September 13, 2011

Tomb Raider 30-Day Challenge Day 13: Favorite TR Music

UPDATE: This month-long challenge has officially finished, but you're still welcome to post your comments below at any time. We'd love to hear what you think.

I changed this slightly from Jeremy's original version to encompass any Tomb Raider musical composition. Themes from the games, movies, fan-created tracks like Dance Raider, whatever you like. Please post a link if it's not something most of us have heard. It's always great to expand our horizons.

And while we're on the subject of Tomb Raider music, there's still a little over a week left to enter the Raiderfest 2011 music competition. If you're musically inclined and have written or performed TR-inspired music before, I encourage you to enter.

21 comments:

  1. My all-time favorite has to be Nathan McCree's Vivaldi-inspired Venice theme from TR2, but I love all the Core Design main themes as well. I'll admit I'm not a fan of the big, orchestral sounds of AOD and the newer games. I prefer less music in general while exploring, and the sparser classic tracks are just more esthetically pleasing to me.

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  2. My favourite... it's tough, because most are great. It's got to be the "Venice Violins" (just like Stella :D). When we left the dark places of Venice and entered again to the "streets" the music started to playing and it was fantastic. I prefer epic and orchestral music. I also like when music adapts to the situation: per example, in Tomb Raider Underworld, in the Mediterranean Sea level, when Lara arrives at Amanda's ship, this music starts:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7VPcw4hZVY&feature=related

    This just makes the player like "Oh Amanda, I'm going to make you suffer, this is payback!". And it just inspires the player to progress and kill everything on the way.

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  3. I really rate Nathan McCree's stuff. If I have to pick something I'd pick the snowmobile music from TR2. I think that TR music works better when it is saved rather than being used continually in the background. (Like in Doctor Who.) As for TR remixes IMO nobody does it better than Raiderfest 2011 judge Marcus Trogen who has been remixing since the beginning of TR.

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  4. Another vote for Venice Violins. Quite simply one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. I even wanted to include in my wedding, but couldn't find anywhere to put it (it wouldn't sound the same on an organ and it's a bit quick to walk up the aisle to!). Of course, Venice is my favourite level in TR2, and TR2 is my favourite game, so I may be a little biased towards that track.

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  5. I think music has bean a great element in the games, something that the designers actually dedicated a long time and with outstanding results.

    More that that is the fact that there's no music for the most part of the game, just in certain places and moments and the music is perfect for those moments. Scary, suspenseful, whatever is needed.

    I particularly like all TR1 music being the first game.

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  6. I love the music from all the games, but my two favorite soundtracks are from AoD and Underworld. IMO as a soundtrack composer, I think those two really do their jobs well in giving those games a cinematic, emotional foundation for the story and gameplay that occur on top of them - very necessary for many next-gen games these days. The soundtracks for all the next-gen TR games rank up top with my favorite game soundtracks of all time.

    The soundtracks for the early games were excellent for what they were. The music for TR3 and Last Revelation will always be memorable for me, as will the Venice Violins theme that everyone loves. I still remember how surprised I was to hear that one, and I love how it catches people off guard. I remember playing it once, and my mom asking me, "Is that Vivaldi or something?" I said, "Nope, it's Tomb Raider!" Nathan McCree nailed the heck out of replicating Vivaldi for that game.

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  7. When I read the previous comments I went back to Venice and replayed parts of it, and the violins really were perfect. And I agree with Stella that the sparser, less obtrusive soundtracks are the ones I prefer. But one exception for me is in Legend when you first get to Nepal. You're standing on a frozen mountainside surveying the platforms and ledges and cave entrances, and the Enigma-like music swells up with chanting monks in the background, and I remember thinking "Oh, boy, this is really going to be good!"

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  8. I like anniversary's main theme music when you first launch the game its enchanting!

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  9. I forgot to mention that I also like the Khazakhstan Bike Chase music from Legend

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  10. I liked Anniversary's main theme, it had some nice touches to it. I also loved Kazakhstan's bike chase music, and the ambiance vocals from Thailand in Underworld. Enchanting :)

    Though I can't rule out the original games... The theme when the wolves were around in TR1 was awesome. Damned scary with full volume on, but it really had a sense of danger about it. I liked the sound effect you got from opening doors too, it was like 3 notes on a glockenspiel or something...

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  11. I LOVE THE LOVE FOR 'VENICE VIOLINS'!!! BEST TR MUSIC EVER!!!! HAHA STELLA ALREADY KNOWS I LOVE IT ;D I think its one of the best classical pieces I've ever heard, and its the only one i really actually like haha! XD I'm so 'young persons opinion' XD <3

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  12. Also if i just wanna give it a listen, i just go into Laras home on TR2 and press the button in the ballroom and the track plays :') then i don't face those nasty dogs and men XD haha but recently i took the track from the TR2 cd onto my iTunes because the CD is a Enhanced Audio CD or something and when you open iTunes with it in drive, all the tracks come up :) i was excited when i found it haha :) <3

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  13. Venice Violins! I love to just go to Venice and ride the boat and listen to it while driving aimlessly!:D I also love driving with the Snowmobile in TR2 just to listen to that song!
    http://youtu.be/8BeGCMZ20xU
    TR2 had my favorite music of all of them. :) Ahhh to be a child again playing it...

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  14. ANY SONG FROM AOD! It was very well composed, I enjoyed having the London Orchestra play while I explored. If I had to pick a favourite, it would be By Moonlight. That's the song that plays in St. Aicard's Graveyard. I love it.

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  15. I tried what Harry said about accessing the tracks on the TR2 CD with iTunes. It's the second TR2 CD, and the Venice Violins are track #36. Thanks, Harry!

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  16. Great comments, everyone. Thanks for participating. And thanks for posting that info about iTunes, Harry. Most PCs will also play the audio tracks from the Core Design games if you explore the disk and open them with something like Windows Media Player, but that sounds more convenient.

    tombraiderchronicles.com also has downloadable MP3s for all the games. I don't think their files include all the sound effects though, like ambient sounds, conversations, etc.

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  17. Here:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT1KN1TrH1M

    This music comes from a fan created level called Once Upon A Time. It is hands down my favorite music from any TR game. i even have this track on my MP3 Player. And no kidding, i LOVE to leave this playing on the computer and fall asleep to it at night.

    --guy

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  18. The music usually fits so well
    that I don't even think about it! O_o
    Sorry folks! But I also understand....
    If you live in Europe, and are not blind,
    you have seen my commercial work,
    but don't notice, or know who I am!

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  19. I loved the original TR theme, it's wonderful.
    Another great in-game piece is from TR3 London, the Lud's Gate theme. Really nice.

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  20. I have loved every soundtrack, and as a full-time classical musician, I am a tough customer.

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  21. My favorite is the main theme from the original TR, but I like all of the classic main themes. They're just so pretty. The techno snomobile music from TR2 is the most fun, though. :)

    I agree that the music wouldn't have nearly the impact that it does if it didn't play at those perfect moments. We probably wouldn't even pay attention to it if it played all the time.

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