"Hey guys, DeSinc here, and this is a tutorial on Half Life 2's Anti-citizen one." "First you want to preform a backwards longjump into this ramp, airstrafe over the gate, and completely mess it the fu-" "First you want to preform a backwards longjump into this ramp, airstrafe over the gate, and you completely skip this level, wait for the loading screen to end, preform a gravity gun jump over the fence-"
I think that the soundtracks from Half-Life and Portal were already highly regarded amongst people for years, people knew and understood what made them special and what kind of messages they conveyed.
I have been in my playlist all the time since around 2002 and well they have left two soundtrack since 2005 of course :-) excellent music and opposing force do have some good songs to with a military theme which fits it really well
I feel like it's important to note that a lot of the most iconic sounds that Kelly used were directly lifted from a bunch of sample packs. Not to say that selecting the appropriate samples to make something isn't a skill in itself, there's a reason why the Half-Life Soundtracks are some of my absolute favorites. I just found it funny how you pointed at some of them as if Kelly made them himself lol. He of course broke away from the in most of HL2 and the episodes. Episodes 1 and 2 are godly in that regard.
@@ErictheSandvich Very interesting, I didn't know that part of the OST wasn't even created in-house, I always thought that the choice for synths was lead by needing a minimal sound team and how cheap it would turn out. I really appreciate your mention of modularity because I always felt the same about that aspect, in fact, I'm not convinced the amount of silence in the games is due to a design choice... at least not on Kelly's part. To know for sure we need a direct account from Kelly and others involved, but I feel Liam is reversing the production pipeline too much, as in music is placed by level designers and its narrative use rests with writers and level designers.
@@ErictheSandvich Bailey always reminded me of Mod Tracker artists for this reason. Although it makes me glad that some of these samples others such as myself can get their hands on, and play around with should we choose to dedicate time to doing so. Altered States by Zero-G is a must have for any Half-Life or Portal fan working on their own sound projects.
The Zelda team did the same with their earlier games, such as A Link To The Past, Ocarina Of Time and Majora's Mask. Not sure about older or more recent titles. But it definitely takes skill, IMO, to find, use and properly modify existing sound samples and snippets to suit your music and needs.
The Half-Life score makes me so nostalgic, it has such a weird but interesting vibe to it. Very alien, mysterious, ominous, existential, otherworldly. Hard to describe with our limited vocabulary.
26:28 The echoes of the howling wind when I crossed the scaffoldings beneath the Highway 17 bridge, and then that harrowing music starts playing.... That sound has been itched into my soul.
That’s THE iconic moment of the game for me. Everything came together when I stepped onto the beams, the train kicked in and the track started. I thought “I was swimming through a sewer a while ago. A few hours later I was shooting my way through a zombie-filled gothic town. Now I’m like 500 feet in the air above an open sea in broad daylight, and it’s the most spooked I’ve felt.”
the entire moment sticks out amongst everything else theres several moments of any half life game youve played that just seems to stick out to you and you can remember your first experience of it easy, and the impact it left on you the moments vary by i think my faveorite is in hl2 right when you get out of the ravenholm mines
26:30 You're so right on Lab Practicum. It can't be explained though. I've been fascinated by it since 2004 and listen to it at least a couple of times a week. I feel like even trying to describe the "alien" or weird depersonalization experience in words does it great injustice. I've always wondered whether others experienced similarly deep, indescribable feelings in that moment. It's a beautiful yet horrifying piece of ambient that feels like it's revealing something deeper about the nature of consciousness and reality itself.
3 года назад+17
I compare it to be on the pool alone, totally in silence, not moving just floating looking up to the sky thinking on how small we are to the bast of the universe. thats the feelling it gives me.
"Energetic techno tracks tend to back significant battles. Atmospheric synthesizer pieces enhance key plot and exploration moments and reinforce feelings of adventure, isolation, or melancholy to the player." - About Half Life 2 Soundtrack
Rise and shine, Mr Bailey. Rise and shine. Not that I wish to imply you haven't been catching up on music trends, and all the tracks in the world would have gone to waste, until... Well... lets just say your hour has come again. The right song in the wrong place can make all the difference, in the world. So, wake up, Mr Bailey, wake up and, _find your jam._
Triage at dawn is the theme of my teenage years. I struggled a lot in school and half life 2 (and the orange box) was an escape from life. It is a song that I that reminded me there was a safe haven for me when I was down
Its so weird that the track is so legendary. It's like 30 seconds long and is played in a very random scene, just a wounded rebel. I feel like it couldve been used for a more significant scene.
@@GreedAndSelfishness you might be right but the music for me kind of made the moment significant, it’s the first moment of rest or security you’ve had since ravenholm began. With all the zombie fighting you could have become a bit desensitised to violence, so after the combine shootout having this little moment of humanity to remind you what you’re fighting for, especially with the slightly ambiguous atmosphere of the song, just gave the whole moment a resonance for me
@@LobsterRoast I mean the same is done in this video between the sound of the older games and Alyx. Sounds like it could be fun. They definitely each have incredibly unique soundtracks.
Extremely well produced documentary video! It actually got me into that Half Life mood and here I am now, sitting in my room, wanting to replay Half Life for the 86th time.
No piece of media has made me cry, all over the years of my life i have enjoyed and digested media to no end, giving them meaning, after the ending of Half-Life 2 i was in total shock, i was just a 13 year old kid playing it on the orange box, Triage at dawn became my very first favorite videogame song, it gave me hope through some tough years. After all this years, after watching a complete playthrough of Alyx (because i don't have vr), and the credits theme started, i was feeling sad, my eyes began to tear up a little, then when the song finished and the Hazard suit spoke, i was full on crying. I still don't really understand, the credits song and the subsequent theme keep making me cry, i still have to pinpoint why though. Could it be because this song, just like Triage at Dawn did, gives me hope? Is it because even after all these years, i'm still immersed in the story just like when i was a little teen? No matter what it may be, the point of this is that the song is just amazing.
Hello Liam. I can't thank you enough for posting this video. I just broke up with my girlfriend because of reasons and seeing a 46 minute video about my favourite game franchise from my favourite RUclips channel cheered me up alot. Thank you
"It is a unique atmospheric blend of beauty, and death." This is one of my favourite quotes from this video essay (even though i've only watched up to this quote so far - this is just such a cool quote that I felt the need to comment on it). The music (and sometimes lack thereof) in Half-Life really adds a unique atmosphere, and this video essay seems very well thought out and touches on the important points of it! This is quickly becoming a favourite video essay of mine, lovely work :)
The first game's Songs, had sounds that 'ECHO'd. It sounded like you were actually in a huge facility, with dark deep hallways. Water drops. Sounds of pipes. GIANT concrete tunnels. Science experiments. Industrial sounds. Etc.
Someone so accuratly described my thoughts about the onetime living areas of Highway 17 and their inhabitants. Also I was expeting a couple of words about the radio_1 track, the most anxious audio file for me in HL2. But the great video anyway!
I remember playing Half Life the first time in Russia when i visited my grandparents during my summervacation in 1999, who had bought their first computer! I sat and played non-stop!
Particle Ghost is no doubt one of the best video game tracks ever made. It perfectly nails creating an unsettling atmosphere right after Ravenholm. It’s like it’s saying to you, “You’ve just got out of Ravenholm, but did you really think things would be better outside of it?”. Absolutely masterful work by Kelly Bailey
That's a good thing, be grateful your senses aren't numbed to dopamine or adrenaline and that you are able to immerse yourself into such things in ideal circumstances.
Half Life 2 was the first game i ever pirated myself, that was roughly 8 years ago by now, i was 14 at the time and the only video games i had played until then besides educational and cereal box games were the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology games so in a sense the Half Life franchise was the second game franchise I've ever experienced I actually first found out about it through a youtuber (called Gronkh) playing Black Mesa back in 2012, i wasn't very smart back then so when he said it was a remake for Half Life 1 i thought i could easily jump into Half Life 2 after watching his playthrough, suffice to say i didn't understand jack shit However it was very fun to play and I've since then of course gotten a steam account, bought all the Half Life and Portal games (besides Alyx) and played through them a bunch of times, especially Black Mesa and of course Half Life 2
I've always loved this soundtrack, its energetic, ambient, and fits the theme of these games so well. Its nice to see someone shedding more light on Kelley Baileys work.
Episode 2’s final track is one that can make me cry in a scene where I likely wouldn’t have otherwise. The credits aren’t accompanied by something nice and catchy, it instead makes things feel more empty than if there wasn’t music at all. It reminds me that although the portal is closed, the Combine is not yet defeated. It’s like the victory track after the HL2’s lighthouse battle, except on a much larger scale. But above all else, it accentuates the sadness of Eli’s death by allowing the player to reflect on everything that just happened in a way that couldn’t be done by any other moment in the series. The game is over, the only thing you see is the seemingly endless credits that still feel too short, just because you are completely alone with your thoughts, reflecting on these events even as the screen reverts to the main menu.
@@JpAmbulante nah dude, to each their own, but considering its pretty much revolutionary having audio engineering so advanced in a vr game, i was hoping that HLA won but to be honest i haven't play tlou2, maybe it mops the floor with hla who knows
Oh yeah. And it could be a great comparison piece about what happens when you give the same setting to different composers. I love that BM has its own identity in the music and doesn't try to copy Bailey's work. While Bailey emphasizes the dread and horror ambience in his soundtracks, the effect Joel Nielsen really had on me with his pieces were that I felt lonely and almost kinda saddened in the alien ridden complex. And amazed in Xen. The Xen soundtrack specifically gives me goosebumps.
Half-Life 2 is one of my all time favorite games, Valve has truly made a a timeless classic, the story is so deep, even after all these years still new things to be found, hidden details that add to the lore, the world building is on another level, being immersed in the world, it truly feels like you are in it, The G-Man such a deep, mysterious character, we don’t know who how is, his motives, the fight against the Combine, the gameplay is top notch, the use of the Gravity Gun, environmental physics, just a masterpiece game, Valve are among the best developers in the industry, really hope they make a part 3 some day 👏👏👏 The soundtrack is amazing 🎶🎧
You gave my favorite Kelly soundtrack (ep1) almost exactly 1 minute in this video :(. I mean it makes sense with the video’s pacing, but I was at least hoping you’d mention penultimatum, the fight with the strider was ok, but the song is perfect combine music.
Literally like 3 days ago I was playing through episode 1 and I noticed that the game adds perfectly crafted music at the perfect time. (Black mesa by the crowbar collective also does this very well)
The Half-Life videos to come out of your channel have been fantastic, it's been great to see your content alongside a lot of great Half-Life series retrospective work that's surfaced in the past few years.
The really insane part, Kelly Bailey had never composed any music (that we know of) before 1998, he was a Microsoft product manager and database dude, just working a deskjob. Got hired at Valve, casually dropped the MOST INSANE AND CRISP industrial-heavy metal-alient themed soundtrack of the decade, also designed ALL THE SOUND of Half Life 1 from the aliens, guns, anbience, etc......... and just kept dropping amazing work with all the sequels, HL2, Portal..... One man just doing a desk job for years harbored a secret talent of this scale and they almost missed him....
I always found it obvious how Half-Life 2 lacked music in majority of its gameplay. My thought was that it makes you appreciate the music even more when it actually plays, but I haven't thought about its meaning that much. Now after watching, Slow Light, Lab Practicum and Triage At Dawn gained a whole new meaning, to the point that it makes me drop a couple of tears when I hear it. God damn what a stunningly beautiful game HL2 is. I wish my friends loved this game as much as I do. Another topic I've been thinking about is the imagery in Half-Life 2. The "Born." poster alone, given the context, is so powerful and says it all. I feel like I barely touched the iceberg of this game and there's so much more to appreciate and come back to. Thanks for this video.
Crossing under the bridge in Half Life 2 is my favorite moment in any Half Life game. It just makes me feel like Gordon in that moment, and makes me think like I'm a human in that place and in that time. I can practically smell the ocean water, feel that cold and empty breeze, and understand the dire situation of the entire world.
The Half Life series is hands down my favorite series of all time. The way the music and ambiance (especially in Alyx) immerse you in the world is unparalleled
In eighth grade I did a project on Kelly Bailey & Half-Life's audio for my music class. It's safe to say this video is much better than my awkward presentation where I poorly tried to convince my peers that ambience was important. Very well done, Liam.
I really love Sector Sweep because it just really captures that feeling of riding your car around in the middle of an ambush, shooting Combine as you go
8:48 ah so that's where their logo theme comes from. It is pretty nostalgiac for me from playing Portal on the 360 years ago. I also recently played HL2 and the sandbox puzzles where really creative and cool.
Hazardous Environments and Particle Ghost resonate with me the most. The contexts they play in aren't one to one the same thematically, but both tracks/scenes make me feel the same way. Every time I experience one of them in game, I'm always reminded of the other song and its accompanying scene. To me, the two tracks contain the same core idea, and the differences between them reflect the differences between the two games on the whole.
The OSTs are a good listen for me at work. Even though I’ve not played HL or HL2 for many years - music still invokes feelings in me, that I thought I’ve already forgotten. Thank you for the video! Great review of a great series!
I need friends like this so I can talk about half-life games all day. Lol. I've been trying to beat the original game on hard without dying. I get so excited every time I make it to the lambda complex but my girlfriend doesn't even care: ( Just made it to the end of interloper. God this game is hard AF.
oh man i feel you... there is just so much this game can do to a conversation and yet there's no one I know that can talk to me about it... it is kinda sad.
@@zeynaviegas Oh wow I came a long way since I posted this. I guess I was still working on my HL1 no death run. Trying to get a good recording of Black Mesa now. It's my new favorite.
Masterful video. As a composer myself, and a huge, *huge* Half-Life fan, I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see someone acknowledge the importance of music in each and every single one of these games. Without Kelly and Mike, the experience of the Half-Life franchise just wouldn't be the same, and it makes me beyond happy to see that recognized in this video. On a sidenote, I was kinda hoping you'd touch on Black Mesa's soundtrack, Half-Life's unofficial remake. While carrying a very different feel from the original games, leaning on a more epic approach with its music and lacking in those quiet moments that, yes, are very important, I feel that Joel Nielsen has most definitely done the franchise some justice with his works. Especially with his tracks that play in Xen. 'Ascension' for example has become one of my favourite HL-related tracks, and the segment it plays on is without a doubt one of my favourite gaming moments. So overall, I hope you shine some light on it at some point, it's well-deserved. But even then, incredible video.
Drums and Riffs has been my morning alarm for at least a decade now. It's the perfect something warm and familiar to wake up to, Kelly Bailey is a gift.
The bridge music has also always made me reflect about the bigger picture of Half-Life, and it's to me synonymous with my own experience with HL2. Music is something that will always be incredibly subjective, but when multiple people relate to it in a very similar way, you know there's some genius intent behind it.
I'll never forget the final battle at White Forest in Ep. 2. When the final wave of striders came and I began to despair, thinking I'd have to reload due to not having enough ammo nor supplies left to fight the hunters, the guy at the radio gives us some words of motivation as the epic guitar kicks in. With all the hype in the world I drive towards one of the striders, but as soon as I see the hunters I'm like "damn it, but I got no ammo", then as the hype music continued, it clicked "I got no ammo, but I got the car!". I begin to run over the hunters and shoot down the striders, and booooy, was that fun! I loved how the music boosted my morale and gave me one of my best experiences with gaming. Amazing vid, Liam~
As a music teacher, tvis video is absolutely brilliantly made! The attention to detail is uncanny, and this makes this video all the more enyoable! A huge congratulations on such a perfect product!
Did I just spend 46 and a half minutes watching a video about the music of the half-life games? Life well spent! This was amazing, truly a great work and made me really appreciate the work that went into getting the right feel for the games by using, or not using, music. It made me realise just how much effect the music had on me as I experienced the stories of Half-life. Well done!
dude that Strider doing a mad crawl through that tunnel did and still does scare the shit outta me. Like the way you just see it monstrously and savagely make its way out towards you, emerging from the mist, god that's horrifying...
I've been looking for a video like this for YEARS! Not knowing much about music made it hard for me understand every nooks and cranny about it and finally a video like this is out and it makes me understand everything GREATLY, I love these analysis/documentary type videos about everything behind video games and can definitely help me with how I want my games to be like as some sort of inspiration!
There was one sound track I always keep thinking about when I first play Half-Life in 98 and that is the track title Dark Piano Short from Half Life Original Soundtrack and reason why I heard it before is that this song was also played on many TV shows back in the early 90s like Babylon 5 and later found out its a APM music and was composed by Dick De Benedictis. The name on APM music is Doom Threat.
The musics made the game that was already perfect, a master piece. Half Life is unique and I doubt that anything will be able to ever recreate the feeling of playing Half Life 2 for the first time.
the music is what tethered us to our humanity, it was an omnipresent reminder that although we were forced to suppress our emotions to get through, we still had them and rather than disregard the fear and confusion as a superfluous annoyance we must rid ourselves of, we learnt they enhanced our ability to navigate and negotiate our way through the sheer terror of what we were confronting... and so ultimately, it helped fasten the bond between ourselves and the family we met along the way...
The portal games also have a truly amazing soundtrack. Portal 1's ambient soundtrack really embodies the strange loneliness you feel in the tests, while portal 2 is much more upbeat and complicated to match the more upbeat atmosphere.
Finally someone else who loves Highway 17. I don't get all the hate for that chapter! Its soooo relaxing, yet also distant and eerie. Its easily one of the most atmospheric chapters next to the very first chapter. And just walking around the empty houses after clearing the Combine out is oddly cozy and peaceful. Makes you think about who used to live there.
I think one of my favorite callbacks in Half Life: Alyx was when I heard the opening shot to Space Ocean while trying to do the train terminal puzzle towards the end of chapter 3. I don't know what it was about it, or even what emotion it was supposed to invoke, but it gave me chills.
Every time I hear lab practicum, I step into the mind of Gordon and think, it all started on that one day back at black mesa. Life was normal until now
I wish more of this video was like the last part, where for instance you talk about the music being reused to bring back specific moods. I like when you theorize (like instrumentation in HL1 being motivical) but half an hour being just expository ("in this moment, this track plays and it feels like this; in that moment, that track plays and it feels like that") it's just not interesting and there's not much you're bringing that we can't get by ourselves from playing the game. There's a lot of interesting things to talk about from this games, even if you don't know much about analysis of music theory or audio design, you could've talked more about the game's production and stuff from interviews, a bit like you did at the end. I think the most interesting thing I learned from this video it's in the comment by AxeWorld and its responses about the use of samples. You missed completely that Bailey wasn't hired as a musician but had the job handed to him because it was needed. He was also responsible for ALL the sounds in the game. This was kind of carried to future Valve games, where the composer works closely with the rest of the audio team and it's all part of the same experience, of the same soundscape. I remember reading about the music in the HL series and Portal 1 being just a practical tool: whenever the gameplay and visuals are not enough to give you the experience Valve wants to give you (and Valve is all about giving an unified experience) then and only then music plays to push further the mood they want to achieve (this changes in Portal 2 where Morasky goes for a much more operatic approach, in the sense of grandeour and use of leitmotivs). I think the best example of this is in Portal (where Bailey did most of the tracks but Morasky had to finish), where the music is responsible from making you feel suspicious on everything that's happening in Aperture. There was a lot more you could've said about HL:A soundtrack from Morasky interviews in The Final Hours and the in-game commentaries. The use of themes in the Vortigaunt's music and it's interaction with in-universe sounds is just mind blowing. Maybe it's just that I'm completely ignorant on synth-based music and I wanted to learn more about it and left completely disappointed on that front hahahaha (and also they're not songs since nobody is singing, they're tracks, pieces, music, etc.)
Half-life music in 2021: Mmm yes an exceptional soundtrack that isn't afraid of experimenting with unordinary instrumentals and themes. Half-life music in 2022: One thing I don't know why It doesn't even matter how hard you try Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme To explain in due time All I know Time is a valuable thing Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings Watch it count down to the end of the day The clock ticks life away It's so unreal Didn't look out below Watch the time go right out the window Tryin' to hold on, did-didn't even know I wasted it all just to watch you go I kept everything inside and even though I tried It all fell apart What it meant to me will eventually Be a memory of a time when I tried so hard I tried so hard and got so far But in the end it doesn't even matter I had to fall to lose it all But in the end it doesn't even matter One thing, I don't know why It doesn't even matter how hard you try Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme To remind myself how I tried so hard In spite of the way you were mockin' me Acting like I was part of your property Remembering all the times you fought with me I'm surprised it got so far Things aren't the way they were before You wouldn't even recognize me anymore Not that you knew me back then But it all comes back to me in the end You kept everything inside and even though I tried It all fell apart What it meant to me will eventually Be a memory of a time when I tried so hard I tried so hard and got so far But in the end it doesn't even matter I had to fall to lose it all But in the end it doesn't even matter I've put my trust in you Pushed as far as I can go For all this There's only one thing you should know I've put my trust in you Pushed as far as I can go For all this There's only one thing you should know I tried so hard and got so far But in the end it doesn't even matter I had to fall to lose it all But in the end it doesn't even matter
On top of Lab Practicum, the piece that gives me the most goosebumps is "Echoes of a Resonance Cascade" The place in which it happens and the haunting sound is chilling
Fantastic video. Although, I was kinda hoping you would also talk about Black Mesa's soundtrack & how it compares & contrasts with the original Half-life, as well as your thoughts on the soundtrack itself.
Kelly Bailey's music for some reason just really gets me, it was a huge inspiration for me when I was trying to find my own sound and I still find so much inspiration in the HL soundtracks and sound design. I love the spectral, watery sound of a lot of his synth stuff and the contrast of that with the more industrial sounds.
The two ambiances playing as you exit the train station, and on the rooftops are designed to induce vertigo to the player. They somehow managed to make the citadel LOOK tall. The second ambiance, this time a bit higher up on the rooftops, makes you look upon the city from above and notice how much it has changed, still, with that intense feeling of vertigo. Kelly Bailey is by far the best ambient composer i can think of. I still cannot understand how he manages to do all this.
I've never heard anyone come close to emulating Kelly Bailey's sound. Morasky did a good job with a couple songs, but none really sound like Bailey's Half-Life. Morasky's stuff sounds a lot closer to Portal 2 than Half-Life.
I will make a video on Black Mesa
Ok
Thank God!
gooooooood
@cole finally dude you found your opinion
**thank you**
24:02 "But you press onward." *backwards longjumping at mach 4*
"Hello guys, DeSinc here"
janky valve physics are the best thing to play with ever
You know he did it on purpose
I was like "Yes, very challenging part of the g-- I guess we're moving on then!"
"Hey guys, DeSinc here, and this is a tutorial on Half Life 2's Anti-citizen one."
"First you want to preform a backwards longjump into this ramp, airstrafe over the gate, and completely mess it the fu-"
"First you want to preform a backwards longjump into this ramp, airstrafe over the gate, and you completely skip this level, wait for the loading screen to end, preform a gravity gun jump over the fence-"
Finally another person that cant shut up about Half Life just like me.
Yep
There’s bunch of us, buddy :)
"So how are his hands? When you're walking down the street holding hands - are they soft?"
~ Dale Gribble
@Noober617 but are you a mesa?
we're like brothers in crowbars :D
Vague Voices: As you arrive late for work, something doesn't feel right....
Klaxon Beat: *look at cool suit*
That’s Half Life 1 for ya. One moment it’s deep, scary, and confusing, then other times it’s
*YOUR. MOTHER. IS. SHIT.*
*mister. you. are. going. down.*
Finally, these osts are getting the love they deserve😌
ikr? HL1's techno-badassery and HL2's eerieness makes them sound very familiar and innovative at the same time
I think that the soundtracks from Half-Life and Portal were already highly regarded amongst people for years, people knew and understood what made them special and what kind of messages they conveyed.
Man I can't wait for HL3, holy shit
I have been in my playlist all the time since around 2002 and well they have left two soundtrack since 2005 of course :-) excellent music and opposing force do have some good songs to with a military theme which fits it really well
We love ost, especially in Norway ;)
I feel like it's important to note that a lot of the most iconic sounds that Kelly used were directly lifted from a bunch of sample packs. Not to say that selecting the appropriate samples to make something isn't a skill in itself, there's a reason why the Half-Life Soundtracks are some of my absolute favorites. I just found it funny how you pointed at some of them as if Kelly made them himself lol. He of course broke away from the in most of HL2 and the episodes. Episodes 1 and 2 are godly in that regard.
sample hunting is still another art in itself
even if one isn’t making the waveforms themselves, putting things together can get rough
@@ErictheSandvich Very interesting, I didn't know that part of the OST wasn't even created in-house, I always thought that the choice for synths was lead by needing a minimal sound team and how cheap it would turn out. I really appreciate your mention of modularity because I always felt the same about that aspect, in fact, I'm not convinced the amount of silence in the games is due to a design choice... at least not on Kelly's part. To know for sure we need a direct account from Kelly and others involved, but I feel Liam is reversing the production pipeline too much, as in music is placed by level designers and its narrative use rests with writers and level designers.
@@ErictheSandvich Bailey always reminded me of Mod Tracker artists for this reason. Although it makes me glad that some of these samples others such as myself can get their hands on, and play around with should we choose to dedicate time to doing so. Altered States by Zero-G is a must have for any Half-Life or Portal fan working on their own sound projects.
The Zelda team did the same with their earlier games, such as A Link To The Past, Ocarina Of Time and Majora's Mask.
Not sure about older or more recent titles. But it definitely takes skill, IMO, to find, use and properly modify existing sound samples and snippets to suit your music and needs.
@@ErictheSandvich I think this is what Mike's soundtrack lost. The sample packs were key to so much of HL.
The Half-Life score makes me so nostalgic, it has such a weird but interesting vibe to it. Very alien, mysterious, ominous, existential, otherworldly. Hard to describe with our limited vocabulary.
Was thinking the same, like it gives this weird feel i can't explain
liminal space is what i think your feeling
@Prison Guard Then what is?
@Prison Guard well ok then
Nicely integrated Breen quote there, lol.
26:28 The echoes of the howling wind when I crossed the scaffoldings beneath the Highway 17 bridge, and then that harrowing music starts playing....
That sound has been itched into my soul.
And it helps that the music is actually the same track as the G-Man sequence, minus the Anti-Mass Spectrometer and the Manhacks and the other sounds.
"etched"
That’s THE iconic moment of the game for me. Everything came together when I stepped onto the beams, the train kicked in and the track started. I thought “I was swimming through a sewer a while ago. A few hours later I was shooting my way through a zombie-filled gothic town. Now I’m like 500 feet in the air above an open sea in broad daylight, and it’s the most spooked I’ve felt.”
Damn I feel the same way. That moment was perfect. Feel so nostalgic right now
the entire moment sticks out amongst everything else
theres several moments of any half life game youve played that just seems to stick out to you and you can remember your first experience of it easy, and the impact it left on you
the moments vary by i think my faveorite is in hl2 right when you get out of the ravenholm mines
26:30 You're so right on Lab Practicum. It can't be explained though. I've been fascinated by it since 2004 and listen to it at least a couple of times a week. I feel like even trying to describe the "alien" or weird depersonalization experience in words does it great injustice. I've always wondered whether others experienced similarly deep, indescribable feelings in that moment. It's a beautiful yet horrifying piece of ambient that feels like it's revealing something deeper about the nature of consciousness and reality itself.
I compare it to be on the pool alone, totally in silence, not moving just floating looking up to the sky thinking on how small we are to the bast of the universe. thats the feelling it gives me.
"Energetic techno tracks tend to back significant battles. Atmospheric synthesizer pieces enhance key plot and exploration moments and reinforce feelings of adventure, isolation, or melancholy to the player." - About Half Life 2 Soundtrack
Half life music has a special feeling since its the right music in the right time, the music around atmospheric areas fits amazingly.
Rise and shine, Mr Bailey.
Rise and shine.
Not that I wish to imply you haven't been catching up on music trends, and all the tracks in the world would have gone to waste, until...
Well... lets just say your hour has come again.
The right song in the wrong place can make all the difference, in the world.
So, wake up, Mr Bailey, wake up and, _find your jam._
Triage at dawn is the theme of my teenage years. I struggled a lot in school and half life 2 (and the orange box) was an escape from life. It is a song that I that reminded me there was a safe haven for me when I was down
Same man I used to love it so much
Its so weird that the track is so legendary. It's like 30 seconds long and is played in a very random scene, just a wounded rebel. I feel like it couldve been used for a more significant scene.
@@GreedAndSelfishness you might be right but the music for me kind of made the moment significant, it’s the first moment of rest or security you’ve had since ravenholm began. With all the zombie fighting you could have become a bit desensitised to violence, so after the combine shootout having this little moment of humanity to remind you what you’re fighting for, especially with the slightly ambiguous atmosphere of the song, just gave the whole moment a resonance for me
That’s so sweet 🥺
The music makes me go *recover health*
Minor fracture detected BEEP BEEP seek medical attention
> { automatic_medicalSystems.engaged(1); }
It makes me feel kinda *HEV charging*
still beyond pissed alyx wasnt even nominated for goty 2020
Maybe because its a vr game ?
Did Alyx even win anything in that celebrity snoozefest? I think I only saw the game nominated once or twice.
Eh, who cares. We know it's great, why do we need a bunch of circle jerkers to tell us it's great.
@@numnaut1314 Wise words my man.
@@sulphurous2656 Only won the VR GOTY award, but everyone saw that coming a mile away.
P L E A S E DO PORTAL AND PORTAL 2. I think those games have the BEST soundtrack designs.
Thing is Portal was composed by Kelly Bailey and Portal 2 was composed by Mike Morasky so its kinda hard to compare the music..
I love portal 2’s dynamic soundtrack. I prefer the recordings of Bailey’s portal 1 though
Portal's 'Self-esteem Fund' is one of my favorite video game songs of all time. It's so haunting, lonely, and mysterious.
@@LobsterRoast Actually, Portal 1's OST is a sort of collab between Bailey and Morasky. Though it definitely has more of Bailey's touch.
@@LobsterRoast I mean the same is done in this video between the sound of the older games and Alyx. Sounds like it could be fun. They definitely each have incredibly unique soundtracks.
Me: about to go to sleep
Liam: "I am going to stop you right there."
Triage at Dawn lovers unite!!
Used to have it downloaded on my mp3 player, great atmosphere
Comrade
Wintson’s been hit
If we get make HL3, I want to hear the remix _Path of the Borealis_ be included into the canon when we as we travel to the Borealis.
@@eur0be4t3r The finest Winston of our generation.
Extremely well produced documentary video!
It actually got me into that Half Life mood and here I am now, sitting in my room, wanting to replay Half Life for the 86th time.
Same...
makes me want to redownload the soundtracks and rock to those awesome HL2+episodes combat tracks.
86?!?! Those are rookie numbers, we gotta pump those numbers up!
@@Chris_W Vortal Combat is one of my personal favorites
I like to think the HEV suit has these songs built into it, and the AI system just plays them at appropriate times. Great vid btw. :)
Research time well spent
No piece of media has made me cry, all over the years of my life i have enjoyed and digested media to no end, giving them meaning, after the ending of Half-Life 2 i was in total shock, i was just a 13 year old kid playing it on the orange box, Triage at dawn became my very first favorite videogame song, it gave me hope through some tough years.
After all this years, after watching a complete playthrough of Alyx (because i don't have vr), and the credits theme started, i was feeling sad, my eyes began to tear up a little, then when the song finished and the Hazard suit spoke, i was full on crying.
I still don't really understand, the credits song and the subsequent theme keep making me cry, i still have to pinpoint why though.
Could it be because this song, just like Triage at Dawn did, gives me hope?
Is it because even after all these years, i'm still immersed in the story just like when i was a little teen?
No matter what it may be, the point of this is that the song is just amazing.
Triage at Dawn is, by far, my favorite piece from Half Life 2
I feel you, I was crying too in the end. It was a weird mix of happiness, stress and confusion
I was excited to hear you discuss ambient sounds, as the incredible and subtle ambience of HL 1 and 2 are not recognized enough.
11:46 "my final message. change the world. goodbye"
14:13 When you try to abuse the physics engine and the game abuses you back
Hello Liam. I can't thank you enough for posting this video. I just broke up with my girlfriend because of reasons and seeing a 46 minute video about my favourite game franchise from my favourite RUclips channel cheered me up alot. Thank you
hang in there bud, you will be better for it one day.
I know that feel bro...
nice sob story
@@crylune gangsta
There are tons of chicks in this world. Don't mourn your loss as if your mother died.
"It is a unique atmospheric blend of beauty, and death."
This is one of my favourite quotes from this video essay (even though i've only watched up to this quote so far - this is just such a cool quote that I felt the need to comment on it). The music (and sometimes lack thereof) in Half-Life really adds a unique atmosphere, and this video essay seems very well thought out and touches on the important points of it! This is quickly becoming a favourite video essay of mine, lovely work :)
For me Nuclear mission Jam is one of the best soundtracks in all gaming
I still can't get Half-Life: Opposing Force's music out of my head.
that and sector sweep
I truly love Half-Life, but im sorry, Shadow of the Colossus exists...
@@PatnetEditions What's that game got to do with anything?
@@revolutionstudios5052 "one of the best soundtracks in all gaming"
The first game's Songs, had sounds that 'ECHO'd. It sounded like you were actually in a huge facility, with dark deep hallways. Water drops. Sounds of pipes. GIANT concrete tunnels. Science experiments. Industrial sounds. Etc.
yeah it had a reverb effect that was coded by Kelly Bailey
Someone so accuratly described my thoughts about the onetime living areas of Highway 17 and their inhabitants. Also I was expeting a couple of words about the radio_1 track, the most anxious audio file for me in HL2. But the great video anyway!
Just a doc on sound design for free. No biggie. Underrated channel
No. This is a fan gushing uncontrollably.
I remember playing Half Life the first time in Russia when i visited my grandparents during my summervacation in 1999, who had bought their first computer! I sat and played non-stop!
Particle Ghost is no doubt one of the best video game tracks ever made. It perfectly nails creating an unsettling atmosphere right after Ravenholm. It’s like it’s saying to you, “You’ve just got out of Ravenholm, but did you really think things would be better outside of it?”. Absolutely masterful work by Kelly Bailey
"what kind of hospital is this" is the most badass half life song I've ever heard
TRUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Im definitely going to be upset if you don't talk about LG Orbifold.
EDIT: I'm not upset
He protec,
He attac,
But most importantly,
When the world needed him. . .
He came back
Guess he isn't my dad.
@@false_idol__ You haven't seen the twist in Half Life Alyx's ending, have you?
The Half-Life 1 OST actually makes me shiver. Not kidding. Especially "Nuclear Mission Jam"
That's a good thing, be grateful your senses aren't numbed to dopamine or adrenaline and that you are able to immerse yourself into such things in ideal circumstances.
@@sulphurous2656 wish I could feel 😂
Half Life 2 was the first game i ever pirated myself, that was roughly 8 years ago by now, i was 14 at the time and the only video games i had played until then besides educational and cereal box games were the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology games so in a sense the Half Life franchise was the second game franchise I've ever experienced
I actually first found out about it through a youtuber (called Gronkh) playing Black Mesa back in 2012, i wasn't very smart back then so when he said it was a remake for Half Life 1 i thought i could easily jump into Half Life 2 after watching his playthrough, suffice to say i didn't understand jack shit
However it was very fun to play and I've since then of course gotten a steam account, bought all the Half Life and Portal games (besides Alyx) and played through them a bunch of times, especially Black Mesa and of course Half Life 2
I love these osts, always makes me happy and nostalgic when i hear tracks like Triage at dawn.
I've always loved this soundtrack, its energetic, ambient, and fits the theme of these games so well. Its nice to see someone shedding more light on Kelley Baileys work.
As someone who just finished hl2, this video just summarized on how I felt when playing the game
Episode 2’s final track is one that can make me cry in a scene where I likely wouldn’t have otherwise. The credits aren’t accompanied by something nice and catchy, it instead makes things feel more empty than if there wasn’t music at all. It reminds me that although the portal is closed, the Combine is not yet defeated. It’s like the victory track after the HL2’s lighthouse battle, except on a much larger scale.
But above all else, it accentuates the sadness of Eli’s death by allowing the player to reflect on everything that just happened in a way that couldn’t be done by any other moment in the series. The game is over, the only thing you see is the seemingly endless credits that still feel too short, just because you are completely alone with your thoughts, reflecting on these events even as the screen reverts to the main menu.
I used to listen half life ost during march of 2020 when quarantine has started, empty streets and that sound were perfect.
Half Life Alyx, one of the most immersive games ever, thanks to its sound design, plus its VR
GOTY AUDIO DESIGN AWARD GOES TO TLOU2
Ye dat was sum dum shit
rly? i love so much both, but i preffer half life but i think tlou2 has better ost (sorry) (=
@@JpAmbulante nah dude, to each their own, but considering its pretty much revolutionary having audio engineering so advanced in a vr game, i was hoping that HLA won but to be honest i haven't play tlou2, maybe it mops the floor with hla who knows
I would just like to point out that Black Mesa has amazing music, especially Xen.
Oh yeah. And it could be a great comparison piece about what happens when you give the same setting to different composers. I love that BM has its own identity in the music and doesn't try to copy Bailey's work. While Bailey emphasizes the dread and horror ambience in his soundtracks, the effect Joel Nielsen really had on me with his pieces were that I felt lonely and almost kinda saddened in the alien ridden complex. And amazed in Xen. The Xen soundtrack specifically gives me goosebumps.
@@Chris_W tbh not really. Earth bound soundtrack sounds alot like half life. Can't say the same for xen though.
Black mesa xen soundracks: MHHHMMMMMM HHAAAAAAA
@@yigityllmz yeah it gets annoying sometimes but hey with some editing we can remove it out of the tracks. Then they'll sound real half life like.
Half-Life 2 is one of my all time favorite games, Valve has truly made a a timeless classic, the story is so deep, even after all these years still new things to be found, hidden details that add to the lore, the world building is on another level, being immersed in the world, it truly feels like you are in it, The G-Man such a deep, mysterious character, we don’t know who how is, his motives, the fight against the Combine, the gameplay is top notch, the use of the Gravity Gun, environmental physics, just a masterpiece game, Valve are among the best developers in the industry, really hope they make a part 3 some day 👏👏👏 The soundtrack is amazing 🎶🎧
You gave my favorite Kelly soundtrack (ep1) almost exactly 1 minute in this video :(. I mean it makes sense with the video’s pacing, but I was at least hoping you’d mention penultimatum, the fight with the strider was ok, but the song is perfect combine music.
Literally like 3 days ago I was playing through episode 1 and I noticed that the game adds perfectly crafted music at the perfect time. (Black mesa by the crowbar collective also does this very well)
The Half-Life videos to come out of your channel have been fantastic, it's been great to see your content alongside a lot of great Half-Life series retrospective work that's surfaced in the past few years.
I can't believe you had nothing to say about the final battle in episode 2. The music for that scene was incredible!
The really insane part, Kelly Bailey had never composed any music (that we know of) before 1998, he was a Microsoft product manager and database dude, just working a deskjob.
Got hired at Valve, casually dropped the MOST INSANE AND CRISP industrial-heavy metal-alient themed soundtrack of the decade, also designed ALL THE SOUND of Half Life 1 from the aliens, guns, anbience, etc......... and just kept dropping amazing work with all the sequels, HL2, Portal.....
One man just doing a desk job for years harbored a secret talent of this scale and they almost missed him....
Most of this soundtrack was my childhood, amazing how the music can change the entire mood, so suttle and so strong to the entire storyline
I always found it obvious how Half-Life 2 lacked music in majority of its gameplay. My thought was that it makes you appreciate the music even more when it actually plays, but I haven't thought about its meaning that much. Now after watching, Slow Light, Lab Practicum and Triage At Dawn gained a whole new meaning, to the point that it makes me drop a couple of tears when I hear it. God damn what a stunningly beautiful game HL2 is. I wish my friends loved this game as much as I do. Another topic I've been thinking about is the imagery in Half-Life 2. The "Born." poster alone, given the context, is so powerful and says it all. I feel like I barely touched the iceberg of this game and there's so much more to appreciate and come back to. Thanks for this video.
That guitar riff in half life is so iconic, love it when games ost really build up an identity for the game
Crossing under the bridge in Half Life 2 is my favorite moment in any Half Life game. It just makes me feel like Gordon in that moment, and makes me think like I'm a human in that place and in that time. I can practically smell the ocean water, feel that cold and empty breeze, and understand the dire situation of the entire world.
The Half Life series is hands down my favorite series of all time. The way the music and ambiance (especially in Alyx) immerse you in the world is unparalleled
In eighth grade I did a project on Kelly Bailey & Half-Life's audio for my music class. It's safe to say this video is much better than my awkward presentation where I poorly tried to convince my peers that ambience was important. Very well done, Liam.
26:32 my favorite moment in half life 2 .the atmosphere there is just amazing
I really love Sector Sweep because it just really captures that feeling of riding your car around in the middle of an ambush, shooting Combine as you go
8:48 ah so that's where their logo theme comes from. It is pretty nostalgiac for me from playing Portal on the 360 years ago. I also recently played HL2 and the sandbox puzzles where really creative and cool.
Hazardous Environments and Particle Ghost resonate with me the most. The contexts they play in aren't one to one the same thematically, but both tracks/scenes make me feel the same way. Every time I experience one of them in game, I'm always reminded of the other song and its accompanying scene. To me, the two tracks contain the same core idea, and the differences between them reflect the differences between the two games on the whole.
FINALLY someone talking about the music in HLA, it was one of the best parts of the game IMO and really stood out from the rest of the series for me
The OSTs are a good listen for me at work. Even though I’ve not played HL or HL2 for many years - music still invokes feelings in me, that I thought I’ve already forgotten. Thank you for the video! Great review of a great series!
I need friends like this so I can talk about half-life games all day. Lol. I've been trying to beat the original game on hard without dying. I get so excited every time I make it to the lambda complex but my girlfriend doesn't even care: ( Just made it to the end of interloper. God this game is hard AF.
oh man i feel you... there is just so much this game can do to a conversation and yet there's no one I know that can talk to me about it... it is kinda sad.
@@zeynaviegas Oh wow I came a long way since I posted this. I guess I was still working on my HL1 no death run. Trying to get a good recording of Black Mesa now. It's my new favorite.
This... I don't know any big Half-Life fans irl. :(
Same man. Really sucks when you're the only one who won't shut up about Half Life
Masterful video. As a composer myself, and a huge, *huge* Half-Life fan, I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see someone acknowledge the importance of music in each and every single one of these games. Without Kelly and Mike, the experience of the Half-Life franchise just wouldn't be the same, and it makes me beyond happy to see that recognized in this video.
On a sidenote, I was kinda hoping you'd touch on Black Mesa's soundtrack, Half-Life's unofficial remake. While carrying a very different feel from the original games, leaning on a more epic approach with its music and lacking in those quiet moments that, yes, are very important, I feel that Joel Nielsen has most definitely done the franchise some justice with his works. Especially with his tracks that play in Xen. 'Ascension' for example has become one of my favourite HL-related tracks, and the segment it plays on is without a doubt one of my favourite gaming moments. So overall, I hope you shine some light on it at some point, it's well-deserved.
But even then, incredible video.
I need a vid talking about the music theory and the sound design behind HL2's music
If you did it yourself recorded on your phone, I'd watch you.
Drums and Riffs has been my morning alarm for at least a decade now. It's the perfect something warm and familiar to wake up to, Kelly Bailey is a gift.
The bridge music has also always made me reflect about the bigger picture of Half-Life, and it's to me synonymous with my own experience with HL2. Music is something that will always be incredibly subjective, but when multiple people relate to it in a very similar way, you know there's some genius intent behind it.
24:01 Instead of “press onward” you should have said “but you initiate an accelerated back hop onward”. XD
"Cya m888888"
20:27, ahhh yes. No Strider is a match for the power of the Backhopping Glitch.
I just love the UNTZ UNTZ UNTZ UNTZ of the Half-Life 1 credits tune. It's so 90's it hurts and I love it.
I absolutely adore this music series. By far the best I've seen on youtube.
Everything you produce is gems man. You gave me the strength to get back to my dream : making Half Life universe related art.
wow i was literally just in the process of rewatching the hl retrospective lol
Same!
I'll never forget the final battle at White Forest in Ep. 2. When the final wave of striders came and I began to despair, thinking I'd have to reload due to not having enough ammo nor supplies left to fight the hunters, the guy at the radio gives us some words of motivation as the epic guitar kicks in. With all the hype in the world I drive towards one of the striders, but as soon as I see the hunters I'm like "damn it, but I got no ammo", then as the hype music continued, it clicked "I got no ammo, but I got the car!". I begin to run over the hunters and shoot down the striders, and booooy, was that fun! I loved how the music boosted my morale and gave me one of my best experiences with gaming.
Amazing vid, Liam~
Kinda wish you reviewed Joel Nielsen’s music for Black Mesa, otherwise great video!
Me too! I fell in love with The Xen soundtrack!
Same here, I would've loved to Liam's thoughts on Nielsen's work on Black Mesa & how it compares & contrasts the original game's soundtrack.
Yeah but that's not the og HL. He could do a separate video, but Kelly Bailey deserves this videos love letter.
don't search up how he made the 'walking on fleshy surfaces' sound
As a music teacher, tvis video is absolutely brilliantly made! The attention to detail is uncanny, and this makes this video all the more enyoable! A huge congratulations on such a perfect product!
What are your thoughts on OSTs of Half-Life games? I'd like to read.
i wish black mesa was covered because HOLY CRAB THAT SOUNDTRACK IS AMAZING
yea probably to high
for that very educated mind
Did I just spend 46 and a half minutes watching a video about the music of the half-life games?
Life well spent!
This was amazing, truly a great work and made me really appreciate the work that went into getting the right feel for the games by using, or not using, music. It made me realise just how much effect the music had on me as I experienced the stories of Half-life.
Well done!
Hunting Party in EP2 is also great, the electric guitar solos+synths sound a bit like the Hunters you're fighting (at least in my opinion)
dude that Strider doing a mad crawl through that tunnel did and still does scare the shit outta me. Like the way you just see it monstrously and savagely make its way out towards you, emerging from the mist, god that's horrifying...
I'm really glad someone notices and appreciates the nuances within the half-life series as much as I do. My favorite games, thank you!
I've been looking for a video like this for YEARS! Not knowing much about music made it hard for me understand every nooks and cranny about it and finally a video like this is out and it makes me understand everything GREATLY, I love these analysis/documentary type videos about everything behind video games and can definitely help me with how I want my games to be like as some sort of inspiration!
Portal 2 have the most unique soundtrack ever. You should make a video about it too
There was one sound track I always keep thinking about when I first play Half-Life in 98 and that is the track title Dark Piano Short from Half Life Original Soundtrack and reason why I heard it before is that this song was also played on many TV shows back in the early 90s like Babylon 5 and later found out its a APM music and was composed by Dick De Benedictis. The name on APM music is Doom Threat.
The musics made the game that was already perfect, a master piece. Half Life is unique and I doubt that anything will be able to ever recreate the feeling of playing Half Life 2 for the first time.
the music is what tethered us to our humanity, it was an omnipresent reminder that although we were forced to suppress our emotions to get through, we still had them and rather than disregard the fear and confusion as a superfluous annoyance we must rid ourselves of, we learnt they enhanced our ability to navigate and negotiate our way through the sheer terror of what we were confronting... and so ultimately, it helped fasten the bond between ourselves and the family we met along the way...
The portal games also have a truly amazing soundtrack. Portal 1's ambient soundtrack really embodies the strange loneliness you feel in the tests, while portal 2 is much more upbeat and complicated to match the more upbeat atmosphere.
Finally someone else who loves Highway 17. I don't get all the hate for that chapter! Its soooo relaxing, yet also distant and eerie. Its easily one of the most atmospheric chapters next to the very first chapter. And just walking around the empty houses after clearing the Combine out is oddly cozy and peaceful. Makes you think about who used to live there.
I'm a little over halfway through, and this is a very good birthday gift
happy belated birthday
I think one of my favorite callbacks in Half Life: Alyx was when I heard the opening shot to Space Ocean while trying to do the train terminal puzzle towards the end of chapter 3. I don't know what it was about it, or even what emotion it was supposed to invoke, but it gave me chills.
Every time I hear lab practicum, I step into the mind of Gordon and think, it all started on that one day back at black mesa. Life was normal until now
I wish more of this video was like the last part, where for instance you talk about the music being reused to bring back specific moods. I like when you theorize (like instrumentation in HL1 being motivical) but half an hour being just expository ("in this moment, this track plays and it feels like this; in that moment, that track plays and it feels like that") it's just not interesting and there's not much you're bringing that we can't get by ourselves from playing the game.
There's a lot of interesting things to talk about from this games, even if you don't know much about analysis of music theory or audio design, you could've talked more about the game's production and stuff from interviews, a bit like you did at the end. I think the most interesting thing I learned from this video it's in the comment by AxeWorld and its responses about the use of samples.
You missed completely that Bailey wasn't hired as a musician but had the job handed to him because it was needed. He was also responsible for ALL the sounds in the game. This was kind of carried to future Valve games, where the composer works closely with the rest of the audio team and it's all part of the same experience, of the same soundscape.
I remember reading about the music in the HL series and Portal 1 being just a practical tool: whenever the gameplay and visuals are not enough to give you the experience Valve wants to give you (and Valve is all about giving an unified experience) then and only then music plays to push further the mood they want to achieve (this changes in Portal 2 where Morasky goes for a much more operatic approach, in the sense of grandeour and use of leitmotivs). I think the best example of this is in Portal (where Bailey did most of the tracks but Morasky had to finish), where the music is responsible from making you feel suspicious on everything that's happening in Aperture.
There was a lot more you could've said about HL:A soundtrack from Morasky interviews in The Final Hours and the in-game commentaries. The use of themes in the Vortigaunt's music and it's interaction with in-universe sounds is just mind blowing.
Maybe it's just that I'm completely ignorant on synth-based music and I wanted to learn more about it and left completely disappointed on that front hahahaha
(and also they're not songs since nobody is singing, they're tracks, pieces, music, etc.)
Half-life music in 2021: Mmm yes an exceptional soundtrack that isn't afraid of experimenting with unordinary instrumentals and themes.
Half-life music in 2022: One thing I don't know why
It doesn't even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To explain in due time
All I know
Time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Watch it count down to the end of the day
The clock ticks life away
It's so unreal
Didn't look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Tryin' to hold on, did-didn't even know
I wasted it all just to watch you go
I kept everything inside and even though I tried
It all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually
Be a memory of a time when I tried so hard
I tried so hard and got so far
But in the end it doesn't even matter
I had to fall to lose it all
But in the end it doesn't even matter
One thing, I don't know why
It doesn't even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To remind myself how I tried so hard
In spite of the way you were mockin' me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the times you fought with me
I'm surprised it got so far
Things aren't the way they were before
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me in the end
You kept everything inside and even though I tried
It all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually
Be a memory of a time when I tried so hard
I tried so hard and got so far
But in the end it doesn't even matter
I had to fall to lose it all
But in the end it doesn't even matter
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There's only one thing you should know
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There's only one thing you should know
I tried so hard and got so far
But in the end it doesn't even matter
I had to fall to lose it all
But in the end it doesn't even matter
On top of Lab Practicum, the piece that gives me the most goosebumps is "Echoes of a Resonance Cascade" The place in which it happens and the haunting sound is chilling
Fantastic video. Although, I was kinda hoping you would also talk about Black Mesa's soundtrack & how it compares & contrasts with the original Half-life, as well as your thoughts on the soundtrack itself.
what the h, I just started playing hl2 for the first time in 10ish years and you release this... get out of my head
Kelly Bailey's music for some reason just really gets me, it was a huge inspiration for me when I was trying to find my own sound and I still find so much inspiration in the HL soundtracks and sound design. I love the spectral, watery sound of a lot of his synth stuff and the contrast of that with the more industrial sounds.
I'm disappointed that you didn't mention opposing force
Did Kelly bailey do the music for that and blueshift..?
@@gmangrandma but he mentioned half life Alyx and that's also made by a different composer...
Maybe we're not talking about black Mesa at all
The two ambiances playing as you exit the train station, and on the rooftops are designed to induce vertigo to the player. They somehow managed to make the citadel LOOK tall. The second ambiance, this time a bit higher up on the rooftops, makes you look upon the city from above and notice how much it has changed, still, with that intense feeling of vertigo. Kelly Bailey is by far the best ambient composer i can think of. I still cannot understand how he manages to do all this.
How can you make a documentary about Half-Life music and completely skip Opposing Force? That game has amazing military-stylized soundtrack.
Yeah, not even a little mention like he did for episode 1 ost
The Alyx ending theme still gives me goosebumps when I remember how I felt when I first played the game.
I've never heard anyone come close to emulating Kelly Bailey's sound. Morasky did a good job with a couple songs, but none really sound like Bailey's Half-Life.
Morasky's stuff sounds a lot closer to Portal 2 than Half-Life.
That's because Morasky also did Portal 2's OSTs.
@@bickboose9364Yes, and the rest of Valve's OSTs since the second half of Portal.