FREE TRIAL of Epic and Awesome Music Libraries

Have a nagging question you’d like answered or an idea for an article you’d like to see? Email me at soundbattalion@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to address it!

Hey guys! This is for all you composers and musicians out there. Before I get back usual articles, I wanted to let you in on an awesome deal so lend me your ears! (Not literally, please.) East West Quantum Leap is offering a one month free trial of their Sounds Online Composer Cloud service to all new members and students. This is not some sort of paid plug, don’t worry–I’m just a huge fan of their software and use it all the time in my own composing. I wish I had this when I first started!

You can easily sign up and cancel before the month is over, and it comes with 4 of their 50 libraries. These include:

–ProDrummer (Joe Chiccarelli)
–Symphonic Orchestra Gold
–Stormdrum 2
-Spaces

Each library contains hundreds of samples and sounds that you can use in almost any digital audio workstation (DAW) like Cubase, Logic Pro and Digital Performer (just to name a few). Feel free to check the links above to hear demos of each library.

Now to the good part, here’s the link where you can sign up for a free trial. Check it out!

http://www.soundsonline.com/composercloud

If you decide that the awesomeness you tested is good enough to keep, you can upgrade to either their Student or Complete plan automatically after the first month is over.

Have fun guys! Let me know your thoughts on the quality of these libraries. How do you like them? Are there any other libraries you’re a fan of using? What’s your preferred DAW?

-Andrew
Woodhouse Productions

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Mood Makes Amazing Moments – Ways Music Can Enhance Your Game

Have a nagging question you’d like answered or an idea for an article you’d like to see? Email me at soundbattalion@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to address it!

Imagine an intense scene from your favorite movie, or a dramatic battle from your favorite video game. Remember the action, the cinematography, the dialogue and the mood, with the music underneath it all giving it depth and power. One of those scenes that caused you to hold your breath. One of those scenes that had you on the edge of your seat.

Now imagine watching or playing through that same scene with the volume turned all the way down. You still have subtitles for the dialogue and you still witness the same action and cinematography, but it likely doesn’t have the same atmosphere, the same mood, the same impact. It likely doesn’t cause one of those “hold your breath” moments.

Now let’s look at a tabletop roleplaying game. Oftentimes it can be compared to a “choose your own adventure” book. The action and the power come from the characters your players create. The dialogue is encompassed by their interactions with each other or with NPCS. The atmosphere and mood are helped along by the GM and the narrative. Cinematography is usually boiled down to choreography; who is next to what and where on a map, or sometimes how certain characters act or fight. (More on enhancing this particular aspect can be found in my other article, 5 Tools to Spice Up Your Gaming Life.)

Like a book (“choose your own adventure” or otherwise) there is usually no music involved. But what if there could be? A soundtrack to your escapades, helping to create additional tension, ambiance, horror, and victory? Just like for a movie or video game where it’s heightening the atmosphere, reinforcing emotion; helping to create those “hold your breath” moments?

I’ve been both a player of tabletop gaming as well as a GM for some years now, and tried playing games both with and without music. Through my experiences I’ve noticed some key differences in how players and their characters respond when music is present:

• They are more engaged. Depending on how large your group is, how quickly turns pass and so on, I’ve seen different levels of engagement. Having music though tends to remind players of the mood, the goal, what type of environment they’re in. They’re more interested in what’s going on as much as they are in what they’re going to do next.
• They’re more creative. I know this can depend greatly on the players (shy, outgoing, creative writing majors, you name it). But with music it seemed to help players feel more excited—less of a “let’s get this battle over with quickly” and more of a “what cooler things can I accomplish in this scene?” A soundtrack helps each player feel more like an action hero, and thereby think more like an action hero.
• They’re more influenced. There have been some battles I’ve given my players that really put them through the ringer. And with a soundtrack leading up to a big climax, I can’t begin to describe the atmosphere of a good roll + a killer finishing move + the perfect music that matches the scene. Some moments just wrap up nicely, and the exhilarated look on a player’s face, narrating the exact moment they slice off a demon’s head or run a dragon through the heart, matching up to the biggest apex of an epic song… Priceless. In that moment they connect with their character, they feel what their character’s feeling and they truly feel a part of the story.

Overall, music does something spectacular to the tabletop roleplaying experience; it encourages immersion.

-Andrew
Woodhouse Productions

Sound Battalion, Prelude – An Introduction

Have a nagging question you’d like answered or an idea for an article you’d like to see? Email me at soundbattalion@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to address it!

 

You’re probably asking yourself some important questions right now, such as…

Who are you? Where am I? What is it you specialize in, and what the heck is Sound Battalion? Why am I here? How did you know what I was looking for?

All great questions and each one has a great answer. Let’s get started.

Who are you?

I’m the creator of Sound Battalion and Woodhouse Productions, and a member of Far West Method Music (formally known as Journey Escapes). My name is Andrew Woodhouse, pleased to meet you!

What is it you specialize in?

I am by nature a musician, a composer, and an avid tabletop gamer with a special love of Dungeons and Dragons. I specialize in crafting musical themes for commercials, film and television, and the indie game market. I literally hear music in my mind all the day long. It’s almost like having a soundtrack to your life!

And…

What the heck is Sound Battalion?

Sound Battalion is the name of my music series that will be geared toward tabletop gaming. One of my goals is to create a quick and easy set of songs that any GM can utilize for their campaign. I’ve completed quite a few songs with some still in progress, and an ultimate dream of mine is to have a program where at the push of a button a song will generate and lay upon your players the perfect mood and atmosphere.

Per above, if you have any programming experience or know anyone who might be interested in a very nerdy programming opportunity, please feel free to contact me at soundbattalion@gmail.com!

Why am I here?

I am no mind reader, but my best assumption would be that it is for one of the following:

-You are here to glean information I have to offer
-To learn how to enhance your tabletop game of choice with both technique and tools
-To get tips from a GM who has learned his fair share of both successes and failures and isn’t afraid to share them with you
-To have interaction between writer and reader and really hash out different opinions and ideas
-To find some awesome, kick-a music that you can marinate yourself (or your game) in

How did you know what I was looking for?

Music wise, I knew what you were looking for simply because I was looking for it myself too. Music can be such a heightening experience in both movies and video games, for me it just made sense that it could work well for tabletop games too (if done right). What player wouldn’t want to charge into battle against a manticore or a brigade of bugbears with epic music encouraging them on like they are some movie hero?

I did find some great resources out there such as the classic gothic/horror soundscapes from MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE or from the amazing ambiance and minimal music themes of http://www.tabletopaudio.com/ . Honestly, there are great musical scores everywhere on the internet, from Youtube to SoundCloud from you to pick from.

From my experience, although there’s a lot of action-filled battle and creepy situational music out there, I couldn’t find a good culmination of all the other basic music needed in a campaign. What about when players are in town? In the slum of a city? Victorious after battle? Experiencing a holy moment with a deity? During those parts of the campaign other music just wouldn’t fit, so… would you just have silence?

If you did want music, where could you get a good variety of songs quickly and easily? Songs that reflected travel, towns, different difficulties of battle, dungeons and more? To accomplish this I had to dig and research and pick and choose and make my own playlists based on hours and hours of research, listening and organizing. To get a full score (so to say) for your game is honestly a daunting task, that only a GM passionate or crazy enough about getting that music in the first place would be willing to plan.

So Sound Battalion is my pet project right now. Utilizing the talents I have in composing, I’ve set out to create that type of “ultimate” package that could easily be added to folders in your preferred music player (and someday be in its own standalone program, organized ahead of time for you). Something that you could just pull up on your computer, sync to your iPad or phone, and boom. Atmosphere. Power. Easy.

There you have it. I look forward to sharing more with you in the days to come. Until then, have an awesome day!

-Andrew
Woodhouse Productions