purple_edge
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Maybe this has been brought up before. I like listening to Internet radio while I play DROD. Recently, I've been listening to a lot of "extreme metal" type stuff on a certain Ferocity Internet Radio, as well as various electronic genres. When I listen to extreme metal while playing, it's like I feel demonic rage towards the puzzles. It's rather empowering. And when I listen to electronic stuff, it's like the beat keeps the thoughts flowing in time to the music, if it's not too distracting. And of course, it's also about the extra entertainment on the side. Though I haven't said much, I'd like to hear people talk about this.

schep
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I listen to the music that came with JtRH and TCB. Nope, not bored of it yet.

purple_edge
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Really? I'm surprised.

MeckMeck GRE
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schep wrote:
I listen to the music that came with JtRH and TCB. Nope, not bored of it yet.

Seconded. The music provided by the game fits well to it.

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[Last edited by MeckMeck GRE at 10-14-2007 09:47 AM]

Someone Else
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I agree, if I'm listening to music at all.

cormen
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ditto, though im starting to tire of it

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[Last edited by cormen at 10-14-2007 03:12 PM]

Briareos
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cormen wrote:
ditto, though im starting to tire of it

Wait - DROD comes with music?

Anyway, same as with any other game - music off and Foobar2000 in the background (recently played tracks @ last.fm).

np: The Orb - Towers Of Dub (U.F.Orb Remastered)

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Ezlo
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I have a love/hate relationship with DROD's music. I go about 2 months with it on, then about 8 with it off and my own music playing, then DROD's music again.

Jacob
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I listen exclusively to "The Briar and The Roach" by Tom Waits.

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calamarain
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I tend to listen to classical music. Radio 3 in particular, it just... jars wonderfully with the sounds of killing and splatting. I find it amusing

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13th Slayer
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I like JRH music.But i set song Deadly Rooms of Death to title screen(It`s webfoot`s title screen music)

bflatjeff
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I listen to concerts from NPR's "All Songs Considered" podcast. I'm one of those people who doesn't have an iPod (or other), and doesn't use a computer at work. So playing DROD is the main way I get to listen to any downloaded or streamed music. Although it's not ideal; I tend to get so caught up in puzzle solving that I hardly notice what's playing, especially if it's unfamiliar.

BbJ

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Syntax
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I listen to nothing. Just silence, and the keyboard tapping away.
Hmmm... that doesn't sound particularly sane.

Znirk
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Syntax wrote:
I listen to nothing. Just silence, and the keyboard tapping away.
Hmmm... that doesn't sound particularly sane.

Why not? I use the exact same playlist with DROD.

In my case that's because I literally do listen to music; I can't stand having it bubbling in the background while I try to concentrate on something else. Playing things like tetris or some racing game to music is fine; but if I tried to play any game that requires actual attention while there's music playing at the same time, I could enjoy neither.

Elfstone
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Syntax wrote:
I listen to nothing. Just silence, and the keyboard tapping away.
Hmmm... that doesn't sound particularly sane.

Oh yes it does - a sparkle of sanity in a maelstrom of madness (oops, I think I feel a poem coming on!!) Our current social/cultural obssession with music/musack constantly surrounding us worries me. Silence is important and I suspect that humans need silence at times, but somewhere along the way we seem collectively to have become - what - scared of it? uncomfortable with it? worried by it?

Oh, and don't start me on the whole ghastly business of the imposition of musyuck on us in public places like gyms and swimming pools and supermarkets. No just don't start me . . . in fact, I think I'll go and lie down in a darkened room for a few minutes.
z
z
z
There, that feels better; now, where were we? . . . .

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calamarain
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Syntax wrote:
I listen to nothing. Just silence, and the keyboard tapping away.
Hmmm... that doesn't sound particularly sane.

I suppose it depends on how rhythmically you play. If you tend to follow a regular tapping pattern as you move, it could be almost self-hypnotic.

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Syntax
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calamarain wrote:
I suppose it depends on how rhythmically you play. If you tend to follow a regular tapping pattern as you move, it could be almost self-hypnotic.

Hypnotism is all good for completing holds *fast* - not so good for optimising

calamarain
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Syntax wrote:

calamarain wrote:
I suppose it depends on how rhythmically you play. If you tend to follow a regular tapping pattern as you move, it could be almost self-hypnotic.

Hypnotism is all good for completing holds *fast* - not so good for optimising

Works for me then. I've never been much of an optimiser, once I've solved a room I'm happy with that. I don't need to solve it more elegantly.

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Jacob
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Many times I've asked someone whether they listen to any classical music, to which they reply "Yes, I like to put it on while I'm studying".

In other words, "no".

I admit to putting on music while I do other things, but I also put it on to listen to it.

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bflatjeff
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Hear, hear. Music can have many uses. It's perfectly OK to use music (even great music, whatever that might mean to you) as background, if you find it pleasant to do so. You probably ought, however, actually attempt to listen actively to music, at least occasionally. This is one reason I go to concerts: I'm sure to give the music the attention it deserves and not get distracted into "multitasking" and doing something else at the same time. I could just put on the CD, but... it's not the same.

BbJ

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Kwakstur
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I have DROD's music playing, but I'm humming up my own playlist from other video games. Stuff like the Super Mario World credits (and likewise the credits in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga), or the Robopon 2 theme song . . . sometimes something from games like Pokemon, Megaman (including Battle Network), or Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is good. And those who have played Advance Wars know another world of great music. The music in the more recent GBA Sonic games have particularly good music (prime examples being Sonic Advance 3 and Sonic Battle)..
And let's not forget about final boss music; Paper Mario, Mario vs. DK, Sonic Rush Adventure, Super Mario 64, and . . . well, basically more Sonic and Mario games.
In it's own way, video game music is classical music. Classical music reborn.

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bflatjeff
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Kwakstur wrote:
In it's own way, video game music is classical music. Classical music reborn.

I'd really like to know why you think that.

There is that interesting trend of live orchestras performing video game score music. I think the recent tour was called "Video Games Live!" or something similar. And I know music from the Final Fantasy series has been performed. Is this the connection you're thinking of?
It's not so different from orchestras performing film scores. I think one interesting facet of composing for video games is the need for the music to work separate from a fixed narrative, although I've read recently about ways game music designers are attempting to make their score adapt or change to reflect changing game states. I don't really play too many "video games", though, so I don't know personally what's the state of the art.

BbJ

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Kwakstur
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Why? The reason is simple: Same values.

In many video games with great music, a catchy tune is the top priority. Also, each instrument's separate tune is well thought out, and it is worth listening to each separately (I screw around with emulators all the time to do stuff like that). And while different instruments may be used, not much else is done to make the tune fit the situation during which it is played. Well, it's at least that way in good video game music.
This thing of tune being more important than feeling is the same way classical music is.

The good classic video game tunes can be brought to real instruments and be enjoyed by other people not because they are familiar, but because they sound good.

And to save the most obvious for last, a lack of vocals, though it may be an inaccurate generalization, is nevertheless a common trend in both.

EDIT: To avoid controversy, I have removed the attatchment. It wasn't integral to my point, and that music is probably copyrighted anyways. And since I'm better off safe than sorry, I'm removing it.

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[Last edited by Kwakstur at 10-21-2007 03:48 PM]

bflatjeff
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Gosh, Kwakstur, I hardly know where to start. I think I disagree with you on about every point there.
I don't think classical music is about great tunes. I think (most) pop music is about a great tune, a hook. It makes its impression, repeats itself a couple times, possibly a bit of contrast with a bridge section, and boom: 3 minutes of pop perfection. Classical music is about development of material. An idea, often very small and even banal, is worked out over time, changing its own form and contrasted with other material, eventually reaching some summation. A possible end result: 10 minutes of music, no part of which is really satisfying without the rest of it.
This is, of course, just my opinion. Excerpts of classical music, picking out just "the tunes", drive me crazy, because I know that is not all the composer intended them to be. Of course, there are exceptions to this, just as there are exceptions to my stereotypical 3-minute pop song, but by-and-large this is how I see it.
On the other hand, I think there's lots of good game music that has no tune! I don't even think of the DROD music as being very "tuneful". Mostly it sets a mood, an atmosphere, which doesn't change or develop. Beginnings and endings, sense of time-scale, form: these are unimportant. The closest non-game analogue might be ambient music, or some classical minimalist music. I don't like it when games have tunes that repeat endlessly while I'm playing, not changing or adapting to the progress of the game!
OK, enough for now.

BbJ

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Kwakstur
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bflatjeff wrote:
...tunes that repeat endlessly while I'm playing, not changing or adapting to the progress of the game...

Wow, you really don't play any video games, do you?

Hmm, I can't think of any non-Atari or non-NES game with such continuous music.

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[Last edited by Kwakstur at 10-22-2007 06:56 AM]

NiroZ
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Kwakstur wrote:
Wow, you really don't play any video games, do you?

I'm pretty damn sure bflatjeff plays DROD (considering his highscores), which IMHO is a video game. How you see otherwise I don't quite understand, but you're entitled to your opinion, I guess.

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[Last edited by NiroZ at 10-22-2007 07:24 AM]

Stephen4Louise
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If you have a copy of Quake lying around you should try sticking it in your CD player. The soundtrack is standard cda files and is of standalone quality.

Steve.

Briareos
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bflatjeff wrote:
I don't think classical music is about great tunes. I think (most) pop music is about a great tune, a hook.

While I heartily disagree with you here (even though I'm not really a big fan of classical music), don't forget that what we call "classical music" was the pop music of it's time...

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Mattcrampy
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Yeah, I'm sure the video cameras were following Beethoven around after his disastrous performance at the MTV Music Awards.

Classical music wasn't made for the mass market. Folk music would have been the closest that regular people back then would have come to pop now - music that's perfectly serviceable as the background to a rowdy night of drinking, or the fun of the fair, but is robust enough to be appreciated if people listen to the song.

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bflatjeff
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Kwakstur wrote:
Hmm, I can't think of any non-Atari or non-NES game with such continuous music.

I can't quite reconcile this with your earlier statement that
"not much else is done to make the tune fit the situation during which it is played. Well, it's at least that way in good video game music." And as I wrote above, I am aware of emerging technology or scoring techniques that do allow music to change with game action.
I take Briareos's point, which is certainly true, at least for some classical music (never to forget that we are always talking in general here, there are always exceptions!). People certainly did know the operatic tunes of the day, sing them themselves, buy the sheetmusic, etc. Same with Schubert's songs. But this is not the case with Bach's music (secular or sacred), the symophonies of Haydn or Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, etc.; and certainly very little "classical" music after the rise of the middle class, the industrial revolution, and then mass distribution via radio, TV, and recording has had much in common with what came to be called popular music. I'm not talking about characteristics of the music itself here, although those are often quite different as well, but of the manner of its presentation, distribution, and use.
Enough again. I don't mean to present classical music as elitist; I don't consider it so, and don't wish to reinforce the idea in others who do. But to argue that it works and has worked differently I inadvertently seem to give that impression.

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