There's a LOT of really great stuff here. However all of the instrument samples are in my opinion useless. You can't build a good soundfont with em *no differing velocities, many notes missing*, but the sound effects are top notch! And they're free to use I assume? I know a lot of game developers who are going to cream themselves over this.

Great find!

At 3/25/08 10:36 PM, navij11 wrote:

At 3/25/08 10:33 PM, Remousamavi wrote: Well I can't wait for the real version to come out... Just submitted something I made with the beta version, and for a starter it was cool. But these guys are saying it's still just the freakin' beta?

This IS THE REAL VERSION!!!

poor navij. Gonna lose it :D! *time to take bets?!*

I hope they fixed the memory address space crap that FL 7 seemed to love to screw up on. FL 7 was horrible for large orchestral libraries, and though thats partially my fault *for using 32 bit architecture OS and hardware* problems I didn't have in FL6, I did in 7. This improvement i'm hoping brings back 6's reliability.

OGG verbis output!? HELLZ YEAH! Game producers and loop enthusiasts, UNITE!

At 3/23/08 07:36 PM, Lost-Chances wrote: You totally ignore the fact they are willing to repair and jump on the X-Box 360 hating bandwagon?

I only slightly dislike the Wii because of the games available, not due to some fan-boy reason.

oh are they? You DO realize they agreed to repair the red light of death because pretty much EVERY system made before said articles above, and even most produced recently are EXPECTED to fail. Do you REALLY think that should this not have been a sweeping outrage that Microsoft would put on the "we'll take care of you :D!" mask?!

I mean REALLY?!

Even despite the fact that time and time again several publishers and testing companies have found that the XBox IS THE CAUSE OF IRREPARABLE DISK DAMAGE, that Microsoft still does nothing about this? That they have only agreed to replace the games which, lets face it, are what keeps XBox afloat right now?

At 3/23/08 06:16 PM, BrAddErZ958 wrote: HEY GUYS. LETS GENERALIZE.
I got my Xbox when it was released.
NO PROBLEMS AT ALL.
No broken disks.
No red ring.

You're right, some of the systems, through some means of divine intervention seem to be operating fine. The life expectancy of the box are all over the charts. Some are working since release, some work for a couple hours, in rare cases some don't work period.

And Syko, I consider giving XBox Blu-Ray technology a bullet to Sony because lets face it, despite this overwhelming evidence that the XBox needs to go back to the shop, there is still a strong propaganda front for them. All the good games are currently hovering around XBox, and as soon as XBox starts bridging the few technical advantages PS3 holds, things are going to get even uglier in the race.

As it stands, the next Final Fantasy games cannot even be made for the XBox even if they wanted to. The White Engine (I believe this is what it's called) that they have developed for the game requires power and space only PS3 alongside Blu-Ray can provide. In time PS3 will start producing games out of XBox's reach, and though the race may be badly for them, as long as they keep their guns, I figure there is some chance for them still.

A deduction made through somewhat shallow research I must admit, maybe i'm thinking the wrong way about it.

At 3/23/08 05:40 PM, ShadowWest2k7 wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/8793 64

Also, how are you a mod?

my bad, i'll take all this in there then.

Also i'm an audio mod, not bbs, though that shouldn't be an excuse for my blunder.

In relation to the person who said their friend went through 6, how about somebody who went through 11.

the story of 11 broken XBox 360's

I am so sick and tired of all these Box elitists hating on PS3 and Wii because they made the foolish mistake of spending 400-500 bucks on a piece of shit (myself included)

So rather then do a whole "He said, she said" rumor oriented speculations, allow me to show you all some very interesting links

XBox 360 drops 61% in sales as problems mount

Written July 20th 2007

Xbox 360's developer Microsoft extends warranty to 3 years as ALL 11.6 million systems released at the date of this article, will eventually break down.

Thats right, they are EXPECTING it to break down. Forget maybe, EXPECTING.
Written July 13th 2007

30% of the games you use will be destroyed or damaged through the XBox 360

That's right, the system will damage your discs and to top it off Microsoft will replace only the flag ship games like Halo. Last I checked there were only 10 games they would replace for hardware failure.

This means what?

- Sales are dropping (61% drop must mean something) like crazy, because people are getting smart to this crappy design
- 30% of your games will be destroyed or damaged, due to crappy design of the xbox *WHICH TO DATE HAS YET TO BE FIXED*
- Your XBox is EXPECTED to stop working within the first year. Read that again people, EXPECTED.

Other interesting news.
Sony is discussing plans to incorporate Blu-Ray technology into the XBox. Why Sony is going to shoot themselves for Microsoft is still not clear, but whatever they're doing, it's going to be a fun ride.

These are facts, rumors and complaints are not taken into consideration. I'm personally going to use my XBox as a pedestal for my yet to be purchased one day PS3 as a constant reminder.

Never again.

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/reviews/
122928

GET YUR ABUSIVE REVIEW POINTS LADS!

Results are in, they will be aired on Newgrounds Radio on the 28th, DJ'ed by our own PyschoGoldFish!

Stay tuned you buggers.

The force is strong in this one.

Brilliant idea, couldn't agree with ya more :D! Did you by chance get to visit again and see if it's still there? I'm betting money they removed it, the bastards...

At 3/22/08 03:09 PM, MaestroRage wrote: Can you tell me what the purpose of MC will be when you start making the tunes?

toons... sleep deprivation is not good for grammar.

Well I personally think it was a good idea to jack the hands. I mean making flexible fingers is going to be... well okay I can't even imagine it working out with clay. And besides i'd think MC would find his time better spent on the head.

Looking incredible MC. Inspiring to say the least! Gonna try and make a theme for him, his existence is epic as is.

Can you tell me what the purpose of MC will be when you start making the tunes? Hunting for some kind of truth? A purpose? Perhaps a target to destroy? Nothing that would be spoiler but I like try and make themes as personal as possible.

At 3/19/08 08:47 PM, Draqo wrote: Yay matching sigs!

WE MUST BE BROTHERS!

I should fire my current co-owner and hire you on the spot!

I didn't know you co-oped Chron! What kind of job was it anyways? I don't believe you ever told me what major you were in either.

AUDIO MODS, TO MOD THREAD, NAO >:(!

ya damn slackers, have to post here to get your attention do I?!

At 3/17/08 12:18 AM, Quarl wrote: pshh, deadlining it again? I can't wait to see how long it gets postponed this time :P

with not so many entries, one week IS doable. Just you watch >:)

With the time up, members who have not joined into the battle and would like to help judging please pm me so we can get started right away. Results are coming in March 22nd, come hell or high water!

P-Bot - Machine of Judgment

So much for making an entire suite for em. Where does the time go eh? Probably going to go extend this song later.

Hey guys! Just launched my own website! Come check it, and I love u long time!

www.symphonyofspecters.com

cooooommee ooooooooon XO!

At 3/11/08 08:54 AM, Chronamut wrote: ugh newbies..

behave or i'll KICK YER ASS! >:(

I thought newbs were into that kind of thing?

They like their sodomy like they like their "Read first" threads.

Unseen and unexpected.

And the topic slides does it?

Lash your passion is always appreciated, desire to see a better newgrounds is shared not only by you I can assure you. The problem has never been with the system. True the system falters but only because there are simply not enough voters. So rather then forcing people to do something, lets also try to consider angles on how to get more people into our audio portal!

Did you know that the good score, and great score system actually works? Rig swears he saw a green colored song at the beginning of the newgrounds redesign, which just means we never, in the past 6 months since then have ever had a song grace Newgrounds which had enough votes to trigger the system.

The following ideas I believe have been discussed and are valid ways.

1: Introduce an awards system
2: HAVE SEX WITH YOUR MOM!
3: Grant points for voting on audio (big area of debate here :/)
4: Fair Share Revenue system.

Let me expand on number 4. Kongregate has something of this nature. See how it works is Kongregate pays the artists a certain amount for page views, downloads, overall exposure the game brings to their site.

Reverbnation has a very similar system where 50% of all the money they make through ad revenues is split up and given to the artists of the site *who participate in the Fair Share program* depending on overall exposure they bring to the site.

So I propose Newgrounds does away with the Best of [Month] awards and follows suite. It doesn't have to be 50%, but they can maybe, like Kongregate give cash for views and exposure. This will attract more higher talented artists who will bring more viewers with them. This works in regards to the Audio Portal too. Of course the two sides shouldn't really share the revenue pool because lets face it, Flash brings in a LOT more people in then audio.

The only downside to this is the elitism that may emerge. Newgrounds has always been a place for people of all skill levels to come on down and throw fists, but if an elitism air begins to stagnate the environment Newgrounds may lose it's unique vibe which as far as I know, nobody else possesses.

At 3/10/08 11:58 PM, Envy wrote: Who are all these people? 3 new people in a single page? Thats unheard of.

I fear change D:

a brilliant resource! I'd make them into Kontakt format but I don't have the tools to read the current ones. Seriously though this is an exceptional display of commitment. I'll definitely be referring to this as a must get pack.

At 3/8/08 01:39 PM, Rig wrote: I have a lotta homework due in a few weeks that I had forgotten about. :(

I don't forget them, I just don't do them, then panic like a whore.

It's about that time again!

well I don't know who it was this time but if this is not the first time then there must be something that you're doing which the audio mods don't like.

Remember

1: We don't like sampled work. From anybody. Anything put in here is 100% of your own creation.
2: We don't like stolen songs... obviously this is not the issue, but you'd be surprised at how many people are out there tiefing.

Because so many artists here don't have lyrics, and so many stolen songs are the kind that have lyrics, the second they heard you speaking alarms went off where they shouldn't.

Even if it was we can't unban him. Wade or another administrator has to do that. Maybe make a new account?

At 3/6/08 12:42 PM, Suspended-3rd-Chord wrote: also, here's a comparison between East West Symphonic and Squidfont (plus reverb), they are just presets and i have no mixing ability, nor have done any yet.

http://www.mediafire.com/?rxdyjoddr3d

http://www.mediafire.com/?23jkdgjx3jd

which one do you think is better? well, of course East West is layered (although I didnt bother messing with the dynamics) , has way more different types of sounds, - but its mainly a comparison to show that not all soundfonts are bad, if you find the right sounds and add reverb you can get good stuff for free.

quite right. Since he's just beginning i'd recommend soundfonts indeed.

Now if only they had squidfont for brass, percussion, and woodwins :(

Also I didn't know soundfonts were velocity sensitive... huh, learn something every day :D!

Chronamut does bring up some good points, soundfonts are relative. Depends on the game you're working on I suppose i've seen a few people working with them. HOWEVER, I have yet to see ANYBODY use soundfonts for AAA grade games. Hell if you find any soundfonts in Metal Gear Solid, Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden etc etc.

You should note that all these games though focus on realism. Again it's directly in proportion to what the background and overall vibe is. If I was to work on an old school RPG of sorts, i'd probably bust out some soundfonts, though sparingly.

If professionals do use soundfonts, they don't like to admit it, i've never seen anybody with just them :P. And they're only useful if you don't want velocity sensitive instruments. ie, you know how when you press down hard on the strings they sound different then if you were to just glide over them? Forte vs Piano? Soundfonts don't have ability, they will just adjust their volume accordingly.

I'd say the ranks of headphones is as follows

AKG/Sennheiser -> Koss/Boss -> Several Generic Brands -> Cardboard -> Sony

I hate my Sony headphones :/, best 80 bucks i'll never get back.

rofl, my fans are telling me to get help... :(

Happy out of vagina head first day Dork!

Quality synthesizer eh? Most synths work within the host sequencers, again Fruity Studios, Cubase, Pro Studios, Giga Studios etc. Now you shouldn't go nuts on high level synthesizers just yet. First get to know your basics 3xOSC's etc. Simple sine, saw, tri, square, etc waves to make your own types of sounds. Like any other craft jumping head first into the deep end is going to get you drowned.

Trust me my good sir, start with the basics. Grab a demo of Fruity Studios, or perhaps purchase a really cheap version of it *as long as it has VST support you're good to go!*

Within it are all the good basic blocks you'll need to start digging into.

In terms of headsets/speakers, Koss had never let me down. Seihnneider *god I'm pretty sure I mispelt the hell out of that*, is another popular brand. You're looking for the following traits

- Open headsets *ie the speakers are not entirely closed*. You're going to leak some sound out of the headphones but I personally think they provide better quality.

- Flat Response. Many cheaper headphones will try to cover their short comings by artificially increasing frequencies. Generally the high and low end. These are entertainment sweet spots in regards to sound and so if you get a pair without Flat Response your headsets will be adding and flattering the music. You'll hear what they want you to hear, not what is actually going on.

- At LEAST 20khz range. I mean any pair of headsets worth a damn will have this easily, but in the event you want to get something low budget at first make sure you get something with 20khz capability or up. It's true that the ear doesn't pick up so good after 17khz *especially as you grow older* but nuances and slight timbres will suffer as a consequence.

- Noise Cancellation. Now if you're going to be working in a studio, which you probably are, this is not ABSOLUTELY essential. I mean what noise will you be cancelling out? Still it helps purify the sound and removes any needless crap that may be in the background.

- Remember, the headset is not in relation to the size of the ear pieces. Just because you see some people with headsets that pretty much swallow their face doesn't mean you should go get the biggest pair. My friend has these normal sized Koss headphones which he bought for 350 bucks. Best damn things i've seen in a long time.

As for speakers, in this field, the bigger, the more expensive, the better :/ I havn't done much research on speakers, maybe somebody else would like to give some tips.

At 3/5/08 09:39 PM, Spairert wrote: I looked at the guidelines and FAQs here, but quite frankly, the amount of information is overwhelming for a guy like me. I bessech you, Audio Gurus, answer my humble questions:

I don't consider myself a guru, but hell i'll do meh best :D!

How does one compose synthesized music? (What would I see if I were to watch someone composing?)

Well every musician will handle the task differently depending on what gets their creative juices going. Many you'll see them playing the game on mute *if it does have some kind of music already* so they get plenty of visual information whilst formulating what they think would work in the environment the character/game state is in.

Everything takes note. The background plays the biggest role of course. The music must compliment the level.

In the case of a fight, or cinematic whatever, it's not just the background, obviously now you're going to have to weave emotions and actions into it. What the enemy looks like, what they do and what happens to the protagonists because of said actions.

Ultimately your goal as a game musician will be to invoke feeling. It is never about just making a catchy beat, it is always about "what would make this more enjoyable, what heightens the right mood?"

What should a music student buy to start composing synthesized music? What equipment is involved in the process?

Soundfonts are all good and dandy but if you're going to go professional you'll go nowhere near them. Now most game companies will have their own sound studio set up, many may request you work with them. For this reason being knowledgeable on most programs like Cubase, Pro Studios over the lesser knowns like Fruity Studios and Reason would be your best bet. I personally would encourage Fruity Studios as a beginner block as it's the easier to understand and get started with.

Now you will also need to get to know VST and VSTi's. These are high quality libraries of samples of instruments that you will use to create convincing midi mock ups. These libraries are generally very large, the largest I know of is Vienna Symphony Orchestra VSTi, which exceeds 850 gigs as of this time.

This is all a lot of information don't hesitate to ask for help from anybody one of us here when you need guidance.

Are there any general "rules" of video game composing (Time retraints, progressions, etc)?

Covered in above question. You'll sometimes get a frame to work in (ie, 2 minute track, we want the song to be so and so), most of the time you get creative control though.

Do composers play the games before they start creating the music?

A lesson you will learn quickly, especially if you are trying to find a group to work with at the beginning or just in general, NEVER join a project which has nothing to show. Music is a POST PRODUCTION field. You see clips, screenshots, generally it's something that should come shortly before a beta release, or perhaps for some kind of trailer you'll have to create a few pieces.

How the heck do I start this whole process? Any advice on where to start would be appriciated.

Read above statements

I can't really offer anything in return, but I'd be more than happy to provide live instrumentation for compositions here... once I know how to record.

We're not looking for nothing ^^

Hope that helped, welcome to the world of game audio, feel free to ask anything.