“The Haunting” was my first composition after a two-year composing hiatus (2003-2005).  After being away from music for so long, I didn’t want to jump back into composing too quickly so I used this simple piece to help get back into the groove.  It felt great to sit at a piano and plink out such a simple but compelling theme.  The rest of the song just kind of came together, and I’ve really come to love the subtle panning and velocity effects.

Unlike “Halls of Despair” – which is a very in-your-face creepy song – “Haunting” is much more cunning and insidious.  I’d love to someday hear it in the background of a clever RPG horror sequence…

(Originally posted on THIS 1.0 on 24 Apr 2005)

“Halls of Despair” was my first attempt at a fully mixed horror theme.  Because of this, it was also the first effects-driven song I ever wrote.  The huge amount of volume panning almost gives me motion sickness now…hehe…  Part of me thinks the effects are almost too much, but another part of me kinda likes how they work together to totally disorient you.  This song is best listened to at a quiet volume, so the effects are more subconscious than explicit.

Personally, I find this song too thick for use in an actual horror sequence.  Were I to tone it down a little bit (and strip out the whole last half, obviously) I think it would work just right as an ambient horror song.  But, for now, I’ll leave it as-is to demonstrate the fun that panning effects can be.  :D

(Originally posted on THIS 1.0 on 24 Apr 2005)

Every time I hear this song, I think of sneaking around in a castle.  In fact, it sounds like it belongs in FF9 during the scene where Steiner runs around looking for Princess Garnet.  Fitting, eh?

Surreptitious is still very unfinished, as you can hear.  It is still in need of more “filling out” and the current version tends toward repetition (especially toward the end).  That said, the new mp3 arrangement certainly adds some depth to the piece, and hopefully this song will someday get the full treatment it deserves.

“Hopefully.” :)

(Originally posted on THIS 1.0 on 21 Apr 2005)