Awesome...I anxiously await this breakdown! By the way...what virtual instrument isn't supporting OS 10.7.4???

Hey guys,

Took me a bit to get this done but here's the Youtube video:

[media][/media]

Since this track was written a while back (1.5 years ago) and only recently has been made public, I cannot remember exactly how I started composing it. I want to say I started with a percussion bed and then moved up to harmony and melody but quite a bit has happened since then!

Bakuda - it's the Cakewalk Dimension plugin which no longer works with OSX 10.7 and higher. Apple apparently removed an API library which crippled Dimension and Cakewalk states it has no plans to update/fix it. Major bummer.

I tried to show as much of the track as I could while keeping the video somewhat short. Even so, it's 15 mintues long!

Edit: At 8:55 I used the term "phase" but actually it's more of a flange-like effect. As with most commentaries, this was done pretty raw so please excuse any "typos" in my narration!

Thanks,

Nate

Hey guys! Thanks for such positive feedback!

In my experience two things most often impact song length: tech limitations and budget constraints. A third factor can be context. In the case of the Mechlab Theme, I think all three played a part. Most of the time clients want to save the big, more complex cues for more meaningful parts of the game. The menu screens are often viewed as lower priority or filler. Many clients want something to fill that space, fit that mood/visual but don't want to give heavy budget and tech resources to that part of the game. They'll save that for pivotal points in the game or climatic endings/etc.

Of course it's a case by case scenario, but for mobile games often 60-90 second loops work best. Some games may have a longer cue if that was the only music for the entire game. One of the first things I discuss with clients is the overall arch of the game and how they want to spread out the music cues.

[quote name='dakota.potts' timestamp='1350435449' post='4990957']
So, how do you go about composing and getting the parts into the editor? I've realized I don't have the keyboard skills to use a MIDI controller on some of the parts I write, so I score out the MIDI in a separate program (Guitar Pro) and then export it into Reason. Do you play your parts, or is there a way to edit them in the programs that you use?

I play them all in because that method feels the most organic and effective to me. Being a pianist, it's easier for me to simply play the ideas directly into the session instead of using the ol' mouse point-n-click method. If needed, I'll open up the notation or piano roll view to see what I've played while creating new layers but most of the time I just rely on my ears. Then if any editing is needed, mainly related to velocity and modulation settings, I'll do that in the piano roll view.

Thanks!

Nate

A bit late watching this but I've had a bit of a busy week. Thanks so much for taking the time to create this video. I gained a lot of insight by watching how this piece evolved. Great job!