Revolution! MIDI Pack project (COMPLETE! Also a surprise on page 10)

[Jimmy²]

Hey folks, I'm gonna try and reinvigorate this project one last time and see if we can't get it out the door before the end of the year. I have a bit more free time (one last big project for uni is still outstanding, but my availability is generally a bit higher nonetheless), so my focus is gonna go into the last few MIDIs I have to make for this and a few other things just so I can call 2016 just a little more than a creative write-off.

Please get in touch with me through this thread, over PM or on IRC, if you have a track outstanding. I need to know if you're in or out with regards to getting things wrapped up before 2017. Thanks in advance.

EDIT: And thanks to Kassman and Akse for the updates.

[Jimmy²]

Alfonzo and I have gotten started on wrapping things up. There are but a few tracks left that require finishing.

Akse's MAP03 track "Bystreet", Kassman's MAP11 track "Smooth Infiltrator", and Alfonzo's MAP31 track "Redback" remain a small amount of bars away from completion.

There is also the question of whether yakfak/zanzan still wishes to make changes to MAP09's "Phalarope Shuffle". They should get in contact with me ASAP if they feel strongly about it.

Kassman has said he's busy, but I've not heard from Akse recently. If either of you fine folks definitely want your tracks finished your own way, just send the end product my way in a PM or over IRC, no need to make a "confirmation post" here as such. The current resort, if no updates are received, is that the outstanding tracks will be fleshed out by myself and Alfonzo in the coming days - however, if they are finished by their originators, they will definitely be included instead.

A full track still needs to be written for the new MAP33, too - which Alfonzo and I have now claimed the slot for, and have started writing. (CWolf's track was a valiant effort in spite of it not being fully eligible, and as such shall be included in the pack nonetheless.)

We also further souped up Hellish Godzilla's MAP28 submission "I Sacrifice", and that track is now listed as complete.

A full beta will be shipped out soon with all 36 tracks very very soon. I wanna thank all the contributors for helping us make another kickass MIDI pack, not just for Thomas van der Velden's masterpiece, but for the community at large. Now that I've got free time back in my life I'm keen on getting this out the door so folks can enjoy the full product. Hope you guys are psyched. Cheers.

EDIT: I went ahead and updated the file list on my site, which very nearly lists everything now.

[Tristan]

I'm definitely psyched, can't wait to see/hear this all wrapped up.

So what's the next midi pack after this? :V

[Not Jabba]

I'm really looking forward to listening to all these tracks too.

Eris Falling said:

So what's the next midi pack after this? :V

My two cents is that people should give Heretic and Hexen some love. Many of the people who worked on the Revolution! midi pack did some amazing stuff for the Realm of Parthoris soundtrack, and currently that soundtrack is like the only music resource in existence for either of Raven's iwads. Or you could just make more Doom music, that's awesome too.

[Jimmy²]

Smooth Infiltrator (4:52)

Kassman's 2-minute MIDI was surprisingly inspiring. Lots of Klem influence clearly, and I hope I brought that out with this fleshed-out version. Feedback is as always appreciated.

[Jimmy²]

Bystreet (3:33)

This just needed four bars on the end to wrap up an already very well-rounded MIDI. I also added 16 bars of fretless soloing to the beginning which I felt just enriched the whole thing from the get-go. Gotta say that I definitely dig the track as whole - Akse did a great job there. o/

[Varis Alpha]

Not Jabba said:

I'm really looking forward to listening to all these tracks too.

My two cents is that people should give Heretic and Hexen some love. Many of the people who worked on the Revolution! midi pack did some amazing stuff for the Realm of Parthoris soundtrack, and currently that soundtrack is like the only music resource in existence for either of Raven's iwads. Or you could just make more Doom music, that's awesome too.

If they make another ROP, i'd definitely make more music for it. I already have an 8 minute Heretic track lying around that i'd love to finish up.

[Jimmy²]

Hokay. Been a long time comin', this, but better late than never.

Download Revolution! MIDI Pack beta

This zip file includes 36 brand-spanking new MIDI tracks, in a convenient WAD file for you to load with the original masterpiece megawad TVR! - or indeed any Vanilla/Boom mapset (that doesn't redefine the music tracks).

This beta includes:

• tvr!midi.wad - The music WAD.
  
• tvr!midi-np.wad - A WAD that can be launched alongside the above with ZDoom to print the levels' track names to the screen.
  
• tvr!midi.txt - The text file.
  
• TVRmap33.txt - Some words from Thomas van der Velden about the bonus level he recently created for this project specifically.
  
• /midis - The folder full of MIDIs, for easy extracting.
  
• /midis/unused - Complete MIDIs submitted to this project that went unused.

It should be noted: Some MIDIs were modified. Aside from the edits that were necessary to finish the outstanding tracks, as I outlined before, Alfonzo went over a few of the tracks and volume-balanced them.

Please check the below changelog for the alterations made:

Spoiler

 
map02 - boost melody (ice rain) and overall
- velocity increase from (114% = 112 to 127)

map03 - boost everything
- raised all volume change events in proportion (122% = 104 to 127)

map11 - boost everything
- raised all volume change events in proportion (114% = 112 to 127)

map21 - boost everything (sans drums)
- velocity increase from ~112 to 126

map22 - slight boost
- marginally raised velocity (108% = 118 (loudest common) to 127) 

map25 - slight boost
- velocity increase from ~112 to 126

map28 - slight boost
- velocity increase from ~112 to 126
- raised the velocity of quieter panning instruments

map32 - slight boost
- velocity increase from ~112 to 126
 
map33 - slight boost (except e. piano)
- raised all volume change events (sans e. piano) in proportion

I want to thank each and every one of you who contributed music to this project. It's an astounding effort and super high-quality all around. Props!

Once again, outside feedback is very very strongly appreciated/encouraged!

* Tracks *

  TITLE: "Tzimidzi Greets You!" by CWolf & Jimmy
  INTER: "Imp's Tradition" by DoomLover234 & Jimmy
  README: "Why Settle For Colonel?" by yakfak
  MAP01: "Freighthoppers" by Jimmy
  MAP02: "Trash" by Alfonzo
  MAP03: "Bystreet" by Akse & Jimmy
  MAP04: "Westopolis" by Doomhuntress
  MAP05: "Last Resort" by Jimmy
  MAP06: "Wasted" by Doomkid
  MAP07: "Forgotten Valley" by Icytux
  MAP08: "Hangar 7" by Jimmy
  MAP09: "Phalarope Shuffle" by yakfak
  MAP10: "Mint Petal" by Doomhuntress
  MAP11: "Smooth Infiltrator" by Kassman & Jimmy
  MAP12: "Midnight Dinner" by CWolf & Jimmy
  MAP13: "Haze" by Eris Falling
  MAP14: "Battle of Chaos" by Eris Falling
  MAP15: "Sappers & Moles" by yakfak
  MAP16: "The Revenant" by KevinHEZ
  MAP17: "Mining for Paranoia" by Akse
  MAP18: "Acidic Lymph" by ClumsyDoomer
  MAP19: "Gargoyles" by Jimmy
  MAP20: "Black Colossus" by Hellish Godzilla & Jimmy
  MAP21: "Unearth" by Alfonzo
  MAP22: "Empyrean Shard" by ClumsyDoomer
  MAP23: "Ancient Enclosure" by Doomhuntress
  MAP24: "Beneath the Stars" by Eris Falling
  MAP25: "Keepsake Fever" by Alfonzo
  MAP26: "Reach Within" by Jimmy
  MAP27: "Clay" by Jimmy
  MAP28: "I Sacrifice" by Hellish Godzilla, Jimmy & Alfonzo
  MAP29: "Souls Trapped Between Rotten Bricks" by ClumsyDoomer
  MAP30: "The Forgotten God" by Eris Falling
  MAP31: "Redback" by Alfonzo & Jimmy
  MAP32: "King Roo" by Alfonzo
  MAP33: "Evil on Tour" by Alfonzo & Jimmy (README track will be heard in Chocolate and Boom)

[Alfonzo]

I'm supposed to be in pillowland, but have decided to listen in on some of these before I head off. Nice going, all up! I'll do some write-ups on each of the tracks over the rest of the weekend.

Just as an aside, I may have overcompensated in raising the volume/velocity levels in one or two tracks. King Roo in particular sounds a bit full-on (it probably needs to be lowered back to ~112 peak velocity, to be honest). Best we let the dust settle before heading back in for any changes, though - most of them seem fine!

[Tristan]

Yay!
Once again, great job Jimmy and Alfonzo on getting things finished up so quickly, a lot of good MIDIs in this pack, and it's great to see it wrapped up.

--
I'll do write-ups too I guess, started with the tracks for the assorted screens.

TITLE: Tzimidzi Greets You - CWolf & Jimmy
Only so much that can be said about a title screen song since they're typically very short, this one no exception. It works perfectly as an intro theme, quite a grandiose sound with that military-like marching rhythm from the snare drums. Good!

INTER: Imp's Tradition - DoomLover234 & Jimmy
Catchy melody, kind of picking up a subtle Arabic/Asian vibe from the earlier parts (double harmonic major scale, I believe?). A pity it wasn't set up for looping, as I could see this being re-used on like a really small map early on in a megawad, but I guess that's not something you worry about much when you make something specifically for a screen that people spend like 2 seconds on then go to the next map :P

README: Why Settle for Colonel? - yakfak
Sounds almost too normal to be a yakfak MIDI, heh. Really like this one though, pretty funky. Not worlds apart from HOSILFU from the Plutonia MIDI Pack - by the same author - the instrumentation in particular is very similar. I liked HOSILFU quite a lot, but I think this is the better of the two. I like the exclusive track made for 33, but I'm glad this will play there on some ports instead, as it would be a shame to see it stuck on the other screen that people only spend 2 seconds on.

[Tristan]

01-10

Spoiler

MUS01: Freighthoppers - Jimmy
Solid opening track, loved this since it was first posted, all the way back in January (jesus christ). Album openers in my experience often have either a lot of energy and high tempos, or a certain bombastic and loud epicness, or both of these. Freighthoppers opts for the former, coming in at 170BPM - one of the fastest tracks in the set as far as I know. This combined with the major key and catchy melody allows for a very upbeat and sort of happy sounding song to kick things off. The Anti-Gay-Taco-MIDI Brigade are probably gnawing at the bars on their cages, but who cares about them, this song's awesome :P

MUS02: Trash - Alfonzo
From an awesome MAP01 MIDI, straight into an awesome one for MAP02. Xylophones and the soundtrack FX aren't exactly instruments you come across every day in MIDIs, but they're used very well here. Also on offer here is an excellent and very memorable bass line that utilises only a very low register that even a 5-string would need to be detuned to get to every note (that B-flat near the end <3). Another great plus comes from the Hammond organ (again, <3) that plays the main melodies of the track, which itself is difficult to forget.
Oh and love the little time signature changes, which include a 1-bar bass solo in freaking 23/16 of all the time sigs that could have been picked, haha. That'll do fonz, that'll do ;)

MUS03: Bystreet - Akse & Jimmy
Less keen on this one, but it's pretty inoffensive, there's just a bit too little going on overall for my tastes. However, this purely from a perspective of listening to it outside of the game, it's not really a problem when you're busy concentrating on killing monsters and stuff and not properly listening. Additionally, you'd want this kind of track playing in some confusing map where the player inevitably gets lost for seven years, so while I'm not a huge fan of it in a normal context, as background music I can't really fault it at all, well done to both authors.
Also Jimmy's edit brought in that fretless bass, and oh boy I love those large pitch bends. Now that I know changing pitch bend range doesn't screw up other MIDIs like I thought they did, I'll have to incorporate some myself in future..

MUS04: Westopolis - Viscra Maelstrom
So far ties with Freighthoppers for fastest song, again 170BPM. The key thing to take note of here is that generally, the 160-180 range is arguably perfect for your typical fast-paced action maps, and both this and Freighthoppers demonstrate that pretty well. To begin with, I'm not sure MAP04 really has the right gameplay for such energy, but it does seem to pick up later. This is coming from the guy who put a calm intro on a map with one of the most violent starts in the set though so whatever :P
A very heavy and loud track as is expected of Viscra, not something that works all the time, but I'd say it worked well here.

MUS05: City of Delusion - Jimmy
Yeah, wrong title. That was a genuine accident, but Leave It In™ :V

Whoa now, an actual Mexican salsa taco midi! Come to think of it, I think the specific individual(s) that complained about this sort of thing in Doom the loudest aren't around anymore, so Last Resort will hopefully get away with the unconventional sound that Jimmy went for with it. I wouldn't have actually made the connection with the Muse song* if Jimmy hadn't explicitly mentioned it, because the reality is, it's distinct enough even stylistically that the similarity goes unnoticed, but I haven't been unable to unhear it since, and now I seem to even be getting the title wrong...
City of Delusion is among my favourites from the BH&R album, and the elements that make it a great song have been carried over here, such as the chord progression at around 0:50. Really like the marimba solo as well.

MUS06: Wasted! - Doomkid
Doomkid's MIDIs are as oldschool as his maps it seems! The guitar part dominates this one, but it's accompanied by..a harpsichord and a banjo.
Heh. On paper that seems like a really strange choice, but it's almost like artificially distorting the already distorted guitar even further, and the effect is a pretty dirty sound that I'm not sure I entirely like on the first riff (for example 0:18), but the second riff of the track (0:37) sounds pretty cool. Might've been cool to bring in some kind of melody to make things a bit more interesting - I noticed a charang and brightness pad is introduced near the end, but it just follows the guitar part, so there's now 5 instruments all doing essentially the same thing. Overall OK, but not among the stronger offerings of the pack.

MUS07: Forgotten Valley - Icytux
Not a fan of that square lead, but I think that's just a bit of genre bias on my part coming into play. The way it's just playing triplets, to me it kind of clashes with the other stuff going on, except the parts where the guitar + drums also play those triplets (i.e 1:04), those bits are cool. The main melodies from the metallic pads and echo drops is nice, gives the track a bit of a mysterious feel. After a brief guitar interlude, we hit 2:37, love this bit, best part of the song. The issue I have with the square lead has put me off listening to this in full a few times, but that gripe aside, this is really quite good.

MUS08: Hangar 7 - Jimmy
Quite a strong beat with this one, possibly helped by the fact the 7/4 time signature is quite subtle here to my ears (or maybe that's why it's subtle in the first place), I wouldn't have really picked up on the fact this wasn't in 4/4 if I didn't already know otherwise.
A very synth-heavy piece, which hasn't been uncommon to hear in WADs for a while now. I don't think it's as memorable as some of the other tracks here, but there's nothing at all wrong with it. In fact given what I said about previous WADs having these kind of synth-heavy pieces, I can see this becoming one of the most popular MIDIs in the pack in terms of reuse. An immediate classic, perhaps?

MUS09: Phalarope Shuffle - yakfak
This is more the sort of thing I've come to expect with yakfak. A pretty strange bassline contributed by the cello, but as the track progresses, you get some really cool chords coming in over the top of it. Some interesting use of SFX instruments too..
2:19 is very strange. Pan flutes sound sort of out of tune, and yet at the same time they don't. Yeah I've got no idea tbh. A really strange MIDI, yet somehow not bad at all. Like Jimmy was when it was first posted, I'm pretty confused by this one :P

MUS10: Mint Petal - Viscra Maelstrom
100BPM is very much on the line between slow and mid-tempo IMO. That, combined with the overall melancholic feel of this song sets it pretty far apart from Viscra's usual sound. I really like it though. A pretty simple, but nice chord progression is used for the entire song, and that stops just short of the feared vi-IV-I-V. The song starts from just a simple drum beat and a drone synth playing the roots of those chords, and just builds and builds from there. It would be nice to have a bit of velocity tweaking on the hi-hats so they aren't all the same, but otherwise this is a really nice track, great work VM!

[Tristan]

bumpity bumps, 11-23

Spoiler

MUS11: Smooth Infiltrator - Kassman & Jimmy
Really good stuff. With a moderate amount of tuning up and extending from Jimmy, this one turned out really well. Great basslines, melodies, synth parts, guitar parts, changes in pace, this one's got it all! The similarities to Mark Klem's work sound pretty pronounced to me, and that can never be a bad thing! Obviously because of that, it doesn't stray far from the classic PWAD MIDI sound, and just as Klem's work remains popular with mappers today, I reckon this - along with Hangar 7 - will be among the more reused MIDIs of this set.
That is of course, assuming more than like five people actually listen to these tracks ;-;

MUS12: Midnight Dinner - CWolf & Jimmy
Very simple in structure, this song has two sections and bounces back and forth between them, but while initially it's pretty barebones and maybe doesn't sound the most appealing, it picks up later on as it introduces some more elements. The song is written in 3/4 though it sounds more typical of 6/8 tracks to me, and this becomes more pronounced roughly at 1:40, where a slight change to the drums picks the pace up a bit. Everything after this point is pretty neat. Everything before it, less so, but good enough IMO.

MUS15: Sappers & Moles - yakfak
Jimmy describes MAP15 as being beseiged by military forces, who brought a tank with them. yakfak proceeded to tackle the military theme in his own crazy way. The drum track here has a fair bit of cool stuff going on with the snare drum, like some warped military parade drumming, and I assume this was the intention, given that the drum track is named "military" in the metadata :P
It keeps coming back to one short, but really damn good chord progression, with some loud strings playing the melody to give it that intense feeling. At three minutes in length, this isn't the shortest MIDI in the pack, but it sure goes by pretty quickly. Bonkers, in a good way, yakfak's best contribution to the set.

MUS16: The Revenant - KevinHEZ
Coming in just shy of six minutes, Kevin brings us the longest song in the main set. _{That's a distinction I wouldn't mind having next time we do one of these btw :P}
A pretty heavy track with a bombastic "chorus" which I guess functions as its main hook. Drops off into a quieter middle section before coming back to an extended chorus at around ~4:00. Outro is pretty awesome as well. Cool effect with the sawtooth fading in and out. Another very good MIDI right here.

MUS17: Mining for Paranoia - Akse
At nearly five minutes long, this is up there amongst the longest songs in the pack. I can't say I'm convinced that it needs to be that long, because to me it's one of those you expect to really get going, and it just never really does. Like with MAP03, this one I can't really praise highly from a normal listening perspective, but again like MAP03, sometimes this is the more appropriate kind of background music, and it's clearly been put together competently so there's nothing fundamentally wrong with this track. The solo is pretty cool, no doubt the combination of a clav and a muted guitar stands out for its unique and original sound.
Also whenever I hear this I always think of Tom Sawyer by Rush, heh.

MUS18: Acidic Lymph - ClumsyDoomer
Clumsy's come a pretty long way since plutmidi. Acidic Lymph has a very melancholic feel, and in the vein of Sign of Evil and Legion of the Lost, achieves this by using just two chords. The most important thing when you're using so few chords for a whole song is to keep changing things up to keep it all interesting, and that's been done pretty well here, introducing choirs over the top of the harp, and the goblins make for a nice background instrument. A nice middle section is included, in which Clumsy introduces a third chord for one bar only (whoa clumsy, calm down! :P). The bass part, which is later echoed by the harp provides this song with the hook it needs to stick in the mind. Fantastic work.

MUS19: Gargoyles - Jimmy
This is a track that Jimmy should never have had to have made, but oh boy I'm glad he did. One of his strongest solo offerings to the pack, but I can't decide which one wins out of this and Freighthoppers. I love the mysterious feel to this one, which no doubt comes from the echo drops and the celesta, combined with a chord progression seemingly dominated by minor, but with the occasional major chord right where it needs to be. At 1:12 comes a very strong section with a great melody from the strings and organ, and this section later returns with just strings at 2:38 in a different key, to provide part of a quiet middle section, before it starts to build up again to the guitar solo at 3:40, which yet again is based on that same section. It's based on the string melody, which runs behind it, and with a bit of clever pitch wheel stuff, you get that note at 3:52. Mmmmm.
That solo alone is one of the standouts of the set, great song.

MUS20: Black Colossus - Hellish Godzilla & Jimmy
This one turned out nicely enough. Melodically very simple, but the arrangement is enough to keep it interesting. Not a whole lot to say on this one to be honest, but I'd say it's good enough.

MUS21: Unearth - Alfonzo
This one brings percussion to the foreground, with those taikos rumbling throughout. Not lots going on here melody wise, with many of the instruments making only brief appearances, and others contributing drone notes. Decent, but I'm in no doubt that I preferred MAP02's theme.

MUS22: Empryean Shard - ClumsyDoomer
Empty track in the metadata titled Kontakt 5 [64 bit]. Well, well :D Any chance of hearing that version?
This time Clumsy opted for a 4-chord progression rather than 2 like in his other submissions. Like the other two, it's a solid offering, and yet again it sets up a real melancholic atmosphere. The piccolo was a nice touch, and that's followed - after a short break - by a simple guitar solo. Nice piano stuff near the end too, sometimes the most subtle elements make all the difference. Another track that proves that you can do a lot with just a small number of chords.

MUS23: Ancient Enclosure - Viscra Maelstrom
Heavy mid-tempo song, though initially it's not a dead giveaway as a VM track, though when the synth arpeggios come in later on, it's a bit more obvious. Pretty intense, I liked it.

Have to stop there, because I left the heating on full while writing this and I think I'm actually about to catch fire so I'll do the rest of the write-ups later.

[Doomkid]

My MIDI is kinda boring as-is, I won't beat around the bush - I like the sound but it just feels incomplete. I couldn't come up with anything else months ago, but I think its been long enough to come up with a fresh melody for the latter half of the track to prevent it being too plain or repetitive. Thanks for reviewing most of the pack Eris, these comments will help us all tweak the MIDIs to get more out of them where necessary!

[Tristan]

k done

Spoiler

MUS25: Keepsake Fever - Alfonzo
Very dark, foreboding and fast-paced intro here. Written tempo is 90 but feels like 180 to begin with, but when the intro is finished, it loses that frantic pace a bit, though this isn't necessarily a problem. Really complex arrangement here, the drum track looks somewhat reminiscent of those black midi things, but in this case all the notes serve their purpose. It's like a really detailed map. Love the complex xylophone work on this, and nice to hear that prominent bass playing in the lower registers just like in MAP02's theme. Liked the shift to a calmer sound in the outro too, great work overall!

MUS26: Reach Within - Jimmy
Supposedly a reference to Within Reach - the song from the last map of BTSX E1, but I don't really hear it. I guess the atmosphere pad melody near the start is kinda similar, but otherwise I can't really hear much resemblance to that track. Within Reach was a really great piece of music, but this one does well on its own merits. Awesome mini drum solo at the very end :D

MUS27: Clay - Jimmy
I was considering picking up 27 myself when that slot was causing a bit of a headache, but my contribution would've been pretty different to this, and likely not as suitable. A calm but very melancholic track, and in places reminds me a bit of "End is Nigh" from Plutonia 2 MAP20, and I think I already made this comparison when Clay first appeared.
Perhaps not so memorable, compared to the other Jimmidis, but pretty nice all the same. Definitely appropriate for the lower light levels of this map.

MUS28: I Sacrifice Hellish Godzilla, Jimmy & Alfonzo, but I'm not sure they'll be too happy about that.

Wow, this is barely recognisable from the last time I heard it, and I think that was still after Jimmy had polished it up, so I guess Alfonzo made some pretty major changes right across this track. All for the better, this is sounding really good. I heard the original leading melody about 30 seconds in, and towards the end, otherwise I'm basically hearing this song for the first time. Impressive stuff, nice work!

MUS29: Souls Trapped Between Rotten Bricks - ClumsyDoomer
Harp on channel 8, hi to you too, lol!

MAP29 used to be my slot, and this was a submission for 19, but Clumsy just had to go and be awesome and make something that didn't really fit 19, but sounded perfect for 29. And that's how I ended up on MAP30, heh.
Once again, Clumsy pulls a Sign of Evil/Legion of the Lost and uses just two chords to carry this track, but holy fuck it's done so well here. As with his other two submissions, the melancholic atmosphere is really prominent, but this time there's a glorious and bombastic epicness merged in with it. Fantastic marching rhythm from the snare drums, and there's timpani matching that rhythm, but maybe they should be a tad louder and possibly pitched down an octave, because they're sort of buried as-is, but I reckon they could really blow the roof off even further.
This was Clumsy's first track for the project, the sheer improvement over his plutmidi work was just unreal, and those weren't bad at all either...
Anyway yeah, this is amazing, definitely a favourite in the pack, and when I made MAP30's theme, I totally wasn't trying to outdo this piece in the bombastic melancholy approach :P

MUS31: Redback - Alfonzo & Jimmy
Still amused by that one bar in 27/16 time :P
Don't really have a lot to say on this one, but I like it. Cool stuff coming from the rhythm section, and nice little guitar solos dotted about.

MUS32: King Roo - Alfonzo
Since Alfonzo mentioned them, the only major gripe I have with the velocities here is that the drums are way too loud for the most part. However turning them down at the louder parts of the song may bury them so yeah some of the other instruments may need a bit of tweaking. Cool song otherwise though, another neat bass part, and it's cool how it Bounces Around A Bit with the time signatures.

MUS33: Evil On Tour - Alfonzo & Jimmy
Full on with anagrams and the like, Evil Vile Veil Live on Tour, with special guests, The Bruiser Brothers...

Still need to check out the new map actually, but this is a pretty cool MIDI that's been made for it. Kinda crazy in its arrangement, making for a dark and kinda twisted sounding track, that's also pretty intense in places. No complaints here, great stuff.

--

Overall - Fantastic MIDI pack. The first one we did for Plutonia was pretty good, but I've gotta say this one really outclasses it in many ways. Alfonzo, who wasn't part of plutmidi, has proven to be a great addition to the list of authors. ClumsyDoomer, as I've mentioned already has improved hugely since plutmidi, and hopefully he'll continue doing so, I'd like to hear more stuff from him in future PWAD. My plutmidi submissions were like the first midis I ever made so uh hopefully I've also improved quite a lot :P
Maybe it would have been nice to have something from the likes of Lippeth or stewboy here, but the quality across the board is so high that their absence doesn't leave any gaps.

Favourite tracks, probably 01, 02, 10, 11, 18, 19, 25, 29. Great work folks!

[ClumsyDoomer]

Woah, thanks a lot, Eris. Not feeling that I'm spoiling the pack anymore, lol. I enjoyed your tracks a lot as well. That kontakt 5 thing was an accident, lol, still seeking use of that thing.
Once again it's a pleasure to be listed among such professionals.

[Varis Alpha]

I see the credits are using my old username for the tracks i contributed. Can that be changed to my current username?

[Jimmy²]

Of course. I'm not actually sure why you're still named as such since I'm pretty sure you've gone by your current name for a good while now, so apologies.

[Alfonzo]

I'm a format thief. 1 - 10:

Spoiler

MUS01: Freighthoppers - Jimmy
Moves like a train! A fun, rearing-to-go concept track that fits the map to a tee – even if it does outlast the playthrough. The tempo and galloping percussion sell the idea of moving at pace. As with many of Jimmy's tracks, 'Hoppers sounds simultaneously versatile and precisely placed. I could imagine this one featuring in a number of small, bash-and-crash facility settings.

MUS03: Bystreet – Akse & Jimmy
Another track that fits its respective map outright. Very cool '80s-sounding cruiser; kinda sounds like one of those classic reductionst MIDIs you occasionally hear adapted from well-known bands of the era. I concur with Eris in noting that there's little going on structurally: It stays rigidly to its key and rhythm... but it does break stride in breaking down the riff and creating spaces in the flow, and that keeps it fresh enough; earns it plaudits in my book. I quite like it! Cool bass at the start – thanks, Jimmy.

MUS04: Westopolis – Viscra Maelstrom
Not sold on this one, I must admit. It's not without its upside; probably too blaring for a level that features more crawling through vents and windows than crashing into rooftops, though yes, there is the odd outdoor scuffle that rises to meet the aggression, and the quality of the main riff is full and well-rounded. My problems with it are that while the sound for each individual section is fine enough on first listen (the guitar melody heard in the chorus is hella neat – catchy!), there isn't enough variation on return such that the whole amounts to more than just a repeat showing of its main structural components, spaced out into 16 measure sections. On rotation it starts to wear a bit thin. I would have liked to hear more daring attempts to change the sound as the track goes on beyond adding synth strings and a square wave variation, perhaps some break-ups and a more convincing departure from the established rolling maul of crashes and guitars that blanket the ears. It's not really an easy listen!

MUS05: Last Resort – Jimmy
Cut my MIDI into pieces?

This one's different. I like it. Salsa spider stand-off? The trumpet lead is at first a little unconvincing, I think, and from memory Jimmy was talking about how dissatisfied he was with it and wondering why it was so difficult to place. Ultimately it works out fine as it builds out of isolation and into the nylon strings and marimbas, where the arrangement works wonders. I think I can also hear the Muse offerings in the chord progression of that steel guitar lead-in... though that may just be the power of suggestion!

Just quietly, I wonder if some modulation effect wouldn't have gone amiss on the brass. I know I slather my leads in that shit all the time, but the softer, muffled sound of the MIDI trumpet is ripe for the warbling.

MUS06: Wasted – Doomkid
I won't spend any time demonizing Doomkid's MIDI, here, since he's weighed in with his own denigration. It's certainly an improvement over the first iteration for quality of sound, I can say that much. Neat little brightness climax before the end, though in a MIDI this sparse I'm probably looking for stuff to grasp at.

MUS07: Forgotten Valley – Icytux
I don't mind the square triplets so much, myself, though I figure they could have done with some softening, perhaps being ghosted by a delay track, panned as though moving across space.

This is a really great track; befits the cliffs of map07 with its air of soaring and mystery – a good word used there by Eris in description. Echo drops'll do that! It's conventionally structured, but there's enough going on between visits to the main segments. The section at 2:40 is perfectly placed, with its combined key shift and naked use of pads, echo and strings. Really helps paint a picture; an odyssey drifting. One of the more evocative tracks in the pack, and not one that I'll likely forget any time soon.

MUS08: Hangar 7 – Jimmy
Jimmy's delving into the synth-tech department of sound once again produces the sort of one-size-fits all track that nevertheless boasts its own character, once it gets going. The bass lead octaves are a familiar sound... but that chord progression is something new, and the ever-present echo drop chords give everything a haunted vibe – a great follow-up to Forgotten Valley. The evolving sequence of harmonies at the end with the seashore backing seals the impression of an unsettling tranquillity, too. Fair effort!

MUS09: Phalarope Shuffle – Yakfak
Love it. I mean, it doesn't fit the map at all from where I'm sitting (TVR!'s pseudo-realistic duplo environments don't quite tap into the kind of abstraction that are required for yakfak's works to resonate), but I fall head-over-heels for this kind of instrument dogpiling. Applause and helicopter drones? Drunken cello with woodblock accompaniment? Yep, that's a zanzan MIDI.

The instrument use is important when you're going off-script. The kalimbas here are happily hitting all the 'wrong' notes but because they lack distinction it creates a complementary head-spin that isn't at odds with the disorderly bass; a phalarope shuffle. Likewise the woodwinds in the second section – love the way it builds – though there's more attempt to sustain a familiar sound here with the strengthened chord work. Between the innovation, the off-kilter harmonies and the impression that the track is completely fucking inebriated, this is one of my favourites. What was zanzan looking to change, I wonder?

MUS10: Mint Petal – Viscra Maelstrom
Sounds like a Pcorf midi, right from the word go. When the square comes in, and then the brass... yowzer! Could have fooled me.

I prefer this to Westopolis. It's dissimilar in that it takes one sequence of chords and adds elements to keep it engaging, so the criticism of a lack in more daring movements away from the established loop doesn't fly. By that same token – it's Corfiness – there isn't much to really comment on. It fits the map well enough. Perhaps with so minimalist an approach a more nuanced assortment of sounds could have been used to evolve the track rather than en block additions, but that's only minor; an idea encouraged by the sort of tone that's produced. It's okay, as is.

While I'm here and covering the first third of the pack, some comments on my own Trash for MAP02:

Depression impressed me with its setting and disquieting emptiness. Particularly in the earlier stages of Revolution!, the pairing of low-level detail and clear-cut architecture has the player play a game of recognition with his surroundings while still feeling as though he's moving in a believable space, filling in the gaps with his imagination. Here, you can almost smell the post-apocalyptic damp rotting up the corners of the buildings. A sleazy pooling of xylophones, tremolo, soundtrack fx, organ and ice rain would best capture this vision-noir, I decided - apparently. Two-bit exotica. A pamphlet world of shitty dreams and diving through dumpsters. In the rain.

Don't remember much of how this came together, as it was made almost a year ago and is hardly a demanding track at 2:41, but it would have been finished within a day or two. I do remember being alarmed at how natural that base measure felt, as well, though I'm sure it could be arranged to read more sensibly on the ledger. I'd be less impressed with myself if that were the case, of course ;) Not bad! Got the sound I was after, and it gels well with a few of the other numbers in this part of the pack, like Last Resort.

[Varis Alpha]

another quick heads-up, the ZDoom wad that adds composer info also has my old Doomhuntress handle credited under my tracks.

[Jimmy²]

Whoa, these comment trains are great. Thanks so much guys :>

Viscra Maelstrom said:

another quick heads-up, the ZDoom wad that adds composer info also has my old Doomhuntress handle credited under my tracks.

No problem, all will be taken care of.

[Alfonzo]

I like to use words. 11 - 20

Spoiler

MUS11: Smooth Infiltrator – Kassman & Jimmy
I'm more tentative in drawing comparisons with the works of Mark Klem than most, I think. Plainly there are ostensible qualities to his work that tap into common grounds – the chameleon riffs, driving beats and guttural ramblings of the distorted register – and with the continued popularity of his music it's easy to identify tracks that come close to a kind of spiritual totality; they can be embellished with ease. This is one such track. Jimmy noted the way that Kassman used rhythm to fill the space between a simple echo drop motif, heard the Time x Time = Time-like calliope movements and went to town. The result is pretty cool – one of my favourites... but where's the Sade saxaphone solo? I'll settle for the e. piano interlude. And that guitar riff.

MUS12: Midnight Dinner – CWolf & Jimmy
Not doing much for me, this one. I'd appreciate it more as one of Jimmy's many disposable speedmidi ventures, perhaps, granted I never heard the original version by CWolf. The main riff isn't enough to carry the track without being played upon significantly, and being as it is without much more than a varied beat around the ~2:00 mark trying to keep it afloat, it wears out before the track gets to the end of its 2:39 run time. The secondary segments sounds like they're treading water waiting for the main part to roll around again.

It's okay to have tracks deliberately playing second fiddle to more memorable works for the betterment of the whole, but while it isn't poorly made, this is a bit uninspired.

MUS13: Haze – Eris
TVR! is a rudimentary level set, but it's by no means strapped for imagery. It uses chunky bits of world-building to give the impression of narrative without robbing the player more than inch of interpretive wiggle room, particularly in the first third or half of the game where the player fights his way through all sorts of familiar locales. This is an important point to consider when making music for the set, I think. Consider the sorts of moody, almost threadbare tracks you hear in sets like Icarus or Perdition's Gate, for example, which can illicit great emotional resonance for similar reasons that maps like those found in TVR! stir the imagination, bridging the gap between the little that's shown and a greater, more complete picture. The Defacto Falling Haze, with its attention to detail and dramatic surges and harmonies, fits thematically, in my mind – a crumbling seclusion with an air of tranquillity about it – but the precise painting of this idea seems ill-fitting in a set that tries to use less to show more, visually. This the crux of my problem. It is not to say that Haze is a bad track by any other means, or that one shouldn't ever close off all corners of their work in pursuit of some seamless masterpiece. It just clashes on a matter of artistic principle.

Compared to the rest of the Eris discography this is fairly by-the-numbers, but it's also beautiful, delicate. I've heard the chord progression and instrument use several times before (e. piano, woodwinds, tubular bells, nylon strings, fingered bass, strings swelling up to fill the background, etc.), and the gradual building of elements that come together around the middle-end of the track like a grand reveal – it's still wonderful to listen to. One of the better-crafted tracks of the bunch, outclassed only by a select few wonderwerks... and other tracks by Eris. Tracks like...

MUS14: Battle of Chaos – Eris
Sweeeeet. Love it. The rampaging percussion, all the little breaks; the left-of-field key changes. That organ solo is god tier, as well, and the melodious bit right before the end at ~2:30 is a welcome tonal shift. My observations with the previous track don't really apply here so much, because the raw energy that you feel being plunged into an action-packed map like MAP14 negates it. You pay less attention to silly things like 'interpretation' when you're under the pump; the music becomes a catalyst for a more immediate experience. This is my favourite track by Eris in the pack, and unless I'm forgetting something, probably my fav of the most recent ones he's put out.

MUS15: Sappers & Moles – Yakfak
Hi. This is my favourite track in the pack. Like Phalarope Shuffle, it doesn't really fit the map it's meant for: TVR! is far too easy-going to merit this sort of crazed military cartoon massacre; a ballistic barrage of bassoons, brass and no-holds-barred bonkers. I don't care, though – it's great.

One of the things that I love about zanzan's work is the way he seems to poke fun at the sounds unique to MIDI. It seems like they're being exploited, what with the gruff-sounding brass instruments farting away in the deep and the bassoon toying away in the upper registers where – let's be honest – it really doesn't belong. Only it does belong. And the clapping, oh my! The pantomime vehicle slows a bit before the two minute mark, where we get some chill hallmark piano play and a cool little tempo dip between segments. The track builds back into madness with aplomb, after that; it's all very well constructed. Animaniacs meets the Ludovico Technique. Sappers & Moles. Winning.

MUS16: The Revenant – KevinHEZ
MAP16 is probably one of the largest levels in the set, so good call with the track length. It's a proggy little winner – love that catchy chorus! I half expect to hear Axl Rose screaming in to assist with some vocals, though I don't really know my metal bands so that may not be appropriate. Guns are made of metal, right? Roses aren't, I know that much.

While I like the refrain and every other part of the track for that matter, I'm not sure if a sound this full and rich fits the map much in the same way that Eris's Haze feels too detailed and well-realised for such rudimentary level design, visually. In discussing his track I'm commenting more on what's required of someone who really wants to invest into the idea of composing around the specifics of a mapset, though, so it doesn't have to carry much weight if you choose to focus on the track standalone: it’s great. Haze is great. This one has a sense of proportion and takes the listener on a bit of a journey, like all the best songs of its kind. I love how it doesn't cop out at the end and carries the outpouring of energy into a second climax.

MUS17: Mining For Paranoia – Akse
For all the mentioning of how one track fits a map better than another, I think this sort of understated piece carries an OST, helping as much to balance out the soundtrack as capture the concept made obvious in every map. Akse's Paranoia pairs with the idea of toiling underground well enough, yes... but it also sounds like it was composed in the era the set was made in. It doubly belongs! It's simple; doesn't deviate in structure much, just like his other composition, and you're happy to let it roll on quietly in the background, like all the best mood-building filler tracks of your favourite mapsets. It's a little like a Tolwyn MIDI, really! In one clear sense the most fitting of all the tracks make for their respective maps. The kind of track that every complete soundtrack needs, even though other ditties will be getting all the praise. I like it. It's a working man's MIDI.

MUS18: Acidic Lymph – ClumsyDoomer
MIDI is disappointingly graceful. I was promised clumsy. What happened?

I first listened to this just before the beta as I was checking for volume issues, and knowing that Jimmy had something like 15 contributions to the pack including edits I figured this might be one of his. It has the clarity of sound that his tracks do: distinct repeating elements and sections, the re-purposing of existing instruments to new ends. Competently put together! Good job, in other words, it's a fine track. I don't think it stands out all that much; there's a lack of dare in departing from the main sequence, something that's important when a track isn't toiling away in the background like Aske's Paranoia. All the same, it fits the map, which has this aura of sanctity and seclusion about it.

MUS19: Gargoyles – Jimmy
I thought this was pretty decent on the first listen, though I could tell it was the sort of track that would win me over more on repeat listens. It doesn't really grab you by the lapels and slap you about with its immediate brilliance. A few things happened to pique my interest, though: the bass kicks in, going all slippy and weirdo off the lower register, sounding almost as though it's straining to break a lead like some disobedient spirit. Very weird – cool! The organs then remind me of... something, at the time. A bit of snooping around and it turned out I'd been listening to Bucket's Pluvious more than I should care to. No shame, of course: Pluvious is a great track.

I'm not as enamoured as Eris, but it's definitely a good one, this. It's a great follow-up to the previous track in Acidic Lymph, sounding like some creepy subterranean revelation. You turn the wrong corner and behold a perversion of dancing imps in stone. Of stone. Leering ritual oddities. Creepy.

MUS20: Black Colossus – Hellish Godzilla & Jimmy
Bit of the Old West rolling in at the end, here. I like that.

This one's passable, nothing exceptional. My sentiments are much the same as with Midnight Dinner, though less pronounced: the main sequence and its variations are a bit too plodding and rigid for the most part, just getting from one end of the track to the other with little stirring to the attention. It's probably as good as it can be with the melody it has, doing its best to paint it as interesting as it can through different instruments and beats.

[Alfonzo]

Finalmente. I'll later edit this post and the previous one with further commentary on my own tracks. 20 - 30:

Spoiler

MUS22: Empyrean Shard – ClumsyDoomer
Textbook mood piece, neither challenging nor captivating. Not bad, though, just run-of-the-mill; a bit tired, to my ear. It uses instruments conventional to the sound achieved and sticks to its chord progression throughout, with a key change at the end that almost bears no mentioning for how it's used. It's hard to sing the praises of this sort in a pack with tracks like Haze or The Forgotten God, or even when compared to Clumsy's other track in Rotten Bricks. He's a musician on the rise, still, and this is hardly a poor showing.

MUS23: Ancient Enclosure – Viscra Maelstrom
This track banks on the main riff to carry it to term, allowing it to fill out the majority of its length with an isolated deviation during the first half and accompanying square and shamisen for the rest, plus a repeated sewn-in eight measure chord sequence. While the sound is similar to the bulk of Westopolis, it isn't so structured and is happy to roll with the established loop of guitars. It's not all that interesting, unfortunately, and I'm not sure the relentless roll of sound suits the trap-heavy chambers of Pyramid of Pain. The geographical influences are noted, however!

MUS24: Beneath the Stars – Eris
Wb, Eris. I'll forego repeating the spiel I gave for MAP13's Haze. Sufficed to say it stands, here, and that it once again has no bearing on the quality of the track... although I should add that the mood the track creates doesn't seem to match the level, anyway, which is a bit of a horseshit scrambler to begin with. Whatever? Indeed.

Some familiar motifs and selections in this one, but nonetheless enjoyable. It's the sort to sink in over time, though for different reasons than something like Gargoyles, which features a clearly segmented structure: Eris tracks usually melt into their fullest sound like many classically arranged orchestral works, slowly easing into the track many different parts and sounds so that you find yourself forgetting how it is you got to the main event, once it hits you, and certainly in Doom – it's unlikely you've been paying attention for all the killing. This doesn't strike me as too different from Haze for the feel it's going for: it achieves again a sense of transcendence and melancholy (in so far as such a feeling can be had through MIDI), but it still works its own magic. I love the call-and-response bit near the end between the nylon strings and jazz guitar, and the tribal-sounding kalimbas. Less sure about the guitar solo, which I think feels too excited to be part of the track... but what would an Eris piece be without a solo of some kind? Still pretty awesome, is what.

MUS26: Reach Within – Jimmy
I mean, it has the same tempo as Within Reach, and a few of the instruments. Maybe there's a repeat motif I'm missing. Maybe it's a red herring and there's shit all to compare. It does sound like something out of the BTSX catalogue, though.

Pretty good! Chorus has that sort of confident, against-all-odds energy about it. It steals the show from the middling bits, although I like the twin solos and the way the track ends, rambling off with the guitar into an up-tempo repeat of that harpsichord element. Of the standalone Jimmy tracks, this is up there.

MUS27: Clay – Jimmy
This is also a chill, understated track. Another Workman's Choice. Love the Twilight Zone licks of ice rain and the haunting ensemble of drops, pads and strings, and the juxtaposition with that 9/8 time sig is also neat. Unsettling, with a hint of enigma. It never feels the need to rise above its station, which is a welcome decision in a project that runs the risk of having too many contributors compete against each other for awesome factor. A favourite of mine for the way it compliments the pack, and very much what I was trying to achieve with Unearth... but I like this one more!

MUS29: Souls Trapped Between Rotten Bricks – ClumsyDoomer
…Interesting title. My comments on Empyrean Shard mostly apply here, with Clumsy's wont to build upon a simple loop of notes and chords. It's a little more grabbing than his previous track, if only for its dedication to fulfilling the idea of the penultimate level, sounding all pensive and climactic. A bit naked in places, too, and I'm not sold on that solo (that pitch wheel at the end is something else, argh!), which felt premature in the absence of any further narrative or development. It is, after all, a very short track for what it's trying to be. Acidic Lymph remains my favourite from Clumsy, this time around.

MUS30: The Forgotten God – Eris
I've joked many times about the length of MAP30 and how Eris's track would need to be roughly thirty seconds long to satisfy the experience. Hell, ten seconds ought to cover it: you can skip the line that forces a repeat running of the puzzle and kill the Forgotten Asshole before he has a chance to change his trousers.

From about ~0:40 Eris invites us to a sneaky snippet of John Murphy's In The House – In A Heartbeat. Nah, just kidding?? The opening sequence of broken chords and heavy strings is suitably foreboding – good music for picking up weapons! :) Assuming you're still figuring out what the hell to do as the demons pour in, however, it takes the tempo a good while to launch into the swing of things proper, and I'm not sure the e. piano was the best choice to make in a level like this, even if things never get to reach fever pitch. By itself the track is well-weighted, of course. The re-use of those broken chords as part of the Big Racket is cool, as is the solo (the guitar works, this time!). Good work.

Overall - I'm glad to have been a part of this project. We did have to drag ourselves over the finish line in the end, and it's strange that we should end up sitting out for a year after the first few weeks saw more than half of the required slots filled and accounted for. Or perhaps... it's not so strange. Perhaps it is the Doomworld way. It's done now, in any case, so we can look forward to the next gig, whenever that happens.

As is to be expected in a pack with so many authors, some of the tracks fit their respective levels like a glove and others, well... nothing is so jarring as to be a complete misfire, at least. What I would have liked to see more focus and discussion on is the requirement of an OST particuar to the set it's being made for, beyond the mere quality of its tracks and how they fit according to the surface concept or mood of their respective levels. The comments I made on Haze apply here, yes, but there're also repeating motifs to consider, or themes, families of instruments... you name it. I did have in my mind an idea for re-using certain instruments, particularly those found in Trash (the xylos in Keepsake, for instance)... I wonder if anyone else was looking to establish their own consistency. Plutonia's MIDI Pack seems to have struck a more coherent note with me if only because Bucket ended up making so many damn tracks, and if it weren't for the fact that I love the everliving shit out of his work I'd probably rank this higher.

Favourite tracks regardless of fit are 07, 09, 11, 14, 15, 16, 26... and Victory ;))

Special mention also to OST workhorses 03, 17 and 27.

[ClumsyDoomer]

Personally I'd like to see a non-midi pack for some solid ZDoom mod, or a collaborative semi-professional album (like DSoP), lol. There are many people who can help with putting it together, and I believe it will attract more attention.

[Tristan]

Cheers for those comments Alfonzo!

Alfonzo said:

I did have in my mind an idea for re-using certain instruments, particularly those found in Trash (the xylos in Keepsake, for instance)... I wonder if anyone else was looking to establish their own consistency

Closest thing I had to a (really subtle) recurring motif was this one bass fill that ended up appearing in all 4 of my tracks. 2:13 in The Forgotten God was the big one, but it's in all the others as well. It's appeared in my post-TVR work too though, so that's kind of ruined. Damn it, Glover!

I'll do some commentary on my tracks too, will have to do this in two parts because fucking hell I ramble on forever, it's already nearly 2pm.

Spoiler

MUS13: Haze
This one seemed like it would be so easy to interpret. I made a start on this track a couple of weeks after I'd done 24 and 30, and ended up with this thing right here. Thanks for suggesting the ii° chord btw Jimmy, that was a new one to me!

It was a kinda difficult time of life and this realised itself in the form of severe creative block, I didn't touch this MIDI for another two months, and I was worried I would be holding this project up. Pfft.
Well, when you listen to that first version it doesn't take a genius to see how it became the finished product. I took the ending of the demo and made it the start and based the main body of the song on the rest of the demo, even throwing that flute melody on the oboe track, where it was now meant to be more of a background melody.

I wanted the track to be a fair bit longer, but ended up bored with it and rounded it off with the traditional quiet outro. 3:07 makes it my 3rd shortest ever, heh.
I felt this was a pretty weak track, but I've since warmed to it. Personal favourite part is the oboe melody at 1:10-1:34.

_{Side note: Jimmy noted a similarity to Geometry from BTSX E2. Both tracks are driven by acoustic guitars, but purely by coincedence, they're both in G minor and at the exact same tempo of 82.}

MUS14: Battle of Chaos
With Plutonia, Bucket gave us Plusfort, very much a rock piece with a quick tempo and in amongst it all, a fantastic Hammond solo. This is pretty much my answer to that track. Deep Purple were very prominent in my mind then, having seen Ritchie Blackmore's brief return to that era of his work the previous month, but I'm a keyboard player and not a guitarist so this reminded me of how much I like the sound of Hammond organs.
_{During this event, there was this epic keyboard solo that ultimately made me get back into playing the instrument. He sort of stole the show for me with that, haha}

I wanted to use them in a MIDI, and this was just around the time the previous track in MAP14's slot was being essentially booted. I tried playing MAP14 on UV and died pretty quickly in a Chaotic Battle. It was screaming for a crazy fast tempo piece. Deep Purple's Burn was the underlying basis for this track, but I don't recall taking influence from anything else.
Well, ultimately I'm glad I got to make this one. Kinda funny how I've got two tracks back to back in the set, and they're like complete opposite ends of the spectrum. I admit, the three tracks I had already made (13 and 24 especially) didn't differ much, so it was great to have the chance to make something a bit more out of my normal area. Next time there's a MIDI pack, I'll definitely try and contribute a wider range of tracks. Still hoping for a 7:00+ opportunity! :P

Favourite section is easily 1:37-1:59, followed by the first organ solo. vi-IV-I-V is a great set of chords, ruined by a sheer amount of overuse in modern music, appearing in like 140% of everything post-80s, and now I think we've all adopted this unwritten rule to not use it. While I'll never use it as a main part of a song, I do believe it's sometimes the absolute best choice for a single section, making one brief appearance in a song allows it to really shine. DragonForce did this perfectly in The Sun is Dead, and that's the example that made me adopt this mindset towards those chords.

Alfonzo said this was his favourite of all my recent work, and it's not something I'd thought about, but I did start thinking after this if I agreed. Taking 2016 as a whole, I've churned out 11 MIDIs (new record!), but yeah, I do think this one was the best. It's pretty close between this, The End of Summer and Skeleton's Waltz though.
And to think, I nearly scrapped it after like 16 bars because I thought "nah this isn't going anywhere." rofl.

[Tristan]

So uh...we're all finished here then? :P

--
Here's some rambling about 24 and 30 because reasons

Spoiler

MUS24: Beneath the Stars
Heh yeah, so the problem that came about with this not matching the gameplay of the map is that while of course I did actually play the map, I based the general sound on what came to me from flying around in -nomonsters. I did this with Haze also, but that has a much more relaxed style of gameplay so it wasn't quite as miscontrast.

Beneath the Stars still feels like it was beginning of a new chapter in my composing history. First song written for a new project, first song written in 2016, first song post-Arctic Voyage. I spent two months working on that song so it was nice to come back to smaller scale stuff.
Alfonzo mentioned this was quite standard for my work, and while I sort of agree with that, this one feels to me very different than the most similar tracks I made before it. Instrumentations and fundamental ideas behind arrangements do hold similarities with the likes of Frozen Wilderness (2014) or that TNT remix in Threnody (2015), but something about this one really set it apart for me. Perhaps it was the slightly quickened tempo, as my early stuff was REALLY slow. The arrangement here was significantly busier than older pieces I think, perhaps that was something to do with it too.
The kalimba was a fun sound to work with. It was my interpretation of all those little waterways dotted around the map, though as I understand it, not everyone shares that watery feeling from them.

As for the title not fitting the map either, meh :P I've struggled picking titles for a while now, and sometimes it's just a case of pulling something out of my arse that kinda matches the feeling I get from the song.

MUS30: The Forgotten God
Basically "screw it.mid"

It's not a slot I initially wanted, my sights were on 29, but then Clumsy made Souls Trapped and that felt to me like a perfect match for the penultimate level, so I agreed to give up 29 for that track, and take on 30 instead.

This is not what I would have made for MAP29. An idea for a percussion driven medieval 6/8 track that I initially had in mind for Realm of Parthoris was still floating around the back of my head, and since I never made that second RoP track, I thought it would work pretty well on the TVR! map instead. Since there's talk of RoP II now, that track may still come to fruition one day.
To begin with I had no idea where to even begin with this map. I just don't do really short tracks, and as Alfonzo said in his comments, and as both he and Jimmy said at the time, MAP30 only really needed a 30-second MIDI. Yuck.
At like 5am on some January morning I put toegther the piano part - essentially Legion of the Lost meets The Hammer Has Fallen (by Sabaton) - added some nice strings, power drums, deep bass...think the rhodes solo was in too at that point. Came back to it that afternoon and finished it. Wow, a whole MIDI in 27 hours, still the fastest I've churned something out.

Super simple, three chords for the entire thing. The same three that made up the vast majority of TNT: Revilution's "Atmosphere," but my love of using iv-VI-i (i.e. 2:10), now one of my favourite chord progressions to use, really manifested itself out of this song. For ages it was my highest rated song ever on my YT channel, though as of this writing that's since been tied by a certain spooky dance :P
To me, with such a damn short map, it seemed pointless to make a perfect match for that battle. Alfonzo said the intro fits the foreboding atmosphere of the start room, to be honest, that's good enough for me. It launches into something loud, slow, bombastic and sorrowful after that, and by the time the organ comes in, the map's almost certainly over. Someone please re-use this on a map actually long enough D:
Guitar solo is one of my personal favourites of the one's I've made too.

[Jimmy²]

As of right the heck now, this project is done and dusted, and is pending upload to the /idgames archive. That's yer lot, folks!

Download Revolution! MIDI Pack (Final release)

This release differs from the beta in that:

• It now contains a file titled "tvr!font.pk3" which you can run (ZDoom-only) to replace the standard Doom message font with a new font designed by Thomas van der Velden originally for the CREDIT pic, and expanded upon by yours truly.
  
• All MIDIs and credits updated where applicable. After extensive cross-checking, I'm pretty dang positive that everything is the most up-to-date version that exists. 10 (Mint Petal) and 17 (Mining for Paranoia) were apparently out of date in the beta.
  
• Various tracks were edited in slight ways. These include 04, 06, 07, 10, 20, 28. None of these edits is particularly noticeable and in the case of 07 (Forgotten Valley) and 10 (Mint Petal) for example, the edit was simply to make the track loop better.

Here's the complete list of MIDIs. These are all included in the above download (plus a few more that were not allocated to the set in the end).
http://jimmy.the-powerhouse.net/MIDI/Projects/Complete/Revolution%20MIDI%20Pack/

EDIT: Poignantly, this exact date marks the 5-year anniversary of Jenesis's completion and upload to /idgames, and my exodus from the United Kingdom.

[Tristan]

\o/

[HavoX]

Good job everyone, and congrats for getting this done!

[Jimmy²]

Surprise! How about a bonus release you never saw coming? Whoa, nelly!
(To be honest it's 5am and I'm not sure why I did this.)



Here is an alternative arrangement of these tracks, ordered specifically for Thomas van der Velden's previous release TV1998!

This set, released 3 years prior to TVR!, can probably be considered to be his first proper go at creating a one-man megawad, and has a lot of the makings of a developing Revolution!. In many instances the map themes are in fact identical - trains, wargrounds, suburbs, rocket bases, even that giant friggin' worm shows up again. Hence, I've thrown together a little pack to slot some choice tracks into the roster for TV1998.

Download TV1998 MIDI Pack
Get TV1998!

Tracks included:

Spoiler

Title: "Tzimidzi Greets You!" by CWolf & Jimmy
Intermission: "Why Settle For Colonel?" by yakfak
01. "Unearth" by Alfonzo
02. "Haze" by Eris Falling
03. "Trash" by Alfonzo
04. "Sappers & Moles" by yakfak
05. "Freighthoppers" by Jimmy
06. "Bystreet" by Akse & Jimmy
07. "Keepsake Fever" by Alfonzo
08. "Last Resort" by Jimmy
09. "The Revenant" by KevinHEZ
10. "Hangar 7" by Jimmy
11. "Mint Petal" by Viscra Maelstrom
12. "Mining for Paranoia" by Akse
13. "Smooth Infiltrator" by Kassman & Jimmy
14. "Gargoyles" by Jimmy
15. "Westopolis" by Viscra Maelstrom
16. "Wasted" by Doomkid
17. "Acidic Lymph" by ClumsyDoomer
18. "Clay" by Jimmy
19. "Ancient Enclosure" by Viscra Maelstrom
20. "The Forgotten God" by Eris Falling
21. "Battle of Chaos" by Eris Falling
22. "Evil On Tour" by Alfonzo & Jimmy

I'd like to very much thank every contributor to the Revolution! MIDI Pack project that made it (and this little thing) possible! Apologies if the use of my own tracks in this alternate cut is pretty flagrant - I tried my best to avoid self-bias, but certain maps in this set like the train and the rocket base kind of were begging for the same tracks to go there. Of course I could be totally wrong! This was knocked up in just over an hour so it could be the worst decision I've ever made. :D

And now for something completely different: sleep. *flump*

[Varis Alpha]

wow. i didn't know about that megawad at all. i'll have to give it a go with this.