New Music - The Gathering Storm

Create music and sound effects for mainline or user-made content.

Moderator: Forum Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
Ewing
Posts: 27
Joined: June 16th, 2010, 1:50 pm
Contact:

New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by Ewing »

Hi all,

I've been wanting to write some battle-ish music for a while, so here is my attempt with this new piece I just finished.

Also, I'm not 100 percent sure on the title, so I welcome suggestions for that as well.

The Gathering Storm - http://www.box.net/shared/3i58mr96pp
(mp3 version)
EDIT: New version is posted in thread below.

Thanks for any feedback!
Last edited by Ewing on August 16th, 2010, 7:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Qazerowl
Posts: 61
Joined: July 12th, 2009, 3:37 pm

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by Qazerowl »

That's really good!
User avatar
marcusvinicius
Posts: 139
Joined: February 20th, 2008, 9:33 pm
Location: Brasil
Contact:

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by marcusvinicius »

It's good. I like it!!
Things I'd change:
1 - The low frequencies are something like "hidden", I think a heavy sound would be better
2 - The instruments positioning are not much clear, for example: In the begin the cellos seems to be played in the center, I think to much diffusion.
Anyway it's better to wait the professionals, see you later
Listen to the music
O que faz de mim ser o que sou. É gostar de ir por onde ninguém for
azrael1322
Posts: 16
Joined: April 10th, 2010, 5:07 am

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by azrael1322 »

I like it, odd time signatures are always cool. I agree there could maybe be some more low end happening. I like your brass melody as well....simple and I think effective. If you are settled on the arrangement I would just say that the transition around :48 feels a little awkward to me. If you aren't settled on it I'd say it feels a little like the intro should be at the end, like the 7 section could almost go into the intro around 3:00 and build the tension a little more, and the song starts around :48. Anyway, I enjoyed it, thanks!
User avatar
Ewing
Posts: 27
Joined: June 16th, 2010, 1:50 pm
Contact:

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by Ewing »

I'm posting the newest version below:
Qazerowl wrote:That's really good!
Thanks!
marcusvinicius wrote:It's good. I like it!!
Things I'd change:
1 - The low frequencies are something like "hidden", I think a heavy sound would be better
2 - The instruments positioning are not much clear, for example: In the begin the cellos seems to be played in the center, I think to much diffusion.
Anyway it's better to wait the professionals, see you later
Thanks for the comments...
This wasn't really fully mixed yet, so you're right about low freqs. and positioning. I've addressed both in the new version below.
azrael1322 wrote:I like it, odd time signatures are always cool. I agree there could maybe be some more low end happening. I like your brass melody as well....simple and I think effective. If you are settled on the arrangement I would just say that the transition around :48 feels a little awkward to me. If you aren't settled on it I'd say it feels a little like the intro should be at the end, like the 7 section could almost go into the intro around 3:00 and build the tension a little more, and the song starts around :48. Anyway, I enjoyed it, thanks!
Thank you, I contemplated putting that "A" section at the end before I first posted it, but it never felt right to me. I went back and tried it again after you suggested it, but it still just doesn't have the same effect as at the beginning in my opinion. Which means, I suspect, we'll just have to disagree on the transition where the "B" section begins at :48, as that's one of my favorite parts. I love the foreboding abruptness of it. :D

Thanks again for the suggestions/comments!

The Gathering Storm v2 - http://www.box.net/shared/i8g83js9jn
(mp3 version)
azrael1322
Posts: 16
Joined: April 10th, 2010, 5:07 am

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by azrael1322 »

Ewing wrote:Thank you, I contemplated putting that "A" section at the end before I first posted it, but it never felt right to me. I went back and tried it again after you suggested it, but it still just doesn't have the same effect as at the beginning in my opinion. Which means, I suspect, we'll just have to disagree on the transition where the "B" section begins at :48, as that's one of my favorite parts. I love the foreboding abruptness of it. :D
Just for clarity, I actually don't mind the abruptness, I felt more like it wasn't abrupt ENOUGH to me... like the first beat of the B section needed to be just a tiny bit stronger. Anyway, perhaps it was partly mix wise as I'm not noticing it as much in the update. And nice update as well!
User avatar
artisticdude
Moderator Emeritus
Posts: 2424
Joined: December 15th, 2009, 12:37 pm
Location: Somewhere in the middle of everything

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by artisticdude »

Sounds awesome! :D
azrael1322 wrote:I actually don't mind the abruptness, I felt more like it wasn't abrupt ENOUGH to me...
Actually, I felt the abruptness was spot-on.

Great work on this, I really hope this gets included in the mainline game at some point. :)
"I'm never wrong. One time I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken."
User avatar
marcusvinicius
Posts: 139
Joined: February 20th, 2008, 9:33 pm
Location: Brasil
Contact:

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by marcusvinicius »

artisticdude wrote: Great work on this, I really hope this gets included in the mainline game at some point. :)
2
Listen to the music
O que faz de mim ser o que sou. É gostar de ir por onde ninguém for
User avatar
CheeseLord
Posts: 147
Joined: February 19th, 2009, 11:07 am
Location: Knagla

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by CheeseLord »

Hi Ewing!!
First of all, that's some sweet piece you have. I've been quietly following its progress, and I'm really impressed. There's been some real solid brushing up on the realism, and I like how you've integrated several snippets of cool style together into a whole piece. TBH, the suggestions I'll be making are all nitpicks really.

I'm not sure whether this is just me, but I get a different feel for this compared to the feel I get with mainline wesnoth. Like I said, it isn't a 'fault' as such, just my gut instinct really. For me, places like at the start where it seems a little too sparse and the sound isn't as full on as I'd have thought ideal when compared to moments like from 1:27. Maybe add a octave of strings to beef it up a little??
And a couple of questions out of general musical interest... ;)
1:54 - the string sample that carries the melody sounds a little sharp for my headphones ...is it just me??
3:19 - the normal snare and the snare roll seem to come from different places - is that intentional??

Anyway, that's just my opinion - I'll be spending all night mentioning what's good about it :D The themes used are really effective, the orchestration is mostly really epic - I love the section from 1:27!! Indeed, the only reason I'm blurting out all the stuff above is because I can't find anything else to possibly criticise (I'm actually waiting for West to shake his finger at me and tell me I'm wrong :p )
Lord of Cheese.....especially Parmesan!!!
None shall stand against the Dwarfs in their homeland

Top 3 quotes by a developer:

1. Locked
2. Do it yourself
3. "No"
User avatar
Ewing
Posts: 27
Joined: June 16th, 2010, 1:50 pm
Contact:

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by Ewing »

CheeseLord wrote:Hi Ewing!!
First of all, that's some sweet piece you have. I've been quietly following its progress, and I'm really impressed. There's been some real solid brushing up on the realism, and I like how you've integrated several snippets of cool style together into a whole piece.
Thanks!
CheeseLord wrote:For me, places like at the start where it seems a little too sparse and the sound isn't as full on as I'd have thought ideal when compared to moments like from 1:27. Maybe add a octave of strings to beef it up a little??
I think I understand, but I'm not entirely sure about this comment. The beginning of the piece, or the "A" section, is one long textural crescendo wherein I add instruments starting from the solo cello section all the way to a full tutti (with choir) spanning more than a few octaves. I'll agree that the "B2" section at 1:24 sounds more expansive, but this is intentional, and IMO, more effective than if the whole piece had the same sound/voicing.
CheeseLord wrote:And a couple of questions out of general musical interest... ;)
1:54 - the string sample that carries the melody sounds a little sharp for my headphones ...is it just me??
3:19 - the normal snare and the snare roll seem to come from different places - is that intentional??
Re: strings - I guess it could be your headphones augmenting a frequency range even more than the mix? The violins do swell a bit there in order to restate the previous brass theme more clearly, but I'm not sure about them being sharp, in either the musical or aesthetic sense. Maybe I'm just not hearing it?
Re: snare - Maybe you are hearing the higher pitched tom, which also hits with the snare? The snare sample used for roll and hit is the same, so unless they recorded it differently when sampling it, I'm not sure why they wouldn't be in the same stereo space.
marcusvinicius wrote:Anyway, that's just my opinion - I'll be spending all night mentioning what's good about it :D The themes used are really effective, the orchestration is mostly really epic - I love the section from 1:27!!
I really appreciate the comments and suggestions and I'm very happy that you enjoyed it!
User avatar
Ewing
Posts: 27
Joined: June 16th, 2010, 1:50 pm
Contact:

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by Ewing »

Here is the link to the full quality WAV file (16/44.1) of this track. I'm trying out this new SoundCloud service, so if anyone has trouble downloading the track or otherwise, please let me know and I will figure out some other way.

[To download: on the player page, click on the downward pointing arrow next to "add to set"]

The Gathering Storm - http://soundcloud.com/blake-ewing/the-g ... rm/s-mR2Xa
(full quality wav)
User avatar
Dovolente
Posts: 140
Joined: April 17th, 2007, 9:02 pm
Location: USA, Mountain West
Contact:

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by Dovolente »

Very nice! I especially like the section from :45 - 1:17. :)
User avatar
doofus-01
Art Director
Posts: 4121
Joined: January 6th, 2008, 9:27 pm
Location: USA

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by doofus-01 »

This sounds very nice. I'll use it for Wesnoth UMC, if you're finished and that's OK? (I assume it is, since you posted the WAV.)
BfW 1.12 supported, but active development only for BfW 1.13/1.14: Bad Moon Rising | Trinity | Archaic Era |
| Abandoned: Tales of the Setting Sun
GitHub link for these projects
User avatar
Ewing
Posts: 27
Joined: June 16th, 2010, 1:50 pm
Contact:

Re: New Music - The Gathering Storm

Post by Ewing »

doofus-01 wrote:This sounds very nice. I'll use it for Wesnoth UMC, if you're finished and that's OK? (I assume it is, since you posted the WAV.)
Thanks! And yes, it's finished and free to use as needed.
Post Reply