# [Opinion] Reasons why ACNH' hourly music is not as good as ACNL'S



## Rainfall1105 (Apr 25, 2020)

In general, the ACNH music is excellent. It sounds full, it sounds real and it has a great island vibe. 
The music isn't bad in any way, I enjoy all the aspects of the hourly music, but it's just not very memorable. 
I think its kinda catchy, I'll hum along to it or whistle or whatever as it plays, and I know what tracks I like.
However, I don't think that the tracks accurately represent the time they play for.
Obviously it's impossible to make an hour into music, but ACNL did it pretty well.
The morning themes were either slow or slower than other tracks and, didn't feel tired, but felt like the beginning of the day.
The afternoon themes mostly had more energy and fit in the middle of the day, they picked up pretty well and were nice to walk along to. 
Then the evening themes were winding down, slower but not as slow and calming as the early morning themes.
Not that all the ACNH themes don't fit with their hours, I personally think 9 PM fits very well and the same with 5 PM and 12 PM.
One glaring example of an hourly theme that doesn't work, is 8 AM.
 It's such a good song, but it has too much energy for 8 AM with the awesome guitar and keyboard.
This song still is good, but this brings me to my main issue with ACNH's music. It is too full. That may not sound like a problem,
and it really isn't a problem with music, but for Animal Crossing music, it is. I think that if life were to have a soundtrack, it wouldn't be constantly eventful,
New Horizons' music is just that. It never really has silence or serene-ness except in a select few tracks were it doesn't fit (1 PM, 3 PM, these tracks should have a lot of energy) or in the 1-6 AM tracks (These should be the way they are).
I think that ACNL's music was great because it was cool and casual, I would never call it exciting, but that isn't a bad thing.
ACnH's music is just too busy at times for an Animal Crossing game, its definitely different and that isn't the problem, its that it's just not on dot all the time.
Another smaller problem is the instruments used. I like the guitar and piano, but sometimes they're just too loud. Another thing that bugs me is the weather variants.
The rain and snow variations on the hourly music are almost identical, while the snow uses bell-type things like a xylophone and sleigh bells. 
These variants are also very similar to their regular kinds, with maybe more reverb and the only big difference is they swapped out the bass line for a marimba.
Overall, ACNH's hourly music is nothing short of amazing, but it doesn't fit an Animal Crossing game, where ACNL's music was perfectly fit for one.
On another note, the ACNH indoors music is much better, where it takes the pre-defined character themes or shop themes and really fills them out. The buildings really sound awesome.
Now, these things are something to consider when examining this game's soundtrack. The outdoors aren't all very exciting, they are casual and calm, but still adventurous and serene and most of the time, the music doesn't fit that.
The indoors, however, can have much more going on, and that is why the choice of instruments and fill out for those places was much needed.

This is all just my opinion! If you have any comments on what I've said, whether its disagreement or agreement, I am open to hearing it!


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## meo (Apr 25, 2020)

That's a lot of words.
I like it. That's all I got.


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## Khaelis (Apr 25, 2020)

I personally didn't find ACNL's hourly music that great. ACNH's hourly music is fantastic, though.


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## Paperboy012305 (Apr 25, 2020)

The soundtrack in this game is nice. Some are tacky, some are actually nice. 12pm is a banger.


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## Rainfall1105 (Apr 25, 2020)

Khaelis said:


> I personally didn't find ACNL's hourly music that great. ACNH's hourly music is fantastic, though.


Sorry for asking, I just want to know like your reasoning. I want to really enjoy the ACNH music as much as I did ACNL's so maybe I just need to look at it under a different lens. It could just be because ACNL was the first game I got really into, I've played them all and like their music, but don't have the same fondness with all of 'em as I do ACNL.


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## Khaelis (Apr 25, 2020)

Rainfall1105 said:


> Sorry for asking, I just want to know like your reasoning. I want to really enjoy the ACNH music as much as I did ACNL's so maybe I just need to look at it under a different lens. It could just be because ACNL was the first game I got really into, I've played them all and like their music, but don't have the same fondness with all of 'em as I do ACNL.



I just felt some of ACNL's hourly tunes were a little monotone, and I didn't enjoy the pace. I find ACNH's hourly tunes rather upbeat and they have a good pace.

PS. ACNL did have some good hourly tunes, its just I didn't really enjoy the majority of them.


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## Rainfall1105 (Apr 25, 2020)

Paperboy012305 said:


> The soundtrack in this game is nice. Some are tacky, some are actually nice. 12pm is a banger.


I really like some of the songs! 12 PM was one of the ones I highlighted as a well fit track. I do like the songs in this game, I just don't think the fit 100% with an Animal Crossing game. Maybe I just need to abandon all opinions of prior game soundtracks and just look at them as ACNH's soundtrack and ACNL's soundtrack. Not soundtracks of life.


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## Skyfall (Apr 25, 2020)

I agree the music is not good this time around. My husband said it sounds like 80’s porno music. I have to agree.


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## Feraligator (Apr 25, 2020)

ACNH has my least favourite hourly soundtrack of the series. But I still like some of the songs.

I'd write a long post detailing why but I don't think anyone would care for that.

Since ACNH's hourly songs all have the main theme motif in there it just sounds really repetitive, I preferred the nice balance of original/motif themes in past games. The instruments are grating sometimes as well, the bass is plucked so aggressively on hours like 1PM and 11PM and I just don't play at those times or mute the game.

I do really like some themes though, I love to play at 12PM, 4PM, 6PM, 7PM, 10PM and 12AM.


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## Rainfall1105 (Apr 25, 2020)

JezDayy said:


> ACNH has my least favourite hourly soundtrack of the series. But I still like some of the songs.
> 
> I'd write a long post detailing why but I don't think anyone would care for that.
> 
> ...


I agree with you on all parts, except on the main motif bit. Its probably just more obvious in this game, but leit motif of an Animal Crossing games main theme has been used throughout the series. Although the theme of this game isn't bad, it is definitely tiring to hear it very often.


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## usa-chan (Apr 25, 2020)

i don't really pay attention to the music ngl, but whenever i do tune it to it, i think most of them are catchy. i don't really mind it. well, all except for the 3 AM song. i hate that song so much, it is not soothing at all for 3 am


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## Feraligator (Apr 25, 2020)

Rainfall1105 said:


> I agree with you on all parts, except on the main motif bit. Its probably just more obvious in this game, but let motif of an Animal Crossing games the main theme has been used throughout the series. Although the theme of this game isn't bad, it is definitely tiring to hear it very often.


I think you misunderstood my point; in NH, the main theme is used in every single hour track, and definitely more obvious in this game, as you said. In past games, there is a balance between hourly songs that don't use their main theme motif and songs that do. NL had 5PM, 7PM, 11PM and 1AM for example.


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## Noctis (Apr 25, 2020)

Yeah it's not as great as new leafs but the 5pm music that's a jam. Also the 5am music sounds sooooo nice and soft. but then again I'm mostly listening to music on my phone and don't pay so much attention.


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## marieheiwa (Apr 25, 2020)

nostalgia is the best spice to music, give it some time


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## Saaga (Apr 25, 2020)

I think the music in NH is great, except that the rain themes this time around don’t sound as soft and I had to put the volume higher to hear the difference when comparing it to the original. I almost thought there were no rainy versions this time around because they sound almost exact same as the original hourly theme except that you can hear marimba in them. In NL the rain themes had more calmer feeling and and had soft jingle to it.


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## Rainfall1105 (Apr 25, 2020)

marieheiwa said:


> nostalgia is the best spice to music, give it some time


Yeah, that's what I'm figuring... it's just, I feel like I loved ACNL's music right off the bat. I do like the music, just not as much as ACNL's.


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## Rosewater (Apr 25, 2020)

The problem is that they put all the really good tracks in the very early morning except 6pm which literally sounds like an ode to Wild World. Overall, I still very much prefer it over NL's mess of a soundtrack. NH sounds more like the earlier games in the series too which is a bonus.


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## Romaki (Apr 25, 2020)

For me, some of the New Leaf songs are just too iconic. You just can't compete with that.


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## Rosie Moon (Apr 25, 2020)

Skyfall said:


> I agree the music is not good this time around. My husband said it sounds like 80’s porno music. I have to agree.



Oh my god


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## Altarium (Apr 25, 2020)

I really grew to like some NL hour themes such as 7PM, 8PM and 1AM, and I don't really see the same happening this time around. Still, it's not a bad soundtrack by any means, I just think NL was a tad better.


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## Romaki (Apr 25, 2020)

Like, I'm not against the music in ACNH, but just relisten to those tracks? It really added something special to the game.


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## CrankyPirate (Apr 25, 2020)

If you find NL’s better that’s due to nostalgia. Both of them are great, frankly, NH is better on its own right.


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## Momo15 (Apr 25, 2020)

In regards to the energy of the music throughout the day, NH is basically a music combo of NL and WW/CF. WW's music had a lot of energy in late night/early morning songs. Take, for instance, 3 AM and 6 AM in WW. NH basically took a step back from NL's change in music by going back to the classic jazzy/funky beats from earlier games, a lot of people missed that back in NL! But I agree, NL's music was a lot more chill, definitely fit the relaxing mood.


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## Zura (Apr 25, 2020)

I get that this is just your opinion but for me the songs are the best they've been since WW. I really disliked NL music and I feel like NH does it better


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## solace (Apr 25, 2020)

Skyfall said:


> I agree the music is not good this time around. My husband said it sounds like 80’s porno music. I have to agree.


Ahahahaha... I don't know what 80s porn music sounds like but I had to take a course at University called the "History of Rock and Roll" and ACNH is very reminiscent of 70's/hippy music era we had to study/listen to. Not my fav type of music to say at the very least.


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## Rainfall1105 (Apr 25, 2020)

Momo15 said:


> In regards to the energy of the music throughout the day, NH is basically a music combo of NL and WW/CF. WW's music had a lot of energy in late night/early morning songs. Take, for instance, 3 AM and 6 AM in WW. NH basically took a step back from NL's change in music by going back to the classic jazzy/funky beats from earlier games, a lot of people missed that back in NL! But I agree, NL's music was a lot more chill, definitely fit the relaxing mood.


But I still prefer ACWW music to ACNH, again not that ACNH is bad music, I just don't think it fits Animal Crossing.

	Post automatically merged: Apr 25, 2020



Zura said:


> I get that this is just your opinion but for me the songs are the best they've been since WW. I really disliked NL music and I feel like NH does it better


It seems that most either agree with me or just didn't like New leafs music! Haha, I guess its just preference.


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## Jas (Apr 25, 2020)

i don't love the ACNH music because you can't really notice differences between the hourly music and it repeats a ton of the same melodic phrases. i liked how ACNL had fun upbeat music as well as emotional - it was really beautiful to play at night and to hear this slow gorgeous music and ambient night noises. you could really tell when the hours had changed and when the tone had shifted.

i also agree that it's not bad music! they're fun! i just prefer other games' soundtracks to this one.


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## Rainfall1105 (Apr 25, 2020)

CrankyPirate said:


> If you find NL’s better that’s due to nostalgia. Both of them are great, frankly, NH is better on its own right.


We are entitled to our opinions, I was making this post to share my opinion and hear others. Please do not go around saying "If you have this opinion, its because of this." Although that may be the case for some, it may not be for all! I liked New leafs music right at the start of the game. I also played the older games after that and still liked their music! It's not that ACNH's music is bad, I just don't think it fits an Animal crossing game! If you wish to change my mind, don't tell me why I am thinking a certain way haha.


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## Feraligator (Apr 25, 2020)

CrankyPirate said:


> If you find NL’s better that’s due to nostalgia. Both of them are great, frankly, NH is better on its own right.


Not really. I instantly liked ACNL's music once I first heard it but I don't think the same for NH.
Sure you might like it but that doesn't mean other people should too, I'm not sure why people try to change other people's opinions lol


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## Jas (Apr 25, 2020)

ooo also another thing i've noticed, and this may just be a personal thing - i have never gotten this music stuck in my head.


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## Stereokay (Apr 25, 2020)

Altarium said:


> I really grew to like some NL hour themes such as 7PM, 8PM and 1AM, and I don't really see the same happening this time around. Still, it's not a bad soundtrack by any means, I just think NL was a tad better.


Yeah it really just illuminates your taste depending on which one you prefer. The New Leaf tracks have a unique calm and melancholy to them while Horizons is full of swanky and upbeat tunes. The main theme isn't my favorite either and I wish more tracks would try something different but I'll stand by 5PM and 5AM as some great songs in this one.

On the other hand 1 AM feels like a soundtrack to a clown walking home after being laid off (don't get me started on 3 AM).


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## Rainfall1105 (Apr 25, 2020)

Jas said:


> ooo also another thing i've noticed, and this may just be a personal thing - i have never gotten this music stuck in my head.


Yeahhh!! Exactly, I find it catchy at the time of listening, but it hasn't gotten stuck in my head. Also did you make your signature yourself? If so, where did you get the sprites?


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## trashpedia (Apr 25, 2020)

I agree with a lot of what you said. A lot of it really just boils down to personal preference to what you imagine each hour feels like.

I personally preferred NL more because I enjoy how melodic it is compared to the more loose and jazzy feel of NH. Not to mention, I feel like NL had more “tropical” sounding instruments such as the steel drum, which ironically wasn’t used in NH. Also, I really don’t like how they overused the synthesizer in every single track to the point where it feels like I’m listening to “Cipher” by Kevin Macleod, which was the song almost every single Minecraft Youtuber would use on their intros or outros. 

I think the hourly tracks created by Jumpluff on youtube are sooooo much better and I would actually be willing to mod NH to use those tracks instead of the current ones we have now, but knowing how Nintendo can be, I’ll probably never do it.

There are some good ones like 12PM or 5PM, but the rest are okay-ish.


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## astoria (Apr 25, 2020)

I agree completely! I’ve only played the GameCube one and I’m nostalgic about that music because it felt very ambient. The music in new horizons has too much energy, and that electronic noise especially at 2PM is so jarring. I also don’t like the music at 9PM, I think that’s the one, it’s literally just two music notes that repeat the whole hour. It sounds very boring. There needs to be a balance, and have more songs that are ambient and not music that’s in your face.


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## Jas (Apr 25, 2020)

Rainfall1105 said:


> Yeahhh!! Exactly, I find it catchy at the time of listening, but it hasn't gotten stuck in my head. Also did you make your signature yourself? If so, where did you get the sprites?


my signature was made by V94 [shop here]!! the sprites are from this link! also i do agree that it sounds a little like royalty-free kevin macleod music LOOL


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## Romaki (Apr 25, 2020)

It may not be fair after only a month, but I definitely couldn't recognize a New Horizons song as well except for the main song maybe (but only because of the K.K. version that I let play for a while in my town center).


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## croquet (Apr 25, 2020)

The music in NH just sounds a bit too dated to me.  You can almost place it in a certain era and it doesn't come across as timeless.  I feel that all previous AC music was pretty timeless and focused more on evoking a certain mood.  That's what makes them memorable to me because I felt something when they were playing that translated into my gameplay and memories.  

Maybe NH music will grow on us as we create memories while hearing it in the background?  I just know that this is the first time the music can be distracting and give me thoughts of wanting to turn it off or lower the volume.  Obviously this is all just an opinion.


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## ZekkoXCX (Apr 25, 2020)

In this post i'm going to talk mainly about the nightly hours of ACNL and ACNH , mainly because the day tracks are pretty nice in both games and I don't really want to review them too much.

I personally loved more the music in ACNL , specially the 11pm to 5am tracks , those tracks are what made me love the ACNL soundtrack and they really gave a mysterious yet magical vibe to the game , and I was kinda disappointed when I first heard the ACNH hourly songs , expecting something like ACNL music , but only to find out the ACNH music was quite like that.

However , I guess the reason for this is the context for both games , in ACNL you suddenly got a new life , having to be the mayor of a whole new town , even through you never intended to be a mayor in first place. The tracks I mentioned above (11pm to 5am) gave a vibe about a whole new mysterious life , an enigma about your future , being anxious about the future of the town and how scary it is the thought that if you do a minor slip-up as the owner (?) of the town , it could cost you a lot!.

Meanwhile , in ACNH you were 100% expecting to go to a new island , to have kinda like a long and relaxing vacation , where you are supposed to have no worries , after all , why would you have to be worried when going on a fun vacation? And I guess that's why the nightly hours of ACNH don't have the same vibe as ACNL , they are meant to be relaxing , kinda when you are on vacation and you are about to sleep or something.

I think this could also apply to the day music of both games , in ACNL it's kinda like a busy day , you gotta check the town and the 10 villagers that live in it are happy with it , and you gotta do your daily major work , while ACNH is just meant to be calm and enjoy life , basically.

tl;dr = acnl music is better but i think both games music are good based on their context.


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## Rainfall1105 (Apr 25, 2020)

ZekkoXCX said:


> In this post i'm going to talk mainly about the nightly hours of ACNL and ACNH , mainly because the day tracks are pretty nice in both games and I don't really want to review them too much.
> 
> I personally loved more the music in ACNL , specially the 11pm to 5am tracks , those tracks are what made me love the ACNL soundtrack and they really gave a mysterious yet magical vibe to the game , and I was kinda disappointed when I first heard the ACNH hourly songs , expecting something like ACNL music , but only to find out the ACNH music was quite like that.
> 
> ...


 Yeah, I completely agree. The music in ACNL just seemed to fit the game more and since that game was basically a suped-up animal crossing game, ACNH is a completely different animal...crossing... so of course its music would represent that difference.


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## Cwynne (Apr 25, 2020)

WW/CF's soundtrack will always have a very dear spot in my heart, and NL's music is absolutely fantastic. One thought I have is that maybe part of it is nostalgia? Once we've been playing NH for awhile and it's become more ingrained into us maybe we'll appreciate it more.

From a direct evaluation of it at this point, though, I agree that NH's music feels a little lacking and doesn't quite get the feelings of the hours as right as the other games did.


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## Uffe (Apr 25, 2020)

Many people didn't think much of New Leaf's music, either. Music that's good doesn't have to be memorable. Out of all the Animal Crossing day and night themes, I still prefer the original soundtrack on the GameCube version.


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## ceribells (Apr 25, 2020)

NH's music has a MIDI-fart-sound, Seinfeld-theme quality that I really don't appreciate. It seems to be trying really hard to be jaunty or peppy, and lacks any chill or subtlety. I guess they tried to make a coherent sound throughout the day, but that sound sucks. I hope the music has seasonal variants like NL, and those are more bearable.
The late-night nook miles island track is *okay*.
2PM is the worst. I actually try not to spend time outside at that hour.


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## Fridaynightcatlady (Apr 25, 2020)

I love NH's music and prefer it over NL. I thought NL music was too bland and I personally dig the jazzy approach they have on this one. WW music will forever stand as my personal favorite with GCN as close second. But NH is not far from those.


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## Zura (Apr 25, 2020)

Rainfall1105 said:


> It seems that most either agree with me or just didn't like New leafs music! Haha, I guess its just preference.


Most of the kiddos here first game was New Leaf so I guess it could also be nostalgia


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## s i r e n t i c (Apr 25, 2020)

Personally I think NH’s hourly tracks are nice, but I don’t feel like they match as much as NL’s do.
I was expecting a much more tropical sort of sound track, but these hourly tracks are nice too


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## PrincessBetter (May 4, 2020)

*I really, really dislike the ACNH soundtrack. The music to me, feels discordant and stresses me out. I listen to ACNL or ACWW soundtracks while playing, and mute my switch. There are no mysterious or lullaby like tracks so the things I'm discovering in-game, don't feel like little secrets like in NL. The songs sound extremely commercial.. like royalty free YouTube songs and just ehhh...*


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