Audio/XACT

Re: GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

Dave1005 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:04:53 GMT

Leo Camello:
I liked this guide a lot. I had piano classes when I was young and after reading this post I really want to starting composing now!

Thanks for the praise! :) I haven't been here for a little while, but it's good to see that someone appreciated this guide.

Re: GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

Antoine — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:18:58 GMT

The Shape of Games to Come:
I use Synthfont to convert MIDI files to WAVs.

Thanks a lot, I'm going to check it right now.
:)

Re: GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

The Shape of Games to Come — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:48:21 GMT

Antoine:
Hi, I have a problem, I can export from MuseScore to .mid, but I have no use of these files in Audacity, i. e. Audacity can do anything with .mid files. It can't modify them nor can he save them. Do you know what I could do to get a .wav result of the music composed with MuseScore ?
Thanks in advance.

I use Synthfont to convert MIDI files to WAVs.

Re: GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

Leo Camello — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:32:22 GMT

I liked this guide a lot. I had piano classes when I was young and after reading this post I really want to starting composing now!

Re: GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

Beeny95 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:48:28 GMT

As a drum n bass producer I guess I am quite lucky, but I use Reason 4.0. But your best off just getting a MIDI keyboard and play a tune on a synthasizer or two. Then just loop it as infinite on XACT and BAM! Bobs your uncle

Re: GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

Antoine — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:26:11 GMT

Hi, I have a problem, I can export from MuseScore to .mid, but I have no use of these files in Audacity, i. e. Audacity can do anything with .mid files. It can't modify them nor can he save them. Do you know what I could do to get a .wav result of the music composed with MuseScore ?
Thanks in advance.

Re: GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

Dave1005 — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:21:27 GMT

Unfortunately, I only used MuseScore for a short time before I purchased Finale 2009, so I did not do too much with the program. However, I'm sure a quick search on Google will help you find some free or cheap SoundFonts.

Re: GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

Antoine — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:35:41 GMT

Thanks for the reply.
Where did you find good SoundFonts ?

Re: GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

Dave1005 — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:22:16 GMT

Yes, you can export to .mid within MuseScore.

Re: GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

Antoine — Mon, 25 May 2009 13:42:18 GMT

Dave1005:
MuseScore (http://musescore.org/) is a great, free program to start your compositions. You can write as much as you want, with as many staves (instruments) as you want.
Then, after exporting those songs to an .mid file (a simple sound file)

Just to be sure : You export them to .mid, within MuseScore, is that it ?

GUIDE: I want to write original music for my game, but I don't know anything about music!!!

Dave1005 — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:06:34 GMT

I think (and could be wrong) that many developers here wish they could have original, custom soundtracks to their games without having to worry about someone else doing it for them. If you are one of those people, this guide is meant for you. Here, I will give you a full strategy to learning about music and creating your own for your games.

Step 1: Learn to read music
Clearly, when wanting to write music for your game, the first thing you need to do is understand it. Don't get me wrong, I may make it sound simple, but even as a musician for nearly ten years, I would say I have a decent understanding of music. But that's really all you need to write great music, along with the determination. But hey, we're game developers, right? We do this because we want to, and we enjoy it!

Check out these links (in order). They should definitely give you enough of an understanding of music that you can start with your music career!

1) http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1010.asp
2) http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1061.asp
3) h ttp://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1178.asp
4) http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1268.asp

Step 2: Download the programs
After you feel you know enough about music to start composing it, you'll need the programs to write it.

MuseScore (http://musescore.org/) is a great, free program to start your compositions. You can write as much as you want, with as many staves (instruments) as you want.
Then, after exporting those songs to an .mid file (a simple sound file), import them into Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/), where you can modify them and add effects to make them suit your game.
If you want some great guitar or bass guitar parts, I recommend that you also download PowerTab (http://www.power-tab.net/index.php).

Step 3: Listen to music and research
Listen to a lot of music. It will surely help with spurring ideas for new songs. Think about what it is that makes the songs you listen to so good, just as you would when creating a game, and try to incorporate those features into your songs.

Try 911tabs (http://www.911tabs.com) if you downloaded PowerTab. It contains a HUGE collection of guitar and bass tabs, as well as keyboard and drums, if that will give you any ideas.

Step 4: Write as often as possible
As with anything, practice makes perfect. The more time you devote to music, the more rewarding the final product will be. Plus, it will feel great knowing that another part of your game was due entirely to your hard work and determination. :)

I hope this is useful. Please, feel free to post questions, comments, or even suggestions to add to the guide.

Dave1005