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| Zero's Jukebox |
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Forum Index - Hobbies - Art - Zero's Jukebox |
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| Posted on 2011-09-06 02:35:45 PM |
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Hey, thanks for visiting this thread and such.
I'm relatively new to composing, so don't expect anything great. I have made some various songs over the past month or so, and thought I'd show them off. Most are for my SMW hack, but there are a few scraps and whatnot.
Let's go.
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Awakening - this is a little tune I composed for the introductory story of my hack. Super Paper Mario has a very interesting musical style I tried to emulate here.
The Land of a Crimson Moon - this will most likely be used for a calm grassland at night.
The Sanguine Waters - this is, in my opinion, the best track I've done. It's a bit repetitive at the moment - ignore it. It'll be used for an abandoned watery fortress.
Blazing Organ - my first track. Included purely for your amusement.
Permafrosted Crevice - this is one of my better ones. It'll be used for an icy, calming-type cave.
Mt. Lupinum - I did half of this last night, and the other (which is more or less a placeholder) this morning. I'm personally rather pleased with it, though you must note that it's my most WIP track.
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Have fun trying to keep your head in one piece. I'll continue to post updates/new songs here, and I'll hopefully get better. Thanks for your time, and any opinions/feedback would be very appreciated.
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| Last edited on 2013-03-28 02:54:56 PM by Zero-X. |
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| Posted on 2011-09-17 06:23:52 AM |
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A few more things ready for show:
SMWCP2 - Beach Ruins Proposal - a little tune I wrote up for my SMWCP2 level, Barathrum Baritus, but it didn't really turn out the way I wanted it to, so yep.
SMWCP2 - Beach Ruins Proposal II - a second attempt at the former, obviously. This didn't get used either, in that it was both too redundant and again didn't fit the feel.
abcdefg - composed this out of pure boredom .. I simply wanted to compose something. I don't plan on using this in any projects of mine, nor do I plan on porting it (if you want to, however, send me a PM and you can have the midi. don't see why you would, though). I suppose you could call that repetitive part towards the middle with the ugly key changes unfinished.
Everdream Depths - a small track I composed for an overgrown forest in my hack.
Obviously these aren't that great, so .. yeah. Expect a fairly large load of (much more enjoyable) new songs in before the end of the week.
Enjoy.
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| Posted on 2011-10-12 09:13:24 PM |
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Just listened to Everdream Depths and The Land of a Crimson Moon. You kind of remind me of myself back when I was scoring Rise to the Challenge, since these two songs don't seem very heavy on bass or percussion, and so they have a soft-spoken quality.
I think the former has a bit too much x-symmetry for the melody, which makes it sound somewhat repetitive. Instead of playing ascending and descending melodies sequentially, have you considered playing them simultaneously, perhaps on different instruments, and then maybe adding some variations so the ascents and descents aren't always perfectly smooth?
For the latter, the first half has the shamisen (?) and the second half has another instrument, but what if you switched between the two of them more frequently, like a "call and answer" sort of structure?
Judging from Corrupt Horizons, though, it looks like you've been busy since these two songs. I hope my feedback is nonetheless helpful, but like I said before, take what I say with a grain of salt :b
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| Posted on 2011-10-13 12:35:23 AM |
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You've been giving some feedback out to me recently, and I really appreciate it! What with being rather new to this composing scene, feedback of any sort is just lovely. Thanks.
Anyways, I have a few more "scraps" to dump here - yes, I spit out a song that I'll actually be contented with around every 5 or so tracks I make, so eh.
Corrupt Horizons - I'll start us out on one of my personal favorites. This was done up for a cloudy, abandoned quarry in a jungle - a "dungeon" in my hack. This isn't the first time I've showed it, but seeing as this is my track showoff thread .. yep.
Upflowing Ascent - this is rather sucky compared to most of my tracks seeing as it's crazy redundant, but eh. As stated above, I usually end up with a bunch of "scrap" compositions that are made merely for experience's sake.
The Everdream Gateway - a short, short jingle for one of those short, short areas.
In a Skybourne Land - this is probably one of my oldest tracks, and it's rather disconnected-sounding. I'm just putting it up for "the hell of it", so-to-speak.
Industurial Level - more old, rotten rottenness.
Letale Extremeus - my hack's title theme. Disregard the ending.
The Delay - this is probably one of my better ones. It's certainly my most "dramatic" as well, hehe.
I think that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed these tracks (well, the ones that were enjoyable to some degree), and I should get some more up soon (see: sometime in 2020). Thank you for your time, people.
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| Last edited on 2011-10-26 01:37:52 PM by Zero-X. |
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| Posted on 2011-10-26 01:55:10 PM |
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So, I have been messing around with a Mixcraft soundfont (thanks again for sharing it, SNN!) and oh man it is a hell of fun. I don't even have anything exactly .. "new", but I really wanted to share this all the same:
Letale Extremeus: Permafrost 2.0
Enjoy.
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| Last edited on 2011-10-28 01:13:50 AM by Zero-X. |
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| Posted on 2011-10-27 05:13:29 PM |
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I can't believe I'm saying this, but Zero-X, this stuff is really, REALLY good. I mean, they're not perfect, but I love some of the stuff you've done here. I actually like repetitive themes, just because it's easy to remember and is often very catchy.
I'd have to say my favorites are The Sanguine Waters, Mt. Lupinum, and the beginning part of Upflowing Ascent. Mostly it's because of the instruments and samples you used. The reason I only like the beginning of Upflowing Ascent is because the instruments gradually became more 8-bit and it just sounded ugly. But with The Sanguine Waters and Mt. Lupinum, I can visualize so many things when I hear them. I'd like to see more of that effect, really. Keep up the good work.
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| Posted on 2011-11-13 07:41:06 PM |
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Thanks for your input. I always thought my songs had a rather multi-purpose quality to them as well, so that should be nice for people once I get these ported to SMW.
I've been working a bit, and these really just keep getting more and more fun. I have a few to show that I've written over the past week:
Extermini Magnus - this is my personal favorite of what I have done thus far. It's an oriental-ey theme intended to fit the interior of a volcano. I tried to do something sounding rather "hellish" and I think for once I succeeded.
Terminus, Barren Land - not my best, but certainly not my worst either. It was intended for a badland town, but we'll see how that works out.
The Great Divide - a rather ambient theme I composed for a canyon area.
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All that aside, I'd like to try actually writing songs for people whether it be for an SMW hack, a fangame, or whatever kind of project you may be working on. I really enjoy doing this and figured it may be a fun little task that would also come as a good service to the central. However, if you'd like me to do so, I ask that you'd abide to some simple rules:
1. One track at a time.
This one's pretty important. I can only handle so much at a given time, so please only one song per person. After I finish the track you've requested then by all means feel free to request another, but I can't do more than one at a time.
2. I don't have a deadline.
I never could do things while timed, so keep this in mind while asking. I should generally just take a week or so, but don't bother me if not. I'll get down to you.
3. I don't port songs.
I know this is a disappointing rule, but the truth is I don't have the skill nor patience to port for people. My songs don't generally exceed 8 channels, so I'm sure you could find someone else to do this for you with relative ease.
So yeah, I hope to get business in the near future. Chances are I won't be able to keep doing this for long so enjoy this while you can.
edit: that was a stupid thing to forget. PM me or post in this thread with a description of what exactly you want. You could also contact me via IRC/MSN (though none of you actually have me as friends on MSN >_>).
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| Last edited on 2011-11-13 07:55:45 PM by Zero-X. |
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| Posted on 2011-11-13 07:53:35 PM |
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If I could, I'd like to request a song for someone to port to a SMW hack. I am looking for a grassland theme, but one with less of a "happy-happy" feel, and more of a "majestic" feel, if you know what I mean. Like, the start of a great adventure. I'm sorry if I'm being too vague, I can give more details if necessary.
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| Posted on 2011-11-17 12:43:57 AM |
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Mario: Lost in the Forest - The Beginning
Done on eXcavator's request ^up there. I actually already showed this to him on IRC, but wanted the community to have a peek as well seeing as I'm particularly pleased with the end result.
Enjoy.
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| Posted on 2011-12-03 06:15:26 PM |
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As you already know I really like the stuff you have showed me, i'll take a look at this thread a bit later after i'm done listening to music.
Keep up the good work man.
edit : level up. Haha, look at that thing!
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| Last edited on 2011-12-03 06:16:23 PM by BloodyToothBrush. |
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| Posted on 2011-12-11 09:15:20 AM |
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Thanks for your input, BloodyToothBrush!
My, I know I usually do "bulk" updates to this thread, but it certainly has been a while. I've got a big load this time around, many of which are a bit different from my usual stuff:
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Everdream Forest III
My time signatures are generally a mess. I made an attempt to fix this last night via a simple percussion line. I think I still have some stuff to do with that harp at the end.
Fortress of Solitude (Act I)
My first 8-bit track. Though it's fairly redundant as well, I'm rather pleased with it.
Fortress of Solitude (Mixcraft Soundfont)
Real instruments in this one, though that doesn't make it any better.
Wading in the Sanguine Pool
Inspired by some old classical music and Okami, this is one of my personal favorites of what I have done.
Mario: Lost in the Forest - Satsuki Simulacrum
A theme I composed for my level in MLinTF. It's an abstract crystalline forest with a huge tree and a clock tower.
Mario: Lost in the Forest - Main Overworld
The first of eight tracks I am tasked to complete for the infamous collab hack. I think this one still needs work.
Mario: Lost in the Forest - Ice Overworld
The ice one. I think it turned out pretty well.
Mario: Lost in the Forest - Special Overworld
This one .. well. Some told me it's the best thing they've ever heard and others that -everything- is wrong with it. We'll see where this goes, I guess.
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That's all for now. I think I'm improving, so I hope you guys enjoy this assortment of tracks.
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| Last edited on 2011-12-11 09:54:43 AM by Zero-X. |
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| Posted on 2011-12-12 08:35:27 PM |
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Of the most recent batch, I'd have to say that ice overworld theme is my favorite. Aside from fitting the environment while at the same time reminding me of FFX's Mt. Gagazet theme, it transitions between instruments nicely and has a good mix of note lengths and rhythms, making the song sound much less repetitive than some of your other pieces. Great work.
I rather like Wading in the Sanguine Pool for similar reasons, but I'm not really fond of those one-two long notes- I feel like they should be broken up or bridged by smaller notes to give the melody more of a "flow."
The main overworld theme sounds really nice so far, like the humble beginnings of a grand adventure. It does feel like you need "complimentary instruments" in places to round out the tone, though.
Parts of the special overworld sound like a less frantic version of this song,. A few parts sound a bit...irregular (?) to me, but overall I enjoyed it.
You're certainly more productive than I, judging from how many songs you pump out with each post! I don't really update frequently enough to have my own thread ^_^;
But yeah, I'd say you're improving too for sure. Keep at it (:
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| Last edited on 2011-12-12 08:36:09 PM by AxemJinx. |
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| Posted on 2012-03-09 08:19:02 PM |
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Usually, hearing "grassland theme" doesn't give me the most novel mental image, but I like how your take on it gives feelings of anticipation and even tension instead of the "generic" happy-go-lucky motif we tend to see in Mario games. The rhythm of those strings in the background gives me that "bravely march forward" sort of feel, if that makes any sense at all. I like that drawn-out note about halfway in, but I kind of expected it to signify a change in the song- for instance, introducing a higher-pitched instrument like a flute to add an extra layer of flavor. Overall, it reminds me of the Mulan field themes from Kingdom Hearts II, in a way.
The watery overworld theme is probably my favorite of the batch- I think it just nails the atmosphere with a subdued, flow-y feel, and I like how the main instrument rests for a bit before coming in again toward the end of the song. It almost reminds me of the Aquaria soundtrack, but a little quieter (which is fine).
I like Upflowing Ascent, but once the second section starts, it feels like there's not quite enough going on for a few measures, and I get the same feeling at the harp (?) solo, too. That might just be me, though.
That sky theme is really nice, too- the opening is strong and definitely sets the mood, for me. I kind of feel the rest of the song is slightly more subdued in comparison (which isn't necessarily bad), but the instrument choices complement each other nicely (I really like that lingering background one) and seem to weave in and out of the main melody, which makes the piece awfully atmospheric, I think- good work on that front.
Hmm, I should really get around to actually finishing all the WIPs I have sitting around >_< Good to see you're still at it, though :b
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| Posted on 2012-03-26 07:28:52 PM |
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AxemJinx has been providing me with a ton of musical enjoyment recently, assinging me to various "challenges" - themes I have to compose to match a certain theme or something of the like. It's been a lot of fun, and I think some of these tracks turned out pretty well.
Enjoy!
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Mt. Lupinum: Surface
Here's a much less stormy remix of one of my best tracks.
Calligo Mechanus (Jetpack!)
A theme proposed by AxemJinx. The idea behind it is to create a title theme for the musicless game "Jetpack".
That said, it'll also be the theme for the third level in my secret side-project.
Oops!
Title/Saeptuose Canalis(Cave Story: Plantation)
A theme composed with the plantation in CS (which used CS' title theme) in mind, also proposed by AxemJinx.
Also, this is the fourth level and maybe the title theme.
Ignea Fervidus (Epic Pinball: Panagea)
Yet again at AJ's suggestion, this is an alternate theme for the panagea board in Epic Pinball.
Eighth level.
Trux Aviciticus (Toejam and Earl themed)
Another challenge from AxemJinx. I don't know how well I did, but this was still an experience.
Yes, it's the second level.
Whispering Riverside (Zero-XniJ, SMWCP2 proposal)
This one is special. AxemJinx and I actually teamed up on this one, and I'm really happy with it. If you're curious, I did the main melody and :00 - :17, Axem did :18 - :49, I did :40 - 1:15, and AxemJinx went from there. Also, the whole song was edited heavily by both of us several times, so yeah.
If AJ is up for it, I'm hoping to get another one of these out in the next batch.
Myslexinea Sewer (WIP)
The depths of an aincent sewer under a more modern-ey city in my hack, Letale Extremeus. Only half is completerd thus far.
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| Last edited on 2012-03-26 07:34:27 PM by Zero-X. |
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| Posted on 2012-03-29 11:36:31 AM |
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Though I've already provided a bit of feedback on most of these, I just wanted to give a special nod to the Pangaea theme you made, since I feel like it really captures the style of the original soundtrack (especially the percussion).
I'm not sure the Toejam & Earl theme quite sounds like something from the original game, but it's still nice to see you trying something completely different- I'll admit that particular style isn't easy to emulate. If it was an experience, then I should think it was a success regardless :b
That sewer theme looks to be shaping up rather nicely, by the way- I'm looking forward to what the finished version sounds like.
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| Posted on 2012-04-19 06:20:37 PM |
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Thought I'd point out that I'll be uploading my finished compositions to my Youtube channel from now on. I'll still be bulk updating this thread, but those who want to hear my stuff a bit more quickly may want to subscribe or whatever.
Also, I'm going to be a bit more picky about the quality of what I make from now on, so expect fewer, more polished tracks from me.
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| Last edited on 2012-04-19 06:20:58 PM by Zero-X. |
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| Posted on 2012-06-09 10:09:59 PM |
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A lot of those songs do a great job of subtly setting the atmosphere, but at the same time, they tend to lack definable melodies. That's not necessarily a bad thing at all, especially if you're going for a consistent style in an album or what have you, but I wonder if you're playing it safe a bit by sticking to the same overall structure to the songs, if that makes any sense. Either way, they're nice compositions, and it's great that you can churn out so many of these like it's nothing :b
I especially like the factory theme- the percussion is great, and it almost sounds like something you'd hear in a Metroid Prime game.
Oh, and the links for Deserted Pier and Cutscenes are the same :b
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| Posted on 2012-06-12 05:34:21 PM |
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I don’t have time to listen to and critique them all, so I’ll just comment on a select few that stood out.
Shore:
I really like the melody in the harp; it’s very relaxing and atmospheric. That said, you’ve got some weird dynamics things to work out. For example, at around 0:13, the oboe gets really loud for no reason, and the harp becomes overly prominent. It sounds like you might have some audio overflows going on.
Overall, good composition, but the mastering could use some work.
Factory:
Great use of percussion here, and the choir voices also sound really nice. There’s not much of a melody, but I guess the track is more intended to be atmospheric than catchy, so I can’t let that detract from the overall quality of this piece. Nice work.
Graveyard:
This one was probably the most interesting track. It didn’t really sound like much of a graveyard (at least not the type I’m picturing), but it just sounded really interesting. The progression could use some fine tuning (no pun intended), but I like that you took the risk to include some more interesting chords.
Desert Pier:
I like your melodic progression here. I think what you need to work on now is the harmonic progression— in other words, have a logical flow of chords that surrounds your melody. This piece has a great melody, but it only consists of two chords played over it; you could totally expand it to make something great.
Again, dynamics issues. The flute shouldn’t fluctuate in volume so suddenly. It goes from really quiet to really loud and then back. Make sure you listen to your tracks numerous times to catch these things, because it’s very jarring for the listener, and really detracts and draws attention away from the positive qualities.
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A general note:
All in all, I agree with AxemJinx. You have great potential and an excellent feel for instrumentation, but it seems like a lot of your tracks don’t go anywhere; a lot of chords seem randomly placed, with no real purpose or intent.
I don’t profess to be an expert at music comp; hell, I recognize that I have a long way to go. But my biggest suggestion to you would be to learn basic music theory, if you have not done so already. Learn how melodies and harmonies function, and how to better incorporate chord progressions into your tracks.
This will allow you to get a feel for the "rules" that govern music. Only once you’ve learned the rules can you opt to break them. As of now, you’ve sort of just skipped to the “breaking them” step, which I don’t mean offensively at all— in fact, it’s good that you’ve had a lot of exposure to the nature of composition and have begun developing your own style of composing. Nonetheless, learning theory will help immensely by giving you a firm grasp of the attributes that make a particular track sound good.
tl;dr
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