DaMonz

Whew, I was starting to think I was the one overreacting. Glad to know that it's not just me Although, I still can hardly understand how people in this thread still think we're upset because poor Bruno Mars won't be able to eat for a week because he didn't get his paycheck. That's not the problem at all. I think Will and Pete pretty much nailed it here. A musician performing on stage is not promoting. He is working. He is doing his job that he's been training to do for God knows how long. That's what's irritating. If we encourage the thought that a musician on stage is not actually doing his job but simply showing off to people so they get to know him, I think that's a way to endanger the profession of musician. And additionally, with albums being pirated all the time and music being streamed for free or very cheap, concerts seem to me as one of the most reliable ways to make money as a musician (aside from contracts, or if you're lucky enough to become the in-house composer of whatever company). So if shows can't get musicians money, I'd honestly fear for the worst. So yeah, in my books, the promotion that you get from performing at a concert or whatnot should be considered a side-effect, and not the main objective of it.

This is precisely what I had in mind. I couldn't have worded it better I'd also like to add that I know performers who literally got ripped off by being barely paid for their work because the employer felt that he was the one offering a service to the performers by letting them play. I've mostly heard it happening at unofficial/small-scale gigs, like bar or restaurant gigs and such, but the problem is still very noticeable and definitely real to me. It's simply not noticeable to everyone (yet).

Yeah, I might be overreacting at this point. I know that it's not a problem for Super Bowl performers, I'm not that stupid. I think I'm just scared of the long-term impacts that this attitude towards live performers could be. I mean, if all music shows paid artists exclusively in exposure, would this system still work? I dunno. Sorry for over-thinking, I tend to do that too much.

Yeah, I no likey The main melody that's repeated in all of the new dungeon tracks doesn't sound interesting to me at all, sadly (I insist on the "new" here, I think the dungeon covers from LttP are also excellent). But this is all very subjective of course. Sorry for getting a bit off the topic btw xD

That soundtrack is excellent, but I feel like this new guy is better at covers than originals. The arrangements are super awesome, but when I heard the new dungeon tracks (as I was playing) I was very disappointed. I think they sounded too (oh boy, overused word in this thread) generic. The track in the final dungeon was pretty cool though, but... Meh, I honestly don't know if he could be as versatile and universally appropriate as Koji. Let's hope he will

I don't think that's the point. Of course he'll get his money in the end, because it's that one guy. I wouldn't mind if he was paid a thousand, a million, a bazillion, as long as he gets paid directly for his service. I believe that encouraging "exposure" as a reasonable payment for live performance is the best way to slowly but surely kill the profession of musician (performer).

I for one think that this is absolutely preposterous.

I think you're actively refusing to understand how the word "generic" is being used here. It's not about the instruments, it's about the writing (unless I'm the one misinterpreting things) Also, Koji Kondo is for me by very far the greatest genius of video game music, and not only because of his older work. I'm not saying all other composers are bad, not at all, there are a lot of other extremely talented composers who made amazing soundtracks that are very dear to me. I do think though that Koji Kondo in particular is unsurpassable. A bit like comparing Mozart to Salieri, he's got that little special something that makes him just THAT good. I don't think I ever heard a track from him that wasn't absolutely spot on for its context.

I'll just leave this here: http://youtu.be/SIfLGaJzwKk

Hmm and I agree with you. I seriously don't understand how you came to this conclusion from what I was saying. Maybe I didn't express myself properly? xD

As a matter of fact, most of these (all of them maybe except the AA:DD track) are good examples of what I believe to be "generic" music. I'm not saying it's not quality work, these are all great tracks. I simply think that when games have music like this playing in the background, its music becomes more of an accessory than a key part of the core of the game. You could replace it with a completely different track that has a similar mood and it would be just fine and I'm pretty sure a lot of people wouldn't notice. That's the small part where I agree about the "modern game music hating" phenomenon. Again, just to clarify, I know there are a huge amount of different types of "modern game music", but I think the tracks you linked are good examples of what causes the global generalization thing. I believe that when a game's music feels like it's unique and feels like it couldn't belong anywhere else than in said game, is the most important objective that a game composer could be trying to achieve. Again, this is all very very subjective.

I think it's always a bad idea to generalize on such a large scale. We're talking about hundreds and hundreds of games here. I do believe though that popular modern games with high budget tend to have generic music. I think comparing these games' music with old games' music is just like comparing apples with... with... elephants. You can't compare 8-bit chiptunes with a full-fledged orchestra. With 8-bit chiptune, you pretty much have no other choice than to make memorable and catchy tunes, because of this genre's technical limitations. When you have a whole orchestra at your disposal, it's the opposite problem. This genre's limitation in my opinion is that there are no limitations. Making "catchy" and "memorable" orchestral music is one damn hard challenge if you ask me, but I think it's much more easily appropriate than chiptunes for building atmospheres and specific moods. I'm not saying it's impossible, though. For instance, I think Super Mario Galaxy's music is a good example of how big scaled orchestral music can be used in a more "old-school game music" way. The bottom line for me is that I think it's pointless to say that game music is "turning bad". Not only is the whole subject very subjective, but there are TONS of games out there. Generalizing that much sounds very biased to me.

I soooo very much disagree with this statement. Honestly, after trying it, I think the Wii U's controller is the most interesting hardware innovation in console gaming I've ever seen. The controller's individual screen adds a whole new aspect to the gameplay (especially in multiplayer games).

I agree with this. And I think this comes down to the point that a lot of people seem to be missing: the "main attraction" of the PS4/XBone (which is the strong technical specs) don't make these unique. I tried the PS4, and it felt to me like the PS3 all over again. Maybe it's just me, and maybe I'm wrong by assuming that I'd feel the same about XBone/360, but I'd be really surprised. And this leads me to thinking: when will people get bored of getting the same console, with a few tweaks and better graphics? PS8? PS20? I feel like it's not a reliable route for consoles to take, because in the long run I'm pretty sure computers will outpower pretty much any traditional console eventually (and this is difficult for me to admit, because I'm a huge console fan). This is why I think Nintendo is headed in the right direction. I believe that by innovating (DS, 3DS, Wii, Wii U all brought something new and unique), they are working on securing the long-term future for console gaming. It's a risky thing to do, but I believe in them. And I really don't see how the PS1-2-3-4 and XBox-360-1 formula could keep going forever.

I haven't read everything that's been said here, but I'd just like to weigh in on something. I feel like a lot of people tend to criticize the Wii U for no good reason. I've heard a lot of people saying that it's subpar on the hardware and stuff like that, but most of them haven't even tried the console. I mean, some of them don't even know the main controller is a pad. I really dislike the way consoles are being judged recently. Who cares about heavy graphical processing and all that if you don't need it? Nintendo games don't need to look "realistic" like war games or such, and I think their hardware choices are perfectly adequate. For example, Nintendo Land is one of the recent console games that I've had the most fun with, and the game has beautifully clean graphics and no performance problems whatsoever. And if anyone tells me the Wii U needs more games, I agree but please don't tell me XBone and PS4 have any more

Happy Birthday to the greatest avenger of all!

Sounds good! The website you linked definitely fully covers both soundtracks though, just to clarify.

Awesome, Link Battle it is, then! It's the one I'd have picked anyway I'll try to get you a WIP as soon as I can. Isn't Felix Battle a track from Lost Age though?

Oh. My. God. It's happening! Golden Sun is probably the game that has the most meaningful soundtrack for me. I definitely want in on this project! Only, every unclaimed track that I'd still like to pick are not in the track listing in the first post. Would it be possible to add any of these: -Boss Battle -Link Battle -Colosso Battle -Saturos and Menardi Battle If you don't mind any of them being added, please tell me and I'll pick one. If you have any preference for a specific track to be added among these four, don't hesitate to pick for me Also please tell me if you'd really rather not add a track, and I'll pick something from the track list you suggested, but I'd really prefer doing a battle track Cheers! Excitement!

Happy birthday! Have fun, man!

I don't think I know the inside joke, but it sure sounds like this is related. Also, HAPPEH BARFDAI PEE-AYTCH!!1!!1!11!

Haha! These have to be the funniest and most awesome stakes ever Also, DarkeSword, despite the whole thing being a bit humorous and all, I honestly think you did great And wow, I didn't think my Melodica would give such an impression! I'm glad you guys had fun with it. That Mario 2 jam WAS very awesome though, it's a shame we don't have it recorded. We're gonna have to do it again sometime then!

Haha! I didn't realize we looked so much alike. Also, all of you people whom I met over there were all as awesome as awesome gets! I really enjoyed myself with you guys! If it hadn't been of my spinal disk herniation I'd have surely stuck around with you more than I did, but I'm still very glad that I managed to have as much fun as I did. Highlights for me: -Epic roommates. Chadly managed the suite's general tidiness like a bawss, and thanks again Garpocalypse for letting me use the bed on that last night! -Some of the best multiplayer game experiences in my whole life (8-man Mario Kart, fuckin TEN-man tetris, and cross-court slam dunks) -Jamming in the room with XPRT and Diodes. Short, but super sweet -WillRock's racist bag -The OCR keyboard -Just being there, and probably other stuff that I can't think of right now xD Love you all, guys!

Can't wait to get there! If all goes well I should arrive by bus tomorrow evening (around 9PM) at the Greyhound bus terminal. My plan is to get from there to MAG by taxi, but if anyone wouldn't mind getting a bit out of his way to pick me up, I'd greatly appreciate it (although it's not necessary). I would also not mind at all paying you for your trouble.

Maaaagfeeeeest!!!