I finally made a full track involving Zebra

[a-type]

Amiga music is where I started as well. The soundtrack for Turrican II was just life changing. Although actually, the most life changing Amiga track for me was the intro music to Double Dragon II. Remember that one? That was what started it all for me.

Any tips on getting a perfect Turrican II lead synth sound in Zebra? Seems like a pretty primitive PWM saw.. but I can't quite nail it.

[Sendy]

Wonderful as always! To my ears, this is your version of disco only because it's got a fairly regular tempo and even has a backbeat!

It's very satisfying from a player's perspective, melodically, harmonically, structurally and rhythmically (though compared to some of your other stuff it's rhythmically "tame").

It's catchy too!

Thanks for listening and the feedback! Believe it or not, I find it *harder* to make rhythmically simple music. I tend to rely on rhythmic density to propell a lot of my music, and while I love that, it can make organizing a balanced album difficult.

Harmonically it's a bit weird, because throughout the track, specifically the first half, the music is trying to be in a major key and minor key at different times, and it took a lot of fiddling with the thirds in different sections to get it to sound right. After the midsection, it goes minor, because the new bassline forces it.

Regarding the Turrican 2 lead sounds, perhaps the best thing to do would be to get the original Amiga sample in it's 8-bit glory? I have a huge repositary of Amiga tracker samples (the Soundtracker series, over 100 disks!) many of which were ripped from games and demos. There was a lot of in-breeding (so to speak!) in the Amiga scene and I remember hearing a lot of iconic samples in so many different compositions to the point that they've become fetishized audio like the amen break.

[Howard]

Does anyone else hear a resemblance between circus music and early video game music?

[a-type]

Does anyone else hear a resemblance between circus music and early video game music?

I guess circuses were the big thing in the secret societies of 80's and 90's game makers.

[Sendy]

Does anyone else hear a resemblance between circus music and early video game music?

Very rarely since I associate circus music with comedic use of the chromatic scale more than anything else. I DO get a heavy ragtime vibe from a lot of the early stuff though, presumably helped along by the fact that voice limitations encouraged syncopation.

Actually there are a lot of clips on youtube of people playing full ragtime arrangements of old VGM.

This one in particular is quite beautiful:

[Gonga]

When I listen to classic European accordian music, especially French stuff, it reminds me very much of circus music, and I'd guess the classic folk music came first and the circus composers adapted it. Video game music may also owe some of it's origins to circus music in turn...makes sense.

Check out this excerpt from La Vrai Valse Musette, a French "classic" from the roaring 20's. Of course, a lot of circus "screamers" were written in the late 1800's. Circus pieces were themed, and the band would play certain pieces or even phrases to perk up the audience, scare them, or even alert the performers to a problem, like "video game" music!

http://danling.com/studio/sounds/kvr/La ... usette.mp3

btw this is by Cafe Accordian Orchestra, who I really love for cooking to...

[Sendy]

http://danling.com/studio/sounds/kvr/La ... usette.mp3

btw this is by Cafe Accordian Orchestra, who I really love for cooking to...

Involuntary thought reflex: Momma mia! It's-a spicy meatballs, they so-a delicious!

I suppose from a genealogical perspective VGM shares a lot of DNA with circus music, now I think about it (or rather, now that you think about it, and I read your thoughts... ahh, good old internet!). It would make an interesting study.

[Gonga]

Yeah, this is when I wear the chef's hat. But with all the dancing, wine, etc., when I have the chef's knives in hand, let's just say it's a great way to keep people out of the kitchen.

[xh3rv]

Does anyone else hear a resemblance between circus music and early video game music?

[e] Sendy's case for ragtime influence might be a little better

In several cases, yeah, now that you mention it A speculative case for why this is: I think polka is a musical form that is at least partially sourced in both contexts. Also there's something in common between the way circus music wants to be played in a manic, blow-the-horn-till-you-pass-out way (I've seen this first-hand ...), and the lack of articulation possible with the sound-generating technology in early video games. To compensate for a lack of dynamics, musical phrasing tends to get even more polka, lots of quick runs adding rhythmic texture against simple, pummeling slapstick percussion.

I don't know anything about the instrumentation of circuses in a historical sense, but as a child I was always disturbed and saddened by circus music fed into horrible music-making machines. I have a deep residual prejudice against clowns which I believe is a result.

[bmrzycki]

I have a healthy and completely normal prejudice against clowns which anyone in their right mind has.

Fixed that for ya.

[mcnoone]

Does anyone else hear a resemblance between circus music and early video game music?

I heard that in the Doors music as well.

Cool tune Sendy.
Thanks for sharing that.