Music for an old school adventure game

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2 comments, last by Mulahey 7 years, 9 months ago

Hi there,

I am assigned to write the music for a German independent point-and-click adventure in the style of Monkey Island, Sam and Max etc. It's about a cat named Miguel in the role of a detective finding the murder of his master. Most likely it will be freeware and hopefully there will be an English translation. I would like to know what you think about these pieces (especially concerning the mix). I tried my best to jazz them up a bit and spent a lot of time on this project.

Thanks a lot and best regards :)

Dustin

https://www.soundclick.com/artist/default.cfm?bandID=674265

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Hey!

I listened to On the Prowl and I'll give some quick feedback below:

What I liked:

I love the interplay with the organ, bass and synth melody. A good, fun and retro vibe. Nicely done! The return to the original feel at 1:44 is very satisfying. Good job on the pacing there. I do feel the previous section gets a bit too clutter (see my point below) but opening back up feels wonderful right here!

What needs work:

Change your cymbal crashes because I'm hearing them often enough and it gets annoying. There's no variation in the cymbal crash and it doesn't fit in the space.

At around 1:35 or so, I'd consider simplifying the bass part. You're adding in that clave-like (or wood block) element as well as having more rhythms in the synth, background chords of the organ and then your bass gets more active. It's getting too cluttered. I don't feel like the mix has a sense of glue or balance yet.

Some of your drum elements are way too loud while others are ducked back in the mix. Bass could use a bit more punch on the front end so it speaks out clearly. Could be done by either doubling it with a synth bass for clearer attack or using a transient designer to get more attack.

Nathan Madsen
Nate (AT) MadsenStudios (DOT) Com
Composer-Sound Designer
Madsen Studios
Austin, TX

On the prow - I don't like the bass line, to high notes for me, try to play lower notes. Try to use a trumpet instead of electric piano and master this properly, piano too loud.

Map screen - It seems to be okey, nice rhytm

Downtown - 0:40 i don't like this piano solo, delete, rhytm is good i feel this chase

Generally it's okey for indie game ost, but i think you can do this better, try to use other instruments to be more soft, work on better solos...GOOD LUCK!

Thanks for your detailed feedback, both of you. :) I will continue to work on these tracks. In my opinion, the mixing process is quite more demanding than the actual composition itself. ;)

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