are rubbish instruments to synth.
So today, apart from blitzing round Beacon’s world in the editor to fix up a load of naff areas, I’ve been wearing my ♫ MUSIC HAT. Spoilers ahead!
Seriously, if you haven’t played Beacon already or would rather not listen to game music before you hear it in context, I’d suggest coming back to this post after you get to play the game. I’ll be releasing it this week, so you won’t have to wait long!
Anyway – MUSIC HAT. I’m planning three tracks for the game, as it’s got three fairly distinct areas, and now I’ve completed two! Here’s the first, which I made back in January:
It’ll serve as the music for the title, the first area and the ending.
The second track will kick in as you move underground and reach the first serious hazards. In the end I wrote the second track as a variation of the first, upping the tension and swapping the spacey, astral instrumentation for something more… grounded. >_>
I’ve never used a bassoon sound before, but the concept and sound of the instrument felt way too appropriate for exploring a cave system. Unfortunately, the synth came out fairly dry. I’ve hidden most of the issues with the sound by turning the part into a duet with a cello, which by happy coincidence has given the track an extra hint of murkiness and uncertainty.
I’ve got one track left to write now. I have a rough concept in mind: it’s going to diverge much more sharply from the first, possibly shifting up in tempo, and feature retro synth sounds to match the third area’s theme of “old machines”. You’ll be able to check it out in-game by this weekend. I hope you’ll enjoy how these first two tracks fit the game, too!