Using background music themes

[DethStryke]

I have always use music in the background for my D&D games. I started with just a CD or two on repeat. This left you with some interesting moments and mis-matched events (the ever famous furious combat with a demon lord where the Ewok celebration music begins...)

This method, I surmised, is sub-par at best. Not that I have anything against some random Yub-Yub.

Er...

So yea, Music. Fast Forward fifteen years.

I've tried the 5CD to 100CD changers. While you have less "music downtime", you still get either generic music or settle for a type of music that doesn't fit what's going on. Heavy Metal can only work some of the time ( ) I got some experience in film editing, and learned a lot about how soundtracks are scored... and the effect it can have on you.

My theory: If I could organize my music collection into theme groups (like Combat, Tension Building, General Adventuring, Setting Theme of a Town, Setting Theme of a Forest, etc.), then I could cue up the proper music in the background to emphasize what I'm trying to accomplish. This would have many benefits as a DM. For example, it could potentially make it easier to find and stay in tension building moments (like horror, which is Very hard to do in RPGs). I tried sorting them and burning CDs of the different themes, but it was always too cumbersome to switch discs with no-one noticing or an abrupt time lapse.

My solution: the blessed iPod with iTunes and a healthy dose of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Ignoring the oxy-moronic nature of that statement, this is truly the way to go for my concept. I have currently split my RPG music (a collection of Soundtracks, Classical music, and related bands) into categories with word tags for each possible theme/category application. With these tags on each song, I can use automatic playlists to sort them as I go. The rating system can allow me to assign a 1-5 point value to a song and weed out the 1's without me doing anything but rating it and syncing.

My questions to you:

Does anyone do this already?

What list of categories would you use?
I currently have them split as such. Each has one or both of the first set and one or more of the second. Typically most have only one of each set.
--
D&D
SW (Star Wars - I run both SW & D&D)
--
Gen Adv (General Adventure)
Tension (Tension Building... either spooky-type, or driving up towards combat)
Combat (Combat situations or Excitement situations)
Town (City, Town, Village theme. Especially ones with sound effects of crowds or taverns)
Forest (Same as Town but for Forests - Sounds of birds and insects a plus)
Winter (Same - howling winds, etc.)
Mystic (Same - spoken word, in foreign languages or chanting a plus)

Would you participate in a swap of text files with names of songs / bands / albums generated from your own categories so that everyone can easily categorize in the same manner without having to listen to every song beforehand?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

The latest issue of Dragon has a great article on music in D&D, along with iTunes playlists.

I've used video game & movie soundtracks with good effect, as well as Midnight Syndicate albums.

 

[DethStryke]

The latest issue of Dragon has a great article on music in D&D, along with iTunes playlists.

I've used video game & movie soundtracks with good effect, as well as Midnight Syndicate albums.

I do not read Dragon, so that was interesting timing! I will have to grab that issue and check it out.

So far I've got about 20+ CDs specifically for RPG sessions. I play them in the background, with the volume turned down enough to easily hold conversations over it. I also have a 5.1 surround system set up in my game room from the ceiling down, so the volume can stay low and everyone can hear it equally well. I find that when people think music to be a distraction, it's because they are using two speakers at the head of the table - it's too loud for those in front and/or too soft for those in back and it interferes with the DM's voice.

I have grand ideas for the surround sound (especially 7.1 or 9.1) that would allow me to get directional sound effects, but so far I have not been able to find a program that would allow small audio clips/effects to be played in specific channels over a music stream. Specifically, one that would make shortcut combinations or buttons to call up pre-mixed or looped effects. I had hopes for RPG Sound Mixer (a german based project), but that seems to have burned out over the last two years.

 

[smootrk]

Some of the background music from the various fantasy games would make very effective mood music - especially since they tend to loop, only changing when combat or other situations present themselves. There are probably files out there of the music already pulled from the games, but I have not checked for any particulars. Using a computer/mp3 player with a number of playlists that repeat until the DM chooses new playlists, would be rather easy, but I haven't gone so far into the process.

The dragon article makes me think that it would be ideal for people to share their particular playlists (with complete artist/track info so that the particular tracks can be located and downloaded through the various music sites).

 

[Desdichado]

No, I don't. For one thing, I don't use anything as recognizable as Star Wars music--unless playing a Star Wars game of course, and I certainly never play any heavy metal during a game. I do get a lot of movie score soundtracks, but when I rip them to mp3 and archive them for game use, I tend to leave off tracks that aren't going to be appropriate for the game. If I focus on creepy, moody or generally exciting music, I find that it's rarely so far off base as to cause any sort of cognitive dissonance or disruption during the game.

Then again, I do like to occasionally throw a purposefully random and silly track into the shuffle pool just to break up tension every once in a while. Once in a blue moon if your big boss fight suddenly has Buckner & Garcia's "Pac Man Fever" come on in the background, it can be kinda fun.

 

[DethStryke]

No, I don't. For one thing, I don't use anything as recognizable as Star Wars music--unless playing a Star Wars game of course, and I certainly never play any heavy metal during a game.

I agree - I have all of the Star Wars soundtracks / scores and they are all tagged for Star Wars only. Some other music can be used for both a Sci-Fi and D&D feel, which will be the ones with both tags. Some midnight syndicate comes to mind, as an example.

I don't use Harry Potter soundtracks for the same reason. The music is too iconic, and I'm not playing a Harry Potter RPG!

Heavy Metal, and all music with words as a general rule of thumb, is a compromise on my part. I do not like background music with words - I think it can destroy the purpose of having it as BACKGROUND music. Exception to this is music with words in different languages that no one at the table can speak/understand. A few groups I've DMed have really liked it though, and so I add those in when appropriate. Personally, I go for all instrumental in my music selection.

I find that those who enjoy Heavy Metal at the game session have fond memories of listening to Megadeth, Metallica, or Ministry cranked up to 11 at the game table when they were teenagers.

 

[DethStryke]

Some of the background music from the various fantasy games would make very effective mood music - especially since they tend to loop, only changing when combat or other situations present themselves.

I did try looping songs like that, but we would have a combat that would go for a half hour or more... even a 3 minute long song is super obnoxious by then.

The dragon article makes me think that it would be ideal for people to share their particular playlists (with complete artist/track info so that the particular tracks can be located and downloaded through the various music sites).

After doing some searching on the concept of iMixes, I am inclined to agree with you. This may be the way to trade your sets rather than the text files I originally considered.