[.ca] Myst Soundtrack

okay cd:
I have to agree w/another reviewer that this cd is kind of boring w/out the actual gameplay and beautiful/creepy scenery to go w/it. It's still good to listen to before you go to bed (puts you right to sleep) ;) but I'm hoping that the Riven soundtrack will be better.

Music to chill out by:
Herein, I'll describe each track more in relation to the game rather than from a musical point of view, to let readers decide for themselves if this CD has what they want. Only music tracks are provided (no dialogue or FX). The tracks are grouped by Ages, with 3 bonus tracks. Those that appear in the game have not been changed, as far as I can detect; what one hears in the game is what's on the CD. The music makes a very soothing background, in general. The first 6 tracks are the Myst Island group. "Myst Theme" is the opening title theme, without Atrus' accompanying dialogue, followed by the music that plays during the Myst book's overview of the island. (The little string passage that accompanies the Cyan logo at the beginning of the game isn't included.) "Treegate" is the passage played as the player enters the chamber on Myst Island containing the Channelwood linking book, and which continues during the book's overview of that Age. "Planetarium" is played while the player is in the planetarium (of course). "Shipgate" is the played once the player enters the chamber containing the link book for the Stoneship Age. "The Tower" is the music played when the player is in the chamber at the top of the tower attached to the library on Myst Island. "The Last Message (Forechamber Theme)" is played while the player is in the imaging chamber near the dock. Tracks 7 - 13 are the Mechanical Age group (that is, they occur while the player is in that Age). "Fortress Ambience Part I", "Fortress Ambience Part II" are what the titles indicate. "Mechanical Mystgate" is the background accompanying the linking book back to Myst Island. The remaining tracks from this Age, "Sirrus' Cache". "Sirrus' Theme - Mechanical Age", "Achenar's Cache", "Achenar's Theme - Mechanical Age" are played as the player explores the brothers' respective chambers and caches. Tracks 14 - 17 are the Stoneship Age group. "Compass Rose" is played when the player activates the compass rose in the underwater room overlooking the stoneship hull. "Above Stoneship (Telescope Theme)" is played while the player is on the stairway leading up to the telescope platform. "Sirrus' Theme - Stoneship Age", and "Achenar's Theme - Stoneship Age", are the themes played in each of their respective Stoneship Age chambers. Track 18, "Selenitic Mystgate", is the track played once the player FINALLY reaches the Myst linking book in that Age. (All the other contrivances in that Age are counted as FX rather than music.) Tracks 19 - 21 are the Channelwood Age. "The Temple of Achenar" is the background for Achenar's little playroom. "Sirrus' Theme - Channelwood Age", "Achenar's Theme - Channelwood Age" are the themes played in the characters' respective rooms in that Age. "Un-Finale" ensues once the player completes either the red or blue linking books, while "Finale" accompanies Atrus' final speech. Finally, consider the 3 bonus tracks. "Fireplace Theme" would be best suited to an action sequence; if included, it would have disrupted the established tone of the game to that point. " Early Selenitic Mystgate" is much livelier than "Selenetic Mystgate", enough so that it wouldn't work as background music unless coupled with an action sequence. "Original Un-Finale" has some relationship to "Planetarium".

MYST SOUNDTRACK RAP:
If you've played MYST or not this music is great and sets a pace and will bring back memories of the visual worlds. The uniqe differential sequences between the 2 brothers themes is a great touch. 3 bonus tracks add to the value and MYSTiqe of the CD composure- In conclusion the CD is very good- applause to Robyn Miller for such fitting music from such a game.

Cute:
Back when Myst was just a new CD-Rom game and the franchise hadn't even begun to build up its huge fanbase Robyn Miller wrote this score to create a mood for certain scenes. Originally his idea was to have no music for the game at all, with mood only created with sound effects and ambience. For the most part this generally worked but he experimented giving musical life to moments such as the Planetarium (or the dentist's chair as some people call it) and the tower. When he saw how his music affected things he went on to write an entire score. And it's pretty cool stuff. It may be rather basic, lacking the maturity of Riven or the class of Myst III, but it still manages to be provocative and force particular feelings out of you, even emotions you didn't think you were in the mood for. Though Miller did create the feel of the Myst universe with this score and it surely signals the brilliance that was yet to come. It's an interesting CD to have, but perhaps only for fans. The CD last's just over 40 minutes and comes with a small booklet containing information about the game and Robyn Miller and contains some cool pictures. The CD is kind of flimsy tho.

Beautiful soundtrack for a beautiful idea:
ah, Myst. In 1994? the gaming world was changed forever, never to look back before the worlds of Myst. Cyan, Inc, lead by Rand and Robyn Miller, created a race called the D'ni that led the gamer through breathtaking worlds and intricate puzzles. The top thing most admired by Myst fans is the beauty that it shines on itself. Suffice to say, the soundtrack is an excellent compliment to the game. While rendered on a primitive (in 21st cen. terms) midi keyboard, Robyn Miller creates mood music that haunts the gamer as he walks through worlds never before seen. Poignant and mysterious, the music is a great backdrop for many activities, including reading the Myst books ;P. Yes, although this is a soundtrack -- it's great background music, but doesn't contain much musical structure at all -- it still excels at what it was meant to do... give the Myst game a whole new life in the ears as well as the eyes. And for that, I give it five stars.

• Myst Theme
• Treegate
• Planetarium
• Shipgate
• Tower
• Last Message \oForechambler Theme\c
• Fortress Ambience, Pt. I
• Fortress Ambience (Pt. 2)
• Mechanical Mystgate
• Sirrus' Cache
• Sirrus' Theme - Mechanical Age
• Achenar's Cache
• Achenar's Theme - Mechanical Age
• Compass Rose
• Above Stonehip \oTelescope Theme\c
• Sirrus' Theme - Stoneship Age
• Achenar's Theme - Stoneship Age
• Selenitic Mystgate
• Temple of Achenar
• Sirrus' Theme - Channelwood Age
• Achenar's Theme - Channelwood Age
• Un-Finale
• Finale
• Fireplace Theme \o*\c
• Early Selenitic Mystgate
• Original un-Finale