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    Canonfire :: View topic - Favorite background music
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    Favorite background music
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    GreySage

    Joined: Sep 09, 2009
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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:43 pm  
    Favorite background music

    Greetings Fellows,

    My last 'fun' topic, "Favorite module/module series" seemed to be a winner, and I don't want to inundate you with 'mechanics' inquiries all the time. So here is one about 'mood music.' Not that kind, unless your PCs come across a succubus. Embarassed

    Rather, what music, artist, or songs do you all like, if any at all, to set the mood. I have long enjoyed some type of background music, and often employ it as a tone setter. Here are some of my own personal favorites, in completely random order:

    1) Anything composed by Basil Poledouris, such as "Conan the Barbarian" (Argon, is he a relative?)

    2) Hammerfall: I love the following songs- Remember Yesterday, Templars of Steel (makes me think of my fighter-priest of Trithereon), At the End of the Rainbow

    3) Braveheart soundtrack

    Anyone else?

    -Lanthorn, bard wannabe
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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:50 pm  

    number one is Nox Arcana!, followed by Midnight Syndicate, (the D&D album... Happy ) and Danny Elfman, he did a lot, if not all, of the soundtracks for Tim Burton

    Nox Arcana's music is used at a lot of haunted house/Halloween themed events, they have 8 albums, my favorite is Darklore Manor, followed by Circus of Lost Souls and then Transylvania.
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    GreySage

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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:33 pm  

    I need to look some of those up.

    I thought of some others that may be in the "duh!" category, and glad that you didn't call me out on them, but here are two that came to mind, almost immediately after I posted the initial query:

    4) Carl Orff's "Oh Fortuna" (just made for combat sessions)

    5) Any of the Lord of the Rings soundtracks (I always liken the seige of Gondor to maybe what happened to Chendl during the Greyhawk Wars)

    -Lanthorn
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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:54 pm  
    Music for the Moment

    Surprisingly, Bear McCreary's music for the Battlestar Galactica suits my mood for D&D quite often.

    So too does music from movies such as Hero, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha, and House of Flying Daggers.

    As well as The Lord of the Rings.

    I think music from Game of Thrones might have some promise.

    And I know we sometimes listen to video game soundtracks (World of Warcraft, Everquest Online, and Final Fantasy titles come to mind).

    Also, music from Master and Commander is good. And Gattaca has at least one awesome track.
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    GreySage

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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:23 pm  

    I have a friend who collects nearly every soundtrack album, and he may have some of those.

    Here's another I like: Jethro Tull's "Broadsword and the Beast."
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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:42 pm  

    Uriah Heep did some cool stuff back in the day too, and then there is folk music too, Steeleye Span
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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:54 pm  

    Ha... Lanthorn,

    You named my top three but TT also named a few I've used. I have used soundscapes like brooks, Mountains, waterfalls, etc. I have also in certain times used some Iron Maiden, Metalica, Black Sabbath, Dio, and some Led Zepplin.

    Danny Elfman has numerous works you can't go wrong with him. Classical music has entered some of my games as well.

    It depends on the setting or mood I wanted to instilled in the case of the metal music if often woke people up during 13 hour gaming sessions.
    GreySage

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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:56 pm  

    Argon, what were your Top 3?
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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 5:05 pm  

    Lanthorn,

    1) Anything composed by Basil Poledouris, such as "Conan the Barbarian" (Argon, is he a relative?)

    2) Hammerfall: I love the following songs- Remember Yesterday, Templars of Steel (makes me think of my fighter-priest of Trithereon), At the End of the Rainbow

    3) Braveheart soundtrack


    Hope that clarifies it!


    Wink
    GreySage

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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 5:41 pm  

    The Kitchen Or... uh, Battle, by Basil Pasedouris is the first one I'd list too. I'm disappointed that I wasn't the first one to do so in this thread. Makes me look like a copy cat. Confused

    Next, I like People are Strange by The Doors and Cry Little Sister (artist?) both from the Lost Boys. These songs work so well in combination with Ravenloft. Evil Grin

    I also enjoy using the song from We Were Soldiers- don't remember the name - that begins with, "Lay me down, in the cold, cold ground, where before many more have gone." This sets quite an epic mood when a PC/NPC has given his or her life to save the rest of the party.

    SirXaris
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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 5:47 pm  

    Happy Hey, aside from a number of sound tracks to choose from, I recently pick-up "Camelot" based off of a tv series, music good, show not so good... and of course "A Game of Thrones" soundtrack based off of the HBO series. Both music cds have merit in my humble opinion, so maybe you might wish to acquire them. My music cds for gaming has grown well over the last 15+ years, mixing and matching to suit the game is good preperation.

    Also, to add historical Classics and Medieval music give a good background, especially tavern related themes.

    Cheers,


    AncientGamer Cool aka BusterBudd
    GreySage

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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 5:53 pm  

    Argon, so that's what you meant by "Top 3!" Embarassed

    SirXaris, good to see you again! I really like "The Lost Boys" (I am a product of the 80s after all, and that is a classic vampire movie...by the way, go check out the remake of Fright Night for a comparison with the old) and the soundtrack is great. The song, Cry Little Sister is a good one, along withLost in the Shadows by Lou Gramm of Foreigner.

    excellent choices all,

    -Lanthorn
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    Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:07 pm  

    Sample these two CDs by Dronolan Tower (orchestral music composed specifically as soundtracks for tabletop RPGs by a gamer... and recorded with a real orchestra!):

    http://www.myspace.com/dronolan

    Also see the Dronolan's Tower website:

    http://www.dronolan.com/

    The CDs can be purchased here:

    http://paizo.com/store/gameAids/music/dronolansTower&source=search

    They're by far my favourite background music for gaming.

    Midnight Syndicate also ranks high with me (especially their Dungeons and Dragons soundtrack), and Nox Arcana's Blood of the Dragon.

    While I'm a big fan of heavy metal music (and can see how it would be appropriate for some scenes in a game), I only play movie soundtracks or other instrumental music at my game table. Makes for a more epic feel, and creates less distraction...[url][/url][url][/url]
    Apprentice Greytalker

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    Wed Aug 31, 2011 3:40 am  

    TwiceBorn wrote:
    Sample these two CDs by Dronolan Tower (orchestral music composed specifically as soundtracks for tabletop RPGs by a gamer... and recorded with a real orchestra!):

    http://www.myspace.com/dronolan

    Also see the Dronolan's Tower website:

    http://www.dronolan.com/

    The CDs can be purchased here:

    http://paizo.com/store/gameAids/music/dronolansTower&source=search

    They're by far my favourite background music for gaming.

    Midnight Syndicate also ranks high with me (especially their Dungeons and Dragons soundtrack), and Nox Arcana's Blood of the Dragon.

    While I'm a big fan of heavy metal music (and can see how it would be appropriate for some scenes in a game), I only play movie soundtracks or other instrumental music at my game table. Makes for a more epic feel, and creates less distraction...[url][/url][url][/url]


    Thanks! I listened to a few of the samples and they rival Nox Arcana. VERY good!!
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    Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:49 am  

    Actually......none.....I have never liked music during gaming; I find it way too distracting; but I'm frquently the only one!
    GreySage

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    Wed Aug 31, 2011 7:19 am  

    I'm that way with the TV (geek alert warning! esp. with the Discovery Channel, Nat Geo, or anything science-related...or a few sit-coms); I have to turn it off or I get drawn in. Background music set on low volume is usually good.
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    Wed Aug 31, 2011 4:48 pm  

    Not much of a background music fan. But some times use sound effect's. But.....if it just comes down to my fav music, I have to go with the guitar god himself Joe Satriani Happy

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgUwD9e8uNM

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n1ouu1cnXM&feature=like-suggest&list=UL
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    Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:51 pm  

    I've recently become inspired by music inspired by old Swedish folkmusic. When depicting the more rural areas of civilized kingdoms I find that bands such as Hedningarna, Garmarna, Boot and Groupa or musicians like Hållbus Totte Mattson and Ola Bäckström provide a good atmosphere.
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    GreySage

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    Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:30 am  

    Baronzemo, "Satch" is great. I am listening to him right now as I reply!

    Heard some of the Dronolan's Tower stuff. Really like it. My computer couldn't open the sound files from the hyperlink that was posted (my machine must be a POS), but I was able to access YouTube and listen.

    -Lanthorn, Problem-Solver (and Creator)
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    Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:14 pm  

    My son loves to queue 'Mortal Kombat' when its his turn to roll the dice. I admit it does fit nicely. But I'm going to go back through this list and google some of these.

    I did like some of the music by Lisa Gerard, I heard of her through Anna's FGS Facebook site. Its not bad at all.
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    Dymond
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    Thu Sep 01, 2011 5:19 pm  

    The Last of the Mohicans soundtrack, particularly promentory can be quite moving and fitting.

    Corelli's Opus no 5 (late baroque with harpsichords and vilion).

    Anything by Mozart.

    [/i]
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    Fri Sep 02, 2011 6:35 am  

    Good stuff on here! I would add the Henry V soundtrack - good combat music, and the music from the St. Crispin pep talk is good for role players who want to give a rousing speech before they storm a castle against overwhelming odds. Also for combat - "Ping Island/Lightning Strike Rescue Op" and "We Call Them Pirates Out Here" from soundtrack to The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. And I don't have it, but I'd guess the soundtrack to The Thirteenth Warrior would be good.
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    Fri Sep 02, 2011 7:31 am  

    It may come as no surprises that I enjoy a bit of aquatic-themed New Age when I DM, such as Aquaria by Diane Arkenstone and Oceanic by Vangelis.

    Add to that a fair helping of Celtic-themed tunes (hags love bagpipes), soundtracks, and electronic music from the likes of Jean-Michel Jarre, then stir in a few vintage tunes from the 30s and 40s.. and hey, did someone mention Nox Arcana? ;)

    Fate of the Tempest
    GreySage

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    Fri Sep 02, 2011 8:31 am  

    Yup, that was Tigger1tom, early on. See I do pay attention... mostly... Wink

    -L
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    Fri Sep 02, 2011 9:56 pm  

    Aeolius: Vangelis did the soundtrack for Bladerunner IIRC.

    I'd have to say hands down the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack. The new Conan OTOH...I can't even recall what it's soundtrack was like. Too much SFX going off.

    What else? Hmm...I am kind of a sucker for Braveheart and the Legend soundtrack.
    GreySage

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    Mon Sep 05, 2011 7:45 pm  

    NERD ALERT:

    My favorite music band of all time is RUSH (applause to all you folks from Ontario, eh?). I dedicated different songs by the Power Trio (I also call them the Holy Trinity: Geddy, Alex, and Neil) to honor various characters, whether NPCs or PCs, from their earlier to more recent songs. Sometimes when RUSH plays on the radio, I warn my player that I am about to roll a crit success as a DM and crush him! Evil Grin

    Lanthorn, dedicated song "Kid Gloves" off Grace Under Pressure
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    Mon Sep 05, 2011 8:38 pm  

    Lanthorn wrote:
    NERD ALERT:

    My favorite music band of all time is RUSH (applause to all you folks from Ontario, eh?).


    The first and only time I ran D3 - Vault of the Drow, Hemispheres was the soundtrack, courtesy of my friend Chuck, whose house we were playing at.
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    Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:24 pm  

    I may be a real nerd but I find Video Game music to be very good for background RPG. Final Fantasy, Warcraft, Devil May Cry, metal gear solid, many others. One good thing about video game music is that it is meant to be looped so you don’t have a song starting and stopping over and over if you have a long battle or whatnot.
    Rob Zombie is great for undead adventures. Nothing says undead horde quite like “Scum of the Earth”
    Go to the store and pick up some dollar Halloween music and sounds CDs. Don’t get the ones with like song just eerie music and sounds. Awesome for a dungeon crawl.

    Adam
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    Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:42 pm  

    Shield2099, if you are a 'real nerd,' I think you are in good company. I will take the forefront on that. Cool

    As Argon mentioned on another one of my posts, welcome to Canonfire! It is always good to hear from new and more people. I myself only started posting about 2 wks ago (hard to believe, yes?), though I 'lurked' for quite some time before that.

    -Lanthorn the Prolific Scribe
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    Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:30 pm  

    I have lurked some here too. I am happy to find a group where my opinions seem to be welcome. I have posted at other sights but the new players just seem to be obsessed with power gaming. All characters are min maxed for combat and have very little in role-playing substance.

    I started playing with 2nd shortly after it came out in middle school. I played with various groups, finally settling down with a great group in high school. I took a 2nd edition paladin from 1st to 19th level over the course of about 5 years.

    I started playing 3rd edition in 2001 and 3.5 about 2005 or so. I fell in love with Greyhawk with living greyhawk adventuring in Geoff and some in Koeland and Gran March. The final year of Greyhawk I wrote and submitted an APL 2 to 10 adventure called “A Little Problem” that was written as a throwback to the early second and third year mods. It included story info about Grand Duke Lluth (Grand Duke Owen’s father). I worked with Jose Ortiz mostly, the other Triad members approved the mod to be included in the next year’s adventure lineup with virtually no changes; It would have been GEO9-02 “A Little Problem” by Adam Thomas and Crystal Rose “Kitty” Piper. Unfortunately, a few weeks later WoTC announced the end of GreyHawk and my mod sits played only by my playtesters.

    I was crushed by LFR and the restrictive nature of 4th ed. Role-playing also seemed to take a backseat in LFR as my quirky characters stopped getting complements and started getting complaints that I was not min maxed for battle. Since that time I have drifted from group to group. I also play Spycraft, Star Wars Saga Ed., Serenity/Firefly, Rifts, BattleTech, and Witchcraft role playing and tabletop systems. I am not sure if there is an introduction form if so I’ll repost this.

    Adam
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    Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:07 pm  

    Shield, there is another Forum for introductions (Welcome to Greyhawk Forum, methinks), but I made the same "blunder," too. Nonetheless, I think some of us don't worry too much about that (I am probably the biggest culprit) and just want to generate discussion. I would venture to guess that most of the respondents want to hear opinions and ideas, even if we don't agree on the outcomes. At least people are writing and exchanging ideas. That's my take, and I thank everyone for their time.
    I'd advise you to make a 'formal' intro on that aforementioned site, or add to DarkHerald's post (now 4 pgs long) where many posters have offered information about themselves. It's been a great read.

    Welcome to the Oerth Family.

    -Lanthorn
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    Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:33 pm  

    I'm with Tiger, he knows his stuff. Nox Arcana and Midnight Syndicate are great as is a lot of earlier stuff by Danny Elfman. Conan the Barbarian is kind of the token D&D soundtrack as is Lord of the Rings. The D&D soundtrack (not based off the horrid movie) by Midnight Syndicate is great too.

    There's 2 articles from Dragon Magazine that talk about music for gaming. The 1st is from Dragon # 275 (Sept 2000) called 'The Definitive D&D Soundtrack' and the 2nd is from Dragon # 355 (May 2007) called 'I-Dragon-Modern Music in D&D'.

    I actually have a Word doc with the 1st article in it that I use from time to time. I added to it with some newer music as well. I'll reprint the article here with my additions to it. Hopefully it will prove useful to some of you. Enjoy:

    The Definitive D&D Soundtrack

    (As compiled by Dragon # 275, Sept. 2000, updated by Mouse)
    *The basics of a D&D soundtrack should come from 5 categories of music: Rock, Celtic melodies, Instrumentals, Classical, & Soundtracks.

    Rock category:
    Led Zepplin-Darkened Depths of Mordor, Kashmir (both songs)
    Emerson, Lake & Palmer
    Jethro Tull
    Allan Parsons Project
    Stevie Nicks-Bella Donna, Enchanted (both albums)
    Fleetwood Mac-Rhiannon (song)
    Queensryche-Empire, Operation: Mindcrime (both albums)
    Blue Oyster Cult-Black Blade (song)
    Black Sabbath-Paranoid, Iron Man (songs)
    Judas Priest
    Alice Cooper

    Alternative Rock:
    White Zombie
    Korn
    Rage Against the Machine
    Ministry
    Lim Bizkit
    Nine Inch Nails-Pretty Hate Machine (album)
    The Cure-Disintegration (album)
    GWAR

    Goth:
    Switchblade Symphony
    Lycia
    Cocteau Twins
    Faith & Muse

    Instrumental:
    Joe Satriani
    Andres Segovia
    Tangerine Dream-Le Parc, Hyperborea, Goblins Club (albums), Elf June & the Midnight Patrol, Sad Merlins Sunday (songs)
    Enigma-River of Belief (song)
    Deep Forest
    K-Tel Albums (scary sounds)
    Phillip Glass

    Industrial/Dark/Ambient:
    Delerium-Morpheus & Karma (albums)
    KMFDM
    Frontline Assembly
    Synaesthesia
    Einsturzende Neubautens (sounds like Dwarves clanging)
    Art of Noise-Close to the Edit (albums)
    Diablo game soundtrack
    Nox Arcana-Darklore Manor, Necronomicon, Blood of the Dragon, Blackthorne Asylum, Zombie Influx, etc.
    Midnight Syndicate-Born of the Night, Realm of Shadows, D&D, The 13th Hour, Dead Matter, etc.

    Celtic Melodies:
    Fairport Convention (Richard Thompson)-Matty Groves, Reynardine (Songs), Liege & Leaf, Unhalfbricking, Meet on the Ledge (Albums).
    The Chieftains-March of the King of Laois:: Ruairi Og o Mordha (song), 1992 The Best of the Chieftains (Album)
    New Christy Minstrels
    Silly Wizards
    Loreena Mckennit-Book of Secrets (Album), The Mummers Dance, Night Ride Across the Caucasus, The Highwayman Albums)
    Enya-The Memory of Trees (Album & Song)
    Clannad-Anam (Album & Song)
    Capercaillie-Beautiful Wasteland (Album)
    The Pogues-Red Roses for me, If I should fall from grace with God (Songs)
    Molly & the Tinker

    Classical:
    Bach/Beethoven/Brahms
    Wagner-Ring of Nibelung, Tristan & Isolde, Faust (Albums)
    Modest Moussorgsky-Night on Bald Mountain, Pictures at an Exhibition (Albums)
    Carl Orff-Carmina Burana (Album)
    Franz Von Suppe’-Light Cavalry March
    Aaron Coplands-Fanfare for the Common Man
    Holst-The Planets (Mars, Uranus)
    Igor Stravinski-The Rite of Spring
    Antonio Vivaldi’s-The Four Season
    Benedictine Monks-Chant
    Nikolai Rimski Korsakov-Scheherazade, Arabian Nights
    Mozart-Requiem

    Soundtracks:
    Basil Poledouris-Conan the Barbarian, Hunt for Red October, Starship Troopers
    James Horner-Krull, Aliens, Braveheart, Star Trek 2, Mask of Zorro, Willow, Patriot Games (Horner/Clannad), Sneakers, Glory, Rocketeer, Titanic, Apocalypto, Troy
    Hans Zimmer-Gladiator, The Rock, Crimson Tide, True Romance, Thin Red Line, The Last Samurai, Blackhawk Down, Pirates of the Caribbean, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight (w James Newton Howard)
    John Williams-Jurassic Park, Star Wars (all of them), Indiana Jones (all of them), Hook, Saving Private Ryan, Harry Potter (all of them)
    Danny Elfman-Batman, Batman Returns, Darkman, Nightbreed, Army of Darkness, Sleepy Hollow, Mission: Impossible (varies, mostly Danny Elfman), Terminator Salvation
    Tyler Bates-300, Watchmen, Dawn of the Dead
    Various Artists-Apollo 13, Heavy Metal (Devo, Blue Oyster Cult, etc.), Matrix, Replacement Killers (mostly Crystal Method), The Crow (NIN, The Cure, Thrill Kill Kult, STP), Mortal Kombat (Napalm Death)
    Vangelis-Blade Runner
    Michael Kamen-Robin Hood, Highlander, Die Hard
    Twin Peaks
    A Midsummer Nights Dream
    Fantasia
    Something Wicked this way Comes
    Terminator 2
    Dracula
    Hamlet
    Interview with a Vampire
    Stargate
    Last of Mohicans (some Clannad)
    Usual Suspects
    Lady Hawke
    Queen-Highlander, Flash Gordon
    Star Trek “Amok Time”
    Anime-Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa, Porco Rosso, My Neighbor Totoro, Ghost in the Shell
    GreySage

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    Wed Sep 07, 2011 10:16 pm  

    WOW!!!! That is quite an extensive list of music. Mouse, I am exceedingly impressed with that collection. You are one savvy, exacting rodent! Happy

    -Lanthorn
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    Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:02 am  

    Some songs simply teleport you into other wolds: Carlsbad (David Lanz & Paul Speer)
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    Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:05 am  

    Aeolius wrote:
    Some songs simply teleport you into other wolds: Carlsbad (David Lanz & Paul Speer)


    Wow. That song is gorgeous, Aeolius. Thanks for sharing it. Smile
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    Thu Sep 08, 2011 4:24 pm  

    One from Peter Buffett: One More Time

    Three from David Arkenstone: Below the Ocean , Night Wind , Farewell to Coolman

    A few from Cusco: Tupac Amaru , Montezuma , The Hunt

    Songs that make me want to watch their respective movies: The King's Highway (Bubba Ho-Tep), Day of the Dolphin (from the excellent George C Scott film), Dreaming of Fiji (The Truman Show)

    And a few from games: Aquaria , Endless Ocean ,
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    Thu Sep 08, 2011 9:31 pm  

    I am adding Nox Arcana and Midnight Syndicate to my list..
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    GreySage

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    Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:39 pm  

    I know this is a slumbering thread posted by yours truly, but after purchasing and listening to "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" soundtrack, I have to add it to this very extensive and impressive list. There are several that are great background for combat. I have to admit that I really like the 'dwarf' theme as I call it, with the brass booming out to the tune of their Misty Mtns song. Absolutely love it.

    -Lanthorn
    Paladin

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    Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:41 am  

    Just to tie an old link for those new to the site and this particular topic....

    http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=4940

    Also, a production company / band in California , Two Steps from Hell, has done backgrounds for more movies than most would realize... bet you have heard alot of thier stuff and didnt realize....
    trailers for such films as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Star Trek, The Dark Knight, The Fighter, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Tron: Legacy, Anna Karenina, No Country for Old Men, 2012, Captain America: The First Avenger, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Super 8, Inception, Drive Angry, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Hugo, John Carter, The Town, Priest and Prince of Persia, as well as video games such as Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, Killzone 3, and Star Wars: The Old Republic and television shows such as Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Sherlock, Revolution, Homeland, The Walking Dead and Merlin, and during the 2012 London Olympics.
    Grandmaster Greytalker

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    Tue Jan 22, 2013 3:09 pm  

    At one point, my player's PC had to get from point "A" to point "B" in a hurry. He sterted humming the theme song to Fistful of Dollars.
    Grandmaster Greytalker

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    Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:24 pm  

    Not a favorite background music, but a funny experience with some. The player who was hosting the game put Sigur Ros' album, Agaetis byrjun on loop... for 3 hours... for 3 sessions in a row. About the middle of the third session I calmly requested something "... less Icelandic, and less whiny."
    Apprentice Greytalker

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    Sun Jan 27, 2013 12:33 pm  

    A lot of my favorite stuff has already been listed (Basil Pouledaris's Conan stuff, James Horner's Willow, etc.), so I'll point out some stuff I use that hasn't been mentioned yet.

    Hook was an awful movie, but the title theme by John Williams was great: Hook Prologue

    I also use a lot of video game music. This may or may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I find it works.

    Gauntlet IV uses the Sega Genesis/Megadrive soundchip in creative ways, and probably has the best soundtrack of any Genesis/Megadrive game ever. The music was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, who went on to compose the music in Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII.
    Gauntlet IV - Sortie (probably the best piece on the whole soundtrack)
    Gauntlet IV - Adventures of Iron
    Gauntlet IV - Transparent Obstacle
    Gauntlet IV - March in the Dark
    Gauntlet IV - Back of Beyond
    Gauntlet IV - Whisper of Phantom
    Gauntlet IV - Crux
    Gauntlet IV - Retribution

    Then there's the Dragon Quest games (also known as Dragon Warrior for a while in the US due to trademark issues with none other than TSR). The music for every game in the series (including spinoffs) was composed by Koichi Sugiyama. Sugiyama has also conducted live orchestral performances of his Dragon Quest soundtracks.

    Dragon Quest Overture Used in every game
    Dragon Quest I - Unknown World
    Dragon Quest I - Fight
    Dragon Quest I - Dungeon
    Dragon Quest I - Chateau Ladutom
    Dragon Quest II - Fright in Dungeon ~ Devil's Tower
    Dragon Quest II - Endless World
    Dragon Quest III - Fighting Spirit
    Dragon Quest III - Heavenly Flight
    Dragon Quest III - Dungeon
    Dragon Quest III - Into the Legend...
    Dragon Quest V - Violent Enemies ~ Almighty Boss Devil is Challenged

    ActRaiser was a combination platformer/town building sim with music by Yuzo Koshiro. Koshiro was well-known for his pop/hip-hop inspired scores on games like Streets of Rage and Revenge of Shinobi, but he proved he can handle classical music well with this soundtrack.

    ActRaiser - Overture
    ActRaiser - Filmore
    ActRaiser - Pyramid ~ Marana ~ Silence ~ North Wall
    ActRaiser - Aitos ~ Temple ~ Descent ~ World Tree
    ActRaiser - Birth of the People ~ Offering

    I would be at this for days if I listed every piece of game music I like, so I'll just list a few key pieces from some favorites.

    Chrono Cross - Scars of Time (Opening Theme)
    Final Fantasy VIII - Liberi Fatali
    Final Fantasy VIII - The Man with the Machine Gun
    Final Fantasy VII - One-Winged Angel
    Icewind Dale II - Skeleton of a Town
    Icewind Dale - Easthaven Theme
    Icewind Dale - Temple of the Forgotten God
    Icewind Dale - Severed Hand Interior
    Diablo - Tristram Village
    Diablo - Dungeon
    Assassin's Creed II - Ezio's Family
    Assassin's Creed II - Venice Rooftops
    Assassin's Creed II - Dream of Venice
    Assassin's Creed II - Home in Florence
    Age of Conan - Purple Lotus Swamp
    Age of Conan - Keshatta, City of Mages
    Age of Conan - Black Ring Citadel - Final Memory
    GreySage

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    Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:54 pm  

    Thanks for adding those hyperlinks so that we all can listen to your musical references. That is a VERY nice touch! Happy

    -Lanthorn, Tone Deaf but Music Appreciator
    Paladin

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    Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:16 pm  

    rolleyes Neutral The gauntlet stuff was a bit of a reach for my tastes in background ... but to each his own... had forgotten about the Diablo one though.. Cool
    And As lanthorn put it, the links were a very cool touch... So much so, you made me figure out how to do it.. and via your links I did find this one...
    URL Helene Bøksle - The Dreaming "Ere the World crumbles" (Age of Conan OST)

    Keep em coming.....
    Paladin

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    Wed Jan 30, 2013 7:22 pm  

    A variant off this thread but music related.. I tend to use music to inspire the action and also to hint to the past or future events in the realm for my PCs... and with that I'm always looking to old and new musics for insparation and muse.
    From this thread, it lead me back to combing YouTube and came across these "goodies"
    Sound of Silence S&G
    Those Were The Days - Mary hopkin
    Was thinking one leads the party back to a tavern of their youth, only to find a "new evil" has taken hold.....
    With that.. what are the communities thoughts around a "dampening field" for the "verbal" portion of spell components... thus the sounds of silence.....
    the parties goal, of course is to remove the "evil" but first must overcome this dampening field or determine its cause.. to gain full use of their spells....
    Thoughts?
    Edit****
    And even on this site.. these would be the Ancient Wyrms of song resources... hehe Cool as even I was almost too young to remember them.
    CF Admin

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    Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:24 am  

    I too use the "Conan the Barbarian" soundtrack! I recommend that to anyone and everyone. Basil kicks a$$.

    I also use sounds of nature such as thunderstorm tracks. Very mood setting music for the high seas and such...

    Other greats I've used is music by MYTH and anything Celtic.

    Edit: Furthermore Enigma and/or Enya rocks for Shadowrun games Cool
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    Paladin

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    Thu Jan 31, 2013 10:34 am  

    abysslin wrote:
    I also use sounds of nature such as thunderstorm tracks. Very mood setting music for the high seas and such...

    have thought the same thing, but its difficult to find a track more than a minute long, save making a loop. Confused
    Can see this as useful for large scale battles too.. ie background sword clashes etc. or explosions for fireballs etc... Cool
    CF Admin

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    Tue Feb 12, 2013 2:53 am  

    Dark_Lord_Galen wrote:
    abysslin wrote:
    I also use sounds of nature such as thunderstorm tracks. Very mood setting music for the high seas and such...

    have thought the same thing, but its difficult to find a track more than a minute long, save making a loop. Confused
    Can see this as useful for large scale battles too.. ie background sword clashes etc. or explosions for fireballs etc... Cool


    Actually, My thunderstorm (album?) has over an hour of thunderstorm audio spread across three different thunderstorms. Ive mostly used it for high seas, but I'd imagine it'd be great for Ravenloft or Rauxes, etc.. I picked it up at Bookworld about a decade and a half ago for $5.

    I also I have a "Sounds of the Jungle" one with around 50 minutes that I used on repeat for running Isle of the Ape. Worked great!

    My other favorite is a stretch of Gregorian Monk chants, although I've never used it before.
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    Paladin

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    Wed Feb 13, 2013 11:36 am  

    Verry Cool. Would be very interested in the manufacture / producer if you can convey, so I can google a search for them...
    have tried sound effects, theater, etc... but all seem to be mp3 of at the most 3min in length. love the chant idea.. (adding to my list) Cool


    Last edited by Dark_Lord_Galen on Wed Feb 13, 2013 8:11 pm; edited 1 time in total
    GreySage

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    Wed Feb 13, 2013 3:55 pm  

    I forgot about the Gregorian chants...my best friend (fellow player and DM) has/had such a disk. Must review it! Great idea.

    Also need to find good outdoor/elemental weather tunes as well given my preference for such campaigns.

    -Lanthorn
    Paladin

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    Thu Aug 22, 2013 1:38 pm  

    Just a thread bump in the spirit of Lanthorn...... and to add for those looking for some unique background music check out Adrian von Ziegler via u-tube or google.... great stuff.
    here's a sample
    GreySage

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    Sat Aug 24, 2013 10:16 am  

    Happy

    Thanks, DLG. I listened to the music you hyperlinked. Very nice, and would fit well as background while running a game.

    -Lanthorn
    Paladin

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    Sat Aug 24, 2013 10:49 am  

    I liked not only his mixture of music, but other background sounds (ie birds, water, etc) blended into the tune. Very easy to imagine many of his tunes as backdrops for kingdom halls or elven woods, or dwarvish banquets.
    Journeyman Greytalker

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    Sat Aug 24, 2013 12:15 pm  

    I recommend Two Steps from Hell.
    Paladin

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    Sat Aug 24, 2013 3:17 pm  

    Sutemi wrote:
    I recommend Two Steps from Hell.

    I agree, infact mentioned them In This Thread awhile back
    Dark_Lord_Galen wrote:
    SirXaris wrote:
    This is always a great idea, though I rarely have time to properly prepare for it.

    True, but it is a bit easier than when you and I "wore a younger mans clothes".. hehe There are lots of fonts and software that didn't exist back in the day. Everything was by hand.... Even the character sheets.. lol Now its all electronic.
    The Groups 2steps from hell, dutch band within temptation and Ghosts1-4 album by Nine inch nails make for great backgrounds.
    SirXaris wrote:
    I used the runes from the Best of the Dragon #1. My players had a blast deciphering them. Smile
    SirXaris

    Wow thanks for reminding me!!! totally forgot that rune reference... been utilizing the back of the original GH gazetteer for lack of other resources.
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