Maria Collins
How to create music for your game quickly, easily, and for free
In the present article, we described a simple algorithm that will allow any enthusiast to record their own track or download royalty free music for games. We selected the key points.
The author uses the free audio editor LMMS, which has a lot of necessary tools. The first thing you need to do is to determine the rhythm by using a percussion instrument. Usually, percussion acts as a base for any composition.
Every melody can be represented as a sequence of time segments, which are called bars - in each of the notes are grouped in a certain way.
You must create a loop of drums in order to set the desired rhythm. LMMS has a special editor for working with drums, where you can easily create a loop. The author showed the easiest way to set the rhythm.
If you click on Beat/Bassline, the corresponding window opens
Next, from the samples menu on the left, drag the appropriate sound to the Beat/Bassline window. The author made it so that the kick drum sounds at the beginning of the first and third beats (indicated by red arrows)
The author placed the snare drum sound at the beginning of the second and fourth beats
The author has placed the cymbal sound at the beginning and middle of each beat. This is the last part of the drum loop
You can change the tempo of the song using the Tempo/BPM indicator at the top of the editor
The drum loop is only the base, so the next step is to add "musicality" by using chords. There are different rules and methods by which you can find harmonious chords.
But it will take a lot of time, and we are interested in the fastest and easiest way to create a melody. That's why the author suggests using a chord generator, such as ChordChord, thanks to which you can create the desired sequence.
Then select the sample you like in LMMS and add it to the main melody window. For example, the author chose a sound called Soft Synth. Next, you need to manually transfer the generated chords to the piano window.
The transfer process looks something like this
Copy your result three times so the Synthesizer melody is 16 bars long. Do the same thing with the drums
The next step is to create a basic melody. This step is probably the most difficult, as it will require creativity and experimentation. This basic melody will make your composition unique.
Select a new instrument and open the piano window. Improvisation mode is available in the editor, which means you can play a sample song you've prepared and press the keyboard keys to pick a melody. If you are satisfied with the result, record it and add it to other tracks.
But sometimes it can be very difficult to find a suitable basic melody. In this case, the author recommends experimenting only with the notes that are used in the chords of the background melody. Also, to diversify the sound, try notes that are in between the chord notes. But remember, it's very difficult to quickly find the right one - be prepared to experiment.
When you've filled in all 16 bars with a tune you like, you're ready to move on to the final improvements. At this point, the track may seem to lack depth. To fix this, choose an instrument that sounds good at low notes. Copy the chords of the background tune and paste them into the new instrument track. In each chord, leave only one note that corresponds to the name of the chord itself. For example, leave only the C note in the C chord. Then move the remaining notes down a few octaves to get a lower version.
You can also add various effects to the tune in the FX-Mixer tab. For example, Reverb allows you to add an echo to the instruments - it will create the feeling that the music was recorded in a real room.
The last step is export. The author advises using the standard settings in LMMS, but uncheck the option "Export as loop" so that there will be no empty fragments at the beginning and end of the song.
Final result
by Maria Collins on 2021-09-11 09:03:14
