Sonic news gets a second exclusive interview,this time with Sonic Team MIDI Sequencer,John Weeks.
John Weeks: Sure thing. It's my pleasure to do this.
sthnews: What do you do in the Sonic Internet Community so you can give the fans an idea?
John Weeks: I sequence MIDIs of songs from the Sonic series of games. I also sequence some from other SonicTeam games like NiGHTS and ChuChu Rocket!.
sthnews: Lots of people I know are very big fans of your MIDIs,how much work gets put into each one of them and how do you create them?
John Weeks: I put a whole lot o' work into each one. I can get kind o' picky with each MIDI, 'cause I try to make each one sound as close to the original song as possible. That means I could spend days, or even weeks, with one section of a song, tryin' to get it just right.
John Weeks:I create my MIDIs with a program called Voyetra MIDI Orchestrator Plus. And whenever I start a new MIDI, I generally start with sequencin' the percussion to get a good beat to work with. From there, I just sequence whatever part I want to next until I finish the song.
sthnews: Where do you download this program and how much does it cost?
John Weeks:As far as I know, it can't be downloaded from anywhere. But, I think it can be bought off o' Voyetra's web site. I'm not sure of how much it would cost, though.
sthnews: There are many MIDI sequencers that create MIDIs of Sonic relation,who do you like the best?
John Weeks:Who do I like the best? Ooh... Tough question. Some o' the best sequencers who come to mind right now are Koryan, Jarel Jones, and José Felix.
John Weeks:They've all done such excellent work.
sthnews: A question that has been tugging at me for while is why Sonic Team?I've been a Sonic fan even before the internet,have you always been a Sonic(Or Sonic Team) fan and how did you get into creating MIDIs?
John Weeks:I've been a Sonic fan for a while -- ever since Sonic 2 on the Genesis came out. And, I got into creating MIDIs because o' my interest in music. My interest in MIDIs came around when I first heard one by Jeff Read.
John Weeks:Right then, I knew I wanted to learn how to sequence MIDIs. So, I got a MIDI sequencer, taught myself how to use it, and now, here I am. ^_^
John Weeks:That was back in 1997 when I first started sequencin'.
sthnews: Are MIDIs for every one,or is it something you just can't learn over night?
John Weeks:I don't think it's somethin' that can be learned over-night. You've got to have some knowledge of music before you start MIDI sequencin' -- like you've got to know how to read/write sheet music. Also, with some sequencin' programs, you have to know how to play a piano, or at least know which keys go to which notes.
John Weeks:I mean, it took me around a month to really know what I was doin' with my sequencer. And, even years after, I was learnin' how to do new stuff with it. ^_^
sthnews: You have a website also that you post your latest MIDIs,when did you start that and you also cancelled your requests?
John Weeks:I first created my web site back in the summer of 1998. That was as a GeoCities page. Then earlier this year, back in February, I bought my own domain name to continue my site without all the difficulties of another place hostin' it.
John Weeks:And, are you talkin' about my decision to stop takin' new MIDI requests?
sthnews: Yes
John Weeks:I decided to do that because my site's Sonic MIDI Request List was gettin' way too big. I started to feel really bogged down with work. I think it had somewhere near 150 MIDI requests on it! Anyway, this summer, I decided to just temporarily stop takin' in new MIDI requests so that I could clear the lists out some. Once I finish enough, I'm gonna re-opne the lists. (Then I'll probably get flooded with even more requests, but that's OK. ^_^; )
John Weeks:Right now, there're only 115 remaining Sonic MIDI requests. And, two MIDI requests from NiGHTS.
sthnews: You have tons of requests,but do you sequence MIDIs on your own by choice every now and then?
John Weeks:I like to. There're a few songs from Sonic Adventure 2 that I really wanna sequence. But, since they aren't on the list, I'm tryin' to hold off on those and just focus on requests.
sthnews: Ever think about sequencing other Sonic Team classic songs from other games like Burning Rangers or Samba de Amigo?
John Weeks:Actually, yeah. I was workin' on a MIDI of the Japanese version of "I Just Smile" from Burning Rangers, but it got deleted when my computer crashed. I also want to sequence some MIDIs from Phantasy Star Online. The songs "From seeing the rough wave" and "Revolution to the origin" are the main ones that got my attention from that game's soundtrack.
sthnews: Do you play alot of Sonic Team video games in your free time or is it all about the MIDI Sequence?
John Weeks:I think I spend more time MIDI sequencing. But, I always like to get in a game of Sonic Adventure 2, PSO, or Samba every now and then. ^_^
sthnews: What do you think of Sonic changing systems to the Gamecube and possibly other systems non Sega?Will you be sequencing Sonic Advance music in the near future also?
John Weeks:Well, at first I didn't like it. It just didn't feel right to me that Sonic was gonna be on a Nintendo system. But, after a while, I got used to that fact. Now, it really doesn't bother me, and I'm actually lookin' forward to these future games -- especially since SonicTeam is handlin' 'em. I have faith in SonicTeam. ^_^
John Weeks:And, yeah, I have plans on sequencin' MIDIs of the music from Sonic Advance once it's released.
sthnews: What do you think of the plan that Sega might have NiGHTS Into Dreams remade for Gamecube?
John Weeks:I love it! ^_^ I think it'd be cool to have a graphically-enhanced version o' the game to play, since there were a few things I didn't like about the graphics in the original. I just hope that the plans for this go through.
sthnews: But if you know how Yuji is,he always says no to the idea,then he says yes,then no..it goes on and on.Do you think there'll be new music to a remade game or will it just be enhanced?
John Weeks:Oh, yeah. Yuji's been against a "new" NiGHTS for a while. He believes that the original is "perfect just as it is." Not that I disagree, but I still think an improved version would be great.
John Weeks:I think the music will probably stay the same. And if so, I wouldn't mind it bein' enhanced some. Fumie Kumatani did an excellent job with NiGHTS' soundtrack.
John Weeks:But, a few "improvements" here and there never hurt. ^_^
sthnews: I've seen your recent updates at ESPIOKaos.com show you've been doing a few Sonic Chaos(MS) MIDIs,how do you define the difference between the MS version and GG?
John Weeks:Heh. Not much difference. This was bein' discussed on my site's message board, too. ^_^ There're a few songs that were changed -- some completely, some slightly.
John Weeks:For example, Gigalopolis Zone for the SMS was completely changed in the GG ver.
John Weeks:But, Turquoise Hill Zone only had changes in the intro.
John Weeks:Also, in the SMS ver., there's no BGM for the Super Shoes, and there's also only one ver. of the Special Stage theme -- the GG ver.'s got two Special Stage themes.
sthnews: Do you also Sequence sounds from games,like Sonic collecting a ring or smashing a Badnik?
John Weeks:Yeah. I've sequenced a few sound effects -- ring, star/lamp posts, special stage warping, and some others.
sthnews: How long does it take to do that?
John Weeks:Sometimes it can take only a few minutes, sometimes many, many hours.
sthnews: Another thing I was wondering is do you get into other Sonic Universes?For example,maybe Archie,Anime,or SatAM?
John Weeks:I've got some interest in the other universes. But, my main interest stays with SEGASonic. To me, that's the "true" universe. ^_^
I collect the Archie Sonic comics, I watched SatAM when it came on, and I've got the Animé on tape.
sthnews: You also sequence MIDIs for the other universes?
John Weeks:Yeah. I've sequenced MIDIs from SatAM and the animé.
sthnews: I'm running outta time here John,it's been a blast interviewing you.To listen to John's MIDIs I suggest you head to Sonic News:Music or better yet get the lastest MIDIs at John's website ESPIOKaos.com
John Weeks:Thanks for the interview. I really enjoyed doin' this. ^_^
