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The music of the Zelda series is some of the most memorable and influential in video games. And in some of the games it even has a prominent role, being incorporated into the gameplay and as part of a cohesive narrative. This is the reason why i wanted to see how it is made and the cultural and game design influences that go into it. This is why I was happy to learn that the actual music from the games made during the Nintendo 64 era (and even beyond!) lives inside the games' ROM files and code. After playing around a with some tools, I managed to get the original music files used. Everything is there, from the instruments used to the instructions on how they should be played, and the note sequences. Now we can get almost perfect reproductions of the music as standard music files. Thus, i decided to do a throughout analysis of the music and get as in-depth as possible into how it is made and what went into the compositions and sound design. For the moment, i just finished the analysis of the two games of the Nintendo 64 era; with the resources, it was easy to make music visualization videos where you can see the exact notes played and all the instrument that go into each of the tracks. you can also check out additional media that helps to point out some aspects of the music. Here is a full playlist with each entry and the analysis; my wish is also to get more contributions and comments about each piece in order to get a complete understanding of the music, along with your thoughts on the tracks: Playlist I hope this will be great to gain more appreciation for the music and a valuable resource for musicians and audio enthusiasts. An extensive investigation went into the music and I’m sure you will find lots of interesting info, specially of you are interested in media composition and how, with limited resources, the composers of the era managed to create the music in older system. I also want to continue with the project and perhaps start incorporating different games and consoles in order to create video game music encyclopedia that can become a good reference for music enthusiasts. There are other classic Nintendo games already in there so if you have other soundtracks where you would like a similar treatment please let me know. The original intention was to do the project in an even more interactive way, something where you can click on the particular set of instruments you want to hear at a time, but I have not found anything out there that can do that. If any of you know some way to do it I would be glad to know. Something like this: https://streamable.com/x73wbt In any case, a lot of care was put into the making of these games and it shows in the music. so i hope you find it interesting. Please tell me what you think and you can ask me any questions about the soundtracks or how video game music was made, I am going to try to dig a little more info. There are interesting tidbits like some of the equipment the composers used and even where they specifically got some of the sounds and inspirations” For example, for Goron City: https://youtu.be/9U2vpsgvdx0?t=103

Video game music differs in many ways from film music. While a film composer can follow the scenes from shot to shot, in video games, this is impossible since events occur in real time, generating quasi-randomly. (Except, of course, for pre-rendered frames.) This is why the background music for video games often consists of one or more loopable tracks for each mood, key moment, activity, etc. There are tracks specifically for battles, different locations, or rooms, often even a more dynamic combat music for boss fights, and the list could go on. These tracks reflect the mood and emotional scale of the respective situations. In this kind of music, it's essential for the finished track to be loopable, as it's unpredictable how long a battle will last or how long a player will stay in a certain location. I've just created loopable "combat music" for an action/adventure game, and I'll briefly introduce its steps. Basic Characteristics of the Music When composing music for any media product, it's always important to consider the emotions carried by the specific event, location, and characters, as well as the genre of the work itself. In relation to this, the following must be considered: orchestration (with particular attention to the number of instruments sounding simultaneously) tempo volume articulations (the manner in which instruments are played) melody/chords I've decided to use symphonic orchestral instruments with epic drums for the demonstration. For their sound, I've employed the following Native Instruments – Kontakt libraries (not paid promotion, I use these libraries regardless): Audiobro – Modern Scoring Strings Cinematic Studio Brass Orchestral Tools – Berlin Woodwinds Laboratory Audio – Strikeforce (epic drums) Keep Forest - Ferrum HybridTwo – Project Chaos Since our hypothetical game falls into the action/adventure genre, I thought that the grandeur of symphonic music would suit the display of the game's emotional/mood spectrum. Additionally, I used epic drums considering that this is combat music. The tempo is pretty high, it's 150 bpm. Strings The strings mostly play in staccato, while the violas, cellos, and double basses occasionally play in legato. Staccato, along with the tight rhythm, is suitable for creating tension, which is essential for this type of music. The string section can be heard here. (Unfortunately, I couldn't embed this track with a player, so click on the link, and it'll open in another tab. And of course, you don't have to purchase these tracks, I just didn't find another opportunity for some reason than bandcamp.) https://olivercomposer.bandcamp.com/track/action-adventure-game-strings Brass The trombones play during the introductory theme, while the horns play the main melody during the main theme. The dramatic sound of the brass instruments also enhances the mood. The trumpets play the main melody one octave higher than the trombones and also play chords. https://olivercomposer.bandcamp.com/track/action-adventure-game-brasses Woodwinds The woodwinds are present only as accompanying instruments. In most parts of the music, the first oboe and first clarinet play together with the strings. Additionally, the passage bridging the secondary theme and main theme is played by the flute and piccolo. The clarinet duplicates the secondary theme's trombone melody an octave higher. https://olivercomposer.bandcamp.com/track/action-adventure-game-woodwinds Drums Although this is combat music, it would be a mistake for all drums to play at all times. Therefore, in the secondary theme, only these hi-hat-like drums are heard. This amplifies the contrast between the main theme and secondary theme, highlighting the main theme. https://olivercomposer.bandcamp.com/track/action-adventure-game-drums Loopability As I mentioned earlier, loopability is crucial for most video game music. It's often not easy to solve this problem, but there are a couple of tricks that can make things easier. The first one is to use roughly the same instruments at the beginning and end of the music (in most cases, exactly the same). The other trick, as you can hear in my music, is that the first and last secondary themes complement each other; the first secondary theme (roughly the first six seconds) poses a musical question, and the last six seconds provide an answer. If you have the opportunity, import the file into a game engine (Unity, Unreal, etc.) and see for yourself! 😊 And now, all sections together Finally, the music is complete in its entirety. 😊 https://olivercomposer.bandcamp.com/track/action-adventure-game-full Possibilities for Further Development Video game music can build vertically and horizontally. Vertical building usually involves turning instrument tracks on and off. For instance, having the same music with drums and without drums. The developer decides which one to use in which situation. Horizontal development is excellently exemplified by concluding the music or carrying the variations of the musical theme into another related piece. By using these methods, the game developer can handle the auditory material of various in-game situations more flexibly. I plan to expand on this topic in another article. If you enjoyed the content of the article, please like, share, and feel free to provide feedback in the comments! Follow for similar content! You can download all of the wav files from here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-9UMuzjTp0GprPrpTvMiiunE4rJ0HM40?usp=sharing Have a great day!

I would like feed back based on how my music: A. Stands out from others B. What impression it gives off (emotion, what context does it sound like its in, etc) C. My structure/arrangement static electricity1.mp3

Here's a song I wrote for an indie game project called Cursed Chasm. Client wanted me to start the music sound creepy, then develop into metal music, so I did in that way. Hope you enjoy.

What do you think? Feedback is much appreciated! If you enjoyed it consider subscribing to my youtube channel, there are many songs in similar fashion! ^_^

Dear Community, I am relatively new to orchestration and therefor a beginner. I would like to share my latest soundtrack with you. I am grateful for any kind of feedback. Thanks for taking your time!

This is Marcel Gherman alias Megatone, a musician, jouralist, and science-fiction and fantasy prose writer from Moldova. I am a two times winner of the Writers Union of Moldova Award. I wish to present you my album Realms of The Cosmic Tree, in the style of old school Japanese fantasy RPG games. The album is inspired by my science-fiction modular novel Multiverse and my cycle of fantasy prose Chroinicles of Pandava. Last track on the album is a short fragment from an audiobook based on my fantasy story The Path to Avalonia. Enjoy! https://archive.org/details/arboruniversalis

https://www.reddit.com/r/gamemusic/comments/3b341p/orproject_theme_contest_referralsrsvperiod_open/