Choray tries to make music

[Choray]

Hi! I'm new here, I guess.

I used to frequent communities like these a long time ago, sharing bad music and assorted resources as well as discussing games I was never ever going to make. I was kind of a dumb kid. I ended up drifting away from them after getting bored with RPG Maker itself, but I never really stopped making music, and recently I acquired a lot of new hardware, software and willingness to improve. Between that and feeling a bit nostalgic for old RPG Maker times, I ended up coming here.

I don't have a lot to offer at the moment, not the least because I tend to beat myself up for not being as good as I want to be and pretend my older stuff doesn't exist. I'm hoping to be able to take some requests, both to give me inspiration and to add some purpose to the composing so it's not just doodling for my own sake. So with that, I'd love to take requests or even just ideas! Feed me descriptions, images and other useful input and I'll try to turn it into music. I have very little experience with running workshops, so bear with me. I'm just somebody who enjoys a little game music composing in my somewhat limited free time, and figured this is as good a place as any.

I am constantly improving or at least trying to, so give me a chance!

If you'd like to request something, I don't really need a specific template, but here's a few tips on how to request:

Spoiler

• Getting my imagination running will let me work faster and probably make something closer to what you'd like.
• You can accomplish this by providing me with vivid descriptions of what you want music for, screenshots and relevant images can also be very helpful.
• Specify instruments or particular styles if you'd like, I'll do my best to achieve that, otherwise I'll do whatever I feel is best.
• It's all well and good to explain how you want the music to feel, but what I really need is the context of it. Gonna quote ksjp17 for a moment:

Here is a description of something I would like.

You're now on your own.  You've separated from the party because of mega differences of opinion about what should be done.  You're really regretting this, but there's no going back now.  It's dark, it's lonely, and you're feeling like death warmed up.  What to do?  Where to go?  How to do whatever needs doing?  If only you had some clear ideas things would be simpler, but you don't.  All you know for now is that you have to get through this place to find some shelter somewhere.  And 'this place' is a mixture of woodland and grassland, large night sky, moon often obscured by clouds, so you cannot be sure what (if anything) is in the shadows.  Maybe nothing.  Maybe this will be a walk in the park.  Maybe it won't.  

Haunting (not haunted) melody; I love things like oboe, cor anglais, as one of the instruments.  Length between 1:30 and 2:00, exact time to be determined by you so that it loops seamlessly.

Err, is that enough info?

Thanks.

This is a very good description to work with. Now I know in great detail what is going on, where the music will be used, how the player should be feeling, and what happened beforehand to set the scene. Note that there's hardly any adjectives here, just plain information about the scene/area that needs music. I'm already imagining the hero arriving on the scene, frustrated with his party but starting to regret his decision to run off on his own. He sits down on a tree stump to catch his breath, resting on his palm before grumbling audibly to himself and moving on. He doesn't even really know where he's going, just the general direction, and the dark of night has turned the usually navigable woodland into a labyrinth. Yet he must press on, both out of a sense of stubborn pride and because oh god did that bush just rustle?

And that's how music is born.

 Credits to Choray if you use things, I guess.

Random doodles I made, from newest to oldest:

Spoiler

A Whole World Beneath The Waves
Crystal Jam

At Still Sea (mp3, won't loop)

Reedy Ruins (mp3, won't loop)

Finished requests, from newest to oldest:

Spoiler

To Be Remembered (thejesse081)
Springtime Adventures (Melaniipon)

Then I'll Go On Without You (ksjp17)

Currently working on a thing for: (2/3)

• AwesomeCool
• Bernkastelwitch

 

[Choray]

One more doodle, this time looped and ready to go. I think? It's been many years since last time I had any RPG Maker installed on anything so if anybody tests it that would be great. One of these days I really should just grab the Steam version of VX on a sale or something.

 

[StrawberrySmiles]

Hello!

I only need 3 songs for a little project, but I'll deal with the title screen for now, since it's the first thing anyone sees.

I'm not very good at describing music, so here goes: Something fantastical, fairy-tale-ish, and whimsical would be good. I really wish I had examples.

 

[Miss Nile]

You've got some nice music. ^^ I like "At Still Sea" especially. So peaceful and pure. XD Is it my laptop though or is the volume a bit too low?

 

[Choray]

Hello!

I only need 3 songs for a little project, but I'll deal with the title screen for now, since it's the first thing anyone sees.

I'm not very good at describing music, so here goes: Something fantastical, fairy-tale-ish, and whimsical would be good. I really wish I had examples.

For a title screen theme I should know a little more about your game in general. What's it about, how does it play? If you have a topic about it that'd be good reading I'm sure.

It's not about describing the music so much as describing what I'm making music for. Paint me a vivid mental image so I can get in the right frame of mind and I'll handle the rest.

You've got some nice music. ^^ I like "At Still Sea" especially. So peaceful and pure. XD Is it my laptop though or is the volume a bit too low?

Could be a little low. I've already increased the volume on all of them pretty heavily after exporting. But I think I might just play the keyboard really softly and my sweet new speakers make me think it's all good.

 

[Kes]

Here is a description of something I would like.

You're now on your own.  You've separated from the party because of mega differences of opinion about what should be done.  You're really regretting this, but there's no going back now.  It's dark, it's lonely, and you're feeling like death warmed up.  What to do?  Where to go?  How to do whatever needs doing?  If only you had some clear ideas things would be simpler, but you don't.  All you know for now is that you have to get through this place to find some shelter somewhere.  And 'this place' is a mixture of woodland and grassland, large night sky, moon often obscured by clouds, so you cannot be sure what (if anything) is in the shadows.  Maybe nothing.  Maybe this will be a walk in the park.  Maybe it won't.  

Haunting (not haunted) melody; I love things like oboe, cor anglais, as one of the instruments.  Length between 1:30 and 2:00, exact time to be determined by you so that it loops seamlessly.

Err, is that enough info?

Thanks.

 

[Choray]

Here is a description of something I would like.

You're now on your own.  You've separated from the party because of mega differences of opinion about what should be done.  You're really regretting this, but there's no going back now.  It's dark, it's lonely, and you're feeling like death warmed up.  What to do?  Where to go?  How to do whatever needs doing?  If only you had some clear ideas things would be simpler, but you don't.  All you know for now is that you have to get through this place to find some shelter somewhere.  And 'this place' is a mixture of woodland and grassland, large night sky, moon often obscured by clouds, so you cannot be sure what (if anything) is in the shadows.  Maybe nothing.  Maybe this will be a walk in the park.  Maybe it won't.  

Haunting (not haunted) melody; I love things like oboe, cor anglais, as one of the instruments.  Length between 1:30 and 2:00, exact time to be determined by you so that it loops seamlessly.

Err, is that enough info?

Thanks.

This is lovely, I'll grab some coffee and see what I can do.

 

[StrawberrySmiles]

I don't have a thread, and I won't be making one until at least May 1st.


But, I can tell you what my game is about anyway.


On the first day of spring, a village of forest elf children run into the woods to gather the freshly blooming flowers for a festival. The main character, Sylphia, discovers an injured rabbit. Just as she approaches it, her vision blurs. When she awakens she finds that she is a different part of the forest.


The game plays like Pacman, in the sense that you travel through levels, each kind of maze-like, collecting glowing particles that may lead the way home. Everything you pick up gives points. Also, there are monsters that have specific attack patterns that will harm you if you are close enough. Planned features include collecting power-ups and secret goals for each level for higher ranking/completion rate!


Does that help?

 

[Choray]

ksjp17, a first version of your tune. Any thoughts?

I don't have a thread, and I won't be making one until at least May 1st.

But, I can tell you what my game is about anyway.

On the first day of spring, a village of forest elf children run into the woods to gather the freshly blooming flowers for a festival. The main character, Sylphia, discovers an injured rabbit. Just as she approaches it, her vision blurs. When she awakens she finds that she is a different part of the forest.

The game plays like Pacman, in the sense that you travel through levels, each kind of maze-like, collecting glowing particles that may lead the way home. Everything you pick up gives points. Also, there are monsters that have specific attack patterns that will harm you if you are close enough. Planned features include collecting power-ups and secret goals for each level for higher ranking/completion rate!

Does that help?

This gives me something to work with, thanks. I'll see what I can do.

 

[Kes]

That is really nice.  I like the melody a lot.  I would, though, like to make one suggestion.  When the drum comes in at around the 1 minute mark, it sounds very 'hard' (that's the only word that comes to mind, though it's not quite accurate).  I wonder whether it might not sound better, and be more in keeping with the rest of the instrumentation, if they were played with soft brushes, rather than percussive sticks?  I don't know what the proper terminology is when music is created on a computer, but if these were real instruments, then that's the way I'd be phrasing it.  Maybe it's something to do with reverb?  

 

[Choray]

Yeah, I see what you mean. I updated the file, took me a while to find a configuration I liked. Also took the opportunity to add a few literal bells and whistles.

If it's to your liking I'll go ahead and set it to loop and finalize it.

 

[Kes]

Yes, that is so much better.  Definitely to my liking!  

 

[Choray]

Then that's my first request done in quite a few years. Feels good to be back.

I'll get started on yours next, Melaniipon. Can't promise that I'll get it done quite as fast as the previous one though, that was kind of an outlier.

 

[Kes]

Great, and thank you very much.

How exactly do you want to be credited?  Just Choray, or something else?

 

[Choray]

Credits to Choray are more than adequate. Thanks!

Melaniipon, I've got a first draft of your title theme! Give it a listen.

 

[Bernkastelwitch]

Are you still taking suggestions? Because I want to put my suggestion here, which I'm gonna do anyways just in case.

And this is the second time doing this because Chrome decided to glitch out and not save what I was writing down so... yay for me for writing this down for the second time!

Basically a leitmotif for a main antagonist. Someone who is seen as a fallen hero, used to be respected as a great hero but is now someone who turned into a villain out of despair and believing the world is too evil to continue the way it is. Have it scream of someone who still believes he's a hero but is willing to go as far as "Remake" the world to "Get rid of evil" after too much trauma in his life and him wanting to get rid of all the evil and chaos, even if it means he'll go that route too. Give it the tone that he's a powerful individual and a powerful leader. And if possible, give it some kind of "beat" that'll make it stick out compared to other antagonist leitmotifs.

Is that good enough for a description?

 

[Choray]

I like it, I'll get on it right away. Good timing too, I just finished another doodle for y'all, looped and ready to go.

 

[StrawberrySmiles]

Sorry for a slow reply!


You're first draft is awesome!

 

[Choray]

Haha, nothing to worry about. If there's nothing in particular you want me to change, I've just touched it up a little bit and looped it for you, ready to use.

 

[StrawberrySmiles]

Its fine! Thanks so much!