??

I'm hoping the sounds will be more dynamic when the game comes out

I want some BOOM!! action compared to pew pew! action!

As for the music, I like a lot of it, but it would be amazing if the music was actually played by some orchestra,and not in a mostly digital sound format. Sometimes it gets on my nerves a bit, but that could just be me.

lol.

Id like to hear more stuff like the sad 2 (specially that one), Quiet 1 and Quiet 5. I really like violin play you use Also TEC 4, TEC Quiet, Trouble 4, Trouble 5, Trouble 6 and Battle 1.

Your doing a great job thats for sure

So how does the Vasari music sound like? i hope they will have some sort of mystic and alien like music

More epic orchestral classical and please stay away from punk rock/rap it doesn't fit the space opera mood. I would like some vocal music. Not opera but a vocalise like Samuel Barber's Adagio for String vocal in Homeworld, and Rachmaniov's Vocalise.

I would also like more of Sad 2. But more a reflective style music, like the credit music for Halo 2 and Shostakovitch's 2nd Piano Concerto 2nd movement.

All in all it would probably be great too if you can just implement the original classical music (the 2nd movement of the piano concerto and vocalise) like what Homeworld did

For variation of classical music I would recommend looking to the game Arcanum (great classic music, circa 16-17 century). I personally love music with violin, cello, harp, etc; music that gives a somber mood. I agree that given the scope and background of the game I would stay away from anything resembling rap or rock. As for vocals, I would point to Galactic Civilizations II expansion Dark Avatar (during the startup window). You may consider operatic music for the battle scenes (think of music used for the various Omen movie series) or during times of peace ("Vide Cor Meum", as played in the movie Hannibal). I love the idea of having music specific to either gaining a planet from an enemy or losing one to a foe.

Just a few thoughts…

(currently listening to opening theme)

At around 2:35 or so the vocals get a little awkward since they are countering the melody instead of supporting it. I suggest some strings instead or something that doesn't stick out as much.

At around 3:10 we hear something that sounds like tinkling (I really don't know what the instrument is called) and it adds a very nice sound! Try finding other places you can add this, it gives a very uplifting sensation. The rattle is kind of random, though at about 3:35. The build up from 3:35 to 3:45 kind of sounds random and doesn't have a definite melody other than "we're going up". The break at 3:50 is good, though, but I think the build up could be reworked.

The drum slows down around 1:20, with a dull, repetitive "bum-bum, bum". It is much more intrusive and drowns out the slow string-build. Maybe a less noticeable drum line (as in, more simpler), or cutting it out entirely (like in the beginning). The bass drum is very prominent during quiet sessions and it's very anti-ambient. It is too fast.

edit: strings play a major role in the central melodies, but I have also heard some ambience noise. they add to the feeling of space, of outworldly-ness, but it counters the real feeling from using strings. as an afterthought from listening to quiet 5. some horns at 0:40 might sound nice. woodwinds seem a little MIA compared to strings.

time for my analysis!

Battle 1:
at 1 minutes, you have a very interesting thematic idea with glockenspiel and strings. It sounds very much like Final Fantasy Tactics at that point. I enjoy the music of final fantasy tactics, but I don't know if it fits as well in this setting of massive space battles.

I like how it's in 4, but it sounds like its in a more complicated time because of hemiolas.

1:49 Woodwind like sound sounds like it just goes off randomly. Probably just me, but it sounds really dissonant.

At 2 is semi resolves. I like it how it was led up, because the dissonance builds tension.

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Battle 2:
I can really tell it's synthesized on this one =/ People are willing to look over it because people don't pay attention to music when they're busy microing. It's one of the curses of being a game composer I guess.

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Battle 3:
Interesting, I never really heard this one before, but I'm putting money on psychic ones. It sounds fairly sinister, and has 7ths! I actually like this one.

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Battle 4:
I'm guessing you'll have better sound for the real version, but that chorus sounds... really fake

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Battle Five:
Probably one of my favorites, but still too synthesizery for my tastes. I wounder how many different ways I can use synthesize as an adjective.

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Battle 6:
Reminds me of FF Tactics again.

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Battle 7:
pretty much the same. Sorry for not being more detailed, I got a lot to listen to, and I'm impatient.

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Battle 8:
I really like the Roman(ish) opening. It's interesting that I can remember listening to the music and how it sounds when I wasn't really paying attention to it when I'm playing the game.

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Battle 9:
Drums should be more like Toms or timpani than Bass drums imo.

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Battle 10:
I like the syncopation. I always like syncopation.

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Battle 11:
drums again need some work. That's just mostly sound though, not a music problem.

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Quiet 1:
I like it, it's mysterious, and it's slightly unnerving.

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Quiet 2:
like #1

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Quiet 3:
Voices sound fake, but voices are really hard to duplicate. I'ma skip around to ones I want to comment on.

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Quiet 5:
sounds like a Yo Yo Ma thing It's really good, I like how it resolves into a big ensemble, into harp. Overall, I really like the quiet ones.

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Sad 1:
I like string ensembles, it would be nice to see some woodwind ensembles, but I understand why you don't use them much. I like these as well.

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TEC 4:
My favorite of all the TEC songs. TEC theme is good too!

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I never heard the trouble songs. Are the implemented, or are they just when your in trouble? I won't be in trouble from compy AI, so who knows how it'll go.

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Overall, the music works very well. I'd hate to know the sheer amount of music needed for EACH race, it must be very difficult.

I would ask you all sorts of questions about how you go about writing music, but I dont' want to get too nosy.

Wordpad

Personally, I would say to go with an amient sort of soundtracks for when you are not focused on battles, when looking at battles, a more arabic and a little bit of music like what you would find in Lord of the Rings, but verry little of the huge war drum stuff. Just mixed in a bit. They have got to avoid that game clichet where whenever a battle starts, war drum music starts  , its just in too many games. I would avoid and music with word (or easily understood words, like a choire). No rap, no hip hop, no hard/soft/classical rock, no techno (it just doesn't fit), and no music that someone would usually hear. The music in Homeworld (origional, i don't know about the other two) is pretty much dead on  . Although stir it up a bit with more instruments. I suppose they could go with music simular to Staw Wars, but, i dunno  that may not be so good.



Ah! I went through the whole topic, and someone mentioned the music in halo 2. Yes, that is a very good example of "battle" music that avoids the very common war drums clichet, yet it still give the impression af epic battles. So far, the only ingame sounds that really don't need much work, the way I see it is the Ion cannons firing. You got those down pretty good in the movies I've seen of the beta's. (I haven't actually played a beta, but I am quite experienced with games that nead a little seasoning).

When I'm zoomed in all the way, I dont want to hear "ping, ping, ping, VROOOOOWRMMM, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, VROOOOOWRMMM, ping, Ca-Boom."

I want to hear "Boom, Boom, Boom, VROOOOOWRMMM, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, *Distinctive sound of Shields Dropping*, Boom, *Tearing Metal*, Boom, Boom, CA-BOOOM!!!" And then zoom out and hear an ambient, but warlike song.

Well duh! Gamers are fat, educated nerds.