Also, the music changes in pikmin 2 changes when you switch characters. Olimar's versions are organized and steady, while Louie's versions are jumpy and strange.
I was really hoping there'd be a mention of that. It's another excellent example of a good player cue through dynamic music. I'm betting the only reason he didn't put it in was because it doesn't have anything to do with the main 'lesson' of this video: how to create space in arrangements for other musical components. That or he didn't even pick up on it. :P
You didn't even mention how in Pikmin 2 the entire beat of all songs and their versions changes whenever you switch between Olimar and Louie. That was always one of my favourite little flourishes in the soundtrack.
I thank you for planting the seeds of understand music theory. I recently had a composition contest at my school and thanks to what I’ve learned on this channel, I ended up winning the whole thing! So I wanted to take this time to take a break from the puns to give a genuine thank you. Next time will continue with the regularly scheduled puns.
SID_MEWTWO don't do it bro! They bait u in and it's way too stressful! I thought I had a handle on it all and am very hard working, but I was completely taken by surprise. I also have a crap music teacher tho...
I absolutely LOVE when games have dynamic soundtracks. It makes them _far_ more immersive and colorful, and can help cue the player about all sorts of things, making it a powerful tool that is often overlooked in game design and development. Also, good on you for using the 'Pikmin' games to highlight dynamic soundtracks when it could've also been clearly demonstrated with the 'Legend Of Zelda' games.
Though the usage of string hits in Wind Waker's battle theme is an amazing use of dynamic music, especially since they slot in basically anywhere in the piece, and the hit used reflects which strike in Link's animation cycle is used and how the enemy reacted. And all that is on top of the "enemy is near" vs "enemy is attacking" change that happens underneath. The same thing is true for the midboss theme, though without the two enemy "stances," as a midboss is always on the attack.
I totally agree, this episode is really good for discussing these techniques. I'm also passionate about that and have started my own channel on the subject, using my own compositions as examples.
One of my favorite Dynamic Soundtracks in any game are from Pokemon Black/White and their sequels. There are too many examples to mention, but the one that always sticks out to me is when you first arrive at Victory Road and each instrument in the song is slowly layered on top of each other as you approach the entrance. Something similar happens at the Battle Subway (a gauntlet of 7 battles in a row). Each time you win a battle, the music changes from ambient train noises to a full on jazz performance.
mushroomdude123 I never noticed these! Nice! My favorite is the dynamic composition in fire emblem awakening. It's a little more simple, but there's a more basic theme when you're moving around the battlefield, and then when you engage an enemy, the music comes to life in a new theme that's incredible.
Loved seeing some of the compositional considerations you have to make when writing interactive music. It takes a lot of talent to write something that can work as both calm, background music and confrontation music. I really think the future of game music is dynamic - or even the present, it's hard to make game music that isn't in some way dynamic!
I absolutely agree, and generative music is somtimes a good option too, as I've been exploring recently. Proactive music is an option that's coming more and more also :-)
Dynamic soundtracks are so great, glad you did a video one one! And I suppose an easy copout way to do this kind of thing is just to change the volume of the music. Y'know, dynamic dynamics.
Mister Apple I never thought of that, actually. I was going to try mankind the music change songs and start at a certain time stamp (wherever the other song left off), but I couldn’t find a way to do that in Unity3d.
Yeah, matching the dynamics dynamically is often used in sound-design, and is called adaptive mixing. In music, it's often the principle of what is called "vertical layering" :-)
This was a great video, Pikmin 2 is one of my favourite games and the music from it is criminally underappreciated. I love how the feeling of the pieces also change depending on which captain is controlling the Pikmin. Another dynamic layer that subconsciously contribute to the personality of the game!
The more games I play, the more I realize that what I enjoy in my favorite games has a lot to do with small, hard-to-appreciate design elements. Pikmin and its sequel have been two of my favorite games for a long time, and I think the dynamic nature of its soundtrack is a major reason for that. I used to think I liked these games because of the exploration inherent in the gameplay and the variety of enemies and stuff to find, and I didn't put much more thought into it. But I should have realized that the exploration in Pikmin is so fun in part because of the dynamic music that you're discussing here. Lots of games feature exploration; few use every detail you could think of to make that exploration feel intense and real. There's always been a trade-off in gaming between player freedom and player purpose. It's hard to make a game like Pikmin really engaging, because you spend a lot of it wandering around without being sure what to do. The music gives your mind something to chew on while you're taking the world in. It's a rather elegant solution to the problem of keeping the player's attention when your game has such a laid-back design philosophy. Great video.
Also, it's pretty neat how these dynamic changes improve gameplay itself. Sometimes you might throw some Pikmin to break a wall or kill an enemy and kinda forget about it, but the music gives you a reminder about your dutiful army. Also, when the night comes and the soundtrack's mood start shifting you start getting prepped to wrap the day, even if you don't process it consciously.
This is perfect timing for me as I've been researching ideas used in dynamic soundtracks so that I can incorporate them as a mechanic to be used in music games. Also referred to as "adaptive improvisation." Pikmin is a perfect soundtrack to study for this. It's subtle in its interactive changes. As always, fantastic video!
also check out Payday 2, some basic stuff in Chaos Legion, Devil May Cry and Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex too. not to mention the more hardcore aspect of how CSGO uses a similar system to optimize the ambient effects in game using sound zones and sampled composite audio track with time flags.
Adaptive improvisations are really something for sure :-) If you're looking for ideas about interactive or generative music, I would love it if you could let me know what you think of my work. I checked out your channel and it's really cool by the way!
I'm so glad that this is the year that everyone is appreciating PIkmin for how wonderful it really is!! Thank you so much for this wonderful dive into the soundtrack, I learned a ton!!!!
Absolutely fantastic video! Very in depth, and detailed, and even though I didn't understand the technical terms, it was still clear what you were conveying through the examples! Also, I think another thing worth mentioning is that in Pikmin 2, not only does it have the varying melodies in each song for when Pikmin are performing tasks or being near an enemy, but there are also different versions for both captains, with the beats and melodies varying slightly from each other. And it goes even further, the tempo of the songs are proportional to the amount of health the captains have, the less health, the slower the tempo. It's just amazing to think how much thought went into composing these tracks.
As in "go away" or "explain more"? If you're interested, since this comment I've uploaded one video on Dynamic VGM in Menus. Otherwise you're welcome to ignore my comments...
Pikmin is easily my favorite game series, and this is a fantastic writeup! If you ever feel like doing a followup video, you might want to check out the Caves music from Pikmin 2 in particular. This game has randomly generated subterranean levels, and appears to have procedurally generated level music; there's just an incredible amount of variation, and in some cases no obvious loop point! I've always been kind of curious to explore how it works.
Awesome analysis! I never realized just how dynamic the soundtrack was. I laughed at 11:40 when you said "This is potentially the weirdest chord progression I've ever heard!" because it sounds so nice to me... though I'm biased because I listen to a lot of intentionally dissonant music. Pikmin 2 is one of the best games I've ever played; graphics, music, and gameplay are all top notch.
I love watching these videos and learning about music, even if it little by little. In a future video, do you think you could talk about the hourly themes in Animal Crossing? How they make the morning feel different from the afternoon with the music? I think that would be cool.
PLEASE DO THIS!!! The possibilities are limitless for analysis, as almost every bit of music in the game is a variant on the same theme, and the orchestration is cool, and there's so much cool stuff! Like the way the music changes depending on weather, the way it quiets down when one's fishing rod is in the water, and of course the various tunes one can get from K.K. Slider. I'd love to see a video on this!
"And of course some sleighbells, because there's snow on the ground" The shade of it all 😂 (jk, I know you don't really have a problem with it, but I love the sort of running gag you have of pointing out how commonly used they are in snow level themes lol)
Other Games with butter-smooth Exploration-Combat music transitions are FTL: Faster Than Light, Where each zone or sector has an "Explore" and a "Battle" theme. Since the pieces are so similarly arranged, the game makes incredibly smooth transitions between them upon entering and exiting combat, and Hyper Light Drifter, where each area has a list of tracks, and as the gameplay goes on, the game jumps between parts of the track depending on situation. There's even a boss theme whose intro is part of the theme for the previous section of the level.
If you can get hold of them / have a way to play them, I recommend the wii versions of the first two games, the pointer controls are one of, if not, the best uses of the wii controllers of any game on the system. Gamecube versions are good too but I always struggled to control that game as well as the other version.
They're really great, but also the kind of games that lose their edge once you've completed them a few times. The feeling of a first playthrough is unforgettable though, and one of my favorite things about it.
They're masterpieces, at least the 1st 3 are, Hey Pikmin is... alright, unlike ThunderBulb i find it easier to play Pikmin with a regular controller, try both and see what you think, having to sit there with your hand constantly at all times pointed at the screen really isn't very comfortable to me personally, especially for long periods of time, plus having to move your wrist to aim instead of just your thumb, again though i recommend you try both and play the one you prefer.
Play 1 - 3, they are solid. My favourite is the first game, but the second did everything the first game did and then some, with collectibles and a lengthy campaign.
The second one has always been my favourite, largely for expanding everything Part 1 did a little. Furthermore, it's essentially the longest of the three main games, and there's actually some solid character development(surprising for this sort of game) in the characters' various journal entries. But all three are pretty amazing! Easily one of my favourite series of all time.
Man, this was a fantastic episode. I've been really interested in dynamic soundtracks recently, as the concept is featured heavily in my favorite soundtrack of the moment, A Hat In Time. The spaceship-hub-world theme has (if I'm counting right) nine different variations that swap out seamlessly depending on the context. It would be fascinating to hear firsthand about the unique challenges that come with composing this type of soundtrack. Incidentally, that soundtrack fits in perfectly with the Iconic Opening Interval™ from a few weeks ago. Since watching your videos, I've been noticing all these techniques cropping up everywhere. Anyways, thanks for yet another great video!
A hat in time's music is really cool! Since you're interested in the challenges of composing this type of soundtrack, maybe I could suggest you check out some of my videos that precisely address this :-) (detail analysis of my process of interactive composition, and other stuff revolving around this idea)
I’m composing a show at my college in the fall... these 8-bit theory videos really help me get in the mind of talented composers. Thank you for your content!
8BIT!!! Thank you for finally covering the Pikmin series!! And thank you for being such an amazing content creator. All of your videos make me completely overjoyed and seeing a new video in my feed from you just makes me so happy!! This video helped me get out of my slum today and I can't thank you enough for making your videos in all the ways you do. I hope it makes you happy to be doing such wonderful work. Keep it up!!!
Thank you so much for making this video. I’ve always loved the music and gameplay of the creation, but never understood the hidden details within itself. It seems that even no matter how many times I see it, I never catch it. And this video gave me a very good detailed clue over the music and just what makes music unique to games.
When I was about twelve, I started compiling a version of the Pikmin 2 soundtrack that seamlessly flowed between versions of tracks, as a complete version like that didn't exist at the time, so these soundtracks mean a whole lot to me. I can just get lost in the music of these games
Fascinating video! I once wrote a paper on dynamic music, but my example was Banjo-Kazooie since those Rare platformers were some earlier examples of this. The difference between the way it was presented in Banjo-Kazooie versus Pikmin is that the harmonic structure isn't generally toyed with or shown with layers left out. Usually, it was just a shift in orchestration for different areas of the level, whether that be underwater, with a new group of NPCs that get their own flavor of the level theme, or a structure you enter (as a few examples). I especially enjoyed your breakdown of the Distant Spring music - as soon as the bass line was added in, it made so much more sense, but I never thought about it consciously while playing the game - it just set the tone for that level perfectly. Neat to see how that was done.
I have to say, Your videos get better every time. When I first started watching this channel, I didn't know much about music theory, but you made it seem like something worth studying, not some group of rules that people tell you to use to compose. However, as you can imagine, I did not understand much back then. Today your videos seem more open to newbies, even if you delve into deep stuff. It makes music theory seem approachable to everyone, even people with little time in their hands. Congratulations, keep up the good - and inspiring - work!
Actually, a video like this, with a community like this, would be the perfect place to get out a question I've had- If there were a game wherein every track was carefully composed around a wide array of instruments, but each instrument was tied to a character that might or might not be present (say, if A is with you, there's violins in the music wherever you go, B adds a flute to the music, C adds a drum kit, etc., but there's some sort of cap on group size so you can't get a completely dissonant mess of everyone's instrument playing at once), would that change the way you play the game? If so, how?
I’ve been playing these games for over a decade, and I’ve seriously never noticed these dynamic changes...looks like I’ll have to give them another play through! Thank you so much for the in-depth musics analysis! You’ve quickly become one of my favorite channels, giving video game music the serious analysis it deserves. Keep up the great work, man!
SEE, THIS GUY GETS IT!!! PIKMIN'S MUSIC IS GOD-TIER! There's a video I don't have to make, ever. And this guy actually knows about music, somewhat, so that should, in theory, make it better! Solid video!
Your vids are all awesome! I'm a freelance bassist and not so freelance composer and love your analysis of some great music that rarely gets looked at in this way. Also props for the super creative topics! I'm always excited for a new 8-bit theory vid cuz I know you'll touch on some super interesting topic and illustrate it in a cool way. Keep it up man!
Oh wow, it is! Fitting, I guess, that the water level in Pikmin should include a shout out to the Zelda game with a focus on sailing. (Which was on the same console, and which was released just two years prior...~)
I played Pikmin just recently for the first time and the soundtrack totally blew me away with how much it changes as you're wandering around. Its one of the coolest parts of the game tbh
Thank you so much for your analyses ! No one else does it with such harmonic precision. Always looking foward to new vids, you and Sideways. Keep up the good work!
As much as I might like to join your Discord, music theory still goes over my head even after all this time watching your channel, so I'd probably just walk away with a headache.
Fun Fact, the only place in the entirety of Pikmin 2 where this doesnt apply at all is the Submerged Castle, where the track only changes when "something" happens on the stage itself.
This video kind of just reinforces my opinion that the Pikmin games are not only really enjoyable games, but also Musical Masterpieces. Even if it has sleigh bells.
Always inspired after watching an 8-bit Music Theory (c) video! That Dbmaj7(#11)/Cb though... Ouff. Trying to find another spelling of that chord that makes more sense, but this seems to be the best one. It sounds better than it looks anyway. :p
Wow, some of the chord progressions in this are nuts! And the way that the composer arranges everything is very interesting. Thanks so much for this video! Now I gotta find a way to fit a DbMaj7(#11)/Cb into my own tunes...
1:34 Thank you, good sir. This little bit alone has done a great justice to the Pikmin community. Note: Hey! Pikmin is a decent game on it's own, but as a whole the game doesn't live up to the games before it. It's like the Sticker Star of Pikmin. Same console and everything.
This concept has always fascinated me, I remember when i first played final fantasy 15 I was completely mind blown by the way the music swapped from an authentic simple bluesy theme while in an outpost to a stylish r&b/classic rock n roll tune when entering the restaurant or store in the outpost
Great vid as always, man! I was wondering if you could ever discuss what makes great battle music so good that we're able to listen to it for like HOURS on end and not completely despise it lol
God, I didn't want this video to end. Another cool aspect is that when a Captain takes damage, the music is warped and gargled for a few seconds. And when they are low on health, the tempo slows down.
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Your videos are always great, but man...you nailed it in this one. Very well done!
Great video! I've watched a handful of your content before, but as a non-music major stuff tends to go over my head. Though with this video I felt I was able to follow you on most of what you were breaking down.
I'm new to your channel and just did a marathon of all your videos. Super interesting stuff! This gave me great ideas and insight for my own music compositions. Keep doing what you're doing. Can't wait for more! :D
I Love dynamic OSTs and especially love Pikmin's because not only is it made dynamic, but the OST actually plays them out in a medley format. It's phenomenal.
How beautiful is the music of Pikmin 3. That step from synthesizers to real instruments enrich that dynamic music and go that there is variety. Its function is to create atmosphere, and in that Pikmin takes +A
Fantastic video, an excellent analysis! Although, didn't touch on the dynamic element in Pikmin 2 where all the rhythms are swung when you switch to playing as Louie. But, I did learn way more than I thought I knew from these soundtracks! (Some of my favorite)
This is SO INTERESTING!! I've always wondered how dynamic soundtrack actually works in games whether they hid the tracks audibly or just simply programmed to phase them in. For another video topic, could you possibly discuss what makes the environments in the Metroid series so surreal to the players? Just a few ideas to start from: the creapy theme of Planet Zebes in Super Metroid; the Phendrena Drifts main theme from Metroid Prime; and even the dark world themes (in contrast with their light world counterparts) in Metroid Prime 2. Another video I would love to see is more tonal intricacies in the Mother/Earthbound series. I loved your video about the "Snowman" track! It has made more so much more appreciative and fond of it! Thank you for your hard work!! I'm always looking forward to your next video!!! Good luck!
I'm kind of surprised you didn't mention how the rhythm changes between Olimar and Louie in the second game. With Olimar the rhythm is standard (1-an-2-an-3-an-4-an) while it switches to have almost a bounce to it with Louie (1-an2-an3-an4-an1-...) I don't know the proper musical terms for it unfortunately.
I like the four different dimensions that can be explored in Pikmin 1, not only do you get the basic and the work/fight music, but both variations change at sunset. This whole thing reminds me of a Mellotron, where prerecorded bits of tape are played by a keyboard, only the bits of tape are triggered by the player’s actions instead.
I've kinda just realized video game music composition is strangely the pinnacle of composition.... If you think about it, on paper -- there is no other situation in composition (outside of being purposely unreasonable) which imposes more restrictions on a composer. You can't just produce ANY good piece of music. You have to create a track that fits an already existing scene thematically, which also produces a specific mood, and is of very high quality, and which also purposely skirts the line between complex and accessible perfectly, and which also is never allowed to develop fully or to resolve fully but still sounds great and convincingly mature even as a loop. Then you have to create the rest of the games tracks and they have to sound like they are from the same game. Even film composition falls a little short of this.
Nice going on making a dynamic soundtrack video and NOT mention banjo kazooie! They’re both great but it’s good to see some others, this was also a great episode for because I could follow what you were saying instead of having my brain melt half-way through from musical jargon.
The Pikmin games' soundtrack has always felt really alien to me because of the constant shifts in tone and instrumentation (which is fitting, I suppose!). Great video! I'd really like to see your musical analysis of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, if you're familiar with them. All of the games have several standout tracks, especially Explorers of Sky, so I'm sure there would be a lot of topics you could choose from!
I haven't played Pikmin, but these tricks sounded all too familiar... And alas, Hajime Wakai did stuff in Skyward Sword too. (Remember the super busy sounding up beat 2nds in the Lanayru Mining Facility?) So very nice, great video as always!
This is great. Pokemon Black and White had dynamic music and might make a good video. Especially the soundscape for Black 2 White 2 which I think is the series high point musically. I've never played Pikmin, but I've wanted to since I learned about it from an old roommate in 2010. I hope it gets a rerelease, though I suppose if I can find some good Gamecube disks on eBay and a controller, I can play it on my Wii. It's just a hassle to set up and I don't know if I can find my HDMI converter. I never played Thousand Year Door, either, so it'll probably be worth it... To eBay, I guess.
I’ve always wanted to see a video on this concept! The first thing I think of when I hear “dynamic soundtrack” is always the ablaze themes from Fire Emblem: Awakening
Can you do a video on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles soundtrack please? That game has an amazing soundtrack. Kumi Tanioka is the composer and I just love her work for the game.
I second this wholeheartedly. As 'Sad Monster' and 'Unite, Decent' has some of the most unique music I have ever heard due to its usage of bagpipes, organ, and flute instruments and would like to see it explored. Also a shoutout to 'Tower' from FF Echos of Time
Even though it doesn’t quite fit with the Dynamic music of this episode, I feel like you could’ve mentioned pikmin 2’s contrast from simple meter to compound meter depending on which captain you are using. I always found that to be an interesting aspect o pikmin 2’s soundtrack
5:58 arpegiated guitar. harp. pretty much the same thing. i like to think of it more of a harp. amazing content keep up the great work! Suggestions: POKEMON! I loved virbank city theme. It s melody lulss you into 3/4, but the percussion reminds you it's 4/4. it's quite a mind trip. then there's all the classic themes and its variations which have enormous content. Not sure what exactly you'd like your "10 minute focus" on since that's your art and speciality
As usual, your content is top-notch and really provide an insight on what the music and their composers look to create in their music, as well as how they strive to do so… I also enjoy the fact that your videos have become much more comprehensible for your TH-cam audience compared to your first uploads, despite not losing much musical analysis - it's clear your channel has matured, building itself a solid ground (musically and as a community, ie. your Patrons and Discord and stuff) on which you're able to build your further videos upon! I'd just like to point out that at 5:28, you mention the use of an acoustic guitar in the theme Garden of Hope - don't you think it timbre is more like that of a harp? in particular given the chords played on the 4th eighth of each bar?
Man you do such a great work. I enjoy so much, how you manage to teach us something new with each episode. Have you considered making a video about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles soundtrack? That soundtrack has a load absolutely solid tunes. Besides of the great arrangements I always get amazed by the treatment of counterpoint in that music. It's jawdropping to me. Keep it up and thank's again for your amazing work!
I always loved the pikmin soundtrack, the dynamic music was always really subtle to me though, but I always could kind of tell it was there. I think a lot about darkest dungeon and the way their dynamic music revolves around the torchlight for a more intense theme if it's pitch black
The usage of sleigh bells is legally required in the presence of snow.
Americans: sleigh bells are the perfect way to represent winter!
Xylophones and co.: Maybe the easiest, but not the most creative.
@@marcoslavinfernandez6869xylophones don't really say Christmas to me but maybe celestas and glockenspiels
Fair enough, after all; the sensation of Christmas and winter ends up depending on the ideas the composer had in mind...
Also, the music changes in pikmin 2 changes when you switch characters. Olimar's versions are organized and steady, while Louie's versions are jumpy and strange.
Yep, it's called swing rhythm. Olimar has even eighth notes, Louie's have a longer duration on the first of each set of two eighths.
I was really hoping there'd be a mention of that. It's another excellent example of a good player cue through dynamic music. I'm betting the only reason he didn't put it in was because it doesn't have anything to do with the main 'lesson' of this video: how to create space in arrangements for other musical components. That or he didn't even pick up on it. :P
Is that what causes the rhythm to change? I can’t believe I never noticed. I had always thought the rhythm just changed whenever it felt like it.
@@HanSanwichyou are not allone there... I learnt it today, a decade later. Actuall untill today I didn't even know it was dynamic music xD
You didn't even mention how in Pikmin 2 the entire beat of all songs and their versions changes whenever you switch between Olimar and Louie. That was always one of my favourite little flourishes in the soundtrack.
I thank you for planting the seeds of understand music theory. I recently had a composition contest at my school and thanks to what I’ve learned on this channel, I ended up winning the whole thing! So I wanted to take this time to take a break from the puns to give a genuine thank you. Next time will continue with the regularly scheduled puns.
Amazing, I'm so glad to hear that! Congratulations on your win!
...you said you took a break from the puns, but I seed what you did there...
Congratulations! I'm starting music GCSE next year, this channel always reignites the interest I have
SID_MEWTWO don't do it bro! They bait u in and it's way too stressful! I thought I had a handle on it all and am very hard working, but I was completely taken by surprise. I also have a crap music teacher tho...
Sam Green Lol, I have already made my choice and we can't change them so too late! Hopefully I get a better teacher than yours👌
Cool to hear that, dude. Fellow composer here wanting to congratulate you.
I absolutely LOVE when games have dynamic soundtracks. It makes them _far_ more immersive and colorful, and can help cue the player about all sorts of things, making it a powerful tool that is often overlooked in game design and development.
Also, good on you for using the 'Pikmin' games to highlight dynamic soundtracks when it could've also been clearly demonstrated with the 'Legend Of Zelda' games.
Can't make EVERY video about Zelda, as much as I would like to . . .
Though the usage of string hits in Wind Waker's battle theme is an amazing use of dynamic music, especially since they slot in basically anywhere in the piece, and the hit used reflects which strike in Link's animation cycle is used and how the enemy reacted. And all that is on top of the "enemy is near" vs "enemy is attacking" change that happens underneath. The same thing is true for the midboss theme, though without the two enemy "stances," as a midboss is always on the attack.
I totally agree, this episode is really good for discussing these techniques. I'm also passionate about that and have started my own channel on the subject, using my own compositions as examples.
It like when you ride Yoshi and the bongos join in, put on steroids
Super Mario Sunshine did this very well.
One of my favorite Dynamic Soundtracks in any game are from Pokemon Black/White and their sequels.
There are too many examples to mention, but the one that always sticks out to me is when you first arrive at Victory Road and each instrument in the song is slowly layered on top of each other as you approach the entrance.
Something similar happens at the Battle Subway (a gauntlet of 7 battles in a row). Each time you win a battle, the music changes from ambient train noises to a full on jazz performance.
mushroomdude123 I never noticed these! Nice!
My favorite is the dynamic composition in fire emblem awakening. It's a little more simple, but there's a more basic theme when you're moving around the battlefield, and then when you engage an enemy, the music comes to life in a new theme that's incredible.
Eric Wells Y'all ever heard of Them's Fighting Herds?
Thats why there were so many random note midis mixed in with the song midis!
Or on the last dungeon of A Link Between Worlds. Each instrument layer adds to the tension of being about to face the main villain of the game.
Loved seeing some of the compositional considerations you have to make when writing interactive music. It takes a lot of talent to write something that can work as both calm, background music and confrontation music. I really think the future of game music is dynamic - or even the present, it's hard to make game music that isn't in some way dynamic!
Couldn't agree more! I find it so interesting to see how technological advancements inform the composition process
I mean hell, Ocarina's overworld theme was dynamic, albeit in a different way.
I absolutely agree, and generative music is somtimes a good option too, as I've been exploring recently. Proactive music is an option that's coming more and more also :-)
Dynamic soundtracks are so great, glad you did a video one one! And I suppose an easy copout way to do this kind of thing is just to change the volume of the music. Y'know, dynamic dynamics.
Mister Apple
I never thought of that, actually. I was going to try mankind the music change songs and start at a certain time stamp (wherever the other song left off), but I couldn’t find a way to do that in Unity3d.
Yeah, matching the dynamics dynamically is often used in sound-design, and is called adaptive mixing. In music, it's often the principle of what is called "vertical layering" :-)
This was a great video, Pikmin 2 is one of my favourite games and the music from it is criminally underappreciated. I love how the feeling of the pieces also change depending on which captain is controlling the Pikmin. Another dynamic layer that subconsciously contribute to the personality of the game!
The more games I play, the more I realize that what I enjoy in my favorite games has a lot to do with small, hard-to-appreciate design elements. Pikmin and its sequel have been two of my favorite games for a long time, and I think the dynamic nature of its soundtrack is a major reason for that.
I used to think I liked these games because of the exploration inherent in the gameplay and the variety of enemies and stuff to find, and I didn't put much more thought into it. But I should have realized that the exploration in Pikmin is so fun in part because of the dynamic music that you're discussing here. Lots of games feature exploration; few use every detail you could think of to make that exploration feel intense and real.
There's always been a trade-off in gaming between player freedom and player purpose. It's hard to make a game like Pikmin really engaging, because you spend a lot of it wandering around without being sure what to do. The music gives your mind something to chew on while you're taking the world in. It's a rather elegant solution to the problem of keeping the player's attention when your game has such a laid-back design philosophy.
Great video.
Also, it's pretty neat how these dynamic changes improve gameplay itself. Sometimes you might throw some Pikmin to break a wall or kill an enemy and kinda forget about it, but the music gives you a reminder about your dutiful army. Also, when the night comes and the soundtrack's mood start shifting you start getting prepped to wrap the day, even if you don't process it consciously.
This is perfect timing for me as I've been researching ideas used in dynamic soundtracks so that I can incorporate them as a mechanic to be used in music games. Also referred to as "adaptive improvisation." Pikmin is a perfect soundtrack to study for this. It's subtle in its interactive changes. As always, fantastic video!
also check out Payday 2, some basic stuff in Chaos Legion, Devil May Cry and Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex too. not to mention the more hardcore aspect of how CSGO uses a similar system to optimize the ambient effects in game using sound zones and sampled composite audio track with time flags.
Adaptive improvisations are really something for sure :-) If you're looking for ideas about interactive or generative music, I would love it if you could let me know what you think of my work. I checked out your channel and it's really cool by the way!
And epic mickey a bit
I'm so glad that this is the year that everyone is appreciating PIkmin for how wonderful it really is!! Thank you so much for this wonderful dive into the soundtrack, I learned a ton!!!!
Absolutely fantastic video!
Very in depth, and detailed, and even though I didn't understand the technical terms, it was still clear what you were conveying through the examples!
Also, I think another thing worth mentioning is that in Pikmin 2, not only does it have the varying melodies in each song for when Pikmin are performing tasks or being near an enemy, but there are also different versions for both captains, with the beats and melodies varying slightly from each other. And it goes even further, the tempo of the songs are proportional to the amount of health the captains have, the less health, the slower the tempo. It's just amazing to think how much thought went into composing these tracks.
The music becomes so ingrained in the gameplay that I immediately know when there's danger somewhere if the music shifts.
I always wanted to challenge myself to make a desert theme that has sleigh bells in it but is still clearly recognizable as a desert theme.
Kasran Fox ultimate challenge
Awesome! I'm just about to do a series on Dynamic Music. Was good to see this.
Cool, when will it be up?
Now!
Voltz.Supreme continue on plz
As in "go away" or "explain more"? If you're interested, since this comment I've uploaded one video on Dynamic VGM in Menus. Otherwise you're welcome to ignore my comments...
Voltz.Supreme nonononono! Not “go away”, mate explain more plz
Pikmin is easily my favorite game series, and this is a fantastic writeup! If you ever feel like doing a followup video, you might want to check out the Caves music from Pikmin 2 in particular. This game has randomly generated subterranean levels, and appears to have procedurally generated level music; there's just an incredible amount of variation, and in some cases no obvious loop point! I've always been kind of curious to explore how it works.
Awesome analysis! I never realized just how dynamic the soundtrack was. I laughed at 11:40 when you said "This is potentially the weirdest chord progression I've ever heard!" because it sounds so nice to me... though I'm biased because I listen to a lot of intentionally dissonant music. Pikmin 2 is one of the best games I've ever played; graphics, music, and gameplay are all top notch.
I love watching these videos and learning about music, even if it little by little. In a future video, do you think you could talk about the hourly themes in Animal Crossing? How they make the morning feel different from the afternoon with the music? I think that would be cool.
PLEASE DO THIS!!! The possibilities are limitless for analysis, as almost every bit of music in the game is a variant on the same theme, and the orchestration is cool, and there's so much cool stuff! Like the way the music changes depending on weather, the way it quiets down when one's fishing rod is in the water, and of course the various tunes one can get from K.K. Slider. I'd love to see a video on this!
"And of course some sleighbells, because there's snow on the ground"
The shade of it all 😂 (jk, I know you don't really have a problem with it, but I love the sort of running gag you have of pointing out how commonly used they are in snow level themes lol)
Other Games with butter-smooth Exploration-Combat music transitions are FTL: Faster Than Light, Where each zone or sector has an "Explore" and a "Battle" theme. Since the pieces are so similarly arranged, the game makes incredibly smooth transitions between them upon entering and exiting combat, and Hyper Light Drifter, where each area has a list of tracks, and as the gameplay goes on, the game jumps between parts of the track depending on situation. There's even a boss theme whose intro is part of the theme for the previous section of the level.
I really need to take a week and play the Pikmin games. I've always wanted to but never had a way to play GCN games until just recently.
If you can get hold of them / have a way to play them, I recommend the wii versions of the first two games, the pointer controls are one of, if not, the best uses of the wii controllers of any game on the system. Gamecube versions are good too but I always struggled to control that game as well as the other version.
They're really great, but also the kind of games that lose their edge once you've completed them a few times.
The feeling of a first playthrough is unforgettable though, and one of my favorite things about it.
They're masterpieces, at least the 1st 3 are, Hey Pikmin is... alright, unlike ThunderBulb i find it easier to play Pikmin with a regular controller, try both and see what you think, having to sit there with your hand constantly at all times pointed at the screen really isn't very comfortable to me personally, especially for long periods of time, plus having to move your wrist to aim instead of just your thumb, again though i recommend you try both and play the one you prefer.
Play 1 - 3, they are solid. My favourite is the first game, but the second did everything the first game did and then some, with collectibles and a lengthy campaign.
The second one has always been my favourite, largely for expanding everything Part 1 did a little. Furthermore, it's essentially the longest of the three main games, and there's actually some solid character development(surprising for this sort of game) in the characters' various journal entries. But all three are pretty amazing! Easily one of my favourite series of all time.
These videos make me so happy. I love music.
I made a very similar noise you made right before you made it in the garden of hope analysis. uuuuuuuugh...it's so pretty.
Man, this was a fantastic episode. I've been really interested in dynamic soundtracks recently, as the concept is featured heavily in my favorite soundtrack of the moment, A Hat In Time. The spaceship-hub-world theme has (if I'm counting right) nine different variations that swap out seamlessly depending on the context. It would be fascinating to hear firsthand about the unique challenges that come with composing this type of soundtrack.
Incidentally, that soundtrack fits in perfectly with the Iconic Opening Interval™ from a few weeks ago. Since watching your videos, I've been noticing all these techniques cropping up everywhere.
Anyways, thanks for yet another great video!
A hat in time's music is really cool! Since you're interested in the challenges of composing this type of soundtrack, maybe I could suggest you check out some of my videos that precisely address this :-) (detail analysis of my process of interactive composition, and other stuff revolving around this idea)
I’m composing a show at my college in the fall... these 8-bit theory videos really help me get in the mind of talented composers. Thank you for your content!
8BIT!!! Thank you for finally covering the Pikmin series!! And thank you for being such an amazing content creator. All of your videos make me completely overjoyed and seeing a new video in my feed from you just makes me so happy!! This video helped me get out of my slum today and I can't thank you enough for making your videos in all the ways you do. I hope it makes you happy to be doing such wonderful work. Keep it up!!!
Pikmin is one of my favorite game series of all time. I'm hella happy you made a video on it's interesting and awesome soundtrack
Thank you so much for making this video. I’ve always loved the music and gameplay of the creation, but never understood the hidden details within itself. It seems that even no matter how many times I see it, I never catch it. And this video gave me a very good detailed clue over the music and just what makes music unique to games.
When I was about twelve, I started compiling a version of the Pikmin 2 soundtrack that seamlessly flowed between versions of tracks, as a complete version like that didn't exist at the time, so these soundtracks mean a whole lot to me. I can just get lost in the music of these games
Fascinating video! I once wrote a paper on dynamic music, but my example was Banjo-Kazooie since those Rare platformers were some earlier examples of this.
The difference between the way it was presented in Banjo-Kazooie versus Pikmin is that the harmonic structure isn't generally toyed with or shown with layers left out. Usually, it was just a shift in orchestration for different areas of the level, whether that be underwater, with a new group of NPCs that get their own flavor of the level theme, or a structure you enter (as a few examples).
I especially enjoyed your breakdown of the Distant Spring music - as soon as the bass line was added in, it made so much more sense, but I never thought about it consciously while playing the game - it just set the tone for that level perfectly. Neat to see how that was done.
I have to say, Your videos get better every time. When I first started watching this channel, I didn't know much about music theory, but you made it seem like something worth studying, not some group of rules that people tell you to use to compose. However, as you can imagine, I did not understand much back then. Today your videos seem more open to newbies, even if you delve into deep stuff. It makes music theory seem approachable to everyone, even people with little time in their hands. Congratulations, keep up the good - and inspiring - work!
Actually, a video like this, with a community like this, would be the perfect place to get out a question I've had-
If there were a game wherein every track was carefully composed around a wide array of instruments, but each instrument was tied to a character that might or might not be present (say, if A is with you, there's violins in the music wherever you go, B adds a flute to the music, C adds a drum kit, etc., but there's some sort of cap on group size so you can't get a completely dissonant mess of everyone's instrument playing at once), would that change the way you play the game? If so, how?
I'm so happy you are talking about dynamic music! I feel like it's not talked about enough :3
I’ve been waiting so long for a Pikmin video thank you so much for this
I’ve been playing these games for over a decade, and I’ve seriously never noticed these dynamic changes...looks like I’ll have to give them another play through! Thank you so much for the in-depth musics analysis! You’ve quickly become one of my favorite channels, giving video game music the serious analysis it deserves. Keep up the great work, man!
This is so amazing how music can work.
Ah, it's very impressive how you pick apart these songs and can explain them so perfectly and calmly. I really learned a lot, thank you!
SEE, THIS GUY GETS IT!!! PIKMIN'S MUSIC IS GOD-TIER!
There's a video I don't have to make, ever. And this guy actually knows about music, somewhat, so that should, in theory, make it better! Solid video!
Your vids are all awesome! I'm a freelance bassist and not so freelance composer and love your analysis of some great music that rarely gets looked at in this way. Also props for the super creative topics! I'm always excited for a new 8-bit theory vid cuz I know you'll touch on some super interesting topic and illustrate it in a cool way. Keep it up man!
10:54 Wind Waker's opening song
Oh wow, it is! Fitting, I guess, that the water level in Pikmin should include a shout out to the Zelda game with a focus on sailing. (Which was on the same console, and which was released just two years prior...~)
Nice video! I always love dynamic music in video games. Probably one more reason why I love Pikmin in general.
Very underrated game series as a whole and an even more unique soundtrack. Thank you for this analysis!
I played Pikmin just recently for the first time and the soundtrack totally blew me away with how much it changes as you're wandering around. Its one of the coolest parts of the game tbh
Thank you so much for your analyses ! No one else does it with such harmonic precision. Always looking foward to new vids, you and Sideways. Keep up the good work!
The boss music in those games is the coolest dynamic music ive ever heard
As much as I might like to join your Discord, music theory still goes over my head even after all this time watching your channel, so I'd probably just walk away with a headache.
Fun Fact, the only place in the entirety of Pikmin 2 where this doesnt apply at all is the Submerged Castle, where the track only changes when "something" happens on the stage itself.
This video is absolutely stellar. Holy moly. Thank you for this.
You deserve so many more views for the work you put into these videos, they're so informative.
This video kind of just reinforces my opinion that the Pikmin games are not only really enjoyable games, but also Musical Masterpieces.
Even if it has sleigh bells.
This has helped a lot while trying to learn music theory, and while trying to make music. Thanks.
This was a really interesting episode. Learning how music in each game works makes me appreciate them even more.
Even though I barely understood half of what you were saying because I know jack-squat about composing, I really appreciated this video!!! Thank you!!
Your video editing is so ridiculously good.
Always inspired after watching an 8-bit Music Theory (c) video!
That Dbmaj7(#11)/Cb though... Ouff. Trying to find another spelling of that chord that makes more sense, but this seems to be the best one. It sounds better than it looks anyway. :p
Daniel K Johansson
Best I got is changing it to C# xD
C#M7(#11)/B
And so h# and e# in the melody? As a trombone player (preferring flat keys) I must object - this makes it even worse! ;) lol
Daniel K Johansson
As a trombone/euph player I agree.
As a guitar player... both suck xD
Wow, some of the chord progressions in this are nuts! And the way that the composer arranges everything is very interesting. Thanks so much for this video! Now I gotta find a way to fit a DbMaj7(#11)/Cb into my own tunes...
this was amazing
I don't know if you take suggestions from comments, but I"d love to see something on the music of Okami
Fantastic work! I love Pikmin 2, so this is great!!
1:34
Thank you, good sir. This little bit alone has done a great justice to the Pikmin community.
Note: Hey! Pikmin is a decent game on it's own, but as a whole the game doesn't live up to the games before it. It's like the Sticker Star of Pikmin. Same console and everything.
This concept has always fascinated me, I remember when i first played final fantasy 15 I was completely mind blown by the way the music swapped from an authentic simple bluesy theme while in an outpost to a stylish r&b/classic rock n roll tune when entering the restaurant or store in the outpost
Great video!
One of my most intense video game music experience was from Golden Sun. It would be great seeing a analasis on this game.
Pikmin is in my top 3 Nintendo franchises! Thanks so much for covering it! (Now I just need Animal Crossing...)
Great vid as always, man! I was wondering if you could ever discuss what makes great battle music so good that we're able to listen to it for like HOURS on end and not completely despise it lol
God, I didn't want this video to end.
Another cool aspect is that when a Captain takes damage, the music is warped and gargled for a few seconds. And when they are low on health, the tempo slows down.
Your videos are always great, but man...you nailed it in this one. Very well done!
Great video! I've watched a handful of your content before, but as a non-music major stuff tends to go over my head. Though with this video I felt I was able to follow you on most of what you were breaking down.
I'm new to your channel and just did a marathon of all your videos. Super interesting stuff! This gave me great ideas and insight for my own music compositions. Keep doing what you're doing. Can't wait for more! :D
I learn so much from each of your videos, thank you.
I Love dynamic OSTs and especially love Pikmin's because not only is it made dynamic, but the OST actually plays them out in a medley format. It's phenomenal.
Music is utterly mysterious to me, but you've done a great job!
Yes! So glad you covered Pikmin music!
How beautiful is the music of Pikmin 3. That step from synthesizers to real instruments enrich that dynamic music and go that there is variety. Its function is to create atmosphere, and in that Pikmin takes +A
As a person who plays music... I have no idea what you're talking about, but good on you anyway. c,:
Ohhhh Pikmin! Fantastic job yet again 8-bit :)
YEESS I love when you upload and I also love pikmin, so this has very quickly become a blessed day :D
Fantastic video, an excellent analysis! Although, didn't touch on the dynamic element in Pikmin 2 where all the rhythms are swung when you switch to playing as Louie. But, I did learn way more than I thought I knew from these soundtracks! (Some of my favorite)
This is SO INTERESTING!! I've always wondered how dynamic soundtrack actually works in games whether they hid the tracks audibly or just simply programmed to phase them in. For another video topic, could you possibly discuss what makes the environments in the Metroid series so surreal to the players? Just a few ideas to start from: the creapy theme of Planet Zebes in Super Metroid; the Phendrena Drifts main theme from Metroid Prime; and even the dark world themes (in contrast with their light world counterparts) in Metroid Prime 2.
Another video I would love to see is more tonal intricacies in the Mother/Earthbound series. I loved your video about the "Snowman" track! It has made more so much more appreciative and fond of it! Thank you for your hard work!! I'm always looking forward to your next video!!! Good luck!
i would actually die of happiness if u did another pikmin video
I'm kind of surprised you didn't mention how the rhythm changes between Olimar and Louie in the second game. With Olimar the rhythm is standard (1-an-2-an-3-an-4-an) while it switches to have almost a bounce to it with Louie (1-an2-an3-an4-an1-...) I don't know the proper musical terms for it unfortunately.
i loooove the pikmin franchise and loved the video, great job! ♥️♥️
Great video. Was awesome understanding the meaning behind music
I like the four different dimensions that can be explored in Pikmin 1, not only do you get the basic and the work/fight music, but both variations change at sunset. This whole thing reminds me of a Mellotron, where prerecorded bits of tape are played by a keyboard, only the bits of tape are triggered by the player’s actions instead.
I've kinda just realized video game music composition is strangely the pinnacle of composition.... If you think about it, on paper -- there is no other situation in composition (outside of being purposely unreasonable) which imposes more restrictions on a composer. You can't just produce ANY good piece of music. You have to create a track that fits an already existing scene thematically, which also produces a specific mood, and is of very high quality, and which also purposely skirts the line between complex and accessible perfectly, and which also is never allowed to develop fully or to resolve fully but still sounds great and convincingly mature even as a loop. Then you have to create the rest of the games tracks and they have to sound like they are from the same game.
Even film composition falls a little short of this.
11:49 - Am I crazy, or does this sound a heck of a lot like something from the SM Galaxy soundtrack??
HalloBruce no. I hear it too. Let's find out...
HalloBruce Yeah, definitely sounds like one of the more snowy/icy tracks from galaxy!
Cosmic Cove, from Galaxy 2
Nice going on making a dynamic soundtrack video and NOT mention banjo kazooie! They’re both great but it’s good to see some others, this was also a great episode for because I could follow what you were saying instead of having my brain melt half-way through from musical jargon.
Well he usually focuses on just the one game, but also he allready has a video on banjo kazooie about a similar topic.
The Pikmin games' soundtrack has always felt really alien to me because of the constant shifts in tone and instrumentation (which is fitting, I suppose!). Great video!
I'd really like to see your musical analysis of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, if you're familiar with them. All of the games have several standout tracks, especially Explorers of Sky, so I'm sure there would be a lot of topics you could choose from!
I haven't played Pikmin, but these tricks sounded all too familiar... And alas, Hajime Wakai did stuff in Skyward Sword too. (Remember the super busy sounding up beat 2nds in the Lanayru Mining Facility?) So very nice, great video as always!
This is great. Pokemon Black and White had dynamic music and might make a good video. Especially the soundscape for Black 2 White 2 which I think is the series high point musically.
I've never played Pikmin, but I've wanted to since I learned about it from an old roommate in 2010. I hope it gets a rerelease, though I suppose if I can find some good Gamecube disks on eBay and a controller, I can play it on my Wii. It's just a hassle to set up and I don't know if I can find my HDMI converter. I never played Thousand Year Door, either, so it'll probably be worth it... To eBay, I guess.
I’ve always wanted to see a video on this concept! The first thing I think of when I hear “dynamic soundtrack” is always the ablaze themes from Fire Emblem: Awakening
Can you do a video on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles soundtrack please? That game has an amazing soundtrack. Kumi Tanioka
is the composer and I just love her work for the game.
Nikorasu Oxendine yes pleeeease
I second this wholeheartedly. As 'Sad Monster' and 'Unite, Decent' has some of the most unique music I have ever heard due to its usage of bagpipes, organ, and flute instruments and would like to see it explored.
Also a shoutout to 'Tower' from FF Echos of Time
Even though it doesn’t quite fit with the Dynamic music of this episode, I feel like you could’ve mentioned pikmin 2’s contrast from simple meter to compound meter depending on which captain you are using. I always found that to be an interesting aspect o pikmin 2’s soundtrack
Of course that's dynamic music! And kind of unusual dynamic music, at that.
I wish more games used this kind of dynamic sound work. It adds so much.
5:58 arpegiated guitar. harp. pretty much the same thing. i like to think of it more of a harp.
amazing content keep up the great work!
Suggestions: POKEMON! I loved virbank city theme. It s melody lulss you into 3/4, but the percussion reminds you it's 4/4. it's quite a mind trip. then there's all the classic themes and its variations which have enormous content. Not sure what exactly you'd like your "10 minute focus" on since that's your art and speciality
As usual, your content is top-notch and really provide an insight on what the music and their composers look to create in their music, as well as how they strive to do so… I also enjoy the fact that your videos have become much more comprehensible for your TH-cam audience compared to your first uploads, despite not losing much musical analysis - it's clear your channel has matured, building itself a solid ground (musically and as a community, ie. your Patrons and Discord and stuff) on which you're able to build your further videos upon!
I'd just like to point out that at 5:28, you mention the use of an acoustic guitar in the theme Garden of Hope - don't you think it timbre is more like that of a harp? in particular given the chords played on the 4th eighth of each bar?
while replaying Pikmin 2, I discovered that the underground theme from the game is a remixed version of the Super Mario World underground theme
Man you do such a great work. I enjoy so much, how you manage to teach us something new with each episode. Have you considered making a video about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles soundtrack? That soundtrack has a load absolutely solid tunes. Besides of the great arrangements I always get amazed by the treatment of counterpoint in that music. It's jawdropping to me. Keep it up and thank's again for your amazing work!
I always loved the pikmin soundtrack, the dynamic music was always really subtle to me though, but I always could kind of tell it was there.
I think a lot about darkest dungeon and the way their dynamic music revolves around the torchlight for a more intense theme if it's pitch black
Great as usual.
Having just beaten Automata last week, we're gonna need an episode on Nier music :P