This is the start of creating games music, and getting used to logic. We had to recreate the Tetris theme tune in logic by using the pen tool. I then added my own orchestral theme to it the make it slightly my own, this helped for me to get used to logic quicker.
Start of composing
This is the first part of creating our own games music for the Undertale game. I created a melody and chords as well as a drum beat using different sounds in logic.
We learnt how to use different sound waves to create different sounds. We used retro synth to create an 8bit sound. First we watched a youtube video that explained what each sound wave sounded like and how to create a kick drum sound, snare drum sound and HiHat sound.
Ive used the drums to build up the sections. the main melody is repeated throughout and i have added two different counter melodies to build it up. The use of the pedal brings dissonance and and uneasy feeling, as i have used a major key but needs to be tense as the music is for a boss battle. I’ve ended the song with B major as it is the starting chord and makes it sound finished. I like how this sounds as it uses chromaticism and melodic riffs.
I have added the new counter melody as i think it needed more to it, i also feel like it makes it more games like. The counter melody is just the chords broken up into an arpeggio type thing.
Ive added this automation to make the music feel more alive, also makes it build up and feel like actual boss battle music.
Final composition
Firstly i have done this composition in 6/8 as it gives it a more bouncy feel as well as making it almost sound like circus music. I did not do the compositions in A minor like everyone else as I wanted to come up with something on my own and I came up with this. I do not know what key signature it is in.
For the main melody I used the chords B major, D major, A major and G major. Because all the chords are major and boss battles are tense and uneasy, I held a B throughout the piece as a pedal note to keep things on edge. I also added full chords underneath the arpeggio version of the chords to make the music feel more full.
For the drums we used waves and learnt about waves to create different sounds. I struggled to make the sounds right but with the help of Eric I managed to make a kick and snare sound close enough to an actual kick and snare. However I struggled much more with the Hi-hat so used Erics preset sounds instead.
I added the first and second counter melody to build up the piece more to make it feel like there’s a story happening behind the music. However after listening to everyone else’s pieces I felt mine needed to sound more game like and so I took inspiration from the others and created the counter melody 3 and now it sounds much more gamey.
I also feel like the use of automation makes in feel more like a backing track to a video game as it brings it to life, especially with the panning of the different synths left to right.
To make it better I feel I could have done it in a minor key and possibly done some more game like counter melodies. I also feel I could have used other and different textures to have some different variations in it.
The brief of this assignment was to make boss music and I feel like i’ve succeeded in adding tension and have learnt how to use Logic and how to use synthesis which means i can do that in the future.