Music for the mod

[ScionTheWorm]

okay I've started to produce and composing some music for the mod. I will present it here. If you other guys are into making music, please make some!

We have set up some categories for discussion
- Intro music - for the menu animation. ONLY ONE.
- Deploy music - during deployment and before you've marched any troops. SEVERAL PIECES.
- Marching music - after you've moved your first unit up till the actual fighting starts (artillery doesn't count). SEVERAL PIECES.
- Battle music - after first fighting starts (artillery doesn't count). SEVERAL PIECES.
- Victory music - after victorious battlev. ONLY ONE.
- Defeat music - after unresolved or lost battle. ONLY ONE.
- Campaign music - For each culture? SEVERAL PIECES

I have made some tunes, not necessarily to be used, but that's up for discussion, right?


Intro
Won't be like this, but tell me if you like some pieces or aspects of it. Not a finished piece.

Faction eliminated
Could be replaced as a soundeffect when a faction is defeated, not really a musicpiece.

Marching or battle music 01

Battlemusic 02
Here I'm pretty satisfied...

Eastern 01
For the eastern factions in strategymap. Meant to be played on a very low volume. Not optimal mixed, and unsure how it turned out....... anyway I think we should use some guitars like these

Norse deployment
Before the storm...

Menu music
I thought this could work for the menu..

March (only for loud playing)
The march of death

Campaign 01
Another guitarpiece for the strategy map. Needs some proper mixing with the strings. Must say I doubt a little this can be used, so you tell me

Nb: nobody are allowed to steal anything from here for another mod or something else, the music in Age of Vikings and fantics is meant to be unique

[Rodion Romanovich]

Eastern 01
For the eastern factions in strategymap. Meant to be played on a very low volume. Not optimal mixed, and unsure how it turned out....... anyway I think we should use some guitars like these

Wow, amazing !

It would be a very good as deployment music also

[ScionTheWorm]

thnks! think I'll make another deploy music, but no so far away from this one...

[Rodion Romanovich]

Tension 01
Okay hehe! This one has a melody, so don't flame... happytune.. tell me what parts you like if not the whole thing.. ain't totally finished anyway but you get the idea. typical norwegian scale

I think the start is good, but it's a little too long IMO. The starting theme comes back after a calmer piece - if you cut away the calmer piece and then add the rhytmical fast theme that fills the last minute, then add a more dramatic climax at the end, it would be a perfect battle music. As it is now, it mixes the calm music with the faster battle-style music in a way that neither makes it a natural deploy nor a natural battle music. The calm parts are cool though, could be used for a separate piece. The calm tones that accompany the theme that's played at start (the slow tones with cello, I think it is), can be kept, but the calm part between the two occurencies of the theme the piece start with is too long to keep up the tension feeling needed for a battle music. I hope what I just said was comprehensible, in short it means keep most of the piece but do some slight remixing of it and it's perfect battle music. I like the Norwegian styled tones, reminds me a little of the Peer Gynt suites by Edvard Grieg, and one of the MTW:VI battle music pieces. I like the idea of using local themes/styles for the pieces, for example the theme in this song is very good for the viking mood, the eastern music had a good orientalic feeling etc. We could create a slavic style and a greek style too. The western Christianity is probably best represented by the typical church chorals, preferably with some dooms day feeling over them, and/or some rythm added.

[GoreBag]

I liked the Eastern piece. Very relaxed...

For marching music, though, I keep thinking about Nile's Die Rache Krieglied der Assyriche. I really love that tune... you said you had the ability to implement a choir, right? How about a Finnish shouting line?

[ScionTheWorm]

finnish?? why finnish?

btw I love that piece... I don't got any "hoh"-samples, but i love that dehydrated desert voice, would work nice... in norse or something! yes I may get that apocalypse thing to work, but I think it's best suited for "christian style" (camina burana style). I haven't installed it at this time, is a hell to get to work so I save that for last.

check out my norse tension tune. and btw what do you think about the battle 02?

edit:
if all on the team with dark voices could send me an "hoh" sound sample I could make it

[GoreBag]

finnish?? why finnish?

Because I didn't think shouting lines existed in other cultures. They sound quite good, though; it's a choir where everyone yells.

EDIT: Hmm, it seems that there's only one such choir in existence. I thought it was more common...joke's on me. Anyway, here's their site. Mieskuoro Huutajat

[ScionTheWorm]

everyone yells?

it would be very cool to have a nile-style voice (ref. in their darkned shrines, track 6 in the middle... "unaaas"). you have said you've made some voices, could you do something cool like that? could work pretty good...

first attempt at menu music posted above

[GoreBag]

everyone yells?

it would be very cool to have a nile-style voice (ref. in their darkned shrines, track 6 in the middle... "unaaas"). you have said you've made some voices, could you do something cool like that? could work pretty good...

first attempt at menu music posted above

You mean track 5. Ah, so many Nile references.

Well, I do vocals. Clean, I can do, but I think I sound better when it's hard to make it out what I'm saying. . I do okay if I try to sound like a viking, though (you've heard Storm's Nordavind, right?). How low or high, how dirty or clean, and how angry should it be? Should there be words, or just noise? If words, which language?

EDIT: Actually, I was going to suggest the "horn and drum" break from Unas, Slayer of the Gods as inspiration. Looks like we're already on the same page.

[ScionTheWorm]

ah nice...! let me think where this could work, didn't know anybody here knew how to sing...

I can think of a couple of places malevocals could fit:
- deploy music, vikings
- marching, vikings
- would be cool on my "march of death" I think, could use it for the credits scene (like rtr)
- intro.. like the solo track on nordavind, "sooolaaa står..."... just showing the field in the introvideo or something

I'm also thinking Ulver, garm has some nice solo tracks there with three harmonies I think on "kveldssanger". (sjelens sang)

hmmm... also it would be kickass for an opening speech.

and for the intro

of course not all of these, but maybe a place or two..? any thoughts?

edit:
nile-chanting in middle of the battle in unas-style.. yeah

[GoreBag]

Well, I haven't heard any Ulver beyond Bergtatt and Nattens Madrigal, but Nagellstev was a piece I really enjoyed.

If you can compose a tune or a few riffs for my voice to follow, I could do that pretty well, I think. I wouldn't be able to write any words in Norsk, though; my knowledge of the language is basically limited to phonetics.

I've just finished listening to three pieces you recently added (march of death, norse tension and the menu) and I think they all fit pretty well. It also makes me think that the first one you presented (battle01) could be played when the missiles begin to fly. Is there a trigger for that in RTW?

[ScionTheWorm]

No I think that's the beginning of the battle... if not at "automatic", then when the player press attack with bowmen. But I'm thinking my drumpieces may be a little too stressful to listen to, at least the last one. Though I'm pretty happy with the other two with a minor adjustment or two.

(edit: other two - actually meant the two last ones except for the march thing... has recently thought that for credits, but I see us abandoning some of my pieces, not all that good)

I got so excited about the singing. have to make something.... hmm. just don't know where a nile-piece would fit (maybe not in the middle of battle, just got excited). ideas welcome

for me, even singing made-up words would work just fine but I think maybe some german could work? that's pretty easy to pronounce (straight forward), and hasn't changed very much I think.... old norwegian would be cool, but if you're not familiar with it it probably won't sound that well

okay I see three types of voices:
- dehydrated unas-voice
- mighty storm voice
- tender ulver voice
possible fourth: christian singer, low bass voice.. lots of reverb
can you do danny filth? (kidding)

will pm you if i have some candidate


@legio: I can't get your piece to work, the chords just doesn't sound good at all, but probably my fault. might be the kind of instruments, is it a continous french horn or staccato? it's two chords that's alike first, and then all notes shift a half note down or? was har do read the notes, pretty small..
should the timpanis be that high pitched?
and... why is there two timpani tracks?

[GoreBag]

Well, Windir's lyrics are written in the 1184 dialect of Norsk. I speak German too; that'll be okay, as long as it's not written in some old, funky dialect (it's changed more than you'd think).

I wish I could yoik..then, I wouldn't have to worry about words.

[ScionTheWorm]

I was thinking it may have changed more than I think, also, it was only a suggestion. we might scare away a bunch of players too, thinking the mod is dubbed or something

yoik would be awesome... allthough it might not work as good for the beardy sweaty vikings..

nah calling it a day. but what would kick a song with lyrics off, is a suggestion to where it fits, and maybe even a little description or reference.

and.. should we have catchy and mighty melodies like in rtr? I vote no...

[GoreBag]

Everybody needs some "mighty" now and then. It depends on what kind of "mighty" we're talking. Manowar is right out.

I think a solo voice to start the intro movie would do very well.

[ScionTheWorm]

mighty as in.. gladiator. you know, the piece each time he succeeds in anything
it's not that I don't enjoy a good mighty melody, but rather that I often grow very tired of them quickly, especially when in a game I play alot.

edit:
btw manowar with triumph of steel: 1st song (30 min) is a nice tune, am always thinking of the drumsolo when making these drums for some reason.

also, wouldn't it be cool with opening the game with a "brothers of metal"?

[GoreBag]

mighty as in.. gladiator. you know, the piece each time he succeeds in anything
it's not that I don't enjoy a good mighty melody, but rather that I often grow very tired of them quickly, especially when in a game I play alot.

I don't remember that tune...I forgot as much as I could about that movie. It depends on the riff, though. That Eastern flute one from RTW was one I actually waited around to hear.

[Rodion Romanovich]

@legio: I can't get your piece to work, the chords just doesn't sound good at all, but probably my fault. might be the kind of instruments, is it a continous french horn or staccato? it's two chords that's alike first, and then all notes shift a half note down or? was har do read the notes, pretty small..
should the timpanis be that high pitched?
and... why is there two timpani tracks?

The second timpani track wasn't finished, it could be ignored. I added it to make some of the beats sound louder, there was no loadness function I could find in the program I used. I don't think the first sets of drums sounded as good without it, but then on the other hand I forgot to finish the second timpani so it's just silent the rest of the piece...

The horns should be continuous (with possibly staccato added to those that have pause signs between them, very late in the piece - from second half of the second line of tunes in the image). The third chord (after the two that are alike), is A-C-E. If the image I uploaded is too unclear I have a better, but larger (in filesize and format) one that might be easier to see the tunes at, I must admit the uploaded one was a little unclear. For the pitch of the timpanis, the first 4 beats should sound as high-pitched as the first drum beats in Carmina Burana, if that's of any help.

Just for safety, if/when you've finished the piece you could send me a link to it by PM before posting it here, so I can tell if it's the way I had intended first.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Norse deployment
Before the storm...

Menu music
I thought this could work for the menu..

March (only for loud playing)
The march of death

March of death - that is exactly what I meant for marching music, really amazing one! The theme that begins from about the time 1:10 (I think) is really powerful, maybe you could extend it for another minute to make the piece a little longer?

Norse deployment - very good, perfect as it is, really nice, dark feeling, could also be menu music if we want to

Menu music - very good, could also be deployment music if we want to

[ScionTheWorm]

thank you... yes everything can be extended. will see about that tune of yours.

i think the campaignmusic and marchingmusic are the most important, as that's the music a player hear most. I was thinking having some calmer marching songs than march of death too... is it possible for you to find out wether it's a limit to number of songs?
edit: my point is, I don't want that song to turn up every third time I play a battle, see?

btw I also think marching/tension music should be long, right? this can last for a long time...

[Rodion Romanovich]

Yeah, marching music can be 5 minutes, no problem with that. It should, if possible, be adapted so it can be aborted earlier - in some battles the fighting starts quickly and then the marching music is replaced by battle music. Of course, that should work well for almost any battle music that is a quick timpani/drum based piece and a marching music that is slow and heavy.

Re the limit, I'll open a question thread in the Mod/General forums to see if anybody knows.

[ScionTheWorm]

okay I might've overdone my solos and overuse the guitars, but they have such a calming effect on me. first post...

[ScionTheWorm]

btw would use of guitar with distortion be totally not acceptable? long distant chords, for instance, the last part of march of death. just wondering

[Rodion Romanovich]

btw would use of guitar with distortion be totally not acceptable? long distant chords, for instance, the last part of march of death. just wondering

I'm not sure I understand the meaning of distortion in this context... But I thought the ending part of the march of death was really great, so I don't think that part needs to be remade (only extended ).

[ScionTheWorm]

never mind, won't do any good anyway. listened yet?

[Meneldil]

I like the music, althouth they are somewhat repetitive (sp?)

[GoreBag]

I don't think moderated use of guitar is problem, especially if it's just as an atmospheric sound. We're already using instruments that didn't exist in the period; what difference does it make?

I like the new campaign01. It's relaxing, but it also doesn't drag. It's better than the Eastern 01 piece, I think, but I'm not saying that that one is bad either.

[ScionTheWorm]

they should be, if I've not totally misunderstood, 'cause it will change a lot during battle. when it comes to campaignmusic, I've just gone for the relaxed mood. I know the marchingsong should be less repetive, cause it will last for so long... start calmer too maybe. should i be more varied?

[Rodion Romanovich]

never mind, won't do any good anyway. listened yet?

yeah, hm, I think I wrote a reply about the new campaign music but must have closed the browser window without posting it

Anyway, I think it's great, it's perfect campaign map music, probably best used for the muslim factions. Like others said above, it's the best calm music so far, really really good

[Rodion Romanovich]

Scion, look here for info on music limits:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=52413