Quick description of the game: Infinite Checkers is a Ludum Dare 41 Submission for the “2 Incompatible Genre” theme. The game combines the fast-paced gameplay of an Infinite runner with a mind-bending twist of checkers.

Music is often seen as a post-production asset when it comes to developing video games. As a sound designer, this is something I often find myself at odds with when it comes to working on projects. Luckily, the man who did all of the development of our project for Ludum Dare 41 reached out to me a week before we started asking if I would come on and do audio.

But enough about that, let's talk about what I did for the music for the project. I spent 14 hours on this track on the Sunday before submission. That's 14 hours from conception to polish. Some of you might be thinking that that's a long time to spend on one piece of music. Well, keep reading to find out why I spent so much time on it. If you haven't heard the music yet, check it out on my SoundCloud account:

https://soundcloud.com/c-blake-smith/endless-checkers

The music for Infinite Checkers is inspired by early 20th Century Impressionism, with a more modern addition of an electric drum kit. For those who don't know what Impressionism is, I would like to recommend the following video as a good audio reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvFH_6DNRCY

If you don't want to watch a YouTube video, Impressionism is the idea of painting an image via sounds. They accomplish this by incorporating harmonies that aren't traditionally used in popular music. There's a lot more to it than that, but I don't think anyone is here to learn about the intricacies of music history.

So, why would I use a musical style that's older than pretty much everyone who's currently alive? Well, because that style is great to use when you want to lull the listener into a sense of focus. Despite the fact that the music uses complex harmonies, it is very easy on the ears. The next harmony that the harp plays isn't always one that your ear expects, but it isn't jarring. In fact, it's somewhat more smooth than what a lot of people listen to. Additionally, the way the harp treats the harmony almost gives the music an auditory illusion of a constant rise that makes it seem like it goes on forever. This helps add to the endless runner genre be also never sounding like it's over.

Quite honestly, creating the harmony is what took up 10 of the 14 hours. It's complex as heck. If anyone who enjoys music theory wants to know what progression I used, feel free to hit me up and I'll send you my analysis of it.

The music also uses a solo bassoon, oboe, and a full string section. The bassoon and oboe play a melody back and forth. The melody is simple in structure and gives the sensation of playfulness. When the oboe and bassoon come in playing the longer notes, those are also reflections of the melody. The strings also carry the melody briefly, but more often serve as an accompanying role in the music.

I worked off of my 2017 MacBook Pro, using LogicPro X. The harp and drum kit were part of the basic kit that came with LogicPro X. The bassoon and oboe samples came from the Kontakt 5 library, and the strings were pulled from Spitfire's Albion One collection.

Most importantly, context is key here. Be sure to check out our game with the music playing and let me know what you think of it all!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/infinite-checkers