Music List Thread (Post New Themes Here)

Quote :

best examples of medieval battle music I can think of are from the masterpiece of a game Medieval 2 Total War.

Oh yeah, that reminds me of some of my favorites from RTW1!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hWg_N1EkIc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4umNOSdQ5Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKGO6AWoFXk

Oliveriver wrote:

The first of what will probably end up being a long line of medieval combat themes:

I like it, just needs to be faster.

In that case, I'll have a go at increasing the tempo, though if that doesn't work and just makes it sound too rapid I'll label it as a generic Medieval Theme.

EDIT: I tried changing the tempo and, as I expected, many of the instruments' rhythms started sounding odd as they'd been intentionally written for the current tempo.

Oliver, I think the thing holding you back is the percussion more than anything. Get creative with those things and find some nice sample libraries and youll improve their quality tenfold.
And are you looking for new samples for everything? Choral/choir libraries? Drum kit libraries? You should put some effort into this, since it will vastly improve the quality of your compositions.
This is my fave: https://youtu.be/CgnVEU2ZzTI
Notice the drums. AND THE HORNS. Use more horns. horns. HONK.

Psych0Ch3f wrote:

Oliver, I think the thing holding you back is the percussion more than anything. Get creative with those things and find some nice sample libraries and youll improve their quality tenfold.
And are you looking for new samples for everything? Choral/choir libraries? Drum kit libraries? You should put some effort into this, since it will vastly improve the quality of your compositions.
This is my fave: https://youtu.be/CgnVEU2ZzTI
Notice the drums. AND THE HORNS. Use more horns. horns. HONK.

I have occasionally tried to find plugin VST instruments, though so far all I've found are either paid (often quite expensive), synthesizers (which I have plenty of already) or both. However, I've just stumbled across a website linking to plenty of free VST plugins and instruments and I've tested one in Cubase to great effect. The only problem is I'll have to get used to using each plugin before I can create anything of worth with them, so it may take quite some time until I have something more to show.

And yes, I've found better horns.:) 

Oliveriver wrote:

I have occasionally tried to find plugin VST instruments, though so far all I've found are either paid (often quite expensive)

Arrr, matey. Theres always a solution to that. (put your eyepatch on!) I recommend getting your hands on massive while youre at it since it does synth a lot of good quality sounds, both instrumental and sci fi. (as well as earlier ones i may have mentioned. And get some sytrus plugins too!)

Oliveriver wrote:

The only problem is I'll have to get used to using each plugin before I can create anything of worth with them, so it may take quite some time until I have something more to show.

Welcome to the life of a composer these days. It took me about 3 months of just playing around to know how to use some of my plugins. We all go through this. Just have fun and don't worry about releasing things. To be honest oliver, you release so many songs its almost insane. Just take a break and pimp out your arsenal of Plugins. You get quality work proportional to the amount of time you spent working with that program and getting to know its workings.

Hi everyone. I'm back with a new theme.



Tell me what you think.
Personally I feel even the first part of it could work in a chase. However, I also feel the whole song could perhaps be extended a little...

I think it should be more intense and fast-paced for a chase theme.

NickTheNick wrote:

I think it should be more intense and fast-paced for a chase theme.

Noted. Anything else? How are the instruments this time? I've been experimenting with various reverb effects to try and improve them.

I gave it a listen, and in my mind, the way it is could work for a faceoff between two aquatic predators. That might have been the images you put with it but that was the impression I got.

I didn't find the speed that bad, but I guess it could be faster? It was more like a suspense theme than a chase theme. Experiment with a few major or dominant 7th chords or something. It needs more of an upbeat or running feel, but if you speed up your harmonic rhythm you can achieve the same effect (instead of just speeding the whole piece up). Good job on that back and forth strings though (ostinato effect), thats a key part of battle stuff.

Oh and before i forget, sometimes I notice in your songs the changes are a biiit off beat. It could just be something you need to adjust to get better at with Fl studio. I remember going through the same thing.

I'm glad to hear youre experimenting with FL studio. keep it up the work like this and try and go for something new every composition. (try and adjusting x and y filters. with some plugins for example).
Oh and this is probably getting annoying coming from me but tote, have you gotten any new plugins? Thats the best type of experimenting.
Oh and regarding instruments, did i notice some horns? Maybe more for next time =)

First:

I have to agree that it doesn't sound like music from in battle, but I guess it sounds a bit like "the calm before the storm" feel to it.

Second:

I rather like this one. The pace gives me more of an impression of a really massive predator coming after me, rather than the quick, high-tempo small predators, or group of predators.

Just my two cents, but hey, I play alot of Endless Ocean, and similar, as well as having gone diving in many tropical places. .3.

I know a little thing or two about the aquatic world.:afro:

Psych0Ch3f wrote:

I didn't find the speed that bad, but I guess it could be faster? It was more like a suspense theme than a chase theme.

Well, a lot of the inspiration came from chase themes composed by John Williams (mainly from the scores of Jaws, and Jurassic Park):

Spoiler:

As for the style, I was going for something more along these lines:

Spoiler:

Where the tension gradually builds. In-game, this would translate to the tension building as the predator persists in its hunt, starting from when it first detects the player (the moment that triggers the music).

But yes. I'll take note, and make a second, more action-based version sometime.

Quote :

Experiment with a few major or dominant 7th chords or something. It needs more of an upbeat or running feel, but if you speed up your harmonic rhythm you can achieve the same effect (instead of just speeding the whole piece up). Good job on that back and forth strings though (ostinato effect), thats a key part of battle stuff.

Ah. Well, I have no professional training in music, so I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're talking about. I compose almost entirely by ear, and I'm not very familiar with the terminology.

I understood some of what you said though. Yes, I could try to changing the rhythm of the music, although I think it might be simpler just to change the tempo.

Quote :

Oh and before i forget, sometimes I notice in your songs the changes are a biiit off beat. It could just be something you need to adjust to get better at with Fl studio. I remember going through the same thing.

Hmm... yeah, I sometimes feel that about my themes. It tends to happen if I get carried away in my composing, and forget to add a temporary "scaffold" beat in each new musical layer.

I'll look out for that next time.

Was there any of that in this theme?

Quote :

I'm glad to hear youre experimenting with FL studio. keep it up the work like this and try and go for something new every composition. (try and adjusting x and y filters. with some plugins for example). Oh and this is probably getting annoying coming from me but tote, have you gotten any new plugins? Thats the best type of experimenting.

Well, I only got FL studio a few weeks ago. I still haven't fully explored all of the stuff that came with the program by default, let alone new plugins.

Doggit did send me a choir upgrade plugin a while back, and it has a lot of potential, though again, I have yet to fully explore it.

Now, this might sound like a stupid question, but what are x and y filters?

And don't worry, it's not annoying.

Quote :

Oh and regarding instruments, did i notice some horns? Maybe more for next time =)

Yes. Well spotted. There were some horns/brass instruments in there, particularly in the second half.

Unfortunately, I'm not too keen on how the horns and other wind instruments sound in FL Studio, at least at my current level of experience. I have trouble getting them to sound realistic, so for the moment, I mostly use them as backup for the other instruments.

However, the reverb effects seemed to improve them, so who knows?

Thanks for the input.

Hey tote so here's my advice for FL studio:

Totemaster wrote:

starting from when it first detects the player (the moment that triggers the music).

But yes. I'll take note, and make a second, more action-based version sometime.

Youll definitely want to play around with filters(otherwise known as envolopes)  (pitch, volume in the future if you want to get these effects. The most obvious would be master volume filter and use it to gradually build up the sound. For example you could fade certain instruments in or just crescendo the hell out of the intro and blast the horns, and have a dramatic pause.
Basically you get this by right clicking the desired parameter (usually the knob. Which means if you see a knob right click it and you can probably create a parameter envelope/filter) and adding an "automation clip". Heres a quick screenshot:

Here's a video on how to use filters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y78hF8hb-I

Totemaster wrote:

Hmm... yeah, I sometimes feel that about my themes. It tends to happen if I get carried away in my composing, and forget to add a temporary "scaffold" beat in each new musical layer.
I'll look out for that next time.
Was there any of that in this theme?

I heard a bit. (enough for me to notice, but you need to understand I've been trained/qualified to find these things)
I dont know how you're composing in FL studio, so im assuming youre using the piano roll? The best way is to "click" your notes into certain intervals by adjusting the "base change amount" which is found in the top of the window (the whole FL studio window, nearby the time indicator). The default is "line" which moves it by a visible "line/cell amount" but this can be easily changed to 1/4 beat or 1/2 beat or even "none" so you can create notes and move notes at very definite lengths. Experiment with this and possibly place notes early by certain increments to see what happens.

Here's a more or less advanced video on the piano roll (It doesnt cover the points I discussed but still teaches you some basic stuff. you should master using the piano roll ASAP. and like i mentioned before there are hundreds of online tutorials.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHgjcBw6m30

Totemaster wrote:

Well, I only got FL studio a few weeks ago. I still haven't fully explored all of the stuff that came with the program by default, let alone new plugins.
Doggit did send me a choir upgrade plugin a while back, and it has a lot of potential, though again, I have yet to fully explore it.
Now, this might sound like a stupid question, but what are x and y filters?

Ok so pretty much heres my final thesis on plugins:
Plugins are a like pokémon. You wanna "catch'em all". And then use the strongest ones in battle. Sounds kinda weird but its true. I had over 70GB of plugins (some were duplicates though) at one point. I'm not going to point them all out to you but just go online find some nice plugins and get your hands on them. There are free ones and paid ones (unless you torrent XD )
By the way make sure you check out all the default plugins under "plugin presets" and "plugin database".  The Generators under plugin presets have a lot of good plugins to practice with (MY FAVE: SYTRUS). (they are many electronica ones, but USE THEM FOR PRACTICE. I know its against the thrive feel but just use them to practice with since theyre much more straitforward and obvious to hear the changes)
X and Y filters. So most plugins have an X and Y value that can be changed (to change the sound). For example, maximizing the X value on one plugin will make it HIGH ATTACK, whereas bringing it to the lowest base value will make it into extremely low attack (mellow). Y would in turn alter the "timbre of the sound". Youd make filters for both of these, put them on the playlist editor and change their values (by adding nodes-right click- and altering the curves in between) to create really cool effects. You may or may not use these in all your compositions but its a skill you will probably use. Again another one of my screenshots:

Totemaster wrote:

Ah. Well, I have no professional training in music, so I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're talking about. I compose almost entirely by ear, and I'm not very familiar with the terminology.
I understood some of what you said though. Yes, I could try to changing the rhythm of the music, although I think it might be simpler just to change the tempo.

If you do change the tempo, be careful of your drum line and your ostinato string rhythms. They might sound awkward and/or start clipping in fl studio.
As far as terminology goes, I can't help you there since it would take a while. I'd recommend you go online and find out what major and minor scales are, what major and minor chords are and then explore the other chords such as dominant and dimished tonalities. Im sure youll get the hang of it faster by yourself. Basically major means happy sound, minor means sad/dark sound (this is extremely oversimplified).
It's fine that youre composing by ear but that means the more mastery you have over FL studio the better for you, since you only need to focus on that, rather than the chords and theory and whatnot. Even with just reverb you seem to like it more already =)
Basically all your growth in the future will be with Fl studio.
Feel free to ask me any questions and i can send you more screenshots (i hope the above are legible)

Sorry for my absence, but I was just there to work. Now I listen to the new themes. Soon I will publish.:D 

Well, I'm finally back to composing, and here's another microbe theme to start things off:

Ummm....is it just me or did I just listen to the same chord progression for 6 straight minutes? Maybe there was one alteration but it could have been my imagination.
Seriously oliver...you can do better than that. I agree BGM shouldnt be too complex or distracting, but this sorta..hit an all time low.

Psychochef, there's no need for such degrading remarks. It's ambient music, not an overture. If you think you can do better, go ahead and try. Don't be rude like that.

Oliveriver wrote:

Well, I'm finally back to composing, and here's another microbe theme to start things off:

Hmm, Psych0Ch3f has a point. It's a bit... uneventful to be honest.

It sounds okay, but perhaps you could put a melody on top of what you've got so far?


And speaking of composing, I've reworked the aquatic predator chase theme. I've speeded up the tempo slightly, and added a new section:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_A3QqSBGc4

Tell me what you guys (and gals) think.

I agree with the points made with Psycho, and although he could have been more tactful, I don't think he was being derogatory.

Ambient music sounds good, but this does become repetitive. I think it should vary more throughout the theme. There are countless good examples of ambient music from video games on youtube that is diverse and varied. Simcity 4 comes to my mind.

@Totemaster:

The link is broken.

NickTheNick wrote:

@Totemaster:

The link is broken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_A3QqSBGc4

Great work, it sounds much better!

WJacobC wrote:

Psychochef, there's no need for such degrading remarks. It's ambient music, not an overture. If you think you can do better, go ahead and try. Don't be rude like that.

It may be a bit brutally honest but I'm sorry, I've heard oliver's other works, and as a composer I know he can do much better. I'm just a bit straightforward sometimes, so you'll have to bear with me, ill try fixing it, but please dont get too jumpy guys. This happens a lot on other threads but we've all come to accept me :D 
AND FOR GOD'S SAKE PEOPLE STOP SAYING

WJacobC wrote:

Psychochef... If you think you can do better, go ahead and try.

I TOLD YOU YES, I WILL I WILL, AND IF YOU REALLY REALLY REALLLY REALLLY ARE GOING TO SAY THAT OVER AND OVER, I WONT EVEN TALK ON THIS THREAD TILL I GET BACK TO MY STUDIO TO COMPOSE SOMETHING.
I've said this countless times, I have a strong track record, and I wan't to help you guys improve on your music. If you dont want my help, by all means, tell me to leave.

NickTheNick wrote:

Great work, it sounds much better!

Thanks!

Any suggestions for improvements?

I suppose I should probably say something, seeing as this conversation is entirely about my composition. This theme was actually an attempt to recreate the progression and feel found in many of the earlier microbe themes composed by Doggit, which are effectively just the same muted chords for several minutes (especially version eight, which was basically just a few chords played again and again for 13 MINUTES, and yet still manages to grip you with its soothing chord progression). Although I have downloaded plenty of new plugins, this theme actually only uses one of them, and it probably wouldn't have been much different beforehand. What this theme was pioneering in was its use of effects and modifiers - I even COMPOSED THE ENTIRE THING BACKWARDS just so I could reverse it at the end to keep the feeling completely ambient, with a very slow attack for each note. I also messed with amplifiers to bring out the bass, a phaser to sweep it left and right and LFO modifiers to create some of the waviness. As a composer, I'm not content to just do the same thing for every piece of music and consequently I love experimenting - it's why I composed a space launch theme with the majority of it only using one instrument but moulded in different ways, or a microbe theme running over itself backwards and forwards.

Speaking of forward and straight-forwardness, it's fine that you're straight and to the point (it's something this project definitely needs), but you might want to think a little before you post such observations. I was already a little fragile earlier because of . . . other things, and your comment effectively tipped me over the edge and left me feeling completely worthless for the whole day. Add that to the fact that I'm currently struggling through an agonising cold and am in the middle of many controlled assessments in school (both the work and stress associated with them) and you can probably imagine what sort of day I've had today. All because of one passing remark over a piece of music with which I was trying to emulate earlier themes which suffer from the same "problem".