I am working on a reflex-based game, and it needs some music. Music, as I have observed from other games of the genre (i.e. Super Hexagon, Pivvot, Bobbing), is very important, as it both rewards the player for getting farther, and sets the challenging mood. I am trying to find jumpy, stressful music, preferably electronic. The Impossible Game is a good example of what I want.
I had no luck searching for this kind of music on public domain / royalty free music sites, unfortunately, and I definitely cannot make any music of my own.
I haven’t really researched this as much as I should, but I think that sometimes a game maker and a composer can work out a mutually beneficial arrangement. For example, the game maker is allowed to use a piece, but provides links to the composer’s site or to a place where the game player can buy an mp3 or song file that is an arrangement or version of the game music.
The one example I recall like this was in a game called “Entanglement”. http://entanglement.gopherwoodstudios.com/
Somewhere on their site, if I remember correctly, they talk about the music and give a link to the composer’s site where a purchase can be made. They may have payed a small fee upfront. I can’t recall the details–it was a couple years ago when I found this and filed it away as something to eventually try out myself.
The music for that particular game is NOT what you described as would fit your game. But maybe if the composer finds those sorts of deals work, chances are the composer can also write something more along the lines of what you are wanting.
If that doesn’t work, or you find yourself still looking for music a few weeks from now, I have a special case situation that could allow some sort of trade off. I’ve been working on a procedural music engine, and am looking for an opportunity to give it a go. Your post reminds me of a poppy, driving synth piece I wrote a long time ago (played it in a rock band in the 1980’s actually, but that band didn’t make it out of the garage) that I think is exactly the sort of thing you describe. But this isn’t a situation where I’d just record it and hand over cues. I want to have the game play the score procedurally. So, your game would have to have some slack processing capacity, and you’d have to have some time. (We’d work out an api between us customized for your game, and I’d supply the needed libraries.)
A very simple working example of the procedural music engine is at this link:
If you listen to the “SquareWave” and “Sawtooth” synths, and imagine that sound with a really punchy attack instead of a slow fade (very easy for me to reprogram their envelopes), those are two synths that can be run for pretty cheap (just two FM oscillators). I’ve also managed to get flanging/chorusing working and that does a great job of thickening textures. Of course, a circle of notes is a lot less interesting than a good rhythm, but this audio event system I wrote is capable of solid rhythmic precision. As I wrote on that post, that drone tool is a stepping stone project.
Ah, there is a lot here I really want to get to! If not your project, maybe in a few more weeks I’ll have a better demo of what I’m talking about, and a proposal like this won’t be so speculative. 8) But also, there do remain unproven aspects–I still need to tighten up the coding so it uses less cpu. :emo:
Well I have a friend who is very capable with music production and has made and does make the kind of music I think you are looking for. He would I’m sure be happy to work on the basis of credit given and links provided. If you’re interested, pm me and I can get in touch.
