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Project Eternity Composer: In-house or External


Music for Project Eternity   

638 members have voted

  1. 1. Who should compose the music for Project Eternity?

    • Justin Bell (In-house kickstarter video composer)
    • Mark Morgan
    • Jeremy Soule
    • Other external Composer
    • Whomever Obsidian chooses is fine


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Good conversation.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion.  Some people love the music, others don't, it's to be expected.  Similar discussions were had over the kickstarter campaign music as well.  

 

That all said, I'll take everything you all have said into consideration, whether good or critical.  

I thought it was too short to judge, but I do hope to see a lot of ambient music that isn't overly bombastic, and perhaps some very melodic pieces for inns and the like would be really nice.

Remember: Argue the point, not the person. Remain polite and constructive. Friendly forums have friendly debate. There's no shame in being wrong. If you don't have something to add, don't post for the sake of it. And don't be afraid to post thoughts you are uncertain about, that's what discussion is for.
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Pet threads, everyone has them. I love imagining Gods, Monsters, Factions and Weapons.

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The choral section in the new trailer is interesting, with some surprising melodic choices and unusual harmonies. It very successfully evokes the feeling of a mysterious, alien, exotic, fantasy-world musical culture - which, I suspect, is kind of the point. And all of that makes it a little more challenging, a little more tricky to fasten on to, perhaps at first a little more distracting. But it soon resolves to the orchestral fireworks.

See I didn't think it did it's job if it was trying to do that.

 

This does, however

 

 

 

 

Must be down to two youtube imbeds per post?

Edited by Sensuki
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This does, however

 

 

[Links]

 

Must be down to two youtube imbeds per post?

 

Those startled the bejesus out of me! The volume on YouTube videos is a bit too loud for me when I'm using my headphones, so my heart jumped into my throat.  :lol:

 

Anyway, I listened to the Kickstarter song again and the teaser trailer music several more times. Somehow it seems to me that the mixes for both are a bit flat (compressed?). At least to my ear, the drum sound in the beginning (it comes later too, but I don't mean the timpani or whatever it is) used in the teaser music sounds like an empty suitcase being kicked. Also, I had some trouble hearing the violins in the epic part as well (the interesting high range details). Maybe it's possible to tweak the mix to bring more contrast and find better levels for lows and highs in order to bring out the different parts a little more?

 

I hope I'm not contradicting my previous post with this suggestion. :)

Edited by Boox
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Good conversation.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion.  Some people love the music, others don't, it's to be expected.  Similar discussions were had over the kickstarter campaign music as well.  

 

That all said, I'll take everything you all have said into consideration, whether good or critical.  

 

 

 Put me down as someone who loved the music. I hope to hear more of it in the finished game. The epicness (err, epicality?) is not something to be shy about. Go nuts with that. Take it to 11. 

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Good conversation.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion.  Some people love the music, others don't, it's to be expected.  Similar discussions were had over the kickstarter campaign music as well.  

 

That all said, I'll take everything you all have said into consideration, whether good or critical.  

 

 

 Put me down as someone who loved the music. I hope to hear more of it in the finished game. The epicness (err, epicality?) is not something to be shy about. Go nuts with that. Take it to 11. 

 

just not for all songs. Bombastic music isn't always the right tone for the setting. Not that I'm telling you anything you don;t know.

Remember: Argue the point, not the person. Remain polite and constructive. Friendly forums have friendly debate. There's no shame in being wrong. If you don't have something to add, don't post for the sake of it. And don't be afraid to post thoughts you are uncertain about, that's what discussion is for.
---
Pet threads, everyone has them. I love imagining Gods, Monsters, Factions and Weapons.

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Good conversation. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Some people love the music, others don't, it's to be expected. Similar discussions were had over the kickstarter campaign music as well.

 

That all said, I'll take everything you all have said into consideration, whether good or critical.

Put me down as someone who loved the music. I hope to hear more of it in the finished game. The epicness (err, epicality?) is not something to be shy about. Go nuts with that. Take it to 11.
Oh, epicness is good, very good. Especially for a trailer.

 

Some of the songs in Mass Effect 2 were very epic. I thought the score in that game was fantastic (kudos to Jack Wall for a great soundtrack).

IMO the PoE trailer is much better if you watch it with music from Mass Effect 2 running in the background. I know it sounds funny, but it is true. Just ignore the fact that in some parts of the song synthesizers are used. :)

 

http://youtu.be/ne2QAp-F4qU

 

Here are some more:

http://youtu.be/qwrNf_e5NZA

http://youtu.be/5mijfwXhMkU

Pillars of Eternity Josh Sawyer's Quest: The Quest for Quests - an isometric fantasy stealth RPG with optional combat and no pesky XP rewards for combat, skill usage or exploration.


PoE is supposed to be a spiritual successor to Baldur's GateJosh Sawyer doesn't like the Baldur's Gate series (more) - PoE is supposed to reward us for our achievements


~~~~~~~~~~~


"Josh Sawyer created an RPG where always avoiding combat and never picking locks makes you a powerful warrior and a master lockpicker." -Helm, very critcal and super awesome RPG fan


"I like XP for things other than just objectives. When there is no rewards for combat or other activities, I think it lessens the reward for being successful at them." -Feargus Urquhart, OE CEO


"Didn’t like the fact that I don’t get XP for combat [...] the lack of rewards for killing creatures [in PoE] makes me want to avoid combat (the core activity of the game)" -George Ziets, Game Dev.

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just not for all songs. Bombastic music isn't always the right tone for the setting. Not that I'm telling you anything you don;t know.

 

 

 Sure, I don't think you want a choir in the background when you get a room at the inn  :no: (well, maybe if it was a really really nice inn).

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Oh, epicness is good, very good. Especially for a trailer.

 

Some of the songs in Mass Effect 2 were very epic. I thought the score in that game was fantastic (kudos to Jack Wall for a great soundtrack).

IMO the PoE trailer is much better if you watch it with music from Mass Effect 2 running in the background. I know it sounds funny, but it is true. Just ignore the fact that in some parts of the song synthesizers are used. :)

 

 

 Yes, these are nice, but now that you mention it, given what Mass Effect must have cost to make, the synthesizers are a bit surprising. Maybe they were trying for a futuristic sound?

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Oh, epicness is good, very good. Especially for a trailer.

 

Some of the songs in Mass Effect 2 were very epic. I thought the score in that game was fantastic (kudos to Jack Wall for a great soundtrack).

IMO the PoE trailer is much better if you watch it with music from Mass Effect 2 running in the background. I know it sounds funny, but it is true. Just ignore the fact that in some parts of the song synthesizers are used. :)

Yes, these are nice, but now that you mention it, given what Mass Effect must have cost to make, the synthesizers are a bit surprising. Maybe they were trying for a futuristic sound?
Yes, they wanted the music to sound futuristic too. Using synth instruments does not mean the music is cheaper to produce though. :)

Pillars of Eternity Josh Sawyer's Quest: The Quest for Quests - an isometric fantasy stealth RPG with optional combat and no pesky XP rewards for combat, skill usage or exploration.


PoE is supposed to be a spiritual successor to Baldur's GateJosh Sawyer doesn't like the Baldur's Gate series (more) - PoE is supposed to reward us for our achievements


~~~~~~~~~~~


"Josh Sawyer created an RPG where always avoiding combat and never picking locks makes you a powerful warrior and a master lockpicker." -Helm, very critcal and super awesome RPG fan


"I like XP for things other than just objectives. When there is no rewards for combat or other activities, I think it lessens the reward for being successful at them." -Feargus Urquhart, OE CEO


"Didn’t like the fact that I don’t get XP for combat [...] the lack of rewards for killing creatures [in PoE] makes me want to avoid combat (the core activity of the game)" -George Ziets, Game Dev.

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I don't know why such a question poped out... For me, the answer is just obvious.

 

Justin Bell has to do it for so many reasons that i will just list a few here:

 

-He has proven he's great.

-He is invested in the project since the start. Music is the most important piece of art of a RPG (look at the arcanum one). Nobody more than Justin Bell can pour his soul in it better.

-Great names does not always mean great work. Look at previous point.

-Mark Morgan, Jeremy Soule and co were once unknown. They are well known today for the only reason they had opportunity to prove their talent. J.Bell may become a great reference too soon.

-I loved Soule's tracks for IWD but there is more at stack here. As for Mark Morgan's style, i feel that J.Bell caught well the PE's idea. New license, new talent, it's just obvious.

-The legitimity of J.Bell to do it is just obvious.

-PE is kind of family affair. Stop thinking the same way as publishers. It's... well... It's sad (to be polite).

-...

Edited by Abel
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I was rather vocal about my dislike for the music in the trailer....... but whatever. You can't please everyone.

 

It's up to Obsidian. If they think that Justin Bell is the right choice, then that is fine by me. Go for it. If the music in the game turns out being bad, which I hope will not be the case, well, then the fans can make a Baldur's Gate music mod. Heh. :)

Edited by Helm

Pillars of Eternity Josh Sawyer's Quest: The Quest for Quests - an isometric fantasy stealth RPG with optional combat and no pesky XP rewards for combat, skill usage or exploration.


PoE is supposed to be a spiritual successor to Baldur's GateJosh Sawyer doesn't like the Baldur's Gate series (more) - PoE is supposed to reward us for our achievements


~~~~~~~~~~~


"Josh Sawyer created an RPG where always avoiding combat and never picking locks makes you a powerful warrior and a master lockpicker." -Helm, very critcal and super awesome RPG fan


"I like XP for things other than just objectives. When there is no rewards for combat or other activities, I think it lessens the reward for being successful at them." -Feargus Urquhart, OE CEO


"Didn’t like the fact that I don’t get XP for combat [...] the lack of rewards for killing creatures [in PoE] makes me want to avoid combat (the core activity of the game)" -George Ziets, Game Dev.

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if people look at who voted what, you can see that few members of Obs team voted... All for Justin Bell. And it's obvious. PE is his baby and the baby of each dev in here. I can't understand how someone could even think about giving the track work to anybody else...

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The music in both trailers has been great and there's no reason to change if Obsidian wants to give Justin Bell the opportunity.

 

I haven't read this whole thread but I couldn't believe it when I heard people nitpicking exactly where there should be a cymbal hit or a slightly different arrangement of notes in a 5 second excerpt when the trailer was first released.  It's bizarre when people act like there's a specific way to do something that is very much up to the artists discretion.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The music in both trailers has been great and there's no reason to change if Obsidian wants to give Justin Bell the opportunity.

The music in the first trailer fit much better (it was also much shorter, but whatever), in the second trailer it did not seem to be arranged as well. The music also sounded like it was highly compressed in the second trailer (similar to a low bitrate MP3).

 

It's bizarre when people act like there's a specific way to do something that is very much up to the artists discretion.

They were just making suggestions. I'm sure the composer desires to receive feedback if an individual or group of individuals liked the piece or not.

Pillars of Eternity Josh Sawyer's Quest: The Quest for Quests - an isometric fantasy stealth RPG with optional combat and no pesky XP rewards for combat, skill usage or exploration.


PoE is supposed to be a spiritual successor to Baldur's GateJosh Sawyer doesn't like the Baldur's Gate series (more) - PoE is supposed to reward us for our achievements


~~~~~~~~~~~


"Josh Sawyer created an RPG where always avoiding combat and never picking locks makes you a powerful warrior and a master lockpicker." -Helm, very critcal and super awesome RPG fan


"I like XP for things other than just objectives. When there is no rewards for combat or other activities, I think it lessens the reward for being successful at them." -Feargus Urquhart, OE CEO


"Didn’t like the fact that I don’t get XP for combat [...] the lack of rewards for killing creatures [in PoE] makes me want to avoid combat (the core activity of the game)" -George Ziets, Game Dev.

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I really like more simple tracks even in my epic games, I'd love to see something along the lines of Diablo 1-2 (Matt Uelmen), The Last of Us (Gustavo Santaolalla), or Dear Esther (Jessica Curry). You don't really need whole sweeping epics composed to drive home emotion. In truth more than half the time when movies or games use them it reminds me of the cheesy tension music just before something jumps out and I feel like I'm being beat over the head with how I'm supposed to feel more than actually feeling it.

Granted I admit that all of these composers are making music for games that have a bit more of an isolated feeling than PoE is likely to have. Even so I prefer a more subtle background music to sweeping orchestral pieces. However if obsidian decides that big classical numbers are what fits best with the tone they're trying to set who am I to argue?

 

Gustavo Santaolalla - The Last of Us
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssLAf5akbfU
Matt Uelmen - Roger and Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO-jtK_5wJc
Jessica Curry - Standing Stones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfeT0YJeYkQ

Edited by Pshaw

K is for Kid, a guy or gal just like you. Don't be in such a hurry to grow up, since there's nothin' a kid can't do.

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