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Rixx
2010-01-20, 07:22 PM
Hello, all! I recently ran my first game of Pathfinder and I'm proud to report that it was more or less a hit. Of course, the system is a bit irrelevant, because I'm making this topic to discuss what surprised me most - they really like my 8-bit background music.

See, I like to have an adventurous, more lighthearted tone to my adventures - and I noticed that 8 bit music seems to capture that mood rather well. Luckily, I stumbled upon a program called GSXCC, which can convert any MIDI file into an 8 bit song.

http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-SanJose/8700/P/GsorigE.htm

Over the course of several weeks before I ever ran a session, I converted many a midi and built up an impressive roster of 123 songs, sorted by when they would play - primary categories being Battle, Environment, Mood, and Situational. From there, I subdivided them further by title - Battle has generic "Battle" tracks labeled "Battle1, Battle2, etc.", but also more specific ones like "Boss1, Boss2, Boss3", and even more specific categories like "Rivals", "MadnessBattle", "EpicBoss", and the like. The others are divided similarly - Mood has "Happy", "Bittersweet", "Mellow", "Doom" and more - Situational has "Briefing", "HappyEnd", "GoTime", "DarkRitual", and the like. This system has worked out really well for bringing up appropriate music quickly, and none of it seems incongruous or out of place with the rest of the tracks, as they have all been converted to 8 bit.

And the players loved it! They said that the 8 bit music really set the mood and tone for the adventure, and really helped keeping momentum and immersion during periods of silence. (It also provided me with a handy tool - if they ever strayed off topic or stopped paying attention, I'd stop the music. That'd get the hint across.)

It also helped mess with them - I played the most panic-y tension song I had when they were in absolutely no danger. They were freaking out.

Anyway, what this topic is about: I'm wondering what songs all of you think as far as suggesting songs to add to my collection! Any song that has a MIDI file is eligible - if it's from a video game, you can find a huge collection of video game MIDI files here:

http://www.vgmusic.com/

Usually, anything that carries an obvious mood or situation with it is ideal - merely "cool songs" wont' cut it if I can't ever use them. (Believe me, I had to woefully leave out some of my favorite tunes from the collection just because they had little utility).

And as neat as it is when a player recognizes a song, if it happens too often, the game gets derailed - so anything too mainstream or recognizable is probably a no-go as well.

Feel free to post direct links to the files, by the way.

Once I get back to my home, I'll probably post a bunch of samples from my collection. If I can find a suitable host, I might even post the entire thing! (Be forewarned: some of the music names make sense only to me, like "Steppin")

So, suggestions? Thoughts?

Optimystik
2010-01-20, 07:24 PM
http://ocremix.org/

Also, kudos for the great idea.

Rixx
2010-01-20, 07:25 PM
http://ocremix.org/

Also, kudos for the great idea.

Haha, thanks for the kudos! But I need MIDI files - MP3s aren't exactly convertable, and OC remixes tend to be anything but 8 bit.

ShippoWildheart
2010-01-20, 10:33 PM
What is their opinion on 16-bit/32-bit/64-bit music?

Yes, I went there. Would they be happy if you were to play music from Chrono Trigger at the right moment? :smallbiggrin:

Rixx
2010-01-20, 10:34 PM
That's the magical thing - I can take MIDIs from 16 bit games and above and turn them into 8 bit music.

ShippoWildheart
2010-01-20, 10:37 PM
That's the magical thing - I can take MIDIs from 16 bit games and above and turn them into 8 bit music.

I LIKE it. Thanks for the links. :thog:

Rixx
2010-01-20, 11:47 PM
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZQZAOOEW

Here's a few favorites from my collection. (Careful - it's about 80 megabytes!)

ShippoWildheart
2010-01-22, 12:31 AM
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZQZAOOEW

Here's a few favorites from my collection. (Careful - it's about 80 megabytes!)

Downloading at ~500 kb/sec. Took less than 5 minutes. :biggrin:

Gralamin
2010-01-22, 01:28 AM
Well, you have quite a bit of songs there, and It'd definitely help if you posted a full list of which ones you used.

Heres a few more obscure songs from the top of my head:
Treasure of the Rudras - Parade (http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/snes/RnH_Parade.mid)
Treasure of the Rudras - Edge of Darkness (http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/snes/rudora_no_hihou_japan_-_edge_of_darkness.mid)
Fury 3 - Premonition (http://www.vgmusic.com/music/computer/microsoft/windows/Fury3_-_Premonition_V2_0.mid)


In addition, I know Widisoft (http://www.widisoft.com/) is supposed to be pretty good for converting MP3's to midis, and from there you could convert to 8-bit, but double conversion usually leads to significant quality loss.

Kosjsjach
2010-01-22, 02:16 AM
:smallbiggrin: Gotta say, I love the idea. Downloading now; thanks!

Rixx
2010-01-22, 03:56 AM
Haha, thanks, Gralamin! Those are just the kind of suggestions I need.

And to be honest, I couldn't tell you which ones I used. Sometimes I'll download a song from a game I've never played and convert it just to see how it sounds. In any case, after I convert and rename a file, the original song's identification is lost.

I will tell you, though, they come from unexpected places. "Briefing1" is from a Kirby game. "Planning2" is from Battletoads.

Attilargh
2010-01-22, 05:26 AM
Hey, this stuff is really good. You're a genius! So, uh, would it be possible to get your whole collection somewhere? Say, in .torrent form?

Also, re: Suggestions for game music to 8-bitify: Many Ace Attorney themes have a definite mood to them, Guilty Gear soundtracks should work well for the fighty and action-filled bits, and Okami should provide you with something.

Steelblood
2010-01-22, 07:00 AM
Nifty idea i used to do this while playing Heroquest, well not that in depth.

SpikeFightwicky
2010-01-22, 10:12 AM
I think any game that involves a castle or dungeon needs the 8-bit Shadowgate music (still have the NES cart :smallbiggrin:). The main song fits into almost any 'no stress' situation. Plus, if you TPK, there's the game over music that the PCs can listen to while you show them a picture of the grim reaper. I don't think Shadowgate was very mainstream, so it should work out.


Luckily, I stumbled upon a program called GSXCC, which can convert any MIDI file into an 8 bit song.

Is the final product decent (not skewed or anything)? If so, my Lands of Lore and Dune 2 midis are going 8-bit!

Rixx
2010-01-22, 03:48 PM
The program makes surprisingly good conversions out of MIDI files. The only files that don't convert well were either not good MIDI files to begin with, or used a lot of weird tricks to get interesting sounds out of the limited MIDI instrument set (that doesn't translate well when the instruments are changed).

And I'm hesitant to post my entire collection, because it's still woefully incomplete. I mean, I have multiple files for "happy cold environment" but none for "cold environment".

Dust
2010-01-22, 03:51 PM
Downloaded that file as well and equally impressed; I'll be using that!
Would also be interested in a quasi-complete collection upload.

Rixx
2010-01-22, 06:36 PM
Thanks a lot for the kind words, everyone!

Once I get some more niches filled, I'll see what I can do about posting up most of what I have somehow. I must warn you all, though, since I did make it for my personal use it is rather unexplained and esoterically organized.