Shadowrun Shadowrun Returns Pre-Release Thread

[NeVeRLiFt]

Very interested in this!
Pledge $60

 

[VirtualSamadhi]

SUPER-excited! Not enough cyberpunk games to go around these days.

Shadowrun should cure that.

Pray for a good game!

 

[eric__s]

Okay, I've been working on this song for the past 2 days. I want to send it to Harebrained Ideas along with my resume or whatever to see if I can get a job making music for this game. I'm really, really nervous right now because I've never sent anything to anyone this big before and I guess I'd just like advice or feedback from you guys. I feel like I've got a good idea of the whole Shadowrun aesthetic with this, but I don't know! I'm just very nervous!!!

What do you think of this? Is there anything you'd change? Is there anything that doesn't fit or isn't very good? Anything that can be done better? What do you think of the sleigh bells? I've always thought sleigh bells sounded sort of dangerous and mysterious and they add a lot of texture to the song, but maybe they sound Christmas-y or something? AAAAAAAAA

I'm nervous!!!

So yeah, tell me what you think, if this is ready to send to them or still needs work.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2957395/shadowrun.ogg

 

[sgc_meltdown]

nervous!!!

cboyardee don't hate me but I'm getting a 'if steven segal was in an 80s euro science fiction movie' soundtrack vibe

needs more bass and warmth I think

see: frozen synapse and syndicate wars ost

Surf Solar would have a more professional opinion

 

[Havoc]

Not mind-breaking, but it's okay and I think it fits Shadowrun.

An elf playing his flute in an urban jungle.

 

[opium fiend]

Not totally unrelated, but is there a difference between snes shadowrun and that other version? Which one to try?

 

[Aldebaran]

Yeah, the sleigh bells aren't doing anything for me. Personally, I would remove the sleigh bells and replace them with something a bit more fitting--with a toned down frequency. I would say something like metal pipes because I am a hack who wants more music to sound like Metroid Prime.

Also, I am not a fan of the entire synthesized wind instrument track (my knowledge of the subject should be obvious from my label for the instrument). It sounds very out of place to me.

I would suggest mostly that you remain calm and do your best as you clearly know more about making music than I do. The only real advice I can give you is to pick a specific theme or feeling, and make sure each instrument adds to that. Remember that the point of music in a game or movie is to help build a world or scene. Just listening to that, I can't put a scene or place to it. Perhaps I am being blinded by your mention of Christmas. But I am sure that you already know any pointer I can offer. Overall, it was much better than I thought it would be before I clicked it. Good luck.

 

[Menckenstein]

it's much better than Tyrone's song.

 

[Alex]

Not totally unrelated, but is there a difference between snes shadowrun and that other version? Which one to try?

There are three console games (genesis, sega cd and snes). Each is a completely different game. I know the snes and genesis games are pretty good. The sega cd game I have never played, and I don't know if a translation exists.

 

[eric__s]

cboyardee don't hate me but I'm getting a 'if steven segal was in an 80s euro science fiction movie' soundtrack vibe

aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

ahaha well that idea just got shot down.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2957395/shadowrun2.ogg

I worked on it some more and took a lot of your advice. I toned down the sleigh bells and made them more reverb-heavy so they sound blurrier and less distinguishable. I could try replacing it entirely. I also made it warmer and gave it more bass. I was listening to it on a set of $300 Bose headphones that had super equalizing and made everything sound a lot better than it really was. I re-equalized everything and I think it sounds better now.

The lead flute synth instrument kind of comes from the Shadowrun SNES game. It's got a really cool sound.



I don't expect to actually get this job, but I'd at least like to be able to say I tried!

 

[Havoc]

The same link? Did you overwrite it? Because of that I can't remember how it sounded previously! Argh! Can't decide!

 

[eric__s]

Oh, oops. They're different links.

The original: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2957395/shadowrun.ogg
The new version: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2957395/shadowrun2.ogg

 

[Havoc]

The first one is better in my opinion, but I'm no sound spec.

 

[CappenVarra]

The second one sounds fine to me - but keep in mind that "steven segal in an 80s euro science fiction movie" fits Shadowrun perfectly for me Do it!

 

[ManjuShri]

Not totally unrelated, but is there a difference between snes shadowrun and that other version? Which one to try?

The Genesis/Mega Drive version is considered superior to the Snes', but the latter is different enough to warrant a play after you've completed the Genesis version. Can't comment on the Sega CD release.

 

[sgc_meltdown]

I worked on it some more and took a lot of your advice.

better

try tighter drums, or replace them with bass throbs, see if either is better
and move lead flute back a bunch, right now it's kinda watery so it doesn't sit well in front
unless you want to replace it with richer samples

oh man I'm excited, I'm doing music journalism

 

[Aldebaran]

Yeah, maybe I should be clear. It is not the instrument itself that I dislike, but that particular arrangement. I can't put my finger on what I find wrong about it, but I can say that I much prefer the music when it has left the building. It almost sounds incongruous to me.

But again, take everything I say with a grain of salt. My only experience in the field is in listening to game and movie soundtracks, which I am sure is not an uncommon set of credentials. That, and I could mostly play Hot Cross Buns on a recorder. One of the few regrets in my short life of general genius and derring-do (daring-do?) was that I never cared for music until it was too inconvenient to learn how to make it.

Listen to sgc_meltdown well before me, unless he tells you to click a link. In which case you should log off your PC and exit the building immediately.

 

[Surf Solar]

I really like the second one, cboyardee!

As my bro sgt. meltdown already said, the drums really need to be a bit tighter, bass throbs could be nice aswell, maybe atleast for a few parts in the track. I would remove the sleighbells aswell, add some overcompressed reverby snare drum with a small hunk of delay to the starting instead of these. All in all, the style of the song really fits to what I remember from playing the old SNES Shadowrun, so that's a positive thing aswell. I really like the pads you have in the background, they could be a wee bit more in front and could use a bit of a warmer sound though. The flutes melody is good too, but I would replace it with a different instrument/sample.

Also, you really shouldn't be too nervous in sending the track(s) in, zonly thing you can lose is the time you spent on creating them - and you already gave some cool track to the bros here - so no harm done.

Fuck it, now my fingers are itching to create a track in similar sound.

 

[Jaesun]

That's actually pretty cool cboyardee. It's a little too.... "happy" for my own personal taste. I'd prefer it a bit darker (kind of like the youtube vid you posted).

I'm sure you could do some much dark version of it Mr. Surf. <3 <3 <3

 

[sgc_meltdown]

Listen to sgc_meltdown well before me, unless he tells you to click a link. In which case you should log off your PC and exit the building immediately.

so little trust
http://bratprincecavalier.deviantart.com/art/shadowrunner-272271481

anyway, further inspiration (I recommend the album by the way)
start at 2:15 if you have little patience for ambient music

 

[IronicNeurotic]

Even really good games like Fallout + Arcanum had mediocre turn based combat at best. So if these guys could deliver something like that, together with the other important things like freedom and a classic PC UI, in their (obviously) genuinely interesting setting, I am already excited and would support them.

To be fair. Both of these games had major development troubles regarding their combat systems.

 

[ManjuShri]

cboyardee, found that post on analogue.

some people bought the analogue equipment when it was unfashionable and very cheap though.
some of us are over 30 you know!
anyone remember when 303`s were £50? and coke was 16p a tin? crisps 5p

also you have overlooked A LOT of other points because its not all about the overall frequency response of the recording system its how the sound gets there in the first place.
here are some things which you can`t get from a plugin,they are often emulated but due to their hugely complex nature are always pretty crass aproximations..

the sound of analogue equpiment including EQ, changes very noticably over even a few hours due to temperature changes within a circuit.
Anyone who has tried to make tracs on a few analogue synths and make them stay in tune can tell you this,you leave a trac running for a few hours come back and think Im sure I didnt fucking write that,I must be going mental!

this affects all the components in a synth/EQ in an almost infinte amount of tiny ways.
and the amount differs from circuit to circuit depending on the design.

the interaction of different channels and their respective signals with an analogue mixer are very complex,EQ,dynamics....
any fx, analogue or digital that are plugged into it all have their own special complex characteristics and all interact with each other differently and change depending on their routing.
Nobody that ive heard of has even begun to start emulating analogue mixer circuitry in software,just the aesthetics,it will come but im sure it will be a crap half hearted effort like most pretend synth plugins are.
they should be called PST synths, P for pretend not virtual.

Every piece of outboard gear has its own sound ,reverbs,modulation effects etc
real room reverb, this in itself companies have spent decades trying to emulate and not even got close in my opinion, even the best attempts like Quantec and EMT only scratch the surface.

analogue EQ is currently impossible in theory to be emulated digitally,quite intense maths shit involed in this if youre really that interested,you could look it up...good luck.

your soundcard will always make things sound like its come from THAT soundcard..they ALL impose their different sound characteristics onto whatever comes out of them they are far from being totally neutral devices.

all the components of a circuit like resistors and capacitors subtley differ from each other depending on their quality but even the most high quality milatary spec ones are never EXACTLY the same.

no two analogue synths can ever be built exactly the same,there are tiny human/automated errors in building the circuits,tweaking the trimpots for example which is usually done manually in a lot of analogue shit.
just compare the sound of 2 808 drum machines next to each other and you will see what I mean,you always thought an 808 was an 808 right?
same goes for 303`s they all sound subltey different,different voltage scaling of the oscillator is usually quite noticable.

VST plugins are restricted by a finite number of calculations per second these factors are WAY beyond their CURRENT capability.

Then there is the question of the physicallity of the instrument this affects the way a human will emotionally interact with it and therfore affect what they will actually do with it! often overlooked from the maths heads,this is probably the biggest factor I think.
for example the smell of analogue stuff as well as the look of it puts you in a certain mental state which is very different from looking at a computer screen.

then there is analogue tape...ah this really could go on forever....

im quite drunk cant be bothered to type anymore...
so yeah,whatever, you obviously dont have to have analogue equipment to make `good` music in case thats the impression im giving,EVERYTHING has its uses .And not all anlaogue equipment is expensive you can still get bargains like old high end military audio devices,tape machines fx etc just go for the unfashionable stuff.

Richard.

 

[Azalin]

They put up a new update,they will add a Linux version if they reach the 1 million after all

 

[kaizoku]

cboyardee don't hate me but

I'd prefer for a more cyberpunk feel to it. Needs more guitars, techno/electro and less happiness (no flutes please!).
Could you do it 16 bits instead of 8 bits?
I love chiptunes but I doubt the studios are going for it this time.

Get Shadowrunner SNES music, mix with some electro-industrial (Angelspit, Rammstein) and/or techno music (ghost in the shell OST), and add that Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines - Isolated flavor. And you're good to go. At least that is something that I'd like to hear.

Keep in mind that I'm a fish out of the water here.
I haven't played Shadowrunner yet (just following this kickstarter because I'm fond of the cyberpunk setting and I have some small hopes for the game).
And I know squat about music, so don't fret over anything I said.
I did listen to the music on youtube .

Just try doing a couple of things considerably different from each other for the sake of having fun and trying out to see what works best.

 

[Zed]

Seattle. Shouldn't the s/t be grunge?