Fortnightly Update #5-2022
Welcome to the fifth music update of 2022
First: Anbennar fans only need to wait ~2 more weeks for the new music track, Dusk of an Empire, to arrive... get ready!!
Second: I was having a chat with my good friend Parmelion a couple weeks ago about music for Ante Bellum's 1.8 update and we touched on percussion and drums. Traditionally, this has always been a weak point in my compositions. When I first started composing my sound libraries didn't have any percussion sounds, so I never had the chance to practice. Even now the range of sounds available to me is quite limited.
So maybe I let my friend down by saying I might not do a good job at it.
But what I didn't tell Parmie is that I can sometimes, with great effort, find acceptable workarounds within my current environment. What might sound like a ringing cymbal is actually just a fading drum kit, or that deep drum roll is 4 different instruments layered on top of each other. In fact, the modern drum kit is often one of my primary percussion instruments in orchestral arrangements these days!
So after this conversation I decided to put a bit more effort into my percussion "hacks". I've been experimenting with a variety of sounds and combos to try bring a bit more life into my percussion. Because I am nostalgic about Halo: Reach, below you can listen to a little rhythm I made that reminds me of Marty's Halo music.
One day I hope to upgrade my sound libraries for better and more immersive percussion. But until then I will be putting more effort into my percussion for future pieces. Hopefully you will hear a bit more colour and life coming through!
Third: I'm thinking of doing monthly polls on Youtube. There's one up now, but keep an eye out for more in future as well!
Enjoy!
- Utopia