Zebestian's Music Box

[Cunechan]

Haha I love your description to the song Same here when I try to do anything I mean this "What the heck am i even doing" part. I love the chiptune, it has its own style and is cute but a bit scary in a way. I can also imagine clumsy antagonists or wanna be antagonists making a move ( or trying to) Keep up the good work It' really lovely and nicely done~

 

[Zebestian]

hahah I love this new track @Kaimen , so awsome. It's really well done, I really don't have much more to say about it. Keep bringing them gameboy tracks here, I like it.

Thank you very much, LTN. It's good to hear that my retro tracks find some appeal. Makes me really want to make more of them. Just a little nitpicking though: the chips I used are not those of the Gameboy so technically these are not "Gameboy tracks". But who cares about that, right? XD (... well, apparently I do and I try to be funny about it...)

Haha I love your description to the song Same here when I try to do anything I mean this "What the heck am i even doing" part. I love the chiptune, it has its own style and is cute but a bit scary in a way. I can also imagine clumsy antagonists or wanna be antagonists making a move ( or trying to) Keep up the good work It' really lovely and nicely done~

Thanks to you, too, Cunechan. And it's nice to see that I'm not the only one with that "what am I even doing" issue. XD
As for the style of the tune: I wanted to combine the charm of retro soundtracks with my personal composing style. If I used regular instruments for this it would kinda sound like one of my "regular" songs. But only kinda since composing with those chips is a little different from using regular instruments.
And I proved again that it's good that I'm not a writer 'cause I used the word "regular" way too often there. :D

[doublepost=1451955952,1451513389][/doublepost]And "Kaimen Retro" is entering the next round, ladies and gentlemen. I do have to tell ya, I really love making these neat little chiptunes now. Since my composing style is kinda simplistic the chiptunes complement it very nicely. XD
Anyway, here's the song for you.

Spoiler: Description

I don't know how much you can hear of it but for this song I drew inspiration from "Les Misérables" and "Pokémon". Quite the combo, eh? They have more in common than you know. For example... uh... they both have that accented e... yeah... *coughs*...
In the bass line I referenced a note sequence from "Look Down" (when they sing "don't look 'em in the eye") and the support melody is obviously a reference to the Champion theme from Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal - a little more obvious. :D

[doublepost=1453559333][/doublepost]Time for another update after quite some time. Jeez, that Resource Team stuff sure keeps me from releasing other stuff. XD
Also, hooray for triple post!

Since I don't really have the time to write highly complicated songs at the moment (except for RT but that's another story) I wanted to focus on making more "Kaimen Retro" songs. And I got one right here - and it's a battle theme! :3

Spoiler: Description

This is my first 8-bit battle theme and I must say, I really enjoyed making this. This time I stuck to only four channels, just like it was back in the day - and I don't have a designated drum track. Nevertheless, I think it's a pretty solid battle theme. ^_^

[doublepost=1453731234][/doublepost]Wow... this has to be my first quadruple post ever. Could someone maybe answer to this topic...? No? ... Anyone?
*sobs*
Anyway, just a quick update - nothing huge. Remember that 8 bit battle theme I made the other day? (see above) Well, I just made another version of it. A "digital version" as it were. Now, you'll hear the difference between this one and the original chiptune version as soon as it starts playing.

Spoiler: Description

Yeah... I think I already said everything that was important. No chips but synth. And drums. I think I could've buffed it up a little more but it's just a regular battle theme, so... let's wait until the boss battle theme for that, 'kay? :D

 

[LTN Games]

Tower full of monsters - Very nice, this brings me back to Nintendo Gameboy days haha, you set an awesome mood with these tones, I almost want to make an old school game now.

Byte Buster - Man you're on fire with these tones, 8 bit sound excellent, this could serve as more than a battle theme, I can imagine all kinds of different scenarios with it, especially if you think outside of RPG, racing game perhaps? I think so. Either way it's well done keep them coming.

Byte Buster Digital - Whoa! What an awesome conversion, it's amazing how I could imagine different games with 8 bit version but with the digital version I only see a battle theme. I really like how you converted it, it's really cool to experience both versions.

I'm loving the tracks your creating, you've been busy thats for sure, I'm excited to see what you have in store for the resource pack.

 

[Bizarre Monkey]

This is just personal taste, but I can't stand 8-bit tunes, mostly because it just seems like a shallow way to ride nostalgia and to me most of it sounds awful.

But I love your digital version of Byte Buster. What tends to be used as an excuse for 8-bit remixes is that they have stronger melodies intrinsically, despite having much more limited tech.

In some of the famous cases, less was more.

But they were strong because of a strong melody, not because they were 8-bit. You are proof of that.

Compared to it's digital version, 8bit Byte Buster sounds like something I hear a couple seconds of on youtube and close down out of annoyance.

But that's not because the melodies aren't strong. It's because the sound quality is literally speaking, more out of date-- older, than me.

You're essentially marketing the sound design that's been dead in video games for decades. But it's your choice to do that, and it is convenient if you don't have a lot of time, either way, it's clear you have talent.

So keep at it.

 

[Zebestian]

This is just personal taste, but I can't stand 8-bit tunes, mostly because it just seems like a shallow way to ride nostalgia and to me most of it sounds awful.

But I love your digital version of Byte Buster. What tends to be used as an excuse for 8-bit remixes is that they have stronger melodies intrinsically, despite having much more limited tech.

Like with every music genre or song, it's a matter of taste whether you like something or not. I certainly needed quite some time to warm up to 8-bit tunes and, funnily enough, many of them I don't like either. But I'm not trying to earn clicks by abusing people's nostalgic feelings - at least it's not the reason why I make these. I just want to provide a broad variety of different styles of music so everyone can get what they need. That's also why I made the digital version; not everyone can use an 8-bit battle theme but maybe they liked the melody, so... yeah. :D

You're essentially marketing the sound design that's been dead in video games for decades. But it's your choice to do that, and it is convenient if you don't have a lot of time, either way, it's clear you have talent.

So keep at it.

About the "dead" music: see above. XD
Anyway, you can be sure that I will be using my talent in as many ways as possible to provide as many resources for as many people as possible. And who knows, maybe one of my tracks will make a guest starring in one of your games some time. :)
Thank you for your feedback! It was refreshing to get some real reviews again. ^_^

 

[DarcHiro]

I'm super excited to see your 8bit tracks! *those are my favorite kinds*

I've always loved retro games, and it might spur me to create some pretty interesting MV games with a retro-ee feel~

 

[David Lister]

Kaimon, I've spent the last hour reading this thread and listening to your many tracks on SoundCloud. I'd like to encourage you in your pursuit as a composer. You have an optimism and resilience that can be felt in your posts. As with any artistic pursuit, it's a tough road and keeping those qualities front and center will be key to following your passion and not becoming disillusioned.

For a composer, music is certainly about many different things, but for the average listener (and as Bizarre Monkey briefly mentioned) it's all about simple melody. That's primarily what people hear and it's what they remember. That's why people still hum John William's melodies from Star Wars almost 40 years later. Sure, they're packaged in tons of beautiful orchestration, but they are essentially simple and masterfully crafted - and that's easier said than done. Keep working on that.

Like any talent worth developing, there are no shortcuts. Composers get better by composing - and you're doing that. They also get better by subjecting their work to the critique of colleagues - and you're doing that. They also learn a ton by transcribing music that they like - and you've done that with your earlier "remake" work. Keep doing that. Your learning curve will skyrocket by transcribing the work of masters.

When I began composing (a long time ago in a galaxy far far away), we used stacks of synthesizers. There were no samples, the horns sounded like car horns, the strings sounded cheesy and everything was recorded to tape… ...and yet people still grooved on the tunes if they were well crafted. I can hear those simple melodies in your work and I truly enjoyed listening to many of your pieces. Keep at it. You'll look back on it and be glad you continued the pursuit. Trust me, it's worth it. Oh, and to quote Amysaurus, "...it'll be great to see how you improve from here."

Best of luck to you, my friend.

-- Dave

 

[Zebestian]

@David Lister, I am truly honored and thankful that you took all that time to plow through what is essentially my last few months worth of work. :D
I think that you can see and hear that I'm having fun doing what I'm doing and I will definitely follow this path for years to come, I'm sure. I've only been composing for about three years anyway and would really love to learn more and improve over the time.
When I hear the work of a professional composer I never envy their abilities - instead, I always say to myself: "I wanna be able to do that sometime". And that's what I'm working for, becoming like my idols, writing my personal "Star Wars Main Theme". ^_^

it's all about simple melody

I can hear those simple melodies in your work and I truly enjoyed listening to many of your pieces. Keep at it. You'll look back on it and be glad you continued the pursuit. Trust me, it's worth it. Oh, and to quote Amysaurus, "...it'll be great to see how you improve from here."

I am always trying to make my music sound intuitive and let it get to people by the way of the melody. Sometimes it works, sometimes not as much. I think that's why my "Great Ruler of the Dark" is so popular. However, it's good to hear that focussing on the melodies was, in fact, the right idea. My intuition told me to go on and compose the music in a style of music that I love. And you'd be surprised to hear how picky I am about what I like and what not. If the intro of a song doesn't appeal to me, I'm out. If the melody isn't convincing, I'm out. Given, that has changed somewhat but it's essentially still how I judge music personally (not professionally, that's a whole other story). And I tried to apply that to my work - make a good intro and a good melody. I mean, what composer doesn't like their own work? I sure do and I'm happy you do, too.
So thanks again, my friend, for your kind and encouraging words. I must say, I'm equally curious to see how I will "improve from here". :D

 

[Bizarre Monkey]

Kaimon, I've spent the last hour reading this thread and listening to your many tracks on SoundCloud. I'd like to encourage you in your pursuit as a composer. You have an optimism and resilience that can be felt in your posts. As with any artistic pursuit, it's a tough road and keeping those qualities front and center will be key to following your passion and not becoming disillusioned.

For a composer, music is certainly about many different things, but for the average listener (and as Bizarre Monkey briefly mentioned) it's all about simple melody. That's primarily what people hear and it's what they remember. That's why people still hum John William's melodies from Star Wars almost 40 years later. Sure, they're packaged in tons of beautiful orchestration, but they are essentially simple and masterfully crafted - and that's easier said than done. Keep working on that.

Like any talent worth developing, there are no shortcuts. Composers get better by composing - and you're doing that. They also get better by subjecting their work to the critique of colleagues - and you're doing that. They also learn a ton by transcribing music that they like - and you've done that with your earlier "remake" work. Keep doing that. Your learning curve will skyrocket by transcribing the work of masters.

When I began composing (a long time ago in a galaxy far far away), we used stacks of synthesizers. There were no samples, the horns sounded like car horns, the strings sounded cheesy and everything was recorded to tape… ...and yet people still grooved on the tunes if they were well crafted. I can hear those simple melodies in your work and I truly enjoyed listening to many of your pieces. Keep at it. You'll look back on it and be glad you continued the pursuit. Trust me, it's worth it. Oh, and to quote Amysaurus, "...it'll be great to see how you improve from here."

Best of luck to you, my friend.

-- Dave

This post fills you with Determination.

It's not common people go out of their way to post inspiring things like this, grats Kaimen!

 

[Zebestian]

*whistles the update jingle*
So... I've had this little motive that's been spooking around my head these last few days and I built this song around it in about five of six hours. I think that's a personal record considering how amazing this tune sounds (at least I think it's amazing :P).

Spoiler: Description

The "hymn of the forgotten", the main theme to-be of my game "Oblivia" (working title).
Usually the soundtrack is not the first thing you create when making a game but I decided that this one deserves to be the main theme of my game.
The intro to this one was the little motive that's been stuck in my head and I'm especially proud of the flute motive I came up with in the process of making it. This might be one of my most "complicated" songs so far and it's definitely already one of my personal favourites. :)

 

[Bizarre Monkey]

That's really good Kaimen. I can see this playing to a multitude of different animated title screens.

Actually reminds me the most of something you'd hear in Mount & Blade: Warband.

 

[Zebestian]

*does the update dance*
Well, it's time to share a couple of songs that I had already finished but couldn't post here.

Spoiler: Description

I've never really made anything like this before, which is very odd considering that I've played the saxophone for a few years and this is a jazzy type of song. Anyway, after a multi-hour composing marathon (I'm looking at you drum track) I've finally finished what's supposed to be a modern town/city theme. I took a little inspiration from the Tales of Xillia (2) soundtrack for this - specifically from "A City of Another Civilization" and "The Bridge that Leads the World".

Spoiler: Description

A calm, yet wild theme for a forest-y area or something similar.
I mainly used strings, the flute and the piano in this one. Most of the time making this song wasn't even invested in actual composing but rather into mixing and getting the strings to sound like I wanted them to. It kinda worked out but I just couldn't get them 100% right. I'm sure I'm the only one who's irked by that, so... don't matter too much, I guess. The song still has that catchy melody going and that's what counts. XD

 

[ArchiaArt]

I love these two tracks! They are so positive and encouraging! Like, if you here this music, you will want to just chill out and explore in this environment for a while.

Citizens' Delight is so charmingly swingy and vibrant - definitely a delight! I think the environment would be full of different people, a busy scene that your wander through. For whatever reason, I see it as a day scene! Hustle and bustle, and friendly faces ^^

Tangling Roots is my favourite of the two - it's like opening a book with the slower start, and then a lovely scene is there ^^ Different elements pop up- the music is finding new things that fascinate you! It's definitely a friendly forest... or anything with a gentle natural feel, like a glade?

Sorry that my descriptions are so visual, I don't really speak music xD But I love these!

 

[Zebestian]

Sorry that my descriptions are so visual, I don't really speak music xD But I love these!

Oh no, don't apologize for that. That's exactly what I want to accomplish with my music - provide images and encourage one's imagination upon hearing it. And what you described is exactly what I envisioned for these two songs. I'm really happy that you like these songs and they managed to convey the images I had my head to you. It's like I wrote a letter - with notes and chords. :)

 

[Cunechan]

Awww they're cute~ Tangling Roots remind me of a scene with little fairies planning a birthday party and baking a big cake. The soundtrack is really cool, well, I like both. They're sweet and comforting and they create a huge, special atmosphere. Anyways keep up the good work and thanks for sharing Btw your last name is Schwamm ? Lol

 

[Zebestian]

They're sweet and comforting and they create a huge, special atmosphere. Anyways keep up the good work and thanks for sharing

Aww you! Don't praise me or my music so much - you're making me blush!
However, thank you for your kind words. And you can be sure that I will keep up the good work. Practice is supposed to make me better after all. XD

Btw your last name is Schwamm ? Lol

A) I'm surprised it took so long for someone to notice that my name's on the album covers and on my Soundcloud.
B) Yes, my last name is Schwamm.
C) And I have heard every single joke related to my last name so don't you even try. ;)
[doublepost=1456106490,1456101556][/doublepost]Ugh... if I had known that I'd finish a piece today, I would've waited with the response... So double-posting it is! Don't feel like editing. XD
*does the update dance*
Anyway, I've experimented a little and tried to create a futuristic-sounding dungeon theme. Don't know if that worked but I like what I've done here. Let me know what you guyses think. :D

Spoiler: Description

A little experiment with a combination of synth, piano, choir and ominous-sounding percussion. The arpeggiator bass and the synth pads add a sort of futuristic touch to this dungeon theme while the piano keeps up the suspense. The string bass brings seriousness into the piece while the choir is there to contrast exactly that seriousness and suspense.

 

[Cunechan]

name's on the album covers and on my Soundcloud.
B) Yes, my last name is Schwamm.
C) And I have heard every single joke related to my last name so don't you even try. ;)

Oh don't misunderstand this XD this is typically me.
Me, sees a thing "ah lol I didn't know"
Me, sees the same thing a month later "ah lol I didn't know". My mind is playing tricks on me. Nevermind I'm confusing XD

 

[Zebestian]

Nevermind I'm confusing XD

Oh, believe me, I understand that completely. Sometimes my memory is so good I don't forget something at all, even remembering it years later and sometimes I just forget about something I saw or talked about a week ago.

Anyway... I found something. And this has never happened to me before. So basically, I was going through some old and unfinished projects and rough drafts when I dug up a song I had finished some time ago but never published it for some reason. Can't remember why though...
Be that as it may, I uploaded it now and here it is!

Spoiler: Description

If you have payed a little attention to my work then this title should seem familiar to you. Since this song was buried beneath some old unfinished projects and drafts I have no idea what I originally intended it to be. My best guess is that, judging from the instrumentation, I wanted it to be some sort of forest-y theme. I think that's quite possible. That's why I decided to name it "Home of the Woodfolk" - as a callback to "Home of the Merfolk".

 

[MinisterJay]

Oh my. Is that an oboe, I here in there? I love the different combinations. Awesome woodfolk interpretation.

 

[Zebestian]

Oh my. Is that an oboe, I here in there? I love the different combinations. Awesome woodfolk interpretation.

If I remember right it should be a combination of oboe and clarinet. The oboe is a very underrated woodwind in my opinion and... well, I can't remember why I decided to use it in there. Guess i just wanted to use some woodwinds for a forest-y atmosphere. XD
[doublepost=1458255918,1456440271][/doublepost]Been a while since I last updated this thread. So I guess it's time I posted something here again, huh? Let's do that then. ^-^

Spoiler: Description

Now this one is very special to me. This, ladies and gentlemen, is my first-ever commission (aka the first song that I got money for). The celesta sets a neat music box mood and is supported by some emulated clock-ticking to make an unnerving intro that makes you feel alone and lonely. I'm especially proud of this one since it carries so much symbolism in it - more than any other song I wrote thus far.

[doublepost=1459986172][/doublepost]Well, it's been some time since I last made a chiptune. Gotta say though, I'm getting good with the chip sounds. But listen for yourselves.

Spoiler: Description

Probably my best retro tune so far. However, it is, again, one of the songs I composed without anything particular in mind. I guess it could be a dungeon theme or a villain theme. Maybe even a stage theme for an action/adventure game or a side-scroller.