07 August 2006

Classic Arcade Sounds

I decided yesterday that I'd like to locate some MP3s of favorite video game songs and sounds from the past. What I had in mind were Atari and Nintendo classics. Color me supergeek but I had this hankering to hear the Super Mario Bros. theme song on headphones. Of particular interest to me was to find original versions of the songs that played when you were underground and in the castles. I still haven't found exactly what I was looking for in terms of those songs (anybody know of a good resource?) but my search led me to something equally interesting. Of equal interest, at least, to nostalgic dorks like myself.

CoinOpVideogames.com has a section of the site that is entirely dedicated to classic arcade sounds. The kicker is just how all of these sounds were recorded and chronicled:

"In late 1982, my best friend had a Sony TCS-310 Stereo Cassette Recorder. Audio cassette tape was the affordable recording media at the time and one wintery November day while on our way to the arcade 'Just Fun' in Ithaca, NY, we came up with the idea to record video game sounds.

The very idea was caught on tape too!

We recorded video games from 1982 until 1988. Fortunately I managed to save all fourteen audio tapes of video game sounds and arcade ambience which were recorded from a variety of locations in the U.S. Most of the recordings are from Ithaca, NY, Albany, NY, Lancaster, PA, Ocean City, MD as well as Key West, FL.

In the last several years I digitized these nostalgic recordings to preserve and share them. Experience the magic and the wonder of the early years of coin-op video games. Hear the classic arcade ambience like you haven't heard in twenty plus years! The blend of several video games being played simultaneously, the kids yelling and the quarters and tokens clanking. We will never hear such beautiful chaos quite the same way again...."
Amazing. You might not find it fun to watch, let alone listen to, others play video games...but if you're like me, this is as interesting as it is amusing. Listening to the kids (listen to this intro to Donkey Kong) and listening to their arcade recordings from the early and mid-80s was like getting into a time machine. Oh Robotron, how I miss thee.

Listen:
Robotron
Spy Hunter
Donkey Kong

There are TONS more (14 pages worth) sounds HERE.

12 comments:

Charlie said...

This is spectacular. Way to be.

Tim Young said...

These podcasts over at resonance will be right um your street Matt ...

Audio Adventures

Let me know what you think ...

Tim

Tim Young said...

... an even better link for that (with pictures!)

Audio Adventures

P.S. Did you get the chance to listen to my Voxtrot cover?

Anonymous said...

Rhow in da Rhell??
http://www.amishdonkey.com/mario-bros.php

Anonymous said...

I have a source for them. I'll send them soon.

Anonymous said...

Unbelievable. Very fun!

I haven't looked through them all, but I'm hoping I can find a sound file for Qix, although I can't say I recall the game making all that much noise, other than the fuse hissing away at you. But to be able to relive in sound that one glorious week of '82, when I was unquestionably the Qix champion of the town! The crowd gathered 'round, cheering me on. Split 'em! Split 'em! Yes! Yes! High score!!

I love that you captured the idea itself coming to life. "All right! We can record all night!"

Anonymous said...

1632. Is that a year or somethin?

Anonymous said...

BURGER TIME!

viagra online said...

Awesome post, arcades indeed were and are amazing games.

Sun Flower said...

I love those 70´s and 80´s classic arcades and their sounds and musics so I took some games from the Mame emulator, recorded and edited a little. The sounds are in wav and mp3 format, enjoy!. Memories and nostalgia....
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MANHHIEU said...

Let me know what you think ...

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MANHHIEU said...

This is spectacular. Way to be.


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