We already have the Kobold/Gnoll Appreciation Thread, so basically 80% of my games’ soundtrack is covered, but I’d be happy to expand my tracklist with suggestions (and I think that basically everybody can say the same).
I prefer dungeon synth or other music without lyrics, because it’s less distracting and works best for the atmosphere.
Another one of my favorites, especially for peaceful moments, is Tiny Mouse - Little One’s Journey.
I don’t have the capacity for music during a session - internet connection just about copes with the essential demands upon it! - but when planning or pondering sessions I do enjoy listening to the Banner Saga and Ash of Gods soundtracks.
Lately I’ve been listening to echoes, pink Floyd’s greatest hits when writing. For game sessions online I find music to distracting. For irl I have a traditional Irish album I recorded years ago that ends up in the background. I’ve always wanted to run a star wars game and use as much music and effects from the movie. (one day). I’m an audio guy by trade so I should really spend the time. Darn it
I use Spotify playlists from this guy:
I pipe the music through a music bot on discord. I select which Playlist to play with an autohotkey script, making it quick and easy to switch between soundtracks based on environment or situation.
Well, as I’m sure OP could guess, dungeon synth’s a big part of it.
Some metal and psych rock always ends up in my playlists because, to me, they’re heavily linked to old-school fantasy. Thee Oh Sees are my old standard, though they get pretty experimental in some songs, so you’ve got to be careful about what’s too distracting.
Oddly enough I don’t use too much dungeon synth during my sessions, I find it can be a little too engaging for ambient use, or doesn’t loop well. I LOVE listening to dungeon synth while painting or drawing though. If I do end up using dungeon synth for an OSR gaming session, it’ll usually be DIM.
For my sessions I tend to go a bit more ambient. Matt Colville put together a bunch of very nice ambient tracks that he used during past sessions - they’re all generated by his massive synth console referred to as The Time Rider and they loop very well. Here’s a link to the Soundcloud mix, I would especially suggest “A Chorus of Rings” for that epic, magical feel.
I don’t always play music because often I play in coffee shops or public places. But when I get a chance I’ll often go to some Dark Fantasy
Dark Fantasy playlist
Darker Fantasy playlist, collated especially for Black Blade of the Demon King
I’ve previously used the Morrowind soundtrack for in-person games. There’s some great variation, and there’s good songs for fights, exploration, and general atmosphere. I’m also in the habit of giving my campaigns heavy-metal anthems. Anything by Ronnie James Dio is good, especially off of Killing the Dragon and Rainbow Rising.
Man, the Morrowind OST is amazing, still gives me chills.
There’s a great dungeon synth playlist on spotify that has over 100 hours of music. Something like 1500 tracks or so: DUNGEON SYNTH
I tend to use full Epic Doom Metal albums like Beyond The Crimson Horizon by Solitude Aeturnus, Let Battle Commence by Doomsword and New Dark Age by Solstice
Just wanted to share a cool little story from my session last night with my SO relating to music. She was having to convince a number of forest dwelling beings to flee and evacuate due to a looming threat that was very near, but only she was aware of. I put on this song on loop in the background during her efforts.
She encountered forest beings that didn’t believe her, that refused to believe her regardless of her pleas. She encountered dwellers that could not be convinced of their incoming doom. She begged, but it began to dawn on her that her attempts to save these creatures were useless and she was about to witness the death of many. For her own sake, her PC fled alone. This hits especially deep with not only her personally but her character as well, as they both shared a deep love for all things in nature.
After our session, my SO commented to me that the music I put on during that whole scenario really gave it some emotional weight - she liked that the song had a bit of a somber sadness to it but provided enough upbeat in it to keep the intensity of the situation on the surface and invoke a sense of hope.
Thought that was a pretty cool thing of her to mention. Goes to show how music can really impact the events in a game and bring it to life. As an aside, all the music tracks from the Donkey Kong Country games are amazing in my opinion, I listen to them all the time (the title of the track in the link above is Sticker-bush Symphony). Great stuff.