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Recent awesome gaming trends: electronic soundtracks

I totally agree. Really good electronic ambience/music is so hard to come by. Mass Effect was chock-full of them. Virmire ride was one of my favorites, but the really awesome version you hear often in the game is nowhere to be found on the ost. :(

Also, Halo 3's ost was full of amazing electronic stuff. Best thing to come out of that game in my opinion. I loved all the original synth tracks way more than the bombastic orchestral themes.
 
fernoca said:
..hasn't this "recent trend" being around for..ages? :p
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Synth music as a limitation of audio hardware or storage medium has, and for the most part that synth was trying to emulate other musical styles. Once those hurdles were overcome everyone went for orchestral or rock. Full-on electronic soundtracks as an artistic choice hasn't been utilized nearly enough.
 
Botolf said:
Half Life 2: Episode Two

Abandoned In Place
Crawl Yard
No One Rides For Free
Last legs
Vortal Combat
Sector Sweep

The best part is that all of the other Half-Life games have plenty of this type of music too ^_^
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I don't recall if it's Episode 2 or not but, my favorite.
Violation

Veering slightly off-topic.

This EvE fanvid represents everything that's wrong with Youtube and the music industry :lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niHxXlr0YyU

That video sold this song more than anything else I have ever seen.

fucking youtube, now I'm angry >:(
you fucking record that anger internet mood report

e-rage subsiding, back to Bruce Banner
 
Duck Amuck said:
Yeah I hate those cunt companies as well. Fuck WMG.
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It's just a little frustrating (meh, probably not the right word.) I know when that video came out EVERYBODY was asking for the song. I also know it was frequently pirated.

because it wasn't available anywhere!!!

I know plenty of people (including myself) that were looking to buy the electronicat CD it was on. However, that CD was out of print. We checked everywhere and only 1 place had it for the longest time (allofmp3 :rimshot) When the single finally hit iTunes it skyrocketed in popularity :lol

It remains the only the only DRMd song I ever purchased off of iTunes.
The very track that took some doing to insert into my Winamp playlist >:\

Anyhow, this is a great thread so back to the topic. The soundtrrack is one of the many reasons I'm really looking forward to both Episode 3 and Mass Effect 2 :)
 
Nikorasu said:
Synth music as a limitation of audio hardware or storage medium has, and for the most part that synth was trying to emulate other musical styles. Once those hurdles were overcome everyone went for orchestral or rock. Full-on electronic soundtracks as an artistic choice hasn't been utilized nearly enough.
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Why aren't all the games of the past "full on electronic", exactly? I understand that you mean they were "trying to emulate other musical styles", but what exactly is the difference between "chiptunes" (I hate that term) and "modern electronic soundtracks", other than the fact that old games directly generated their music whereas modern "electronic soundtracks" are more likely to be playing a streamed audio file?
 
DavidDayton said:
Why aren't all the games of the past "full on electronic", exactly? I understand that you mean they were "trying to emulate other musical styles", but what exactly is the difference between "chiptunes" (I hate that term) and "modern electronic soundtracks", other than the fact that old games directly generated their music whereas modern "electronic soundtracks" are more likely to be playing a streamed audio file?
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I'm not a musician or audio technician, but there is a huge distinction between chiptunes and actual electronic music (meaning the genre itself). Chiptunes are limited to a specific range or 'instruments' and tonal frequencies of the hardware itself. Modern games with streaming electoronic soundtracks are still synth, yes, but they take advantage of an incredible variety and quality of sounds and the number of sounds and ways they can be mixed is limitless. Electronic music is an art, electronic music emulating chiptunes is art, chiptunes themselves are just a hardware limitation. That's really the best way I can describe it.
 
I've had a soft spot for electronic soundtracks to games since Cryo's Dune, with Stéphane Picq's Spice Opera OST and his work on Lost Eden. Great stuff, really.
 
Wish we'd see more licensed EDM soundtracks in games. Also I'd kill for an RPG with a prog soundtrack...
 
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