Good genre/type of music for puzzle game?

JagonApps

Hi there!

I am trying to make both a background track for in-game and for the title screen using garage band. The puzzle game is of the 'matching boxes' (visual) sort of game, not fast paced exactly, but very clean in design and style.

Would anyone have an idea what is the best style for this music and possibly any specific recommendations with Garage Band (im a newbie at it)

Or any better software you have found???

Thanks

Socks

I'd would say something fairly unobtrusive, not too percussive, fairly gentle, medium paced.

Alembic_Softworks

I use GarageBand (both Mac and mobile version) and FL Studio (mobile version). I've used Presonus too - there's a free version on their site. I happen to like GB and FL the best though. I may invest in Logic Pro in the near future (also made by Apple). Yeah for puzzlers you want something that is grooving but not terribly distracting. I always thought the demosceners were good at that genre (think of the soundtracks from puzzlers like Bejeweled, etc). But I don't think you need to spend a lot on software necessarily to make good game tracks.

JagonApps

@Socks thanks, do you use garage band?

Socks

@Socks thanks, do you use garage band?

I earn my living by writing music for film and TV and have used Logic for years now - although I recently did a couple of jobs for Guinness and a few trailers for Channel4 (here in the UK) that I did in Garageband on the iPad.

Like @Alembic_Softworks says you don't need to spend a lot on software to make good game tracks or good tracks in general, Garageband does pretty much everything you might need.

Alembic_Softworks

@Socks - I'm amazed at how versatile the app DAWs are now - and in fact I tend to use them more than my desktop software. But you've helped me make my choice in software purchases for the future - if you like Logic, that's all the endorsement I need.

But again, I want to emphasize in terms of software, you can do amazing things with GarageBand, it's easy to use, and you can make things really sound nice, just play around with your compositions, and try to see how they sound on a device when you're creating mixdowns. I tend to make different versions in GB and then tweak them depending on what they need when I listen to the mix on my iPad.

Socks

@Socks - I'm amazed at how versatile the app DAWs are now . . .

Me too, they're great, I've been doing a lot of TV trailers over the last few months and I am (slightly) embarrassed to admit that at least 2 or 3 of them were done while I was in lying in bed tapping away on my iPad . . . ">

. . and in fact I tend to use them more than my desktop software.

I would probably do the same, but I usually need to work to picture - usually a rough offline of the TV ad - but I'm sure it's just a matter of time before all these features (like being able to load a Quicktime into GB) slowly migrate to the iPad.

if you like Logic . .

Yeah, Logic is great ! The built in instruments and effects are just wonderful, over the years I slowly dumped all my outboard gear, my mixer, my effects, I was just not using them any more because the stuff in Logic was just so much better !

If I could recommend one thing in addition to Logic it would be Izotope's Ozone5 mastering plug-in, the easiest way to make your tunes sound big and punchy and polished.

But again, I want to emphasize in terms of software, you can do amazing things with GarageBand . . .

Agreed.

JagonApps

Thanks you guys great help, I think I'll stick with Garage Band for the moment, but I certainly know where to go from there!