Need advice on my videogames music demo

[HandsOfDespair]

Hey guys!

A couple of months ago I finished my music degree and I did a videogame music demo for my final project because I'd like to find a permanent job in this domain next summer, when I'll have completely finish school. I had a pretty good grade but I'd like to improve my demo because I know I can do a lot better now. However, I think some parts of my demo are cool and I should keep them. This is where I need your help.

It would be REALLY cool if you could listen to my demo and tell me :

A) 3 songs you think I should keep
B) 3 songs you think I shouldn't keep

The demo contains 9 short clips of different music styles, here's the list:

1) Orchestral
2) Elfman-style
3) Pop/Commercial (If I keep it I'll add rihanna-style vocals)
4) Disco
5) Jungle/rock
6) Acoustic
7) Rock
8) More of an ambiance track for horror games when you're being attacked
9) Horror

Personally, I'd keep 1,2 and 10, and I'd throw out 5,7,8.

And please judge for the music, not the production, I'll remix it anyway

Thanks a lot!

Here's the link:
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/317666/DEMO-MAX-V2.mp3

 

[korpse pop]

Add a chiptune for vintage gamers like me

 

[Morgan C]

1 is pretty good. Its kinda a mix of Warcraft 2's music (maybe the dodgy soft synths tho ;p) and a bit of Dream Theater's 6 Degrees (the song not album).

Not liking the weird bass in #2.

Don't think there'd be much point in including #3. Sounds like something off Need for Speed but tbh I'm pretty sure they'd pick a popular song that people know than get you to design one..

Disco one.. where would you use that?

I think the rock/jungle one could be cool with some tom drums in there (really roomy ones).

Not digging the acoustic one, if you expanded on that three note lick at 3;20 maybe but otherwise..

7 should be chucked imo. Make the drums a LOT simpler imo (none of those quad fills)

9 should be chucked imo, too.



If you haven't played Diablo II (or even if you have), check these out. The best game music ever, imo, and I really like listening to it even tho I don't play it anymore.
(1;10 onwards is awesome, the bit at 1;57 is heaven, that synth or whatever on the left.. it didn't make it into the game tho for some reason)


(detuning strings at about ;58, he uses this quite a bit and i think its awesome)
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LGASEPjYuk&feature=channel_page[/ame]

(low piano at start, drums at about 1;30)
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7voQGBi2lFU&feature=channel_page[/ame]

(entire thing is fucking awesome, esp 6;30 to end).
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7BTdLuywno&feature=channel_page[/ame]



I often considered going in this kinda direction, but any experiments I've tried with any orchestral type music have failed miserably. The above songs i showed aren't really orchestral and I really prefer them (I'm a bit over 'epic' tbh), but I've never tried anything like em. You have to have a pretty good knowledge of a LOT of different instruments I think.

 

[HandsOfDespair]

Thanks Morgoe!

Yeah I have Diablo 2 and Lod OST on my computer, they are really great!
The disco has already been used in fact, but for a commercial contest one of my friend was in. It was really fitting with the image but his commercial didn't win so I can use it again if I want.

The drums in the rock song are some drums Lasse posted ( Nu metal drums), I just added a riff over it. If I keep if I'll ask someone to shred over it because my solo isn't tight at all.

For the weird bass in the second clip, do you talk about the staccato cello or the synth melody? I originally composed this song for a kid game, they needed a 30 second loop for a witch village, so I added the synth to make it less serious. Maybe I should change the synth sound.

 

[korpse pop]

IMO Elfman-style is done to death, I would remove that. I like the most Orchestral, Jungle/Rock (would be awesome rpg battle music), Acoustic, 8 & 9, I would try merging 8 & 9 so that the horror track morphes into the "attacked" track

 

[HandsOfDespair]

Add a chiptune for vintage gamers like me

Well I did some music for a cellphone game last year and it was in midi

 

[Oligopod]

Keep 1, 2 and 9.
Get rid of 4, 8 and 7.

In general you could work a little bit on the sound, the orchestral bits are a little bit artificial to me.
I liked #2 a lot, vaguely reminds me of the kind of the music from the last game I worked on:

 

[phatfil]

keep 1, 2, and 9. pitch 4, 6, and 7. although 8 is a bit odd, i can definitely see it as a tension builder.

 

[kev]

Wow, these are all fabulous. I really like the jungle one! Elf music was great too, I love that type of stuff it makes me happy

IMO I think the three showcase pieces would be as follows as it would show a good spread:

1. Elf
2. Disco
3. Horror

I would have included the 1st orchestral one as well, but I found the start was somehow weak even though when it builds up it is epic (that could be the mix though). I found the rock one to be weak, but that could be because thats obviously the predominant music genre we have going round this forum (it was the lead playing in it that I wasnt fond of)

Anyway, everytime I listen to these back I have a different opinion as they are all brilliant. I really wanted to get the jungle one onto the list too damnit!!!

 

[ahjteam]

Personally, I'd keep 1,2 and 10, and I'd throw out 5,7,8.

number ten out of nine?

 

[HandsOfDespair]

Thanks a lot for your advices!

And Oligopod, are you working independantly or for a company?

number ten out of nine?

Oops. haha. I meant 9.

 

[Oligopod]

At the moment I work for Rare / Microsoft as a graphics programmer, nothing to do with music or audio I'm afraid Good luck with the demo!