Hey everyone!
Very excited to showcase the first piece of music I have composed, recorded and produced for my upcoming first person point n click adventure game, Neyyah - all delivered in-game, with visuals, sound fx and all things Neyyah!
It's been wonderful delving into Neyyah's musical score. Having a background in performing, writing songs, teaching and producing music, it's a breath of fresh air to put this dev hat on and take a step away from all the engine and art based work which has hugely dominated the development process of Neyyah, since 2018 when I first began developing the game.
Artwork in progress for Neyyah - 13th August 2018
Although I have already created a lot of sound fx for the game - returning to Sonar Cakewalk Platinum and introducing my trusted sound recording buddy MOVO (a Tascam recorder fitted with a cute fluffy movo buffer) - composing the music for Neyyah is something I've been itching to do for a long time. Alas, being the sole developer of Neyyah, many jobs require huge amounts of focus, time and energy to make happen ... It's paid off so far in the world design and the gameplay of the game in general!
Now, it's time for music.
This opens a whole new dimension of possibilities for the game.
Composing Neyyah's music on the Yamaha PSR E463
Screenshot from music being recorded into the DAW I use, which is Sonar Cakewalk Platinum, using a Roland Rubix 22 USB Audio Interface
My main focus is getting music recorded and implemented into the game for the demo release later in the year. While my initial plan was to finish everything else for the game then compose music, I think this is a smarter move. Plus, it also gets a flow and vibe going for the music scoring - what sounds I use, the mix within the game, and also other engine based challenges which will come up ... For example, there will be an option in the game called 'Music Lover', which will play more continuous music for those players who LOVE their music in games. I personally love the pockets of sound ambience within a game, and Neyyah has some very detailed rich sound scapes, so by default from my own artist direction, I have had to plan where music will be best and most effective in game - but the Music Lover option breaks away from that, which is a nice option I feel for the player to have!
This video shows one of the locations I have recently composed music for. It is, in fact, the first place in Neyyah which has had music implemented to. Saying that, you'll notice music does play in previous test build showcases - such as the ones linked below. I composed and produced these pieces too, but they were recorded a while back, mainly using a bass guitar, and provided a test bed for those early game tests. This is a very different process, where I am putting a massive amount of time and energy into producing music for the game. The process is actually speeding along nicely, however. Once music is finished for the game's demo, I'll be moving onto more Blender / 3D related tasks, which I'm also very excited to get back into!
Artwork from the Felitsu Island Walkway 2021 testbuild.
One feature I will like to implement is a music volume control, as well as the extended option of having more music in the game through 'Music Lover'. I think this will give the player more control on the music, whether they don't want any music at all and only sound! My job is to also make sure the music gets mixed the best way possible into the game. The sound development involved challenges such as this - getting levels right between locations, so audio levels didn't jump randomly or get too quiet before getting loud again ...
I use a Yamaha PSR E463 keyboard to create the bulk of Neyyah's music - along with the following FX pedals: an NUX Atlantic delay & reverb, an Electr-harmonix Cathedral stereo reverb, and will be experimenting more with a DynoMyRoto Chorus. I may also be aiming to use bass guitar in certain tracks, as well as some experimental percussive instruments. I also use a Roland Rubix 22 USB Audio Interface.
One of the FX pedals I use for Neyyah's music - NUX Atlantic DFelay & Reverb - great for giving that vast space to the ambience, Reverb and delay has a lot to do with Neyyah's sound
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Stay tuned for an upcoming 'music production' dev log video, where I start a new piece of music for the game, showing my process in laying down the first tracks in Sonar Cakewalk, as well talking more about the music featured in this video - the layers behind the music and how I implement the music into Visionaire Studio 5. I will also showcase the new finished piece of music at the end of the dev log!
More on the 'Music Lover' option coming soon too!
Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed this little visit into Neyyah :) Excited for the moments ahead with Neyyah!
- Aaron Gwynaire / Defy Reality Entertainment
Links to check out:
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Neyyah test builds:
2018:
2019:
2021:
My sound design dev logs:
-- Doors & Portal Machine Sound Design:
-- 'Journey Mode' animation outdoor sound design:
-- Delay effects in Cakewalk:
-- 'Journey Mode' animations in game with sound:
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