My biggest problem with the music is how much people take the lyrics as cannon for character motivations. As someone learning to write for a living and someone who has played music for over half his life, that really bothers me. Most of the music doesn’t bother me, I’m a classic rock guy first and foremost so the main vibe of RWBY music is something I’m fine with. I do think they need to experiment a bit more with it as I’ve really started to kinda tune it out cause it doesn’t sound like much differences. I actually hope they go for more instrumental and less lyrics if the show is going to insist on characters talking during fights
"good music should be easy to listen to" clearly you haven't listened to jazz, and also as one who looks at music theory, I would say comparing rwby's music to pop music is like apples and oranges, but closer to western and eastern pears
I’ve found myself comparing Rwby to Arcane a lot recently, especially when it comes to story and animation, but now also the music. The creators of Arcane made sure to involve the composers from the very beginning, and worked together to create all of the songs and have them seamlessly flow with the story and animation. ‘Playground’ perfectly sets the tone for the Undercity. ‘Misfit Toys’ perfectly captures the Firelights. Every song is different from one another, and Rwby doesn’t have that. But Rwby also rushes everything, from the writing, to the animation, to the music, while Arcane took 6 years to perfect all of those things.
I've been comparing them too. Like arcane doesn't have half of the magic lore of RWBY and manages to tell an exciting story. Rwby set its priorities completely wrong.
@@shesjustafrienduhhafriend8655 i’d argue it’s debatably better, since Arcane’s weapons have meaning and weight behind them, Vi’s Gauntlets as the Successor of Vandor, Jinx/Powder’s Firearms all represents different aspects of her, From her Mini-Gun “Pow-Pow” to her Shark Cannon that has Silco’s Scar on the eye + is themed after his love for Sea Monsters, even Her Simple Pistol has meaning, as we see her first use a toy version taking out all targets and headshots perfectly, meanwhile in RWBY the weapons are just simply “Cool” and thats it, the closest we got to actual meaning Is Ruby’s (Who means absolutely jackshit nothing, which is a waste of what her character could’ve been) and Jaune’s, As his was taken/formed after his families Legacy
Well I definitely disagree with some points of this video (such as the RWBY having mediocre lyrics that don’t tell a story part), I definitely agreed with you on the production of RWBY’s songs. It can very, very, VERY hard to hear and understand the vocals in some songs, as well as the other instruments besides guitar and drums (I believe I heard some piano in One Thing that gave the song a more unique color, but got taken out in the soundtrack for some reason). I also agreed very strongly the the critique of Jeff’s vocals. Like you said, I don’t mean this in a mean way… but they just isn’t pleasing at all for me. But again, this comment isn’t trying to tell you that you’re wrong for having the opinions I disagree with. Music is HEAVILY subjective, so while the lyrics might feel uninspired in some songs to you, they might mean a lot to me (this comment is coming from a musical theater nerd btw so I am very familiar with using music to tell a story) Anyways I’m looking forward to reading your book 😊! You really had me impressed in your RWBY Volume 8 rewrite (thank you for giving my girl Neo some justice, she was literally the reason why I watched the show in the first place and now because of how awfully she was written in V8, she’s the reason why I’m stopping my viewership of the show lol). Hope you have a great rest of your year!
I think they meant to say that the lyrics just describe the characters situation rather than show how the characters feel (we Will take one thing again as an exemple) so it just doesn't make you sympathise with the characters as much because knowing how the characters feel about the situation would make you want to be here for them and worry in other terms make us care about the characters and the fact that Jeff put as many sillables as he can in his songs wish we can see Will hearing those songs that casey strugles with this. Will i don't think rwby's lyrics are the worst they do need improvement but i do still love the songs because of nostalgia
@@thehornychallperishexceptforme Oh for sure. Even my favorite song (One Thing) is guilty of this. But at the same time there are songs like Path To Isolation and This Life Is Mine that I think do a great job at not only describing how Weiss feels as well as describe her situation (then I again I extremely relate to these songs, so maybe I’m seeing them through rose colored glasses). TLDR: I was upset that Thomas didn’t mention This Life Is Mine and Path to Isolation because I believe they show Jeff’s writing at its absolutely beautiful peak, in both lyrics and the instrumentation (Also Thomas uses He/Him pronouns and They/ Them pronouns, so if you could edit your comment, that’d be awesome 💛🤍💜🖤)
@@erickj.esparza8157 and i agree this life is mine and path to isolation are the best in the show but like Thomas said weiss hase the best songs so that in part explains why
@@erickj.esparza8157 weiss def has the best songs bc weiss has the most consistent writing and has a very defined character so its def easist to take the character shown and convert it into song kinda like how ruby has like no song bc she isnt consistent and isnt rlly clear at the start of the show same with blake and a few of yang songs the personality they show isnt rlly shown in the show despite us knowing its true to her character
Hot take: Loving RWBY regardless of its quality is one thing, though if you think RWBY is the best thing ever, you probably... haven't watched anything better. Also, I never knew Taylor has progressed so much since her country days. Will definitely have to check her out - the last I ever heard from her stuff was Trouble, lol.
Whats worse about the first saying, is that there are plenty of shows with similar premises like RWBY, that “Are” done actually better and amazingly M&K themselves constantly said and implied RWBY is “Inspired” from Avater: The Last Airbender, for me who didnt watch avatar for a very long time, after hearing this i rewatched it and my god is it beautiful and flawless, and makes the “Inspiration” that is RWBY look pathetic and almost insulting to even call itself that, the difference is massive, its as others say: M&K arent Writers, just take things “cool” left and right with no heart and soul into it at all
@@eren34558 the reason it’s nitpicked so much is because, as with every fandom, there are zealots who defend it to high heaven. RWBY isn’t a terrible show that deserves hate, but it isn’t a show that’s so great that its free of problematic story telling. Many communities have come forward to voice their issues with the series but many fans choose to ignore those problems and attack the people who voiced issues. There are also fans that want to see the story improve but find that Roosterteeth is unable to deliver, and some are realizing they never were able to deliver in the first place.
I think a perfect example of music for media that RWBY could learn from is Guilty Gear's soundtrack, especially Guilty Gear Strive. The GGS soundtrack ignited intense emotions that had been severely lacking from the RWBY soundtracks. I highly recommend listening to Ky's theme "Roar of the Spark" and Sol Badguy's theme "Find your one way" first (fitting as they are the two main characters of the franchise), and then Chipp's theme "Play the hero" and Milia's theme "Love the Subhuman Self" first. These songs follow the game's vocal soundtracks' usual structure, but despite that each one still feels incredibly unique and perfectly captures the story of each character with clever vocals instead of RWBY's 'in you face' lyrics. "Roar of the Spark" makes you feel like a paragon hero fighting for a righteous cause hoping to inspire future generations (also there is a Bon Jovi reference early on). "Play the Hero" talks about how life is always going to be tough and more likely than not you have the short end of the stick in life, but regardless that's just how life is and you gotta press on and be your best self. After those songs, it's time to get into the more experimental tracks. There is May's theme "Disaster of Passion" which was an out of left field upbeat pop song that is very out of place in Guilty Gear, but for that reason so many people love the damn song. It perfectly captures May's character and is an absolute fluffy bop. Leo Whitefang's theme "Hellfire" starts of with a sort of norse shanty vibe and then transitions into hard rock. The vocals are about a man suffering survivor's guilt after a big war, but at least the "bastards" they were fighting were taken out. And then there's the big one. Zato=1's theme, "Let Me Carve Your Way". The song starts off slow and meloncholy before going into edgy rock. This song is extremely risky and experimental with how it is structured, but boy does it pay off (imo). And soon the edgy rock fades into the last quarter of the song, a melancholy part that will unexpectedly start making you tear-up, especially if you've been through a hard break-up before. The song is a love song, revolving around Zato himself and his love for another character named Milia. Zato used to be a villain of the series before being revived and stripped of his emotions, in which he turned good, but now has a lot of baggage to deal with. Spoiler warning for the song, but this video perfectly incapsulates the theme in a nutshell. ruclips.net/video/t3tuDouQVAI/видео.html Now before, Zato's theme used to be the most crazy experimental song. But then the DLC Character Happy Chaos was released along with his theme, and WOW his theme "Drift" is weird and chaotic and yet goes so damn hard. Happy Chaos is the new main antagonist of the series first introduced in Strive, and he's basically the "Joker" or "Tyrian" of the series, except unlike Tyrian Happy Chaos is a very entertaining character. Happy Chaos' hole motivation is that he doesn't care whether he "wins" or "loses", which normally most character that are like this are full of shit and get pissy when things don't go there way, but not Happy Chaos. Happy Chaos is telling the truth when he says he doesn't care about fame or money or winning, he just wants DRAMA. He's practically a god in the series and can easily instant win if he wants, but instead of well... winning he actually actively sabotages himself to make things interesting. To the point where in gameplay instead of using his god-like magical powers, he just uses a random gun he picked up... and he clearly doesn't know how to actually use a gun, but does it anyway to nerf himself. His theme perfectly encapsulates his chaotic; yet genuine nature. It starts off with this mix of jazz and rock before eventually going into this sort of opera segment. Honestly comparing the GGS sountrack to the RWBY soundtrack can easily be its own video. Same with comparing their character designs as well. Here's a vid of a soundtrack tearlist that I'd reccommend checking out. ruclips.net/video/blYRy8TYk2s/видео.html Honestly GGS is just everything I wish RWBY was.
I really like this analysis, and I agree with you on a lot of things. I don't wanna tread on toes, but I wanna make a video like this focusing on what RWBY could learn from modern Pop Punk, as the genre is very close to the typical RWBY song sound because of the heavy guitars, drums and rawer/less defined vocals. I hope that'd be ok.
You know, I still think the early trailer and some volume 1 songs are top tier. For me, they are uniquely RWBY, as in I can't imagine any other show and/or piece of media going with those songs other than RWBY and it goes beyond just lyrics, just the whole feel of the songs, instrumentals, and whatnot. It just...feels like RWBY, as opposed to some of the newer songs which feel like a pale imitation (at least to me).
I feel like your opinion here is a bit of a reach. For one Taylor Swift is a major pop star who has the time and budget to properly refine her music from the lyrics to the production while the Williams are a couple of d-listers who only have the money of a niche production company whose claim to fame is making internet stuff. The difference in class alone already makes them incomparable on top of differences in genre, writing styles, production styles etc. Taylor Swift's music isn't designed for a long-running web series with its own production problems and her music is designed to appeal to a massive audience who are going to listen solely because of her as opposed to the RWBY audience who attach their enjoyment of the songs to the moments they popped up in the show which were the main source of emotion. You're not even comparing apples to oranges here. You're comparing a half-watered garden of flowers to a big old cherry blossom tree and asking why they aren't as pretty. But I definitely had some issues when you said: "Good music should be effortless to listen to." Nope! Not at all. Jazz, Heavy Metal, Punk, Dubstep, Gangsta Rap, there are tons of genres of music that are uncomfortable, if not outright discomforting, to listen to by design. People forget that disgust, discomfort, cringe, anger, sadness, and other negative reactions to music are legitimate intentional reactions that said music is trying to produce. Good music is judged on its own merits which is hard enough to do for professionals and an extremely daunting task for anyone who isn't musically trained and doesn't have much music diversity in their palette. With all that being said, I would argue a much better comparison would be Jeff's work in Red vs Blue. Literally, same boat, except there is a definite difference in quality between Jeff's early stuff in RvB and his work in RWBY. Namely, that the production was cleaner, he had more artists to work with, and wasn't held back by the show so he didn't have to write to "fill in the blanks". It seems that the production issues had a lot to do with RWBY because Jeff was producer of RvB's soundtrack for Revelations, S9, and S10. I would argue that the difference is the limits of producing metal and orchestral songs back to back as opposed to the experimental tracks of RvB, having less professional artists to work with for whatever reason, and overall having to deal with the sound production issues that RWBY naturally has on top of things like scheduling issues and whatnot. I guess my criticism of your video here is that you're doing the cardinal sin of comparing music to a completely different form of music and assuming one can help the other. Taylor's music works because it's her music. The Williams aren't making their own music, they're making a product for another company to sell. Taylor is making entire meals out of her albums while the Williams are making what are essentially spices to someone else's meal. In musical criticism, you don't want to say that one person's work can improve another's because, even if the artists are in the same exact lane, their music and the development of it is personal to them and they aren't liable to hold themselves to any standard. It's better to compare their work to themselves or speak in more objective terms.
This reminds me of why people say they love the Guilty Gear Strive soundtrack, they sound great instrumentally but once you fully listen to the lyrics you see how they tell the story of the characters without being too blatant about it
I used to listen and sing along to the soundtrack, but now I found myself struggling. In contrast, OK Goodnight and any other music,, it's easier and comfortable for me
You're literally the reason I started listening to taylor swift's music seriously. Back in my middle & Highschool days, there was this whole stigma around where if you listened to her music it made you "lame", so as someone with not many friends and desperate to escape my "the weird kid" label, I avoided her music. Skip ahead to recent events, after watching your lost fables video, and I heard "End game" I immediately searched it up was surprised to see that it was Taylor. And now i'm currently on a path of listening to all of her songs. So far my favorites are: 1. End game 2. Shake it off 3. Blank space 4. I forgot that you existed 5. Long story short it was a bad time So pretty much, thank you for breaking me out of that dumb stigmatized view of Taylor's music. After this video I'm probably going to listen to end game again.
Surprised you like End Game since that tends to be considered one of her worst songs by Swifties. That being said, End Game is honestly underrated and deserves more praise, I love the song.
Music is entirely subjective, so I'm not gonna sit here and turn my nose up to someone's opinion on it. I will, however, bawlk at the suggestion that there are "occasional leitmotifs". RWBY has made intricate use of leitmotifs over the years, in a way that very little animated media ever attempts. Almost every important character and setting, as well as more general ideas (ex. the Huntsmen, hope, the Relics) has a leitmotif associated with it, and they paint a much more detailed picture than most give the music credit for. I will also make the polite correction that "The Truth" did not steal Roman's leitmotif. While the two have tangential melodic parallels, what is used _is_ Cinder's.
I would imagine Jeff is actually incredibly versed in song production, but when you work with similar instruments and produce such similar sounding songs (as you mentioned), you can tend towards using the same mastering and filtering presets to get the job done. So I imagine he knows what he's doing on a technical level, but the pressure of being the composer AND producer all while under crunch time from RT for the next volume probably makes him lean more towards uniformity of sound quality. Music production and sound design are incredibly tough, so being up against the clock would limit anyone no matter how much experience they have. I don't blame him, but this also means maybe he should not shoulder the entire project year after year alone
I’m hoping you make a video on Pyrrha. For me, Pyrrha is my favorite character in RWBY. She’s the only character who feels like she’s actually had a complete character arc and the only character who honestly feels like she’s had a lasting impact on the show.
Listening to Casey's band Ok Goodnight and listening to RWBY's soundtrack feels like night and day just from quality of instrument alone. I might be biased though: it reminds me a lot of what I listened to in high school
I’m gonna be honest, comparing RWBY to Taylor and Doja Cat isn’t good. They are completely different artists on completely different levels. Jeff and Casey make music based off of a show while Doja and Taylor do their own thing for the worlds music. There is no way you can compare them to each other and get a good comparison
There not in the same lanes however other series have soundtracks and artist who make music based around thier show and the music sounds good lmao Like Jeff and Casey don’t have to be international celebrities to step up thier game with production and writing on songs they don’t have to be a doja cat to experiment with different styles and make a better product Shows like arcane and Steven universe and kipo don’t have songs with muddy production where the instruments sound like thier going to war with each other they also don’t put all the stress of creating their soundtracks on a father daughter duo who have been forced to pump out a new product back to back for almost a decade So my over all point is Jeff and Casey not being international pop stars isn’t an excuse for poor quality because other animated action adventure series with sound tracks aren’t making this mistakes that Jeff and Casey are making but honestly Mostly Jeff because like Thomas said Casey’s band ok goodnight makes immaculate music that sounds amazing
I think that RWBY can learn a little something from Netflix Arcane as well. That soundtrack is filled with a ton of genres from so many different artist, and it slaps. Go listen to it if you haven't.
I still love the song hero! This was an interesting video. Hmm you should do a video on Taylor swift songs(or song in general) that best represent each rwby character. Maybe even the openings too.
You know what series I think RWBY should learn from? A series called The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance its a marvelous good-old fashion fantasy series between the evil overlords vs the inhabitants of their planet to save it. Its a worthy watch, it has a great amount of lore and characters that give the series weight. I highly recommend you give it a watch as it is on Netflix.
@Gwendolyn i guess proper world building, and good cast of villains and heroes and deeper mythos. Although have you watched The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance on Netflix?
I hardly care to listen to rwbys vocal tracks post V3. I was never a hard rock person or anything anyway (barring anime songs and those types of bands) so once the tinted RWBY glasses were off the musics attraction did as well. It’s unfortunate but it happens
I especially feel like the past few volumes have fallen victim to all sounding very similar. I don't know if this is just me, but especially volume 5 & 6 soundtracks sound like one long work. I think volume 7 took big steps to introducing a different sound, albeit not vastly different. Volume 8 feels almost like a step back in the sonic direction of V7. Honestly idk how the fuck Jeff does what he does. Produce and write an entire album on a yearly basis. Holy shit. It's a wonder that it took all the way up until volume 8 for the yearly pattern for break (and for a perfectly valid reason, they should take as long as they need). Tbh it isn't the biggest problem for me since the specific type of music they make is literally right up my alley. I love loud rock with scream-y or belt-y vocals. Also I'm not a musician, either. My 2 cents is more like a scrap of metal being thrown down an alleyway.
I admittedly got a soft spot for rwby music. When volume 4 hit, it was the music that keep me going for volume 5. When that hit… I really only came back for the music. Gems like mirror, mirror, red like roses are classics. Said all that… it’s true that the latest volumes have been really samey-samey. And I hate how the songs have become so rwby-specific. Let me explain: red like roses is about rwby, but you can take that song, put it in another context outside of rwby and it works. The latest batch of songs are so intertwined with rwby that unless you’re a rwby fan, you really don’t get the full appeal. And this also puts the songwriter in a thought spot as he now has to make the song fit rwby or else. and with the tendency of the character’s growth being so superficial, we get songs dragged too. Like, how many times can Weiss sing about his dad being evil? You would think that after eight volumes she would get another personal thing to face instead of his family drama, but no. And I don’t care what anyone says, a song is not supposed to explain a character better than the actual show. And having to put out an annual album about a show with terrible writing is… it must be hard, that’s what I’m saying. PS: OK goodnight is amazing.
I've never been a big fan of rwbys slow songs. They always seem s bit awkward. The rock style songs were always just ok. I think the action scenes actually help elevate the songs rather than the other way around, especially in volume 1-3. I agree with lyrics being muffled by the blasting of instruments and lower production quality. Taylor Swifts music is great at storytelling. The journey of the evolution of her music with each album isnt just hers, but also the audience's. When listening back to her older songs, I attributed them to that specific time in my life when I listened to it. Connecting with the memories and feelings back then and hearing it now as a different person from years ago. Her re-releases give off the same idea.
The RWBY music is 100% my style (and listening to the songs is what got my curious to check out the show). So for me, the songs will always be the one thing I still like about the show. (Especially the older songs) Okay I haven’t listened to any of the songs since the V8 finale. Honestly, I feel like some of the songs helped me get through my depression. Which makes them totally ignoring the theme of hope and optimism overcoming all odds in volume 8 feels almost like a personal insult…. (Also I can’t music. Like at all. I can’t hold a tune. Or even identify time signature. It’s kinda sad LOL So even if the music is objectively has issues, I still like it. Well did. The music is ruined by what CRWBY decided to do with the plot. )
You should rate winx outfits that didn't appear in the show or fan made winx outfits Examples Hallowinx outfits Prototype believix, enchantix Arcanix Dimentix Flyrix Gothic sirenix Winx if they fused with their animals like the Trix did
One of the things that made me fall in love with RWBY was its soundtrack. I liked the idea of personifying a character through a song-the instruments, the speed, the lyrics all reflecting aspects of their personalities-and I really love the original trailers because of this. The acoustic elements of Red Like Roses pt 1 and the music box-esque intro establish her as a hero and particularly as a romantic-an aspect of her personality which the writers seem to have forgotten about. Those same elements showing up in Ruby vs the Beringel show how she has grown, but she's still the same person. Blake's piano intro and outro in From Shadows reflect her quiet, brooding nature while the electronic middle shows the state of mind she and Adam share regarding the White Fang. Weiss's simplistic lyrics in Mirror Mirror convey her lack of freedom in creative expression. I do agree with you about I Burn; Yang was my favorite character pre-volume 4, and I always felt she deserved a better song. The lyrics are cringey, especially to sing in public. That said, I ADORE the remix for her trailer. I always thought it matched the mood so well. I agree that Jeff's writing has gone downhill since the earlier volumes. His lyrics have become too literal, and there isn't a lot of variation between songs. My all-time favorite is still Caffeine as my motivational track :) sorry for lack of coherency
I agree in the production section, its such a shame how Casey voice doesn’t get to shine properly due to all that is happening in the background She is an absolutely amazing vocalist but her voice does not always fit the song and she’s trying too hard to keep up like in Caffeine at least in my opinion
The songs are easily one of the best part of rwby There’s a story that fills the holes that we don’t understand in the story or make it clearer Taylor has been one of my favorite artists since forever I listened to all of her albums and I love every song I mean not all but usually I like calm songs and storytelling songs It makes me open my eyes Her music makes feel like the less I think the more I know or something like that It’s so good and makes me happy I usually like her sad songs Which you can say in every song there’s sadness Rwby messed up a lot but I still like the show because it’s just fills my heart with lots of feeling I’m like watching all the volumes for the tenth time And each time a new problem and a new point a view is opening Like the white fang, portrayal of discrimination, racism, etc.... But rwby excels in one point and it’s the music It’s my favorite aspect of the show the scores and songs are phenomenal Especially the meanings and the story behind it I think Taylor and rwby are great at the storytelling part of the songs
I hope someone clues Taylor into this video. Don’t know what her opinion is on RWBy but I think she’d appreciate someone taking the time to analyze her work like this.
i think you leaned too hard into pop being the optime of sound production. the industry does some interesting things, but all of these things you like are synthetic made to sell you a story devoid of real human soul. Congrats you bought into what the pop media wants you to be and fyi taylor like most artist in the industry don't write their own songs they have a team, ideas get thrown around surely including her but not exclusively hers. A team of talent are what helps bring this to life so i don't think it's fair to compare jeff and casey when it's just them . I do agree they should have more help to make better production but the rest of the video is kinda of diminishes the point when all you did was gush about big media production and taylor swift
Rather than wasting Amalee in the Cinder backstory episode, they should have scouted her for her musical talent. Her original EPs are stunning and her covers of Red Like Rses and Mirror Mirror are actually better than the originals
You nailed the flaws. I think any Form of Art needs clear communication that has something to say. Rwby would have benefited greatly if the music was in sync with the fights happening. That's what made monty's fights legendary.
I love that you are a devoted swiftie… that’s how I am with ariana grande and it’s funny that she started out on winx… I hope her and taylor do a collab soon!!!
i used to like the storytelling of some of the songs until I realized that the songs and the series were nor telling the same history one of my favorites songs is red like roses part ll I love the dialogue it is really emotional changed, a back and forth fill with grief and remorse but the thing is that's not ruby at least not the one in the show
Good vid, honestly appreciated how you broke down the songs but I wish you examined more Rock and Roll artist's music as I think RWBY's music fits more into that genre rather than Pop. The particular part when you mentioned too many words and Casey having trouble singing them, that's a Rock genre gimmick similar how in Pop music a part is wrapped quickly. Think you are 100% right about the lyrics analysis though.
It’s alright to like a bad song😁 some of my favourite songs sound like…. Well sound, I like mechanical heavy music that focus on the beat and less the music (the exception being swing music) I know this music isn’t good but I still like listening to it!
I have 2 points I'd like to discuss 1)RWBY's songs dont have any build up, play Friend or Bumblebee or War, they all start with 0 build up 2) What if Jeff doesnt experiment because RT doesnt allow him to? Could that be allowed?
When I listen to Sza’s ctrl. I couldn’t help but think of RWBY when I heard “Pretty Little Birds” the production on that song is so good and I wish Rwby had songs like this. It’s kinda insane that original we weren’t supposed to get “Pretty Little Birds” on ctrl.
I'm imagining a rwby song where someone is talking about they feel and they can speed up and slow down what they say and have something trivial to talk about, but that something could have emotional weight. I dont think thats what rwby music does
I've never really liked RWBY's music at all. I listen to a high variety of music. The Beatles being my personal favourite band. When it comes to RWBY's music I always felt like the lyrics, singer, and the instrumental tracks just didn't fit together at all. All feeling like completely different songs just mashed together to me. Though when I listen to Caleb Hyles' versions of the songs I enjoy them faaaaaarrrrr more to the point where I'm looping his versions of the songs all the time. I don't know if it's just because his voice feels like it fits better to the rest of the parts of the songs or what but personally I find his versions much more enjoyable than the originals.
If anything from my perspective (I'm a composer and have been studying music for 10 years), RWBY music just doesn't... experiment as much anymore. Red Like Roses uses strings and percussion and it kinda evokes a fantasy adventure vibe. Mirror Mirror is primarily strings and minimal percussion (imo these two are the best v1 songs). The main issue is that Casey is an excellent singer. Jeff is trying to be epic rocker that does anime music but all he does is scream to the point my voice studying ears worries that he'll get nodes. He makes his vocals way too loud compared to Casey's in certain parts. I made my own EP and the mixing is a nightmare to perfectly tune. Jeff fails at mixing
In the nicest way possible, this video feels unfair. You are comparing Jeff and Casey’s RWBY Music, that they have to crunch out *every year* on a time limit to an artist like Taylor Swift, who has plenty of time and money to write her music at her own pace. OF COURSE T-Swifts music is going to be better, she has had years to hoan her style and learn over *breaks* she was ALLOWED to have. Jeff doesn’t get that. As long as RWBY Is still chugging out a new season as soon as the last one is done, Jeff has to make new music, no matter how sub-par it is.
Especially Weiss. All her songs are just rinse and repeat. Her character developed yet all her songs are about her bad dad and not wanting her to be a huntress. And then she rebels and does what she wants and leave the mirror behind. I wish they gave her a motivation song about her trying to find her friends in volume 5. Like how they gave Yang armed and ready, I wish Weiss got a similar motivation song like that.
Okay, now, it's my time to shine (actually RANT)! I started mixing out of pure, by the lack of a better word, HATE of RWBY's music production. It was the good kind of hate, actually, the one that you see what things could be but is astonished by how poorly some things were done. I also think Jeff mix his own songs, and I also never found any indication that the production was done by anyone other than him. I, however, don't think that this is all his fault. (I need to note here that producing and mixing are two very different areas in modern music, I'm not sure if you made this distinction in the video). I really think its kinda unfair, although I noticed that this was not your intent, to compare both artists in the same level. Taylor is not alone. By gods, she isn't. She has a s***load of people working with her, most of the best in the world, I imagine. The difference you noted in the RED album is exactly that: The difference in having a lot of money to spent in good people to work with you. In other hand, I think Jeff works alone most of the time and I believe RT does not give the support (for this I mean the money to hire people to create music with him) he would want. Yes, RWBY production could be much better, but also will be much more expensive and time-consuming. Yes, RWBY mixing is pretty bad, convoluted and sometimes amateurish, but I still think that Jeff is doing a nice job in his conditions. But I also agree the quality of the songs are degrading due to some type of burnout, I think. To finish: This channel has some of my versions modifying just the guitar (my main instrument) and bass. The mixing is not good due to a lot of factors. But I really think I improved the songs somewhat. I suggest you, the reader of this weird post, to check it out, especially my version on the Opening of Volume 8 and Red Like Roses part II. I really did my best. I hope you all like it.
I still generally like RWBY's soundtracks, although I've not really gotten attached to songs starting in Volume 7, but this video did help me figure out an issue I've been having. Sometimes when I listen to the songs, the lyrics just start to sound off to me, and now I realize it's because I started to pick up on the "telling instead of showing" aspect even though I didn't consciously recognize it at the time. Although then you had to go and break my heart by including my favorite RWBY lyrics ever - "All tales conclude, all bonds dissolve, infinite matter with always evolve" - as an example of the syllable problem.
RWBY can even learn from others song. one Example is Last Stardust from Fate/Stay night UBW with Shirou. The Song represent Good the Essence from Shirou and even when the Road that he takes will maybe Broke him, he WILL move Forward with his Ideals to Become a Hero, without to tell direct that. It is a Song, that can Combine not just with Shirou, but with other Characters from different Franchises, because in this song, the Focus is not directly to Shirou, but instead it is focus on that, what he has Feeling in the Past and his response to this Feeling's
I usually enjoy your work but that video is a mess that has, basically, no point. The only thing I got from that is how out of your depth you were on that subject matter. Sorry Thomas, hope to enjoy the next video more.
I know music is pretty subjective. But for me, RWBY’s music has always been pretty hit of miss for me. Allot of the reasons are the things mentioned. The music and lyrics getting muddled, the over use of screaming, how things seemed cheaply reused, and how people seem to insist that this somehow conveys cannon information. 9 times out of ten, it’s a miss. But I’ve always felt that CRWBY only relying of Jeff and Casey for the music has always stunted things. Hell it’s only recently when they had Caleb Haynes used for one song in Volume 8. Hell they even had Ama Lee who voiced a character in Volume 8 but they didn’t let her add a song to the volume 8 track. Despite her having done both Red like Roses parts one and two, and Mirror mirror. There is a wealth of musical artists on RUclips that could help make RWBY’s music so much better.
I'm not a Swift fan but I do enjoy her storytelling. She has the writing that I enjoy about music that I feel is very much lost today. RWBY lost its hold on me after V3. For the same reasons brought up. With very few exceptions, I don't listen to the music. Great work Unicorn. Greatly appreciated.
0:31 Okay, but you didn't have to call me out like that 😂😂😭😭 It's funny though, my adhd always makes it pretty difficult to really pay attention to the lyrics of just about any song (auditory processing disorder 😩), and I just kinda vibe to a song without much of it's context, until I decide to actually look them up. So I just assumed that the difficultly of hearing the lyrics in some RWBY songs was just that for me (especially for something like "When it Falls"). I never really considered it being an actual flaw with the songs themselves tbh 😅
Since volume 6 I thought the music for RWBY sucked! I love "one thing" by Casey and listen to it almost daily But ever since "one thing" I felt like their music hasn't been there or been good in anyway The V6 opening In my opinion was just okay not bad or good But V7 and V8 I did not like and skipped every time I could I never skipped a RWBY opening prior to V6 Some of it could have been my views on the vic situation and how I didn't like what happened at the end of V6 after the origin story of mommy salami But even if that was part of it I still feel like the artists lost their drive and touch with their songs Whether it be external or internal factors Their music isn't good to me anymore its bland and boring I do love Casey Lee Williams arkknights song though it was different and a good change from what I usually hear from her I do admit I to love the progression of her voice though from sounding like a 90s rock singer in 2013 when she was in middle school or early high school and sounded young to sounding like a well established 30 year old adult in arkknights
*that moment I realise the main reason I like a lot of these songs is cause I’m a sucker for rock* Also, thanks for indirectly getting me hooked on Plastic Hearts now it’s stuck in my head-
Aside how Avatar soundtracks work. Songs of War (dead series), The anime Fate series, and Red Dead Redemption 2 are my personally best examples. For vocals, RUclips, Spotify, and ITune artist should assist more with Rooster Teeth like the song Hero. Even if it’s for money or volunteer, I recommended a hundred percent.
When it comes to lyrics and production. I often look to Hip-Hop. Creating good lyrics and making them sound good is second nature to the best of the best. Hip-Hop production can be so experimental and varied, along with the lyrics of the artist. For an example, Eminem, considered one of the best for very good reason. One of his most recent songs, Stepping Stone is about Eminem's former group D12 and the guilt he feels about leaving them behind as he rises into stardom. With the death of Eminem's brother from another mother Proof being the straw that broke the camel's back for D12. The song starts off staticky, like a car radio or old TV. It's setting a scene in the past by playing a sound associated with the past. Then Em's vocals sound like him in the early 2000s. Since he's addressing the demons of his past. He's using the style he used back then. The song just started and already the scene has been set. We're back in the past, with Eminem and D12. Even if you don't like Rap, Stepping Stone is such a great song. Please UnicornofWar, go check it out.
I want to like RWBY's music so much, but I just can't. Mirror Mirror will always hold a special place in my heart, but even back then when I thought Rooster Teeth could do no wrong and everything was a banger, I was still aware that it wasn't very good. Casey hit an amazing high note but the rest of the vocals were. Eh. Yeah sure she was only 16 but I was only 18 and the same kind of soprano. Any young soprano could have hit that note, and plenty would have pronounced the words more naturally. It almost sounds like she says "tale me something" That's the take we're going with? Alright. And then the sound quality just kind of sounds like it was ripped from an old RUclips video. It's odd at the very least. I know it's unfair to criticize one of RWBY's first songs so harshly, but I loved Jeff William's RvB music which came first, and none of RWBY's newer music has been interesting enough for me to listen to more than once. So I'm not going to critique it. But I will say they've put Casey in the wrong genre hoping she'd grow into it, and she just didn't. It doesn't work that way. She sounds good in the slower songs though.
Okay, so I don't know much about Taylor and only really know about RWBY from hbomberguy and some of your videos, so admitetly this title sounds auto-generated
"What Taylor swift could teach Rwby". My first thought was: Ruby never had any boyfriends to compare to Taylor Swift. Music has been on a slow slide down hill like the show.b
@@SuperPianogirl123 Of course, 100%, enjoyment is one thing, music theory different. I mean, i played piano, sang in a chorus, dance and all that jazz. So what?
I know music is pretty subjective. But for me, RWBY’s music has always been pretty hit of miss for me. 9 times out of ten, it’s a miss. But I’ve always felt that CRWBY only relying of Jeff and Casey for the music has always stunted things. Hell it’s only recently when they had Caleb Haynes used for one song in Volume 8. Hell they even had Ama Lee who voiced a character in Volume 8 but they didn’t let her add a song to the volume 8 track. Despite her having done both Red like Roses parts one and two, and Mirror mirror. There is a wealth of musical artists on RUclips that could help make RWBY’s music so much better.
My biggest problem with the music is how much people take the lyrics as cannon for character motivations. As someone learning to write for a living and someone who has played music for over half his life, that really bothers me. Most of the music doesn’t bother me, I’m a classic rock guy first and foremost so the main vibe of RWBY music is something I’m fine with. I do think they need to experiment a bit more with it as I’ve really started to kinda tune it out cause it doesn’t sound like much differences.
I actually hope they go for more instrumental and less lyrics if the show is going to insist on characters talking during fights
well this is a concept i never expected to see
Yr this was my thoughts
I've always liked RWBY's music so I was confused when people called the soundtrack bad, thanks for a good explanation.
What was the exactly the confusing part?
Nice unist pfp!
Brandon Ontama love under night in-birth I have the game by the way love pfp as well
Holy Shit i never realized Cinder took Roman's letimoff....goddamn.
They really disrespecting our boy 🥲
The writers give her everything, and every other villain is chump change in their eyes by comparison.
We gotta put her down like in the movies.
"good music should be easy to listen to" clearly you haven't listened to jazz, and also as one who looks at music theory, I would say comparing rwby's music to pop music is like apples and oranges, but closer to western and eastern pears
Did someone say *backflips into the room* RWBY'S SOUNDTRACK AND TAYLOR SWIFT?
I’ve found myself comparing Rwby to Arcane a lot recently, especially when it comes to story and animation, but now also the music. The creators of Arcane made sure to involve the composers from the very beginning, and worked together to create all of the songs and have them seamlessly flow with the story and animation. ‘Playground’ perfectly sets the tone for the Undercity. ‘Misfit Toys’ perfectly captures the Firelights. Every song is different from one another, and Rwby doesn’t have that. But Rwby also rushes everything, from the writing, to the animation, to the music, while Arcane took 6 years to perfect all of those things.
I've been comparing them too. Like arcane doesn't have half of the magic lore of RWBY and manages to tell an exciting story. Rwby set its priorities completely wrong.
Arcane also has cool weapons like rwby
@@shesjustafrienduhhafriend8655 i’d argue it’s debatably better, since Arcane’s weapons have meaning and weight behind them, Vi’s Gauntlets as the Successor of Vandor, Jinx/Powder’s Firearms all represents different aspects of her, From her Mini-Gun “Pow-Pow” to her Shark Cannon that has Silco’s Scar on the eye + is themed after his love for Sea Monsters, even Her Simple Pistol has meaning, as we see her first use a toy version taking out all targets and headshots perfectly, meanwhile in RWBY the weapons are just simply “Cool” and thats it, the closest we got to actual meaning Is Ruby’s (Who means absolutely jackshit nothing, which is a waste of what her character could’ve been) and Jaune’s, As his was taken/formed after his families Legacy
@@namelssssnake9466 I did'nt even notice that. But now since you pointed it out, my god that's some attention to detail! These writers rock!
Well I definitely disagree with some points of this video (such as the RWBY having mediocre lyrics that don’t tell a story part), I definitely agreed with you on the production of RWBY’s songs. It can very, very, VERY hard to hear and understand the vocals in some songs, as well as the other instruments besides guitar and drums (I believe I heard some piano in One Thing that gave the song a more unique color, but got taken out in the soundtrack for some reason). I also agreed very strongly the the critique of Jeff’s vocals. Like you said, I don’t mean this in a mean way… but they just isn’t pleasing at all for me.
But again, this comment isn’t trying to tell you that you’re wrong for having the opinions I disagree with. Music is HEAVILY subjective, so while the lyrics might feel uninspired in some songs to you, they might mean a lot to me (this comment is coming from a musical theater nerd btw so I am very familiar with using music to tell a story)
Anyways I’m looking forward to reading your book 😊! You really had me impressed in your RWBY Volume 8 rewrite (thank you for giving my girl Neo some justice, she was literally the reason why I watched the show in the first place and now because of how awfully she was written in V8, she’s the reason why I’m stopping my viewership of the show lol). Hope you have a great rest of your year!
I think they meant to say that the lyrics just describe the characters situation rather than show how the characters feel (we Will take one thing again as an exemple) so it just doesn't make you sympathise with the characters as much because knowing how the characters feel about the situation would make you want to be here for them and worry in other terms make us care about the characters and the fact that Jeff put as many sillables as he can in his songs wish we can see Will hearing those songs that casey strugles with this.
Will i don't think rwby's lyrics are the worst they do need improvement but i do still love the songs because of nostalgia
@@thehornychallperishexceptforme Oh for sure. Even my favorite song (One Thing) is guilty of this. But at the same time there are songs like Path To Isolation and This Life Is Mine that I think do a great job at not only describing how Weiss feels as well as describe her situation (then I again I extremely relate to these songs, so maybe I’m seeing them through rose colored glasses).
TLDR: I was upset that Thomas didn’t mention This Life Is Mine and Path to Isolation because I believe they show Jeff’s writing at its absolutely beautiful peak, in both lyrics and the instrumentation
(Also Thomas uses He/Him pronouns and They/ Them pronouns, so if you could edit your comment, that’d be awesome 💛🤍💜🖤)
@@erickj.esparza8157 okay no problem
@@erickj.esparza8157 and i agree this life is mine and path to isolation are the best in the show but like Thomas said weiss hase the best songs so that in part explains why
@@erickj.esparza8157 weiss def has the best songs bc weiss has the most consistent writing and has a very defined character so its def easist to take the character shown and convert it into song kinda like how ruby has like no song bc she isnt consistent and isnt rlly clear at the start of the show same with blake and a few of yang songs the personality they show isnt rlly shown in the show despite us knowing its true to her character
Hot take: Loving RWBY regardless of its quality is one thing, though if you think RWBY is the best thing ever, you probably... haven't watched anything better.
Also, I never knew Taylor has progressed so much since her country days. Will definitely have to check her out - the last I ever heard from her stuff was Trouble, lol.
Whats worse about the first saying, is that there are plenty of shows with similar premises like RWBY, that “Are” done actually better and amazingly
M&K themselves constantly said and implied RWBY is “Inspired” from Avater: The Last Airbender, for me who didnt watch avatar for a very long time, after hearing this i rewatched it and my god is it beautiful and flawless, and makes the “Inspiration” that is RWBY look pathetic and almost insulting to even call itself that, the difference is massive, its as others say: M&K arent Writers, just take things “cool” left and right with no heart and soul into it at all
@@eren34558 the reason it’s nitpicked so much is because, as with every fandom, there are zealots who defend it to high heaven. RWBY isn’t a terrible show that deserves hate, but it isn’t a show that’s so great that its free of problematic story telling. Many communities have come forward to voice their issues with the series but many fans choose to ignore those problems and attack the people who voiced issues. There are also fans that want to see the story improve but find that Roosterteeth is unable to deliver, and some are realizing they never were able to deliver in the first place.
I think a perfect example of music for media that RWBY could learn from is Guilty Gear's soundtrack, especially Guilty Gear Strive. The GGS soundtrack ignited intense emotions that had been severely lacking from the RWBY soundtracks. I highly recommend listening to Ky's theme "Roar of the Spark" and Sol Badguy's theme "Find your one way" first (fitting as they are the two main characters of the franchise), and then Chipp's theme "Play the hero" and Milia's theme "Love the Subhuman Self" first.
These songs follow the game's vocal soundtracks' usual structure, but despite that each one still feels incredibly unique and perfectly captures the story of each character with clever vocals instead of RWBY's 'in you face' lyrics.
"Roar of the Spark" makes you feel like a paragon hero fighting for a righteous cause hoping to inspire future generations (also there is a Bon Jovi reference early on).
"Play the Hero" talks about how life is always going to be tough and more likely than not you have the short end of the stick in life, but regardless that's just how life is and you gotta press on and be your best self.
After those songs, it's time to get into the more experimental tracks.
There is May's theme "Disaster of Passion" which was an out of left field upbeat pop song that is very out of place in Guilty Gear, but for that reason so many people love the damn song. It perfectly captures May's character and is an absolute fluffy bop.
Leo Whitefang's theme "Hellfire" starts of with a sort of norse shanty vibe and then transitions into hard rock. The vocals are about a man suffering survivor's guilt after a big war, but at least the "bastards" they were fighting were taken out.
And then there's the big one. Zato=1's theme, "Let Me Carve Your Way". The song starts off slow and meloncholy before going into edgy rock. This song is extremely risky and experimental with how it is structured, but boy does it pay off (imo). And soon the edgy rock fades into the last quarter of the song, a melancholy part that will unexpectedly start making you tear-up, especially if you've been through a hard break-up before. The song is a love song, revolving around Zato himself and his love for another character named Milia. Zato used to be a villain of the series before being revived and stripped of his emotions, in which he turned good, but now has a lot of baggage to deal with.
Spoiler warning for the song, but this video perfectly incapsulates the theme in a nutshell. ruclips.net/video/t3tuDouQVAI/видео.html
Now before, Zato's theme used to be the most crazy experimental song. But then the DLC Character Happy Chaos was released along with his theme, and WOW his theme "Drift" is weird and chaotic and yet goes so damn hard.
Happy Chaos is the new main antagonist of the series first introduced in Strive, and he's basically the "Joker" or "Tyrian" of the series, except unlike Tyrian Happy Chaos is a very entertaining character. Happy Chaos' hole motivation is that he doesn't care whether he "wins" or "loses", which normally most character that are like this are full of shit and get pissy when things don't go there way, but not Happy Chaos.
Happy Chaos is telling the truth when he says he doesn't care about fame or money or winning, he just wants DRAMA. He's practically a god in the series and can easily instant win if he wants, but instead of well... winning he actually actively sabotages himself to make things interesting. To the point where in gameplay instead of using his god-like magical powers, he just uses a random gun he picked up... and he clearly doesn't know how to actually use a gun, but does it anyway to nerf himself.
His theme perfectly encapsulates his chaotic; yet genuine nature. It starts off with this mix of jazz and rock before eventually going into this sort of opera segment.
Honestly comparing the GGS sountrack to the RWBY soundtrack can easily be its own video. Same with comparing their character designs as well.
Here's a vid of a soundtrack tearlist that I'd reccommend checking out. ruclips.net/video/blYRy8TYk2s/видео.html
Honestly GGS is just everything I wish RWBY was.
One of the most underatted songs is Name of heaven.
I really like this analysis, and I agree with you on a lot of things. I don't wanna tread on toes, but I wanna make a video like this focusing on what RWBY could learn from modern Pop Punk, as the genre is very close to the typical RWBY song sound because of the heavy guitars, drums and rawer/less defined vocals. I hope that'd be ok.
You know, I still think the early trailer and some volume 1 songs are top tier. For me, they are uniquely RWBY, as in I can't imagine any other show and/or piece of media going with those songs other than RWBY and it goes beyond just lyrics, just the whole feel of the songs, instrumentals, and whatnot. It just...feels like RWBY, as opposed to some of the newer songs which feel like a pale imitation (at least to me).
I feel like your opinion here is a bit of a reach. For one Taylor Swift is a major pop star who has the time and budget to properly refine her music from the lyrics to the production while the Williams are a couple of d-listers who only have the money of a niche production company whose claim to fame is making internet stuff. The difference in class alone already makes them incomparable on top of differences in genre, writing styles, production styles etc. Taylor Swift's music isn't designed for a long-running web series with its own production problems and her music is designed to appeal to a massive audience who are going to listen solely because of her as opposed to the RWBY audience who attach their enjoyment of the songs to the moments they popped up in the show which were the main source of emotion. You're not even comparing apples to oranges here. You're comparing a half-watered garden of flowers to a big old cherry blossom tree and asking why they aren't as pretty.
But I definitely had some issues when you said: "Good music should be effortless to listen to." Nope! Not at all. Jazz, Heavy Metal, Punk, Dubstep, Gangsta Rap, there are tons of genres of music that are uncomfortable, if not outright discomforting, to listen to by design. People forget that disgust, discomfort, cringe, anger, sadness, and other negative reactions to music are legitimate intentional reactions that said music is trying to produce. Good music is judged on its own merits which is hard enough to do for professionals and an extremely daunting task for anyone who isn't musically trained and doesn't have much music diversity in their palette.
With all that being said, I would argue a much better comparison would be Jeff's work in Red vs Blue. Literally, same boat, except there is a definite difference in quality between Jeff's early stuff in RvB and his work in RWBY. Namely, that the production was cleaner, he had more artists to work with, and wasn't held back by the show so he didn't have to write to "fill in the blanks". It seems that the production issues had a lot to do with RWBY because Jeff was producer of RvB's soundtrack for Revelations, S9, and S10. I would argue that the difference is the limits of producing metal and orchestral songs back to back as opposed to the experimental tracks of RvB, having less professional artists to work with for whatever reason, and overall having to deal with the sound production issues that RWBY naturally has on top of things like scheduling issues and whatnot.
I guess my criticism of your video here is that you're doing the cardinal sin of comparing music to a completely different form of music and assuming one can help the other. Taylor's music works because it's her music. The Williams aren't making their own music, they're making a product for another company to sell. Taylor is making entire meals out of her albums while the Williams are making what are essentially spices to someone else's meal. In musical criticism, you don't want to say that one person's work can improve another's because, even if the artists are in the same exact lane, their music and the development of it is personal to them and they aren't liable to hold themselves to any standard. It's better to compare their work to themselves or speak in more objective terms.
Not siblings, father and daughter duo. Just thought to mention that.
@@rei_queenkimochii Wow, you're the first to say anything after a year. Thanks for the correction!
This reminds me of why people say they love the Guilty Gear Strive soundtrack, they sound great instrumentally but once you fully listen to the lyrics you see how they tell the story of the characters without being too blatant about it
I used to listen and sing along to the soundtrack, but now I found myself struggling. In contrast, OK Goodnight and any other music,, it's easier and comfortable for me
You're literally the reason I started listening to taylor swift's music seriously.
Back in my middle & Highschool days, there was this whole stigma around where if you listened to her music it made you "lame", so as someone with not many friends and desperate to escape my "the weird kid" label, I avoided her music.
Skip ahead to recent events, after watching your lost fables video, and I heard "End game" I immediately searched it up was surprised to see that it was Taylor. And now i'm currently on a path of listening to all of her songs.
So far my favorites are:
1. End game
2. Shake it off
3. Blank space
4. I forgot that you existed
5. Long story short it was a bad time
So pretty much, thank you for breaking me out of that dumb stigmatized view of Taylor's music. After this video I'm probably going to listen to end game again.
Surprised you like End Game since that tends to be considered one of her worst songs by Swifties. That being said, End Game is honestly underrated and deserves more praise, I love the song.
Music is entirely subjective, so I'm not gonna sit here and turn my nose up to someone's opinion on it. I will, however, bawlk at the suggestion that there are "occasional leitmotifs". RWBY has made intricate use of leitmotifs over the years, in a way that very little animated media ever attempts. Almost every important character and setting, as well as more general ideas (ex. the Huntsmen, hope, the Relics) has a leitmotif associated with it, and they paint a much more detailed picture than most give the music credit for.
I will also make the polite correction that "The Truth" did not steal Roman's leitmotif. While the two have tangential melodic parallels, what is used _is_ Cinder's.
Music should enhance moments, not be the backbone
I think the arcane soundtrack is the perfect example on how to do it right.
I would imagine Jeff is actually incredibly versed in song production, but when you work with similar instruments and produce such similar sounding songs (as you mentioned), you can tend towards using the same mastering and filtering presets to get the job done. So I imagine he knows what he's doing on a technical level, but the pressure of being the composer AND producer all while under crunch time from RT for the next volume probably makes him lean more towards uniformity of sound quality. Music production and sound design are incredibly tough, so being up against the clock would limit anyone no matter how much experience they have. I don't blame him, but this also means maybe he should not shoulder the entire project year after year alone
I’m hoping you make a video on Pyrrha. For me, Pyrrha is my favorite character in RWBY. She’s the only character who feels like she’s actually had a complete character arc and the only character who honestly feels like she’s had a lasting impact on the show.
Listening to Casey's band Ok Goodnight and listening to RWBY's soundtrack feels like night and day just from quality of instrument alone. I might be biased though: it reminds me a lot of what I listened to in high school
I’m gonna be honest, comparing RWBY to Taylor and Doja Cat isn’t good. They are completely different artists on completely different levels. Jeff and Casey make music based off of a show while Doja and Taylor do their own thing for the worlds music. There is no way you can compare them to each other and get a good comparison
There not in the same lanes however other series have soundtracks and artist who make music based around thier show and the music sounds good lmao
Like Jeff and Casey don’t have to be international celebrities to step up thier game with production and writing on songs they don’t have to be a doja cat to experiment with different styles and make a better product
Shows like arcane and Steven universe and kipo don’t have songs with muddy production where the instruments sound like thier going to war with each other they also don’t put all the stress of creating their soundtracks on a father daughter duo who have been forced to pump out a new product back to back for almost a decade
So my over all point is Jeff and Casey not being international pop stars isn’t an excuse for poor quality because other animated action adventure series with sound tracks aren’t making this mistakes that Jeff and Casey are making but honestly
Mostly Jeff because like Thomas said Casey’s band ok goodnight makes immaculate music that sounds amazing
@@maxwellmediainc lol bro no its to different to make that comparison
I think that RWBY can learn a little something from Netflix Arcane as well. That soundtrack is filled with a ton of genres from so many different artist, and it slaps. Go listen to it if you haven't.
Wow! You combined what I love (being RWBY) to what my sister loves (being Taylor Swift) in one single video. 👏👏👏 Way to go!
I still love the song hero!
This was an interesting video.
Hmm you should do a video on Taylor swift songs(or song in general) that best represent each rwby character. Maybe even the openings too.
Well hero wasn't sung by Jeff it was done by celeb hyles
You know what series I think RWBY should learn from? A series called The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance its a marvelous good-old fashion fantasy series between the evil overlords vs the inhabitants of their planet to save it. Its a worthy watch, it has a great amount of lore and characters that give the series weight. I highly recommend you give it a watch as it is on Netflix.
@Gwendolyn i guess proper world building, and good cast of villains and heroes and deeper mythos. Although have you watched The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance on Netflix?
Thank you for giving me a new appreciation of Taylor Swift's music.
I hardly care to listen to rwbys vocal tracks post V3. I was never a hard rock person or anything anyway (barring anime songs and those types of bands) so once the tinted RWBY glasses were off the musics attraction did as well. It’s unfortunate but it happens
I especially feel like the past few volumes have fallen victim to all sounding very similar. I don't know if this is just me, but especially volume 5 & 6 soundtracks sound like one long work. I think volume 7 took big steps to introducing a different sound, albeit not vastly different. Volume 8 feels almost like a step back in the sonic direction of V7.
Honestly idk how the fuck Jeff does what he does. Produce and write an entire album on a yearly basis. Holy shit. It's a wonder that it took all the way up until volume 8 for the yearly pattern for break (and for a perfectly valid reason, they should take as long as they need).
Tbh it isn't the biggest problem for me since the specific type of music they make is literally right up my alley. I love loud rock with scream-y or belt-y vocals. Also I'm not a musician, either. My 2 cents is more like a scrap of metal being thrown down an alleyway.
I admittedly got a soft spot for rwby music. When volume 4 hit, it was the music that keep me going for volume 5. When that hit… I really only came back for the music. Gems like mirror, mirror, red like roses are classics.
Said all that… it’s true that the latest volumes have been really samey-samey.
And I hate how the songs have become so rwby-specific. Let me explain: red like roses is about rwby, but you can take that song, put it in another context outside of rwby and it works.
The latest batch of songs are so intertwined with rwby that unless you’re a rwby fan, you really don’t get the full appeal. And this also puts the songwriter in a thought spot as he now has to make the song fit rwby or else. and with the tendency of the character’s growth being so superficial, we get songs dragged too. Like, how many times can Weiss sing about his dad being evil? You would think that after eight volumes she would get another personal thing to face instead of his family drama, but no.
And I don’t care what anyone says, a song is not supposed to explain a character better than the actual show. And having to put out an annual album about a show with terrible writing is… it must be hard, that’s what I’m saying.
PS: OK goodnight is amazing.
I've never been a big fan of rwbys slow songs. They always seem s bit awkward. The rock style songs were always just ok. I think the action scenes actually help elevate the songs rather than the other way around, especially in volume 1-3. I agree with lyrics being muffled by the blasting of instruments and lower production quality.
Taylor Swifts music is great at storytelling. The journey of the evolution of her music with each album isnt just hers, but also the audience's. When listening back to her older songs, I attributed them to that specific time in my life when I listened to it. Connecting with the memories and feelings back then and hearing it now as a different person from years ago. Her re-releases give off the same idea.
This had nothing to do with RWBY. Man just wanted gush about Taylor Swift for 35 minutes
The RWBY music is 100% my style (and listening to the songs is what got my curious to check out the show).
So for me, the songs will always be the one thing I still like about the show. (Especially the older songs)
Okay I haven’t listened to any of the songs since the V8 finale. Honestly, I feel like some of the songs helped me get through my depression. Which makes them totally ignoring the theme of hope and optimism overcoming all odds in volume 8 feels almost like a personal insult….
(Also I can’t music. Like at all. I can’t hold a tune. Or even identify time signature. It’s kinda sad LOL
So even if the music is objectively has issues, I still like it.
Well did.
The music is ruined by what CRWBY decided to do with the plot. )
You should rate winx outfits that didn't appear in the show or fan made winx outfits
Examples
Hallowinx outfits
Prototype believix, enchantix
Arcanix
Dimentix
Flyrix
Gothic sirenix
Winx if they fused with their animals like the Trix did
This ought to be a very interesting video.
One of the things that made me fall in love with RWBY was its soundtrack. I liked the idea of personifying a character through a song-the instruments, the speed, the lyrics all reflecting aspects of their personalities-and I really love the original trailers because of this. The acoustic elements of Red Like Roses pt 1 and the music box-esque intro establish her as a hero and particularly as a romantic-an aspect of her personality which the writers seem to have forgotten about. Those same elements showing up in Ruby vs the Beringel show how she has grown, but she's still the same person. Blake's piano intro and outro in From Shadows reflect her quiet, brooding nature while the electronic middle shows the state of mind she and Adam share regarding the White Fang. Weiss's simplistic lyrics in Mirror Mirror convey her lack of freedom in creative expression. I do agree with you about I Burn; Yang was my favorite character pre-volume 4, and I always felt she deserved a better song. The lyrics are cringey, especially to sing in public. That said, I ADORE the remix for her trailer. I always thought it matched the mood so well.
I agree that Jeff's writing has gone downhill since the earlier volumes. His lyrics have become too literal, and there isn't a lot of variation between songs. My all-time favorite is still Caffeine as my motivational track :) sorry for lack of coherency
I agree in the production section, its such a shame how Casey voice doesn’t get to shine properly due to all that is happening in the background
She is an absolutely amazing vocalist but her voice does not always fit the song and she’s trying too hard to keep up like in Caffeine at least in my opinion
Personally, I just wish they got different singers. Nothing against Casey, she's incredibly talented, but just get different sounding people in there.
cost money that they don't got lol
The songs are easily one of the best part of rwby
There’s a story that fills the holes that we don’t understand in the story or make it clearer
Taylor has been one of my favorite artists since forever
I listened to all of her albums and I love every song
I mean not all but usually I like calm songs and storytelling songs
It makes me open my eyes
Her music makes feel like the less I think the more I know or something like that
It’s so good and makes me happy
I usually like her sad songs
Which you can say in every song there’s sadness
Rwby messed up a lot but I still like the show because it’s just fills my heart with lots of feeling I’m like watching all the volumes for the tenth time
And each time a new problem and a new point a view is opening
Like the white fang, portrayal of discrimination, racism, etc....
But rwby excels in one point and it’s the music
It’s my favorite aspect of the show
the scores and songs are phenomenal
Especially the meanings and the story behind it
I think Taylor and rwby are great at the storytelling part of the songs
I hope someone clues Taylor into this video. Don’t know what her opinion is on RWBy but I think she’d appreciate someone taking the time to analyze her work like this.
i think you leaned too hard into pop being the optime of sound production. the industry does some interesting things, but all of these things you like are synthetic made to sell you a story devoid of real human soul. Congrats you bought into what the pop media wants you to be and fyi taylor like most artist in the industry don't write their own songs they have a team, ideas get thrown around surely including her but not exclusively hers. A team of talent are what helps bring this to life so i don't think it's fair to compare jeff and casey when it's just them . I do agree they should have more help to make better production but the rest of the video is kinda of diminishes the point when all you did was gush about big media production and taylor swift
Rather than wasting Amalee in the Cinder backstory episode, they should have scouted her for her musical talent. Her original EPs are stunning and her covers of Red Like Rses and Mirror Mirror are actually better than the originals
13:50 “Love is something universal”
Me: Am I a joke to you?
You nailed the flaws. I think any Form of Art needs clear communication that has something to say. Rwby would have benefited greatly if the music was in sync with the fights happening. That's what made monty's fights legendary.
I love that you are a devoted swiftie… that’s how I am with ariana grande and it’s funny that she started out on winx… I hope her and taylor do a collab soon!!!
I wish but Scooter is Ari’s manager so unlikely anytime soon…I love Ariana too and a collab with her and Taylor would be a dream
This video made me realize how skilled Taylor swift is (I already knew she was great but I’m a Kanye fan) so thanks
i used to like the storytelling of some of the songs until I realized that the songs and the series were nor telling the same history
one of my favorites songs is red like roses part ll I love the dialogue it is really emotional changed, a back and forth fill with grief and remorse but the thing is that's not ruby at least not the one in the show
My my, we are in a rwby mood these past videos aren’t we?
Yeah this was a logical progression from the rest of your channel
1st and Yeah I see you love Taylor Swift and thanks to you so do I.
Good vid, honestly appreciated how you broke down the songs but I wish you examined more Rock and Roll artist's music as I think RWBY's music fits more into that genre rather than Pop. The particular part when you mentioned too many words and Casey having trouble singing them, that's a Rock genre gimmick similar how in Pop music a part is wrapped quickly. Think you are 100% right about the lyrics analysis though.
When all your fav songs are used as bad examples......
Same :/
It’s alright to like a bad song😁 some of my favourite songs sound like…. Well sound, I like mechanical heavy music that focus on the beat and less the music (the exception being swing music) I know this music isn’t good but I still like listening to it!
@@Crazygamergal problem is music is so subjective that whats considered good differs person to person. Remember whe jazz was considered cacophonous
@@itsjustvin7630 wasn’t jazz hated because it was predominantly created by black artists? Like that eint subjective that’s just rascism😆
@@Crazygamergal the same happened to rock and heavy metal
I have 2 points I'd like to discuss
1)RWBY's songs dont have any build up, play Friend or Bumblebee or War, they all start with 0 build up
2) What if Jeff doesnt experiment because RT doesnt allow him to? Could that be allowed?
When I listen to Sza’s ctrl. I couldn’t help but think of RWBY when I heard “Pretty Little Birds” the production on that song is so good and I wish Rwby had songs like this. It’s kinda insane that original we weren’t supposed to get “Pretty Little Birds” on ctrl.
I've always kinda hated the lyrics in rwbys vocal tracks. I still jam out hard to em but the lyrics feel way too on the nose.
I'm imagining a rwby song where someone is talking about they feel and they can speed up and slow down what they say and have something trivial to talk about, but that something could have emotional weight. I dont think thats what rwby music does
I've never really liked RWBY's music at all. I listen to a high variety of music. The Beatles being my personal favourite band.
When it comes to RWBY's music I always felt like the lyrics, singer, and the instrumental tracks just didn't fit together at all. All feeling like completely different songs just mashed together to me.
Though when I listen to Caleb Hyles' versions of the songs I enjoy them faaaaaarrrrr more to the point where I'm looping his versions of the songs all the time.
I don't know if it's just because his voice feels like it fits better to the rest of the parts of the songs or what but personally I find his versions much more enjoyable than the originals.
If anything from my perspective (I'm a composer and have been studying music for 10 years), RWBY music just doesn't... experiment as much anymore. Red Like Roses uses strings and percussion and it kinda evokes a fantasy adventure vibe. Mirror Mirror is primarily strings and minimal percussion (imo these two are the best v1 songs). The main issue is that Casey is an excellent singer. Jeff is trying to be epic rocker that does anime music but all he does is scream to the point my voice studying ears worries that he'll get nodes. He makes his vocals way too loud compared to Casey's in certain parts. I made my own EP and the mixing is a nightmare to perfectly tune. Jeff fails at mixing
I don't love all of RWBY's vocal tracks, but I do enjoy some.
And Taylor Swift has done a lot of good songs.
In the nicest way possible, this video feels unfair. You are comparing Jeff and Casey’s RWBY Music, that they have to crunch out *every year* on a time limit to an artist like Taylor Swift, who has plenty of time and money to write her music at her own pace. OF COURSE T-Swifts music is going to be better, she has had years to hoan her style and learn over *breaks* she was ALLOWED to have. Jeff doesn’t get that. As long as RWBY Is still chugging out a new season as soon as the last one is done, Jeff has to make new music, no matter how sub-par it is.
Each of the main characters need new character songs
Especially Weiss. All her songs are just rinse and repeat. Her character developed yet all her songs are about her bad dad and not wanting her to be a huntress. And then she rebels and does what she wants and leave the mirror behind.
I wish they gave her a motivation song about her trying to find her friends in volume 5. Like how they gave Yang armed and ready, I wish Weiss got a similar motivation song like that.
@@Alexis-vm8ng Weiss songs are especially weird since it’s almost like there out of order.
@@Jadex56 yeah I agree, they do seem really out of order. They have timeline for her. So they keep making new songs that repeat the same stuff
Okay, now, it's my time to shine (actually RANT)!
I started mixing out of pure, by the lack of a better word, HATE of RWBY's music production. It was the good kind of hate, actually, the one that you see what things could be but is astonished by how poorly some things were done. I also think Jeff mix his own songs, and I also never found any indication that the production was done by anyone other than him.
I, however, don't think that this is all his fault. (I need to note here that producing and mixing are two very different areas in modern music, I'm not sure if you made this distinction in the video). I really think its kinda unfair, although I noticed that this was not your intent, to compare both artists in the same level. Taylor is not alone. By gods, she isn't. She has a s***load of people working with her, most of the best in the world, I imagine. The difference you noted in the RED album is exactly that: The difference in having a lot of money to spent in good people to work with you.
In other hand, I think Jeff works alone most of the time and I believe RT does not give the support (for this I mean the money to hire people to create music with him) he would want. Yes, RWBY production could be much better, but also will be much more expensive and time-consuming. Yes, RWBY mixing is pretty bad, convoluted and sometimes amateurish, but I still think that Jeff is doing a nice job in his conditions. But I also agree the quality of the songs are degrading due to some type of burnout, I think.
To finish: This channel has some of my versions modifying just the guitar (my main instrument) and bass. The mixing is not good due to a lot of factors. But I really think I improved the songs somewhat. I suggest you, the reader of this weird post, to check it out, especially my version on the Opening of Volume 8 and Red Like Roses part II. I really did my best.
I hope you all like it.
Yo, plastic hearts just fits with the vol. 7 opening. That's crazy
This explains why i always come back and listen to path of isolation and neon lol
If you want to explore good music, I *highly* recommend listening to the OSTs of Yuuki Yuuna, NieR: Automata, SINoALICE, Bayonetta
I still generally like RWBY's soundtracks, although I've not really gotten attached to songs starting in Volume 7, but this video did help me figure out an issue I've been having. Sometimes when I listen to the songs, the lyrics just start to sound off to me, and now I realize it's because I started to pick up on the "telling instead of showing" aspect even though I didn't consciously recognize it at the time.
Although then you had to go and break my heart by including my favorite RWBY lyrics ever - "All tales conclude, all bonds dissolve, infinite matter with always evolve" - as an example of the syllable problem.
Not me forgetting mid way through I’m watching a rwby video😭
RWBY can even learn from others song. one Example is Last Stardust from Fate/Stay night UBW with Shirou. The Song represent Good the Essence from Shirou and even when the Road that he takes will maybe Broke him, he WILL move Forward with his Ideals to Become a Hero, without to tell direct that. It is a Song, that can Combine not just with Shirou, but with other Characters from different Franchises, because in this song, the Focus is not directly to Shirou, but instead it is focus on that, what he has Feeling in the Past and his response to this Feeling's
Really interresting videos, it give the need to learn more about music in general for me . Congrats
thank you; more enlightening than normal, or in a different way? appreciated either way
No cap I would be interested to see how you would compare rwby’s songs to Sonic’s songs mainly the crush 40 songs.
I usually enjoy your work but that video is a mess that has, basically, no point. The only thing I got from that is how out of your depth you were on that subject matter. Sorry Thomas, hope to enjoy the next video more.
I know music is pretty subjective. But for me, RWBY’s music has always been pretty hit of miss for me. Allot of the reasons are the things mentioned. The music and lyrics getting muddled, the over use of screaming, how things seemed cheaply reused, and how people seem to insist that this somehow conveys cannon information.
9 times out of ten, it’s a miss. But I’ve always felt that CRWBY only relying of Jeff and Casey for the music has always stunted things. Hell it’s only recently when they had Caleb Haynes used for one song in Volume 8. Hell they even had Ama Lee who voiced a character in Volume 8 but they didn’t let her add a song to the volume 8 track. Despite her having done both Red like Roses parts one and two, and Mirror mirror.
There is a wealth of musical artists on RUclips that could help make RWBY’s music so much better.
I've been an on. And off Taylor fan. I am going to go back and listen to more Taylor songs. They are good.
Oh, something different. Neat 🙂
forgot this was a rwby video for a bit oop I should listen to taylor swift
I'm not a Swift fan but I do enjoy her storytelling. She has the writing that I enjoy about music that I feel is very much lost today.
RWBY lost its hold on me after V3. For the same reasons brought up. With very few exceptions, I don't listen to the music.
Great work Unicorn. Greatly appreciated.
0:31
Okay, but you didn't have to call me out like that 😂😂😭😭
It's funny though, my adhd always makes it pretty difficult to really pay attention to the lyrics of just about any song (auditory processing disorder 😩), and I just kinda vibe to a song without much of it's context, until I decide to actually look them up.
So I just assumed that the difficultly of hearing the lyrics in some RWBY songs was just that for me (especially for something like "When it Falls").
I never really considered it being an actual flaw with the songs themselves tbh 😅
Since volume 6 I thought the music for RWBY sucked!
I love "one thing" by Casey and listen to it almost daily
But ever since "one thing" I felt like their music hasn't been there or been good in anyway
The V6 opening In my opinion was just okay not bad or good
But V7 and V8 I did not like and skipped every time I could
I never skipped a RWBY opening prior to V6
Some of it could have been my views on the vic situation and how I didn't like what happened at the end of V6 after the origin story of mommy salami
But even if that was part of it
I still feel like the artists lost their drive and touch with their songs
Whether it be external or internal factors
Their music isn't good to me anymore its bland and boring
I do love Casey Lee Williams arkknights song though it was different and a good change from what I usually hear from her
I do admit I to love the progression of her voice though from sounding like a 90s rock singer in 2013 when she was in middle school or early high school and sounded young to sounding like a well established 30 year old adult in arkknights
*that moment I realise the main reason I like a lot of these songs is cause I’m a sucker for rock* Also, thanks for indirectly getting me hooked on Plastic Hearts now it’s stuck in my head-
What does that mean and why is it half an hour? Time to find out 🍿
Aside how Avatar soundtracks work. Songs of War (dead series), The anime Fate series, and Red Dead Redemption 2 are my personally best examples. For vocals, RUclips, Spotify, and ITune artist should assist more with Rooster Teeth like the song Hero. Even if it’s for money or volunteer, I recommended a hundred percent.
you would do great at putting together a hypothetical rwby volume soundtrack
Seems like an excuse to talk about Taylor swift… I LOVE IT!
When it comes to lyrics and production. I often look to Hip-Hop. Creating good lyrics and making them sound good is second nature to the best of the best. Hip-Hop production can be so experimental and varied, along with the lyrics of the artist.
For an example, Eminem, considered one of the best for very good reason. One of his most recent songs, Stepping Stone is about Eminem's former group D12 and the guilt he feels about leaving them behind as he rises into stardom. With the death of Eminem's brother from another mother Proof being the straw that broke the camel's back for D12.
The song starts off staticky, like a car radio or old TV. It's setting a scene in the past by playing a sound associated with the past. Then Em's vocals sound like him in the early 2000s. Since he's addressing the demons of his past. He's using the style he used back then.
The song just started and already the scene has been set. We're back in the past, with Eminem and D12. Even if you don't like Rap, Stepping Stone is such a great song. Please UnicornofWar, go check it out.
A better comparasion would've been Metal Gear Rising's ost.
RWBY and Taylor Swift? you’ve reached your target audience!
Good video again! So anyways, when are you gonna release the next part of your volume 8 rewrite? I really want to see what you've come up with.
I want to like RWBY's music so much, but I just can't. Mirror Mirror will always hold a special place in my heart, but even back then when I thought Rooster Teeth could do no wrong and everything was a banger, I was still aware that it wasn't very good.
Casey hit an amazing high note but the rest of the vocals were. Eh. Yeah sure she was only 16 but I was only 18 and the same kind of soprano. Any young soprano could have hit that note, and plenty would have pronounced the words more naturally. It almost sounds like she says "tale me something" That's the take we're going with? Alright.
And then the sound quality just kind of sounds like it was ripped from an old RUclips video. It's odd at the very least.
I know it's unfair to criticize one of RWBY's first songs so harshly, but I loved Jeff William's RvB music which came first, and none of RWBY's newer music has been interesting enough for me to listen to more than once. So I'm not going to critique it. But I will say they've put Casey in the wrong genre hoping she'd grow into it, and she just didn't. It doesn't work that way. She sounds good in the slower songs though.
Okay, so I don't know much about Taylor and only really know about RWBY from hbomberguy and some of your videos, so admitetly this title sounds auto-generated
Other genre that are more instrument base can help too. Suggestions Audiomachine, Really Slow Motion and Two Steps from Hell
I never knew Taylors middle name with Allison the more you know
"What Taylor swift could teach Rwby". My first thought was: Ruby never had any boyfriends to compare to Taylor Swift.
Music has been on a slow slide down hill like the show.b
5:00 they sound the same lmao
I kinda thought the same 😅😅
I think they sound and feel slightly different
I disagree, but music is subjective. Love RWBY and Taylor though.
Music is far less subjective than people realize. Enjoying music? Yes. But music theory, vocal pedagogy, etc? Not really.
@@SuperPianogirl123 Of course, 100%, enjoyment is one thing, music theory different. I mean, i played piano, sang in a chorus, dance and all that jazz.
So what?
.
I know music is pretty subjective. But for me, RWBY’s music has always been pretty hit of miss for me. 9 times out of ten, it’s a miss. But I’ve always felt that CRWBY only relying of Jeff and Casey for the music has always stunted things. Hell it’s only recently when they had Caleb Haynes used for one song in Volume 8. Hell they even had Ama Lee who voiced a character in Volume 8 but they didn’t let her add a song to the volume 8 track. Despite her having done both Red like Roses parts one and two, and Mirror mirror.
There is a wealth of musical artists on RUclips that could help make RWBY’s music so much better.
Yknow I do like rwbys songs but I prefer songs from honkai impact wich I recommend listening to.
Why is Miley Cyrus an example of a rock album 😭
Where’s the part that these two things are related at all
Wait until you discover Blind Guardian...
Date people just to write breakup songs later? Qrow x Winter is now cannon!