What kind of soundtrack PC version really had?

[Panda o' Plenty]

I am interested in finding out how PC version is supposed to sound, before I start my adventure. No, not interested in PS1 music patch.

From what I gathered it's either supposed to be completely silent music-wise or it's supposed to keep looping the tracks. I am not sure which one is true. In case of absolutely no music it could be because CD music wasn't included, as it usually happens with such old DOS games and lazy re-releases. Or in case of looping tracks it could be because of usual technical problems of modern hardware. Heck, I heard that music was cut in budget release. All the random info.

So, what the real original PC release was like?

Asking that before actually starting game, didn't play any version before. Gotta know what my first impression will be like.

[Panda o' Plenty]

Interesting. Nice. Looking at this, one sure could say that PC version wasn't just inferior, but it pushed it's own experience with more ambient atmosphere (due to possibly more ambient SFX).

[Space Coward]

Originally posted by Make:

Not sure if this sheds any light. This note was inside the music restoration patch's ReadMe1st.html file:

Originally posted by "Kevin Bracey (KMO)":

The patch reactivates the in-game music cues that have always been present in the level files and were heard in the PlayStation version, but have so far been ignored by the PC version. It can also replace some of the low-quality internal audio with CD-based audio, as on the PlayStation.

This is a different solution from that of the original partially-completed Audio Pack for Glidos, which used artificial scripted triggers based on 3D texture capture to deduce player positioning, and simulate the original triggers. By contrast, this patch reactivates the genuine triggers from the original game, and provides all the music for the complete game in all the right places.

Basically, the flags are there, and the patch activates them. But the music hasn't been in PC version of Tomb Raider (at least, not as Redbook Audio). Perhaps it was a technical limitation at the time. The only way to know for sure is to ask directly Sound Engineer / Music Composer of this game (if they even remember anything).

The tracklist between original PC CD, PlayStation CD and this patch CD looks like this:

PC CD   Patch CD   PS1 CD   Reference
2       2          2        Music (Main Theme)
3       3          5        SFX (Ambience)
4       4          -        SFX (Ambience)
5       5          -        SFX (Ambience)
6       6          -        SFX (Ambience)
7       7          22       Voice (Natla Cutscene)
8       8          23       Voice (Larson Cutscene)
9       9          24       SFX (Scion Cutscene)
10      10         25       Voice (Hieroglyph Cutscene)
-       11         3        Music
-       12         4        Music (Shorter version of Main Theme)   
-       13         6        Music  
-       14         7        Music   
-       15         8        Music   
-       16         9        Music
-       17         10       Music    
-       18         11       Music  
-       19         12       Music
-       20         14       Music  
-       21         15       Music    
-       22         16       Music    
-       23         17       Music    
-       24         18       Music    
-       25         19       Music    
-       26         20       Music    
-       27         21       Music    
-       28         57       SILENCE    
-       29         26       Voice (Lara's Home #1)
-       30         27       Voice (Lara's Home #2)
-       31         28       Voice (Lara's Home #3)
-       32         29       Voice (Lara's Home #4)
-       33         30       Voice (Lara's Home #5)
-       34         31       Voice (Lara's Home #6)
-       35         32       Voice (Lara's Home #7)
-       36         33       Voice (Lara's Home #8)
-       37         34       Voice (Lara's Home #9)
-       38         35       Voice (Lara's Home #10)
-       39         36       Voice (Lara's Home #11)
-       40         37       Voice (Lara's Home #12)
-       41         38       Voice (Lara's Home #13)
-       42         39       Voice (Lara's Home #14)
-       43         40       Voice (Lara's Home #15)
-       44         41       Voice (Lara's Home #16)
-       45         42       Voice (Lara's Home #17)
-       46         43       Voice (Lara's Home #18)
-       47         44       Voice (Lara's Home #19)
-       48         45       Voice (Lara's Home #20)
-       49         46       Voice (Lara's Home #21)
-       50         47       Voice (Lara's Home #22)
-       51         48       Voice (Lara's Home #23)
-       52         49       Voice (Lara's Home #24)
-       53         50       Voice (Lara's Home #25)
-       54         51       Voice ("Male")
-       55         52       Voice ("Texas Walker")
-       56         53       Voice (Larson)
-       57         54       Voice (Natla)
-       58         55       Voice (Pierre)
-       59         56       Voice ("Skater Boy")
-       60         13       SFX (Secret Jingle)

Despite some tracks not included on the PC CD (e.g. Secret Jingle, mini-monologue with bosses) as Redbook Audio, these are still played from sound files, I think. (But of course, the patch CD overrides this)

Not sure why some of the ambient tracks aren't in the PS1 version as Redbook Audio. Kevin Bracey (KMO) says there is only one ambient track for the PS1 version. I guess Core-Design added more ambient tracks for the PC version as it lacked music.

Interesting read. I'd imagine it was to fit everything on a single CD-ROM rather than require a second halfway through. The same probably goes for PSX ambience.