AtlasPlug & Celldweller OST Input

Really short feedback here, but instead of having so much buildup, they should focus on a quick introduction for buildup and go straight into an action packed song. It makes the matches kind of awkward. I think the style they have going is really awesome, but they’re just not reaching the intensity of music needed during the fight.

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My favorite S3 themes ironically are arbiter and raam (2 of the guests). Hopefully AP and CD can do a better job in any new themes that are coming soon.

I really can’t understand how someone can’t love all S3 themes.

I really love all of them. In all seasons there is a least favorite theme for me, but my least favorite from s3 (Arbiter) is better than most of the other seasons themes IMO

Mick did a great job, But AP and CD are worthy successors

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some concerns are instrumentation and repetition

I cant really agree with that. Mick’s take on the soundtrack is far better. I am not really feeling the s3 themes.
some are good but I wish Microsoft kept Mick around for s3 themes.

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S3 actually has my favorite soundtrack so far, even though I love Mick Gordon…

I guess sick guitar riffs are just my thing.

I was sceptical at first about any one who replaces mick Gordon but the themes for Rash, Kim wu, Tusk and Eyedol are some of the best in the game. Such a fan now.

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I want to preface this: I like S3’s soundtrack.

But…

To me, their is an obvious loss in passion with AP/CD than what Mick had. Don’t get me wrong, AP/CD are talented and obviously love their jobs and want to do their best at it, but S3 stil feels like they treat it like a job…do it, meet everyone’s expectations, collect your check, and move on to your next project. Even looking at interviews with both of them, Mick’s focus was always talking about living up to KI’s musical legacy, and how he wanted to bring out the best in KI’s soundtrack because he was an original KI fan as well. AP/CD was more like “KI has kick-a$$ music, and we like making kick-a$$ music, so here’s what we thought would be kick-a$$ for this character.”

Probably a good example of the difference between AP/CD would be to look at Saberwulf vs Tusk.

Saberwulf’s new theme sounds like Mick took a good hard look at the original track and tried to find the elements of it that really defined what made it good, and then went with the idea of Saberwulf ripping and tearing through an orchestra while they were still trying to play.

Tusk’s sound like they essentially looked at Tusk’s character, decided he looked like he needed to have a viking rock theme, then heard his old theme and decided that it wouldn’t fit their vision and pushed it aside.

That being said, this is all my opinion, and if you don’t agree that’s fine. Music is one of those things that it varies wildly from person to person what you will like and what you won’t. It just has to hit you right. And like I said, AP/CD’s themes are good, but IMHO Micks were great.

…also Rash’s theme has too much 8-bit KI theme stuck in it and not enough “Battletoad” to it.

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I agree with you about Mick Gordon, he cared about the music that KI has, he didnt just treat the project as a job but he treated the music as a fan of the game and wanted to give all he had to it. AP/CD are good producers but just dont see /hear the passion in the themes they produced.

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Im kind of with @Dayv0 on this. I really like Tusk, Kim Wu and Mira’s themes and among the S1-2 themes, although I think they’re all good, nothing sticks with me all that well. But music is very personal - you like what you like. I’m also not listening to the KI soundtrack in my car.

I do think people need to be careful with what they are reading into the results. Mick is a popular guy and he always comes across as passionate. But the idea that we can see the results of that in the music whereas AP and CD are less passionate I think is just rationalizing what you already kind of want to believe.

We honestly don’t know much about the conditions they are working under (nor what Mick worked under beyond the famously tight turnaround for Riptor). So it’s difficult to judge, and probably unfair. I also remain reluctant to kind of endorse these sort of “who gets to keep their job” type threads.

The OP is about the level of buildup and intensity and the speed with which they arrive, so maybe people should stick to that. For me, I think the slow buildup gives the pieces a bit of character before they change to a more frantic version later in the match, and the contrast is good.

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Eh, music is always a preference thing. I’m not a huge fan of rock, so a lot of the S3 themes don’t really work for me. But I also didn’t like Sadira’s theme, and I think Trailblazer is stupidly overrated and maaaaybe just kind of ok at best. So I think both Mick and AP/CD have their hits and misses. To their credit, Tusk, Kim Wu, and Arbiter’s themes are some of my absolute favorites across the cast. All in all, I think they did a good job living up to the work done by Mick Gordon, which is no small feat.

I couldn’t have said it better, the passion was kind of lost in S3.

Rash - Needed more battletoads and less KI
Kim Wu - Cool but forgettable
Arbiter - Awesome, one of my favorites
Tusk - Mostly boring, takes to long to get to the good parts
Mira - Kind of cool
Gargos - Could have been better, takes too long also
General Raam - Amazing, my other favorite from S3
Eyedol - Almost perfect, 16-hit portion could have been better

Sorry I’ve loved s1 and s2 tracks but s3 raised the bar. Kim’s, tusks, a warrior’s journey, Mira’s and eyedols surpass it

Season 1:

Jago - Only complaint is that the stand-still theme doesn’t sound much like his other 2 but overall great theme
Sabrewulf - I like the process and idea of his theme but it needed more percussion, my least favorite of S1
Glacius - Incredible theme, belongs in an epic sci-fi film. Not dancy like his original but whatever
Thunder - Probably one of the best ones, definitely one of my favorites
Sadira - Second favorite from S1
Orchid - Pretty much a remix of the original and very megaman x-ish, very cool
Spinal - Another one of my favorites, incredible theme
Fulgore - No complaints, another really good one

So far I have enjoyed the music across the board for all the seasons. I think the criticism for S3 has been a bit harsh. Sure, some of my favorite themes are from S1 and S2; I can certainly think of themes that I just do not care to listen to. I don’t care for Glacius, Sadira, or Riptor, although I think those themes match the characters. At the same time, I think the Jago, Shago/Omen, Thunder, Cinder, TJ Combo, Kan Ra, and Aganos themes are fantastic! So not every one is going to be out of this world.

Regardless, there is a lot from S3 that I like and some of the thought that Celldweller and Atlas Plug have put into their work is really clever. Plus, Celldweller likes Moog synthesizers, which is awesome.

Season 2:

TJ Combo - Love the energy of this theme
Maya - Epic, one of season 2’s best
Kan-Ra - Catchy and unforgettable
Riptor - While it could have been better (should have sounded close to the original) it’s one of my top favorites
Omen - Same as jago, epic and awesome
Aganos - My least favorite of season 2
Hisako - Also very catchy, really like it
Cinder - Possibly my favorite one from season 2, it’s perfect
Aria - Really like the drum n bass approach, really cool theme

I feel the same about Kim Wu’s theme. I kind of wish her theme wasn’t simply just a remix. That being said, Kim Wu’s high combo theme is great.

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Im pretty sure it was Mick that had the video of using the old Moog synth?

My reasons:

Kim- Random Hiyyaaaa throws me off when I get into it.

Mira: that buzzling fly.

Everyone else is great.

Maybe Mick did, but I didn’t see it. The one I was talking about is below. And as a big prog rock fan, a Moog always has a special place in my heart.