Adventure Game Studio

Creative Production => Critics' Lounge => Topic started by: krishaw on Mon 18/05/2009 17:08:35

Title: Can I get an opinion on this Midi?
Post by: krishaw on Mon 18/05/2009 17:08:35
First off, I know it's not good (yet  ;D), but at the moment it's only the bare bones for the final product. Anyway here it is:

http://midishrine.com/midi/28628.mid

Anyway it's meant to be for a horror game title screen and possibly the intro cutscene. At the moment, however, I just don't feel it. It doesn't seem to inspire any sense of foreboding that I'd hope for in a horror game.

Can I get an opinion on: What you think of it, how I can improve it and what kind of feelings/ images it draws up?

Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: Can I get an opinion on this Midi?
Post by: krishaw on Tue 19/05/2009 13:31:20
Sorry for the bump but I really need some sort of opinion. Please, any help at all is useful.
Title: Re: Can I get an opinion on this Midi?
Post by: Anian on Tue 19/05/2009 14:07:24
Hey, hate to be a troll and post everywhere, but since nobody responded, I can offer my amateurishly trained ear  :P...
Is this all one piece that'll loop or is it a few, cause around ie 0:24 seems to end one melody and another begins, so is it going to be for different things?

A couple of nitpicks:
- 0-0:18 seems like you were going up and down a scale with slight changes, don't know if you want to change that or not, or maybe an instrument or two more, just with slight effects.
- at 0:18 there are two notes in a row, maybe go a half or a full step lower with the second one, see if that sounds better and shorten the length of the second note.
- in the 40s some of those notes are on the border of screeching try lowering the volume of that instrument.
- at 1:03 exactly, you can hear something that sounds like a record skipped, this might be cause the two instrument played like the exactly the same note or something similar, might be just a bug in the recording, check that.
The end, when it all comes toghter, is pretty good, still some of those notes are just too high in pitch, maybe turn the volume of them down or go an octave lower.

Still after around 24sec , there might be the problem with images, to me it doesn't sound like a horror melody, but like some fantasy scene at night (still it is a bit creepy). This not being anything bad, just saying that it sounds like that to me.
If you want to capture some feel, I suggest listening to some music that sounds creppy and like a horror and check which chords and notes are played and then imitate or just copy that.
Title: Re: Can I get an opinion on this Midi?
Post by: on Tue 19/05/2009 16:21:27
Yo yo, it could do with a bass line of some kind and more instruments. Up the tempo a bit and it could become quite spooky. The melody is pretty good and simple enough to play around with other instruments, harmonies, bass lines blah de blah...but yes, as it is now, I don't feel it either.
Title: Re: Can I get an opinion on this Midi?
Post by: krishaw on Tue 19/05/2009 18:15:55
First off, yes it is a title piece that I'm hoping to loop.

0-0:18 seems like you were going up and down a scale with slight changes, don't know if you want to change that or not, or maybe an instrument or two more, just with slight effects.

Yeah. A bit too bland. A counter melody might work there with perhaps a second cello.

- in the 40s some of those notes are on the border of screeching try lowering the volume of that instrument.

Right. I thought it sounded odd at that part and considered bringing the notes up or down but te volume with this program is a little weird. Still if it sounds bad I'll try it.

- at 1:03 exactly, you can hear something that sounds like a record skipped, this might be cause the two instrument played like the exactly the same note or something similar, might be just a bug in the recording, check that.

Just checked the staff for the music, there was a problem in writing the melody and it decided to repeat a bar for me. Thanks technology  ;)

could do with a bass line of some kind and more instruments

As I said, it's the bare bones and I plan to add more but another bass melody couldn't hurt (I had a harp one but it's hard to hear)

Up the tempo a bit and it could become quite spooky

I'll try that. I just thought that slow equals spooky for themes and fast is for a fight scene. I'll try it and repost

it doesn't sound like a horror melody, but like some fantasy scene at night.

Great :( That's all I hear now. Thanks though. It does fit that description unfortunately so I hope all your ideas will help. I'll re-post when I'm done editing.

Thanks for the feedback. Any more would be greatly appreciated.
Title: Re: Can I get an opinion on this Midi?
Post by: Intense Degree on Wed 20/05/2009 19:30:24
I agree with much of what is said above but before you do this you need to get the two parts playing in the same key!

Your bass part is in E minor and your top part is in A minor! Raise the bass by a fourth (or lower the top) and then you'll have something to work with.
Title: Re: Can I get an opinion on this Midi?
Post by: krishaw on Thu 21/05/2009 22:49:40
Quote from: Intense Degree on Wed 20/05/2009 19:30:24
I agree with much of what is said above but before you do this you need to get the two parts playing in the same key!

Your bass part is in E minor and your top part is in A minor! Raise the bass by a fourth (or lower the top) and then you'll have something to work with.

I have no idea how you figured that out but clearly you are very good with music. I also recently found out that I have a virus that decided to delete all my installed programmes and their contents. I have more space but I lost the midi  >:(

I only just got rid of the virus and re-installed the music program so I'll post a new (hopefully better) midi soon. Thanks everyone though. You're inputs very useful fors shaping the music.