Music List Thread (Post New Themes Here)

Love the track!

If I had to say one minor thing about it I would say that the time around 6:00 to 6:23 sounds a bit like the beat and the melody (if I'm even remotely using the correct terms) aren't sounding like they are fully complimenting each other, but a bit out of sync. At least to my humble and untrained ears!

Keep it up!

Thanks!  :D 

There are two reasons for that - firstly, the drumbeat all the way through is slightly syncopated (off-beat) in the second bar, as the bass drum doesn't come in on the beat but waits very briefly. This is more obvious in the section from 5:10 to 5:25 as the bass drum isn't drowned out so much by the other instruments. Secondly, I believe I used a slight tempo change around the point you mentioned, before resolving back to the usual tempo. It's only a few beats per minute's difference for less than a second, but it may do something to create an off-beat feeling.

Really nice songs Oliver!

After quiet a long break I'm finally back with another theme. This one is supposed to play in the aware stage too, but I could also see it working in socienty or space stage. I'm not entirely sure about the circumstances it's meant to play in yet, so if you have any ideas, feel free to share them! I've decided to give my themes a unique name beside the "Aware Stage Theme" to add a little bit more character to them. Again, I'm a beginner in composing, so my themes can't reach the niveau of our other composers. If you have any criticism for it, let me know so I can improve myself. I'm currently in a quiet stressfull stage in my "school career" so i can't guarantee to produce themes on a regular basis. But I'll try to give my best. Anyways, I hope you like it!

Interesting! The atmosphere is great (the way it's structure actually reminds me of this, an ambient style I think we should all be striving towards), although there are a few things I think could be improved:

1. A lot of the instruments are playing single notes, with most of the theme only featuring two of these single-note instruments. Try and add a little more texture with more notes, more pads playing the same notes and added effects such as reverb and echo.

2. You've used chromatic scales a lot here. If you don't know what they are, they're when a descending sequence is played on notes right next to each other, including the black keys. This is effective in creating dissonance and other-worldliness, but can get annoying when overused. In a way, chromatic scales are sort of breaking the rules of music, which is fine, but it's a commonly held proverb that the musical rules must be known before you start to break them, as it helps you understand how far you can deviate from the key.

3. It definitely sounds like a space stage theme more than anything, as most of the pads are sine/triangle/etc. synthesizer waves. Maybe add a little more variety, and if you're having trouble finding other sounds you like, try editing the instrument, adding inserts and effects or even using automation to make the instrument change its sound during a note.

Hi! :3
I'm new in this thread and I want to know what is your opinion for this sounds that I made recently:

Seagull/Eagle sounds: http://www.freesound.org/people/M4D3R0/sounds/238335/

Tiny creature/Insect sounds: http://www.freesound.org/people/M4D3R0/sounds/238148/
Tiny creature/Insect sounds 2: http://www.freesound.org/people/M4D3R0/sounds/238147/

Exotic bird sound: http://www.freesound.org/people/M4D3R0/sounds/238144/

Large herbivorous dinosaur of grasslands (not necessarily) sounds:
(male, angry) http://www.freesound.org/people/M4D3R0/sounds/238089/
(male,quiet) http://www.freesound.org/people/M4D3R0/sounds/238088/
(female,angry) http://www.freesound.org/people/M4D3R0/sounds/238085/
(female,quiet) http://www.freesound.org/people/M4D3R0/sounds/238084/

Engine sounds:
http://www.freesound.org/people/M4D3R0/sounds/238087/
http://www.freesound.org/people/M4D3R0/sounds/238086/

I am making a tribal soundtrack too, but I need a Belgiumming ethnic/wooden flute sample and I don't find it for free.

They're ok, but most of these won't be needed for a long time I'm afraid. It might also be worth recording actual examples of these sounds rather than trying to synthesize them through other means. If we want them to sound more alien, we can always add effects afterwards. Some of the current sound effect tasks can be found here.

Madero wrote:

I am making a tribal soundtrack too, but I need a Belgiumming ethnic/wooden flute sample and I don't find it for free.

I'd recommend DSK Music. They seem to have some of the best free instrument plugins, and this one includes a useful ethnic flute sound. Just be careful that you don't overuse the samples - I've found that using too much results in very high memory usage and occasional program crashes.

Oliverriver wrote:

It might also be worth recording actual examples of these sounds rather than trying to synthesize them through other means.

If the result sounds as real as a recording ... what else matters?

Oliverriver wrote:

If we want them to sound more alien, we can always add effects afterwards.

This is what I try to do.

Oliverriver wrote:

I'd recommend DSK Music. They seem to have some of the best free instrument plugins, and this one includes a useful ethnic flute sound.

It's a bit embarrassing to say this ... but I already had that plugin but I didn't know it had an ethnic flute. Sorry about the mental delay.

Madero wrote:

If the result sounds as real as a recording ... what else matters?

Nothing, but it's more likely to sound real if it's taken from a real source. If we can synthesize our own sounds easily, I'm all for it, but seeing as most of the sounds (at least in terms of the game world) are pretty similar to those found around us, it's easier and often more effective to record and edit those.

Oliveriver wrote:

Madero wrote:

If the result sounds as real as a recording ... what else matters?

Nothing, but it's more likely to sound real if it's taken from a real source. If we can synthesize our own sounds easily, I'm all for it, but seeing as most of the sounds (at least in terms of the game world) are pretty similar to those found around us, it's easier and often more effective to record and edit those.

Yeah I understand you but I really can't record anything because I don't have a studio microphone and for me it's more fun if I have to synthesize the sounds from other sources (like scanning an image in Harmor [if you don't know what this Image-Line plugin is, Harmor is an Additive synthesizer where you can scan images and take sounds from them] or modifying a sample sound).

Technically not music, but still part of the soundtrack:



This will be on loop behind the microbe themes in both the environment and editor - I've found it actually compliments them quite well, as I seem to have subliminally composed themes with a similar range of elements (high screeches, bubbly sounds and water-like sloshes).

First ambient theme I make

Spoiler:

They're only random sci-fi noises.

Sorry for taking so long to reply to this - a combination of forgetfulness, lack of free time and procrastination are to blame.

For what this is I really like it! If it were an actual background theme I'd suggest adding a few subtle melodic hooks or harmonic sections, but if we're going for something similar to the microbe stage soundtrack in the space stage (where a slightly melodic theme plays above ambient sounds) it should work pretty well as one of the tracks.

Oliveriver wrote:

For what this is I really like it! If it were an actual background theme I'd suggest adding a few subtle melodic hooks or harmonic sections, but if we're going for something similar to the microbe stage soundtrack in the space stage (where a slightly melodic theme plays above ambient sounds) it should work pretty well as one of the tracks.

Thanks Oliver, one thing I've noticed is that in the end of the video, the sound cuts very suddenly, and if this is going to be looped in the background, It should cutoff unnoticed. If you want I can make a V.2 loopable version and I can add harmonic sections like you say.

That would be good. Fading out before the end of the video is the best way to stop it clipping off the end, although if the actual audio file contains this fade it's even better.

Here it is:

I haven't added harmonic sections because I didn't see it necessary. Anyway I will make more music for space stage where rhythm and harmonic elements will appear, while still being ambient music.

Oh god sorry for posting in the wrong thread, must have been really tired.
This theme sounds good Madero.

Tritium wrote:

This theme sounds good Madero.

Thanks Tritium.  :) 

Oliver, I don't know if this has been asked previously but I have a question:
What sound control system/engine are we gonna use for fadding and giving the sounds reverb, delay and gain/volume depending of the position of the origin of the sound and the position of the player/receiver?

I ask this because of the tons of sounds I am making and because I want to know if I have to put reverb on my sounds or if that already Is what the engine is gonna do.

Position dependent volume is definitely something that the engine will manage - one of crovea's sound test builds included point source sound which got quieter the further you were away from it, and vice versa. Fading in and out will be handled by the game when moving between different scenarios or locations (such as going from peace to war or environment to editor), but generally I'd suggest all ambient themes fade in and out anyway to save on processing when going from two similar style themes. Reverb, delay and most other sound effects I assume can't be handled by the game and must be added to the sound files beforehand, unfortunately.

Oliveriver wrote:

Reverb, delay and most other sound effects I assume can't be handled by the game and must be added to the sound files beforehand, unfortunately.

Thank goodness, I will not have to take out the reverb in sounds that I already had done and I'll make sure to put reverb in all the next sounds.

Well, here's a new theme of mine:



It's a space stage theme wich has a opressive, dark feel to it, like if your fleet is being watched by another species or one of your ships just drove into a asteorid field. This is probably my most complex theme until now. The organic bass and lead are frequently interrupted by those menacing robot/calculating noises.
What do you think about it? And are there currently any themes needed in particular? What should I do next?:)
If there aren't any prefered themes I might try to do a space stage organism mode theme...

MirrorMonkey2 wrote:

Well, here's a new theme of mine:



It's a space stage theme wich has a opressive, dark feel to it, like if your fleet is being watched by another species or one of your ships just drove into a asteorid field. This is probably my most complex theme until now. The organic bass and lead are frequently interrupted by those menacing robot/calculating noises.
What do you think about it? And are there currently any themes needed in particular? What should I do next?:)
If there aren't any prefered themes I might try to do a space stage organism mode theme...

This theme is perfect for what you say, dark and specific occasions (for example if you contact with an alien race which is agressive and robotic/cyborg), but I wouldn't like to have it for too long in the background, because It is very opressive.

Actually I feel differently to Madero in that the atmosphere seems about right. The instrument sounds are excellent as well (except maybe the electronic plinky sound at the end), but I do have to say that there's very little variation, something even a basic ambient space theme needs.

Also, I'd like to point out that space themes shouldn't be a priority for the moment. The microbe soundtrack is done, but that leaves sound effects for it as the next task. Music for other stages is still okay to be posted, but I'd prefer it if we weren't bombarded with several similar-sounding space themes which belong in a stage of the game we don't even know much about yet. If you aren't familiar with creating sound effects, then the best option would probably be to get to work on the multicellular stage music.

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY! New society theme:

Supposed to sound when our species already know how to handle metals and live in peace.

It's okay, but not ideal in my opinion. The drum pattern seems a little bland for the most part - I think adding a few other drum beats to give a polyrhythm effect would be better, as this sort of technique is present in most tribal society drum music. The violin sounds are a little screechy with too much vibrato - if you're using the DSK Music plugin for them, I can relate. You might get better results by using a string ensemble, which is generally less susceptible to sounding artificial. I really like the way the dulcimer-like sound interacts with the violins, though, as the long attack on the violins gives a sort of call-and-response type arrangement. Also, all the instruments seem a little central and confined - if you're trying to create an atmosphere, it would probably be better to add some stereo enhancers to some (especially the strings) and panning to others.

All quibbles aside, while this isn't perfect, I can definitely see parallels between your development as a composer and my own, so keep practicing, and maybe by the time we reach the society stage this theme can be reworked into something much better.