Legal Implications of Using Sound Fonts in Music Composition: A Closer Look at Toby Fox's Undertale

Undertale's soundtrack, composed by Toby Fox, is considered a masterpiece by many fans. It seamlessly blends fresh and nostalgic elements reminiscent of old Nintendo games from the 90s. The music perfectly complements the game, showcasing Toby Fox's talent and creativity.

There were concerns about potential legal issues related to Undertale's soundtrack, not because of song theft, but due to the sound fonts used. Sound fonts are audio sample file formats that can be used in digital audio workstations to create music. Toby Fox's use of sound fonts raised questions about their relevance and impact on the music industry.

Solo indie game developers face challenges when creating music for their games. Options include using royalty-free music, licensed songs, or making their own music. While making original music is ideal, not all developers have the musical background to compose effectively. Toby Fox's experience in music composition from previous projects like Homestuck showcases his talent and dedication to creating unique soundtracks.

Sound fonts are file formats that store audio samples and can be used in digital audio workstations with MIDI notes to create music. Despite being around since the early 90s, sound fonts are sometimes criticized for being outdated. Toby Fox's use of sound fonts in Undertale has sparked discussions about the relevance and impact of this technology in modern music production.

Sound fonts, particularly sf2 and sfc formats, are considered outdated in the music industry. Sfc is seen as a more modern format, while sf2 is described as 'caveman technology' and is the format used by Toby. These sound fonts are mainly used for game rips of instruments from old SNES or Nintendo 64 games.

Sound fonts themselves are not the issue legally; it's the samples stored inside them that can pose potential legal trouble. Similar to emulators and ROM hacks, the legality depends on how the samples are obtained. Using copyrighted samples from games like Super Mario 64 without permission for commercial purposes could lead to legal repercussions.

Determining the ownership of sound font samples can be challenging as many old samples do not belong to the game companies they were ripped from. For instance, the iconic 'dire dire docks' e piano sample from Super Mario 64 is actually a DX7 Roland patch. If Toby were to use such samples in his music, the original creators like Roland might have a stronger legal claim than the game companies.

Using samples like the Chrono Trigger piano in music compositions could potentially lead to legal issues. While game companies like Nintendo may not have a strong case due to the uncertain origins of some samples, the original creators of the samples, such as Roland, could potentially take legal action if their intellectual property is used without permission.

The piano samples in Chrono Trigger and The Secret of Mana sound almost identical, with the only difference being that The Secret of Mana piano is an octave lower and has some vibrato. Both games were developed by the same team and released within a three-year timeframe, suggesting they may have used the same piano sample. While the composers for both games were different, it is possible they had access to the same sample libraries.

The speaker recreated the file select music for Super Mario 64 using the Super Mario 64 sound font, taking approximately 12 minutes to complete. They also mentioned recreating another piece which resulted in copyright issues, prompting them to upload their recreation separately to avoid revenue loss.

Despite extensive research efforts, the speaker found limited information on sound fonts and their history. Turning to Reddit for help, they received minimal responses that mainly reiterated existing knowledge. The lack of substantial information led to frustration and reliance on Reddit for insights.

The discussion delves into the legal gray areas surrounding the use of samples in music production, citing examples like Toby's work on Undertale's soundtrack. The speaker draws parallels to copyright violations in fan art and highlights the complexities of copyright laws in the digital age, referencing discussions by Tom Scott and Game Theory on the inadequacy of current copyright systems.

Matpat discusses how some mobile game developers get away with false advertisement by stealing gameplay from other games to promote their own. The FTC is mentioned as having more important concerns than misleading ads for free mobile games, as they don't directly result in monetary loss for users.

Speculation is made about potential legal issues Toby Fox might face if he directly sold the samples used in his music. It is suggested that selling the samples could lead to significant trouble, but since Toby composed the songs himself, legal concerns may not be a major issue.

The discussion emphasizes that the composition of Undertale's music is what truly matters, rather than the specific samples used. Toby Fox's talent in composing original music is highlighted, with the samples being seen as secondary to the overall quality of the music.

The speaker mentions the possibility of creating a video series where they recreate samples or sounds used in Toby Fox's music based on viewer requests. The idea stems from the deletion of an inaccurate sample list mentioned previously.