My Personal Orchestra!, Do come in :D Options

[Fateliante]

Hey Stern, these are all really good songs you've posted here, starting off with Twisted Circus, I like the whole dissonant idea you were going for here with the melody, seems to work with this to represent not only the fun side to going to circuses and clowns being the main attraction of them, of course, but our reasons of why we were scared of them as kids. It brings both of those two important emotions and elements to mind, I like it!

I really liked Lack of Ambitions! For some reason, this song gave me the chills just because it was that well composed. The brass section and percussion is quite well done, love the arrangement, it has a slight repetition but makes it really enjoyable to listen to over again. I was really impressed with the smooth transition into the next verse with the piano lead, this section makes it quite memorable and really catchy. This would for sure go towards a mini-game, kind of reminds me of the Mario Party series.

Abduction is also another good song that gives off a good impression of really making it seem that someone is ominously abducted, it comes off subtle, but portrays the disheartening, ensued thoughts of an abductee, irregardless. I really like the chord strums on the guitar on this jazz piece, it's very well done.

Sweden's Syndrome is a beautiful peaceful theme, interesting how you addedd a narrative to this song, it is also beautifully well done how you've used to describe her slowly fading away from life, if only death was depicted as beautiful as this, but to each their own, many could speculate that death is only the beginning or not, but no one truly knows...but anyways, I digress lol! I really love how the strings, piano and especially the harp sounded here, nicely done.

My thoughts overall, this is more than satisfying, but as mrhawi mentioned, your compositions are not within your style realm, so to speak, but I think that's commendable and courageous even. Everyone is so used to being in their 'comfort zone' and also do remember, not all professional musicians have the freedom to stay within their boundaries, they go far and beyond to make songs that they normally would never or even think of writing, and that marks a true musician in my opinion. You clearly demonstrate that you can also write good music outside of your usual 'bubble', so my hats off. I seriously think you have a good chance of what it takes to write music professionally, Stern.

Keep up the amazing work!

[Stern]

@X-M-O: A scooby-doo show?! Amazing! I remember loving the heck out of that show in my (earlier) youth!
Despite the pretty horrible description for the Stockholm's Syndrome, I pictured the song would fit for the mindset of the captive, feeling very safe and not really too scared. So it really pictures the feeling of warmth and safety. In this case, it was a false sense of safety, but I guess that still counts! It has to! As always, thanks for listening!

@mrhawi: I never thought the lack of ambitions theme could fit for a mini-game, but now that you mention it, I kinda agree! The VST I used for Abduction was from the EWQL Colossus Pack. The instruments/articulations are Electric Guitar/Jazz Pick Updraft, Electric Bass&Upright/Lakland Finger and a Jazz Drum Kit played with brushes instead of normal drumsticks! Thanks for listening!

@Fateliante: I have to thank you for the extremely encouraging words! Strafing outside your comfort-zone is something I guess everyone who aims to be better than mediocre will have to do, as many will understand, I think. While the songs might come out quite nicely, I feel that it's still very noticeable that these type of songs aren't what I usually write. Mainly because of how short they are. Whereas it's quite hard to keep the flow going when you're, in my example, not very good at Ragtime and/or Boogiewoogie. It's something that I think only practice can overcome! Thanks for listening and giving such detailed feedback!

Now for some new stuff!

Flammae Anima (Redland Wilderness)
Another piece for Beneath. Another piece for Redland. This one uses an array of different instruments from all over the world. (Shamisen, Ney Flute, Bar Violin, Shenhai, Duduk, Erhu, Bombo Hanger, Doko Dumbek, Cuban Bongo, Arabesque Zils, Kohl Drums and lastly Egyptian Riqs). I'm quite happy with it myself. Here's the description of Redland, for those that haven't read it!

[Show/Hide] Redland

Redland is the last stop for the Blue Line. The city was originally known as Freytland. The general public referred to it as "The Red City", because of what it was. The city is located in the vicinity of a very active volcano. Constant streams of lava poses an everyday threat for the city's inhabitants. It wasn't until 2185, the new mayor officially renamed the city to "Redland". The School of White Arts is located in Redland. It was a tactical decision to build it there. The White Arts include teachings about manipulating the attributes of water. The school conducts "Ice rounds" on a daily basis. Mages patrol around town ensuring that it's free from hazards, such as lava eruptions and streams. The city is divided into two districts: The Slum and the Castle Town. The Castle Town is surrounded by tall walls to keep the lava and heat at bay. The slum is not and is therefore not the easiest place to live in.

Town Theme
This one has a story behind it. The melody heard from 0:42 and onwards is the melody from the very first full song I ever composed. With many of my older songs, I usually brush them up a bit and/or improve the quality. However, as this one lacked a lot of structure, I decided that I'd just make a completely new song from it instead.

A Character Theme
I was bored. I asked a friend what type of song I should make. He said a character theme for a dark, untrustworthy and intelligent character. So I did, sort of. I guess it's more of a doodle, but long enough to be worth a listen, I suppose.

The One Without A Name
This was another challenge from a friend. I composed this entire song without ever hearing it. This might sound strange to many, but as I work a lot with a tool called a Piano Roll, it's very possible. I even uploaded it before listening to it myself. I just followed some basic guidelines in music theory and played it relatively safe. Hence it being pretty boring ;D

Thanks for listening!

This post has been edited by Stern: Aug 5 2012, 10:28 AM

[X-M-O]

Flammae Anima (Redland Wilderness) probably matches its purpose in the game better than a lot of game music I've heard from Indie developers, so that's a huge plus for this song. I also find the melody really quite pretty. ^^

Town Theme is very tranquil, and the melody is attractive; sounds like a seaside town. Nice work with this one. =D

A Character Theme is amazing! I always love these dark-themed songs. It's especially sensational for a "doodle"!

The One Without A Name isn't entirely boring! XD
It's actually something I'd prefer to hear in an elevator besides what people normally put in there.

[Stern]

@X-M-O: I'm always glad to hear that the music for Beneath sounds good and/or fits the purpose! Then, I suppose, I'm always glad to hear that any of my music fits its' purpose ;D

The character theme is a bit tame in my eyes, hence it's more like doodle, no real "fullness". Small array of instruments among other things that could be amended. But, I did like the feel of it myself, might make something from this when bored (which is often!)

Of course! Elevator music!. Elevator music is known to be boring, hence it fits! ;D


Beneath Music - The Metal Workshop (Sonryo's Depths)
More Beneath music, woo! This is for a dark smog-filled industrial-area called Sonryo. It's known for its' overwhelming amounts of criminal- and underground activity.

I used a wide array of metal sounds (anvil hits, steelsaws, industrial drills, hammers banging on plates, etc.). It came out very different, yet enough mysterious/weird.

Thanks for listening!

[X-M-O]

The Metal Workshop is really amazing! I love all the metallic sounds, and the melody is quite mysterious but pretty all at the same time. =D
Love this one.

[Stern]

@X-M-O: Thanks for listening! I, myself fell in love with the unusual percussion VST (the metal shop sounds) and hence, I'm quite satisfied over how it came out. I'm not so sure I'd call it pretty though, to me it has another feel, but yeah it's mysterious

More Beneath stuff!

Beneath Music - The Guzzler's Blues (Javi's Bar)
This piece is for an important character who runs his own bar in Grace. He is what I'd call a local hero. Here's a short snippet that happens to describe him and the type of bar he runs, quite well.

Why do they all keep calling him 'pops', you ask? The best way to find out is to spend some time with 'pops' himself. Bah! I guess I'll give you the short version in the meantime, so listen up! Take a good look around you... This place is filled to the brim with scumbags, alcoholics and old beaten down adventurers. They are men whose fire has been put out long ago. They come here to meet Javi. He keeps them in check. Makes sure no one turns bad, if y'know what I mean? Heh... I figured as much.

So he keeps people in check by serving them liters upon liters of alcoholic beverages?

Well... Y'know... Heh. We all love him for it!

Thanks for listening and reading!

This post has been edited by Stern: Aug 20 2012, 06:53 AM

[X-M-O]

The Guzzler's Blues (Javi's Bar) sounds like it belongs in Trigun as a character's theme.
It's brilliant! I love it.
(Yes, I'm a fan of bluesy music.../rave)

If your game had nothing good in it but music, people would still download it. XD

[amaro57]

Yeah, really well done on The Guzzler's Blues. I can just imagine the patrons sitting at the bar chatting it up with ol pops as the swing their drinks around recalling tales or sitting in sullen silence... Bastion style perhaps?

I like your themes because they convey the character or idea without over-the-top means or additions. Keep the great work mate, I'll be looking forward to more!

[MrGuy0250]

Wow, been a while since I've been around here, so I decided to make one of your pieces the first I listen to. I don't regret it, I really like Guzzler's Blues. Complex time signatures make me happy :3 Usually I'd say favorite parts or things I'd fix... but... I can't pick a favorite and would fix nothing! xD Great job

This post has been edited by MrGuy0250: Sep 13 2012, 03:25 PM

[VampyricalCurse]

Simply great! Yer music has this air of sophistication to it. It's great to listen to.

[Stern]

*inhales*
...
*blows away the massive amounts of dust*

Hey-Hi-Hello!

I've haven't been actively uploading much lately, because of numerous reasons, but those reasons are boring, so let's not get in to that. Hopefully I'll be able to maintain a more steady flow of uploads from here on out, but who knows!?

First of all, thanks for all of you guys' feedback on my latest piece. The time signature is royally effed (See: Complex) as MrGuy0250 pointed out. It's funny that'd you'd mention Bastion, amaro57. Bastion is one of my all time favourite games (See: My signature). I was extremely impressed by the soundtrack when I played that game and it's the main reason I love the game so much. X-M-O, I'm always happy when my songs remind people of others' work. Brilliant work, might I add. I don't know if I agree about the sophistication-part, Mr. VampyricalCurse, but I'm always glad to have new listeners!

Now to at least something new!

Pulse
"In his 40 odd years in engineering had he never seen such a maniacal, mechanical monstrosity. While moving in a very clunky and twitchy manner, there was no doubt that the power required to locomote it was extreme. He was scared to death, yet struck by wonder. He wanted to know more..."

It has a very slow progression and it comes off a bit repetetive, I guess. The low French Horn, Trombone, Contra and Bassoon sounds was meant to represent the heavy breathing of the above mentioned 'thing'. This song took less than an hour to put together and you can probably tell!

Oh well, I'll be sure to post something less 'lazy' next time!

Until then, Ho-hoo-hoo~

This post has been edited by Stern: Dec 13 2012, 05:34 PM

[MrGuy0250]

I really like the feel of this one, but I'm not in love with the melody at some points. It drags a bit, and while I can see that you (may) have wanted that sort of feel, the repetitiveness makes the dragging a bit too heavy for my tastes. It doesn't destroy the song, but I can't help but feel what the overall vibe and goal of the song hasn't yet been fully achieved. Despite that, it's still a good piece.

[mrhawi]

As an engineering student I like the description of the song xD. I think, this song would fit on a game like half life or something of that style, I love the feeling of the song, there are some parts that I don't like that much, but they still are good. I don't know if that sound at 1:28 is an electric guitar, but I loved it. Good job on this piece!