Electronic Music

Video Game, Film, Art, Pop

MabiPro – The Cor Update

These tracks were composed in 2017 specifically for the Mabinogi Professional Private Server for the game Mabinogi, originally published by Nexon. When the admins of the private server announced they were developing new dungeons and content specifically for their server, I jumped at the chance to compose music for the new dungeon areas. Starting with Echoing Truth, I decided to use modal progressions and heavy percussion to create an uneasy, foreboding and mysterious sound. The structure follows the same patterns that HanStone used for the rest of the game’s music, and the key and melody are inspired by the theme for a character from the region the dungeons were implemented in.

Echoing Courage follows another convention that HanStone used in Mabinogi’s music – remixing and reusing themes to create something new. Courage takes the same progression and melody as Truth, but puts it with more energetic and driving synths and drums to give it a more Pop/Rock feel.

Lastly, Echoing Ruin builds on the same melody and chord progression to create a boss fight theme for the dungeons. This time, they’re put over a much heavier and driving drum and synth bass groove. The more buzzing timbre of the lead synths give the melody a renewed, frantic sound that’s fitting for a boss fight against gigantic insects.

New Face, Familiar Place (Izhi, Arr. Pentoloux) was originally composed by another MabiPro user by the name of Ihzi while I was working on the dungeon themes. Izhi was working on a character theme for a character named Shyla, who performs important functions for players on the private server and until then did not have her own theme music. Asking to listen to it, Ihzi had created a delightful jazz/pop sketch that fit very well with the character. I offered to take the MIDI and orchestrate and produce it in the same style as the rest of Mabinogi’s music, turning it into a great and useable track for the server.