MTV Music Generator 2

by Activision Inc.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005BL01
• Item Weight: 5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 4, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,571 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #55 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Simulation

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

If you have a PS2 and a lot of patience, you can now produce beats with MTV Music Generator 2 that are phatter than Fatboy Slim's, more melodious than Quincy Jones's, and that can get dancers moving like you're the long-lost sibling of the Chemical Brothers. OK, maybe not, but even the most musically inept individual can produce a (somewhat) listenable tune with this powerful music tool.

Boasting more than 48 channels and 10,000 samples that vary in genre--including rock--MTVMG 2 is a small recording studio on a disc. You can either paste the samples together or alter them somewhat for creating more original sounds. Sadly, mouse support, which could have made navigating the many screens and menus less painful, is sorely lacking. Many of the instrumental samples we heard sounded quite sharp; however, the vocals were universally awful. The video-creation tool is a cute feature for making forgettable psychedelic light shows. If you're serious about creating music, you must purchase the optional USB sampler accessory, which allows input from most audio sources into your songs.

While the sequel does feature some much-needed improvements over the original program, MTVMG 2 hasn't evolved enough from its predecessor to get a solid recommendation. Still, it's the only one of its kind for a video game console, and we like that even musical laymen can use it to make surprisingly decent tunes. --Mark Brooks

Pros:

• Thousands of samples taken from many musical genres for you to manipulate
• Powerful tool that fulfills its promises for the patient

Cons:

• Not intuitive
• Cumbersome interface
• Vocal samples are horrible--all of them

Amazon.com Preview

In the same way that Mr. Microphone democratized the scene for would-be singers without regard to talent, MTV Music Generator 2 unlocks the world of music to unskilled musicians--thankfully to much greater results. By sorting snippets of sound by genre (rock, pop, garage, trance, house, indie, and R&B), as well as by basic song elements (beats, bass lines, guitar riffs, etc.), players can simply build the song they want by stacking sounds as if they were LEGO bricks and layering them over one another. Sound easy? It is, once you get the hang of things, and it's fun, too.

Even if you're creatively stifled, you can still have fun remixing some of the pre-made tracks from such artists as Gorillaz, Apollo Four Forty, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Zombie Nation, and game spokesDJs David Morales and Funkmaster Flex. Once you're done, you can save songs on a memory card and share with friends, or you can use a separately sold input box called a USB Sampler, which plugs into your PS2 and allows you to use microphones or other sound sources, to add to your music. --Porter B. Hall

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Recording Studio on Your Playstation 2!, March 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: MTV Music Generator 2 (Video Game)

MTV's Music Generator 2 is an innovative piece of "software" that aspiring musicians will find quite interesting. If you've ever wanted to semi-professionally record your own music, inexpensively, this is your opportunity.

Music Generator 2 contains hundreds of samples of professionally recorded percussion, bass licks, keyboard melodies, vocals and guitars. You can then piece these samples together to create your own song.

Some reviewers here have complained about the game's interface. I agree that it is a bit awkward to use. However, I was able to figure out the menu even without the instruction manual. (I originally rented this game from Blockbuster Video and no manual was included). With a little patience it can be mastered quickly.

The biggest limitation of MTV's Music Generator 2 comes not from the game but from the PS2 console itself. With only a limited amount of RAM inside the console, you will quickly run out of memory while in the middle of a song's composition. As such, you won't be able to add that crash cymbal or accent that might make your song more complete. I found that to be very frustrating. Songs that could have had that professional mix instead sound incomplete and amateurish. This is really too bad because this software has quite a bit of potential. Although, the memory may not be a problem on the PC version of this game. I haven't tried it. (Interestingly, I never experienced this memory problem with MTV's Music Generator 1 on the original Playstation).

The software is also a bit heavy on the Hip Hop/Techno end as far as music samples are concerned. My musical background is mostly rock oriented, so I had to really dig to find useful samples. The rock samples here are mediocre at best. The vocal samples are useless. Personally, I would have liked to have seen samples of a 12 string bass, more acoustic guitar and even a vocal chorus included. Maybe next time?

On a technical note, I use my digital camera and RCA cables to import the audio files to my iMac computer. This process is much easier then the interface supplied through Sony. The digital files can then be converted to Mp3 format and burned to a compact disc. All of this can be accomplished without any loss of audio quality. The results are quite impressive.

Is it worth the price? Yes. Even though it has significant memory limitations, this is still a fun and inspiring program.

Because of its memory limitation and mediocre rock samples, I give it three stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very advanced for the money, October 19, 2001

By 

P. Gunderson (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MTV Music Generator 2 (Video Game)

This is basically software that would cost quite a bit more if you were going write songs on a PC or Mac with Acid or Cubasis. No, it's not professional grade but it contains an astonishing number of riffs that you can download from all the big genres (i.e., trance, house, breakbeat, R&B, pop, rock, etc.). Each of these riffs (which are in the thousands) can in turn be modified in terms of tone, pitch, volume, effects, length, etc. The BPM range is continuously adjustable (from 1-500). There are tracks that you can download from real recording artists (e.g., Roni Size) and then tweak to your heart's content. There's an attachment you can buy in order to sample from your own CD collection, but I don't recommend it; it records fine, but it is virtually impossible to manipulate these samples so that they will match the tempo of your track.

If you don't know much or anything about electronic music composition, the Music Generator is a vastly educational tool. After exploring this thing for a while, you'll find yourself mentally breaking-down tracks that you hear on your CDs and imagining what you would do behind the mixing booth.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 2 and 1/2 at best..., August 5, 2001

By 

Liquid (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MTV Music Generator 2 (Video Game)

I bought this game with high expectations because of all the great reviews on amazon, in magazines, etc... Plus the fact that i have been a fan of music all my life, especially DJ type stuff which MTV:MG2 claims to provide. but if you really want to make some GOOD music i would advise against it. first off every single vocal-riff is terrible and almost hurts to listen to them. the vocal-riffs all sound "pop," meaning you hear some annoying little 18 year old singing "ohhhhh yeeeaaahh baaaby." most of the riffs, other than vocals, are pretty chill but if you want to actually put together your own songs and not lift from other artists it is hard to make a solid rythem. the reason for this is because in riff-edit mode you can only point to one key at a time which is a real .... In all honesty this game just ins't very good. if you really want to make some GOOD music then take your money elsware