Deus Ex Alpha

Well I've now summarised how I feel about the music in DX3

It's good, but in comparison, it's like listening to the Hong Kong canal theme, whereas dx1 mixed it up with bits like the canal theme and bits with the streets (in your face) theme.

I would have preferred them to mix it up with more memorable theme's when it wouldn't have been so intrusive.

The trailer theme is really only the most memorable theme in the game.

I find Detroit's theme quite memorable actually.

Aidan wrote:I find Detroit's theme quite memorable actually.

Detroits theme is slowly growing on me.

Even after I watched the making of, in particular the composer/soundtrack, I still feel the music doesn't have the same impact which the first game did.

Another good example is the pre-aug intro, you walk through the labs, you get to Sarif's office, it plays the remix of UNATCO. This made me cream my pants, I thought the music was going to have this standard throughout the game.

BUT I don't want a game of remix's.

I do want a game of almost ambient and moody soundtracks when applicable (like the Hengsha pod's, where anything remotely upbeat would not be a good thing). These areas are where the game did it RIGHT.

And I want more upbeat and catchy music in the more applicable areas, so something like UNATCO/Hong Kong Streets/Hells Kitchen in areas like Detroit and Hengsha central hub.

You can still use the same sound style (which in the making of is essentially real instruments, but done through synth) and pull this off...

Music good;

Alice garden pods
Sarif HQ
Panchea
The Hive

Music Bad;

Hengsha main district
Detroit main district (HOWEVER, the music is good, but just not applicable)

Here's a list of non-hub soundtracks and how it could have been mixed up better;

Moody (whats already there and good);

FEMA
Picus
Explosive mission
Hengsha belltower docks (although would prefer it to be more Bladerunner like the DX1 superfreighter soundtrack)
Singapore

Upbeat (what's currently moody, and should be more upbeat to even out the moodyness);

Warehouse (first mission)
Hengsha tai-yong medical tower
Detroit conference centre
Hengsha parking garage (tongs hideout)

I didn't notice the music at any point in the game. It's very atmospheric but not catchy like in the original. Don't know if that's good or not.

(but then again, I didn't notice the UNTACO theme at the start of the game)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zELbxVGzTa4[/youtube]

I like the music better than DX1's, there's more depth. The only cut off for me is that it isn't as catchy. S - U - E M - E

The bass at the start of the majority of DXHR songs is a homage to the Deus Ex main theme.

James wrote:

I like the music better than DX1's, there's more depth.

Couldn't agree more. I found it was very immersive.

Everybody Lies, LOVE that track. The soundtrack/music is just perfect, blends in well, I especially love the intro music. Very Deus Ex-esque.

DX1's music had some great tunes to it, but wasn't much of a soundtrack.

DX3's actually seems to define the game through sound.

Watch the documentary regarding the music.

By the way, a full soundtrack is coming out eventually!

What do you mean with full soundtrack?

Professor Layton wrote:What do you mean with full soundtrack?

All I know is that my bonus disk doesn't include every song :/

Professor Layton wrote:What do you mean with full soundtrack?

They've only released a promo with 12 tracks

They've announced a full soundtrack will be released, via Michael McCann's twitter.

What the soundtrack does do well;

Adds depth to moody areas.
Immerses the player in moody areas and gritty bases and fights
Merge well between areas

What the soundtrack doesn't do well;

Not refreshing or complimentary to some areas
Innovate
Inspire
Repetitive

It's the soundtrack which fits the game well enough, doesn't do over and above what dx1 soundtrack did, and I honestly can say in 5-10 years I'm not going to look back at it and go "that soundtrack was AMAZING"

Here's an example of "shivers-down-your-spine" music from dx1;

You've escaped MJ12 lab, it's moody and gritty, you know this is going to be hard. You then enter UNATCO, previously you've known this soundtrack to be relatively upbeat, and now its gritty and it emphasises the mood of difficult.

You finally get on a chopper, just before the game releases you from the difficulty, it pulls one last punch and you end up in the hong kong mj12 air base. The music again, gritty and moody.

But you escape, and finally, you aren't in danger anymore, the music let's go, it's upbeat, it's the soundtrack to your exploration, you can walk along shops and talk to people.

And even better, you go to the essentially dead area of the canal, the music switches, and you know from this switch that already you're in a bad place.

DX:HR does do the gritty and moody well, but it never let's up, it forces you to be "y so srs" ALL the time

I always thought stuff like MJ12 helipad base music was just "this is a combat level" tripe, though I understand how you personally take that when you take UNATCO - Markets into account.

Disagreed 100% with canals, I thought that was a terrible shift because there's no difference in dangers from the market. It was different because it wasn't busy like the market.

What the soundtrack doesn't do well;
Innovate
Repetitive

WHAT

Seriously, there's much more put into the DXHR music. Think about the in-game music heard from DX, it's all mostly electronic and definitely more repetive!

The amount of instruments played for McCann and edited by him to sound electronic is astonishing, while Deus Ex carried the settings of areas and the mood they wanted you to have, Deus Ex: Human Revolution did the same but carried the concept of natural and artificial through it too.

dat bassy mandolin and clarinet

OK "repetitive" explanation expanded;

Your interpretation is instrumentally.

DX1 had technical limitations which DXHR doesn't have.

My interpretation is variance between themes.

DX has very very few themes which are connected by the same repetitive melody. DXHR has the same base theme, as an example; (menu music, intro music, sarif industries music, exit/enter sarif industries music).

This to me is a good thing for DXHR, in that it allows music to merge between each other, but a bad thing because it becomes tedious to listen to.

But overall I'm not suggesting that DXHR soundtrack is bad, its much better than a lot of other generic games, but it's not as much as an accomplishment as dx1 soundtrack was, considering the limitations of technology at the time.

If there's anything which would emphasise my own personal opinion more, I really like the Mirror's Edge ost...

Deus Ex had a fully fledged OST which keeps the same synth (stealing Michael McCann's words) theme as the ones heard in game. What I'm saying is that McCann took an approach introducing the theme of transhumanism by using acoustic instruments and made them sound electronic while creating the appropriate mood the first game's soundtrack did.

Mirror's Edge has a good soundtrack.

DXHR has the same base theme, as an example; (menu music, intro music, sarif industries music, exit/enter sarif industries music).

>Sarif

Problem solved.

James wrote:Deus Ex had a fully fledged OST which keeps the same synth (stealing Michael McCann's words) theme as the ones heard in game. What I'm saying is that McCann took an approach introducing the theme of transhumanism by using acoustic instruments and made them sound electronic while creating the appropriate mood the first game's soundtrack did.

Mirror's Edge has a good soundtrack.

DXHR has the same base theme, as an example; (menu music, intro music, sarif industries music, exit/enter sarif industries music).

>Sarif

Problem solved.

I have watched the making of bit with Michael McCann, and I did think his approach by synthesising real instruments (apart from cost effective...) really was an interesting way to develop it.

Likewise I think he has done a good enough job for it to be in the background of the gameplay.

It's not as innovative and groundbreaking as the original

Ground breaking?

I would hate it if the music was anything more than "the background of the gameplay".

Walking through Hengsha with the ambient music of the Hive felt immersive, and cool. If it was in your face, or even a bit less, it wouldn't feel the same.

Ben, I think I have an idea of what you're talking about though.. Is it variety of music you're concerned about?

>Repetitive.

>Almost every DX1 song having the main theme melody in there somewhere.

Also repeats a 5 second melody and has some breakdown that goes on for 8 seconds and repeats that, then goes back to repeating the 5 second melody 6 times again.

DX1 had a pretty dynamic soundtrack man

For instance I love having conversations in the Cathedral map because the song was such a stark contrast to the whole organ motif in the ambient song, and then with combat its like BAM in your face with the synths

HR is cool too i guess but i like the first way better

Fuck yes, music for Cathedral conversations were the best in the game.

Considering it's been 11 years now, Eidos Montreal has done a fantastic job following old stepping stones with new legs.

I agree with Derek about the Dynamic soundtrack of DX1.

Although I liked the imersiveness and overall soundtrack of DXHR better than the first... It still needs some more dynamic qualities.

i also like how there's a folder for the OST in the DXHR installation folder

so legit compared to the .ogg and the .umx we had to deal with back in DX1

Yeah, Unreal Engine 1 dealt quite awkwardly with file types

James wrote:Fuck yes, music for Cathedral conversations were the best in the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZDTn-RV-z4#t=4m23s

Fucking yes...

LOL after it

Tantalus wrote:>Repetitive.

>Almost every DX1 song having the main theme melody in there somewhere.

http://soundcloud.com/ephemeralis/deus- ... tions-main The main theme was in reverse.

James wrote:http://soundcloud.com/ephemeralis/deus-ex-human-revolutions-main The main theme was in reverse.

Uh no. A few notes are played backwards, giving it a slightly uneasy feeling. It was never intended for the entire score to be reversed.

Fair enough.