Posts tagged: arcade music

Something a bit different from what I usually make, and to go with my interactive house I made using Construct 3. I call them mini foundscapes, a cross between found sounds and soundscapes, which I used free royalty-free samples from Pixabay.com, my go-to place to find royalty-free FXs for multiple uses. For the interactive piece I did called Our House, from the well-known song by Madness also called Our House, I selected pictures of well-designed rooms and took bits from the pictures and made it interactive. It’s not just audio but videos as well, and other stuff I put together to make up the interactive room. You can check that out by the button below, which will take you to my other website, randomgas.com.  There is some music on this album too, and something a bit light and less thumping without the drums and synthy stuff or should I say no hard drums. I enjoyed making the Foundscapes and putting the interactive piece together, and it took over a week to make, as I didn’t know what I was making and did one piece at a time. I had to draw around the object in the photo and save that object as a transparent background, plus making it so you know what to select by using highlighters to highlight the object. Most of the sounds were one shots, apart from the long clips, which I used as a base for the clip and the melody pieces, which I cut up and used FXs on to make it sound a little different to what it was, and all comes from Pixabay.com. Making the soundbites for the interactive piece was all experimenting with pitch and FXs, which I used a lot of FXs on the soundbites from Reverb, Delay, Filters and Compressors. As I said, it’s not all Foundscapes and there are some songs on there too, with songs like Panter Banter, Play Thing, Recreation and Safe Guard. Panter Banter is my favourite on the album, but I quite like Heigh Ho, My Pretty Flowerbed and The Lazy Fairy too. I mostly fitted the tracks with what was in the picture and worked around that as something to get me started, and are all the rooms you would find in a house, with some bonus rooms to wrap it up with.  

More Synthscapes and this one is number 5 and my fifth one I made so far. For those who don’t know what a Synthscape is, it’s like a Soundscape but with synths and noise which I used Audacity to chew up a mix and use that as background noise and goes on throughout the hour-long album. There are multiple versions including a Soundcloud version and a YouTube version which are an hour long with no stops in between tracks it would have been an hour-long audio and not cut up into pieces but they only allowed a certain time limit and file size to upload but it doesn’t matter it’s probably better anyway. As always I used the kitchen sink which means synth plugins from Arturia’s V collection, my own plugins I made and also stuff from Omnisphere and other synthesizer plugins like The Korg Collection. As for drums I used my own collection of drums from Mars which if you don’t know by now is a collection of all the most used drum kits of its time including Roland 808, 909, 606, Lindrum and more but I used a lot of the Roland drum kits for the drums like for the kicks, hats, snares, claps and percussions. It’s always good to go off and do something else so this is my other kind of music that I make but only now and then as it takes a lot of energy and patience by forty five mintiues in timestamp on the mix and I’m done but I keep on going getting it done as I hate to leave unfinished stuff I probably on’t even go back to it so this is why I finish everything I start or do something else.

I haven’t made a game for a while so I thought I’d do one and this one is a platform game where you have to get to the end of the level without dying and of course there are enemies and traps along the way to make it more of a challenge. I made the sprites the characters and backgrounds and also the buttons I made all of the stuff which I replaced from a template I found online, oh yeah and the music which is what this EP is from, and there are ten levels. There is a story behind the game and why I called it Bloody Duckery. When I was young I had this rubber ducky and obviously I used to have it in my bath time and that bit comes in shortly but I did a séance and I was messing about and I used the rubber ducky as part of the séance who we, me and a couple others called up Bloody Mary. A week passes and I’m messing about with the rubber ducky in the bath and I give it a few dips in the water nothing happens just yet but basically I noticed every time I dipped the rubber ducky in the water there would be some sort of curse and every time I didn’t do it nothing would happen. I finally after a month or two of bad curses I burnt the thing on a open fire and it turned purple then all glittery. I thought the soul come out and I checked my mirror in the bathroom for any other changes but nothing happened so I breathed a sigh of relief knowing it was over. I’m not really that superstitious or believe in ghosts or calling up the dead but there were some strange things happening oh yeah and the lights cut out all after the séance with the rubber ducky and I didn’t really think it would become possessed. The story behind the game is Bloody Mary posses a rubber ducky and has to fight evil to get the exorcism from the priest. The first song Bloody Duckery – Main Theme is a upbeat but dark track with sound FXs of a duck added on it now it would of been in 8 bit but I forgot to add that on so it’s the HD quacks. It’s the main theme to the game and is on the main menu. Like all the tracks on this EP I used my 8 Bit Synth which I use quite a lot in my gaming works and used it quite a few times now. The next track is the main theme alternative version which I said I was going to make some alternative versions of my songs as I enjoy making them quite a lot. I like this one a lot better and think it’s a catchy but another dark theme to it as it is Bloody Mary so nothing pretty about that. It has more duck samples which I changed slightly. I would say this is one of my favourites on the EP or short album but I call it a EP as back in the 2000s EPs had five tracks anyway it is what it is. The next track Sink Or Swim is a upbeat stroll down the gaming street kind of track. It is also a Electro Funk track and I forgot to mention I used 8 bit drums to give it that drum feel to the tracks and any 8 bit drums are good though. It’s a good track to stick on any level but I thought I’d have this in the main game and part of the main feature of the game. The next track is the alternative version to Sink Or Swim and again I prefer this version to the orginial but I do like both but I think this one is the better version. I changed it here and there making way for new instruments and changing the drums as well. I put this also in the level and there are three songs in the game before it repeats hopefully but you would probably die before then. The last track For Duck Sakes is a easy going but another dark theme song. I like this one and think it’s alright but probably not a favourite but I would put it close to it. It has more duck samples which I found on Pixabay my go to place to get free FXs and other bits and bobs that are quite useful in my projects.  I used a lot of delay on this one as well which I like to do a lot. 

I’m back with another Synthscape which is noise with synths, drums and FXs over the noise which I mangled using Audacity a handy free audio editor but I like to use Wave Pad as well by NCH which is a paid version that is cheap and worth it. The Synthscape is like a Soundscape which is usually a long audio clip of noise and sounds evolving over time and this is like that. I enjoy making mini-songs which is what this is made up of and are 12 bits that change every now and then with something new and hopefully interesting. I thought I’d make some more as I haven’t done that many and someone mentioned how rare it was so I thought I’d do some more since like always I enjoy making them even though the last half hour is a bit tense but I get by somehow. As always you can find the hour-long audio file on my Soundcloud and also I made a visual for YouTube which is also the hour-long version and the version that isn’t cut up into songs, I would have had it one hour-long file but the rules are so stren but that can be found on my YouTube channel or alternatively you can check it all out on this website under Music Creations in the G.F.E. Hub in the main menu. It’s great to sit down and make something new and something that does get tiring making which is why I don’t do the same thing when I do make music even then I do believe in taking breaks and coming back fresh and with another new angle. But I enjoy making this the most as it’s experimental and I love experimenting with sound and noise and seeing what I can make of it, I do amaze myself since I don’t go in with expectations well I do and I don’t but there’s a tip for you making music if you know how to just go blind but still have something in your head. It’s a good excuse and chance to get creative and make something a bit kooky in sound. I called it remember 2 forget as I think some stuff is left forgotten and in the past, as I can’t keep holding on to bad memories and bad nights, holding grudges is also not cool something I don’t tend to do actually but I have done for good reason. The fact is remember 2 forget is yet another reminder to me and anyone else listening to let it go it’s not worth holding onto and you will feel silly and stupid in the end not a good look. As always I used my trusted MIDI keyboard and plugins from the V Collection if you don’t know by now one of my favourite VST plugins to go to when making Synthwave, general synthy vibes and these Synthscapes which I’m on my fourth one now so time to slow down a little. I don’t plan on making lots of them every now and then when I feel like it will I do one but I haven’t got a number I will stop at I don’t even know how many I will do in total. I also enjoyed coming up with say anonymous titles and something I like doing the most actually it kind of fits with the song and are kind of funny or some of them are. I like the drums I made which I used the Roland 606, 808 and 909s which I got from the Mars Sample pack at a ridiculous price it was something like 1 Pound which is nearly 2 dollars. I’m so happy I bought it as I use it in all the stuff I make and is my number one go-to for drums as it’s got all the drums you would need to make your next drum pattern. I was lucky to make a replica of the sound byte I used and did it by putting it in Audacity the free audio editing program and changing the Hertz to 8000 and saving it for an ambient background noise with little jingles every now and then. The first one I did was from a mix that went wrong but I managed to clone the sound for some more Synthscapes using old mixes I recorded. I found Audacity was the only software that would change the Hertz and the sound while the others changed the sound into 8 bits which is grainy and hard to hear the overall details of the track.      

As you might know by now I like to experiment with music and make different stuff and it’s been a while since I made an experimental album so I thought I’d make one with different instruments which I found all on Pixabay sounds which is my free and my go-to place for free royalty free sounds. I used various instruments like a trumpet, a triangle, a violin, a flute and many other instruments which I got into in a minute. They are longer than what I usually make but it does have a lot of variation and other things added in each song so it’s not repetitive. I really enjoyed making this album and liked the way each track came out but isn’t the most traditional experimental album but I did experiment a lot with different FXs and other stuff. I titled all the songs after the instrument I was using and called it One Man Band as it is what I would describe myself since I do everything myself including the promoting which is the hardest bit but is easier with the mailing list. The basses and other stuff I got from either Splice.com or Loopmasters and the drums are from the Mars Drum Pack which features all the main drum sets from Roland 606, 707, 808, 909, and all the others like the Lin Drum and many more drum sets used in commercial hits of the time. The first track Blew Horn is one of my top favourites of the lot as I like the Trumpet I used and other stuff which I used an 808 bass drum and a filtered trumpet with me making all the sounds or at least nearly all of them with the trumpet loop which goes for the others too. I used two basses for this one and I distorted the trumpet even more and added delay and other FXs including the filter which I think was from the Artuia FXs pack which I like quite a lot and use on all my stuff and I tried most of the products which were either all the same or it was bad. I also like the Soundtoy FXs collection too which also has filters and all the FXs expected in a collection like Reverb, Delay, Filters, Distortion and Compression, I used it on some of the tracks on this album. The next track Pulling On The Heart Strings is another favourite of mine on the album and I used a guitar loop for this one and again I cut up the loop and added reverb, delay and filters and probably some other stuff I haven’t mentioned. I like the melodic guitar over the bass and beat I think it really goes well together and reminds me of being somewhere hot and in the country of a foreign land. I think it’s because I saw this video once it was a man singing in African and with his guitar he was from Africa anyway it reminded me of that a bit. The next track Love Triangle is yet another personal favourite of mine on the album and I used a triangle which again I used filters to change the tone of it and turn it into something new. It reminds me of 80s Boogie and something you could do the robot to I reckon. I like the feel of it and think it’s a danceable track and something you could listen to on an 80s playlist. I thought it wasn’t that experimental so I thought I’d add some weird noise in the chorus which are sounds I recorded from a trip to Cornwall and was at an amusement park I believe. The next track The Pipers Call is another overall favourite and was made with a Dizi Flute or a Chinese Flute loop which I cut up and added filters and other stuff on the cut-up loop. I think it’s such a vibrant track and the Dizi flute is one of my favourite instruments to listen to and to use in my own tracks which I haven’t actually used a Dizi Flute in any of my tracks yet and is the first one but won’t be the last I bet. The next track Tickle The Ivory is yet another favourite on the album and was used with a Piano loop. It’s a nice relaxing just chilling sunny day or hot night track and again I used filters and other FXs to change the loop slightly and I love the melodic loop which I think the filters on the main bit and the chorus add to the track and makes it enjoyable. The next track No Strings attached was used with a Violin loop which again I used filters and other FXs to change the loop a bit and make something new out of it. It’s the most experimental track on the album and has a dark and dingy feel to it like you are falling backwards in a trance state or something like that. The next track Keeping Tabs was made with a Tabla and another favourite on the album I think it’s catchy and upbeat with the stuff I did with the Tabla which once again more filters and other FXs added on to the Tabla loop for difference. The next track Hendrix Star was used with an Electric Guitar and is another upbeat jolly song that I quite like. It reminds me of an 80s track halfway through an album you would enjoy maybe it’s something similar to something that has come before I don’t know but it reminds me of an 80s track for sure. The next track 3,2,1 I’m Gong was used with you guessed it a Gong which I used filters and other FXs like delay to make it sound different to the original loop I got on Pixabay. The last track Sansa Mi Sensi was made with a Kalimba and sounds quite a lot like it should have been the Hendrix Star track. I used filters and other FXs for the difference.       

I made another game hosted on my website it’s a Brick Break type game with an Egyptian theme to it’s quite naturally I made some music to go with the game. As always I got the template online and made my own stuff like the breaks and customising the ball and of course the buttons and backgrounds. The music is African world music or Cinematic gaming music and something a bit different to what I usually make but I like to make all sorts of music which is why I have two artists’ names my main artist name Gas No Light and my other artist name Game For Experimental which is where all my gaming and experimental stuff goes to and is where this EP is hosted under. I love Egyptian stuff and was quite obsessed with the history when I was younger but still my favourite part of history and I am still fascinated by it all which is why I made this game an Egyptian theme game. The idea behind the game is you are in a tomb and you just set off a trap and you are now fighting for your life by playing a trial from the god Osiris. Osiris is the god of fertility and the god of death and has two roles. According to Egyptian Mytology Osiris was a king of Egypt who was murdered and dismembered by his brother Seth. In Genesis 10:8-12; 11:1-9 Nimrod, known in Egypt as Osiris, was the founder of the first world empire at Babel, later known as Babylon. Jesus and Osiris are both gods who live as humans. Osiris was depicted as a king of Egypt whose body floated down a river in a coffin. As Ancient Egypt Online says, “The oldest religious texts known to us refer to him [Osiris] as the great god of the dead, who once possessed human form and lived upon earth. The ostrich is one of the animals associated with Osiris. The ostrich in Egyptian culture means justice and veracity, which are ideas associated with the Egyptian god. In one version of the myth, Isis used a spell to briefly revive Osiris so he could impregnate her. After embalming and burying Osiris, Isis conceived and gave birth to their son, Horus. Thereafter Osiris lived on as the god of the underworld. The first track Fate is a cheerful fluty number with dramatic drums and flutes and has an African but Latin feel to it. I found the flute samples from Splice.com and went for the dramatic and calm flute sounds which I put a bit of reverb on to make it more spacious and full. I imagine some ferrous sword fighting going on whilst the band plays out the scene. Or in a tomb and you are going through the tomb exploring the dangerous traps and not getting your ass in a tangle lol. I like the ending adding more dramatics as the game gets more harder and harder or the sword fighting gets more close calls and near misses and whilst they fight for their lives. The next track Fate (Mellow Vibe Mix) is the slowdown version of the first track which features in the main game as the background music. I imagine riding camels in the desert with this one or being in a bustling market. I did rearrange it a little bit adding some more drums which are at the end of the track also I changed it slightly at the start though it sounds the same. I used ethnic sounds from Africa and did some research on old instruments they may have had and I used them like the Flute, Sistum and Lyre. The next track Fatal is another soothing flute number with African drums and percussion added in there too. This acts as my game over music which is why it’s got the sad flute feeling with the dramatic drums which I like quite a lot. I’m quite happy with it well I’m quite happy with all of them but I think it feels like game over music for something like this  I mean an Egyption-themed game or for a puzzle game which I think would work too. The last track To Live Another Day is another jolly fluty number which acts as my you win music and is my favourite on the EP though I quite like the first track also. I made it so it sounds like a battle has been won and the party commencing and that is why I called it to Live Another Day which sounds like or is a Bond Soundtrack song I’m not sure.