Music

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Music tracks in the FreeSpace game engine are determined by a music table, specifically named music.tbl. Mission designers can use the Mission Specs editor (Shift-N) in FRED, FRED2 and FRED2_OPEN to set the music track that the mission will play.

Music Types

The FreeSpace engine supports the playback of specific music tracks when certain events are called in-game. These events can be split into two types: interface music, and in-mission music. Certain events can also have sub-events, each with a different music track assigned.

All music tracks must be in Waveform Audio format (.wav).

Interface Music

Interface music is played outside a mission, such as when the player is at the menu screen (also known as the "mainhall"), during briefings and debriefings, and at the credits screen. The locations (and events) that fall into this music type are:

  • the mainhall
  • the Credits screen
  • Command and Mission Briefings (can be set in the Briefing editor [Shift-B]; both briefings share the same audio track)
  • Mission Debriefings
    • "Success" (when all mission objectives are met)
    • "Average" (when the player is allowed to progress, but not all mission objectives were met)
    • "Failure" (when the player is not allowed to progress)

In-mission Music

In-mission music is played only during a mission. The events that trigger music during mission play are:

  • ambience (this is automatically played when none of the other events listed are occurring; may have multiple tracks)
  • battle (when hostile targets are within firing range or their arrival triggers a music change; may have multiple tracks)
  • arrival of enemy ships (can be disabled for certain ships in FRED; may have multiple tracks)
    • during ambience
    • during battle
  • arrival of friendly ships (can be disabled for certain ships in FRED)
    • during ambience
    • during battle
  • completion of an objective (can be disabled for certain mission goals in FRED)
  • completion of all non-secret objectives and no hostile targets are present
  • failing an objective
  • when the player is killed

FreeSpace Open Additions

FS2 Open 3.6.10:

FSO adds several features to the existing ones described above, as well as the following SEXPs:

Besides adding support for OGG vorbis (.ogg) files, mission designers can use the above SEXPs to change in-mission music based on any event that happens during a mission, as well as use interface music during a mission.

The Fiction Viewer, an FSO-exclusive feature, also calls its own music. Additional ambience tracks can also be called during a mission.

FS2 Open, 3.6.12:
Later builds of FRED2_OPEN allow mission designers to select custom tracks for the three debriefing events through the Debriefing editor (Shift-D). Although the engine is capable of this since at least FS2 Open 3.6.10, this was not integrated into the FRED GUI.

Official Music

Most tracks were created by Dan Wentz, who composed the majority of the music for both FreeSpace 1 and FreeSpace 2. Some FreeSpace 1 cutscene scores were collaborations with Steven von Kampen, a composer and sound designer from Noiz Audio who was hired for the project.

FreeSpace 1

(This list is based on the FreeSpace Port version of FreeSpace 1)

Main hall music: "Choco Mousse"

Note: The last mission, Good Luck, has no soundtrack. However, a CD of enhanced music tracks provided by Dan Wentz implies that this track was intended to be used in Good Luck. It would have been the only standard single-player FS1 mission with this music.

FreeSpace 2

Music tracks in FreeSpace 2 are named after books of the Bible.

Main hall music tracks: "Aquitaine", "Psampik" [sic] (Terran and Vasudan main halls, respectively)

Extra Music

Higher-quality versions of the music in FS2 were made available for download as ZIP files on the game's official website while it was still available. Each ZIP file contained the audio track and a text file containing some technical and historical details. The tracks available were:

  • Ancients — Genesis battle track A with extended opening
  • Ambience I — Unsuccessful debrief music; a note on the website mentions it originally used as main hall music
  • Revelations (sic) — Three parts; Chapter II has an extended ending
  • Joshua — Three parts
  • Numbers — Three parts
  • Ending Score — Combined ending cutscenes music

Edited variations of these tracks are included in MV_Music.vp and will play in-game if high-quality music is enabled.

Some additional music tracks that were created for FS1 and FS2, but not included in the game files, were released to the community in a music pack named FreeSpace Music Pack (Extras).zip. This pack included variations of game tracks, several unused outtakes, cutscene scores and trailer music, as well as a humorous bonus track, "BiteMeJason2.mp3". The pack was first uploaded to ShackSpace by Hard Light Productions Forums user Nix, and discussed on this thread.

The music files downloadable on the official website and FreeSpace Music Pack (Extras).zip are mirrored on SectorGame's FreeSpace Files section.

Remixes

In early 2012, composer Dan Wentz started creating remixes of the main tracks in FS1, as well as Aquitaine, Exodus, and the Credits music in FS2, publishing most of them on his SoundCloud page, and creating this thread for further discussion of the works.

Edited versions of the FS1 remixes are included as an optional component of the FreeSpace Port, and a trimmed version of the Aquitaine remix is used as main hall music in Blue Planet's FreeSpace Blue campaign. Like the extra music previously released, all remixes are mirrored on FreeSpace Files.

See also

External Links

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