Monthly WIP #1: Normal Credits v1 and v2

Hello! It's time for our first WIP of the month, and this one's going to be a little different! We're going to look at the early versions of one of our OST tracks!

Art isn't the only part of our games that goes through a long, difficult revision process. While working with our composer, Murcielo, on RE:H's soundtrack, we also went through numerous versions of different songs to get the right atmosphere and feel.

Let's talk about the Normal Credits Track for today's WIP! We recommend listening to the attached files while you read along!

Not-So-Normal Credits

The current "Normal Credits" was actually originally intended to be the credits for Markus' special ending. However, after both credits songs were complete, the original "Normal Credits" track actually fit the more hopeful, lighthearted nature of Markus' SE better than the more somber "Markus Credits" track.

Music, like art, often has a lot of unexpected twists and turns during the development process. Flexibility is always important!

Version 1: Good, but not quite there

While we liked the general sound of v1, it didn't really match the more playful/bittersweet feel of Markus' final scene. It also felt somewhat thin and straightforward compared to the other tracks, many of which have quite complex layered sounds.

Our Feedback (v1)

We try to strike a balance between specifics and general feedback while talking with artists/composers. Although we want to communicate the right "vision" to them, we also don't want them to feel too cramped or unable to express themselves creatively.

Here's some of the initial feedback we gave our composer on this draft:

We like the plucked muted guitar in the beginning as an instrument and for setting the mood, but it seems a little too loud, and the motif seems a little too simple and straightforward. 

We really enjoyed the transitions at 1:25 and 2:18! Do you think you might fit in some more variation and transitions similarly throughout the piece? 

For the high synth that comes in at 1:40, would it be possible to switch it to something less concrete and quieter, as well as making the line a little more complex/varied?

Somewhat related to that, it feels to us like the piece's length naturally settles/could end a bit earlier. Maybe a length of about 3:20 would fit better, perhaps to the loop/end point with a little more intensity beyond the guitar solo? 

Version 2: Improved, but still missing something

Version 2 (which you can download/listen to in the "attachments" below) is definitely an improvement on v1, with more variety in the music's texture and a more interesting guitar line in the beginning. 

However, it wasn't quite doing it for us. At this point, we still planned to use this credits track for Markus' SE, so we attempted to guide the song's atmosphere back towards what we listed on the reference sheet. 

Our Feedback (v2)

What we sent to our composer for the second draft:

We like the general sound, and it's definitely hitting the bittersweet/mellow notes, but we're missing the more determined and powerful feelings described in the ref sheet? There's a bit of it in the later half with the solo guitar, but we'd really like those feelings to be more present.  

Is there any way you might be able to add/rework some elements to achieve more of that feel? Though we do like the current sound, it shouldn't be a hard constraint for the revision. It can definitely change. 

Version 3/Final: Finishing up and changing the track's usage

After the next revision, we decided that this track would be better off as the "Normal" rather than "Markus SE" credits theme, so we could take advantage of the darker and more uncertain feel rather than getting rid of it.  

For the following drafts, we worked more on polishing the sound and making it better suited to the normal endings, playing to its strengths rather than trying to force it into fitting Markus' SE. This meant focusing on smaller details like the guitar solo (a classic sweeping credits/outro feel), editing the synth (still too distracting/wandering), and rounding out the track to make sure it remained interesting throughout.

The final product is what you can hear in-game during all the normal credits sequences! We're quite pleased with how it turned out.

You can also check out the newly released OST on Steam here!