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Nintendo DS Game and Music Composer All in One
An anonymous reader writes "In the shadows of launch titles like Super Mario 64 DS, Feel the Magic XY/XX and Wario Ware Touched! is Daigasso! Band Brothers (the working title is Jam with the Band in America). This little gem is a music game similar to a Bemani title. It features over 50 songs with a blend of J-Pop, TV themes and Nintendo melodies. What is hidden inside the title is a full out MIDI composer. You can use the stylus and the touch screen to write your own songs." An aspect I found interesting with this title is that it can use the microphone to sample sounds, which can then be mixed with the composer.
A band called "The Electric Family" composed an entire album using Mario Paint's composer and named the album after the game. I can't find any useful info about the album on the web though.
Finally, a worthy successor to Mario Paint, at least! The touch screen makes a tolerable substitute for the SNES mouse, but I wonder if anyone will make a wireless mouse to work with the game...
For more information, click here.
Is this Nintendo's way to prove that the DS can be more than just a video game player? I think they are beginning to regret not launching the DS like the PSP as a multi-purpose video/mp3 player out of the box.
It'll be a matter of time before they realize the DS was launched similar to the N64 missing CDrom capabilities. Go ahead laugh at the PSP battery issue. Watch that be the only weakness.
We get a Mario 64 port. OK, decent - but like 99% of the world has played it.
Ping Pals, a chat program for a platform with a free chat program.
Sprung - a dating sim.
Feel the Magic - a dating sim on acid.
Now a MIDI composer?
OK sure, Ridge Racer, Spidey 2 and Madden at least round things out - but about half of the titles for DS right now are odd enough to make Sega shake their head.
IGN has a number of videos, from which you can glean single-player gameplay. They also have footage of Nintendo's conference presentation, which talks about the multiplayer aspect. The latter is more interesting, as the former seems similar to other games in the genre. (Tap the controls in time with the music.)
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Inago Rage - Fight in 3D arenas of your own design.
We're indie. We're working on our 14th game.
Here are some recent 'concerts' of people using the game. It looks very interesting, IGN has a few videos of what the screen looks like during gameplay.
I can't wait for it to be released over here.
These were posted on a msg forum. Mario Theme
Original
???
Skip to ~2:10
Chewie does not get a medal. Come on, George. Can a Wookie get a medal?
Ah... another adapter to come, I assume.
Uh, isn't wifi one of the most famous features of the DS?
There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
as an avid bemani fan i got this when it launched in japan. i was quite disappointed at first. The sound engine is a straight port from the original GBA project Gameboy Music, so the MIDIs sound quite tinnish, it doesnt show off the DS capabilities at all. Let's say the songs sound like nokia polyphonic ringtones; horrible! -_-; Im any case, playing the game solo is no fun. The REAL fun is actually hooking up with other DSes and playing at a band. here is where you can look past the sound quality and have some multiplayer fun. With a single cart, 8 players can join in, with multi carts, its an infinate number of players.... Theres even a built in pictochat function to send messages while you play. and no lag. if i can recommend anyone playing it, increasing the song's speed by 10-20% actually makes the song sound better, especially the F-Zero medley.
Here is where you can download the album. I got it off Xarph.net. It's pretty decent stuff. They are put out by a publisher who provide their recordings for free, but ask that you still buy the CDs. Though I'm not sure exactly where you can get the CDs, you can get their merch Here.
By the way, Google is very useful. I plugged in "Mario Paint" + "Electric Family" and got those results instantly. Try Googling well before saying you can't find any useful info on the web.
And someone might want to make some mirrors, this is Slashdot after all.
I imported the game a couple weeks ago, so I've had time to play with the editor. It's extremely powerful compared to things like Remix mode in Frequency and Amplitude. You pick treble or bass clef, adjust the key of the song, pick a tempo, and start placing notes. The music theory behind it is very solid (I assume - I know very little about music theory). You can also have the game generate chord progressions and harmonies based on key signatures that you choose. It's extremely impressive overall. The max BPM you can use is 300, and the songs can be at least 70 measures. I haven't checked the maximum length yet. As for instrument voices, there were about 40 or so when I counted.
i ndex.h tml
;-)
There are a couple limitations, though. You get 8 individual instrument tracks, but each of those tracks is monophonic. To do any chording, you'll have to allocate more than one track for a particular voice. Also, you're limited to 4/4 time signatures.
The other editor mode (Hanauta de Gakufu) is quite interesting. You hum a tune into the microphone, and it quantizes into appropriate notes and adds a background track. Then you can load the creation in the full editor for further refinement.
Also worth noting is the official Nintendo Band Bros. download site. They've got some sheet music available. Right now they have Jingle Bells, and Slider (from Mario 64).
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/abbj/download/
And one more thing - it's not MIDI. MIDI is a serial interface spec for transmitting music control data, etc. Band Bros. has a synthesizer, not MIDI. Saying it has MIDI is like saying my web browser has broadband.