@@SamuelBeilman Actually. I am almost convinced the drop of the pods being part of the drop is intended. the natraul song itself just does not have the same punch. not only that the 4 pods mirror the proceeding four notes.
Hey Samuel, I'm so flattered you took the time to put this video together! You have a fantastic analysis of the score, even including some elements I didn't explicitly notice myself. In terms of advice for other composers, I would love to reiterate your points about the melodic contour and momentum - it's so important that the melody itself, independently from harmony/accompaniment, can provide forward motion to a first-time listener. There's a million ways to do this, but I personally pay a ton of attention to the contour of each melodic line, having some sort of an overall direction so that listeners have a balance between "exciting" and "predictable". Cheers and thanks again!
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video! You do fantastic work and it was a pleasure listening to your music. As a composer who is still just starting out, I'm happy to hear my points resonated with some more experienced artists as well. Thank you again!
You make music sound so artificial. It's like attending a college course or something reading this, "oh the contour and momentum" ... I'd like to believe there is a lot more soul in it than just making something FOR listeners. Once we go down that road we get all sorts of abusive use of human psychology, emotional manipulation, and whole genres filled with highly paid performers who don't even create their own music, they simply perform the act for their overlords to create the desired effect... oh wait...
@@user-c4b9b Hate to be the bearer of bad news but music isn't just "soul sounds", there are multiple aspects to music that fundamentally tap "dry and sterile" concepts like mathematics. There is, in fact, a bedrock of science that underlies the whole thing. Music is still art, however, so there is still a lot of aspects of it that are at the whims of progenies and those only technically proficient. Music isn't amorphous, it's not a concept. Music is rooted in fundamentals whether you like it or not. Art as a whole stands on its own merit, and often doesn't even require an artist. Sometimes it's made by rebels, sometimes it's made by stooges. Sometimes it just happens in the wild, sometimes its made with money. This has always been true, and will always be true. So please, kindly, chill out.
@@user-c4b9b I’d be pretty confident saying that pretty much every single professional music piece you listen to was specifically engineered with theory to make you feel the way it does. That’s not a bad thing. There’s still plenty of soul in it, especially this theme. But the theory stuff definitely helps add certain effects that soul alone might not know how to bring
@RogetMusic your work here is awesome, I’m always talking to the random squad mates about how you “just gotta love that drop music” lol, really great stuff
I think 5/4 time allows for more anticipation for the following phrase. Similar to how a pickup bar can act as an anticipation to the start of the song, I think the "extra" beat in 5/4 gives the music a chance to hold you in suspension. Just a theory though!
@@SamuelBeilman Yep I agree, that extra beat keeps you on your toes unlike the traditional 4/4, and that coupled with heroic horns and powerful strings makes it a very upbeat massive song. Also nice job on the video it actually taught me some various music things I can use in my own compositions.
@@SamuelBeilman I like to think that this song would fit 3/4 rather than 4/4, making the importance of 5/4 more about the "missing" beat than the "extra" beat. I think that that jump forward by skipping the beat helps to add the extra energy and kick.
I stumbled upon this video by looking for Helldivers music to send to my friends to get them hyped for our jump tonight. I learned way more than I expected. I appreciate the hell out of this video. Thanks.
I mean, I don't blame anyone from singing it as they do chores, jog, commute. During lovemaking can be problematic (unless one should be so blessed that one's person is also a Helldiver).
I absolutely love the music from this game, ao many details and conveyed feelings. Details like how the main push of the drop anthem is four descending notes, then only two rising notes following, four divers dropping in, but not all of them will make it back, or perhaps its speaks to the team dropping into an uphill battle with a kind of building tension, rising dread but hopeful resolve. The drop anthem itself is also very up and down the scale, both in scale of meaaure and in phrase. It brings a feeling of constant turmoil and upset, like a conflict that is constantly swinging for and against your favor. Another thing I noticed really early in was the difference in the tracks playing depending on which side of the galaxy you're fighting on. When entering combat, Terminid planets will take on a swiftly rising, brassy chug overtop fluttering strings and tribalistic wardrums while on bot planets, those wardrums are accompanied by clanging metal, hissing cymbal crashes and dubstep-like trilling as the hard brass plays against high and sustained notes that edge in and out from a harmonious voice to a whining theramin before both give way to a heavy voiced choir backed by an increasingly sinister orchestra like a Stars Wars movie or a Warhammer game. It makes the settings feel so unique, especially when the planets switch as they occasionally do, with bugs sometimes appearing on snowy or jungle planets and robots on desert and hellish planets, the opposite of what they're normally associated with. Having such uniquely faction-based music follow those factions to out of the ordinary worlds brings even more of an alien feel to it and recontextualizes places once thought comfortable, it makes it feel like these enemies are going places they shouldn't be. The flag raising anthem chorus is basically an inverted version of the drop anthem as well, four rising notes and only one falling before it goes into the same kind of ups and downs. Makes me wonder if you could sing the flag anthem to the drop anthem, since they're so similar in structure but the flag anthem actually has lyrics. Idk, I could be talking right out of my bug hole, thinking I'm an smart person about it, but I love when soundtracks have something to say when and where they show up, especially in games that give you something to think about already.
I had noticed the parallel of the dropping pods to the descending notes of the scale but your connection between the swinging conflict, going back and forth is super interesting! And I completely agree with you on the usage of instrumentation to really drive home those motifs. It's one of the reasons why I love videogame and movie soundtracks because it let's you express these musical ideas through a more contextualized setting, making those moments where the motifs reoccurs all the more satisfying.
This is the 3rd or 4th time I've been asked that lol. My next video will be celebrating 100 subs, thanking the community and asking everyone what they like to see. I was going to step away from Helldivers music for a bit but I'm now starting to reconsider.
This really helped me understand WHY the music is so good. I've always liked the music, all of it. I was kind of wondering how an explanation of the other music would be as well, such as the automatons fight/presence theme. There's something so.. commanding (??) about their theme and motifs, really accentuating the overall threat of the automaton fleet. Great video by the way!!
Thank you so much! I think the automaton theme shared a lot of similarities with Darth Vader's theme from star wars. Both commanding and imperialistic with a lot of minor coloring to give it this sense of foreboding.
Phenomenal, the amount of work you do. It is aw inspiring so accurate & entertaining. I know I have learned more about applied music theory. I wish I had you as a music teacher back in the day.
I love it!! But there was something I hoped you'd mention, though it's not specifically about the music -- it's the sounds!! !! I always love the howling scream of the drop bullets burrowing through the atmosphere !! They add so much for me!
It was a little too much to add it for this video but I totally agree with you. It makes the work of videogame composers all the more impressive because they have to contextualize their music to what is happening in the scene/with the SFX. Maybe a future video!
The fact that they consistently line up the same music over certain moments in the game makes it extremely memorable. The FTL jump music, mission select music, the getting into the hellpods music and of course the iconic drop and extract music.
When you described what an ostinato is, my mind immediately jumped to all the times I called a singular instrument the music's "bass" because it was very low-key and on the background but still gave the foundational beat for every other instrument in it -- y'know, like how a bass guitar is usually used. I tend to be rather perceptive to low-pitch beats in general, and I'm told I can whistle a mean melody, so all the reasons you stated here definitely check out for me at least.
Thanks for watching the video! It's always really cool to see how artists from different backgrounds interpret music but still come to a similar conclusion.
I just watched this an hour ago, and was having a Disney dance party with my kids. What song comes on? "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan. I started hearing all the exact points made here. Instruments being quickly added one at a time in the beginning. Constant upwardly rising pitch. A call and answer chorus between the crowd calling "Be a Man" and the lead answering. The drums in the background pushing the beat forward. I don't know notes but I am fairly certain the verses do not end on the "tonic" note very often. AND! You can 10000% hum the entire song to yourself from start to finish. So I would call it an Anthem as well for sure.
Recall a candid video from by M1 Abrams tank crewman in 2003 Iraq was he playing Bloodhound Gang's "Fire Water Burn" from inside the tank while on urban patrol.
I focused mostly on the section of music that plays during the drop where electronic elements are less prominent but you are 100% correct! Really sells the futuristic setting.
Actually speechless, i found your video through the recommendation and i was pleased to find such an accurate and genuinely good video. How's possible that you have so few subscribers ??? The description and presentation were spot on, you made me understand quite difficoult music concepts on the first try, without having to go back to listen again. Please keep going man! I want to give you w constructive critics: you should try to 'clean' the back of your video. Not that is bad, but i found it a bit distracting. Maybe even changing a bit the angle can be beneficial, maybe focusing more on the guitars and not on the right wall should do the trick (just personal ideas) 2nd: i found the audio a bit mushy or like 'reverbered' dont really know how to describe it, in not as good as you at explaining in music therms 😂 You surely gained a lifetime follower.
Hi! Thank you so much for this. I'm really glad you enjoyed the video! I'm actually saving up to spruce up my studio space right now. It's tough because this space is also a spare room so there's a ton of clutter! Any and all suggestions are welcome! As for your second point. I think I may be speaking too quietly when I'm recording. I have to boost my gain up considerably in post which is making the room noise way more apparent! I think that might be the reverbiness you're talking about. Learn from my mistakes! lol
I think that the most important fact about Helldivers 2 Main Theme that helps it stand out above other generic epic music titles is that is is **in freaking 5/4**
100%! I actually didn't even realize that it was in 5/4 until partway through making this video. When a composer is able to take an odd time signature like this and make it sound so natural, you know they've nailed it!
Very nice explanation, really good video. Not a huge fan of the clickbaity-titles though, but if it attracts viewers, I guess I can live with it. Looking forward to more videos!
My favorite part about the theme is the 5/4 time signature. It's felt in alternating 3 and 2, which it uses by putting the driving push to the resolve on the two. Adding to that, the low strings in the background sit on one chord and move up and down on the two, but come back to rest on the 3, which adds a mini tension and resolve every measure, just adding to that drive.
It's just not the same without the "wreee, wreee, wreee, (hiss-hiss-hiss-hiss-clkclkclkclk) wreee THUMP wreee THUMP THUMP wreee THUMP - POWHOOOOOOooosh!-grhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
It bothers me that this game is so good, while reminding me so heavily of Lost Planet 2, one of my favourite games of all time. (seriously, if LP3 had continued the concept we would have arrived at this style of game a long time ago) but now watching the music be picked apart I'm reminded over and over of the soundtrack of that game as well. Truly an unappreciated masterpiece. Thank you for the nostalgia and feelings!
Though I guess if I'm taking about video game soundtracks I would be remiss if I didn't mention the best video game soundtrack of all time, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X. God that music is so good, and the main musical motif pops up everywhere throughout the music. If you haven't listened to that yet, do yourself a favour!
soooooo you're planning to be a composer for game music I take it. ... and this is part of your portfolio somehow to show more of your background with music. Well... Good job on your resume I guess. There's a LOT of good music in games, and, you're right, there is a formula for writing music, and techniques orchestras use to create all kinds of cool soundscapes and emotions. You've figured it out.
To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what I will be doing with all of these videos quite yet. Originally they were just going to be a way to promote original music but now it's turned into something else. I thoroughly enjoy dissecting compositions in order to analyze the techniques that lead to a portion of it's sum. But I think the really beautiful thing is even through careful analysis, there is always more to be said and more perspectives that can be taken when it comes to music.
Also as a side note: I keep catching myself humming the Automatons' theme and at this point it's so firmly stuck in my mind I'm pretty sure I'll never get it out (Maybe because it's akin to a wartime marching song, like 'It's a long way to Tipperary' or 'Farewell of Slavyanka'), but I don't feel anything at all about the Terminid theme. Like, the only real distinction between various 'threat levels' I get is that Monster Hunter-like theme you get when a Tigre-I mean Bile Hunter- Bile *Titan* decides to crawl from a hole that's five times smaller than him, because the rest of the tracks are so.... dunno, generic?
I think one of the key differences between the Terminid track and the Automaton track is their difference in power. The Terminid track is faster paced and gives more of a "skittering" kind of sound to emphasize the bug aspect. Whereas the Automaton theme is heavy and has some punch behind it to better represent the automatons. This is really good songwriting but the problem happens when you compare the two, one ends up feeling less threatening then the other. In otherwise, yeah, I agree.
Possibly. I'm thinking of holding a vote on the community page at some point and the community can decide what song they would like to see next from Helldivers.
Your version was great BUT, some parts were drawn out slightly too long. I cannot tell you exactly which parts unfortunatly since I am far from being a music expert. But to me it feels like if certain parts were slightly shorter it would hit way more.
I can think of a few reasons. Compared to the original theme, my melody tends to have longer notes in general. This could contribute to it feeling a little less snappy. My background instrumentation is also a little more drawn out for each chord. This is called Harmonic rhythm, and basically just means how often you change the chord. Both of these could be contributing to some parts feeling drawn out and not hitting as hard. I also wrote mine in 4/4 time where the original was in 5/4. I may have overcompensated the lack of an extra beat by adding an extra measure of music to some of my lines. Thank you for the feedback though, it's always greatly appreciated to have some constructive criticism!
Hi! There's a link in the description now to an unlisted UA-cam video with the song as well as a link to download it for free to use in whatever you like!
"Helldiverish theme" sounds like a soundtrack to almost lost battle. It's pitch is too low IMHO, and keep going lower and lower. I remembered Battlefield 3 Solomon's theme, but non-electric, with live instrumets.
There's been quite a bit of ask for a video on it. I've already got this one and another about the Super Earth Anthem, maybe I'll do HD1 to round off this mini series.
@@SamuelBeilman Believe me its gonna be worth it, the music in it has so much patriotic heroism that you can't help but feel like as if the whole future of Super Earth depends on you
@@SamuelBeilman Helldivers OST - Cyborgs BGM (Difficulty 9+) , the music fades in when action starts to happen, if you are fighting some thing big it kicks in around the 1:48 mark, its soo good it makes my hair stands
I feel like the roaring of the hellpod going through the atmosphere adds another layer of awesomeness.
Absolutely! And the satisfying Ked-chunk at launch helps too!
@@SamuelBeilman Actually. I am almost convinced the drop of the pods being part of the drop is intended. the natraul song itself just does not have the same punch. not only that the 4 pods mirror the proceeding four notes.
Hey Samuel, I'm so flattered you took the time to put this video together! You have a fantastic analysis of the score, even including some elements I didn't explicitly notice myself. In terms of advice for other composers, I would love to reiterate your points about the melodic contour and momentum - it's so important that the melody itself, independently from harmony/accompaniment, can provide forward motion to a first-time listener. There's a million ways to do this, but I personally pay a ton of attention to the contour of each melodic line, having some sort of an overall direction so that listeners have a balance between "exciting" and "predictable".
Cheers and thanks again!
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video! You do fantastic work and it was a pleasure listening to your music. As a composer who is still just starting out, I'm happy to hear my points resonated with some more experienced artists as well. Thank you again!
You make music sound so artificial. It's like attending a college course or something reading this, "oh the contour and momentum" ... I'd like to believe there is a lot more soul in it than just making something FOR listeners. Once we go down that road we get all sorts of abusive use of human psychology, emotional manipulation, and whole genres filled with highly paid performers who don't even create their own music, they simply perform the act for their overlords to create the desired effect... oh wait...
@@user-c4b9b Hate to be the bearer of bad news but music isn't just "soul sounds", there are multiple aspects to music that fundamentally tap "dry and sterile" concepts like mathematics. There is, in fact, a bedrock of science that underlies the whole thing. Music is still art, however, so there is still a lot of aspects of it that are at the whims of progenies and those only technically proficient. Music isn't amorphous, it's not a concept. Music is rooted in fundamentals whether you like it or not.
Art as a whole stands on its own merit, and often doesn't even require an artist. Sometimes it's made by rebels, sometimes it's made by stooges. Sometimes it just happens in the wild, sometimes its made with money. This has always been true, and will always be true. So please, kindly, chill out.
@@user-c4b9b I’d be pretty confident saying that pretty much every single professional music piece you listen to was specifically engineered with theory to make you feel the way it does. That’s not a bad thing. There’s still plenty of soul in it, especially this theme. But the theory stuff definitely helps add certain effects that soul alone might not know how to bring
@RogetMusic your work here is awesome, I’m always talking to the random squad mates about how you “just gotta love that drop music” lol, really great stuff
The longer you watch this video, the more democratic you feel.
Democracy Intensifies!!
Yes! One wants to manage and keep managing!!
Also the 5/4 timing. 5/4 generally has that pushing feeling, i don't know why but it does and I love it.
I think 5/4 time allows for more anticipation for the following phrase. Similar to how a pickup bar can act as an anticipation to the start of the song, I think the "extra" beat in 5/4 gives the music a chance to hold you in suspension. Just a theory though!
@@SamuelBeilman Yep I agree, that extra beat keeps you on your toes unlike the traditional 4/4, and that coupled with heroic horns and powerful strings makes it a very upbeat massive song. Also nice job on the video it actually taught me some various music things I can use in my own compositions.
@@SamuelBeilman I like to think that this song would fit 3/4 rather than 4/4, making the importance of 5/4 more about the "missing" beat than the "extra" beat. I think that that jump forward by skipping the beat helps to add the extra energy and kick.
Unexpected Enderblade sighting
but also somewhat expected for this video :)
@@Inferno31415MC Very fair :)
The Helldivers 2 theme is aa absolute banger.
Couldn't agree more!
@@SamuelBeilman have you heard The Painful Way by Darren Korb? It’s from Hades and has similar structural mechanics
@@ImhotepsServant14 Love the music from Hades! Darren Korb really did an excellent job capturing a specific sonic flavor for that game
Great video but you're totally wrong. I absolutely DO believe it, it makes COMPLETE SENSE because you explained it well
Sweet! Thank you so much!
I stumbled upon this video by looking for Helldivers music to send to my friends to get them hyped for our jump tonight. I learned way more than I expected. I appreciate the hell out of this video. Thanks.
Thank you! And good luck out there helldiver!
I don't blame anyone singing as we fall through the atmosphere it's great every time
100%!
I mean, I don't blame anyone from singing it as they do chores, jog, commute.
During lovemaking can be problematic (unless one should be so blessed that one's person is also a Helldiver).
@skat1140 I've found that as long as you yell "FOR DEMOCRACY!!" while finishing the lovemaking, it goes over well.
I absolutely love the music from this game, ao many details and conveyed feelings.
Details like how the main push of the drop anthem is four descending notes, then only two rising notes following, four divers dropping in, but not all of them will make it back, or perhaps its speaks to the team dropping into an uphill battle with a kind of building tension, rising dread but hopeful resolve.
The drop anthem itself is also very up and down the scale, both in scale of meaaure and in phrase. It brings a feeling of constant turmoil and upset, like a conflict that is constantly swinging for and against your favor.
Another thing I noticed really early in was the difference in the tracks playing depending on which side of the galaxy you're fighting on. When entering combat, Terminid planets will take on a swiftly rising, brassy chug overtop fluttering strings and tribalistic wardrums while on bot planets, those wardrums are accompanied by clanging metal, hissing cymbal crashes and dubstep-like trilling as the hard brass plays against high and sustained notes that edge in and out from a harmonious voice to a whining theramin before both give way to a heavy voiced choir backed by an increasingly sinister orchestra like a Stars Wars movie or a Warhammer game. It makes the settings feel so unique, especially when the planets switch as they occasionally do, with bugs sometimes appearing on snowy or jungle planets and robots on desert and hellish planets, the opposite of what they're normally associated with. Having such uniquely faction-based music follow those factions to out of the ordinary worlds brings even more of an alien feel to it and recontextualizes places once thought comfortable, it makes it feel like these enemies are going places they shouldn't be.
The flag raising anthem chorus is basically an inverted version of the drop anthem as well, four rising notes and only one falling before it goes into the same kind of ups and downs. Makes me wonder if you could sing the flag anthem to the drop anthem, since they're so similar in structure but the flag anthem actually has lyrics.
Idk, I could be talking right out of my bug hole, thinking I'm an smart person about it, but I love when soundtracks have something to say when and where they show up, especially in games that give you something to think about already.
I had noticed the parallel of the dropping pods to the descending notes of the scale but your connection between the swinging conflict, going back and forth is super interesting! And I completely agree with you on the usage of instrumentation to really drive home those motifs. It's one of the reasons why I love videogame and movie soundtracks because it let's you express these musical ideas through a more contextualized setting, making those moments where the motifs reoccurs all the more satisfying.
Please do an analysis on the Super Earth Anthem.
"Freedom must reign over every last star" gets me chills every time.
This is the 3rd or 4th time I've been asked that lol. My next video will be celebrating 100 subs, thanking the community and asking everyone what they like to see. I was going to step away from Helldivers music for a bit but I'm now starting to reconsider.
This really helped me understand WHY the music is so good. I've always liked the music, all of it. I was kind of wondering how an explanation of the other music would be as well, such as the automatons fight/presence theme. There's something so.. commanding (??) about their theme and motifs, really accentuating the overall threat of the automaton fleet. Great video by the way!!
Thank you so much! I think the automaton theme shared a lot of similarities with Darth Vader's theme from star wars. Both commanding and imperialistic with a lot of minor coloring to give it this sense of foreboding.
Phenomenal, the amount of work you do. It is aw inspiring so accurate & entertaining. I know I have learned more about applied music theory. I wish I had you as a music teacher back in the day.
Thank you so much!
I love it!! But there was something I hoped you'd mention, though it's not specifically about the music -- it's the sounds!!
!! I always love the howling scream of the drop bullets burrowing through the atmosphere !!
They add so much for me!
It was a little too much to add it for this video but I totally agree with you. It makes the work of videogame composers all the more impressive because they have to contextualize their music to what is happening in the scene/with the SFX. Maybe a future video!
Thanks for the breakdown, this was great! Sharing this with my friends
I'm glad you liked it! And thank you for sharing!
The fact that they consistently line up the same music over certain moments in the game makes it extremely memorable. The FTL jump music, mission select music, the getting into the hellpods music and of course the iconic drop and extract music.
Constant repetition. It's one of the reasons why game music gets stuck in our head so easily. But it's also why it HAS to be so incredibly good!
When you described what an ostinato is, my mind immediately jumped to all the times I called a singular instrument the music's "bass" because it was very low-key and on the background but still gave the foundational beat for every other instrument in it -- y'know, like how a bass guitar is usually used.
I tend to be rather perceptive to low-pitch beats in general, and I'm told I can whistle a mean melody, so all the reasons you stated here definitely check out for me at least.
Thanks for watching the video! It's always really cool to see how artists from different backgrounds interpret music but still come to a similar conclusion.
Great video man keep it up
Thank you! Will do
I just watched this an hour ago, and was having a Disney dance party with my kids. What song comes on? "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan. I started hearing all the exact points made here. Instruments being quickly added one at a time in the beginning. Constant upwardly rising pitch. A call and answer chorus between the crowd calling "Be a Man" and the lead answering. The drums in the background pushing the beat forward. I don't know notes but I am fairly certain the verses do not end on the "tonic" note very often. AND! You can 10000% hum the entire song to yourself from start to finish. So I would call it an Anthem as well for sure.
Thanks for watching! Mulan was the voice of a generation
Its Sooo Good Because its what I imagine what Freedom Sounds Like!!!
*Democracy Intensifies*
I really don't know music theory but you have a real skill in explaining!
Thank you so much! Glad you found it informative
So glad the youtube algorithm gods recommended this video! An excellent watch, and I hope to see more soon =D
Thank you so much! Let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see
The reason this works so well to hype every helldiver up before a mission is because they have speakers playing this in every hellpod.
Helldivers on their way to deliver democracy: BWAH BWAH BWAH BWAAAAH!
Recall a candid video from by M1 Abrams tank crewman in 2003 Iraq was he playing Bloodhound Gang's "Fire Water Burn" from inside the tank while on urban patrol.
Really good video. I genuinely thought this was from some big giant music UA-camr because the quality and talking points were so good. Subbing now!
Thank you so much! It really means a lot!
@@SamuelBeilman of course! Keep it up, you’ve already got some good stuff here
I love it because of the lyrics;
Helldivers 2, Fuck yeah!
Helldivers 2, you're a helldiver
lol
@@SamuelBeilman Did you also notice that it matches 4 hellpods being launched?
Really cool analysis ! The Helldivers 2 drop theme sorta reminds me of the Pacific Rim one as well ! Probably some similar composition I guess
It's definitely got some similarities!
Cant forget the background electronic melodies to set in in that scifi setting
I focused mostly on the section of music that plays during the drop where electronic elements are less prominent but you are 100% correct! Really sells the futuristic setting.
I feel like Samuel deserves many more subscribers than he has now.
Thank you so much!
Actually speechless, i found your video through the recommendation and i was pleased to find such an accurate and genuinely good video.
How's possible that you have so few subscribers ???
The description and presentation were spot on, you made me understand quite difficoult music concepts on the first try, without having to go back to listen again.
Please keep going man!
I want to give you w constructive critics:
you should try to 'clean' the back of your video. Not that is bad, but i found it a bit distracting. Maybe even changing a bit the angle can be beneficial, maybe focusing more on the guitars and not on the right wall should do the trick (just personal ideas)
2nd: i found the audio a bit mushy or like 'reverbered' dont really know how to describe it, in not as good as you at explaining in music therms 😂
You surely gained a lifetime follower.
Hi! Thank you so much for this. I'm really glad you enjoyed the video! I'm actually saving up to spruce up my studio space right now. It's tough because this space is also a spare room so there's a ton of clutter! Any and all suggestions are welcome! As for your second point. I think I may be speaking too quietly when I'm recording. I have to boost my gain up considerably in post which is making the room noise way more apparent! I think that might be the reverbiness you're talking about. Learn from my mistakes! lol
Super earth already has an anthem. I think the drop theme is more of the anthem of the Helldiver Corps
I would agree!
I think that the most important fact about Helldivers 2 Main Theme that helps it stand out above other generic epic music titles is that is is **in freaking 5/4**
100%! I actually didn't even realize that it was in 5/4 until partway through making this video. When a composer is able to take an odd time signature like this and make it sound so natural, you know they've nailed it!
Gamer: Great music in HD2........................Sony:i took that personally
Gamers come out on top by the looks of it. Sony is backing down!
I am guilty of humming
Been there too
I would have expected a bit of a lookback to the helldivers 1 theme for the analysis. But perhaps thats outside the intended scope of this video.
Truthfully it is outside of my realm of knowledge too. I have not yet played helldivers 1 but am told the music is even better!
The main theme from helldivers 1 is more like a march, and 2 is getting some of its cues from that
Very nice explanation, really good video.
Not a huge fan of the clickbaity-titles though, but if it attracts viewers, I guess I can live with it. Looking forward to more videos!
Thank you! Gotta play that youtube game. Glad you gave the video a chance!
Yeah, Sam Bellman has that _ONE weird trick_ to monetize his great musical insights. Competitor youtubers HATE him!!
lol I can hear a bit of Age of Empires in the HDS-ish anthem xD
It's got a very similar theme!
My favorite part about the theme is the 5/4 time signature. It's felt in alternating 3 and 2, which it uses by putting the driving push to the resolve on the two. Adding to that, the low strings in the background sit on one chord and move up and down on the two, but come back to rest on the 3, which adds a mini tension and resolve every measure, just adding to that drive.
Really good point! I didn't catch that little detail on my listen through
It's just not the same without the "wreee, wreee, wreee, (hiss-hiss-hiss-hiss-clkclkclkclk) wreee THUMP wreee THUMP THUMP wreee THUMP - POWHOOOOOOooosh!-grhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
TL;DR: It's the Trombone Section. It's always the Trombone Section.
lol
It bothers me that this game is so good, while reminding me so heavily of Lost Planet 2, one of my favourite games of all time. (seriously, if LP3 had continued the concept we would have arrived at this style of game a long time ago) but now watching the music be picked apart I'm reminded over and over of the soundtrack of that game as well. Truly an unappreciated masterpiece. Thank you for the nostalgia and feelings!
Though I guess if I'm taking about video game soundtracks I would be remiss if I didn't mention the best video game soundtrack of all time, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X. God that music is so good, and the main musical motif pops up everywhere throughout the music. If you haven't listened to that yet, do yourself a favour!
I'll have to check it out!
@@SamuelBeilman I highly recommend!! :)
soooooo you're planning to be a composer for game music I take it. ... and this is part of your portfolio somehow to show more of your background with music. Well... Good job on your resume I guess. There's a LOT of good music in games, and, you're right, there is a formula for writing music, and techniques orchestras use to create all kinds of cool soundscapes and emotions. You've figured it out.
To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what I will be doing with all of these videos quite yet. Originally they were just going to be a way to promote original music but now it's turned into something else.
I thoroughly enjoy dissecting compositions in order to analyze the techniques that lead to a portion of it's sum. But I think the really beautiful thing is even through careful analysis, there is always more to be said and more perspectives that can be taken when it comes to music.
Also as a side note: I keep catching myself humming the Automatons' theme and at this point it's so firmly stuck in my mind I'm pretty sure I'll never get it out (Maybe because it's akin to a wartime marching song, like 'It's a long way to Tipperary' or 'Farewell of Slavyanka'), but I don't feel anything at all about the Terminid theme. Like, the only real distinction between various 'threat levels' I get is that Monster Hunter-like theme you get when a Tigre-I mean Bile Hunter- Bile *Titan* decides to crawl from a hole that's five times smaller than him, because the rest of the tracks are so.... dunno, generic?
I think one of the key differences between the Terminid track and the Automaton track is their difference in power. The Terminid track is faster paced and gives more of a "skittering" kind of sound to emphasize the bug aspect. Whereas the Automaton theme is heavy and has some punch behind it to better represent the automatons. This is really good songwriting but the problem happens when you compare the two, one ends up feeling less threatening then the other. In otherwise, yeah, I agree.
*SNIFF* I smell underrated
Thank you!
Great stuff, do you fancy doing one of these videos for the Extraction Theme.
Possibly. I'm thinking of holding a vote on the community page at some point and the community can decide what song they would like to see next from Helldivers.
this video is actually really good
Thank you!
Bum, Bum, Bum, BWAAAAAAA!!!
Bum, Bum, Bum, BWAAAA, Bum, BWAH, Bum, BWAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Nice vid
Thank you!
Your version was great BUT, some parts were drawn out slightly too long. I cannot tell you exactly which parts unfortunatly since I am far from being a music expert. But to me it feels like if certain parts were slightly shorter it would hit way more.
I can think of a few reasons. Compared to the original theme, my melody tends to have longer notes in general. This could contribute to it feeling a little less snappy. My background instrumentation is also a little more drawn out for each chord. This is called Harmonic rhythm, and basically just means how often you change the chord. Both of these could be contributing to some parts feeling drawn out and not hitting as hard. I also wrote mine in 4/4 time where the original was in 5/4. I may have overcompensated the lack of an extra beat by adding an extra measure of music to some of my lines. Thank you for the feedback though, it's always greatly appreciated to have some constructive criticism!
Do beyond all reason soundtrack? It's pretty niche game but has huuuuge... Tracks.
Took a quick listen, seems to have a very militaristic feel to it and I like the shifts between sections. I will definitely consider it!
Please, for the sake of Democracy, finish your original Helldiver-esque theme! One can hear elements of managed greatness to it! Thank you, citizen.
Hi! There's a link in the description now to an unlisted UA-cam video with the song as well as a link to download it for free to use in whatever you like!
Super Earth have an actual anthem, you should check it out. In game there is only orchestra only version but there is full version with lyrics.
Just checked it out. Absolutely amazing lol I wouldn't expect anything less from this game!
"Helldiverish theme" sounds like a soundtrack to almost lost battle. It's pitch is too low IMHO, and keep going lower and lower. I remembered Battlefield 3 Solomon's theme, but non-electric, with live instrumets.
It's like Star Wars music but good
Funnily enough, the composer has also work on the Star Wars franchise! He did the soundtrack for One Republic and Outlaws
I enjoyed your video 😀
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Ok, nice content. Now, do it with Ace Combat.
Challenge accepted!
You should see HD1's then, its even better
There's been quite a bit of ask for a video on it. I've already got this one and another about the Super Earth Anthem, maybe I'll do HD1 to round off this mini series.
@@SamuelBeilman Believe me its gonna be worth it, the music in it has so much patriotic heroism that you can't help but feel like as if the whole future of Super Earth depends on you
HELLDIVERS 1 music is even better
I've had a few comments now saying the same. Do you have a favorite track from Helldivers 1?
@@SamuelBeilman Helldivers OST - Cyborgs BGM (Difficulty 9+) , the music fades in when action starts to happen, if you are fighting some thing big it kicks in around the 1:48 mark, its soo good it makes my hair stands
@@SamuelBeilman same for Helldivers OST - Bugs planet (Difficulty 9 and above) around 1:35 you really feel like some thing Alien is on you
🫡
Helldivers 1 soundtrack>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> helldivers 2 soundtrack