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#1 2018-07-30 01:37:24

SilverstepP
Member
From: North Carolina
Registered: 2009-07-31
Posts: 1,545

Black Forest Music

I remade the track from many years ago to fit Open Surge better for the Black Forest zone.

https://soundcloud.com/negablitz/black- … ge-version

Let me know what you guys think!

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#2 2018-07-31 01:00:01

Alexandre
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From: Brazil
Registered: 2009-01-27
Posts: 3,300
Website

Re: Black Forest Music

Cool one.

A question, though. Are you using sounds from Genesis?

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#3 2018-07-31 01:10:11

SilverstepP
Member
From: North Carolina
Registered: 2009-07-31
Posts: 1,545

Re: Black Forest Music

Alexandre wrote:

Cool one.

A question, though. Are you using sounds from Genesis?

I'm using a synthesizer that takes advantage of the YM2612 chip to a near exact level. It can use the same algorithms as some genesis games but it's completely possible to customize to make your own sounds:
https://gendev.spritesmind.net/forum/vi … f&start=75

It's all fully generated by this plugin. Due to this, there are actually no copyrighted samples in this song at all, believe it or not. Doing it this way actually makes a cleaner sound than samples as well (pitching up and down can make it sound bad).

Last edited by SilverstepP (2018-07-31 01:12:00)

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#4 2018-08-01 06:19:57

G.E.R.
Member
From: Russia, Krasnodar
Registered: 2017-12-26
Posts: 177

Re: Black Forest Music

I liked the track. I tried played Black Forest with this music.
How do you think, maybe it's worth making music more ominous?

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#5 2018-08-01 15:21:07

TheSeventhEmerald
Member
From: Spain
Registered: 2010-04-19
Posts: 302

Re: Black Forest Music

It is very nice! I like it a lot. I am currently working in music for Open Surge too.  Looks like you know a lot more than me on how to work with GENNY. I may ask you some questions about it. My current status of the work is "I have some ideas, but they don't sound as I want them to sound".
For example, how did you get that clean sound on the drums? Seems impossible to me to get that with the synth.

Some technical comments on the song: at 0:31, the F# in the melody clashes a bit with the other instruments -maybe there is some F in the harmony colliding with it. I can notice something similar that also at 0:29. Maybe you should relax that part.


Piece of cake...!

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#6 2018-08-01 16:15:49

SilverstepP
Member
From: North Carolina
Registered: 2009-07-31
Posts: 1,545

Re: Black Forest Music

TheSeventhEmerald wrote:

It is very nice! I like it a lot. I am currently working in music for Open Surge too.  Looks like you know a lot more than me on how to work with GENNY. I may ask you some questions about it. My current status of the work is "I have some ideas, but they don't sound as I want them to sound".
For example, how did you get that clean sound on the drums? Seems impossible to me to get that with the synth.

Some technical comments on the song: at 0:31, the F# in the melody clashes a bit with the other instruments -maybe there is some F in the harmony colliding with it. I can notice something similar that also at 0:29. Maybe you should relax that part.

The drums and strings are actually soundfont based, but those are compatibly licensed as well. I like mixing them in with the retro sounds from Genny to modernize it a bit.

Sorry if my first post was unclear, not the entire song is generated with the plugin. (For those wondering, it involves the SGM soundfonts I believe) I meant that there are no copyrighted samples used.

I'm still playing around with the track actually. As above, I could make it a bit more ominous by increasing the impact of the strings. I'll take a look at that F# bit in particular when I get home today and I'll see about posting an update when I can.

Last edited by SilverstepP (2018-08-01 18:19:05)

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#7 2018-08-02 00:04:27

SilverstepP
Member
From: North Carolina
Registered: 2009-07-31
Posts: 1,545

Re: Black Forest Music

I'm increasing the ambience a bit but leaving the main bits of the track intact. I think the result sounds more ominous but still pretty good. I remember Joe being inspired a lot by the Donkey Kong Country series' music so I made it sound a little more like that. Still nothing incorrectly used as far as copyright in this track as well.

https://soundcloud.com/negablitz/black-forest-v2

I'm still gonna do some work on it for a while, I'm thinking about improving the part from 0:33 to 0:45 a bit more. Let me know what you guys think.

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#8 2018-08-02 20:44:15

Alexandre
Administrator
From: Brazil
Registered: 2009-01-27
Posts: 3,300
Website

Re: Black Forest Music

SilverstepP wrote:

I'm increasing the ambience a bit but leaving the main bits of the track intact.

I like the first one way better. Sounds better and contains no hearable artifacts ('pops'). smile

Pitch is too high, takes too long.

SilverstepP wrote:

The drums and strings are actually soundfont based, but those are compatibly licensed as well. I like mixing them in with the retro sounds from Genny to modernize it a bit.

Sorry if my first post was unclear, not the entire song is generated with the plugin. (For those wondering, it involves the SGM soundfonts I believe) I meant that there are no copyrighted samples used.

Cool, but can you use these soundfonts? Meaning: can the song you create be released under the Creative Commons (as CC-BY, or CC-0)?

If the soundfont is released under the public domain or under the CC-BY as well, no problem. If it is protected, you need a license from the developer. If it's unclear, no way.

I'm extra cautious about this, as one of the core values of Open Surge is software freedom.

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#9 2018-08-06 04:58:43

SilverstepP
Member
From: North Carolina
Registered: 2009-07-31
Posts: 1,545

Re: Black Forest Music

Alexandre wrote:

I like the first one way better. Sounds better and contains no hearable artifacts ('pops').

Another member suggested to make it more ambient, so I did. Musical taste is subjective. If you want to use the first version instead, that is fine.

I tried changing the instrument and lowering the pitch of the lead, and updated it here:
https://soundcloud.com/negablitz/black- … v3/s-oasL0

However, I don't hear any artifacts. Can you give specific examples of when they occur?

Alexandre wrote:

Cool, but can you use these soundfonts? Meaning: can the song you create be released under the Creative Commons (as CC-BY, or CC-0)?

If the soundfont is released under the public domain or under the CC-BY as well, no problem. If it is protected, you need a license from the developer. If it's unclear, no way.

I'm extra cautious about this, as one of the core values of Open Surge is software freedom.

I could also ask the same to you of Sunshine Paradise, the Template, and Waterworks' themes that are already in. I hear samples that are very reminiscent to genesis sounds in all of them. Have you confirmed those? Not really sure why this keeps coming up with my tracks in particular.

Anyways, it's under 'just give credit' according to this: https://www.polyphone-soundfonts.com/en … -sgm-v2-01

My personal notes say 'Give credit to David Shan http://www.geocities.jp/shansoundfont/ somewhere in the game' regarding the resource. This is the only Soundfont used in every version of the song here. I really doubt there will be any serious problem as long as you credit him.

Make of this what you will, if that isn't okay, this song doesn't have to be included in the game and I can simply continue to use it myself.

Last edited by SilverstepP (2018-08-06 05:30:02)

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#10 2018-08-07 00:12:27

SilverstepP
Member
From: North Carolina
Registered: 2009-07-31
Posts: 1,545

Re: Black Forest Music

I actually just recently got in contact with Joe. He said he preferred the V1 version as well.

I think if you do decide to use this song, it should be that one (the link in the first post) since he is the co-creator of the track.

Last edited by SilverstepP (2018-08-07 01:52:26)

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