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A few compositions

Started by Majora, 13, February, 2013, 11:42:24 AM

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Majora

:VenusSet:A Few Compositions :VenusSet:

Soundbank Description Key
(organized by game)

All pieces of music are color-coded to show which pieces utilize which sound sets.
Pieces written in red text use the first Golden Sun game's sound set, and so on.


Red Text = Golden Sun
Blue Text = Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Purple Text = Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Orange Text = Golden Sun (custom)


Enter Sol Sanctum
http://f.cl.ly/items/1k2X0o1s2M3Y2k360M05/SANCTUM.mp3

Home
https://d26dzxoao6i3hh.cloudfront.net/items/3n3X0b2S3X153C1l0p3J/Home.mp3

Villain Encounter
https://d26dzxoao6i3hh.cloudfront.net/items/2P1I3C3N2F0S0k1y2V0d/music.wav

Climb The Lighthouse
http://f.cl.ly/items/200w2R40243a0x010D2s/LIGHTHOUSE_CLIMB.mp3

Ice Dungeon
http://f.cl.ly/items/1m1G3y0A412X1T191s31/ICE_DUNGEON16b.mp3

Fire Dungeon
http://f.cl.ly/items/2x062I443j39451N0K3O/Fire%20Dungeon.mp3

Ghostly Pyramid
http://f.cl.ly/items/3M1s3W0P2F0Z2n1w0v2w/Ghostly%20Pyramid%20(final).mp3

Desert Cave
http://f.cl.ly/items/0S1j0Q0x34030P1i1c2B/Desert%20Cave.mp3

Majestic City
http://f.cl.ly/items/042g3J0Q3y2w3F0A1S3Q/Gretsch.mp3

Jungle
http://f.cl.ly/items/3N3E2u0T2D2v3u171d22/Jungle.mp3

Ranch
http://f.cl.ly/items/0U1K0f2t2f3D0i1l3A2H/Ranch.mp3

Forest Sanctuary
http://f.cl.ly/items/3V1j3D1r3W3D3t3k1L26/Forest%20Sanctuary.mp3

Royal Palace
http://f.cl.ly/items/0i1U2J241O3b3R332f0b/Royal%20Palace.mp3

Welcome To My World
http://f.cl.ly/items/0a3M2d1D032I0n3z3n2o/STORY_INTRO.mp3

Milk Bar
http://f.cl.ly/items/0w3J1w230z2x1Q0s1b2c/Milk%20Bar.mp3

Country Dungeon
http://f.cl.ly/items/0R401v380h3K3H072S15/Country%20Dungeon.mp3

Night (Dark Dawn)
http://f.cl.ly/items/313T0H0L3738173c0C0J/NIGHT_(DAHKCHAWKLATE).mp3

Mountain Dungeon
http://f.cl.ly/items/2y120H0k1e3C1z2C1O3U/Mountain%20Dungeon.mp3

Sweet
http://f.cl.ly/items/080Y1t0q3g242X0f2d0A/BANK_DEMONSTRATION.mp3

Urgency
http://f.cl.ly/items/3w2U1Q1c2l2z3y3I0Z3k/Urgency.mp3

Strange Waterfall
http://f.cl.ly/items/0x2l2A0u1j43312W0s3r/Strange%20Waterfall.mp3

Jazz
http://f.cl.ly/items/3U0f1k093S3K2t1L0b01/Brisk%20Feline%20in%20a%23.wav

Pleasant Town
http://f.cl.ly/items/3k1P3E3d043B290f242H/Pleasant%20Town.mp3

Desert Town
http://f.cl.ly/items/1o3u1y393K1p0Q3W2b1k/desert_town%20(no%20shimmer).mp3

Spooky
http://f.cl.ly/items/1A350G3o2z1U1Q2w1t0A/spooky%20(dry,%20post-p).mp3

Blues
http://f.cl.ly/items/263s1R3S0c3h1k1Y160X/character_lietmotif_concept_demonstration.mp3

Night (Golden Sun)
http://f.cl.ly/items/213K0s3H3B1c2r1N0E1b/night_post%20(final).mp3

Mystery Woman
http://f.cl.ly/items/2Z0b421i0U0f1B1h0C0O/MYSTERY_WOMAN.mp3

Dramatic Minigame
http://f.cl.ly/items/0m3d1g011e251Y1a3E3k/flute_2%20(dry,%20post-p).mp3

Battle
http://f.cl.ly/items/3t2p1s3f3h1N1F1A2G2W/battle%20(with%20charge).mp3

Feel free to mention any ideas you may have for a song!

Aile~♥

#3 (Spooky) sounds more like LoZ:tMC than it does GS.

Also, keep in mind I think the track limit for GS is 4. So you can have 4 tracks simultaneously. Make good use of that. Switch it up. One thing about GS, and Motoi Sakuraba in general, is that no one track tends to stay in the foreground for the whole song. Typically, you'll get a cycle between two or three of the tracks, with one or two of them staying exclusively background. Or at least, that's what his battle themes are like.
[sprite=16, 6, 0]:P[/sprite]

Lloyd: Easy as pie.
Genis: Sweet!
Presea: ...Sweetie pie...
Zelos: Let's not start on this again...

[spoiler=epic mindscrew][/spoiler]

Majora

#2
Ah yes, very aware of the Gameboy Advance's channel limitations as well as the series' varied instrumentation methods
Decided to take a more open-ended approach to working on these pieces here for a few reasons, despite them

Besides originality & the general avoidance of boredom, which in my experience has often arisen in situations in which a certain level of achievement has been reached & exhausted by doing things in certain ways, I can imagine the tool this site provides and many others like it eventually being developed well beyond their current states, to the point where they may be hindered far less by the limitations of the console whose specifications they work under.  
Had taken that into consideration when sequencing these bad larries here, as well as the the direction of the pieces themselves, of course.
Pretty sure the 'Night' track has something like 20 or so individual reflection channels going for the bass sequence alone, each with its own individual velocity-driven panning & peak-driven pitch control settings, so staying true to channel limitations really wasn't a main concern

Aile~♥

Really? The reason I pointed out the whole "four tracks" thing was because the songs sounded a bit empty to me.
[sprite=16, 6, 0]:P[/sprite]

Lloyd: Easy as pie.
Genis: Sweet!
Presea: ...Sweetie pie...
Zelos: Let's not start on this again...

[spoiler=epic mindscrew][/spoiler]

Majora


Majora


Majora


Majora

Updated late June, early July, 2013

Majora


Aile~♥

The one named "Jazz" sounds pretty darn good. There are a few times, though, where the notes are clearly recognisable as individual notes even when they sound like they ought to flow together.

"Strange Waterfall" can't seem to decide whether it's supposed to sound like a peaceful lakefront, like an underwater aquarium, or like some sort of distorted, evil place.

"Urgency" sounds like a GBA Pokémon evil team base theme crossed with a Tales of...-esque techy dungeon theme.

The intro to "Pleasant Town" doesn't sound all that pleasant at all. Actually sounds pretty creepy for a few seconds there. The beat is perhaps a little too fast, the melody a little too repetitive on occasion, and the background melody a little too slow.

The different tracks in "Desert Town" seem to clash with each other, somehow. It feels a little too busy for a desert town, to be honest. Although, it still does a good job of making it sound like a "hopeless" sort of place to live.

The quiet background melody in "Night" seems slightly too quiet, while the triangle sounds a little too loud, as does that pulsing base thingy on occasion.

In "Dramatic Minigame", the flute (which, judging by the mp3 name, is the whole point of the song) seems a little too quiet.

The main track (not sure what that instrument is) in "Battle" is slightly too loud.
[sprite=16, 6, 0]:P[/sprite]

Lloyd: Easy as pie.
Genis: Sweet!
Presea: ...Sweetie pie...
Zelos: Let's not start on this again...

[spoiler=epic mindscrew][/spoiler]

Majora


Thank you for your analyses, very thoughtful of you.
However, just so you know, every aspect of the pieces on exhibition here was crafted as heard for a reason. 
All essential imperfections were intentional; there are very few "errors", most being incorrect leveling issues and med-heavy mixing, which is invited, as the pieces in the collection were kept mostly dry to best represent how they would sound if played on a hand-held console (as well as complement the comparatively "looser", rockier feel of some of the more intense tracks, which I find refreshing, as many sequenced compositions written in the same medium tend to sound a little mechanical and static).  In most cases, a perfect mix isn't necessary, as the listener is too involved in the emotion and progression of the music to notice any particular inconsistencies in leveling or presentation.

I'll rework the 'Night' piece using the sound set from Dark Dawn for you though, now that you mention it.  The soft, quiet atmosphere of the original is pleasant, but I can imagine a more melodic take would fare just as well.

Updated early November, 2013

Aile~♥

The new version of "Night" works pretty well. I like it.

"Blues" makes my left ear feel lonely.

Mountain Dungeon almost sounds like it's trying to dubstep.

Country Dungeon is really good, does its job very well. Starts off a little TOO quiet, though, especially with the way the volume seems to build throughout the song's duration.


And by the way, I'm not suggesting that they are errors, for the most part. What I am suggesting is that certain stylistic changes might make the song more pleasing to the ear, or less jarring. Especially things such as volume balance (in "Battle", "Night (GS1&2)", "Dramatic Minigame") are important, and individually recognisable separate notes (that is, of the variety that sounds like chiptune music or that makes the use of instrument samples highly obvious) are typically not desired.
[sprite=16, 6, 0]:P[/sprite]

Lloyd: Easy as pie.
Genis: Sweet!
Presea: ...Sweetie pie...
Zelos: Let's not start on this again...

[spoiler=epic mindscrew][/spoiler]

Majora


It's understood.
Essentially, any pieces that sound unpleasing are intended to sound unpleasing; any differences in presentation would betray the intention of the compositions.  For many of the mentioned tracks, inconsistent leveling adds to the overall 'oddness' and strange nature of the material, it intends to throw the listener off-kilter.  The idea of the collection isn't to 'slip' the fact that the music is sequenced using instruments based on what were originally samples by the listener, (isn't exactly shocking is it - the original Golden Sun soundtracks are as well) the general idea is to demonstrate practical compositions that would fare well when played on a hand-held console.

Of course your intentions are clear, constructive criticism is always appreciated, really wasn't a particular need for an explanation. 
What I'm suggesting is that, all in all, there isn't a single comment one can make that wasn't already considered and considered again during the creation of the pieces in question.  Pieces that sound raw are meant to sound raw; many are written with the intention of leaving a listener unsettled.

What I find far more interesting is a more emotional response to a piece, in how they connect (or disconnect) with listeners.  What images do they bring to mind?  Where can you imagine the pieces being heard, where do they take you?

Can imagine analysis of that nature may end up being a little more hands-on than comments like "Mountain Dungeon almost sounds like it's trying to dubstep".

Couldn't help but quote that, forgive me.  Absolutely hilarious, love that one

Aile~♥

Reason I say "Mountain Dungeon almost sounds like it's trying to dubstep" is because of the pulsing base that kicks in at the 50 second mark.

As for emotional responses, "Battle" at first sounds like its going for a mysterious or epic confrontation, then instead switches it for fast-paced and dangerous, with an odd sense of both creepiness (due to occasional split moments of notes that are just slightly off) and finality. Also, that sudden complete silence between sections sounds a little odd. Ah, here we are, 2:40 and the sense of mystery/celestial forces returns, after being absent from half the song.

"Strange Waterfall" seems to me like it would benefit more from mixing all the different elements (underwater aquarium, peaceful lakefront (though now that I think about it it sounds a little more like a desert oasis), distorted void) into the song at once, rather than devoting separate sections to each. Although, I could see having an intro that is missing the "distorted void" feel, then introducing it in the main loop to unsettle the player, so that they only realise that something is wrong here 30 to 45 seconds into the song. I would also suggest not leading with the "distorted void" section, depending on if you want to go for a "what is so interesting here...?" mystery feel as opposed to a "holy c***!" scare cord feel.

"Pleasant Town" sounds distopic, which is rather interesting. I think, honestly, that it starts sounding distopic too soon. Give the player awhile to take in the atmosphere before you drop that on them. Makes it hit harder.


General stylistic notes regarding Sakuraba: He frequently uses two treble instruments and two bass instruments, then over the course of the song cycles through which one he uses for the lead melody. This allows him to make 4 tracks feel like much more than that, as he can constantly introduce new lead instruments without having to change the instruments actually being used. He also commonly uses drum solos as a transition when switching the lead; if I had to guess, I'd say they're his go-to "cheap cop-out" for when he can't find a better transition to use. A good example of all of these tricks would be the Tunnel Ruins theme.
[sprite=16, 6, 0]:P[/sprite]

Lloyd: Easy as pie.
Genis: Sweet!
Presea: ...Sweetie pie...
Zelos: Let's not start on this again...

[spoiler=epic mindscrew][/spoiler]

Majora


In essence, assume all pieces are final.  Focus on what you get out of the pieces as they are, as opposed to how you personally feel they could be improved.

Appreciate the suggestion, but 'stylistic notes regarding Sakuraba' are equally unnecessary, as I am very familiar with his style. 
Believe you made a similar suggestion before, as well.  Best to avoid clutter.
The idea when composing is to take the music in a direction completely new to the series, while preserving the same warm, ethereal, and strangely-mysterious qualities of the originals. 

Being such an acutely-analytic individual, you may have noticed that many of the pieces are arranged and sequenced in a manner not dissimilar to that of the classic contemporary song structure, in that they have an introduction, a series of verses, a bridge, and a chorus.  They are written and sequenced in the same manner most modern music is written; a medium that I feel jives with Golden Sun's music surprisingly well.

Isn't to say pieces written in other styles won't be sequenced of course, can do it all. 
Personally think there isn't anything cooler than hearing Golden Sun play the blues.

Majora


Majora


Majora


Majora


Majora