hey ! im james, i did the in-game theme for library ! i use ableton, but unfortunately i lost the .als file for this song when my computer crashed last year. i can tell u that i mostly used kontakt 5 session horns and massive for the other synths. im pretty sure for the drums i was using a default ableton drum rack (the percussion one). for me in that composition, horns and percussion were the focus. i tried writing the whole melody with some basic harmony underneath, and then created a faux-soli kinda arrangement (4 horn parts following the same rhythm but different harmonies). when i went to music school i didn't really understand soli writing so i jus do the best i can, and i think that makes it sound more unique!
for the synths, i like browsing through the pre-made synths and then tinkering with one until i like it, if i have some synth as a melody i love making it monophon (only one voice can play at a time). that gives u the gliding sound between notes that makes it feel very energized.
oh also! if you ever have something like a piano or horns (something making a big harmony), i like to copy the midi to a new channel and make another instrument that is kinda quiet with a new texture. i think in this song i used a delayed out marimba / wooden percussion sound as the background harmony.
thank you for asking about all of this and playing library ! ultimately, u have to find a riff, melody, or sound that encapsulates a moment and work from there. i didn't actually write this song specifically for the game, but it ended up fitting because we were both trying to capture that burst of excitement! to me the movement of notes is storytelling in the same way the movement of letters on a page creates a novel . thanks again !
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