Background Music for D&D

[Grimmnist]

What sort of background music do you play at your D&D sessions?

I usually play instrumentals, soundtracks to movies or games work well. Recently I used northern european folk music, it has lyrics but since it's in a different language we didn't find it distracting.

[Fightmaster]

I've found orchestral and operatic music helps get my party pumped up. There's also a site called tabletop audio that's useful and lets you make your own grouping of sounds

[Grimmnist]

That's a super cool site. I'll try that out this weekend!

[JAL_1138]

I used to do it a bit, but I'm kind of against background music these days as my hearing gets worse. A brief clip for reference or joke purposes (a clip of what a minstrel is playing, a few seconds of a fight song, or some such) is okay, but full-on background music is either distracting/annoying to try to talk and listen over, or else ends up turned down so low as to be annoying for being hard to hear itself. I'd rather not have it at all these days.

Edit: I should also add that I'm likely an outlier, as I both have some hearing damage (not severe, but enough to be frustrating sometimes, and with persistent tinnitus) and am a bit of a musician myself as well—when I listen to music, I want to hear the music and follow along with it; anything else going on is annoying. In films and videogame cutscenes, the music is tailored to fit the scene (or vice-versa) specifically, and the resultant combination of music and dialogue is then professionally mixed and leveled; talking over music playing in the background at a set volume is a different thing.

[Notafish]

A few years ago I used Herbie Hancock (acid jazz) as "traditional kuo toa folk music" for a non-combat scene. It proved a more divisive choice than I expected. The fighter quickly decided that he hated kuo toa not because the practiced slavery but because their music was "aggressively terrible."

[ThurlRavenscrof]

I used to do soundtracks but didn't like the variety in volume and intensity that naturally goes along with that type of storytelling.
Now I mostly use video game soundtracks. Especially those rerecorded by the London philharmonic orchestra

[Breaklance]

Mostly video game background music. The orchestral remastered chrono trigger had a song for every occasion.

The final fantasy series and Tales games are great sources. And because I love how mellow they are the chanting song from Halo and general Mass Effect theme.

Portal 2 has some more sci fi versions. I also have some stuff from the Yoshida Bros who play the Japanese shamisen (like a banjo) that I use as background "lute" music from my bard

Otherwise on my bard when I play a song I actually play a song and use minor illusion rather loosely for accompaniment. Once as a distraction I decided my bard would start a party - so I played No Sleep Till Brooklyn and Rock n Roll All night.

[JellyPooga]

There is one soundtrack that anyone is allowed to play while playing D&D (or any fantasy RPG for that matter). Ever. And that soundtrack is the original score to the (original) film Conan the Barbarian. It's the actual law to listen to the lamentation of your crushed enemies women, uh, that soundtrack while roleplaying (it's not really); it's truly epic music and is great in the background without distracting from the action of your game...and if you don't listen, then to hell with you :smallbiggrin:

[90,000]

Just so you know, I'm fighting back a mighty temptation to dump my entire D&D music listening playlist right here into the thread.

I can't hold out much longer.

[hymer]

Just so you know, I'm fighting back a mighty temptation to dump my entire D&D music listening playlist right here into the thread.

I can't hold out much longer.

http://i.imgur.com/eOvZjFH.jpg

As for my personal taste, I often use the warcraft 2 soundtrack (minus Medieval Man) for fighty sessions:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGl4slGxY8U

[KorvinStarmast]

Just so you know, I'm fighting back a mighty temptation to dump my entire D&D music listening playlist right here into the thread.
Please do:
My first D&D tape/mix started out with Icarus Borne on Wings of Steel (Kansas) followed by Season of the Witch (Donovan) and went right into No Quarter (Zepplin) Battle of Forevermore (Zepplin) and Ramble On (Zepplin) followed by Born for Adventure (Styx) ... now I need to go and find that tape and recall all of the other stuff on it. Allison Gross by Steeleye Span was on I think the second side ...

[furby076]

I find it to be distracting. Either it's too loud and annoying, or it's so low that who cares. There is a reason why sound effects specialists get paid tons of money in hollywood. It takes a certain skill to set the right mood music, and then play it at the right moment

[FreddyNoNose]

Funker Vogt song Tragic Hero:


https://youtu.be/Cxzawr1UGno

Lyrics:

I saw all the tragedies
Happened to mankind
I am always involved
When trouble hits our life

It's not me to turn the fate
To a better end
What I do will make it worse
So, I stopped interfering

I'm a tragic hero
In this game called life
My chances go to zero
I always will survive

I'm a tragic hero
In this game called life
My chances go to zero
I always will survive

I saw all the great disasters
All over the world
I can only observe
But never interact

It's not on me to turn the fate
To a better end
What I do will make it worse
So, I stopped interfering

I'm a tragic hero
In this game called life
My chances go to zero
I always will survive

I'm a tragic hero
In this game called life
My chances go to zero
I always will survive

Watch out for me and be aware
Now trouble is ahead
Try to avoid my company
So, you will be safe

It's not me to turn the fate
To a better end
What I do will make it worse
So, I stopped interfering

I'm a tragic hero
In this game called life
My chances go to zero
I always will survive

I'm a tragic hero
In this game called life
My chances go to zero
I always will survive

[wilhelmdubdub]

On youtube there are two youtube channels I like, (brandon fiechter) and (derek & brandon fiechter). They make different individual tracks and 1hour mixes for dwarfs, orcs etc. Also, different settings like pirate music, eastern styles and Celtic. Their music has a retro video gamey sound to it.

[Vaz]

Just so you know, I'm fighting back a mighty temptation to dump my entire D&D music listening playlist right here into the thread.

I can't hold out much longer.
Do it. Or at least link to a paste bin. I have close to 500 songs from various video games and films that I have begun to 'curate' into a playlist based on different vibes or events, ranging from 'low tempo combat' to 'boss combat' to regional variants, like 'Desert Combat low/boss' and 'Oriental Combat low/boss', to tavern music (and variants for regions', overworld exploration. Underworld exploration, non combat tense, moments of wonder, Sea Journey, Sci Fi, Steampunk, and even victory fanfares (doodudududoo doo doodudoo)

I actually enjoy listening to soundtracks so if you have some others for me to hunt out, I'd love that.

It's mostly Video Games, but I have Gladiator, Platoon, Last of the Mohicans, Pirates of the Caribbean and 300.

[90,000]

Alright, not gonna post the whole list. But some highlights.

Mood Music (Casual)
Bugge Wesseltoft, Dan Berglund, Henrik Schwarz - This is My Day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDsrfif4vSQ)
Wallace Roney - Smooch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT5gcpjrbpE)
Matthew Halsall - Finding My Way (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbBCIG_KVUQ)
Pekka Pohjola - Sekoilu seestyy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E74aXvrgxWg)
Alex Di Grassi - Turning: Turning Back (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvAhrfXe3jM)
Jon Hassell - Fascinoma (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLcOVaAZTMs)

Mood Music (Ominous)
Bohren und der Club of Gore - On Demon Wings (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aue3NrdtzN0)
Vasilisk - Awakening (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyfKH8G--NA)
Robert Rich & B. Lustmord - Synergistic Perceptions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na240E0d-w8)
Asunta - Landscape IV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDbC-FU-0-0)
Michael Arthur Holloway - Dead Weight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f82_1YdcIcE)
Rapoon - The Kirghiz Light (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR7TxtGFYE8)

Combat
Zion 80 - Araziel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP6hWEEKYAo)
Budapest Klezmer Band - Klezmer Five (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e-CMXCh1J8)
Rob Mazurek Octet - Galactic Ice Skeleton (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bd45UvTeyY)
Iconili - Solar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3PQ1gftm0k)
Soft Machine - Teeth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpOLIQNuekc)
Kelan Philip Cohran & The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - Cuernavaca (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWjupXpntHU)

[latebloomer]

During out last game, the DM played the soundtrack from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," among others. But that music was epic, with the "wah wah wah" bit hitting at just the right spots.

[Magi]

Not music, but background ambient. Tabletop audio have some nice tracks, for example. We are so used to hear background ambient while playing (towns/caves/forest etc) that it feels weird playing in silence.

[Finger6842]

Sadly I can't pull voices out of other sounds very well so I prefer no music when anyone is talking. I'd love to be able to listen to soft music though.

[FreddyNoNose]

Soundtrack for the 1982 version of Conan the Barbarian.

[90,000]

Please do:


http://i.imgur.com/eOvZjFH.jpg

Done. White text

[wilhelmdubdub]

Not music, but background ambient. Tabletop audio have some nice tracks, for example. We are so used to hear background ambient while playing (towns/caves/forest etc) that it feels weird playing in silence.

I just found "The Guild of Ambience" on youtube, worth a look.

[Gwazi Magnum]

I mainly grab soundtracks from video games and anime.

I have too many songs collected over time on roll20 to be able to list each song individually (I'd be here for hours), but I do have an abbreviation list that complies the authors quite nicely. I'll use the type Handbook colour system to illustrate how good each grouping is.

Gold = Amazing, pretty much everything here will work wonders
Light Blue = Pretty Damn Solid, most groups won't regret it
Blue = It's does the job
Black = Average, it's up to personal tastes
Purple = You might get one or two songs out of this, but nothing too great.
Red = I literally only have a single song from these atm, though usually due to player request or just not having actually played it myself yet.

Green = These are more fitting in Sci-Fi themed games than D&D ones.
100 = Mob Psycho 100
2H = Two Steps From Hell
40k = Warhammer 40k
AC = Assassins Creed
AV = Avatar The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra
BL = Borderlands
D&D = Mydnight Syndicates D&D Album
DA = Dragon Age
DOOM = DOOM
DS = Dark Souls
F = Fable
F0 = Fate
GH = Gustav Holst
GoT = Game of Thrones
GW2 = Guild Wars 2
H = Halo
JoJo = Jojo's Bizarre Adventures
KM = Kevin Macleod
M = Merlin
ME = Mass Effect
OB = Oblivion
PAY = Payday 2
PoE = Pillars of Eternity
SAO = Sword Art Online
SK = Skyrim
SW = Star Wars
W = Witcher
Witcher's one song atm is Hunt or be Hunted. It's damn amazing, and the only reason there's isn't more/it's red is because I haven't actually played the game yet.

[Yanecky]

Mostly soundtracks (film and video game), recently in love with Two Steps from Hell's music.
But the problem is that I'm so busy running the game that I don't have time to switch tracks to match them to what's going on...

[hymer]

But the problem is that I'm so busy running the game that I don't have time to switch tracks to match them to what's going on...

This is a problem for me, too. I'd hire a footman, but it's just so hard to find good help these days.

[Vaz]

Mostly soundtracks (film and video game), recently in love with Two Steps from Hell's music.
But the problem is that I'm so busy running the game that I don't have time to switch tracks to match them to what's going on...

Like anything, takes a bit of practise and some downtime to organise playlists but once that is completed, you're home and away. All you need to do is add a little note to your DMing plans at certain points. "Creepy/Dungeon", or "Tavern/Happy" or "Combat/Low"/"Combat Boss" etc and you are gold.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I listen to a whole bunch of different things while playing, but here's a few of my favorites -
Antti Martikainen: A whole bunch of very different sounding songs, but all of them good. "The Last Chronicle" is probably my favorite album, with songs from The King of the Highlands (with bagpipes!) to Xian, a very Eastern-influenced piece
Really Slow Motion: The guy's a fiend when it comes to putting out music. I really like the "Battle Angel" and "Elevation" albums.
Thomas Bergerson: Another quality guy, no doubts about it.
John Paesano: I actually like a pretty decent chunk of the Mass Effect: Andromeda soundtrack, especially the opening piece A Better Beginning

That's what I've got off of the top pf my head, at least.

[EvilAnagram]

I usually use a wide variety of instrumentals, including a lot from Two Steps from Hell. I also end every session at my home game with "Wheel in the Sky" by Journey.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I usually use a wide variety of instrumentals, including a lot from Two Steps from Hell. I also end every session at my home game with "Wheel in the Sky" by Journey.

Two Steps from Hell is indeed another great background album. It's where I first discovered Thomas Bergerson, actually.

[Zakhara]

When my group started out, music wasn't even a consideration. As our technology improved, we eventually incorporated it and now it's invariably part of the proceedings. Music adds a certain something to our campaigns--clever choices inject personality even in the quietest moments.

We use instrumentals exclusively, for the obvious reason--talking over lyrics is a pain. Typically, game soundtracks do the job nicely. They're catchy and memorable, but not overladen to the point of distraction (my current campaign uses a mix of Soul Calibur II and III).

For someone considering adding ambiance to their game, TabletopAudio does the trick.

[FabulousFizban]

Erdenstern. It is written for D&D

[Wulfnor]

There is a lot of long play fantasy music on Youtube. Have a look see!