I got some great news at work today. About a year ago they restructured how vacation time works. if you don't use it you can get a pay out if you have to much to carry over to the next year, and I have WAY too much. Anyway, lately I've been itching to obtain an album I've been wanting for a long time but never pulled the trigger on:

MIDI POWER Pro 6 Akumajo Dracula X ~Gekka no Nocturne~ (http://vgmdb.net/album/1275)

With this extra bit of green coming I think I'm finally going to do it. But I have a two questions:

What does this thing normally run complete w/OBI and Power Disc?

What are other people's opinion of this one?

I stumbled upon a dub of this very early when I started exploring albums and I enjoyed it. However, I'm not sure why it caught my ear.

Does anyone else like this one?

I hadn't listened to this album in a long, long time before seeing this thread and dug into it via YouTube. I forgot how good this was. Love the extended arrangements and general song selection. Much more consistent than the SotN OST.

EDIT: Slightly OT/thread-hacking question for GX in case he sees this post: what about the Tokemeki Memorial MPP? I was only able to find one song online, which I liked, but can't remember what the rest of the album sounds like.

I had a thread about the SotN soundtrack before, but there's been something about it that's been bugging me since that point. Am I the only one who doesn't like the battle themes?

I remember LOVING "Festival of the Servants" years ago but it just seems so unfocused to me know. "Death Balllad" is decent because it is fitting for a boss battle, but I never want to hear it outside the game. The rest of them don't work for me.

It's about the area themes IMO.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the TM one a little more affordable then the SotN one?

This is a fantastic album and Wandering Ghosts in particular is especially amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwFK8_zKkCY

After listening to the youtube videos I don't know why I stated why I was unsure why I love this one. It's clear that it is very well done.

Cheaper, yes. I just haven't been able to dig up more than one song.

EDIT: jk, also found this.

I love all the MIDI Power Pro albums, with the exception of the first one, which is just a greatest hits that culls tracks from the 5 MIDI Power "ver." albums (which largely had original X68000 music).

Out of all 12 of the MIDI Power albums, I listen to the fives the most, that is, Pro5 (Salamander) and ver. 5.0 (Snatcher).

My favorite track from Pro6 is "Crystal Teardrops".

The Snatcher one is the best of the MPP albums, by a long shot. I wasn't expecting anything from it, but it was just really consistent and it did full justice to the originals. And it's not a Midi "upgrade" like the other "ver" albums, it's a full-on arrangement. MPP2 (primarily the Salamander 2 tracks) are a close second, that version of "Sensation" has always been definitive to me (I would argue it's my favorite Konami arranged track overall).

The Tokimkei and Gradius ones were about average. I wouldn't pay more than $15 for either. I need to relisten to MPP5 (Salamander) and I haven't heard the Policenauts one at all.

I haven't listened to the Dracula one in ages, but I remember not being too into it until the last three tracks and they kind of "rescued" it. It needs an honest modern listen.

You're right about the Snatcher album; it qualifies as a hidden gem because it never gets mentioned (other than now).

I actually didn't care for the Gradius one at first, but it's become a favorite. The Tokimemo album is also better than average. You've been listening to vgm for more than a decade and have never heard the Policenauts album? You're in for a surprise.

I love MIDI Power Pro 5 (Salamander) and 6 (Dracula X). Tokimeki Memorial MPP 4 is OK, but not great: I much prefer some of the Sound Collections. I felt Gradius MPP7 was well below average, which comes down primarily to song selection. None of the songs that I typically associate with Gradius are on this album. The only pleasant surprise for me on that disc was TABIDACHI. I have the other 3 MPP albums as well, but haven't listened to them enough to render an opinion.

That is the thing with MPP4 and MPP7...the selections were weak for the most part and the arrangements weren't good enough to make the lesser tracks really good. I guess you could say it wasn't a "Perfect Selection". In contrast, MPP2, MPP6 and the Snatcher one all hit the top tracks from their respective games.