Last week, we had a lot of fun exploring the beatem-up music genre in a very quick and straightforward way. But now, it's time to crank things up a little! If you have ever wondered how to create a bridge or a transition for your video game music, this post might have some great tips! Here, we are going to expand my cool beat em up soundtrack into a more complete and finished product.
How to make a music transition?
Well, the answer is not simple. Some music composers will simply just go to the next 4 by 4 beats by removing the kick and adding a snare roll or whatever. Some others will literally add a few bars in order to transition to the next section of the song.
There are no right or wrong answers, but I have come to the conclusion that it's always better when you don't think too much about it. However, quickly translating your feelings into something comes with time and practice, and it's really difficult for most composers.
How to make an EQ Automation in Cubase?
A good trick to make a nice music transition is to get some inspiration somewhere. Actually, this is exactly what I did. My inspiration came from non-other than DJ Tiesto himself and his song Elements of Life.
At the 0:45 mark, you will hear an effect called EQ Automation, or Equalizer Automation on the main central drum sound:
To make an EQ automation, you will need to record automation in your DAW. In Cubase, it's pretty simple. To record an EQ automation in Cubase, you click on the 'R' and 'W' buttons of the channel where you want to record automation.
When activated, the Write button will record the automation, the Read button will read what you recorded. Then, you just press Play, and if you move something, like let's say, you move the volume meter of that channel, then that movement is gonna repeat itself the next time you press Play. See below:
What you just saw in the video is similar to what DJ Tiesto did to his drum sound in the intro of Elements of Life. And that's what we are going to do for our super beat'em up music transition:
What's a bridge in a song and how to use it in video game music?
The part that follows the transition that you just heard in the video above is called a Bridge. Where it's interesting is that, usually, the bridge comes later in a song. Most Pop songs you hear on the radio will have this weird section of the song after the second chorus where the music goes wild all of the sudden.
Take, for example, Lady Gaga, almost all her songs are built the exact same way. After the 2nd chorus, a strange melody will play for a while and then the final chorus will play (often twice in a row) to end the song in style.
But since we are making video game music, there are no rules! So f*ck the rules, we can put a bridge wherever our heart so desires, muahahaha!
A final word
So that's where we're at for now!
You can download the new loop of this AWESOME beatem up fighting ost right here. By the way, I also improved the mix and mastering, but I am saving that for a later post. On that note, I will post again very soon for Part 3, probably next week.
Until then, enjoy and have a nice day!
Laj