AmigaParadise is an independent preservation project dedicated to the musical heritage of the Commodore Amiga. Its main purpose is to record, document, preserve, and share complete soundtracks from Amiga games, demos, crack intros, music disks, and other software.
Unlike archives that distribute original module or data files, AmigaParadise focuses on preserving the way the music was actually heard during playback. Each soundtrack is recorded in full whenever possible, including loops, transitions, introductions, and natural endings, so that the result remains as close as possible to the original listening experience.
Over the years, the project has grown into more than a collection of MP3 files. It now combines a music archive, a searchable database, detailed software and contributor pages, a continuous live radio service, personal playlists, user accounts, community features, and historical information about the people and companies involved in Amiga productions.
The project is built around three main principles: authenticity, preservation, and context. The aim is not only to preserve the music itself, but also the software it came from, the people who created it, and the way it was originally presented.
All public content and features on AmigaParadise are freely accessible, and the project is intended to remain free.
AmigaParadise provides several ways to explore, listen to, and organize its archive:
No. The audio archive available on AmigaParadise consists entirely of MP3 recordings created from the original Amiga music files.
During the recording process, the original files are played using the appropriate software or playback libraries, and the resulting audio is recorded in real time. Once this process is complete, only the MP3 recordings are used throughout the website, including the integrated player, downloads, and the live radio.
This approach is especially useful for soundtracks that depend on a particular player, custom sound routine, sound library, or sequence of events inside the original software. In some cases, simply opening the original music file in a generic player would not reproduce the same result.
If you are looking for original Amiga music files, modules, or extracted data, specialized archives such as UnExotica, Modland, and Mirsoft.info are generally more appropriate.
The project began in 1997, when lossless audio formats were not yet practical for a large personal archive and were not widely supported by the available software and hardware. MP3 was chosen because it offered a good balance between audio quality, file size, compatibility, and long-term accessibility.
That decision also made it possible to store and distribute a growing archive at a time when hard drives, web hosting, and internet connections were far more limited than they are today. MP3 remains one of the most universally supported audio formats and can be played on almost any computer, browser, operating system, or portable device.
Converting the entire archive to a lossless format would require re-recording thousands of tracks and many years of accumulated material. The amount of work, storage, and bandwidth required would be considerable, while the practical benefit would remain limited for most listeners.
For these reasons, MP3 remains the standard format used by AmigaParadise.
Most recent AmigaParadise recordings are produced through a clean digital process and should sound very close to the original playback, without the noise normally associated with analogue recording.
Older recordings were created using the tools, emulators, sound libraries, and recording methods available at the time. Some of them may therefore contain crackling, distortion, incorrect playback, imperfect looping, volume differences, or other minor defects.
Amiga music exists in a very large number of formats, including custom formats created for individual games or development teams. Playback may depend on software such as DeliPlayer, EaglePlayer, UADE, specific player modules, or particular versions of external sound libraries. Not every format is reproduced perfectly by every player, and some files may behave differently depending on the emulation environment.
The recordings are also made in real time. A complete soundtrack can take several hours to prepare, identify, play, record, separate into tracks, name, and verify. On older recordings, an unnoticed playback issue may occasionally have been preserved in the final file.
Whenever a better player, an updated sound library, a cleaner source, or a more accurate recording method becomes available, affected soundtracks may be recorded again and replaced. This process has already improved a number of older entries, but reviewing an archive built over several decades takes time.
AmigaParadise aims to preserve each piece of software as it was originally experienced. Even when two games, demos, crack intros, or music disks contain the same music, each entry will usually receive its own recording.
A soundtrack is not defined only by its audio data. It also belongs to a particular release, presentation, context, set of credits, and piece of Amiga history. Recording it separately allows each database entry to remain complete and independent, rather than redirecting visitors to music recorded from unrelated software.
This also preserves small differences that may not be immediately obvious. Two versions of the same composition may use different players, instruments, mixing settings, playback speeds, loops, introductions, or endings. Even when the final result appears identical, recording each version avoids assuming that the underlying playback is necessarily the same.
There is one notable exception for some CD32 releases. Certain CD32 games include both the soundtrack inherited from an earlier OCS, ECS, or AGA version and a new CD Audio soundtrack. When the original Amiga soundtrack is already preserved through the earlier release, the CD32 entry may include only the exclusive CD Audio tracks instead of duplicating the complete original soundtrack.
The administrator of AmigaParadise is French, and during the early years of the project, audio files were naturally given French names.
Around 2011, when the first public version of the website was launched, English gradually became the standard language used for new filenames and track titles. Some older French filenames still remain as part of the original archive.
A number of soundtracks have since been recorded again, and some French filenames were replaced with English names during that process. However, renaming every historical file would require changes throughout the database, playlists, archives, and stored references, while also creating a risk of broken links or duplicate entries.
Some of these recordings are now several decades old, and their original filenames have effectively become part of the history of the project. For that reason, many of them will probably remain unchanged.
During the earliest years of the project, many tracks were named from memory or while playing the corresponding game. Some filenames therefore reflect a personal naming convention, an interpretation of the scene in which the music was used, or simply the information available at the time.
Later recordings increasingly relied on metadata embedded in the original files, comments left by the composer, game documentation, specialist databases, comparisons with other recordings, and information found through community research. Whenever a reliable official title can be found, it is used or added during a future update.
Unfortunately, many original Amiga music files contain no meaningful title at all. In those cases, neutral labels such as “BGM 1”, “BGM 2”, and so on are used to keep the soundtrack organized without inventing names that cannot be verified.
A title found inside an original file is not always guaranteed to describe its final use correctly. During development, a track intended for one level or scene may have been moved elsewhere without its internal filename being updated. This can result in a technically authentic name that does not match the place where the music appears in the finished software.
Tracks marked as “Unknown” may have been labelled that way in the original metadata, may not have been encountered during normal gameplay, or may have a purpose that could not be identified with confidence.
Tracks marked as “Unused” are generally test compositions, alternate versions, early drafts, or pieces that appear in the software files but do not seem to be used in the final release.
Despite the care taken when identifying and documenting the archive, mistakes remain possible. Track names may be corrected whenever more reliable information becomes available.
Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information published on AmigaParadise, the database is the result of ongoing research and manual verification. Mistakes, omissions, and incomplete entries are still possible.
Information is gathered from several trusted community resources, including websites such as Lemon Amiga, Hall of Light, MobyGames, Exotica, Demozoo, Pouët, official documentation, original software manuals, and many other historical sources. Whenever possible, information is compared across multiple references before being added to the database.
Some details, however, simply no longer exist or have never been documented. This is especially true for programmers, graphic artists, musicians, crack intros, demos, or productions released by smaller groups, where official credits can sometimes be incomplete or entirely absent.
If you discover incorrect information or possess reliable details that are currently missing, you are always welcome to contact us. Corrections supported by trustworthy sources are greatly appreciated and help improve the archive for everyone.
Likewise, if you worked on the Amiga in the past and would like to update your biography, credits, or other information, feel free to get in touch. We'd be happy to improve or complete your entry whenever possible.
AmigaParadise is constantly expanding, and not every software page reaches its final form immediately.
Creating a complete entry can require a significant amount of work. Besides recording the soundtrack itself, each page may include release information, screenshots, developers, publishers, composers, programmers, graphic artists, musicians, comments, ratings, related software, and many other details.
Some information is readily available, while other details require hours of research or comparisons between multiple historical sources. Certain software has also been released in several editions or regional versions, making documentation even more complex.
As a result, some pages may temporarily contain missing screenshots, incomplete credits, limited descriptions, or other information that will be added during future updates.
AmigaParadise is designed as a long-term preservation project, and the database continues to evolve as new information is discovered.
In almost every case, this simply means the recording process has not yet been completed.
Creating a soundtrack is considerably more time-consuming than simply adding a software entry to the database. Depending on the complexity of the title, recording, editing, identifying, separating, naming, and verifying every track may require several hours of work.
For this reason, software pages are sometimes published before their soundtrack has been fully prepared. The music is then added as soon as the recording process is complete.
There are only a handful of legacy exceptions dating back to the development of the first version of AmigaParadise. These were originally created as technical test entries and have remained in the database ever since.
If you encounter a page without music, the best solution is simply to check back later. New recordings and updates are added to the archive on a regular basis.
Although most Amiga soundtracks are unique, there are several situations where you may encounter music that appears to be identical across different software.
Some developers reused compositions between their own games. For example, a piece originally written for one title may later appear in another game developed by the same studio or composed by the same musician.
Crack intros also frequently reused existing music. Some groups incorporated popular Amiga game tracks into their productions, while others recreated well-known Commodore 64 compositions for use in Amiga intros and crack releases.
Music disks provide another common example. The same composition was often distributed in several different compilations, sometimes with minor playback differences or additional presentation effects.
Even when the music itself is identical, AmigaParadise generally records each version separately. The objective is to preserve every piece of software as an individual historical release rather than simply maintaining a collection of unique songs.
In other words, if the same soundtrack appears in a game, a demo, a crack intro, and a music disk, each version is usually preserved independently so that every software page accurately reflects its original content.
The AmigaParadise radio is a fully automated 24/7 music stream built directly from the site's archive. Unlike traditional internet radio stations with fixed schedules or manually prepared playlists, the music is selected dynamically from thousands of recorded tracks.
The selection system is designed to maintain variety while avoiding excessive repetition. It continuously builds a playback queue using numerous criteria, ensuring that the same game, soundtrack, or type of software does not appear too frequently within a short period of time.
Registered users can also submit music requests. Requested tracks are automatically inserted into the queue according to a priority system while preserving the overall listening experience for everyone.
The public radio page displays the currently playing track, upcoming selections, estimated waiting times, listener count, and other useful information in real time.
The radio broadcasts exactly the same audio program as the official YouTube live stream, providing an alternative way to listen directly from AmigaParadise without relying on YouTube.
Registered users can submit radio requests from the dedicated request page, which is accessible either through the website menu or directly from the live radio page using the built-in request button.
Once accepted, a request is placed into the radio queue and will be played automatically when its turn arrives. The waiting time depends on the current queue, the duration of the requested soundtrack, and any other requests already waiting to be played.
To ensure a fair listening experience, the request system includes limits that prevent a single user from occupying the entire queue. These limits also help maintain a varied radio program while still allowing everyone to influence what is played.
Some special broadcasts may occasionally introduce manually prepared segments, but the vast majority of the radio schedule is generated automatically from the archive.
The radio page and the official YouTube live stream broadcast exactly the same program.
The only noticeable difference is a small delay introduced by YouTube itself. Before the audio reaches viewers, YouTube must encode the incoming stream, generate the video broadcast, distribute it across its servers, and maintain playback buffers for viewers around the world.
As a result, the YouTube stream is usually around 10 to 15 seconds behind the radio page available on AmigaParadise.
If you want to listen as close as possible to the live broadcast, the radio page on AmigaParadise provides the shortest delay.
While most of AmigaParadise can be explored without registering, creating a free account unlocks a number of additional features designed to personalize your experience.
Registered users can create personal playlists, save favorites, request music on the live radio, post comments, rate software, customize their profile, and access a personal dashboard that brings together all of their activity.
User accounts also make it possible to remember your personal preferences, allowing certain settings to remain available across multiple visits.
Registration is completely free, and all public content remains accessible whether you have an account or not.
AmigaParadise provides downloads of its own recorded MP3 archive, not the original music files extracted from Amiga software.
The project's objective is to preserve complete recorded soundtracks rather than distribute original modules, sound libraries, or proprietary game data.
If you are looking for the original Amiga music files themselves, excellent preservation projects such as UnExotica, Modland, and Mirsoft.info specialize in collecting and distributing those resources.
These projects complement AmigaParadise rather than compete with it, as they focus on preserving the original files while AmigaParadise focuses on preserving the listening experience.
Yes. Protecting user data is an important part of the project, and only the information necessary for operating your account is stored.
Passwords are never stored in plain text and are protected using modern password hashing algorithms. Authentication, user sessions, and sensitive account operations also benefit from additional security measures designed to protect your account.
Personal information is kept to a minimum. Apart from your username, email address, encrypted password, and any optional profile information you choose to provide, AmigaParadise collects very little personal data.
The website does not rely on advertising networks or advertising trackers, and visitor statistics are collected only in an anonymous form to better understand how the website is used and to help improve future development.
No. At present, AmigaParadise does not provide an official mobile application.
The website can still be accessed from smartphones and tablets, including the integrated audio player and the live radio. However, AmigaParadise is primarily designed for desktop computers.
Many pages contain a large amount of information, making a larger screen much more comfortable for browsing the database, reading software pages, managing playlists, or exploring contributor information.
For the best experience, a desktop or laptop computer is recommended.
If you discover incorrect information, missing credits, or encounter a problem while using the website, you are welcome to get in touch.
Community discussions currently take place on the The Abandonware Ring (tAR) Discord server, where AmigaParadise has its own dedicated discussion channel. You may also contact us by email if you prefer.
Whether you wish to report an error, ask a question, suggest an improvement, or simply discuss Amiga music, feedback is always appreciated.
Absolutely. Community contributions play an important role in improving the archive over time.
Reliable corrections, historical information, missing credits, documentation, and other verified material are always welcome and help make the database more accurate.
A dedicated Curation Center is also planned for a future version of the website. It will allow registered users to contribute more easily by submitting corrections, screenshots, historical information, and other material directly through AmigaParadise.
Until then, contributions and suggestions can be shared through the Discord server or by email.
AmigaParadise is hosted by OVHcloud, a European hosting provider that supplies the infrastructure used to operate the website, the database, and the live radio service.
Choosing a reliable European hosting provider helps ensure good availability, stable performance, and long-term continuity for the project.
AmigaParadise has been evolving for nearly three decades.
What began as a personal collection of Amiga soundtrack recordings in 1997 has gradually grown into the archive, database, and live radio service available today.
Rather than repeating the entire history here, a dedicated page explains how the project started, how it evolved over the years, and the ideas that continue to shape its development.
If you would like to learn more about the origins of AmigaParadise, be sure to visit the Project Story page.