Best example I’ve found for how music transforms the emotion of a scene.
How to apply to your game project? Just build a playlist of a dozen different songs and throw them into your build. Or, you can just queue up some songs in Media Player while you do a run-through and see what works.
The word “paradise” is derived from the Avestan word for “enclosure.”
This fun fact enters my mind every so often on a project. With modern technology, just about anything is possible, and I don’t usually notice at first the cost of all of this possibility.
Today’s case was writing music for Escape Goat. I used Impulse Tracker to compose the score for Soulcaster I and II, and since then I’ve moved into Renoise. It has higher sound quality, runs in Windows, and can load most VST instruments and effects–something I haven’t had access to until now. And I’m blown away, you MIDI sequencing folks have had it made for years–dozens, hundreds of free virtual instruments and effects. Many of them sound as good or better than hardware I paid dearly for ten years ago. Can you believe this is a free instrument? Listen to that quality.
I went on a spree grabbing as many free 80’s style synths and effects that I could find. I came away with about 20 instruments, at least 10 of which were of excellent quality. I could score the whole game with just one of these. The GTG-FM, linked in the above video, is just as capable as a Yamaha DX7, an instrument that went for $2000 new back in the 80’s. And this is just one instrument. I have in my virtual arsenal a synth collection that would have cost a fortune back then. Cause for celebration!
The only problem is, I can (and did) spend a whole night just auditioning the built-in sounds on these guys. They can do such a variety of sounds. Though I started working on a song, it ended up as a love-fest of synth presets. Not much work got done on the actual composition itself. The problem? Too many great sounds. The solution? Force a limitation of them.
It took some time, but I whittled it down to a collection of about 20 instruments and samples I’m going to use as the signature sounds for Escape Goat. I’m only using 3 of the virtual synths. This way I’ll spend less time finding the ultimate bass sound and more time writing the song.
The open desert is scary. Build an enclosure.
It’s Wednesday, and there’s not much to report on the Escape Goat front. I’m currently making sure the game can cope with multiple worlds, so the player can play the campaign or user-created worlds from the title menu. Straightforward so far: fingers crossed. From here on out, it’s just ticking off the boxes until it’s what I consider beta.
For a change of pace, I’d like to offer up some video game music favorites.
First off is a page of metal and classical guitar remixes of NES and SNES tunes, by Famicom Guitar. (Hint: subscribe to @Surasshu on Twitter to have awesome links like this land in your feed.) Be sure to check out:
My roots are in video game music. It’s how I got into game development. It’s always been the majority of my music collection. (It’s also how I met my wife, but that’s another story.) So I’m really proud that the soundtrack for this game has connected with players and critics to the point where they make special mention of it in their reviews.
“Outside of the graphics, the music stands out. Way out. It’s not nearly as retro as the rest of the aesthetic, but it is excellent all-round. High-quality audio and catchy melodies reminiscent equally of Amiga SID tracker tunes and classic NES titles.”
– DIYGamer
“The soundtrack delivers even better than it did in the first one, sounding like the love-child of Castlevania and Chrono Trigger. Fans of the shopkeeper’s epic metal theme from the first game will not be disappointed.”
“… the music is fantastic.”
– Signed In Podcast (Soulcaster II discussed around 4:50)
“As a metal fan, I about fell out of my chair when I heard the opening theme, which happens to be one of the coolest epic metal songs I’ve ever heard. All of the music in Soulcaster II is incredibly well crafted, and seems to always be level appropriate.”