if someone has an email or something, I could send you something that I'm looking for...

if not I'll set up a link to the site with downloadables for what I'm looking at


Post emails here or wait 5 minutes while I add the directory

Massive-war

(How do you post links?)

-stalker-game.com
-english version
-downloads
-fan media
-fan music
-"17" (that's the song name, and it's about halfway down the page)

it's 2.5 Mbs, and just save target as to get the whole song



See how it's eery? Granted, this is fan music (and it could be better), but I like that whole eery/weird effect that it has.

Just listen to it and think deeply. This could be a title theme or something with things going on in the background (like when you put a DVD into your player and there's the starting screen, asking you for input. That input is either play, special features, options... etc. There's like a menu with stuff moving and going on in the background)

That's how I'd have my title screen. There's be things moving in the background or whatever with some sort of music like this playing.

It's not really scary, but it makes you wonder what the hell is going on.

Something to that effect.... just real weird/different/disturbing music for the scenes I'm going to be presenting.

Massive-war

I'm at the point in music creation (the very beginning) as I was a year ago in programming. I understand games are made from computer language, I know certain computers need requirements for games, and I know that games are really hard to make.

But I needed to ask the question.... HOW do you make a game? Not what you go about doing to develop the game, but just how do you make it?

That's like music now. I have no previous experience, and rather than just having a compiler and a c++ book in front of me with loads of time, I'd like to know where to start in that book and how I can apply it to projects that involve graphics.

Does that make sense?

Massive-war

use the HTML link tag.

[edit] Ah nevermind. Can't get it to link [edit]

[edit]
Right, one more try.
http://xfiles.gsc-game.com/st/fan_music/17.MP3

Thoughts?

Sounds to me like "17" was created with Fruity Loops, just from the overall sound of it. I think the best thing for you to start with would be to get a demo version of Fruity Loops and just play with it--in order to find what software you work with best, you'll need to shop around anyway to see what you like. Download the demo version of Fruity Loops, the demo of Reason, and the demo of Sonar. Play around with these and see if you like them--if you don't, there are plenty more choices, these are just the ones that come with the best recommendations.

What about learning these programs? I'm not much for reading a manual, but experimenting with the interface. Are there any tutorials (those I can do) on any of these programs that you know off the top of your head (like that people did), or should I go search the site in hopes of getting something I need?

Thank You,

Massive-war

I just started fiddling around with FL about a month ago. Yes, you can learn most of what you need just by using it (of course, for me that applies to most software, so it may be different for you). Having some math skills and a knowledge of sound-theory can certainly make things easier as you will know what to expect before you start sliding thoes bars and turning those knobs.

FL also comes with many demostration songs. Some are just to show you what can be done. Others are designed as tutorials for certain effects. All of them are usful for learning if you watch closely and take them apart and examine the pieces.

I can't say much for the others, but I figure it is pretty much the same story.

Massive-war,

Another thing I'd recommend is reading some professional music criticism, if for nothing else than expanding your musical vocabulary and being able to describe something to the letter. I listened to your piece, 17, that you had used the word "eerie" to describe. If I was a game developer and I had asked for eerie music from a composer I was thinking of bidding the contract to, based upon hearing that sample I would have turned it down. It's fine for what it is, but "eerie" is not a word I would pick to describe it.
To take a cue from our cousin the film world, my definition of eerie music is what is heard in The Shining (Bartok is always enough to scare my socks off), and The Exorcist (the orchestral music from Penderecki, not that god-awful minimalist piano riff that everyone rips off). From video game music, when you mentioned the game you're writing for is called "Stalker", immediately I thought of the dark-as-all-hell scores for the "Hitman" series.
To answer the question, "well Brian, what word WOULD you pick to describe it?", the first thing that comes to mind is "funky". It has an almost hip-hop beat to it that pushes the piece forward, and although there are unusual samples floating around to spice it up, the rhythm itself makes the piece very predictable. Sometimes predictable music is good, if the cue calls for something unobtrusive. What makes scary music scary is that it's *not* predictable. Tonal instability and screwy rhythms are usually enough to disorient the average listener. A title like "Stalker" to me speaks volumes of what the game should convey: a sense of ever-present dread and outright terror. The drum groove you've laid down makes creating that mood impossible because the listener will be focusing on the beat, because it's comfortable. Ultimately it sounds like an action cue that you might hear in Unreal Tournament, but never in a horror game.

Brian

Do you have any samples of horror game music by any chance?

Massive-war