MTV Music Generator 3: This Is The Remix Preview

Tools? Toys? The line can often become blurred in today’s world of videogaming. Take, for example, the EyeToy. This is a device that can put people into games, but you can also use it to send pictures of the kids to grandma.

Enter MTV Music Generator 3: This is the Remix to the equation and you blur the lines even more. This title is not a game, but it can lead to hours of fun nonetheless. But be prepared for a rather steep learning curve when it comes to this Codemasters’ release for the PS2.

Let’s break it down … err, the game, not the music – you’ll be doing that later. The game can be summed up like this – take song samples, remix them and create a new tune, or something relatively new. The program has a variety of song styles, and a tutorial, which will get you, started.

As this was a preview build, no manual accompanied the disk, so the tutorial was the only frame of reference for learning what the program offered. There are 10 tracks to work from at the start. They are: From da Chuuuch to da Palace (Snoop Dogg), The Way You Move (Outkast), Get Busy (Sean Paul), This is My Party (Fabolous), Hear Me (Mike Koglin), Flawless (The Ones), Katja (Carl Cox), III Type Sound (Krafty Kuts), LK (DJ Marky) and Revolution (Arthur Smith).

This is a remix version of the Music Generator, so you can take a cut from any of the songs and add it to another. If that isn’t good enough for you, and you are a somewhat versed musician, then the program has a piano interface and a beat box for adding your own tracks. You can also take tracks from CDs and use them in creating that new sound.

The program has multiple tracks so you can layer effects and create a robust soundtrack.

The interface is colorful and clearly labeled, which should appeal to most of those who do not wish to struggle around inside the program, but let’s be clear, this is not a program for the casual game fan who thinks it would be fun to create a song or two. Having some musical sense is not necessary but a definite plus, and should you launch this with no musical background, you will come away with one, though it may not be the kind of education that you are looking for.

This is akin to a studio engineer. Your main tools are your brain and your ear. The tone-deaf need not apply – even if they would still be able to create a decent sound. The biggest problem with this PS2 version is the way you have to save the songs. If you have a hard-drive, the problem should be alleviated, but if not, you are likely to find that you can quickly exceed the memory of the standard PS2 memory card.

In addition to the 10 songs included, there also are 4,000 sound samples and you can have up to 24 musical tracks.

There is little doubt that MTV Music Generator 3: This is the Remix is a powerful and handy little tool. It is a program that is a distant cousin to the deep PC-based programs like Cakewalk, but this is a program that, while having a steep learning curse, is accessible. If you have the time and inclination to remix sounds from favorite musical scores, or work to create that unique rhythm, then this program will give you that opportunity.