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[Halindir]

So i was playing DF, and it eventually inspired me to make this.

http://soundcloud.com/user5114373/halindir-spring

Criticism and tips would be nice
Hope it can be enjoyed

[Heron TSG]

I'm not sure about DF music, but that'd make for some pretty suspenseful background music for X-COM.

It's a bit scary-sounding to be a spring theme.

[Halindir]

Yeah, the title is misleading and bad - but i've never been good at titles.

And thanks :3

[Spreggo]

Try integrating more organic sounds. Go get some sound samples of fire crackling or something like that. I think you could also have a little more variance in a track of this length. Maybe replace some of the notes with guitar plucks (or something acoustic)?

My opinion is that if you are going to make a longer track, it either needs to draw more interest or fade into the back of the listener's mind.

You can also take sound samples and abuse them in an audio editor to turn them into soundscapes for use as backing/bases. Another option is to take your basic components and load them into a sound editor and literally recompose the song manually, while stretching and adding audio effects et cetera. I composed 2 albums of electronic/ambient music that way. No one listens to said albums but the technique pleased myself at least.

[Supermikhail]

I think it's ambient enough to fit many games (or movies even). Although it would be a completely different DF with this track. You could try other independent game developers. Of course for a pitch you would need something less ambient and more catchy... and like 5 times shorter.
You've got very simplistic dynamics, try varying the volume with the mood. And tempo. Even ambient music needs that, or it will be grinding to the ears.

[Halindir]

Try integrating more organic sounds. Go get some sound samples of fire crackling or something like that. I think you could also have a little more variance in a track of this length. Maybe replace some of the notes with guitar plucks (or something acoustic)?

My opinion is that if you are going to make a longer track, it either needs to draw more interest or fade into the back of the listener's mind.

You can also take sound samples and abuse them in an audio editor to turn them into soundscapes for use as backing/bases. Another option is to take your basic components and load them into a sound editor and literally recompose the song manually, while stretching and adding audio effects et cetera. I composed 2 albums of electronic/ambient music that way. No one listens to said albums but the technique pleased myself at least.

Thank you for the advice Spreggo. (Though upon trying i ended up failing completely, so i gave up on that track.) I will try keeping those things in mind in the future.

Something completely different
http://soundcloud.com/user5114373/pepples

[piecewise]

As someone who listens to pretty much nothing but ambient music I can tell ya its really hard to find a good mix of unintuitive but still interesting.  It also has to mesh with the correct feeling of your subject matter, something hard to do using only synthetic sounds.

The first track is much more spacey then dwarfy and the second still has the problem of using a rather hard, technological feeling to it. If I were trying to make music for df I'd start with some acoustic guitar, perhaps even the music which comes with the game, and work from there using organic sounds such as fire crackling, wind blowing, rock chipping, and animal noises.

If you're looking for examples of more organic ambiance check out
Raison D'Etre
Oophoi
Vidna Obmana

What program are you using by the way?

[Bishop36]

Alien fortress anyone?

I support this and any future musical undertakings. Not with anything useful like money or course, that would go to Today if I had any to give.

[Halindir]

Im definitely checking those out. And i'll see what i can do about the organic sound and feel

until then, you can have this http://soundcloud.com/user5114373/halindir-cxii

Also thanks you guys

Im using FL btw

As someone who listens to pretty much nothing but ambient music I can tell ya its really hard to find a good mix of unintuitive but still interesting.  It also has to mesh with the correct feeling of your subject matter, something hard to do using only synthetic sounds.

The first track is much more spacey then dwarfy and the second still has the problem of using a rather hard, technological feeling to it. If I were trying to make music for df I'd start with some acoustic guitar, perhaps even the music which comes with the game, and work from there using organic sounds such as fire crackling, wind blowing, rock chipping, and animal noises.

If you're looking for examples of more organic ambiance check out
Raison D'Etre
Oophoi
Vidna Obmana

What program are you using by the way?

[Halindir]

I liked the examples, especially Raison D'Etre




well, im not even sure if the music i make is 'ambient' anyways i'll give whomever with brave ears the sad tale of Mr. Finnbite
http://soundcloud.com/user5114373/halindir-hearttail-finnbite

[piecewise]

Almost sounds like fractal music.  My biggest piece of advice would be to experiment with silence and soft tones more. One of the things about ambient music is that it needs to blend into the background, add feeling but not be intrusive. Here, I want you to take a listen to this song. Its by Benn Jordan, more commonly known as the Flashbulb, off his "pale blue dot" album.

Your song and his are similar, but notice how his song is quieter, contains more silence and softer tones? Yours is pretty much jam packed with very noticeable sounds, a format more fitting for non-ambient music. Rather then many loud sounds use only one or two and emphasize them with the sounds.

For more raison d'être

And for tons of general ambient 

[Halindir]

I took your advice about experimenting with soft tones - though i seem to fail at it
http://soundcloud.com/user5114373/halindir-slumrende-lillider-ii
Its a bit cheesy.

Also thanks for the awesome links.