Music in VNs

[lemonscent]

Is there [generally] a limit to how often you can change the music in a VN without the change getting annoying?

Oh and also, is it better to have quite a few different songs or to have a given number of songs that appear for similar scenes (eg one song can be heard every time someone dies)?

[Googaboga]

No, I don't think so. If your game is very short and you've got like 15 different tracks that could get bothersome but in general I don't believe there is an exact amount that is right for all games.

Personally when it comes to music I like having tracks that are all mood music (as in music that plays anywhere in the game that goes with the mood of the scene) or setting tracks with just a few mood songs for important moments (so songs that always play in when you are at a certain background unless it is a special scene). In that case the amount of songs needed would depend on how many backgrounds you had or how many moods you needed to convey.

[Tempus]

I think there's probably a point where the listener starts to feel like they're channel surfing. If there's short scenes or bridging material between scenes I'd let the previous music carry over or just fade to silence for that short part.

I personally enjoy games with a bunch of music provided they give me time to hear each track. I also like silence in VNs. If the MC has nothing on their mind while walking down the street, maybe just let street sfx play instead. Music is there to add to the emotional context and sometimes the best way to do that is to not play any. Some VNs don't stop playing music and / or play music with the same level of busy throughout.

Oh, and if pieces of music for a given area / mood share motifs and even keys, then several tracks for the same area / mood become much less jarring in my opinion.

[lemonscent]

@googaboga - i see, thanks.

@tempus - ohh, that makes sense. yeah, silence might be pretty good for some scenes.

[megatuga]

Not to step in the topic (technically it is still on-topic) But what about the opposite? What about a VN that has a minimal amount of tracks? Like for example, one for tension, one for casual scenes, one for action... anyway, just have one theme according to the mood, is what I mean.