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GoblinGilmartin
2013-08-17, 11:46 PM
I'm playing a game of AD&D2 over roll20, and I was hoping i could get some suggestions for background noise. The bulk of their jukebox seems to be dubstep and metal remixes of things.

I'm looking for some real ambiance. Fer instance, I just (literally) dropped my party in the middle of an old, mostly buried in sand ruin. I want something quiet and echo-y and a little creepy to play in the back ground. any thoughts? I'd also enjoy recommendations for anything else you can think of, just tell me what it's for. A meeting with the King or flying on an airship. Much appreciated!

JHShadon
2013-08-18, 12:20 AM
Path of Exile has some nice music, this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INumw27fxLo) song might be good for the ruin.

Jaycemonde
2013-08-18, 01:25 AM
Silence II (http://lapfox.bandcamp.com/album/silence-ii) and Idea(l(s)) (http://lapfox.bandcamp.com/album/idea-l-s) by Aurastys are great starting points, although a few specific tracks are definitely of a faster and more aggressive tempo (namely, Gjallarhorn and Tweeting) and they carry a sort of electro-horror feel to them that isn't really for everybody. I personally tend to use them when I'm trying to get to sleep after a hard day.

Ultimate_Coffee
2013-08-18, 04:58 AM
I use the Final Fantasy 9 soundtrack (they did a great job keeping a great feel for the era in that one) along with Goat's Unchosen Paths (http://castlegoat.blogspot.com/p/unchosen-paths-is-guitar-driven-tribute.html). It works really well for me.

Radar
2013-08-18, 07:51 AM
All right, I'll just dump this pile of links in the corner over there:
1. Witcher (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_Nt-gLqOQk) soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6antggGlH8) for general dark mood.

2. Rajna (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrr1sLgf3pU) might fit the desert and ruin theme (see also this piece (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmBL79rGFl0)).

2.a) In the same vein, one might look into Dead (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zReWPjreJzI) Can (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJhFhJFEcU) Dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQJ60TZy9b4) and Irfan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaFfL1laboY).

3. Conan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j6nyEcIk98) the Barbarian (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKYAruk_BPM) soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7VKwS5K-Hc) (the old movie obviously) for all your savage and epic needs.

4. Faun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2mAEr0Ggb0) produces very interesting (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h42gjj23diY) music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghW0eymvqhY).

5. Arcana (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ILar5Dl8U) might be a good choice as well (see also this piece (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdrAOxpH06A)).

6. Krzesimir Dębski is a great composer. For the purpose of RPG, you should look into soundtracks of two movies: Ogniem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU9awaRxqCI) i Mieczem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0drHclGf0oE) and Stara (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJygzsHs3FQ) Baśń (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbPoId0a7F8).

I'll try to find music for specific themes later.

TroubleBrewing
2013-08-18, 09:58 AM
For in-game "landscape shots" I usually use Johan de Meij's Symphony no. 1. Music written for the Lord of the Rings decades before the movie was even an idea.

Zahhak
2013-08-18, 11:18 AM
Nox Arcana (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP3zLExMIzE)
Two Steps from Hell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYKUeZQbMF0)
Lindsey Stirling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dfZ9BXaNyE)
Voltaire. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cogk_2E6hDQ)

[/thread]

LimeSkeleton
2013-08-18, 12:22 PM
Nox Arcana (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP3zLExMIzE)
Two Steps from Hell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYKUeZQbMF0)
Lindsey Stirling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dfZ9BXaNyE)
Voltaire. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cogk_2E6hDQ)

[/thread]

I second that, anything from Two Steps From Hell is excellent for a d&d game.

TroubleBrewing
2013-08-18, 01:54 PM
For other game music ideas, I actually started a thread on this a couple of days ago. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=297981)

It's mostly classical stuff, but that's good for D&D, right? :smallsmile:

GoblinGilmartin
2013-08-19, 12:19 PM
I'm also looking for songs for my bard player's bardic music. probably some instrumentals.

Many of your suggestion are really good, but they're so heavy and grand! I was hoping for some thing a little more ambiance-y.

Manly Man
2013-08-19, 01:09 PM
You could try pretty much anything by Enya for the Bard, as well as Vitamin String Quartet stuff if he's got a violin or a cello.

MY CELLO'S MUCH BIGGER THAN YOURS!!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poV1qerYxa0)

Radar
2013-08-19, 02:42 PM
I'm also looking for songs for my bard player's bardic music. probably some instrumentals.
Something like Greensleeves (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wARiOb80Zr0) or something more wild like Ian Andersons' flute solo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsL2I_Fwor8)? Awe inspiring guitar playing Dominic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2BOApUvFpw) Frasca (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N4QqCJp0qM)? Classic violin in hands of Yehudi Menuhin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BufBS9BlBqs)? Poetic harp play by Edmar Castaneda (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SNhAKyXtC8)?


Many of your suggestion are really good, but they're so heavy and grand! I was hoping for some thing a little more ambiance-y.
Tough cookie - adventures are usualy about being larger then life, doing the impossible and piercing the heavens. I'm not sure, if I get the ambience part. Let's see...
How this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zbK1SXlVio) sounds? It's made by Geinoh (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvgl86cCibA) Yamashirogumi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdRAQWp73S4) - they usualy do ominous or really unusual music (often both at the same time).

Maybe simply just use actual sounds of nature? There are hours upon hours of this stuff out there - just type X sound in YouTube search (forests, rain, sea, streams, birds, etc.).

GoblinGilmartin
2013-08-19, 03:09 PM
Tough cookie - adventures are usualy about being larger then life, doing the impossible and piercing the heavens. I'm not sure, if I get the ambience part. Let's see...
How this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zbK1SXlVio) sounds? It's made by Geinoh (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvgl86cCibA) Yamashirogumi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdRAQWp73S4) - they usualy do ominous or really unusual music (often both at the same time).

Maybe simply just use actual sounds of nature? There are hours upon hours of this stuff out there - just type X sound in YouTube search (forests, rain, sea, streams, birds, etc.).

the Yamashirogumi piece is perfect for the underground ruin, almost! When I say ambiance, take the LOTR OST as a bad example. that music is mostly meant for sweeping tracking shots over great battles. I'm looking for something a little more....claustrophobic? I think that's the best way to but it. Something more personal.

also, a note on the bard music, i'm looking for single instrument, stringed probably. I noticed Uke music seemed to fit pretty well, but actual lute or gittern stuff would work well.

Sunfall
2013-08-20, 08:38 AM
I hear you, Mastergilgamesh. It's true, finding good ambiance music is much harder than a sweeping, epic battle (or scenery) tune. When there's a full orchestration booming at you every moment, you'll have no means of distinguishing the real epic battles from the rest (and I have often found epic music in a loop distracting - you lose the low, quiet moments).

Don't get me wrong, the likes of Nox Arcana or Two Steps From Hell have brilliant music, but it's often that orchestrated, heartwrenching music that should be reserved for a truly epic climax. (That said, I think, Nox Arcana might have some ambient pieces, but you'd have to filter them very carefully. They've got some really great horror ambiance, though... All calliopes, music boxes and eerie singing children :smalleek:)

I've had very good experiences with some movie and game soundtracks. Depending on the movie or game, they can be devoid of these epic moments, leaving you to choose different music for when you really want to make an impact. Unobtrusive is the key word here.

My favorites at the moment are

Moon OST (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pqxRCUp4r0)
Great for horror and mystery campaigns, a wonderful ominous soundtrack for subtly building suspense (great movie, too, but not easy to watch). It might be a bit too modern for what you have in mind, but I have already used it for fantasy backgrounds as I think it's rather timeless. It's my go-to background music any day. But then, I like to GM ominous plots :smallbiggrin:

Journey OST (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3hFN8UrBPw)
Brilliant, brilliant game. A light, more fantasy-inspired soundtrack that's settled comfortably somewhere between Asian and Celtic influences. It is mostly quiet and serene but offers some wonderful dance-like tunes for swift traveling and taverns (like in the video from 9:30 or 16:50).

ICO OST (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbPAi5qf2tY&list=PL5CEBEE1402290A75)
This one is still more on the fantasy side, but a bit melancholic. It's mostly ambient sounds with surprising melodies and instruments interspersed and has a great ending credits song.

Radar
2013-08-20, 11:52 AM
This will be tricky, but let's try again then:
Clannad might set a good mood - especially their Legend (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Qo4vxXpC8) album (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnkWvh1pvU8), but it might be too cheerful at times.

Background music from Wizardry 8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odwzDtF0vhQ) (also this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa3UMq8UioQ) and this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT-_Q5lrZ6g) piece) might work and it can be looped without anyone noticing.

Same goes for Planscape (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZOuy4YM0AI): Torment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YZ_fevNhws)- the music is really great in this one.

Maybe something from Fullmetal Alchemist might work as well. Sure, the show is full of music that rolls over you like a tank (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18_epz3QDYU) platoon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zGqN8turcA), but there is also a lot of toned down pieces (both serene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8cqE0kJBQ) and sinister (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myZXDLvSjKg&list=PL88B43C6B46B6CBE2)).

As a side note, songs to fly to:
1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B6-1LRrtMg), 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYifiRF8r5E), 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtPwS0r-YtE), 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c51xQc03W6Y).

Bulhakov
2013-08-20, 12:43 PM
The first Fallouts had a lot of what you're looking for (dark ambient background sounds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds71pvzOBTE

Eonas
2013-08-24, 12:25 PM
I'm playing a game of AD&D2 over roll20, and I was hoping i could get some suggestions for background noise. The bulk of their jukebox seems to be dubstep and metal remixes of things.

I'm looking for some real ambiance. Fer instance, I just (literally) dropped my party in the middle of an old, mostly buried in sand ruin. I want something quiet and echo-y and a little creepy to play in the back ground. any thoughts? I'd also enjoy recommendations for anything else you can think of, just tell me what it's for. A meeting with the King or flying on an airship. Much appreciated!

There's an entire genre dealing with this. It's called Dark Ambient. Try Lustmord, Atrium Carceri, Nocturnal Emissions, Za Frumi, even Brian Eno.

Dr. Yes
2013-08-26, 09:33 AM
For creepy ambiance—cave crawling, being stalked through the wilderness, exploring dead places, and what have you—I can think of nothing more thematically resonant than the Haxan Cloak (http://soundcloud.com/tri_angle_records/the-haxan-cloak-the-mirror). The linked track is one of his fastest-moving songs, included here to provide a listenable entry point to the album as a whole. Put Excavation on loop and watch your players get paranoid.

Eonas
2013-08-26, 12:03 PM
For creepy ambiance—cave crawling, being stalked through the wilderness, exploring dead places, and what have you—I can think of nothing more thematically resonant than the Haxan Cloak (http://soundcloud.com/tri_angle_records/the-haxan-cloak-the-mirror). The linked track is one of his fastest-moving songs, included here to provide a listenable entry point to the album as a whole. Put Excavation on loop and watch your players get paranoid.

Thank you, that's an excellent artist!

Sunfall
2013-08-27, 03:14 PM
Whoa, Dr. Yes - that brought my heart rate right up :smalleek:

It's a bit electronic, but I can totally see it work for scaring your players senseless... ("No...No, nothing's gonna happen in this abandoned asylum. Why do you ask?" :smallbiggrin:)

(@Eonas: Love the Jean Michel Jarre avvie, BTW. It's been some time...)

Arkhosia
2013-09-02, 05:31 PM
Beast of Pirate's Bay is an excellent tavern song, and Skyrim's soundtrack has some too.

Also, the Inception Theme is good for chases or races against time.

GoblinGilmartin
2013-09-03, 12:18 PM
These are all really good suggestions folks! My only issue is that, in my case, I'm limited to what I can find on the Roll20 jukebox. If I can ask that you keep suggestions coming? I think this thread would be a really good tool for other GMs.

Rondodu
2013-09-04, 03:52 PM
I understand that Roll20 jukebox revolves around SoundCloud. That’s quite restrictive. I’ve looked a bit for Dowland or Attaignant/Attaingnant and explored from there. Here’s what I found which range from acceptable to great. I’ll let you find them on roll20 as I don’t have an account.

Lute or plucked strings solo:
Dowland, Frogg Galiard, by Thomas Dunford (https://soundcloud.com/outhere-music/john-dowland-frogg-galiard)
Attaignant, La Magdalena, by Giovanni Monoscalco (https://soundcloud.com/giovanni-monoscalco/13-p-attaignant-la-magdalena)
Most of this guy stuff could do (https://soundcloud.com/luteplayer)

A song with light instrumentation: L’Arpeggiata, La Carpinese. (https://soundcloud.com/outhere-music/larpeggiata-la-tarantella-la) Listen to L’Arpeggiata, they are great.