.MID the way id did - Doom 2 Soundtrack Replacement [RELEASED]

[P41R47]

On 2/4/2021 at 11:05 PM, Gustavo6046 said:

Okay, I finished it. Now that I read the main post, it's not really that much in the vein of your usual id song. It's quite busy (even though originally I had something a bit more ambient in mind, like the inspiration I linked), and it has "higher" and "lower" moments. So definitely not very consistent, or at least it's not wholly based around a single riff, although it does have a central key around which little "key detours" can branch.

 

^{Behold (or not),}

Ring of Gravity

 

I'll just drop it here. Heck, it's not very id-ish, so I don't really care if it doesn't take a slot. Feel free to use it in a WAD of yours if you want (I'll update the MIDI copyright part accordingly if Doomkid writes permission to revert it to CC-BY).

 

But I hope you enjoy it anyway!

 

 

Ring of Gravity (midi only).zip

Excellent midi, pal!

Kinda punchy but also a little ambient on the back, really good for sure.

But i feel like it would be fit even more on a TNT tech base map, like map05: Hanger, map07: Prison, or map09: Stronghold.

It has a tech vibe on it, and i can certainly hear it while playing Vile Flesh for example.

Unfortunatelly, the most fitting map for this song, map11: Circle of Death, is not that tech basey...most doom 2 maps are not that tech basey enough i think.

[wallabra]

@P41R47 oooh, I think you can blame Valiant on that. And also UT's DM-Phobos.

[Xulgonoth]

I have a confession to make - I really, really, really hate the midi I originally submitted to this project for MAP27. I tried playing around with it a bit more, but ultimately I've decided that it's completely unsalvageable, so I started experimenting and trying to come up with something new. Here's the result that I'd like to replace my submission with:

Where Weeping Willows Grow Wild.zip

[Robo_Cola]

2 hours ago, Willy W. said:

I have a confession to make - I really, really, really hate the midi I originally submitted to this project for MAP27. I tried playing around with it a bit more, but ultimately I've decided that it's completely unsalvageable, so I started experimenting and trying to come up with something new. Here's the result that I'd like to replace my submission with:

Where Weeping Willows Grow Wild.zip

Wow the ambience on this one is absolutely top notch, it fits map 27 in a different but completely respectable way.  If Doomkid doesn't reconsider putting this one in 27's slot it would fit 'particularly' well into the TNT midi project that CammyBanana has set up.

[Doomkid]

I’m happy with Willy’s new submission! Since he dislikes his old one, I won’t use it. I don’t want people looking back on this and facepalming, even if it wasn’t a bad track the new one has much more gravitas.

[DCG Retrowave]

On 2/4/2021 at 7:02 PM, Lippeth said:

Woah, was I supposed to do map 19? I thought I gave the slot to DCG Retrowave. I'm currently in the middle of another MIDI project with a tight deadline and had assumed that my contributions to this were complete, but I can come up with something if absolutely necessary.

I haven't really been able to come up with anything for the MAP19 slot that would work so if you want to take it, I'm fine with that.  I don't want to push myself to just compose something for the sake of filling a slot if it'll just be filler.  I gotta get back into the mood for creating new stuff again soon though, even for my own commercial projects :O

[DCG Retrowave]

On 2/4/2021 at 7:17 PM, Doomkid said:

It looks like the idea to pass the track to DCG was talked about, I just didn’t realise it was agreed upon (probably missed an obvious post somewhere..) Either way, I’m not worried about which one of you submits a track, if @DCG Retrowave wants it and you’re too busy that’s absolutely not a problem!

Speaking of my submissions to this project, I will have that slightly tweaked IN_R_CIT.MID uploaded shortly.  I wanted to re-record the SC-88 MP3 for it because I figure some people might like to hear that as well :D

[AnotherGrunt]

On 2/5/2021 at 3:05 AM, Gustavo6046 said:

Ring of Gravity (midi only).zip

 

Ok, pretty much Unreal. 

Ring of Gravity.zip

[wallabra]

On 2/11/2021 at 5:02 PM, AnotherGrunt said:

Ok, pretty much Unreal.

 

I did figure it would sound like Unreal. :p

[Doomkid]

Still just under 5 days to get those last few submissions in before slots re-open. Just a bump and reminder, no pressure of course.

[Roofi]

Unsettling_bird_song.rar

 

Music : Unsettling bird song.

 

A creepy ambiant track using a lot of "Bird Tweet" sound. :)

[Mr. Freeze]

I'll have my tracks uploaded tomorrow. Been working on them when I can but I can't finish them today because of work. 

[Varis Alpha]

i'm working on my map23 submission as well. was planning to have it finished yesterday, but i was caught up in other stuff then. i should have it finished by today.

[DCG Retrowave]

Here is the slightly enhanced version of "Into Retrowave's City" with some extra reverb for the drums so the epic SC-55 snare drum sounds cooler :D

IN_R_CIT.ZIP

 

If you guys would like the entire OST recorded on my SC-88 with either the SC-55 or SC-88 map for a promotional video, I'd be happy to do that.  I know Peter Lawrence uploaded the full OST of his Master Levels MIDI Pack on YouTube, so maybe we should do the same and I can provide the digital recordings if that sounds cool :D

[DCG Retrowave]

Also, I want to mention that if any MIDIs specify values for effects like reverb and chorus (mine does), hardware synths like the Roland SC-88 will not reset these for the next MIDI file (unless that file specifies their own values) which could lead to some odd sounding instruments (too much chorus can sound weird if it's unintentional :D).  Vanilla DOOM resets all values on my Sound Canvas when it starts, but none of the source ports I use on Windows do (fun fact: MBF and Boom on DOS don't send these values at all for any songs, so reverb, chorus, and even different drum kits are completely ignored :D).

 

To work around this so songs don't sound weird after a MIDI like "Into Retrowave's City" with high chorus, the intermission MIDI in DOOM 87 resets the values on all channels for reverb, chorus, volume, stereo balance, modulation, and expression.  This means that after every map, the values are set to 40 for reverb (the Sound Canvas default), 0 for chorus, 127 for channel volume (100 is a good choice as well), 64 for balance, 0 for modulation, and 127 for expression (one MIDI in the WAD uses this and it's similar to channel volume).  I'd recommend doing this for this MIDI pack's intermission MIDI since some of the submissions may not specify values for any of these (for example, Anvil Studio defaults to center balance, but that value isn't set in the MIDI file unless you specify it yourself so this setting can be missed :O).

 

This is just a suggestion of course.  I just wouldn't want MIDIs like my own making every song after that sound wacky on hardware MIDI synths :D

[Varis Alpha]

it's done. sorry it took so long, it really shouldn't have considering how quickly i hammered it out once i finally sat down to finish it.

 

Nukaland (4:10)

[Diabolución]

Bye, bye, Bye Bye American Pie!

 

@Willy W.: do you think your discarded MIDI may be fitting for Sewers? It is for my personal copy, I will not re-distribute it.

 

Some context for my stupid question: https://www.doomworld.com/forum/post/2232202/

 

[Xulgonoth]

Well, if your goal is to make that map even worse, I think it fits perfectly.

[Bucket]

So where we at? What can I work on tonight?

[Doomkid]

The only two slots that never got a submission in the end where the intermission screen and map 18, so by all means feel free to create tracks for those slots.

 

Here's the current zip:

midtwid-29songs.zip

 

There's still a couple tracks I'm not sold on yet, but in total there are 29 MIDIs here, and overall I really like what we've got. Looking forward to your new tracks, Bucket.

Edited February 23, 2021 by Doomkid

[wallabra]

Can I try intermission?

[Doomkid]

Since it hasn't been claimed, sure. I'll be sure to reserve 18 though for Bucket as I'm certain he'd have started on something by now. And with that, all slots are claimed!

[Jimmy²]

joe's midi kinda sucks. I know it's not my place to judge, but it kinda sucks. A LOT. Just... listen to it! Fuck me, man.

 

Here's a midi that Dragonfly and I co-wrote last November. On an unrelated note.

John Doom (3:03)

 

Spoiler

 

Before anyone asks, yes I recognise the irony in me offering a community project leader something to outright replace someone else's work in said project that I, an outsider, personally consider to be below par. That is a thing that joe-ilya did with UDINO!

 

But quality control surely has to be enacted here. joe's midi... offends me in so many ways that I cannot adequately list all of them. I mean, Doomkid - have you heard the midi? Have you heard what has... occurred... to your project here?

 

Now, my offering in its stead is far from the perfect midi. We kinda shat this out during a 2-hour livestream and it kind of meanders a bit and might have some mix issues. But rest assured, both Dragonfly and I understand melody and rhythm. These are musical attributes that can be proven by any remotely analytical ear that joe's submission does not exhibit - it has to be said, he's not exactly known for his musical talent. I had to reject a submission of his to the Revolution! MIDI Pack - one which broke nearly every submission guideline I set out. I feel he cannot be invested in learning how to write music, or how he can increase his skill level from a non-zero value. This is the second piece of music I've even seen him produce since 2015. If there was an inkling of intent to self-improve in this field we'd have seen it by now. We'd have seen more than two joe-ilya midis in six years.

 

He's banned from this forum permanently anyhow - why is he still permitted to make things like this for perfectly good community projects?

 

 

[Mr. Freeze]

MAP25 done and attached. I call it "They're Here". 

 

MAP04 coming later. 

midtwid2.rar

[Doomkid]

Awesome, thank you for that Mr. Freeze!

 

@Jimmy Well.. Normally I'd be more defensive of someone who isn't here to speak for themselves, but I remember how frustrating it was when Joe did that little UDINO stunt. I still consider him a friend despite his occasional odd behavior and inability to read the room, I don't think he means any harm to anyone and sometimes just has a bit of trouble expressing himself, or perhaps trouble knowing when not to.

 

With that out of the way, I do agree that the MIDI is well below the par of the rest of the project. There's just.. not much really going on there. CammyBanana who I know to be a brilliant musician has offered to take the skeleton of Joe's track and flash it out into a full and proper song, and I was actually pretty interested to hear the results of that! Regardless, John Doom is a killer track and I'd be happy for it to be included. I know you and Dragonfly are excellent musicians and it shows in this MIDI.

 

The other track I'm wavering on a bit is @Roofi's. I know there's a need for some ambient tracks to break up the action, but I just don't think there's much meat on the bone. Listening to the MIDIs made by id for Doom and Doom2 - which this project was at least initially inspired by, despite the clear gap in complexity between some of the submissions here and the actual Doom music - you can hear that even the most ambient and calm ones still have a distinct melody or beat that can be hummed and tapped along to, even if it's a very unassuming one. This track is just an ambient drone + bird tweets and a few effects, nothing to "sink my teeth into" in terms of rhythm and melody. I'm not just going to open it back up though of course, if Roofi wants to expand upon this and build it into something I want him to have that chance.

 

If not, I'd be happy to have John Doom or something else fill the slot!

Edited February 23, 2021 by Doomkid

[wallabra]

So yeah, I just finished the intermission song. Nothing much, Just Another Day.

 

....ha.... no?... aw.

 

Just Another Day.zip

 

(preview file, in Ogg Vorbis format, here)

 

(it sounds like crap in sc-55.sf2, i dunno why)

 

Anyways, if you want an ambient song with a tinge of eeriness, I can try cooking up another idea I've had for a while. Maybe tomorrow?

 

Do tell me if it's too much throughput, I was just itching to midi, I really want to show more!

[Mr. Freeze]

MAP04 aka "Julian's Fragging Again" done. @Doomkid can you confirm if the volume levels are OK? I will adjust if they aren't. 

 

 

midtwid.rar

[wallabra]

EDIT: Wait, gee, I hope my song didn't come out too upbeat or cheery or anything. Whoops!

 

----

 

On 2/22/2021 at 12:19 AM, Viscra Maelstrom said:

it's done. sorry it took so long, it really shouldn't have considering how quickly i hammered it out once i finally sat down to finish it.

 

Nukaland (4:10)

 

I gave it a listen, it sounds pretty interesting! I vaguely remember the guitar lead sounding a bit off, maybe clashing a bit with the rest of the song, but it's probably a soundfont thing; it's hard to make a track work across many SF2's.

 

In fact, it seems to sound a lot more balanced when I use eawpats.sf2 than if I use SC-55.sf2. Interesting :o

 

As for the song itself, I like the melodic progression here. It's pretty neat, and really gives off this feel of disheartened jeopardy. In fact, it's a bit, uhm, "too good", if you get it, for Doom 2 standards, if I'm being honest to my own thoughts, but I don't see that as a bad thing at all. I really like the way you handle percussion here, too - the build-ups are done particularly well! Overall I really like, it's 'soundtrackier' than Doom's music, but if you know me (and how I like Unreal music) you know that's a big, big plus in my book :)

 

 

20 minutes ago, Mr. Freeze said:

MAP04 aka "Julian's Fragging Again" done. @Doomkid can you confirm if the volume levels are OK? I will adjust if they aren't. 

 

 

midtwid.rar

 

I really like the groove on this one; it's like progressive metal and punk rock had a child. It really feels driving; even though it's a relatively simple loop, I could listen to it on loop while dying on Plutonia 2 over and over, it'd make me take pleasure in screwing those demons over again every time I restart the level. It's that catchy.

 

On the other hand, the progression really is simple. I wouldn't say bad, not at all, it's actually very efficient, maybe it's part of what makes the basic riff in this tune such a catchy hook. The main issue with this song is that it's too short (and if that's the only issue with your song, then you're dong very well!), extending it could provide opportunities to shake the melodic progression up a little, while keeping the core harmonic progression. After all, having a slight breakbeat or something like that in the middle can only make the already catchy meat-and-potatoes riff stand out even more!

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by Gustavo6046

[Bucket]

I didn't check the thread in a bit and didn't see someone claimed the intermission song. Here's mine anyway, with the proposed controller reset events that should PROBABLY work.

 

INT: "Untitled Is Still Technically a Title"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S1n6PBIDgLgmf9mWpKtZ1-JGPgFaKiJG/view?usp=sharing

 

MAP18: "Lair of The Bitchmaker"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aN2lyI0LHTrdpKfhqEQ2udEiTnE5eenG/view?usp=sharing

[Roofi]

I give you the right to remove my submission. I have absolutely no knowledge about creating midis . I joined this project in order to try something new and breaking the worst creativity block I have ever had.

 

It was fun to make but creating music with the mouse is too unpratical for me for now.