Xen soundtrack

[nobleberry]

Overall the music is fine, synthwave themes fit the game well, but there is too much sad female vocals, it is total overkill adding too much unnecessary drama and sentimentality, in places when I need tension and drive. And female vocals don't help to create outworld-ish atmosphere.

My favorite black mesa ost pieces:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trw_dDRH6wU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k-xvW5CkO4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ZCM4FuI5A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87Ew0HkqWfo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8k2wA3r0Io

[Colinde]

I kinda get what you are saying, but I found it pretty fitting. It is another, alien, dimension that only few people has any knowledge about, and even fewer has seen. Gordon Freeman isn't even supposed to know that it was a place that Black Mesa had
the ability send people to. If I know my lore correctly, most scientist working with samples from Xen was told that they where teleported to earth via random chance through the Lambda Complex.

So, I had no issue with the soundtrack, as I felt it reflected how Freemans mind might have "felt" the situation, if you can say that.

But hey man. I agree they could maybe have used effects on the vocals more heavily, to make the vocals more outworldish, as you say.
But All in all, I find it to be a minor thing, as I've had a ton of more game-breaking bugs on the Linux beta release. About to test the final release of Xen, so I might come back to this if I have changed my mind.

[nobleberry]

Originally posted by Colinde:

I kinda get what you are saying, but I found it pretty fitting. It is another, alien, dimension that only few people has any knowledge about, and even fewer has seen. Gordon Freeman isn't even supposed to know that it was a place that Black Mesa had
the ability send people to. If I know my lore correctly, most scientist working with samples from Xen was told that they where teleported to earth via random chance through the Lambda Complex.

So, I had no issue with the soundtrack, as I felt it reflected how Freemans mind might have "felt" the situation, if you can say that.

But hey man. I agree they could maybe have used effects on the vocals more heavily, to make the vocals more outworldish, as you say.
But All in all, I find it to be a minor thing, as I've had a ton of more game-breaking bugs on the Linux beta release. About to test the final release of Xen, so I might come back to this if I have changed my mind.

Yes, I forgot to mention, that vocals probably should sound more outworldish and ritualistic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr0g2EgWdXI

[Colinde]

Yea.. Vocals however is the only thing I can criticize though. The rest of the soundscape is really well done! They did an amazing job on Xen in general. I feel Xen in Black Mesa, is what Xen should have been in HL1.. But back then technical (and time?) limitations made for the original Xen to be mediocre and a bit bland.

[nobleberry]

Originally posted by Colinde:

Yea.. Vocals however is the only thing I can criticize though. The rest of the soundscape is really well done! They did an amazing job on Xen in general. I feel Xen in Black Mesa, is what Xen should have been in HL1.. But back then technical (and time?) limitations made for the original Xen to be mediocre and a bit bland.

Yes, the instrumental part is great in xen, no doubt.

[Hunter CatzEyes93]

Sh.. The vocals are perfect!!!! Joel's wife NAILED it and you all are wrong wrong wrong!

Ok I will calm down now. But in all seriousness, I think the only time that it may have gotten to me is when I had to battle Gonarch over and over and over and over (x50) before moving on to the next stage. The same music and vocals was a bit tiring so I had to turn the volume down. But other than that small nitpick...

Sh.. The vocals are perfect!

[Rushi]

The vocals are simply a theme in the Xen chapters. Notice how they aren't just used for sentimentality, with them being used in the garg chase and the gonarch battle and other areas. It's a theme, but one that is different to the Earth levels as Xen is far different to Earth.

[insider]

Originally posted by Hunter CatzEyes93:

Sh.. The vocals are perfect!!!! Joel's wife NAILED it and you all are wrong wrong wrong!

Ok I will calm down now. But in all seriousness, I think the only time that it may have gotten to me is when I had to battle Gonarch over and over and over and over (x50) before moving on to the next stage. The same music and vocals was a bit tiring so I had to turn the volume down. But other than that small nitpick...

Sh.. The vocals are perfect!

The vocals may be perfect, but I agree with the OP - I don't think that they fit in the atmosphere. I get that Xen OST was supposed to create this otherwordly atmosphere, but I think that the vocals came out too melodramatic and melancholic. Xen in the opening chapter is portrayed as a beautiful, but also eerie alien world. It's an unexplored, unsafe place, not a theme park.

[Rogue]

Quite liked the vocals myself. I doubt they'll be redoing the soundtrack on this one guys. :)

[H.E.C.U soldier]

Yeah you can thank Joel Nielsen's wife for that, Kala Nielsen. It seems she has big influence on her husband. Now before anyone says "ohhh, ahhh what is he saying ? How could he ? How chauvinist he is", when someone praised her performance on the music, Joel responded with something like... it was something like this:
"yeah, she can do other interesting "sounds" too :D", this is literally what he said. Now this is not the crime that he said that, he didn't say anything wrong, but it clearly gives some clues.

Believe me, my brother used to be diffrent, now he has a wife and... well, he is a completely changed person.

I get it, Joel is a happy husband leading good life with his wife, but it seems the praise he gives her is not of this earth, and that's probably why every song is filled with her voice. I could look for source, but there are so many comments it would probably take hours, if it's still there, that is.

And another disclaimer, her voice sounds good indeed, very professional even, but we are talking about Black Mesa, it is completely diffrent soundtrack from that made for 2012 mod version, it's not the same style, like it or not.

And while it fits for Gonarch's Lair somehow because Gonarch is sorta female, the rest of Xen not so much.

[nobleberry]

I'm wondering how xen sountrack will sound without vocals.

Damn, just listening it to pick one for vocal removing annoys me XDDXDX lololo

[nobleberry]

damn, every other track has this HAUWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA UUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[H.E.C.U soldier]

Originally posted by Consequence of Eternity:

I'm wondering how xen sountrack will sound without vocals.

Damn, just listening it to pick one for vocal removing annoys me XDDXDX lololo

You know? I actually realised that the soundtrack with vocals removed would sound super dope!

[nobleberry]

Originally posted by HECUsoldier:

Yeah you can thank Joel Nielsen's wife for that, Kala Nielsen. It seems she has big influence on her husband. Now before anyone says "ohhh, ahhh what is he saying ? How could he ? How chauvinist he is", when someone praised her performance on the music, Joel responded with something like... it was something like this:
"yeah, she can do other interesting "sounds" too :D", this is literally what he said. Now this is not the crime that he said that, he didn't say anything wrong, but it clearly gives some clues.

Believe me, my brother used to be diffrent, now he has a wife and... well, he is a completely changed person.

I get it, Joel is a happy husband leading good life with his wife, but it seems the praise he gives her is not of this earth, and that's probably why every song is filled with her voice. I could look for source, but there are so many comments it would probably take hours, if it's still there, that is.

And another disclaimer, her voice sounds good indeed, very professional even, but we are talking about Black Mesa, it is completely diffrent soundtrack from that made for 2012 mod version, it's not the same style, like it or not.

And while it fits for Gonarch's Lair somehow because Gonarch is sorta female, the rest of Xen not so much.

So the guy didn't just do the job, he sneaked in his personal stuff into soundtrack. Very professional, because it was certainly right thing to do, instead of trying to match hl/hl2 style and mood. Why didn't they add some lovely lyrics then? Gonarch fight might get a whole new atmosphere with "hello my baby" cover.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmms_5spu4U

[FireFly]

Originally posted by HECUsoldier:

And another disclaimer, her voice sounds good indeed, very professional even, but we are talking about Black Mesa, it is completely diffrent soundtrack from that made for 2012 mod version, it's not the same style, like it or not.

Right, but Xen is also completely different from the rest of the game.

[H.E.C.U soldier]

Originally posted by FireFly:

Originally posted by HECUsoldier:

And another disclaimer, her voice sounds good indeed, very professional even, but we are talking about Black Mesa, it is completely diffrent soundtrack from that made for 2012 mod version, it's not the same style, like it or not.

Right, but Xen is also completely different from the rest of the game.

It's still the same game though, and usually games retain the same atmosphere as a whole. Same goes for movies too and many other media related stuff.