I've just finished remastering, categorizing, testing and punching in old/new tracks.
Let me clarify:
- Old tracks have been renewed.
- Their dynamics all changed up, compression artifacts minimized, and a bunch of other cool stuff - the most important being dynamics adjustment, so now they shouldn't startle people when they appear (let me know if there's any track that still does it).
- WIPs from Zaydana included.
- Zay, first sorry for including WIPs, but I really think they're good enough as they are (I'm talking about Machina and Trapped) and, though if/when you have finished versions I'll be glad to process&commit them, I found them as they are right now very fitting for human playlists (more on this later), so I couldn't help it.
- WIPs from m1ck included.
- They were fit for Rlaan music - i'll get into this later
- Falik's tracks making appearance.
- Falik has kindly allowed us to use his tracks in Vega Strike and used they've been. I found them particularly suitable for one race and only one, but more details on this later.
Aerans get quite characterized (IMO) by Falik's SonOfSandFleaRemix (its first section), mostly because of the obsessive thingy I can only refer by the technical term of "gigigigui".
Since Falik's music is highly characteristic and recognizable, very few tracks of his were usable for non-Aeran races following this decision. In fact, the few I did use for others I did with considerable reluctance, and I'd expect them to be replaced eventually.
Rlaan, on the other hand, get characterized in my mind by the existing IndustrialMixed. I dunno why. Following that line, m1ck's tracks "Docking Procedures" and "Depression Chamber" turned out to be quite fitting.
For Humans, I found myself quite fond of Zaydana's Mission track - dunno why, but quite a great track. Ken's tracks are great, but they're a wee bit too heterogenous for the required unity. Zaydana, in contrast, has been apparently sharing a common theme among several of his tracks: Mission, Machina & Trapped all seem to be based on the same concept. Thus, giving them an inherent group identity.
Though I'm for heterogeneity for humans, current tracks are a bit too much. I'd support "style" heterogeneity, as long as a common theme peeks here and there to add the require nexus.
So... I made Zay's tracks part of the human playlist, retaining most of the old tracks (Zay's tracks can't handle all situations, sadly, but I'd use them as a template).
That is my opinion.
Let's hear yours.
Note: In case it wasn't clear, you get the new music by checking out from https://svn.sourceforge.net/vegastrike/trunk/music, but you'll also have to update the playlists in https://svn.sourceforge.net/vegastrike/trunk/data4.x/.vegastrike/playlists
Note: FLAC versions are available, but not online. They make up about 570MB, and uploading them is... well... hasslesome. If there's enough interest, I might upload them, but soundserver does not yet play FLAC (you'd have to turn them into WAV first).