This artist (Go Ichinose) is credited on multiple tracks in the following P… Read Full Bio ↴This artist (Go Ichinose) is credited on multiple tracks in the following Pokémon soundtracks:
Pokémon Ruby & Pokémon Sapphire: Super Music Collection
Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen: Super Music Collection
Pokémon Diamond & Pokémon Pearl: Super Music Collection
Pokémon Black & Pokémon White: Super Music Collection
Pokémon Black 2 & Pokémon White 2: Super Music Collection
Pokémon X and Pokémon Y: Super Music Collection
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire: Super Music Collection
Pokémon Ruby & Pokémon Sapphire: Super Music Collection
Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen: Super Music Collection
Pokémon Diamond & Pokémon Pearl: Super Music Collection
Pokémon Black & Pokémon White: Super Music Collection
Pokémon Black 2 & Pokémon White 2: Super Music Collection
Pokémon X and Pokémon Y: Super Music Collection
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire: Super Music Collection
May
GAME FREAK & Go Ichinose Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'May' by these artists:
13. SENDIRI Ricordo quando avevo sette anni, dopo scuola in televisione …
Actve Captve We found each other so far from home Your heart is…
Aleksandr Dyumin Когда солнышко садится в кроны тополей Вечер хочет объяснить…
Alpha Looking at you talking to me You’re sitting right ac…
American Wolf May, You've lost all here Carved in five cold years May, mov…
Autonomadic When the muezzin call, they sing for freedom And when the…
B'z 急に君が夢にでてきてあせった 僕は君の夢にでることあるかい そして夜明けに すべてが醒めて 忙しすぎる日に こ…
Belle Epoque O-raet-do-ngan okkae-rul nurodon Mugo-un chimul naer-yonuhgo…
Billy May & His Orchestra Now the hacienda's dark, the town is sleeping, Now the…
Blyss I'm standing I'm waiting I'm falling more in love with you…
BriGT May, I don't think about you every day But I find In the…
carsi Wasted away in May, today today MDMA all day, okay? Now…
Cody Ash Darling remember when we sat inside all day You told me…
Count Zero May, the only bugs seems to be these buxom, busy,…
Custom May 26 is a day not to be missed No more…
De-Phazz But how can I forget But how can I forget your…
Devendra Banhart Far as the eye can see Wish I was a little…
Dew MAY THE BLESSINGS BE INTRO: (Amen) Dawn Dew on the instrumen…
Duct Tape Sorry if u burned them sorry if u let it…
Durbin James Now, May and I were two children just swimming in…
Edward Glen I talked to May on the phone yesterday and she…
En-Viro Intorno ispirazione, mi sa che la colgo Spesso do del "tu"…
EZ Basic Been down tonight looking for you Went for a…
Fantastic June I wake up in this morning With nobody's smile on my…
flower of flesh and blood I hold you close but I could tell you're a million…
Gerry Mulligan I may be wrong but I think you're wonderful I may…
I.ALFA jnr There was a time Love is seems so hard to define Nothing…
Immanu El Light in horizons I see it rises Let it shine Uh Uh Let…
Ivan Utkin May I guess it happens in your life Yes I want to…
J-Guden ◇眠れない夜がまた 君を悲しませるなら 泣きたい時は せめて ただそばにいるよ ◆ひとりきり震えていた そう誰にも言えな…
James Durbin Now, May and I were two children just swimming in…
jaundis-i I beat his ass so the devil may cry I pistol…
JGRREY It all happened in May I wish you could be there Spending…
Jordan Rakei It was a dark night, when I heard the news Rolled…
K. Orbakayte Chân mây mang tiếng than lay bầu hoàng hôn Tình liêu…
Kame B-ri めまぐるしく変わる毎日にずっと 迷ってばかりいたけれど 何度の後悔でも 全て今に繋ぐ道だと 負けず嫌いだけが取り柄だった…
Katelyn Nacon Somebody will always push me down But I know for me…
Kayak May, now the sun has slipped away Leaving the cold Oh, how…
khai dreams May's got my time in her hands And she loves everything And…
Kirlian Camera Maybe it's the wind The wind of May That screams for us E…
Kristina Orbakayte Как долго мы друг к другу шли Не замечая гроз и…
Lam Trường Nếu anh không là cơn gió Liệu có thể nào phiêu…
Laymen Terms Someone said your name, And sparked every ember. And I Bur…
lazyy Я встретил тебя в школе, теплый майский вечер, ты была…
Life On Venus Those were early signs of may Honey sun and crystal rains Co…
Lifehouse I'm standing I'm waiting I'm falling more in love with you…
Locksley Why are we here? Why does it matter? Why am I chasing…
Lucie, Too もっとシンプルにあなたを愛せたら つまらないことで泣いたりしないのに もっとシンプルにあなたを愛せたら そばにいるだけで…
Lupin You get high with me I know Your voice gets soft…
Lÿ Em đi chiều nay đường nắng duỗi thân dài Chân chưa…
m:a.ture Got me changing up my ways Yeah you got me tripping Over…
Malinen I say what I mean, I mean what I say. When my…
Marian Renta Spring is back, brighter days A new beginning lurks Yet some…
Max Bartos Love and fear can coexist, the heartbeat feels the same But…
May ◇眠れない夜がまた 君を悲しませるなら 泣きたい時は せめて ただそばにいるよ ◆ひとりきり震えていた そう誰にも言えな…
Momoe Sun 五月在樹下還是像昨天 草地也還像從前 暖暖的太陽照在我身邊 讓心中暢快一點 河水在慢悠悠的流向前 不會再重來一遍 花園裡…
Motohiro Hata (秦基博) 空を遮るビルもない 東京から数時間 吸い込む 懐かしい匂い とある5月の日曜日 連休にかこつけて ふたりで 足を伸ばした…
Mouse and Banjo I may be wrong but I think you're wonderful I may…
Mr. Siro Một tuần trôi tĩnh lặng con tim bắt đầu thấm…
N.EX.T Bodily moves The damp in battle In fine dust Night owl cryin…
Naaja I will tell you what is wrong I will tell you…
Nicholas Jensen Stilborg It wasn't meant to be like this It comes down To your…
Onelinedrawing Hello, I'm Ashley.…
P.SUS Είδα μια λεύκα να λύνει τη σιωπή τησ Και γέμισε η…
Richard Shindell Listen closely May This phone may not be safe I have been…
Schobert & Black Wenn vor dem Tor die Maien Steh'n Dann, Bauer, kanst du…
Sexy Sadie Girl may the road rise to meet you again and may…
Show Me the Skyline we got to talking on that day when we first…
Ten Sleep Two left feet and only one more step, Jumping streams and…
The Breed I see myself in the stories I see you everywhere I…
The Haunted Windchimes Momma let me tell you bout the one I love She's…
The No Service Project When the cold air finally thaws it's a cure-all for…
The Pipers This time around[00:18.51]I'll be listening from the hallway…
THE RiCECOOKERS The sky falls white It slows down the pace of life Like…
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra But who may abide the day of His coming, and…
The Shalalalas Now I'm sure that I want only you but I still…
The Yarrows Oh once I had a little dog, his color it…
This and That Em khóc đi em khóc nữa đi em Khóc để rồi…
Thoughtless Jolly I drank the ocean in my sleep Because i dreamed you…
Tiflis Transit Sun comes up When temper’s down I don’t know why But can exp…
Tracey Curtis May, when I first looked at you I saw what all…
Various Artists Người hôm qua em thấy là ai đấy Sao anh lại…
Vivian You can't fear tomorrow, just walk down that road 'Cuz nothi…
Yokoyama Yui May 君の名前を May ふとつぶやいた 何もないこの部屋で 一人きり May 何回くらい May 呼んだのだろう 思…
Yuki Saito MAY そんなにふくれないでよ 笑った顔見せて いつもみたいにおどけて MAY そんなにふくれないでよ そのただひとこと…
Zion.T 5월의 밤 기억해요 우리 처음 만난 밤, 그 자리 Uh 안녕하세요 처음…
ZVK Take it in vain Take it lightly Sometimes I’m not certain if…
минута агонии Весна, что вселяет надежду, Что скоро отступят невзгоды. Вед…
吉田栄作 Ah～午前0時過ぎの 街はモノトーンさ 窓から見える小さな東京タワー Ah～数えられるほどの 暗い星空は どうして君をそ…
斉藤由貴 MAY そんなにふくれないでよ 笑った顔見せて いつもみたいにおどけて MAY そんなにふくれないでよ そのただひとこと…
横山由依 May 君の名前を May ふとつぶやいた 何もないこの部屋で 一人きり May 何回くらい May 呼んだのだろう 思…
秦基博 空を遮るビルもない 東京から数時間 吸い込む 懐かしい匂い とある5月の日曜日 連休にかこつけて ふたりで 足を伸ばした…
Ｂ'ｚ 急に君が夢にでてきてあせった 僕は君の夢にでることあるかい そして夜明けにすべてが醒めて 忙しすぎる日にこの身…
We have lyrics for these tracks by GAME FREAK & Go Ichinose:
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Hey it's me
So, it's been a while; life happened and I couldn't really get back and add the subtitles.
I'll come back and add details to this very rough WIP translation, but this timei I'll finish it.
Thanks in advance for all of your patience.
1:07-3:12 introduction of each of the members
Ichinose (I from here on) I began learning piano at a young age, first composition in junior high school with a piano, bought a synthesizer and programmed music using asequencer. I used b500 and Yamaha's SY 77, all Yamaha products
Masuda (M from here on) I liked playing recorder in school, memorized Colonel Bogey. Probably my roots in music. Listened to YMO (music group) and rock bands from overseas on the radio and thought it was cool.
I myself couldn't create music, couldn't play the piano. In school I played a couple of notes of YMO's music and everybody went like "woah, Masuda's playing music". With only one hand. I bought pc in high school and created music, even to this day when I have something that comes to my mind it goes straight into my pc, so without a pc I can't create songs, in high school I played the trombone so whenever I create melodies in my mind I do it with a trombone. I begin with the melody.
Adachi (A from here on) my mother is a folk singer, so I've always been listening to music. I took piano lessons and was asked to be the accompanist by many choirs and bands, because there was nobody around who could do it. And from there on I had nothing I could do other than music. I can sing just a little bit. I also can play the shamisen. I won't sing though!
Interviewer: So Adachi-san, you might use your own voice in your next music?
A: I don't know, I'm not saying there is no chance. No, actually. I'd never want to.
About programming music
I: It was basically like data entry, everything was in assenbly language. It's how it started, back in the days where MIDI hadn't existed yet.
A: I've been in the industry for quite a while. Game music on SNES and Gameboy were made by entering values and used MML so I've started there.
I: I was impressed when the piano roll was invented, like "it's so fast"
M: when I first saw the size of a MIDI dump file I was surprised, and said "this is how much data you need"
I: game music exclusively uses MIDI. We needed to play the built-in sound, so we used MIDI to play it. Until recently with the 3DS we've been using only MIDI.
M: With MIDI, everything from when you start the sound to when you release the button is stored as data. Placing 2 synthesizers and playing them simultaneously was incredibly hard, but connecting them a MIDI cable you could record sounds with multiplesynthesizers. It was a dream project at that time. But even now, people who have a lot of instruments might still use it.
I: You can play everything on your pc.
M: Yeah, you can select the tone of the instruments on your pc, so it might not be used as much anymore. But at home I extract the MIDI from the sequencer and connect it to instruments.
I: You have a lot of racks at home.
M: I'm old school, so I want to use my hands and produce sounds. And because of that, I can see different softwares and know what adjustments create particular sounds.
I: The recent games use the exact same modules, so people who've tinkered with them in the past will have an eas time using them.
A: Unlike these 2 I'm not that great with machines, so I've memorized the instruments and the number for them in the MIDI. I think people from our generation worked hard to memorize everything, because the process would become so much smoother.
- M does a pop quiz on A and asks what instrument no.26 on the GM was, and the text on screen reads: GM 26 is SteelGtr (steel guitar) -
A: No. 56 was brass, I think.
- on-screen text reads: Wrong! No. 56 is Orchestra Hit -
I: No.60 was something with a square waveform.
- on-screen text reads: Wrong! No. 60 is Muted Trumpet -
A: Right. Like 62
- on-screen text reads: Wrong! No. 62 is Brass Section (close) -
M: you'd look at a number plate of a car and think "Ah, so this is Brass and something else"
I: wait, I made a mistake. It was either 60 or 80
- on-screen text reads: Wrong! No. 80 is Ocarina. FAILED ALL QUESTIONS!-
How they discovered Cubase, and its advantages
I: there was period where we only used Macs, and we used this shareware called MIDIgraphy. And the game would play the music. But when you only use external sound source you come to a point where you feel like it's not enough, so I started using Logic. I liked that on MIDIgraphy you could see all 16 channels with different colors on a single screen, so I was looking for something similar. Then, our company decided to make all of us use windows, and I started my search for a good program that could display different channels in different colors. That&'s when I found cubase.
- And which version of cubase did you start with?
M, I & A: 4, I think 5.
I: Didn't they have a 4.2 or a 4.5?
M: I started with the Commodore Amiga, and used this program called "Music X". You could select the MIDI and pick the channels, and that's what I became used to. And I can't read musical notes. So now, I use the speed adjusting function and MIDI splitting function.
I: Masuda-san started really early. While we were adding al the values by hand, you were on your Amiga. I was envious of you.
M: I had one in the office and at home.
I: nobody else owned one.
M: And since Pokemon was made on the Amiga, I created the music files and exported them as MIDI files.
I: Yes, and because of Masuda-sa we don't have the MIDI files anymore; he kept them all on his Amiga.
M: MusicX used a really weird file format, so I had to compress the file and export it to the Gameboy.
A: I used to work at a different company until 2009, and the first time I used cubase was when I started working at Gamefreak. Until then I used Vision.
classic meal
I tried to translate ther parts I liked. (with help of DeepL)
M: Junichi Masuda
I: Go Ichinose
A: Minako Adachi
19:46
Battle with pokemon trainers
I: The battle music has a unique atmosphere. The phrases that Masuda creates give it a Pokémon feel. I direct the phrases he made and then ask Adachi to organize them in a good way.
M：I often start making battle songs from the gym. As was this one, but it eventually became a trainer battle.
I: This time there was no gym, and when we brushed up on it, it eventually became a trainer battle.
22:09
prototype made by Masuda
*Some sounds are missing because they cannot be reproduced due to different environments.
I: I wanted Masuda to write the music, so I placed acceptable tones in advance.
M: I left the rest to the two of them, and only included the parts I absolutely wanted to include. I didn't elaborate on the drums or anything.
I: I like the way it sounds.
M: It's like an old video game machine.
I: That's the kind of tone I prepared.
M: This one is different, but sometimes I put in the tones as well.
A: When I heard this, I felt that this is the origin of Pokémon. I especially like the sound of the guitar at 25:12, and I thought I had to make use of it.
25:22
A: Masuda told me that it has meaning to make this kind of break here.
M: During battles, there are various scenes where Pokémon perform moves and players think, and when the moment the sound disappears and the time for thinking coincides, it feels like a happy feeling. I make them with the player's emotions in mind.
27:10
the version modified by Ichinose
A: It's getting a little complicated.
I：It gets complicated when I make modifications.
M: Often I point it out. It's too complicated and hard to listen to. When playing the game, people think about difficult things, so the songs should come in simple. It's okay to have complicated ones, but it's better to keep the original simple first, and then make it more complicated when you make different versions.
I: I want the battles to be fun. It's not a battle to kill each other.
M: He likely to add backbeat rhythm right away, so I just say "It's too complicated!"
28:46
I: I added more sound here.
A: The hi-hat.
I: I thought it would be nice to have an image like a sparkling sunbeam.
M: Since it's a Hawaiian motif this time, the hi-hat is in a Hawaiian-like rhythm.
29:25
the version further modified by Adachi
A: I added the intro. I put it in considering the length of the video. Also, after I made it into MIDI, I converted it into Wave for each track, and then I added more effects and equalizers on top of it to bring it to the final product.
I: The intro is cool.
A: Basically, I barely tinkered with the tones and melody. Only the sound processing and mixing. I tried to give the sound a sense of breadth and depth. I also suppressed the parts that jumped out in frequency when the parts were combined.
I：The original B melody was too long, so...
A: We had to cut it, because there is a capacity limit to put it in the game. It was originally about 2 minutes long. I cut it so that you can't tell if it was cut or not, thinking, "That's scary"
I: What are you scared of?
A: I was afraid Masuda would get angry.
M: I wouldn't be angry.
A: When I cut it, he would find out, and he would ask me, "Why is this cut short?" so I explain it to him.
M: Even in this day and age, it's like, "Do we have the capacity?" and "Is it better to put in three songs or one Pokémon?". We have to decide what should be prioritized severely.
A: A: Game songs need to be looped, but at the same time we have to make sure they don't get boring, which is always a challenge and at the same time an interesting point.
Navigator: Mr. Masuda, were you okay with the cut this time?
M: No, I don't like it (laughing). Actually, I don't blame you for doing so.
I: There was a capacity limit.
M: I sometimes make quite long songs. Like with Diamond/Pearl.
I: There was one that was like 4 minutes long. I listen to the song to arrange, but if it's late at night or when I'm working all night, I fall asleep while I'm listening to it.
M: I think he plan to arrange a song in a week, but when I send them a song with about 70 or 80 bars, he say, "This can't be done in a week.
I: I want to make it happen as much as possible, because there is a lot of thought that goes into it.
M: The battle songs against Dialga and Palkia become long because I try to put the mythology into the song.
I: The intro was initially written in a minor key, wasn't it?
A: Yes, it was.
I: It was cool, but too cool, I guess. In the Pokémon world, trainers are fighting each other to be friends or bond with each other. It's like a sport. That's why I asked her to make it major and it turned out this way.
36:39
A: There is one point that Masuda was very particular about. The sound of the melody, behind the middle of the song. I was asked to express the sound of the moon and the sun in tones.
M：By whom?
A: Didn't you remember!?
I: It's like having dementia...
A: I sampled the actual guitar sound and applied an equalizer. Pokémon's policy is not to use the sound as it is. It's not just a guitar or brass sound, but the sound of the Pokémon world. I used a delay, and I reduced the lower frequencies and raised the upper frequencies to make it sound a little less like a guitar. I'm trying to make it sound like a shrill, luminous sound.
I: Kind of a dry sound.
39:32
I: When Masuda gives us a prototype for a song, he also gives a poem along with it.
M: It's not a poem, though.
I: It's an image of the song. It comes poem-like.
39:56
Notes on modifications to the song
A: The guitar bends that Ichinose had added were cut (after Masuda pointed it out).
I: I indeed don't think that's necessary.
A: I'm putting it in writing so that I can explain to Mr. Masuda that I made these changes.
40:48
Wild Pokemon Battle Song
41:05
prototype
I: Like a Game Boy. I did that partly on purpose. I asked him to give me just a motive first. So it is made like a Game Boy with three sounds. I thought that would be more Pokémon-like.
M: It depends on the thing, but I can make it in about two hours.
I: When he walks by, I ask him, "Oh, Masuda-san, please make a song now!". I would ask him like that.
44:53
I: Since the theme this time is tropical, I wanted to create a tone and atmosphere that would evoke the image of meeting, fighting, and joining Pokémon in a place where the sun is shining brightly.
M: Wild Pokemon battles are the most difficult. This song is used for various Pokémon, from strong to weak. It is actually easier to create a song for a specific Pokémon. It is the most difficult and I have trouble with it every time. Sometimes, when I try to make a song, it turns out to be my previous song.
46:24
I: At first there was a part that was a little too scary even though it was a battle against wild Pokémon.
M: I changed one note.
I: A bass note. We changed it right before the deadline.
M:I raised one note a semitone. That makes it a little brighter, so it's less scary.
47:37
I: The color coding is velocity-based by default, but I choose the channels-based. Though it has nothing to do with the music... The first channel is this color, and so on. I like how it changes the atmosphere.
M: I like this too!
A: I've been color-coding by velocity for a long time..
I: Yes, velocity is important.
49:05
Kecak-style battle music
49:48
(probably) prototype composed by Masuda
*Some sounds are not reproduced due to different environments.
M: I feel like I'm taking it more seriously than I have in the past.
I: You weren't serious?
M: Around the creation of tones etc.
I: I feel like the atmosphere has been completed since then.50:17 I thought this was cool when I first heard it.
51:10
I: What is unique about the sound of this title is the use of various human voices. The videogame artist we always ask for, Yoshida Hironobu, is a super singer and a good vocal mimic. He also did the Poké Dude for FR/LG. I wanted to express dances and voices dedicated to the indigenous gods, and I also wanted to do something like kecak, though not Hawaiian. I asked Yoshida to say something like that to the tempo in the studio for a while, and I extracted the best parts.
53:09
I: This one has distortion and such on the voice.
Navigator: The image is very different from the original song.
I: I broke this one down. I asked Masuda, "how about this?".
M: I said, "Well, it's fine". Because it's a song for the latter half of the game.
I: After the game is completed... Oh, it wasn't after the game was completed after all. It was originally after the game was cleared. This turned out to be the climax of the main storyline. I messed around with it so much, or rather, had fun with it.
M: I think you can understand why Ichinose's arrangement sounds so difficult when you hear this
I: Usually, when Masuda-san asks me to do an arrangement, he tells me to give it 30% effort.
M: This is more like saying, "You can do whatever you want". When I tell him he can do whatever he wants, he does all kinds of things.
55:26
A: The theme of living in harmony with everyone was mentioned in the planning, and we think that choral singing and the combination of people's voices are in line with this work. The chorus is in the theme song, and it's also in the battle against the enemy.
M: Since it will be released worldwide, we were most careful not to make the words sound inappropriate.
56:12
Get Z Ring
I: I imported the movie and created the MIDI to synchronize it perfectly. It makes it easier to place the glockenspiel at the timing when the Z-crystal first glows.
Hey it's me
So, it's been a while; life happened and I couldn't really get back and add the subtitles.
I'll come back and add details to this very rough WIP translation, but this timei I'll finish it.
Thanks in advance for all of your patience.
1:07-3:12 introduction of each of the members
Ichinose (I from here on) I began learning piano at a young age, first composition in junior high school with a piano, bought a synthesizer and programmed music using asequencer. I used b500 and Yamaha's SY 77, all Yamaha products
Masuda (M from here on) I liked playing recorder in school, memorized Colonel Bogey. Probably my roots in music. Listened to YMO (music group) and rock bands from overseas on the radio and thought it was cool.
I myself couldn't create music, couldn't play the piano. In school I played a couple of notes of YMO's music and everybody went like "woah, Masuda's playing music". With only one hand. I bought pc in high school and created music, even to this day when I have something that comes to my mind it goes straight into my pc, so without a pc I can't create songs, in high school I played the trombone so whenever I create melodies in my mind I do it with a trombone. I begin with the melody.
Adachi (A from here on) my mother is a folk singer, so I've always been listening to music. I took piano lessons and was asked to be the accompanist by many choirs and bands, because there was nobody around who could do it. And from there on I had nothing I could do other than music. I can sing just a little bit. I also can play the shamisen. I won't sing though!
Interviewer: So Adachi-san, you might use your own voice in your next music?
A: I don't know, I'm not saying there is no chance. No, actually. I'd never want to.
About programming music
I: It was basically like data entry, everything was in assenbly language. It's how it started, back in the days where MIDI hadn't existed yet.
A: I've been in the industry for quite a while. Game music on SNES and Gameboy were made by entering values and used MML so I've started there.
I: I was impressed when the piano roll was invented, like "it's so fast"
M: when I first saw the size of a MIDI dump file I was surprised, and said "this is how much data you need"
I: game music exclusively uses MIDI. We needed to play the built-in sound, so we used MIDI to play it. Until recently with the 3DS we've been using only MIDI.
M: With MIDI, everything from when you start the sound to when you release the button is stored as data. Placing 2 synthesizers and playing them simultaneously was incredibly hard, but connecting them a MIDI cable you could record sounds with multiplesynthesizers. It was a dream project at that time. But even now, people who have a lot of instruments might still use it.
I: You can play everything on your pc.
M: Yeah, you can select the tone of the instruments on your pc, so it might not be used as much anymore. But at home I extract the MIDI from the sequencer and connect it to instruments.
I: You have a lot of racks at home.
M: I'm old school, so I want to use my hands and produce sounds. And because of that, I can see different softwares and know what adjustments create particular sounds.
I: The recent games use the exact same modules, so people who've tinkered with them in the past will have an eas time using them.
A: Unlike these 2 I'm not that great with machines, so I've memorized the instruments and the number for them in the MIDI. I think people from our generation worked hard to memorize everything, because the process would become so much smoother.
- M does a pop quiz on A and asks what instrument no.26 on the GM was, and the text on screen reads: GM 26 is SteelGtr (steel guitar) -
A: No. 56 was brass, I think.
- on-screen text reads: Wrong! No. 56 is Orchestra Hit -
I: No.60 was something with a square waveform.
- on-screen text reads: Wrong! No. 60 is Muted Trumpet -
A: Right. Like 62
- on-screen text reads: Wrong! No. 62 is Brass Section (close) -
M: you'd look at a number plate of a car and think "Ah, so this is Brass and something else"
I: wait, I made a mistake. It was either 60 or 80
- on-screen text reads: Wrong! No. 80 is Ocarina. FAILED ALL QUESTIONS!-
How they discovered Cubase, and its advantages
I: there was period where we only used Macs, and we used this shareware called MIDIgraphy. And the game would play the music. But when you only use external sound source you come to a point where you feel like it's not enough, so I started using Logic. I liked that on MIDIgraphy you could see all 16 channels with different colors on a single screen, so I was looking for something similar. Then, our company decided to make all of us use windows, and I started my search for a good program that could display different channels in different colors. That&'s when I found cubase.
- And which version of cubase did you start with?
M, I & A: 4, I think 5.
I: Didn't they have a 4.2 or a 4.5?
M: I started with the Commodore Amiga, and used this program called "Music X". You could select the MIDI and pick the channels, and that's what I became used to. And I can't read musical notes. So now, I use the speed adjusting function and MIDI splitting function.
I: Masuda-san started really early. While we were adding al the values by hand, you were on your Amiga. I was envious of you.
M: I had one in the office and at home.
I: nobody else owned one.
M: And since Pokemon was made on the Amiga, I created the music files and exported them as MIDI files.
I: Yes, and because of Masuda-sa we don't have the MIDI files anymore; he kept them all on his Amiga.
M: MusicX used a really weird file format, so I had to compress the file and export it to the Gameboy.
A: I used to work at a different company until 2009, and the first time I used cubase was when I started working at Gamefreak. Until then I used Vision.
PlatinumMaster
God tier.
StarmanSuper00
Holy shit! This is probably the most comprehensive look into Game Freak's musical development and scoring process. It kills me that the whole thing is in Japanese.
classic meal
I tried to translate ther parts I liked. (with help of DeepL)
M: Junichi Masuda
I: Go Ichinose
A: Minako Adachi
19:46
Battle with pokemon trainers
I: The battle music has a unique atmosphere. The phrases that Masuda creates give it a Pokémon feel. I direct the phrases he made and then ask Adachi to organize them in a good way.
M：I often start making battle songs from the gym. As was this one, but it eventually became a trainer battle.
I: This time there was no gym, and when we brushed up on it, it eventually became a trainer battle.
22:09
prototype made by Masuda
*Some sounds are missing because they cannot be reproduced due to different environments.
I: I wanted Masuda to write the music, so I placed acceptable tones in advance.
M: I left the rest to the two of them, and only included the parts I absolutely wanted to include. I didn't elaborate on the drums or anything.
I: I like the way it sounds.
M: It's like an old video game machine.
I: That's the kind of tone I prepared.
M: This one is different, but sometimes I put in the tones as well.
A: When I heard this, I felt that this is the origin of Pokémon. I especially like the sound of the guitar at 25:12, and I thought I had to make use of it.
25:22
A: Masuda told me that it has meaning to make this kind of break here.
M: During battles, there are various scenes where Pokémon perform moves and players think, and when the moment the sound disappears and the time for thinking coincides, it feels like a happy feeling. I make them with the player's emotions in mind.
27:10
the version modified by Ichinose
A: It's getting a little complicated.
I：It gets complicated when I make modifications.
M: Often I point it out. It's too complicated and hard to listen to. When playing the game, people think about difficult things, so the songs should come in simple. It's okay to have complicated ones, but it's better to keep the original simple first, and then make it more complicated when you make different versions.
I: I want the battles to be fun. It's not a battle to kill each other.
M: He likely to add backbeat rhythm right away, so I just say "It's too complicated!"
28:46
I: I added more sound here.
A: The hi-hat.
I: I thought it would be nice to have an image like a sparkling sunbeam.
M: Since it's a Hawaiian motif this time, the hi-hat is in a Hawaiian-like rhythm.
29:25
the version further modified by Adachi
A: I added the intro. I put it in considering the length of the video. Also, after I made it into MIDI, I converted it into Wave for each track, and then I added more effects and equalizers on top of it to bring it to the final product.
I: The intro is cool.
A: Basically, I barely tinkered with the tones and melody. Only the sound processing and mixing. I tried to give the sound a sense of breadth and depth. I also suppressed the parts that jumped out in frequency when the parts were combined.
I：The original B melody was too long, so...
A: We had to cut it, because there is a capacity limit to put it in the game. It was originally about 2 minutes long. I cut it so that you can't tell if it was cut or not, thinking, "That's scary"
I: What are you scared of?
A: I was afraid Masuda would get angry.
M: I wouldn't be angry.
A: When I cut it, he would find out, and he would ask me, "Why is this cut short?" so I explain it to him.
M: Even in this day and age, it's like, "Do we have the capacity?" and "Is it better to put in three songs or one Pokémon?". We have to decide what should be prioritized severely.
A: A: Game songs need to be looped, but at the same time we have to make sure they don't get boring, which is always a challenge and at the same time an interesting point.
Navigator: Mr. Masuda, were you okay with the cut this time?
M: No, I don't like it (laughing). Actually, I don't blame you for doing so.
I: There was a capacity limit.
M: I sometimes make quite long songs. Like with Diamond/Pearl.
I: There was one that was like 4 minutes long. I listen to the song to arrange, but if it's late at night or when I'm working all night, I fall asleep while I'm listening to it.
M: I think he plan to arrange a song in a week, but when I send them a song with about 70 or 80 bars, he say, "This can't be done in a week.
I: I want to make it happen as much as possible, because there is a lot of thought that goes into it.
M: The battle songs against Dialga and Palkia become long because I try to put the mythology into the song.
I: The intro was initially written in a minor key, wasn't it?
A: Yes, it was.
I: It was cool, but too cool, I guess. In the Pokémon world, trainers are fighting each other to be friends or bond with each other. It's like a sport. That's why I asked her to make it major and it turned out this way.
36:39
A: There is one point that Masuda was very particular about. The sound of the melody, behind the middle of the song. I was asked to express the sound of the moon and the sun in tones.
M：By whom?
A: Didn't you remember!?
I: It's like having dementia...
A: I sampled the actual guitar sound and applied an equalizer. Pokémon's policy is not to use the sound as it is. It's not just a guitar or brass sound, but the sound of the Pokémon world. I used a delay, and I reduced the lower frequencies and raised the upper frequencies to make it sound a little less like a guitar. I'm trying to make it sound like a shrill, luminous sound.
I: Kind of a dry sound.
39:32
I: When Masuda gives us a prototype for a song, he also gives a poem along with it.
M: It's not a poem, though.
I: It's an image of the song. It comes poem-like.
39:56
Notes on modifications to the song
A: The guitar bends that Ichinose had added were cut (after Masuda pointed it out).
I: I indeed don't think that's necessary.
A: I'm putting it in writing so that I can explain to Mr. Masuda that I made these changes.
40:48
Wild Pokemon Battle Song
41:05
prototype
I: Like a Game Boy. I did that partly on purpose. I asked him to give me just a motive first. So it is made like a Game Boy with three sounds. I thought that would be more Pokémon-like.
M: It depends on the thing, but I can make it in about two hours.
I: When he walks by, I ask him, "Oh, Masuda-san, please make a song now!". I would ask him like that.
44:53
I: Since the theme this time is tropical, I wanted to create a tone and atmosphere that would evoke the image of meeting, fighting, and joining Pokémon in a place where the sun is shining brightly.
M: Wild Pokemon battles are the most difficult. This song is used for various Pokémon, from strong to weak. It is actually easier to create a song for a specific Pokémon. It is the most difficult and I have trouble with it every time. Sometimes, when I try to make a song, it turns out to be my previous song.
46:24
I: At first there was a part that was a little too scary even though it was a battle against wild Pokémon.
M: I changed one note.
I: A bass note. We changed it right before the deadline.
M:I raised one note a semitone. That makes it a little brighter, so it's less scary.
47:37
I: The color coding is velocity-based by default, but I choose the channels-based. Though it has nothing to do with the music... The first channel is this color, and so on. I like how it changes the atmosphere.
M: I like this too!
A: I've been color-coding by velocity for a long time..
I: Yes, velocity is important.
49:05
Kecak-style battle music
49:48
(probably) prototype composed by Masuda
*Some sounds are not reproduced due to different environments.
M: I feel like I'm taking it more seriously than I have in the past.
I: You weren't serious?
M: Around the creation of tones etc.
I: I feel like the atmosphere has been completed since then.50:17 I thought this was cool when I first heard it.
51:10
I: What is unique about the sound of this title is the use of various human voices. The videogame artist we always ask for, Yoshida Hironobu, is a super singer and a good vocal mimic. He also did the Poké Dude for FR/LG. I wanted to express dances and voices dedicated to the indigenous gods, and I also wanted to do something like kecak, though not Hawaiian. I asked Yoshida to say something like that to the tempo in the studio for a while, and I extracted the best parts.
53:09
I: This one has distortion and such on the voice.
Navigator: The image is very different from the original song.
I: I broke this one down. I asked Masuda, "how about this?".
M: I said, "Well, it's fine". Because it's a song for the latter half of the game.
I: After the game is completed... Oh, it wasn't after the game was completed after all. It was originally after the game was cleared. This turned out to be the climax of the main storyline. I messed around with it so much, or rather, had fun with it.
M: I think you can understand why Ichinose's arrangement sounds so difficult when you hear this
I: Usually, when Masuda-san asks me to do an arrangement, he tells me to give it 30% effort.
M: This is more like saying, "You can do whatever you want". When I tell him he can do whatever he wants, he does all kinds of things.
55:26
A: The theme of living in harmony with everyone was mentioned in the planning, and we think that choral singing and the combination of people's voices are in line with this work. The chorus is in the theme song, and it's also in the battle against the enemy.
M: Since it will be released worldwide, we were most careful not to make the words sound inappropriate.
56:12
Get Z Ring
I: I imported the movie and created the MIDI to synchronize it perfectly. It makes it easier to place the glockenspiel at the timing when the Z-crystal first glows.
Oux
AAAA GO ICHINOSEEEE
kemichi
I've always found the idea of someone creating a base composition only to let someone else handle the arranging part of it. Not many, if at all, musicians do that as it's more convinent to produce and finish said music by themselves. I keep wondering it he simply doesn't have time nowadays to sit down at a computer for a long time and arrange his music considering he's now creative executive at the Pokémon Company. Is it because his arrangements sound too divergent from everyone else's musical styles within Game Freak's sound team division? We'll never know, honestly.
Alouette EXE
I just dreamt of meeting these guys. It was awkward for me lol
Kniffel101
Anyone could add subtitles to this. So if there are some Japanese speaking people seeing this, could you translate some of the video? Would be great! :)'
Hey it's me
I know this video's a bit old, but I'd like to help add some subtitles if that's possible
gxd000
Please do!!!