Tune advice

[Akumayo]

If epilepsy was triggered by flashes of sound, instead of flashes of light, then I'd need a warning label for this track...

There are currently two versions, one is the song played with a Reed Organ voice, the other plays the treble line with a Clarinet, and the bass line with the Tuba.  I like both versions.  The first thing I need is advice on which one you think is better.

Then comes the tune itself.  Any ways to improve?

Reed Organ:
http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/Insane_(Organ).mid

Clarinet & Tuba:
http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/Insane_(Clarinet_and_Tuba).mid

-Regards, Akumayo

[ManicMatt]

That organ has to go man it's awful! (The organ sound itself I believe, not what you're doing with it)

I liked the second one as it reminded me a little of monkey island 2.

[Akumayo]

It IS a bit droning.  I'm actually starting to like the piano version... 

[Flippy_D]

Steady on with the atonal chords..

[m0ds]

Well, a good try - but both are extremely annoying.



Try and make some kind of note when you hit the keyboard at the end of each little melody, a random stab just sounds annoying, and simply changing the instruments hasn't helped.

I presume you want people to play stuff during this tune, at the moment I can see people switching the game off because of it.

[Gregjazz]

I didn't find it too atonal...

(I think "atonal chords" is not really the proper term)

Polytonal at times, but other than that a lot of diatonic clusters.

Out of the two versions, I'd say the reed organ one is better. The other one would require a tuba quintet or something, so that was a bit strange.

I tried using one of your motifs in a little tune:

http://www.gregjazz.com/upload/insane.mp3

So for example, you could move between something more melodious like this to the stranger, wackier arrangement you have right now. That way you equalize the wackiness.

[Nikolas]

Ok... I had to step in

First of all the chords are not atonal, by any chance.

Second I personally like the music Akumayo's written. I enjoyed listening to both versions

Thirs I actually think that Geoffkhans music although very well made, is missing the point in the original. I understand what you did, Greg, and where you tried to take it, but somehow I think that Akumayo knows what he's doing. (Do you know, are you will embaress me to no end, by saying that you just started hitting random notes in the keyboard???) :-/

Ok...

Ways to improve. On the midi.

* Make it an mp3 with some samples (like Greg did)
* Play with the velocities
* Play with volume
* Play with tempo
* There are a lot of 'green notes' (accidents...). These are on purpose or you somehow missed the keys in the keyboard? IS see that the patterns are repeated the same, and I guess that you did quantitise them, so I have to guess that the accidents are on purpose.

Anyways, a little more info about this tune (on how you intend to use it), could help further.

PS. Greg, I like you version a lot as well, but as something completly different to the original

[Gregjazz]

Yeah, I realize the thing I posted is a completely different mood and style. (I originally meant to arrange it with the orchestra note-for-note, but then realized how much work that'd be, so turned it into a pop song basically )

But I think it illustrates that if Akumayo arranged this musical idea for an orchestra, it could sound really great! In fact, the arrangement could easily be the most difficult part. Once you add in velocity changes (both within phrases and in the overall sense) and tempo changes like Nikolas suggested, I think that'll add a lot.