I'm not asking to be taught how to make music. You can't teach that. What I am looking for is some ideas. I'm trying to create a level 1 song for my game and everything keeps coming out slow like the title song is. But I want an action packed pumper to get things moving along.
So, what I was wondering, is what are your tastes for game music? Is it alright for an action shooter to have slow/steady songs? And how would/do you go about making music for your own games?
Much thanks.
All platforming problems can be mostly solved here:
slow and steady is allowed if its done right... with my level 1 track for my game i pretty much just garbled up the title track's main melody and gave it a more continuous sort of feel. if you want action packed then your biggest tool will be the drums/rhythm i'd say! and if that doesnt work and i still need an actiony feel i just crank it up to 160 BPM
I would listen to other game music. Ive actually been listening to the Sonic 3 and Knuckles soundtrack a lot lately. They're usually really fast paced and of course the games are pretty much about full on action.
I reckon a strong beat and strong bass would help to make it sound more action packed. Oh and a high tempo obviously lol.
Something like this? It's an 'oh crap everything's on fire' remix of the first act.
Check out some of your favourite action games and listen to the music they make, make some notes about it. Is it fast? Epic? What is the melodies like? What kind of sounds are they using and what is the most dominant?
Originally Posted by OldManClayton When I write music, I almost always forget a bass line and drums. They are really helpful.
Sometimes for fun when I was learning a song via GuitarPro, I would cut the volume on everything but bass line and drums. And it makes you appreciate good bass and drums.
@andyuk: something like that. I was looking through the sonic cd tracks and noticed a couple that might be the style I would like to try.
@jthongbai: I think those two activities take up a bulk of my time! But thanks for the other tips as well.
Thanks for the tips guys. I was also kinda wanting to know what genre's you guys listen to for influence and the like. And how you guys go about thinking what type of music would go with what type of game/level your working on.
Thanks again!
All platforming problems can be mostly solved here:
I'm still too early in development for music but I have a piece of music I wrote a long time ago I think I will slow it down and adapt it to my game.
I think that the music should reflect a feeling and mood or what the character is doing in the game, or what place they are currently in. Remember that even if you make an action game, sometimes it's not always action all the way through there might be some exploring to do or talk to people or a puzzle or something, that is when the music should slow down in pace. Also when you get to a creepier place the music might stop altogether, except for whistling of trees. I believe theres a few music articles in the Article section which might be helpful if you haven't read them already.
If applicable, music should also reflect the setting of your game. Are you in a jungle? Drums and tribal sounds would likely influence your music choices. In the middle of the desert? Perhaps it's middle-Eastern influenced music playing.
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Edited by AndyUK
