I wanted to start a conversation about sound and music for your game. So that you know who we are: We're a small music and sound design company and we're trying to connect with devs who are looking for music for their games and apps. We make games for iOS ourselves, so we know how tough it is out there. Something we realized is that it can be hard to find the right music and sounds for your game. Obviously we make our own music for our apps but what about other developers out there? We're just starting out with this, so we're very interested in hearing what the community has to say.
Here are just some questions to get the ball rolling:
- How (and where) do you find the right music for your game?
- Are sounds and music integral to your game or are they more of an afterthought to be worried about later?
- Do you have a specific kind of music in your head when you make a game?
- How important is price for you? How much would you be willing to spend on the right music for your game?
- Your favourite game music?
Would greatly appreciate your thoughts on these but please feel free to talk about anything else sound and music-related here, too. Thanks in advance.
I wanted to start a conversation about sound and music for your game. So that you know who we are: We're a small music and sound design company and we're trying to connect with devs who are looking for music for their games and apps. We make games for iOS ourselves, so we know how tough it is out there. Something we realized is that it can be hard to find the right music and sounds for your game. Obviously we make our own music for our apps but what about other developers out there? We're just starting out with this, so we're very interested in hearing what the community has to say.
Here are just some questions to get the ball rolling:
- How (and where) do you find the right music for your game?
- Are sounds and music integral to your game or are they more of an afterthought to be worried about later?
- Do you have a specific kind of music in your head when you make a game?
- How important is price for you? How much would you be willing to spend on the right music for your game?
- Your favourite game music?
Would greatly appreciate your thoughts on these but please feel free to talk about anything else sound and music-related here, too. Thanks in advance.
For me it's an afterthought. Practically every dev out there would agree graphics take priority over music. For small indie developers with limited budgets, it's tough to justify spending thousands and thousands on creating custom music when you can download it from a database for much less.
With that being said, I've never been satisfied with what I could find on the internet, and I really wish I could get some customized game music for my app for a reasonable price ,even if the ROI isn't there. I feel like it's an integral yet under appreciated part of iOS game apps right now.
- Are sounds and music integral to your game or are they more of an afterthought to be worried about later?
Maybe, for me is the worst part of making games, but it's for me that i' m not able to make it myself as i want
Thank you for your reply, AndreaT. I think I know what you mean, having to rely on other people means handing over control of an aspect of your game - however marginal it may seem - to somebody else, not knowing what you're going to get, etc.
From our point of view, trying to offer developers a service they can trust, we'd have to set our priorities on ensuring that devs can find what they are looking for in our library.
For me it's an afterthought. Practically every dev out there would agree graphics take priority over music. For small indie developers with limited budgets, it's tough to justify spending thousands and thousands on creating custom music when you can download it from a database for much less.
With that being said, I've never been satisfied with what I could find on the internet, and I really wish I could get some customized game music for my app for a reasonable price ,even if the ROI isn't there. I feel like it's an integral yet under appreciated part of iOS game apps right now.
Thank you for your reply, mer10. Price is obviously a hot-button issue. Since you mentioned that you weren't satisfied thus far with your internet searches, I'd love to know more about your experiences and what you think is a "reasonable" price.
I understand that having customized music for your game is desirable. What I was wondering though is if it's 1) mainly because you couldn't find anything suitable out there or rather 2) because you don't want others to have the same music as your game? Would really like to hear from you and others about this.
Thank you for your reply, mer10. Price is obviously a hot-button issue. Since you mentioned that you weren't satisfied thus far with your internet searches, I'd love to know more about your experiences and what you think is a "reasonable" price.
I understand that having customized music for your game is desirable. What I was wondering though is if it's 1) mainly because you couldn't find anything suitable out there or rather 2) because you don't want others to have the same music as your game? Would really like to hear from you and others about this.
It's more of 1 rather than 2. Maybe I'm too picky, but even after hearing hundreds of soundtracks I could never find something that would be a perfect fit.
Exclusivity isn't a biggy for me, although I don't think I would ever settle with anything that I knew was already popular at the time.
Exclusivity isn't a biggy for me, although I don't think I would ever settle with anything that I knew was already popular at the time.
Thanks for your reply. Speaking of exclusivity, although we are not planning on offering exclusive rights to use for our tracks, we are thinking of "locking" a track once a game that uses it reaches a certain popularity, say, the Top 25 in the AppStore. That means we won't offer it for purchase to anyone else once that happens.
- How (and where) do you find the right music for your game?
I always make my own game music. For a combination of reasons:
i) It's hard to find music out there that suits your game.
ii) Chances are that same music has been used in hundreds or thousands of other games/applications.
iii) Legal reasons.
If I make something myself, even if it's crap, at least it's mine. I can always pay someone who knows what they're doing later when and if the game goes ballistic. - If they don't like the music, they can just switch it off.
- Are sounds and music integral to your game or are they more of an afterthought to be worried about later?
Sounds and Music are one of the last things I worry about. Gameplay & Graphics are much more important, and you can get away with playing a game on mute. But don't get me wrong, Sound Effects do add considerable value, and Music can be nice too. Anyone played "Ready Steady Bang?", with the volume on mute? I rest my case.
- Do you have a specific kind of music in your head when you make a game?
Yes. To some extent. Music affects the mood of the game. But I'm not a great musician, I usually use some music looping software (like FruityLoops, LMMS). Takes a bit of time to figure things out, then just make a mess and save it
Yes, - How important is price for you? How much would you be willing to spend on the right music for your game?
For outsourcing work, I ask myself "How much time would it cost me to do this myself". If someone can get it done in less time than me, cost me less than I would cost if someone wanted to use me to do something, and the quality/quantity higher. Then it's justified. I used this approach with the 3D Modelling in Turtle Trench, and I'd definitely do it again.
I'd pay up to $1000 for some good music (that's not knowing whether the game will be successful or not). If I knew the game was going to be very successful, then I'd be willing to pay a lot more.
- Your favourite game music?
Most music by Nintendo, Rare, Squaresoft (I'm a big SNES fan)
Thanks for your reply. Speaking of exclusivity, although we are not planning on offering exclusive rights to use for our tracks, we are thinking of "locking" a track once a game that uses it reaches a certain popularity, say, the Top 25 in the AppStore. That means we won't offer it for purchase to anyone else once that happens.
I like this idea. I'm also on the same wavelength as memir about price.
- How (and where) do you find the right music for your game?
I'd pay up to $1000 for some good music (that's not knowing whether the game will be successful or not). If I knew the game was going to be very successful, then I'd be willing to pay a lot more.
Thank you for your thoughts, Memir and mer10.
I'm assuming you would be willing to pay that amount for custom music written specifically for your game. What if the music was loop music that wasn't necessarily exclusive to your game?
I'm assuming you would be willing to pay that amount for custom music written specifically for your game. What if the music was loop music that wasn't necessarily exclusive to your game?
i don't think it should ever be an afterthought. in fact with every game i make from now on, it'll be the starting point - pick a track and make a game around that. just look at the robot unicorn attack / erasure success story! it's totally fundamental to a strong aesthetic. also see tiny wings for a good example of this.
in robot fish (http://ligerligerliger.com) we made the music towards the end of development, undergoing dozens of iterations until it sounded right. one of the main issues was making it more "background" so that it doesn't stick out and get annoying after you've heard it for the hundredth time. wanted a slightly "vangelis" feel to it.
i don't think it should ever be an afterthought. in fact with every game i make from now on, it'll be the starting point - pick a track and make a game around that. just look at the robot unicorn attack / erasure success story! it's totally fundamental to a strong aesthetic. also see tiny wings for a good example of this.
in robot fish (http://ligerligerliger.com) we made the music towards the end of development, undergoing dozens of iterations until it sounded right. one of the main issues was making it more "background" so that it doesn't stick out and get annoying after you've heard it for the hundredth time. wanted a slightly "vangelis" feel to it.
Thank you for your reply. I know what you mean, we mostly make music and rhythm based games at SupaSounds, so music is the motor that drives everything for us. It's interesting to hear a similar approach to game design from someone else whose games aren't necessarily music-based.
Also Robot Fish looks great, I like the chiptunes vibe and the graphics remind me of the WipEout games.
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