CPU Bach 3DO Review

CPU Bach 3DO Review: Sid Meier’s Musical Innovation

After the monumental success of “Civilization,” Sid Meier found himself at a creative crossroads. He embarked on CPU Bach with fellow MicroProse Civilization music composer Jeff Briggs, venturing into the then uncharted territory of computer-generated music.

A Unique Approach to Baroque Music

Unlike traditional games, CPU Bach emulated Bach’s complex Baroque compositions, initially focusing on the fugue music form. Sid was keen to challenge perceptions of what computers could achieve at the time and was also somewhat concerned about the reaction of the musical community to his concept of recreating Bach’s sacred music with a mere computer program.

3DO Development and Transition

The original IBM code developed by Sid and Jeff was eventually ported to the 3DO by Kerry Wilkinson and expanded into a proper edutainment musical experience. The 3DO was chosen as the publishing platform due to its consistent sound standard across all models, which did not exist with PCs that could have various versions of SoundBlaster sound cards. The 3DO could also be hooked up to a stereo receiver, giving CPU Bach the best possible sound fidelity available to a game at the time.

The CPU Bach 3DO Experience

CPU Bach is like having a Bach streaming radio station constantly playing, with each new track being a unique Baroque piece of music from the 1700s in the style of Bach, using forms such as concerti, fugues, minuets, and chorales. You switch the 3DO on, watch the intro movie, and then immediately listen to an original piece of music in the style of Bach that the 3DO has created on the fly in a matter of seconds.

Interactive Visuals and Musical Analysis

While you listen to the music, you can choose to watch a graphic slideshow of animals, landscapes, and cityscapes; a sound-to-light musical kaleidoscope; or a music note analyzer that explains the key of the music, the types of musical phrases being used, and the instruments playing. You can also randomize all of the above. The best visual option is Bach in Concert, where you see an animated Bach playing the piano or harpsichord, or performing with a concert ensemble of various string instruments. All the musical phrasing and hand movements are in time with the music, and there is even a chance to see Bach sitting at a huge church organ surrounded by a choir.

Customization and Musical Moods

As a user, you can go to the Classics option and save up to 15 of the CPU-generated Bach compositions for later replay or select from another seven moods of music, such as Concert, Sunrise, Sandman, Party, Soiree, Literary, or Reverie. Each of these musical moods can be associated with various styles of music such as Prelude, Fugue, Fantasia, Dance, Chaconne, Sonata, Sonatina, Chorale, or Concerto. You can use sliders to increase or reduce the amount of these styles associated with each mood type.

Instrumentation and Fine-Tuning

Delve further into each musical style, and you can adjust the instruments that play in those pieces by moving a slider to add more or fewer notes of that type of instrument. The options include Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Synth, Oboe, Flute, Recorder, Violin, Strings, Woodwind, Chorus, and Trumpet.

The Legacy of CPU Bach 3DO

The experience of CPU Bach deepened Sid Meier’s appreciation for Bach and highlighted the evolving synergy between art and technology emerging in all creative industries during the early ’90s. Due to the nature of the groundbreaking AI computer programming he and Jeff Briggs devised, he made sure to copyright the concept and ideas in patent number 5,496,962.

An Unexplored Gem

Unfortunately, CPU Bach was never ported to any other system and remains an incredibly unique yet sadly unexplored experience within the 3DO catalogue.

This CPU Bach 3DO review captures the essence of Sid Meier’s innovative foray into the realm of computer-generated music, showcasing its unique approach, development, and lasting legacy.