Sonic 3 and Knuckles soundtrack!
The one that used to “get me” emotionally, is not just Sky Sanctuary, Lava Reef, really the entire OST, but Doomsday Zone because of the beginning is a reflection of the level title and what’s happening. Great video!
I really, really love your videos. I know nothing about making music and yet I always find myself watching all your videos start to finish! Excellent excellent work!!
I've been watching every video in this series and I couldn't wait for this. Sky Sanctuary is such an amazing moment and the music really helps to define it. Some of the most recognizable songs in gaming honestly.
I am so happy you made a Sonic one. The other games are cool but I grew up with the blue blur and have always been attached to the music. I remember thinking about the last level of Sonic 2 in 4th grade and how Puerto Rican hip hop the beat sounded. Thought about that more than school of course Lol. Sonic music will always have a special place in my heart
Just one correction to what Cybershell said, Sonic 2's Death Egg Zone wasn't completely cut, it was just repurposed into a different level. You might notice that Death Egg Zone shares its foreground assets with Chemical Plant Zone. That's because Chemical Plant Zone was originally going to be Death Egg Zone, but it was determined to be too easy for a final level.
The way the synths and percussion of Act 2 are softer, how the kick drum is taking longer to touch down, etc. really matches the space aesthetic of Death Egg Act 2. It feels more remote and light, a low gravity feel, with less of a factory aesthetic. However, the synth in Act 2 also is a bit more emotive than Act 1, and with the planet in the background it's clear that it is focusing on the idea that "this is it; if you fail here, what you see back there is doomed."
This is such a cozy channel. Not just technical jargon but easy to understand explanations and colorful descriptions! We can really feel your passion in your work dude! Keep up the amazing content!
Can't wait to see you cover the "final boss" theme used, in addition to Doomsday zone, as a double feature of "final" boss themes used in sonic 3. Without emeralds the big arm, or giant egg robo are the 'final boss', unless you get 7 chaos/super emeralds.
Yeah, the beginning of that song is very menacing, but after a while it changes a little bit in a way I cannot explain, because I'm totally illiterate in musical terms. I hope the same as you, to hear that track closely analyzed, part by part, and epically explained by the expert Alex Yard.
replayed sonic 3&K because of these videos and yeah, I forgot just how fucking awesome the zones really are. Such a cool narrative, such fun set pieces, and the music really makes it feel like a whirlwind adventure. the whole last act revolving around the returning of the death egg is so cool.
Great video! In my opinion, the Sonic 2 counterpart to this theme would be the Metropolis Zone theme. It always intuitively felt to me like the actual final zone, and it has very similar - well, for a lack of better terms - musical themes.
I actually really like the fact that many final zones in the classic games went major for a bit (Scrap Brain, Wing Fortress, both Death Eggs). It often clashes in interesting ways with the rest of these songs, and that harsh contrast makes the entire zone feel much more uneasy and intimidating, almost surreal even, contrasting Eggman's mad joy from building these zones and his goofy appearance with the destructive reality of what's going on and his actions as a very genuine threat. I might be reaching there, but that's always the impression I got: surreal and mad in the best of ways.
I'm surprised you haven't talked about the fact that Sky Sanctuary tracks get a teensy bit offbeat, like it was played live, which is something weird since a tracker allows you to get every note perfectly on beat.
I'm really curious what you have to say about Grant Kirkhope's music. Do you have any plans on looking into the Banjo Kazooie songs? I'd love to see them dissected and analyzed like this.
I’m itching for more. This video actually gave me a nostalgic experience on how I felt when I first played these dark levels More dark Sonic please!!!🙏🏽
I'm actually mind blown right now that they hid parts of Green Hill Zone's theme in sky sanctuary. That's pure genius.
I thought it was trying to hide the Space Harrier theme!
It's just apparent and completely brilliant!
This was so well done!!!
Wow, I've never been this early before.
You are literally everywere I go . And when are you going to review the Master system Sonic games , I love them .
IT'S THE GAME APOLOGIST
I'm subscribed to game apologist
@@tacos5682 YES IT IS
I feel like the reason final sonic zones don't go full danger mode is because it may be scary but you've already made it through so much so those few cheerful notes are here to remind you that this challenge is one you can still overcome
Also, I think it would be an inappropriate shift in mood if the zone got full danger mode after Sky Sanctuary. In Sky Sanctuary, you got all the hope and optimism to fight, and reaching the death egg (by jumping to it from that falling apart building) is triumph, not something that scares you. You are full of adrenaline and all in for making it to Eggman and kicking his ass.
Man that sudden guest appearance, that caught me so off guard. Crazy how fast you've grown this channel, it had 400 subscribers when I subbed and now you're at 16,300 as of writing this comment. Death Egg Act 2 would be my favourite music from the entire trilogy, gotta love that death metal style. Keep up the amazing work man, always love seeing a video pop up in my feed from you!
Helo
HOLY SHIT! ITS YOU!
You both have very ear opening channels. Keep em coming!
Love both you guys channel's so much! Yall are good dudes!
Oh mate, SO cool to see you here! The way you (literally) break songs down makes me appreciate just how much effort went into making them. Really love and appreciate your work!
(Sorry for the english errors, im from brazil) Man, i would like to thank you a lot for every single video that you made about sonic 3&k music theory. Im a starter in game developing and and every since i was young my favorite game was sonic 3&k and now with all those videos i can make a... not great, but a cool soundtrack inspired in my childhood game easier than ever, Thank You.
I'm looking to do the same thing too! I've always wanted to work on my own game and the ost was always the one thing I was worried about. But thanks to videos like these I've learned a lot more about video game music and how to set the scene for something in a video game and in music in general
Mesmo eu não entendendo absolutamente NADA do que ele fala, eu acho muito foda saber que a soundtrack de um jogo que eu cresci jogando é ainda melhor do que eu imaginava. faz você perceber que, mesmo jogando o jogo 100 vezes, vc vai deixar um detalhezinho passar despercebido, e isso só mostra o quanto esse jogo é uma masterpiece
@@Redfire10000 realmente, eu não entendo nada de teoria musical kkkk, mas por algum motivo é muito divertido ver como funciona
Yor English is fine
@@alientif0450 também
This video was a real treat. Two zone’s music theories plus a Cybershell appearance. Keep up the killer work man!
Sky Sanctuary Zone's music took me into the stratosphere and an appearance of Cybershell was a nice touch. As opposed to Death Egg Zone in Sonic 3 sounds like Dr. Robotnick's unrelenting gravitational trap. I played it through the last boss on my SEGA Genesis. Then comes the part where I have to transform into Hyper Sonic in Doomsday Zone. This is a good lesson about Sky Sanctuary Zone's music.
Love how cybershell doesn’t make massive appearances or nothing like that, he just pops in and does cybershell things
Even now, those levels still look wildly epic. Sprite art works wonders in some games, especially when outer space is involved. I always thought of the classic Sonic games as having magic and soul, but now I see they also have tension and passion.
Cybershell suddenly appearing caught me completely off gaurd. The amount of sheer effort you put into these videos cannot be understated. Great job as always!
The S3&K is probably the best game soundtrack of all time (other than maybe DKC2), so I appreciate all your music theory deep dives.
Tough competition, FTL and especially the half life games exist
It has plenty of "meh" tracks but it has an amazing density of really stellar tracks, like Flying Battery, Hydrocity, Angel Island, the major boss music...
Prototype Sky Sanctuary sounds more mechanical and military to me, like you see the Death Egg in the background, this monolithic weapon of destruction is once again fully operational and everything is in danger.
You must of collected enough rings and punched a lamppost to summon Cybershell, that totally caught me off guard, great doilus content
60 seconds in & my mind is already blown. You simply cannot make these fast enough to satisfy me. Well done.
That note about the dorian scale is very interesting, and I fully agree. Playing through that zone gave me a feeling of "there's no time to be emotional, it's time to MOVE", and seeing the use of the #6 finally made me understand why! thanks :)
Interesting to keep seeing Knuckles where he shouldn't be.
Can you do a full version of the reversed Ice Cap kick and snare? That was godly.
Sky Sanctuary is my favorite track in Sonic & Knuckles. The arrangement is just amazing. The long sustained notes with the amazing LFO effects and vibrato is something only an FM synth could provide. A real gem on the Genesis Sound library.
I especially love the removed section that you recovered
12:41 fun fact: Each section of this is split between the Left and Right channels. When you split it out on an oscilloscope, it sounds like 2 robots arguing.
My favorite thing about the light bridges is that you're actually better off skipping them. You can get where you need to go faster, and you can even find hidden goodies in these sections of the level your motion would otherwise be automated. Once you realize this, it's likely to dawn on you that Eggman placed these things throughout the Death Egg to troll Sonic and waste his time. Allowing Sonic to get where he needs to go, but slowly and without giving him access to resources that could have helped him on his journey.
Wow, Cybershell appearance was a nice surprise. Thank you for teaching showing me more ways to love this sound track from my favourite game of all time.
I really love how you waited to add "with Cybershell" to the title until later, it caught me completely off-guard my first time watching.
With Sonic 2's Death Egg, I feel like the 3rd, 6th, and 7th make the song more creepy than uplifting because of the instrument used and the background melodies. I am no music expert, but I feel like it's a similar deal to Sandopolis' major 7th note: "That doesn't mean it necessarily makes the song happier, per se. If anything it's just a jolt of energy to keep you on your toes."
This video was 2 weeks ago?!!
It is a crime your channel has less subscribers. Subscribed!
Also, pretty sure the knuckles meme approves of this video.
Death Egg is my favourite song in the game so I’m glad you covered it, great video!
4:27 actually sounds really nice. Carpathia808 should try reversing the drums on other songs
if I knew how it'd make a good idea for a video series 🤔
@@carpathia808 real…
@@carpathia808 it would probably involve swapping the samples' names around in the ROM for DAC and outright editing of the track for PSG 3, likely using a tracker such as Deflemask
I INSTANTLY clicked for my two favorite songs from the entire S3K library. I hope you look at some of the Sonic and Knuckles Collection tracks like Carnival Night sometime!
I really do love these breakdowns, especially as someone who's musical skills have kind of stalled at playing "silent night" on the xylophone in school.
Sonic music really does have so much thought put into it and it's great to see a science behind the art.
Here comes the self plug... Sky Sanctuary is one of my all-time favourites and I love that we've got so many versions to compare. After the Sonic Symphony last year, I decided to try and edit together a medley, which took so much more time and effort than expected... and then I realised I missed out the Sonic Generations Sky Sanctuary hub world version!
So, version 1 is here: th-cam.com/video/DnEht_kmzzo/w-d-xo.html (I've noticed the audio mixing is jank when listening on some formats)
Version 2, including the missing Generations version and better mixing, certainly on the cards.
If anyone ends up enjoying it, job done.
nice
this is one of my favorite series on youtube. it absolutely blows my mind that someone is currently in the process of making a series about one of my favorite osts of all time from a game i have so much nostalgia and love for. and you somehow got cybershell to be a part of this too. thank you so much for making these.
Didn’t want it to end, another great video! Thank you
Wow. . .always liked the original Sky Sanctuary's theme the best and I guess that's why. Also Death Egg does feel like a bit more of a fun romp to celebrate getting onto it at long last as opposed to being purely intimidating as our quite surprising guest explained. Amazing work! My blood's pumping to hear what's going on with Doomsday Zone's music!
Woah! Two for one. You’re spoiling us with these videos. Great insights as ever. Gonna have to go play some S&K now…
YESSS FINALLY ANOTHER MUSIC THEORY VIDEO
A part of that whole thing about Sonic 2's Death Egg Zone from what I've heard is it's a remix of the Sonic 1's Special Stage theme, so perhaps that whole ballerina thing is more like you're up in a whole other space like that zone, but this time it's more like Robonik's rules goes in this one. It really does make me wonder how that Death Egg would have looked if they had completed it.
I love the Death Egg Music, and I love the Sky Sanctuary Game Play!
Good Video!
The way you use visuals alongside technical music theory really makes it more digestible. I have 8 years of instrument experience , but only a minor (hah) understanding of the theory of what makes music , well , music from a creative point. I think your style would be great for teaching in classes.
Each video gets better and better
OMG. Even though I graduated in music, I feel like I learn so much from this channel! You don't just talk theory, you talk about how the theory works, and this is true musicianship!
YES! Shy Sanctuary is just such a grand song! I always get a shot of confidence when I first arrive in this zone. It almost feels like an end-credits song.
I love how you decode and visualise, this is absolute genius.
Hey, I just found this channel, and I want to quickly express my gratitude!
While I've been enjoying channels like 8-bit Music Theory for some time, I have to admit their terminology is only digestible for me on a surface level. I really appreciate how you break things down in layman's terms, with helpful visuals, while also explaining basic music concepts along the way. I actually learn a lot more theory than I expected. It's also nice that you analyze other layers of the soundtrack like bass and drums, not sticking to the main melody alone, then see how it complements whatever is happening in the levels and compare it to previous titles. All of that, and all about my favourite franchise! I have much more understanding and appreciation of how these composers worked back in the day, and playing the games with this knowledge will definitely be more immersive.
I see how much effort is put into this. Thank you, and I'll definitely stick around for more!
This is obscenely good content; expert knowledge about the music theory, incisive tie-ins with the games thematic components, and a well-written script, all compounded by articulate editing of both the instrumentation and the thought process behind what you're explaining!
i love these videos on breakdowns of sonic themes!
Most underappreciated channel
You're so good at this. Love your videos.
the next mind-blowing video. Well worth the wait, thank you! i'll keep watching these as long as you can provide. and always feel free to use any game you're interested in.
Sky Sanctuary Is one of my favorite Sonic stages ever! The music and atmosphere is what makes it so. ❤
I was fully expecting Cybershell to just troll us all, so hearing him discuss the music theory of DEZ Act 2 with such cogency and sincerity was an absolute shock and pleasure. I salute you, sir, and hope to see more quality content from you in the future (and you too, Alex, of course)
Oh my god! Cybershell was completely unexpected, that was amazing
Another excellent video, I've been enjoying your music theory analyses of great soundtracks immensely! Speaking of which, I was super excited by the Dynamite Headdy reference! That game has one of the most ingenious and creative soundtracks ever, but it's hardly ever talked about. I'd love to see your take on some of the music from that game.
I never realised I liked Death Metal until now! Another fantastic vid 👏
Super happy to see another video of yours! Keep up the great work!
Just a trivia:
There were two videos of Sonic Generations's Sky Sanctuary 1 and 2, with the music replaced by Sonic Before The Sequel's Hilltop Heights' 1 and 2 (sadly, offline now). They really took the whole sky thing of Sky Sanctuary and put it into a new, calming, yet strangely upbeat light.
i like these videos cause i always learn something new
Great video! This was one of my favorite tracks in the game as a kid, it has such a relaxing and almost "hopeful" feel to it. Love how it modulates from C major up to Eb major on that last bit before it resolves again at C major and starts over! Genius composition
I'm so glad someone else caught the similarity between Sky Sanctuary and You Can Do Anything! I accidentally stumbled on it when doing my Sky Sanctuary cover, and included the melody from YCDA, surprisingly no one seemed to catch the reference
Oh man I disagree about the gravity sections in Death Egg not being stressful, I remember the upside down conveyor belt elavator with the bullets coming in from the walls giving me so much trouble as a kid
Please talk about the US Sonic CD boss music that sounds like a nightmare. That song just sounds so scary to kids.
Honestly channel is amazing, i love your analysis and how you break things down along with how you explain them even if I don’t fully understand everything.
This is probably one of the most nostalgic tracks ever and makes me weep for the Sonic games of today.
a 2-in-one lock-on episode, cool!
Wow, I haven’t heard about the Dorian scale in ages! I just know that Death Egg’s music provides some parts that give you hope. Another great video!!
I love the Generations Modern version too, not going up an octave was deliberately subverting expectations for surprise and was definitely something I appreciated.
God I love your music theory videos. I watch them as soon as they get published! And sky sanctuary is my absolute favorite song from the Sonic 3 and Knuckles soundtrack!
The one that used to “get me” emotionally, is not just Sky Sanctuary, Lava Reef, really the entire OST, but Doomsday Zone because of the beginning is a reflection of the level title and what’s happening. Great video!
This was great I loved it
Holy fuck, I was not expecting Cybershell here. Simply incredible. Tell him I say hi, Alex.
I really, really love your videos. I know nothing about making music and yet I always find myself watching all your videos start to finish! Excellent excellent work!!
I've been watching every video in this series and I couldn't wait for this. Sky Sanctuary is such an amazing moment and the music really helps to define it. Some of the most recognizable songs in gaming honestly.
I am so happy you made a Sonic one. The other games are cool but I grew up with the blue blur and have always been attached to the music. I remember thinking about the last level of Sonic 2 in 4th grade and how Puerto Rican hip hop the beat sounded. Thought about that more than school of course Lol. Sonic music will always have a special place in my heart
Excellent video, as always. Also glad to see Dynamite Headdy get a mention, that game definitely deserves more love.
Just one correction to what Cybershell said, Sonic 2's Death Egg Zone wasn't completely cut, it was just repurposed into a different level. You might notice that Death Egg Zone shares its foreground assets with Chemical Plant Zone. That's because Chemical Plant Zone was originally going to be Death Egg Zone, but it was determined to be too easy for a final level.
Its 1 am over here, but when I see that a new 20 min Sonic Music Theory Video, then there is no time to sleep! >:(
Thanks for reminding me of my childhood with the analysis of this songs. Your work is amazing 🤩
Its crazy how many things sega hid all these years!
Wow, I never noticed the similarities between Sky Sanctuary and Green Hill!
Sky Sanctary music theory 0:00
Death Egg music theory 8:36
I should start listening for more meaning in songs now, I'm glad this series exists lol
The way the synths and percussion of Act 2 are softer, how the kick drum is taking longer to touch down, etc. really matches the space aesthetic of Death Egg Act 2. It feels more remote and light, a low gravity feel, with less of a factory aesthetic. However, the synth in Act 2 also is a bit more emotive than Act 1, and with the planet in the background it's clear that it is focusing on the idea that "this is it; if you fail here, what you see back there is doomed."
Oh hey I'm early... and the video is pretty good too.
I love these music theory breakdowns.
Dude your a legend, thanks for deep diving into one of my favorite game's soundtrack
This is such a cozy channel. Not just technical jargon but easy to understand explanations and colorful descriptions! We can really feel your passion in your work dude! Keep up the amazing content!
5:36 i was just wondering why an octave was chosen to be 8 notes. great video!
There's a reason this was chosen for Generations
Can't wait to see you cover the "final boss" theme used, in addition to Doomsday zone, as a double feature of "final" boss themes used in sonic 3. Without emeralds the big arm, or giant egg robo are the 'final boss', unless you get 7 chaos/super emeralds.
Yeah, the beginning of that song is very menacing, but after a while it changes a little bit in a way I cannot explain, because I'm totally illiterate in musical terms.
I hope the same as you, to hear that track closely analyzed, part by part, and epically explained by the expert Alex Yard.
Didn't expect Cybershell to add to the Sonic autism in this one. Loved it.
replayed sonic 3&K because of these videos and yeah, I forgot just how fucking awesome the zones really are. Such a cool narrative, such fun set pieces, and the music really makes it feel like a whirlwind adventure. the whole last act revolving around the returning of the death egg is so cool.
This is the crossover I always wanted
This is such a dope analysis video! As someone who makes music and loves Sonic, this is so interesting to me and you made this so well.
Such insanely good edits. So much work went into this! And as always it’s another amazing video.
I was here when you had 1.2-1.4k subs. Wow. Good job, for real. Accomplishing that growth without content farming is admirable.
yay, you’re back!
This might be my favorite video of yours! Great job Alex (:
Great video!
In my opinion, the Sonic 2 counterpart to this theme would be the Metropolis Zone theme. It always intuitively felt to me like the actual final zone, and it has very similar - well, for a lack of better terms - musical themes.
Oh my god. Dynamite headdy: music theory. Please.
Nice sneaky transition into Cybershell!
I actually really like the fact that many final zones in the classic games went major for a bit (Scrap Brain, Wing Fortress, both Death Eggs). It often clashes in interesting ways with the rest of these songs, and that harsh contrast makes the entire zone feel much more uneasy and intimidating, almost surreal even, contrasting Eggman's mad joy from building these zones and his goofy appearance with the destructive reality of what's going on and his actions as a very genuine threat.
I might be reaching there, but that's always the impression I got: surreal and mad in the best of ways.
I'm surprised you haven't talked about the fact that Sky Sanctuary tracks get a teensy bit offbeat, like it was played live, which is something weird since a tracker allows you to get every note perfectly on beat.
Your explanations have me hearing so many new aspects of Death Egg that it’s practically a new song to my ears! Brilliant!
I'm really curious what you have to say about Grant Kirkhope's music. Do you have any plans on looking into the Banjo Kazooie songs? I'd love to see them dissected and analyzed like this.
Yaaaaaaaaaay Sky Sanctuary and Death Egg music theory 💖🎵😄
I’m itching for more.
This video actually gave me a nostalgic experience on how I felt when I first played these dark levels
More dark Sonic please!!!🙏🏽