Justin Bell

Thanks! If I couldn't make the transition somewhat hard to detect I just took it out. I found that entrances in the middle of phrases also sounded unnatural.Yeah, it's not like it doesn't contribute anything even if it isn't something the player will consciously realize. I had no idea the soundtrack was done with a real orchestra. I was just thinking "man, these are some high-quality sample libraries he used" I'm really liking the exploration/town music; it works really great within the context of the game. Reminds me of some impressionist music at times. Impressionist music was definitely an indirect source of inspiration. Great ear! We recorded about 90 minutes of music with an orchestra, a total of about 36 hours of recording sessions. This was due to the fact that we recorded each section separately. There were hours and hours of overdubs, I think it was an arduous process for the musicians. We were capturing tons of micro performances rather than a total performance which had its challenges. I see. That probably gave more room for fine-tuning the mixing and production quality otherwise. The OST sounds well produced overall. In contrast, this to me sounds like something was probably recorded in one go without much fine-tuning, as it sounds much more raw than the PoE2 OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnWHnDDkhlk Yes it certainly did provide more ability to find tu e. Almost too much flexibility in a way; mixing all these disconnected elements took significantly more effort and time! The musicians weren't directly feeding off of one another, so you loose a bit of the ensemble "hive mind" that can create that musicianship performance magic. So there were some cases where interpretation of the same material across different sections differed enough to require a bit of massaging. Whereas when recording in one go you get what you get, i.e. you have to accept what was recorded whether or not the result was intended. On the one hand it can be frustrating from a control perspective, on the other it can be a bit liberating

Not at all, you're entitled to voice your observations. Some boil down to preference and are subjective, others are arguably objective. The former can be more difficult to address, if they're addressable at all. Just depends. But! Your feedback is valuable and you should feel free to express it.

Thanks! If I couldn't make the transition somewhat hard to detect I just took it out. I found that entrances in the middle of phrases also sounded unnatural. Yeah, it's not like it doesn't contribute anything even if it isn't something the player will consciously realize. I had no idea the soundtrack was done with a real orchestra. I was just thinking "man, these are some high-quality sample libraries he used" I'm really liking the exploration/town music; it works really great within the context of the game. Reminds me of some impressionist music at times. Impressionist music was definitely an indirect source of inspiration. Great ear! We recorded about 90 minutes of music with an orchestra, a total of about 36 hours of recording sessions. This was due to the fact that we recorded each section separately. There were hours and hours of overdubs, I think it was an arduous process for the musicians. We were capturing tons of micro performances rather than a total performance which had its challenges.

Thanks! If I couldn't make the transition somewhat hard to detect I just took it out. I found that entrances in the middle of phrases also sounded unnatural.

We almost did that! We were going to get everyone at the office drunk, sing the sea shanties, record them and put them in the game. Alas, we ran out of time

Responding to music parts of the thread... Thanks for all the music feedback folks. Something we haven't really talked about is that the music is reactive in PoE2! It changes depending on whether or not you're sneaking, walking around, or are in a conversation/scripted interaction (the choose your own adventure parts). The idea was to keep it from sounding too static over time. The music is constructed of 3 layers and is additive. Sneaking is just one layer, typically basses, harp, and some accompaniment, and you'll always hear that. Exploration is sneaking + a second layer that includes more accompaniment, countermelodies, and some melodic content. Conversations have all previous layers + another one that is primarily melodic. Transitions between layers aren't instantaneous, and generally only happen at the beginning of new musical phrases. I find it interesting to be able to focus on the different components of a given piece of music. Sneak + explore + conversation is what you hear in the soundtrack, and can be considered the full piece of music. We recorded each section of the orchestra separately to allow for this. Not every track is reactive - combat music isn't - but many are. Even Twin Elms redux is reactive; we re-recorded it just so we can make it reactive!

Ah, then you have a nice surprise waiting for you Also forgot to mention that if the crew size is small enough, you'll only hear one singer.

Apologies for the double post. Hello! There are a couple conditions you must meet prior to hearing sea shanties: - You have to have visited Neketaka - Morale needs to be higher than 30% - Total crew size nee needs to exceed 20% of the total crew capacity of your ship - You need to be sailing (i.e. not in combat or walking) - They have a 40% chance of playing vs the non shanty music My numbers might be slightly off but it's close. They react to other things too like gender ratio. If your crew is majority on gender it will change the gender of the lead singer. If it's full one gender or another, you'll only hear that one gender. Curious to hear if you've met these conditions? Also, did you play in the beta?

Hi there! There are a couple conditions you must meet prior to hearing sea shanties: - You have to have visited Neketaka - Morale needs to be higher than 30% - Total crew size nee needs to exceed 20% of the total crew capacity of your ship - You need to be sailing (i.e. not in combat or walking) - They have a 40% chance of playing vs the non shanty music My numbers might be slightly off but it's close. They react to other things too like gender ratio. If your crew is majority on gender it will change the gender of the lead singer. If it's full one gender or another, you'll only hear that one gender. Curious to hear if you've met these conditions? Also, did you play in the beta?

I know this is quite the necro post but just wanted to confirm that I got the proper loot. From the rewards I received I only got an audio CD in a cardboard sleeve Is this the expected format for the OST CD? Or am I missing the proper OST CD, as characterized by Justin's post? Thanks Hi hideo kuze, You're indeed correct, we weren't able to realize our initial plan early on. Three years passed until release, I can guarantee when it came time to make the CD's, we just forgot this early discussion.

Hey Etdashou, I'll ask about releasing the soundtrack somehow! Not sure what form it will take, but we'll look into it. The PC release has some more music added too so the soundtrack is a bit longer now.

Hi guys, Sincere apologies for the ID3 and FLAC issues you guys are seeing. That's my fault. I'm working on an update for those of you who are interested. It will address all these issues. I know it's a hassle to re-download... :/

Thanks for your kind words and for your support! We're discussing the future of the WM soundtrack. No promises, but I hope to have some news to share in a couple of months. It takes time to coordinate those things, thanks for being patient! Apologies for the confusion, I must admit it IS a little confusing! The Ultimate Edition comes with all music in the soundtrack bundled with PoE1. That version was a small sample of the entire score for Pillars. The Ultimate Edition comes with: All of the music from Pillars 1, about 69 tracks totaling 2 hours of music All of the music from the White March 1 and 2, which is about 11 tracks totaling 30 minutes of music

I have to say the chant 100% the right call and really adds to the moment. Thank you!

Hey Pop, are you referring to the music heard here?

That. Was. Amazing. Has a nice ring to it!... K, I'll stop now Thank you! Happy to talk music with you guys any time if folks are interesting in that. Are you referring to this blog post - https://eternity.obsidian.net/news/update-76-music-in-pillars-of-eternity- Or another forum thread? No, it was another forum thread, from during the development of PoE, where it was called Project Eternity You've share some links, talked on various inspirations and even showed off your personal content from your soundcloud and we in turn gave links to various youtube music pieces, etc. Can't find the thread now, it's so old Ah right, I remember. Happy to talk about whatever you want to!

Thank you! Happy to talk music with you guys any time if folks are interesting in that. Are you referring to this blog post - https://eternity.obsidian.net/news/update-76-music-in-pillars-of-eternity- Or another forum thread?

LOL! Seriously though, it means a lot to hear you guys say these things. It's impossible to please everyone with what we do, but I listen to all your feedback and try to incorporate it however I can!

Thank you!!!

The Stalwart theme is my favourite music in the game. It's so good that sometimes I stop playing when I'm there and just go do something else while I listen to it. Thank you!!! P.S We sent an email to Paradox. They're going to look into it. EDIT: Grammar....

Of course I would, it'd be amazing to have the OST in my usual playlists as opposed to having to switch to other players. If you need some form of leverage, I can equip you with a brick and 4 aggressive rats to threaten Paradox with. ( I appreciate your offer, though vicious rats won't be necessary in this case. Perhaps a rain check? We've sent an email to Paradox to see if they have any plans. No promises, but it can't hurt to ask.

And there shall be many soundtracks to stream and purchase!

Yes I did! Not sure what Paradox's plans are for streaming the soundtrack are, but that decision is entirely in their hands. I can ask for you tough if you'd like.

@taranwalker Thank you! I shall do my best.

WOW! You have done the impossible! That's impressive stuff PangaeaACDC! Nice work!!!!! Glad I could be of service