Re: More Soundtrack

[Dave Fancella <david.fancella@comcast.net>]

On Sunday 07 March 2004 02:25 pm, Jens Granseuer wrote:
> I don't really want to include the sample set in the core package, for the
> same reason we don't distribute SDL_mixer, either. I figure most people
> will already have the samples by way of their (Linux) distribution. A
> distribution that does not carry the samples is basically installing a
> crippled SDL_mixer, and that's nothing we should care about. I'm not so
> sure what the situation is on other platforms, but for everyone who still
> needs the samples we can provide the trimmed down set as a separate
> download.

In that case, the only real problem here is making sure that the provided 
SDL_mixer on the user's machine can actually play the sample set.  SDL_mixer, 
for midi files, assumed the sample set is at /usr/local/lib/timidity, so 
we'll need to look for that in the ./configure.  Then we also need to look 
for /usr/lib/timidity and /usr/share/timidity.  If /usr/local/lib/timidity 
isn't there, but either /usr/lib/timidity or /usr/share/timidity is, then we 
need to ln -s to it.  And we also need to allow the user, during 
configuration, to specify where his timidity directory is, if he has one and 
it's not in one of those three places already, so we can link to it from 
/usr/local/lib, so SDL_mixer will find it.  (It would be really nice if 
someone dug into SDL_mixer and fixed that)

> > So it's the old quality vs quantity debate.  The midi file I've given
> > should demonstrate the quality, keeping in mind that with more tweaking I
> > can probably get it to sound waaaaay better than it does now.
>
> In that case it's not really suited for such a comparison, is it? ;-)

Yes and no.  :)  The real question is "Are the midi instruments good enough?".  
If the answer is "yes" then I figure we should just use midi for the core 
distribution.  How you define "good enough" is completely up to you.  :)  I'm 
satisfied with them so far, but I wouldn't try to pass off something that 
uses only those samples as some fancy composition, but for a game soundtrack 
I'm quite pleased with the set.  And I'd like to make an enhanced version, 
and do something even better with the setup I described elsewhere, and 
finally compile them all to a CD people can order from my website, along with 
some good rock'n'roll anthems about Crimson Fields.  :)  (Obviously a long 
term plan)  But also obviously I want the soundtrack to be good enough that 
people like it the way they like movie soundtracks.

Hmm, it occurs to me that you should probably ask for a license or something 
with the music.  I'll go and see if there's a good open source license that 
can be easily applied to music (possibly one of the documentation licenses 
will work).  Better to have clarity here.  ;)

> Current CVS carries some new audio code. You can't define individual tracks
> for missions, yet, but it will play a theme on startup and loop that
> forever. To see (hear) this in action you need to create a new folder
> $crimson_data/music and copy some music into it as either theme.ogg or
> theme.mid. If both are present ogg is preferred.

I'll test it soon.  Maybe tonight.  Looks like I'm likely stuck awake late 
again.  I wish I could get my wife to see that waiting until 1pm+ to wake me 
is closing the barn door after the horses all ran out.

Dave

> Jens

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