Should MA3 have default music?

[Ralph]

No No.. treat it like a blind taste test... two glasses of Pepsi but the testee is told one is Coke...

[snorkler]

I think I must be missing something. This is a realistic aquarium simulation- soon to be even more realistic, life like. But we "need" it to play music?
Maybe I like my Winamp too much or music too little, but I cannot imagine using this feature! How about the ability to change the bubble sound? Don't you find the sound of bubbles soothing? : )

[Jim Sachs]

Talk to patscarr.

[Johnboy]

Wow!!!
Such a furore over what would be 'business as usual' with a couple of clicks. It's actually great to see that folks care so much, not just Jim.
I fully agree that the poll result would be 'skewed' but then, using the same arguement (there's a lot of idiots out there), would possibly prove the need for a better startup interface to alert said idiot to whats available.
Personally, I voted for 'bubbles' but then I rarely use MA without listening to music so what does that say about me. Johnboy

PS Thanks Marian for the welcome, it's understandable due to all the fuss.

[patscarr]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

Talk to patscarr.  

[feldon34]

Originally posted by cjmaddy:

Realistic string sounds, and synthesized, "music"? in the same sentence? .... That, is a contradiction in terms!  

What is your definition of synthesized? If you mean truly generated by sine waves, then yes, it sounds like crap. If you are talking about samples, then the size of the samples matters a great deal.

Most television shows with strings do not have the use of an orchestra. They use extremely large strings packages like Garritan which ships on multiple DVDs. You get a 'scratch' version of the strings which are only about 50 megabytes. Then when you are mastering the music for inclusion in your film, TV show, etc., you swap in the 2GB sound samples and 'render' the finished music.

I have heard some very good strings in even a 2MB Screamtracker file.


P.S. Just to streamline the user interface, have you considered Bubbles as the first song on the list, and your Aquarium track as the second song on the list? That way you don't have to have separate keys, separate controls, etc. etc.

[Jim Sachs]

The bubbles can be used with any of the other music, so they need their own switch.

[sccannon]

Originally posted by cjmaddy:

... In my best soothing voice! .....

sccannon, - You are more than welcome to listen to the music any time you want. The choice will be yours. - But do you want just the one tune to be the default sound, in place of the current default bubble sound?

You will always have the option to listen to any other tune you care to place into a playlist. (In addition to the one Jim is working on).

There, was that soothing enough?  

I have no problem with one tune being the default sound. If I want to listen to it I will. As long as I have the option to listen to other music, use bubbles, or make it completely silent it doesn't matter what the default tune is. You press one button -it goes away- how hard is that?

[cjmaddy]

..... As hard as pressing one button!

[Jim Sachs]

Cliff - Here's a link to one of the cheapest sound loop collections I've found - only $175. It's not as good as those costing 10x as much, but if you click on any of the demo tracks, I think you'll have to admit that it's pretty darn lifelike.

http://www.soundsonline.com/EWQL-Sym...pr-EW-161.html

[feldon34]

I think the problem you are going to run into with EWQL is the massive file sizes of the samples. Even if you only use 1 string sample per octave.

[Jim Sachs]

Yes, I didn't mean that I could use the samples, just that they are very realistic for the price.

[cjmaddy]

Yes, some of those are very impressive, it's hard to fault them with not knowing the music, but if I had to, then I would say that some of them are a very much, 'in-your-face'. They are like recordings made with a very close mice technique. - they lack that concert hall ambience. - That Piano is not in a hall acoustic, you are in the piano, - under the lid!! - But yes, they are pretty darn lifelike.

I happened to have this Gershwin in my CD player, recorded in Symphony Hall, Boston, in 1959. - By comparison, it felt more easy to listen to, you felt 'there'. It was as if someone had opened a window and there was space around everything! .... Magic!

If I could listen to something I was more familiar with, it might be different, but just casually hearing them, I wouldn't have known they were constructed from samples.

[patscarr]

Okay, here is the default screensaver on my new Samsung laptop.
Imagine Digital Freedom
The music that plays is what I had in mind when I suggested music for MA3.
There are 7 other teachers in my office and a couple of them have this as their screensaver, so I hear this music quite often throughout the day/week and I never get tired or sick of it. I find it extremely peacefull and serene.

Edit: Whoops! You'll need this file too. Dat
And you'll need to rename this file by adding spaces in between the words.

[Wizwad]

Very nice, Patrick!

[patscarr]

Isn't it, Mark.

Now, before anybody brings it up, I know Jim can't use this music as his default, I'm just wondering what everyone's opinions are about this music.

[Jim Sachs]

That's about what I originally had in mind, sort of a George Winston piano type of thing.

[patscarr]

But you hate piano and prefer strings?

[Jim Sachs]

Exactly.

[patscarr]

We need to change this poll to "Which do you prefer: piano or strings?" LOL!
I'd have to vote for piano though I am extremely biased. My mom has played the piano all her life and I still remember as a kid being lulled to sleep by her playing. We've had grands, baby grands, uprights, Steinways, and now she has one of those electronic ones with all kinds of buttons and settings and stuff, and I have to tell you, Cliff, when she starts playing and you close your eyes, it's hard to tell their isn't a "real" piano in the room.