Hello :D
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Hello :D
Hi there, I'm a semi-amateur (university student) composer who's just started a track which could use critique- I've played BfW quite a bit now, and although I still suck at it (save-loading on normal, lol) I reckon I'm not too bad at making music for it.
So here's a brief 1-minute-ish start to some music that might fit an expedition-style or travel mission, tentative name "Dawn Riders". I'm mainly looking for critique of the style (as well as anything that sounds out-of-place)- I know the balance is a tad screwy, but that's mainly a mid-late process thing (at least, the way I do it.) Of course, if anything jumps out at you as crap, feel free to shout out
It's .ogg (and only 705kb, so no excuses for not listening to it) but I'm not too great at using the encoder- haven't figured out how to change the quality of it yet, so any tips on using the Vorbis stuff are welcome too.
(seems that the uni filter is blocking whatever port uploads files as attachments, so I'll find a hoster- sorry)
edit: here it is
So here's a brief 1-minute-ish start to some music that might fit an expedition-style or travel mission, tentative name "Dawn Riders". I'm mainly looking for critique of the style (as well as anything that sounds out-of-place)- I know the balance is a tad screwy, but that's mainly a mid-late process thing (at least, the way I do it.) Of course, if anything jumps out at you as crap, feel free to shout out
It's .ogg (and only 705kb, so no excuses for not listening to it
) but I'm not too great at using the encoder- haven't figured out how to change the quality of it yet, so any tips on using the Vorbis stuff are welcome too.(seems that the uni filter is blocking whatever port uploads files as attachments, so I'll find a hoster- sorry)
edit: here it is
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West
- Retired Lord of Music
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: October 30th, 2006, 7:24 am
- Location: In the philotic connections between ansibles.
- Contact:
Hmm. I'm not gonna pretend to know what TimothyP or Aleksi might think about this, but my suspicion is that your piece is a little too light and happy for the Wesnoth style. Wesnoth music is generally a fair bit darker and more dramatic. Also, I don't think whatever samples you're using are really up to par -- or maybe it's just the way you're using them. The strings at 0:38 sound pretty good but the woodwinds are very synthetic and the pizz (or is it a harp??) in the bg is also quite un-organic and overly sequenced-sounding. Lemme guess... you quantize a lot? Another thing that bothered me is that there's some kind of huge "stage" type reverb on everything -- not something you'd normally use in an orchestral piece.
Aside from that I think it sounds ok... hard to form an opinion about the arrangement when it's so short and the sound quality is kind of strange, but I think it's better than much of the stuff wannabe music contributors post here. Even if you won't get your music in mainline, I'm sure there's some campaign dev who'd like to use it.
Aside from that I think it sounds ok... hard to form an opinion about the arrangement when it's so short and the sound quality is kind of strange, but I think it's better than much of the stuff wannabe music contributors post here. Even if you won't get your music in mainline, I'm sure there's some campaign dev who'd like to use it.
thanks zoo, but i think west is on target
the problem is that i'm working with Reason, and that lends itself very well to nicely quantised parts with factory samples. it's gonna be a [censored] to try and break that up- and as for the reverb, it's partly down to the fact that i can barely judge it- my headphones suck. >_> however; that track took me next to no time to make, and is more like a portrait sketch before inking, coloring, shading, and whatnot. so that's my excuse, anyway.
i do think that all the wesnoth music *is* very dramatic and/or dark, but at least to me, after a while it all seems to blend; to me, it loses impact because of it. every mission seems to have the same "ohnoes orcs/undead/whateverelse epic battle" which is fine for scenarios like siege of elensfar, but in a more laid-back introductory mission like isle of anduin something calmer might be better. i'm probably offending a lot of composers by saying this, so i'll shut up now
the problem is that i'm working with Reason, and that lends itself very well to nicely quantised parts with factory samples. it's gonna be a [censored] to try and break that up- and as for the reverb, it's partly down to the fact that i can barely judge it- my headphones suck. >_> however; that track took me next to no time to make, and is more like a portrait sketch before inking, coloring, shading, and whatnot. so that's my excuse, anyway.
i do think that all the wesnoth music *is* very dramatic and/or dark, but at least to me, after a while it all seems to blend; to me, it loses impact because of it. every mission seems to have the same "ohnoes orcs/undead/whateverelse epic battle" which is fine for scenarios like siege of elensfar, but in a more laid-back introductory mission like isle of anduin something calmer might be better. i'm probably offending a lot of composers by saying this, so i'll shut up now
I don't doubt the sample quality and other minor details aren't quite up to mainline standards (not yet anyway), but my comment was targeted more towards the piece of music itself, which sounds great. And I rather disagree with the idea that "Wesnoth music must not be happy": there are plenty of times when there is no battle. The quiet phases of exploration scenarios, campaign endings, cutscene scenarios, you name it.
I hope the music devs can, one way or another, help you to bring this to the level required for them to accept this into the game. Otherwise this should go (when finished) to a "library for UMC music", which we still don't have.
I hope the music devs can, one way or another, help you to bring this to the level required for them to accept this into the game. Otherwise this should go (when finished) to a "library for UMC music", which we still don't have.
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West
- Retired Lord of Music
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: October 30th, 2006, 7:24 am
- Location: In the philotic connections between ansibles.
- Contact:
I agree with you. I was merely saying what TimothyP and, I think, Aleksi also has said on several occasions when people (including yours truly) have posted more mellow and "happy" musical ideas. Personally I wouldn't mind seeing -- or hearing, more correctly -- more varied musical moods in the gamezookeeper wrote:And I rather disagree with the idea that "Wesnoth music must not be happy": there are plenty of times when there is no battle. The quiet phases of exploration scenarios, campaign endings, cutscene scenarios, you name it.
well, bearing in mind i'm kinda bogged down with projects at the moment, but didn't want to be another of those one-sample wonders who get their threads deleted, here's something eeeeven smaller (and ambient, but not so generic.)
the problem with this is that i don't have a decent guitar sample, in fact if i could find someone who could play acoustic guitar... at all (meaning they know more than "under the bridge") this would sound pretty awesome. i've butchered a factory sample guitar to... well, have a listen. wit's intended to fit in UtBS, where Kaleh talks about Eloh's messages and his dreams/visions.
Eloh's Call (imagine it looping.)
really i'm only curious whether people like the harmony and mood of this. and hopefully i'll have enough time to put out something more substantial soon.
the problem with this is that i don't have a decent guitar sample, in fact if i could find someone who could play acoustic guitar... at all (meaning they know more than "under the bridge") this would sound pretty awesome. i've butchered a factory sample guitar to... well, have a listen. wit's intended to fit in UtBS, where Kaleh talks about Eloh's messages and his dreams/visions.
Eloh's Call (imagine it looping.)
really i'm only curious whether people like the harmony and mood of this. and hopefully i'll have enough time to put out something more substantial soon.