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[xier]

Hey all you audiophiles

I've been working on a few tracks for our upcoming project Dragon of Legends, and I was wondering if anyone could provide some C&C. The game is using a contemporary pixel art style, and I am trying my best to make the music fit accordingly. The playlist is here: https://soundcloud.com/thrivegames/sets/tuneagetuesday

I have been trying to capture that chiptune sound as best I can to make it actually sound like a video game, while infusing it with something new and different. I'm currently playing with an traditional Irish band called Basking Shark that plays stuff like this: https://soundcloud.com/baskingshark/sets/demos-1

These traditional tunes work great as video game music, as they are primarily all AABBAABB(C) structure. There are Norse and Celtic cultures in the game, so why not pay homage to them by drawing influence from their oldest recorded material.

This project is inspired by retro gaming and our fond memories of the past, but it's not trying to be a retro game itself - it's trying to be something modern. I'd like the music to take this approach as well. I've been thinking of ways to achieve this, and I think that adding high quality recordings of real instruments might make the compositions a little more interesting and modern. So my question is, do you think a mix of the live + electronic instruments would work? Could both exist in the game? Is anyone doing this same method? Have any examples / other artists to share?

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated

[Jasmine]

First - Cool stuff from your band! A friend turned me on to a group called Kornog, and I've been on a Celtic kick.

Now, though not specifically "cletic" instruments, I have heard quite a few tunes that mix "modern" with "retro", or, mixing 8-bit sounds with sources that are closer to the real thing (if not an actually recording of the instrument).

Aivi Tran and Surrasshu come to mind immediately:




Another (though not using real instruments, he combined 8-bit with more recent sound sources):
Sanctuary RPG

I am sure there are more examples out there, unfortunately, those are the only ones I have heard that I can quickly recant.

Checking out the tunes you have right now, I think the idea of mixing real with 8-bit (shoot, getting your band to write a few tunes and then infusing/substituting 8-bittiness for certain parts), is a GREAT idea. I'm already stoked about the focus on the traditional Celtic music style. I say go all out with this!

I mean... Old Hag is a great start! I just realized that you have a live performance version and an 8-bit version. Ideas I received, just from listening to those two (warning - ideas may be worse than they appear):


Going off 8-bit: Hag

-- Keep the 8-bit intro from the 8-bit version.

-- 00:07: Bring in the reeded instrument from the live version.

-- 00:11 - Guitar

-- 00:15 -- Bring in the real bass/ live instruments, paired with the 8-bit..

-- 00:35 -- bring in the real drums? (Maybe, I dunno)

In other words, I definitely think you can pull it off in addition to it being a good idea (personally).
Though, you have to also make sure this goes in tandem with sound effects. I think that, visually, if it's retro, 8-bit sounds are not mandatory, even though there are some people, or musicians, that pair "old skool" art, with "old skool" sounds. Even though we are dabbling in the past, we need not constantly revert back to it (i.e. not make solely 8-bit music every time a game is using sprites).

P.S. - Checked out the game. LOVING THE ART! It does have a rustic feel, but I think the style you are thinking about will work wonders!

[xier]

Aw thanks for those comments and kind words I'm going to check out those links after writing this, and yea Kornog is definitely one of Basking Shark's main influences (also Planxty, Steeleye Span, The Chieftans, and The Bothy Band if you feel like exploring more traditional Celtic).

I've been toying with this idea and just wanted to see what others thought before going through with it, because it sounds great on paper but I've yet to experiment piecing the two together. So it's actually kind of nice to hear someone think it's good. Going to try your Old Hag suggestions and I'll share my progress once it's mixed.

And sound effects - currently they are closest to Diablo 2 - Not bleep/bloopy at all. So I mean, if sfx are based in the real world the music better have "real" qualities about it too right? Or perhaps a blend of both .. and that point about the past is exactly what we are going for. There are retro games that are trying to stay in that time period, but for us - we want take this a step further to make it a truly modern experience.

[PythonBlue]

Speaking as a composer who's experimented with both retro music and more modern music and combining both, I regret to say that, in my experience, you're going to do far better as a musician if you only make modern music. Yes, there is some evidence of a retro revival, but it's pretty niche.

[xier]

Even in the video game setting Python? I mean don't gamers want to hear some kind of chiptune element to the music? The nostalgic forces associated with these type of sounds run so deep. People young and old can instantly associate video game with these kinds of sounds.

 

[PythonBlue]

I guess we have different definitions of what's considered retro, then, as I'm not referring to chiptune music. When I personally say retro, I'm referring to the kind of music that would appear in 90s computer games that came on CD's, such as Tomb Raider. I have yet to hear of a well-established modern game that has that kind of sound in the music over going to the extremes of either chiptune or live orchestra.

[Homicide_Monkey]

I've got to say I love this idea for this style of music. There are a few things I'd suggest trying out to see if it feels cohesive. Maybe try limiting the retro sounds to a few channels. Add a little glide to the lead synth voice. Try recording a composite mix where you can mute either a retro sound or live instrumentation and see what blend works best in your mind. Anamanaguchi have pulled off the hybrid sound for years. Even EDM has done hybrid songs, Avicii combined bluegrass and electronic... who knew that could work?

[xier]

Yea you're right Homicide. Thanks for those points. The retro/chiptune sound could be in there to signify that, yes, it is a video game while live instruments take dominance. Still going to be experimenting with this stuff and get back to you guys once done.

And yea I see what you mean Python. Everyone has their own definition of retro, which makes it quite hard to pin down a specific sound that generally evoke that nostalgic response - but from what I've found, chiptunes (primarily from the NES / SNES) tend to set that off for a lot of people.