using music to help create correct ambiance

Choosing the correct music for an interactive artwork

     Since I have created entire scenes that could be made into VR worlds, I was always wondering what was missing. Since I am a very musical person myself, I began thinking about the artwork used in video games and other simulations that bring it to life. Since I grew up playing video games I felt it was only natural to look inside some of the games I am very familiar with from my childhood. Starting with one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, Super Mario Galaxy not only because of how truly expansive the game is, but because of the raw emotion I experience playing the game. With the main idea of the game being that Mario travels to different galaxies, each with a different environment, each of the 42 galaxies will need a different soundtrack that matches its overall design. As opposed to almost all the other games in the Mario franchise that tend to have overwhelmingly cheery music the entire way through, Super Mario Galaxy has some more diversity. Although there are the upbeat soundtracks from the beach scenes, there are also the drum-heavy and dry desert tunes, as well as my personal favorite, the sounds of the galaxy that is a sad and desolate junkyard. (audio above). This all taken into consideration, I understand that the atmosphere provided by my artwork needs to have the same general theme as the music that will accompany it, but is there more than that? Yes. I need to find music that not only supports my artwork but enhances it altogether.

Scene from the Space Junk Galaxy

Lots of games  would not have the same effect on their viewers if their soundtracks were void, So I am looking as to how I could add another dimension to my art by turning from just a viewing experience into a multi format artwork. Not only in Super Mario Galaxy does this happen, but in almost every highly successful game there is a very prominent soundtrack. Whether it be listening to the old country songs prevalent in the Fallout series or the goofy but still powerful tracks from Undertale we can see how each game is effected by their soundtracks.

I have included a track from each game mentioned above that I believe is reflective of the games as a whole. Although there are many more influential music scores for games, I chose the ones that I personally feel some of the most attachment to from my time playing them. In addition to that, some authors will make reading soundtracks to listen to when they publish a book and I always make a point to check out those kinds of playlists so that I can get the full experience the author was intending to create for the same reason a video game score is written.

How will I use this in what I do as an artist?

I will make an effort to at the very least find songs that I believe matches the ambiance that an art scene I am modelling provides if I do not add the music into the project itself to add this extra layer of  the whole experience.

Work Log for my current project:
Monday: studying and choosing design of character's robe and shoes
Tuesday: Start modelling Characters robe and boots
Wednesday: Continue clothes modelling
Thursday: Attempt to make a fur collar on the characters robe, only to scrap it
Friday: restart the characters fur collar this time with better hair dynamics in mind