Some of the Amiga->DOS music conversions are hilarious.
I've just compared the title music of Heimdall (after the intro, at the still image with the Heimdall logo and the viking dude). It's as if the Amiga composer hummed the first few bars into the phone for the guy who did the PC conversion. So the first 20-30 seconds are similar(ish), then he kinda gives up and basically starts doing his own thing. It's completely different at the end.
The MT-32 conversion of the Powermonger intro tune has some jazz like (!) runs on hammondish instrument around the end. What that's doing in a medieval score is anyone's guess... I guess the guy just liked jazz or something.
Rob Hubbard is credited for the MT-32 conversion of the Populous main theme, but I have my doubts. He certaily wrote the original Amiga version, but the MT-32 conversion sounds like some upbeat dance remix of his majestic original composition.
So yeah, these conversions can be amusing, but I wouldn't put most Amiga->DOS music conversions on the same level as the originals. Some are very respectable, though, no doubt. But the lack of custom samples shows in most of them.
EDIT: Ok, so the MT-32 conversion of Heimdall was done by the same guy, but one year later. Maybe he wanted to try something different. Could it be that Rob did the Populous dance remix too? In any case, even if the conversion was done by the same person, I prefer the original in most cases.
I've just compared the title music of Heimdall (after the intro, at the still image with the Heimdall logo and the viking dude). It's as if the Amiga composer hummed the first few bars into the phone for the guy who did the PC conversion. So the first 20-30 seconds are similar(ish), then he kinda gives up and basically starts doing his own thing. It's completely different at the end.
The MT-32 conversion of the Powermonger intro tune has some jazz like (!) runs on hammondish instrument around the end. What that's doing in a medieval score is anyone's guess... I guess the guy just liked jazz or something.
Rob Hubbard is credited for the MT-32 conversion of the Populous main theme, but I have my doubts. He certaily wrote the original Amiga version, but the MT-32 conversion sounds like some upbeat dance remix of his majestic original composition.
So yeah, these conversions can be amusing, but I wouldn't put most Amiga->DOS music conversions on the same level as the originals. Some are very respectable, though, no doubt. But the lack of custom samples shows in most of them.
EDIT: Ok, so the MT-32 conversion of Heimdall was done by the same guy, but one year later. Maybe he wanted to try something different. Could it be that Rob did the Populous dance remix too? In any case, even if the conversion was done by the same person, I prefer the original in most cases.
