Hexen RAVEN MIDI Pack II - Breathing Life Into "Deathkings"

[Puck]

Hi!  My name's Ryan and I had a website called Puck's Workshop on PlanetHexen - I made midi music for Raven mods.

All of that music is remastered and available on my bandcamp, here:   https://futurewizard.bandcamp.com/album/pucks-workshop-lost-90s-midi-music 

If anybody wants it, it's cheap and I'll make ya a coupon too. 

 

Here's the OG download page - should work.  If not, the bandcamp has the mp3 / midi files

Tons and tons of midi music.  My song was also used on the original Baulder's Gate website.  Archive links:
 

• My old HexenWorld website with an interview with Kevin Schilder
• Here's the archived Baldur's Gate site with my tune!   This blew me away as a kid, and I'm still quite proud of it!  Link at the very very bottom.

Edited July 22, 2022 by Puck

[Egregor]

Welcome to Doomworld Puck/Ryan! I gave your album a quick overview and there is a lot of really cool material there. I love those influences and that these are files from the latest 90s. Many of them sound like one of my favorite genres; dungeon-synth. I'll have to come back and give these a more thorough listen soon. The interview with Kevin Schilder is also an interesting relic!

 

Here's some questions for you Puck; Are you then submitting all of these MIDI tracks to be used for Raven MIDI Pack II? Are you still writing similar MIDI/music currently? Are you still creating levels or MODs for the ID Tech 1 engine? Do you have and Heretic/Hexen/Doom levels that you can share here, or perhaps in a seperate thread?

[DoomSlayer94]

I have no idea whats happening with this project, but it seems to have just... stopped. I haven't seen any new activity on it for half a year now.

[Jimmy]

Sorry for the complete radio silence on my end. Let's pick this up again, shall we? :)

Edited January 26 by Jimmy

[Jimmy]

@Darman Macray

 

"Sinister Sanctuary" sounds cool, very Hexen-y vibes right off the bat. I would suggest maybe going over the velocities of some of the strings? Right now everything feels a little overly loud, and certainly some harmonies (particularly the most deliberately dissonant) could stand to be pulled back in the mix a little, especially the part around measures 33 and 89, where you have lots of cluster harmonies.

 

"Under Dark Watch" is honestly a great track on the whole. I do feel like the choir could come down in volume a bit, though. Nothing else feels out of place at all here, though!

 

"Reckoning of the Dark Citadel" is solid through-and-through. The octave leaps at measure 25 felt a little bit goofy, though, I think you could stand to have those be jumps from D to A to D, etc. instead of them all just being Ds. They'd probably sound better outlining a power chord instead of a single note at different octaves. The strings at measures 72 and 74 have what feel like a mistake in them when the notes go from E to F to F# very quickly, as if the notes were fumbled a little. Nothing else to report here aside from those technical hitches being probably worth correcting.

 

Checking out those other tracks:

 

"From the Ranks of Corruption" is pretty great. Loving that piano line at measure 33 in particular. Got a great groove. Real "sneaking round a corrupted castle" vibes. Around measure 93 though I did raise my eyebrows a bit - I don't think the material is meshing quite as well at that point. The high choir could certainly be dispensed with there - and I'd change the low notes on the choir at measure 96 to a Bb2, and measure 100 to an F3. Those tiny changes there would just round the piece off a lot nicer, imho.

 

"Three Heroes Emerge" is a nice upbeat and triumphant MIDI, just not sure where it would fit just yet - if not in a map, then maybe one of the finale tracks (which as of yet haven't been stipulated as a requirement for the project, as I'm aware)? At measures 17-33 the bass strings seem to be a little bit at odds with everything else. I could have a look at this for you if you want me to? I don't have issue with this track at the moment, it's musically pretty great, might just need a few touch-ups to make it sound like it'll fit in a level.

 

"To Heal a Poisoned Land" has a fantastic start. Once again though, I think the choir is a bit too upfront. And if I'm honest, I'm not at all sold on what the vibraphone is doing. The low horn section at measure 57 needs to be doing something to properly support the upper voices, right now it's just doing chromatics which aren't jiving well with everything else. All the same, I can see this working in Ruined Village like a charm. I think that slot is currently in limbo so I might pencil that in if you want me to?

 

I can see all these fitting for any slots that have to be cleared - and I suspect that nearly 4 years after this little musical project was started, some folks will have moved on with their lives. x_x

 

You're actually a real musical chameleon when it comes to Hexen's vibe. I think these easy shoo-ins after those small fixes are made! Sorry it took me so damn long to get round to commenting! I think two and a half years has gotta be some sort of new record for me...

[Jimmy]

@Puck Thanks for your post. I can't accept any works for this project that were previously written, as one of this project's specifications is that all submissions need to be original pieces of music written specifically with the Deathkings maps in mind.

 

If you're still around, and able to compose some new tracks for this project, that would be great! You'd also need to make sure you claim an open slot before no more are available.

[Jimmy]

Can I get a status report from the following people who've still technically got claims? Even if it's just a "no lol". I won't hold any grudges!

 

@TheEvilGrin @dial-up @pcorf @Mikolah @Xaser @Bloo @Alper002 @Varis Alpha @Speedy @ClumsyDoomer

[Mikolah]

I'm still in, just need some more time to get the creative juices flowing again.

[ClumsyDoomer]

I thought this was dead too. Actually i just now got some free time without impending trouble and everything else it takes to put together something. No excuses right now, but if i don't provide anything within a month, check me out.

[TheEvilGrin]

Still in ! I made this midi when I was 15 tho so it may need quite a bit of rework and I'm not able to do that right now, but that's in my plans

[Peccatum Mihzamiz]

Let's just say that this project's progress is being followed enthusiastically by an unnamed mapping collective that is planning a sequel to a certain Heretic project. <)

[Varis Alpha]

i haven't forgotten about this, but i can't say i've been actively working on anything. not just for this project, but just in general. i'm gonna give myself a month to try and get some work done on this, but if i don't get anything done by March, i'll just release my slot for someone else.

[Alper002]

I'm pretty sure I was done with both of the slots I took for the project, the thread OP just wasn't updated to match. Still not feeling up to making any additional midis, but the idea's not off the table.

[Jimmy]

@Mikolah @ClumsyDoomer @TheEvilGrin @Varis Alpha

 

Thanks for chiming in! Great that you guys are still on board.

 

 

@Alper002 My mistake! Correcting that now and marking your MIDIs as complete.

Edited January 27 by Jimmy

[Egregor]

@Jimmy I'm so glad to hear that this project  is coming out of hiatus. PUSS 28: Quoth The Raven used this soundtrack very heavily. The tunes are great and felt right at home in the world of Parthoris.

 

But there was one big issue I noticed! Players using vanilla-limit-removing ports (Crispy-Heretic and DSDA Heretic in particular [Z/GZdoom okay]) had .MUS format translations of the .MIDs rendered when playing. IE only 9 of the 16 MIDI tracks played! For many of the songs this was not an issue, as they didn't surpass 9 instruments, but for other songs there were entire melodies and harmonies missing! I have not taken the time to determine how .MUS format decides to exclude the instrument tracks, but my GUESS is it uses tracks 1-8 + 10 (percussion).

 

Could I request that for Raven MIDI pack II that composers target .MUS files in their compositions so regardless of the port these beautiful compositions are not compromised? Thanks for the consideration, and good luck!

 

 

[Xaser]

Targeting MUS will, by definition, compromise the compositions. Those sorts of limitations need to be codified before the project starts, not afterward.

 

I do still have a WIP track, but I'm going to be incredibly busy over the next couple of months. Unsure I'll be able to attempt anything until late May.

[Jimmy]

@Egregor Yeahhhh there's no point in me changing directions now. I'd hate to have the composers need to rework anything and compromise their musical ideas.

 

Some folks and I tried reproducing the issues you  raised, and we could only produce an instance where in DSDADoom the notes started getting cut off. From what I was told, DSDADoom is still using OPL2 whereas Crispy Heretic uses OPL3? It certainly sounded like the number of concurrent voices was getting exceeded, but this wasn't the case with entire instruments, only occasional notes - we tried the most channel-intensive RAVEN midi, D_E4M9, and couldn't get anything drastic.

 

I'd be interested in how you're getting these issues, but as-is, I don't see them as being particularly worth addressing, especially now.

 

@Xaser Understood, keeping your slot claimed in that case!

[Lippeth]

Breathing life into 'Breathing Life Into "Deathkings"'

 

Here's an updated file for the title music so it doesn't cut off when the demo starts.

Eventide 03.zip

[Egregor]

5 hours ago, Jimmy said:

@Egregor Yeahhhh there's no point in me changing directions now. I'd hate to have the composers need to rework anything and compromise their musical ideas.

 

Some folks and I tried reproducing the issues you  raised, and we could only produce an instance where in DSDADoom the notes started getting cut off. From what I was told, DSDADoom is still using OPL2 whereas Crispy Heretic uses OPL3? It certainly sounded like the number of concurrent voices was getting exceeded, but this wasn't the case with entire instruments, only occasional notes - we tried the most channel-intensive RAVEN midi, D_E4M9, and couldn't get anything drastic.

 

I'd be interested in how you're getting these issues, but as-is, I don't see them as being particularly worth addressing, especially now.

 

@Xaser Understood, keeping your slot claimed in that case!

 

Okay, yeah, that is probably the same issue I was having. I don't have any examples cued up. I'm only going off of memory from a few months back, while working on Quoth The Raven. So, I think I was misunderstanding the issue; the missing parts must have been instances where compositions exceeded max polyphony count, then? I just wanted to bring this phenomena to your attention, in the case you were unfamiliar with it, and so that, regardless of WHAT is causing those notes to be left out, that composers are aware of the situation so they can avoid those circumstances that prevents their compositions from being heard correctly. Thanks for clarifying that issue for me. I'm sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused. Again, good luck with Raven MIDI pack II, I look forward to it!

[Darman Macray]

@Jimmy

 

Thank you for the notes. I’ll see about making those adjustments.
 

If “To Heal a Poisened Land” fits Ruined Village, that sounds great to me.
 

I definitely did compose “Three Heroes Emerge” for another one of the multiple text screens at the end, even though I know that wasn’t technically on the list. If it should go on the bonus pile for someone to use for a menu or text screen in the future, that would also be alright with me.

 

[Bloo]

On 1/26/2024 at 6:22 PM, Jimmy said:

Can I get a status report from the following people who've still technically got claims? Even if it's just a "no lol". I won't hold any grudges!

 

@TheEvilGrin @dial-up @pcorf @Mikolah @Xaser @Bloo @Alper002 @Varis Alpha @Speedy @ClumsyDoomer

go ahead and use the midi as is, it's been so long since I've a taken a look at it. and I don't even think I have the TG file anymore so I can't really do any edits anyways, tuxguitar imports midi files in weird ways and it will likely break the midi if I were to try and do that. Sorry about that.

[Jimmy]

Just finished Drachenmeister for Brackenwood, and Enchanter for Chantry.

 

Additionally I have Coroner, for Market Place. This one's old (from 2021!!) and I'm not mega-happy with it but it will definitely suffice for now. Anyone wanna take a hammer and chisel to this track to see if they can Schilder it up a tiny bit more for me? I'd be very grateful to have a collaborator!

 

I'm finding Schilder's Hexen style of composition just a tiny bit harder to grasp on the whole than his Heretic style, but I'm relishing the challenge still.

Edited February 6 by Jimmy

[Lippeth]

Drachenmeister is so...Hexen! Enchanter is also right up there, though I can't help but think a picked bass fits much more naturally than the slap bass for a song like this. At the same time, I appreciate that it crawls outside the boundaries for the expansion, and it still sounds good. All in all I'm really happy to see this project again, I put my heart and soul into the tracks I contributed and can't wait to hear what the finished collaboration of songs does for the atmosphere of the game.

 

On 2/6/2024 at 6:08 AM, Jimmy said:

Additionally I have Coroner, for Market Place. This one's old (from 2021!!) and I'm not mega-happy with it but it will definitely suffice for now. Anyone wanna take a hammer and chisel to this track to see if they can Schilder it up a tiny bit more for me? I'd be very grateful to have a collaborator!

I don't want to keep it from someone should the inspiration strike them, and I've already taken up way too many slots but I'd still love to take a crack at it. I am fairly busy at the moment but I always somehow find time for things like this.

 

I'm also feeling in hindsight that my track Fetters of Fortune doesn't really fit the Treasury and isn't the most Hexen sounding either. I would like to write a whole new song from scratch if that's okay and mark the slot once again as 'in progress'. I won't stop anyone who wants to try and Hexenify it to see if it fits another map; I also won't mind if it becomes unused and just included as a resource.

[Jimmy]

@Lippeth

 

I'll mark "Fetters of Fortune" as an unused track in the roster, so it'll be included in the ZIP, but not part of the in-game soundtrack. Personally I think your work for this project has been amazing and has absolutely nailed the darker Schilder style.

 

But I warmly welcome any more work from you in this regard! Please feel free to take an axe to Coroner.

[june gloom]

Eagerly anticipating this project. Deathkings has always been kind of the unloved stepchild of the Serpent Riders trilogy (I personally think it's kinda bullshit, design wise) but it deserves more of a unique identity.

[Varis Alpha]

i'm terribly sorry, i haven't got anything done this past month, much less working on this project. i'm pulling out my claimed slot for this.

[Jimmy]

Absolutely fine, Varis, no worries!

 

To whoever might be interested: Castle of Pain (deathmatch hub, level 4) is up for grabs again!

[Gothic]

I'll take it.

[Jimmy]

Done!

[Lippeth]

Jimpeth - Coroner_01