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swansdown

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Posts posted by swansdown

    "Has Video Game Music Lost Its Way?"

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Yes. Classical music is music from the Classical Period, NOT calm music. Classic is different. Ambient music is not classical, it's ambient, and most importantly, it's more properly known as Modern music. Gotta make that distinction. :)

    That said, orchestral can convey just the same nostalgic factor as chiptunes.

    . It establishes more than one mood (what a plus), it's harmonically pleasing, it's texturally full, and it feels like it could be nostalgic. Not to mention chiptunes are often donned "not texturally full" simply because of the sound design. If you have a bass, a chordal/harmonic instrument, a lead instrument, and percussion, it's full. Orchestral is simply more full because of the tonal complexity.

    Agreed on the memorable part :D

    And on the other things you said... I'm learning :) Gradual improvement - hurray! XD

    "Has Video Game Music Lost Its Way?"

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    It's great to hear musicians' takes on this! ^_^ Particularly Neblix, but everyone really. Interesting thread! :)

    It probably doesn't help that videogame music hasn't really been broken down into different styles like band music has? Difficult to talk without terms and groups sometimes...

    I think there's been an overall shift in genre caused by things many people have mentioned.

    - new instruments to use / more memory

    - more control over mood through graphics (I hadn't considered this before)

    - shift to ambient or low-key atmospheric music

    - sheer designer or musician preference to do something different

    Developers can make music with modern instruments that is both similar to older style music and distinct. (See the numerous examples people have posted. Also see Ys

    vs
    vs
    ) It is, as I believe has been said repeatedly, that music is now a bit more in the background for some games due to changes in how atmosphere is created. A move to the ambient, even.

    Ah, a gripe of mine: don't conflate ambient with classical. Simply because orchestral music is used, does not mean the music has to be low-key atmospheric generic-y. A game could easily have kick ass orchestral tracks like the

    and the
    . Or something whimsical like
    . Also notice I've pointed to the best of the best of classical music. If you complain that there are few examples of great music of today's games, then you haven't acknowledged that most creative works aren't amazing -- they're 'merely' good. The genre or set of instruments examined isn't going to change this fact. Consider how many 8-16 bit games there are (or that you've played) compared to how many of their soundtracks you listen to.

    On a related note, I have wondered if the more realistic the graphics are, the less likely they are to have older style VG music? Would it feel wierd to have a highly realistic game with older style music? Quake 4 would play well with Quake 2 music, so this is not the best generalisation, I know...

    One of the HyperDuck guys said in an interview that Microsoft (? or someone else) had asked them to change up their Ys (8-16 bit era) to something

    for Dust. Listening to their full soundtrack including
    (the older tracks they had made before switching styles), I think either style could have worked for the game, but maybe that's not always true.

    OCR02757 - Final Fantasy VI "Bad Octopus"

    in ReMix Reviews & Comments

    Posted · Edited by swansdown
    3:00 to 2:57

    Oh no! I'm stuck listening to Bad Octopus over and over again -- AGAIN. XD

    There isn't any section that stands out as better than the rest. It's. All. Excellent. o_o Everything works so damn well and it all comes together as pure concentrated fun! :3 Just ohmygosh fun! :D

    mm I do get pretty pumped at 2:57-3:20, while 0:30-0:50 gives me a big stupid grin. XD Proud! ^__^

    And I love how the end isn't a simple fadeout, instead honouring another piece. A fadeout would've been okay, but I think the change-up works even better. :) The transition to it, too, just rocks! Smoooth :D

    Awesome! ^__^ Awesome, everywhere!

    OCR00291 - Blaster Master "Japanese Swamp"

    in ReMix Reviews & Comments

    Posted

    Malevolent mire! :D Bit creepy but bit playful as well. The end (from 3:40) builds up quite nicely.

    I had to turn the volume up. It comes across as rather quiet. :] I like from 1:23-1:38. It gets louder! XD And there are more bubbles too, maybe. :)

    Coming out of the pause at 2:17 makes it sound like a climax was hit, game-wise. Like something terrible happened at 2:00. Huh... the more I listen, the more I think this could fit into Uninvited. Yeh, maybe contains more horror than playfulness, eh? ;)

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