Hello!

[jofferman]

Hey all,

I'm new here, so I figured a proper introduction was in order!

I currently work as a programmer in the games industry, while I spend my free time building a career out of composing and producing music for games (and film). I'm very passionate about both music and games, so being able to earn a living, while working at the intersection of those two media is a dream come true!

For now, I'm just gonna hang around a bit and get a feel for how things work in the indie game land. Hopefully, I can also contribute some ideas and suggestions on how music can be used (more) effectively in your games!

If you'd like to hear some of my work, here's a quick link to a theme I've recently done:
http://www.jimofferman.nl/download/wraak_maintheme.mp3

Sincerely,
Jim.

[Reactor]

Hey, that's some real nice work you have there. I can really appreciate that... thanks for sharing. If you don't mind me asking, I'd love to know what you wrote that in.

Anyway, welcome :)

[20thCenturyBoy]

Cool track. Reminds me of the kind of melancholic music in something like Gabriel Knight 2. Majestic and ominous. Are all the instruments samples? The piano is excellent.

[Gnatinator]

Welcome to the jungle ;)

Nice composition you got there. Very professional

[Addictive 247]

Excellent tune!
The start of it reminded me of the tune that they always played at the end of The Incredible Hulk (TV Series); when he's trying to thumb a lift off to his next adventure :)

[jofferman]

Thanks for the warm comments everyone - really appreciate it :)

To answer some of your questions: All the instruments are samples (the excellent 'Garritan Personal Orchestra'), each part played on the keyboard and then slightly tweaked in Logic.

cheers,
Jim.

[Dan MacDonald]

Very nice work jim. I enjoyed listening to it.

[Greg Squire]

Nice Work and Welcome to the board.

[Reactor]

GPO eh... cool :)

If I ever get my act together (music wise) I'd also like to go that way.

[jofferman]

Reactor: GPO is a very good choice indeed - when that time comes, let me know if you need any help getting the most out of it!

Greg & Dan: Glad you liked my music (there's more on my website - wink wink) and thanks for welcoming me to the forum :)

gr,
Jim.

[Reactor]

I will, thanks for the offer :) I have a strange desire to write orchestral music, but I have no real understanding right now. Did you write that piece using the software that comes with GPO? (Overture LE, isn't it?).

[jofferman]

GPO does indeed come with a copy Overture LE (and Cubase LE!), so you can use it right out of the box.

I use Logic for arranging and producing music, though. I've been using it so long that it's just like walking for me - I'm hardly aware of doing it, but it gets me where I'm going everytime.

[C_Coder]

You really do like piano compositions! Nice work you have got there.

Who does the voices in the sample music you got on your site? :p

[jofferman]

@C_Coder: All vocals are performed by yours truly :)

Perhaps there are a few to many piano heavy compositions on my site. I am very fond of the piano, but I'd hate to make people think that I only create piano heavy music...

[C_Coder]

I really like the songs and vocals ;) , but vocals in game music are quite out of place...I think...Maybe there is someone who says otherwise? :)

[jofferman]

Well, the songs (the ones with lyrics) on my website really aren't intended to be used in games per se, but rather are intended to be listened to on their own - just like most (pop) songs.

That being said, who's to say that there's no place for songs with vocals in games. There's some excellent vocal work in the Uru soundtrack, including a Peter Gabriel song. "Enter the Matrix" features a track from Evanesence (Going Under) that is played over the end credits. The music from "Phantasmagoria" includes a haunting choir track singing Latin (or something like that), that perfectly establishes the horror mood of the game while you're working your way through the game menus. Just a few examples of the top of my head.

I think that, if done right, vocals and lyrics can work really well in games. Of course it has to fit with the style of the game, but the same holds true for all types of music. Figuring out which style of music works best for a given game is part of what we composers do.

As a composer, I don't limit myself to one style or type of music. Hence my work ranges from game/film scores to pop songs and from electronic to orchestral. Versatility is essential in this line of work!

Glad you liked my songs, though :)

[Dom]

'Deus Ex Machina' (ZX Spectrum & others) came with a music tape (you had to sync it up when you started a game), and all the songs had bizarre vocals.

I can never forget the 'Song of the Sperm': 'I'm a fertalising agent and my brothers are all wiggly!'
It still haunts me to this day...

[C_Coder]

That's wierd! I cannot immagine myself synchronizing a tape with a game!
I used to use tapes on an Amstrad CPC but not synchronizing it!
bah! :p