Non-orchestrated Placeholder Planetside Music leaked (Spoiler)

[RovingDeath]

TR sounds like it was written by Gustav Holst, loving it =D

[Red Beard]

Speaking as NC...

I can tell that one of the goals of this project was to inject more variation between the factions, which I think is definitely the way to go. This also raises the bar in terms of both stretching the range of the composer and being able to capture the spirit of a large group of people that already have a preconceived notion of what their faction is about. No easy task. I will give you my thoughts on how accurately the music captured what I thought the factions were about.

VANU SOVEREIGNTY
Awesome; hit the nail on the head...Vanu music is exactly how I pictured it...modern theme with emphasis on them being 'the future'. Reminds me of science fiction/action movies; which is perfect imo. Futuristic and tech savvy.

TERRAN REPUBLIC
Orchestral, epic, with lots of brass instruments. The first two evoke feelings of nationalism, pride and honour, while the latter I think captures the idea of duty, service, and sacrifice. Embodies the core theme of Planetside quite well, and as such should be most similar to the Main theme of the game. Epic war movie FTW!

NEW CONGLOMERATE
I want to start off by saying 'the Don' captured *exactly* what he was going for in his approach with the NC. Having said that; I think he missed the mark in terms of capturing the feel of the faction. Here's why I think that...It's clear that he was going for the 'cool rebel' as a way of differentiating it from the TR (which ideologically they are the most similar to...also the reason they hate each other the most ). As was said previously in the thread, it conjures images of some badass dude off by himself smoking a cigar. The twang also conjures a hint of 'backwardness'...if not that, then at least a rural feeling of isolation. Also as previously stated in this thread, it does conjure up a corny image of "Snake" from "Escape From New York" and "Escape From LA".

My problem with this approach isn't that it's bad music, but it fundamentally goes the opposite direction of the ideology of Planetside, which is team play.

The badass off smoking a cigar in the desert 'plays by his own rules', and tends to be 'too cool' to put aside his ego to fight for freedom with his brothers in arms which is (in reality) what the New Conglomerate is about.

I can see the conversation Higby had with him even; the key word 'the Don' took away from it was Higby's use of the word "rebel", rather than "freedom".

This ideologically took the music of the NC towards individualism rather than unification against tyranny, and herein lies the paradox of the TR and the NC; "Is the idea of unity limited to the TR, or is it rather epitomized in the TR and common to all the factions"? I would say the latter.

I think this is the root of where the dissatisfaction with NC is coming from (amoung those who are actually dissatisfied at least!)

I have seen Higby's comment about the synth being dropped in the final product (a decision I like), though I suspect it will move it from the 'hillbilly' feel more towards something like the 'Guns n Roses' feel. Having said that, I'm pretty sure the vision of 'rebel' goes deeper than that, and I suspect the mood it conjures will still rub people the wrong way; being a team-based game at it's core.

Of course being a pragmatist, I understand that at this point it's probably too late to do much about that, so I'm just (really) hoping they get rid of the twang (please no twang!).

Don't let my faction bias bring you down though, overall this score is fantastic, and brings to light how much Don's work has influenced the culture of this game, which I fully expect to be vastly larger and more successful than the last.

[Shiftfaced]

Originally Posted by Red Beard

Speaking as NC...

I can tell that one of the goals of this project was to inject more variation between the factions, which I think is definitely the way to go. This also raises the bar in terms of both stretching the range of the composer and being able to capture the spirit of a large group of people that already have a preconceived notion of what their faction is about. No easy task. I will give you my thoughts on how accurately the music captured what I thought the factions were about.

VANU SOVEREIGNTY
Awesome; hit the nail on the head...Vanu music is exactly how I pictured it...modern theme with emphasis on them being 'the future'. Reminds me of science fiction/action movies; which is perfect imo. Futuristic and tech savvy.

TERRAN REPUBLIC
Orchestral, epic, with lots of brass instruments. The first two evoke feelings of nationalism, pride and honour, while the latter I think captures the idea of duty, service, and sacrifice. Embodies the core theme of Planetside quite well, and as such should be most similar to the Main theme of the game. Epic war movie FTW!

NEW CONGLOMERATE
I want to start off by saying 'the Don' captured *exactly* what he was going for in his approach with the NC. Having said that; I think he missed the mark in terms of capturing the feel of the faction. Here's why I think that...It's clear that he was going for the 'cool rebel' as a way of differentiating it from the TR (which ideologically they are the most similar to...also the reason they hate each other the most ). As was said previously in the thread, it conjures images of some badass dude off by himself smoking a cigar. The twang also conjures a hint of 'backwardness'...if not that, then at least a rural feeling of isolation. Also as previously stated in this thread, it does conjure up a corny image of "Snake" from "Escape From New York" and "Escape From LA".

My problem with this approach isn't that it's bad music, but it fundamentally goes the opposite direction of the ideology of Planetside, which is team play.

The badass off smoking a cigar in the desert 'plays by his own rules', and tends to be 'too cool' to put aside his ego to fight for freedom with his brothers in arms which is (in reality) what the New Conglomerate is about.

I can see the conversation Higby had with him even; the key word 'the Don' took away from it was Higby's use of the word "rebel", rather than "freedom".

This ideologically took the music of the NC towards individualism rather than unification against tyranny, and herein lies the paradox of the TR and the NC; "Is the idea of unity limited to the TR, or is it rather epitomized in the TR and common to all the factions"? I would say the latter.

I think this is the root of where the dissatisfaction with NC is coming from (amoung those who are actually dissatisfied at least!)

I have seen Higby's comment about the synth being dropped in the final product (a decision I like), though I suspect it will move it from the 'hillbilly' feel more towards something like the 'Guns n Roses' feel. Having said that, I'm pretty sure the vision of 'rebel' goes deeper than that, and I suspect the mood it conjures will still rub people the wrong way being a team-based game at the core.

Of course being a pragmatist, I understand that at this point it's probably too late to do much about that, so I'm just (really) hoping they get rid of the twang (please no twang!).

Don't let my faction bias bring you down though, overall this score is fantastic, and brings to light how much Don's work has influenced the culture of this game, which I fully expect to be vastly larger and more successful than the last.

The way you described it is exactly how I felt about it as far as the styles of music along with their respective factions. They hit the nail on the head with them all imo.

[Mr DeCastellac]

Ah, I'd like to also add that some of the VS music sounds a LOT like Frozen Synapse.

A LOT.

[Landtank]

Originally Posted by Red Beard

Speaking as NC...

I can tell that one of the goals of this project was to inject more variation between the factions, which I think is definitely the way to go. This also raises the bar in terms of both stretching the range of the composer and being able to capture the spirit of a large group of people that already have a preconceived notion of what their faction is about. No easy task. I will give you my thoughts on how accurately the music captured what I thought the factions were about.

VANU SOVEREIGNTY
Awesome; hit the nail on the head...Vanu music is exactly how I pictured it...modern theme with emphasis on them being 'the future'. Reminds me of science fiction/action movies; which is perfect imo. Futuristic and tech savvy.

TERRAN REPUBLIC
Orchestral, epic, with lots of brass instruments. The first two evoke feelings of nationalism, pride and honour, while the latter I think captures the idea of duty, service, and sacrifice. Embodies the core theme of Planetside quite well, and as such should be most similar to the Main theme of the game. Epic war movie FTW!

NEW CONGLOMERATE
I want to start off by saying 'the Don' captured *exactly* what he was going for in his approach with the NC. Having said that; I think he missed the mark in terms of capturing the feel of the faction. Here's why I think that...It's clear that he was going for the 'cool rebel' as a way of differentiating it from the TR (which ideologically they are the most similar to...also the reason they hate each other the most ). As was said previously in the thread, it conjures images of some badass dude off by himself smoking a cigar. The twang also conjures a hint of 'backwardness'...if not that, then at least a rural feeling of isolation. Also as previously stated in this thread, it does conjure up a corny image of "Snake" from "Escape From New York" and "Escape From LA".

My problem with this approach isn't that it's bad music, but it fundamentally goes the opposite direction of the ideology of Planetside, which is team play.

The badass off smoking a cigar in the desert 'plays by his own rules', and tends to be 'too cool' to put aside his ego to fight for freedom with his brothers in arms which is (in reality) what the New Conglomerate is about.

I can see the conversation Higby had with him even; the key word 'the Don' took away from it was Higby's use of the word "rebel", rather than "freedom".

This ideologically took the music of the NC towards individualism rather than unification against tyranny, and herein lies the paradox of the TR and the NC; "Is the idea of unity limited to the TR, or is it rather epitomized in the TR and common to all the factions"? I would say the latter.

I think this is the root of where the dissatisfaction with NC is coming from (amoung those who are actually dissatisfied at least!)

I have seen Higby's comment about the synth being dropped in the final product (a decision I like), though I suspect it will move it from the 'hillbilly' feel more towards something like the 'Guns n Roses' feel. Having said that, I'm pretty sure the vision of 'rebel' goes deeper than that, and I suspect the mood it conjures will still rub people the wrong way; being a team-based game at it's core.

Of course being a pragmatist, I understand that at this point it's probably too late to do much about that, so I'm just (really) hoping they get rid of the twang (please no twang!).

Don't let my faction bias bring you down though, overall this score is fantastic, and brings to light how much Don's work has influenced the culture of this game, which I fully expect to be vastly larger and more successful than the last.

Very well said and written.

I imagined a more orchestral sound to the New Conglomerate theme, but with LOTS of string instruments along with a background brass theme, something like this:


To me that is one of the best songs ever written for a game, it gives me chills every. single. time I play Ace Combat.

[Red Beard]

Originally Posted by Landtank

Very well said and written.

I imagined a more orchestral sound to the New Conglomerate theme, but with LOTS of string instruments along with a background brass theme, something like this:

Ace Combat 6 Soundtrack: Liberation of Gracemaria - YouTube

To me that is one of the best songs ever written for a game, it gives me chills every. single. time I play Ace Combat.

Yeah you're right; this one captures the upbeat nature of the NC (as a previous poster pointed out). This is very much the kind of thing I was expecting.

[HenchAnt]

Originally Posted by Red Beard

My problem with this approach isn't that it's bad music, but it fundamentally goes the opposite direction of the ideology of Planetside, which is team play.

The badass off smoking a cigar in the desert 'plays by his own rules', and tends to be 'too cool' to put aside his ego to fight for freedom with his brothers in arms which is (in reality) what the New Conglomerate is about.

While you make a well stated point, I disagree.

At least to me, the music reminds me more of ... a bunch of outlaws. Kind of like an A-Team feeling, even if the music is quite different.

You actually have this in the score, with the different instruments taking turns; getting more pronounced, perhaps having a solo, and then drifting in the background again and something else takes over the limelight.

So yeah, to me the music feels very coordinated, yet still more individualistic then the TR or VS score. I actually find this very fitting, a bit like Jazz: Individualistic and a great team effort at the same time. I would expect this effect to get more pronounced once the synth gets replaced by even more discernable instruments.

[The Leviathan]

Originally Posted by Higby

Without condoning the leak and downloads I will say that all of this music is temp, synthesizer mockups. All of it is getting fully orchestrated with live instruments. This will make the biggest impact on the NC music since synth electric guitar sounds the worst of any synth instrument, and the least impact on the VS music since it will still be largely synth in the final, the TR music will sound more lush overall, but the synth instruments used in those tracks have better fidelity. So keep that in mind while you rock out.

Can't wait to see the final product!!
Does anyone know who orchestrated/composed each factions music?

[Red Beard]

Originally Posted by The Leviathan

Can't wait to see the final product!!
Does anyone know who orchestrated/composed each factions music?

Here you go:
http://www.donferronemusic.com/index.php?s=home

[NCLynx]

Originally Posted by jakaul

Nickelback Conglomerate lol

VS and TR are pretty epic, I'd listen to either of them when I'm doing work.

You've clearly not heard much Nickleback, and I pray it stays that way I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

The NC music sounded more akin to the Terran's music in StarCraft 1/2

VS and TR were pretty good too. The neutral main theme, oh man new pants are needed.

[Vancha]

VS: Sounds great.

NC: Will sound great. I think the character and style is spot on. Please don't change this. <3

TR: This is the only thing I can criticize. The TR tracks sounded more general-purpose than TR-centric. Some of the tracks sounded slightly militaristic, some sounded slightly ceremonial, some sounded like an epic movie soundtrack and some reminded me of Andromeda's soundtrack. Apart from being generally orchestral, there didn't seem to be much of a theme running through them.

A dictatorship state propaganda theme for TR almost seems too obvious, but I feel they need something, because their music lacks character the most. VS is clearly VS, NC is clearly NC, but TR's...It just fits the game in general. It could just as easily be NC's soundtrack.

[jakaul]

Originally Posted by NCLynx

You've clearly not heard much Nickleback, and I pray it stays that way I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

The NC music sounded more akin to the Terran's music in StarCraft 1/2

VS and TR were pretty good too. The neutral main theme, oh man new pants are needed.

I first heard/saw Nickelback when they were on the B stage of a concert up here near Seattle. Nobody knew who they were, they played a good show with good music. Downhill from there. I stand by my original assessment.

[NewSith]

Here are more music thoughts. That's exactly the said "hillbilly music" but remade into EPICness with one single instrument. Try removing it in your imagination and you'll see that it doesn't differ much from the current NC music.

Everytime I listen to it and put it on PlanetSide 2 Lore I imagine soldiers buffing up in a homemade gym, workers welding armor plates and weaponry to civil vehicles and stuff, people queuing for guns, mercenaries giving extensive military training to NC recruits.

THAT'S what you call resistance...

[Red Beard]

Originally Posted by NewSith

Here are more music thoughts. That's exactly the said "hillbilly music" but remade into EPICness with one single instrument. Try removing it in your imagination and you'll see that it doesn't differ much from the current NC music.

Everytime I listen to it and put it on PlanetSide 2 Lore I imagine soldiers buffing up in a homemade gym, workers welding armor plates and weaponry to civil vehicles and stuff, people queuing for guns, mercenaries giving extensive military training to NC recruits.

THAT'S what you call resistance...

C&amp;C Generals - USA Track 6 (music) - YouTube
C&amp;C Generals Zero Hour music (Main Theme) - YouTube
C&amp;C Generals - USA Track 3 (music) - YouTube

Yeah I like the approach of these ones as well (though a little less). In an ideological sense, I have always looked at the balance of planetside being represented by a triangle. However I don't look at it as an equilateral triangle; more of an Isosceles, with the Vanu Sovereignty being the "odd one out", or the "X-Factor" if you will. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I think the reason the NC and TR hate each other the most is at least in part because "familiarity breeds contempt".

For this reason I'm inclined to feel like the styles of music of the TR and NC should share a common root with different spins on them. This is also why it's fitting that the Vanu wear purple.

[Zolan]

They should leave the NC music synthesized and make it twice as loud during re-spawn.

That way the NC can get mad while getting mad.