@H_o_p_s

Audacity requires the Lame encoder to export to MP3s and furthermore I know from other threads that he's already using Audacity.

@Trapper Zoid

The Peasant Village sounds like a rock music rhythm. Maybe it should cut out some of the downbeats and percussion and just ride with the winds.

BTW: Open ModPlug Tracker can natively export to MP3 also. But I don't know if it requires the Lame encoder to do it like Audacity does.

@ArgleBargle

WinAmp plays .ogg files just fine.

Quote:Original post by samuraicrowAudacity requires the Lame encoder to export to MP3s and furthermore I know from other threads that he's already using Audacity.

Wow, that's a pretty good memory for details! I'm actually using Audacity to make the Oggs, but I didn't have the Lame encoder. I thought Ogg was reasonably well accepted these days, so it was a suitable replacement, but I think Windows Media Player might have a problem with them (although I could be wrong; I'm using Linux at the moment so it's a bit too difficult to check right now).

I think my version of ModPlug Tracker can also export to MP3, but they sound horrible.

Quote:The Peasant Village sounds like a rock music rhythm. Maybe it should cut out some of the downbeats and percussion and just ride with the winds.

Does it? I kind of like the downbeats myself. The percussion does need work, however.

Thanks for all the tips, everyone. I might try and clean these up a bit, but since I'm probably not going to be using them in my games (at least not yet [smile]), and I'm pressed for development time as it is, I might just take notes on these for the future and try working on some slightly different pieces. I need to start thinking of some arcadey space shooter themes for my present project.

However, judging from your responses, I need to work on my percussion, and I need some good samples. Where is the best place to look for good samples, or can anyone offer me some tips on how I can make my own samples better?

For those of you who had trouble reading Ogg Vorbis, I've put some MP3 versions up too. Sorry for the delay; it took me a while to find a suitable converter (finally found out that the Lame library used in Winamp also works in Audacity, so I had the right tools all along!)

Not bad for a first attempt. Not bad at all!

I was expecting something a little darker and more atmospheric with a title like "Crystal Caverns", but the happy vibe was kind of cute. I think you carried out the ideas for too long without any kind of substantial change... you basically rehash the same riff throughout the whole piece. Maybe you could add some a middle section that has nothing to do with the rest of the piece... maybe some kind of atmospheric deal to add contrast. Then after you resume the main part of the piece, you could change the key or something.

"My Beloved Peasant Village" has sort of a pastoral feel, pretty cool. But the I have to agree with whoever said it before me... the rhythms feel a bit too "rock-oriented." Programming drums and percussion can be challeging... try to listen to stuff you're trying to imitate and analyze it carefully.

Sounds aren't great, but they don't sound GM quality either, so... ;)

Keep it up, and you'll get better with each new piece of music you write!

Thanks Arglebargle. I'll try some of those ideas out in some new pieces. I've always found it difficult to think of good ways to pace out the main tune, and to combine different sections together, so I'll try some atmospheric bits or key changes, or maybe mixing the intensity of the arrangements from section to section.

Don't worry man, the more you write, the better sense of pace and flow you develop. What seems natural to me now wouldn't have occured to me a year or two ago. It's all about developing your composition vocabulary.