Soundtrack

[Don Andy]

What would be the most useful way to do that?

Licensing under Creative Commons and offering them for download, I'd guess. That allows redistribution and remixing, as long as the original author is credited.
That is, if you want them to be free xD

[Alec]

I mean in terms of files.

Like separate wave files for each part, or just the notes (so you can use your own instruments) or what.

[dhakkel]

So what have you thought about releasing the original tracks, so far? Have any of the links here been useful?

I mean, remixes are nice and all, but I fell in love with the tracks in game so it'd be nice to have those too :x.

[Winter]

@ Don Andy: Yes the creative common - solution is of course necessary!

Alec, you could offer both, the separate wave files (for example one wav-track with drums only, and than one wav-track with the pad-sounds and so )
and the notes!
The notes would be very useful for building new chords for example! if you give us the notes too, we don't have to guess them.

How did you make the music exactly? Which programs?

[Battlerager]

As a video game music remixer, I think its ALL ABOUT GUESSING THE NOTES.

And, pouring your heart into a rearrangement/remix.

I don't need no sound files, I got my ears and my guitar and midi programs and stuff

EDIT: Sorry if that sounded like bragging or ranting, but I really tend to be emotional about video game music 

[Winter]

 
No!
But you need some material! Some tunes/sounds/audiofiles!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remix

[Alec]

Seems like either method could yield cool results.

[Don Andy]

Hmm, maybe you can just distribute the soundtrack as simple MP3s in anyway you desire (selling it, just offering it for download) and give out special "source" files of the song on request, for anyone daring to make a remix?
People who don't need source files, like Battlerager, can always just work off the normal MP3s.

[Theogrin]

Either way - using clips from the original masters, or taking the melody itself (the 'song') and working with it - can probably be considered a valid remix.    That said, I prefer to work with the melody itself.  For those interested in making the 'Dance-style' remixes, I suggest Audacity - and for those interested in doing the other variety, there's FruityLoops (which is expensive, but more than decent).  There are probably some free variants on the latter if you poke around enough!

[DragonXVI]

I've been using Fruityloops for a good while now, and while it is pricey it comes with everything you need to make pretty much any kind of music, the rest is just gathering samples/soundfonts/synths/etc (Although It's fun to mess around with Slayer 2...)

Reguards to releasing the soundtrack as both Wav/mp3 and (MIDI I guess would make sense? If people were just after the specific notes). If memory served the guy that did the music for Kameo put all the midis on his site, and then had the mp3 version, after he'd sent the sheet music generated from the Midis to the orchestra, the end result.  Was pretty cool stuff...

But I also agree and disagree with Battlerager, it's fun working out the notes for yourself, easier so if you're used to playing by ear, but some remixes I've heard deliberately have a wrong note or two and it just bugs me :p

Personally I wouldn't mind doing a few mixes from ear of the main theme, working it into a more sinister piece and also a fast-tempo boss encounter (I like doing those, personally )

[Don Andy]

Personally I wouldn't mind doing a few mixes from ear of the main theme, working it into a more sinister piece and also a fast-tempo boss encounter (I like doing those, personally )

Thinking about it, the music from the title screen (if you mean that one) would sound really epic as a fast paced boss battle music.

[Alec]

BTW it'd be cool if when some of the mods are ready, they used some of the remixed tracks

[Quemaqua]

Being a musician, I rather hope to fiddle with some of this later.  I half-dream of making a mod (God knows I don't have the time, but...), and if I did I'd want to throw original music in there.

Also, remix has always been a misnomer to me.  You aren't really remixing something, you're rerecording it.  Most remixes are really just covers that may or may not use some of the original sounds, aren't they?  Not that it matters.  I'm rambling.

But yeah, I can really hear the Home Waters theme done up with electric guitars.  I wonder how sacreligious Alec finds the idea.  Heh, I guess I should just record it and find out.   

[Don Andy]

BTW it'd be cool if when some of the mods are ready, they used some of the remixed tracks

If someone remakes the title screen as boss music, I'm SO using it xD

[Dozin]

I know this may sound like a strange suggestion, but if you're gonna release the music for free, can you release it through a game patch which enables access to a "Sound Test" screen on the main menu? Kinda like from old NES and SNES games.