Super interesting stuff, I really liked the video and explanation. I am a game designer myself, dabbling in music creation, so it is right up my alley. Super cool, keep them coming)
Great question! to tell the truth sometimes breaks aren’t always an option and what really helps is just pushing through the writers block. Keep throwing enough sh*t at the wall, and some of it is going to stick. You’ll end up with something worth keeping basically. Having said that, working on different elements of composing helps. Taking different approaches during the process. For example instead of always starting writing with melody, try with harmony, or rhythm etc. but downtime, exercise and sleep are also essential to being healthy and keeping your creative mind at a good productivity level. If I do have the luxury of time and I’m not feeling writing, sometimes I just take a break and watch some TH-cam videos about making music and it helps me find the inspiration, sometimes I stop all together. I definitely take a break every few hours to clear my mind if I have time to.
Once again I truly enjoyed your video. Love the music and the breakdown! Great insight and knowledge shared here. I would love to see a full breakdown. Nevermind there being 4 videos of 15min each for 1 session😂. Austin Wintory is wonderful! Journey and Traveller is one of my favourites. Maybe we could get in contact one day😊
Hi John-Henri, always happy to get in contact! Thanks so much for your comment, it so nice to hear that you have enjoyed my videos especially since you’ve been following for a while, so thanks a lot for that!! Haha I’ll be sure to do a full breakdown very soon!
Great video!! I'm starting in VGM composition and I found this video really useful. But I don't actually understand the difference between what you called loops and then ambient and swell. Aren't they loopable too? Could you make a video explaining the different uses of each one?
Really glad you found it useful! That's a really good point, and it's probably not the best use of the term loops, since you're right, all sections can be and are looped. It's just our way of saying these sections are the 'main' loops, and the ambient loop is a tertiary section designed to give the music some space to breath. The swell is a pre-climax section, to help transition to the final section which is a more dramatic and developed section. Thanks for your comment!
@@LouieTaylorMusic Thanks for answering!! Okay, now I understand the main loops and the ambient loop. As the swell is transitional, is it necessary loopable? And the dramatic section, should be loopable too? since it is the climax, it would make no sense to play it on a loop, because it would lose its function of generating tension and expectation, right?
@@lurduslurduslurdus No problem! Happy to help :) The swell isn't necessarily loopable, but I make every section loopable for versatility, unless it negatively impacts musicality. You're absolutely right in thinking that, it's really your choice and depends on a given climax, sometimes they're not as dramatic as others and are fine with a loop. Also, you can make them highly adaptable so that the instruments are split up into separate stems so that the loops are always different and never that climatic (this could be based on chance or triggers), you can then have a trigger or chance that it plays as originally intended. There is really no right or wrong here and there are basically infinite possibilities, we just came up with a system that suited this game and it gives us a lot of flexibility with the actual content within that system and also with loopability.
@@LouieTaylorMusic WoW, I knew that video game composition was more or less modular, but the infinite possibilities make the level of complexity higher than I expected. It seems like you have to solve a puzzle hahahaha
@@lurduslurduslurdus Haha, it's only as complicated as you need it / want it to be. But there is certainly a lot of puzzle solving involved, for sure. That's a lot of why I love it, haha!
You mentioned marimba being traditionally “day instrument”. Is it something you learned from experience or there is a book somewhere about this kind of stuff?
Actually, in this instance I think I was referring to my own use of it in this particular game’s score. Might not have specified that in the video. I do feel personally though that it is a very nice warm and happy sounding instrument in the context of my own music at least and therefore quite useful for daytime tracks.
Super interesting stuff, I really liked the video and explanation. I am a game designer myself, dabbling in music creation, so it is right up my alley. Super cool, keep them coming)
Great to hear from you and I am so glad you enjoyed the video!!
how can you keep your perspective of the music fresh ? How often do you make breaks during the composing process?
Great question! to tell the truth sometimes breaks aren’t always an option and what really helps is just pushing through the writers block. Keep throwing enough sh*t at the wall, and some of it is going to stick. You’ll end up with something worth keeping basically. Having said that, working on different elements of composing helps. Taking different approaches during the process. For example instead of always starting writing with melody, try with harmony, or rhythm etc. but downtime, exercise and sleep are also essential to being healthy and keeping your creative mind at a good productivity level.
If I do have the luxury of time and I’m not feeling writing, sometimes I just take a break and watch some TH-cam videos about making music and it helps me find the inspiration, sometimes I stop all together. I definitely take a break every few hours to clear my mind if I have time to.
@@LouieTaylorMusic thanks for your answer!!!
Once again I truly enjoyed your video. Love the music and the breakdown! Great insight and knowledge shared here.
I would love to see a full breakdown. Nevermind there being 4 videos of 15min each for 1 session😂.
Austin Wintory is wonderful! Journey and Traveller is one of my favourites.
Maybe we could get in contact one day😊
Hi John-Henri, always happy to get in contact!
Thanks so much for your comment, it so nice to hear that you have enjoyed my videos especially since you’ve been following for a while, so thanks a lot for that!!
Haha I’ll be sure to do a full breakdown very soon!
Great video!! I'm starting in VGM composition and I found this video really useful. But I don't actually understand the difference between what you called loops and then ambient and swell. Aren't they loopable too? Could you make a video explaining the different uses of each one?
Really glad you found it useful! That's a really good point, and it's probably not the best use of the term loops, since you're right, all sections can be and are looped. It's just our way of saying these sections are the 'main' loops, and the ambient loop is a tertiary section designed to give the music some space to breath. The swell is a pre-climax section, to help transition to the final section which is a more dramatic and developed section. Thanks for your comment!
@@LouieTaylorMusic Thanks for answering!! Okay, now I understand the main loops and the ambient loop. As the swell is transitional, is it necessary loopable? And the dramatic section, should be loopable too? since it is the climax, it would make no sense to play it on a loop, because it would lose its function of generating tension and expectation, right?
@@lurduslurduslurdus No problem! Happy to help :) The swell isn't necessarily loopable, but I make every section loopable for versatility, unless it negatively impacts musicality. You're absolutely right in thinking that, it's really your choice and depends on a given climax, sometimes they're not as dramatic as others and are fine with a loop. Also, you can make them highly adaptable so that the instruments are split up into separate stems so that the loops are always different and never that climatic (this could be based on chance or triggers), you can then have a trigger or chance that it plays as originally intended. There is really no right or wrong here and there are basically infinite possibilities, we just came up with a system that suited this game and it gives us a lot of flexibility with the actual content within that system and also with loopability.
@@LouieTaylorMusic WoW, I knew that video game composition was more or less modular, but the infinite possibilities make the level of complexity higher than I expected. It seems like you have to solve a puzzle hahahaha
@@lurduslurduslurdus Haha, it's only as complicated as you need it / want it to be. But there is certainly a lot of puzzle solving involved, for sure. That's a lot of why I love it, haha!
Getting Trine vibes from this track, very thematic. Appreciate the tips & the other game composer name drops
Thanks again for your lovely comment! Really pleased you like the tracks and video!!
You mentioned marimba being traditionally “day instrument”. Is it something you learned from experience or there is a book somewhere about this kind of stuff?
Actually, in this instance I think I was referring to my own use of it in this particular game’s score. Might not have specified that in the video. I do feel personally though that it is a very nice warm and happy sounding instrument in the context of my own music at least and therefore quite useful for daytime tracks.
@@LouieTaylorMusic Yeah, I agree with you here. Thanks for the reply)