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Behind the Scenes: Music Special + A New Build Mode Track

Hello everyone! It’s Andrei, ready to talk music 🎶 As the team gets ready to start working on the Live mode and as I finish all the Build mode sounds, I had some extra time to make more music again! In the last post I showed (which you can check here), we saw some of the creation process of the sound effects for the Build mode. And since I’m feeling audacious, I’m going to do the same thing in this post 🥴 Only this time with the new music I’ve made! 😁

⬆️📽️ In the video above, you saw part of the recording process as well as the end result of a new Build mode track called “Little Trinkets”. As we stack layer by layer (with some weird occasional bloopers) you can get the idea of what the final version of the track is gonna sound like! In this post, we’re going to go through the recording process of most tracks that I’ve done for the soundtrack so far! 🥁


Setting up the Studio

The first thing that you got to do before recording audio is making sure there’s silence 🤐 As a home studio owner, it’s so easy to have noise sneak into your recordings; whether it is someone’s footsteps, the AC hum or, in my case, Kurama barking to every single life form outside the house. Once that’s checked, I then set up the mics, tune my instrument, and a lot of other technical things that take over all my attention span. Once I hit the recording button I realize: I have no idea what to play 😂So like anything in life, I improvise!

Recording Takes

I think that one of the things that characterizes the Paralives’ music direction is that I try to record everything myself with my limited abilities instead of using samples or many virtual instruments. As I brainstorm on the spot, usually an idea that I recorded on the banjo or mandolin gives me another idea on another instrument and, before I know it, I’m already vibing to a song that doesn’t even exist yet 🕺 So I record for hours and hours all while listening back to the whole thing. This process is very much like getting a train going: at first it’s hard but once it’s rolling, it goes faster until you can’t make it stop 🚂

Comping and Tweaking

In the end, I usually end up recording too much and everything sounds like a bit of a mess 😅 So I have to polish the song by choosing the best parts of every recording I did, removing some instruments, balancing volumes all while watching a gameplay video of Paralives to make sure the music fits the vibe! The music's most important goal is only to enhance the experience of the game. To feel like a warm hug 🫂

Here’s a screenshot of the Logic Pro project of “Little Trinkets” I know it’s a bit messy 👉👈

Even after “finishing” a track, the best part comes when I put it into the game and notice all the little things that I couldn’t have heard if I wasn’t a player, and proceed to note down all the corrections to do 📝 I’ve always been too much of a perfectionist so there’s really no end to the amount of things I want to add or change in my music 🥸 Somebody once said “A music producer never finishes a song, they just give up on it or run out of time”, just like me with this post’s text ✨ 

What was your favorite part of the video? What has been your favorite track of the whole soundtrack shown so far? Thank you all for everything, it means a ton 😁 Can’t wait to show you the next post!

Until next time,

Andrei ♪♩♩ ♪♩♩♩

Edit - January 23rd, 2025: This post is now public, feel free to share it! 

Comments

awesome yall did a good job

mollie

This is very nice

Constance Keller

I love the track :) it is very uplifting and motivational

Christina Ozeki

Two points: 1) Kurama is a key member of the audio team, and I expect him to be included in the game credits. 2) Describing the music as "a warm hug" is spot on. The music - the entire game, for that matter - feels like a warm hug.

jrrt1459

Muito obrigado Estefani! Estou feliz que você gostou😁

Andrei Castanon

Haaa meus ouvidos agradecem ❤️ essa melodia traz uma sensação de conforto. Amei

Estefani Oliveira

Hey Lenina thank you so much for that! I'm glad you enjoyed the post 😁 It'd be cool to show in a future post Kurama's contribution to the soundtrack hehe

Andrei Castanon

It's really beautiful and emotional to see how every sound is create and It feels really curious to see that you are using human voice in the music, something I didn't expect to see. The melody is really relaxing and original, I would love to hear something on the dog in the track :3

Lenina Hastley

Hey Anna! Thank you so much for sharing that, it means a lot! It's true every time I open an old project, I feel like a granpa cause I get overwhelmed and can't make any sense of the mess. If it's of any help, I did this specific track with minimalistic layers, so basically just loop 4 bars and brainstorm all the things that you could add on top of it. Kinda how it's done in many urban productions. Also, I've always seen the instrumentation of our music direction as an orchestral approach with non-orchestral instruments, if that makes sense. Thanks again! 😁

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much! I think the rest of the soundtrack is pretty much that. I'd love to add more unexpected instruments though!

Andrei Castanon

Yessss can't wait for that either 😈 Thank you so much!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you 🦊 Kurama is a lil angel

Andrei Castanon

I loved seeing the process of the song being made (and when is a Logic Project NOT messy? 😂)! The music totally fit the vibe of the game and I can so clearly see myself sitting by my computer, building my little home and listening to this beautiful music you’ve created 🥰 I find it so hard to create music like this, which is what I want to do in life, but you inspire me! So excited to hear more of your music in game. Thank you for this!

Anna Wendel

I would die for a soundtrack that dives even deeper into this style. upbeat songs with some melancholy we can't quite pin point and unexpected instruments. I guess what I love is the unpredictability.

Ghislain Pedro

Love the music. can't wait to hear it while i'm building my evil villain lair in the game.

JossGun Shipper

omg he is soo cute

Emilio Miriano

Wow that's beautiful Roe 🥺 Thank you for sharing that! It's crazy how we all have different experiences through the same music!

Andrei Castanon

Each part of this song did something to me I can't quite let go of, evoking feelings of a home I've never had, a departure I've never made, a reunion I've never been a part of, reminiscence I've never done, and a contentment I've yet to find. It's a life lived in the apan of only a few moments... Beautiful.

Roe B.

Thank you so much dcknx 🙏 I'm always glad to hear that you enjoyed the post! It was so fun to do!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much Marina 🥹 I feel really lucky to be here! So glad you enjoyed it!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Sophie! :D Can't wait either!

Andrei Castanon

Thank youuuu!🥹

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much Lautel! 😁 So glad you enjoyed! Me too I'm so excited!

Andrei Castanon

Wow thank you so much for your comment. That really means a lot. It couldn't have been said any better than how you described it. I do believe that, besides from just sheer beauty, music's emotional impact is very much intertwined with the memories that we associate it to. And hopefully that'll be a beautiful one once you play Paralives. I'm very grateful thank you

Andrei Castanon

I'm so glad you liked Neovelli! 😁 Thank you so much

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Bethy!! So glad you liked it! Got it! Revisions are already planned on the things you mentioned! Thank you so much🙏

Andrei Castanon

We're so lucky you're so talented! Fits totally the cozy/warm vibe of this game Can't wait to ear it myself from the game 🥺

Marina

Omg 😲 I love this I can't wait for release this game is goingbto be a totally unique simulation game it's beautiful seeing it come together♡♡

Sophiee Sharples

Appreciate youuuu 🩵🩵🩵🤧🥹👏🏽👏🏽

LBoogie

Oh I just loved this so much! It feels so light and gentle and friendly and warm! Lovely song- I'm so excited for Paralives!!!

Lautel Okhio

To me, the most important part of a game is the music! The right tracks can instantly transport you into the game, taking you through an emotional roller coaster and years later, the moment you hear the tune again, it's a nostalgic overload that truly does feel like a warm embrace. Hearing this track, I can't wait for this to happen when I play Paralives! Beautiful song, Andrei, thanks for sharing this cool process! I loved the acoustic guitar part and the harmonizing and I love the notes that made it sound mysterious. (Also don't be too hard on yourself when producing) 😃💕#takemymoney

ZLoves

Wow, I got litteral goosebumps! It's beautiful Andrei ❤️🥹

Neovelli

It was very interesting. Andrei is so young, talented and passionate about his work. He deserves our love

KittyPara

Yay!! 😁💖💖💖💖💖

PinkRosie

I know I've said it a hundred times here already, but I really like watching the creative process behind the sound of Paralives, so thanks for sharing again Andrei! The only thing I think I like even more is the final result - can't wait to be building to 'Little trinkets,' it's the perfect vibe for it 💚

dcknx

This was so fun 😍😍 I love music but can only really play the piano lol so to see you have fun with all these instruments was so cool. I do think that when the Melodion comes in it's a bit overpowering for the otherwise super laid back melody and vibes, and maybe when the super high pitched part (idk what that is) comes in too, it's a lot. But in general I really love the way the song moves!! You are very talented, I can't wait to hear the full soundtrack 🙌🏼🙌🏼

Bethy Grace

Hey Tati! Thank you so much for your feedback. Other people have mentioned the same here and on Discord! We'll definitely make some revisions on that. I'm really glad you're enjoying the soundtrack so far! :D

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Hilmi! Glad you enjoyed it!

Andrei Castanon

There's a high-pitched part in the song ‘little trinkets’ that bothered me a bit, it seemed to be too high in relation to the rest and ‘destroyed’ the atmosphere of the song a bit But great job, I love to see how cosy songs are born from little things I'm already spending a long time listening to everything we've already got, when Andrei finishes it'll be hard to stop 😄😄

Tati Gaspar

I absolutely love this.

Hilmi

Thank you Zoie!! It's always fun to share with y'all. I really enjoyed doing the post😁

Andrei Castanon

Graciaaaaaaass!! 😆💪💪💪

Andrei Castanon

Exactly! As mentioned, the elder patreons will get the full soundtrack of the game upon release! You can still listen to the songs made public so far in this playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-kNNKVxTUM&list=PL8U2q4LJmyf_gB6KG0y4YbKr6aNZLNUSh

Andrei Castanon

Hey ladyteruki! Always glad to have your insight! 😁 It means a lot that the soundtrack so far has made you feel that way. Like I said in another comment, I do put a lot of my own nostalgia into it and it's very heart-warming how it could resonate on other people. Thank you for your appreciation 🙏 Most tracks do emerge from sheer improvisation and sometimes the ideas do pop up out of nowhere and I find myself with a bunch of recordings of potential ideas on my phone 😂

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Tinks!!!! :D

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much Terry! I'm glad you liked all the layered sounds! :)

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much FlutterCat! I'm glad you liked it! The track you're talking about is "Home" and yes it still exists in the game! :)

Andrei Castanon

Thank you!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much! That was one of the base criteria for the whole soundtrack! Glad it worked!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much Luca! Really glad you've liked it so far :D

Andrei Castanon

I can tell you’re putting a lot of effort, thought, and emotion into these tracks. The music direction you and the team decided on is great – it has so much personality and feels nostalgic and cozy, like a warm hug. When I listen to it, it reminds me of The Sims 2, not in terms of sound but in the emotions it evokes – which is a good thing! Keep it up! I can’t wait to hear the full soundtrack when I finally get to play the game :)

SimMattically

Děkuji mnohokrát. Znamená to hodně 😁

Andrei Castanon

It gets me emotional too Rebecca! But I may be really biased in this😆 So glad you enjoyed it!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Chloe!!!🥹

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Carelle :D Can't wait either!

Andrei Castanon

Thanks Lucas!

Andrei Castanon

Hey SimMattically! That really means a lot, I'm glad you liked the song 🥹 To be honest what I think about mostly is how the tracks resonate with me personally. Most of them make me recall certain moments of my life and I use them in a way to let out a lot of emotions. It'd be a beautiful thing if ever this music gets to resonate on others and even help them go through something. Regardless I'm very grateful

Andrei Castanon

I want to note that I listened to the audio in an old phone speaker, so maybe that made the pitch worse. Something to take into account. Keep up the good work!

Rodrigo Escribano

Crazy idea here: what if y'all contacted Steve Jablonsky and paid a license to cover (re-record) some of his iconic tracks from The Sims 3 for the game?

Ferb Sánchez

Thank you Katerina! That means a lot! Can't wait for you to play the game!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Stephanie! It really means a lot :)

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much :D I can't wait for you to play the game!!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much! I'm really happy you enjoyed waking up to it :)

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Micheal! :D

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much Renikee that means a lot! 🥹 I love intertwined too! I just listened to it this morning and got so nostalgic!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much Lindsey!! It really means tons that the soundtrack motivated you to do that it's so awesome! I'm really happy you've enjoyed it so far 🙏

Andrei Castanon

And yes! You can deactivate specific songs or sounds in the control panel if you wish! Hopefully we'll get to do a video soon explaining the many thing s you can do with those settings! :)

Andrei Castanon

Thanks for the feedback Madeline! Definitely will make some revisions to the track since more people have mentioned the same thing!

Andrei Castanon

THX!!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much Daniel! :D

Andrei Castanon

Noted! Someone else mentioned the same thing on Discord so definitely will revise once we get to do some tweaks! Thanks so much :)

Andrei Castanon

This was a really fun read / watch / listen. Always appreciate the team for how much you all share with us! So cool to see how all aspects of the game are developing

Zoie

Thank you so much Tey! I'm really glad you enjoyed it! :)

Andrei Castanon

Graciaaaaaaaaaaassss😁😁😁

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Siri! Glad you liked it!

Andrei Castanon

Thanks so much Andres! Really appreciate it

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Fran! I called it Little Trinkets to make contrast with the last Build mode song made Building Blocks! :D

Andrei Castanon

Anyone can! With practice 🙂‍↕️

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much Ellen! I feel like life sim in general has so much potential but because of it's sandbox nature, music has to somehow fit the many possible scenarios so it's understandable that players would prefer sometimes to hear their own music also to not get tired of the same songs playing. In our case we aim to just give a unique cozy experience that hopefully most players could appreciate! :D

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much Trisha! As long as y'all feel cozy while playing then all's good! :)

Andrei Castanon

This is awesome! My favourite part in the video is you doing the chorus. it's unbelievable! And probably this is my favourite song of the soundtrack. But all songs are amazing, as you said, I feel they give me a big hug!

Ivan

Thank you so much Cece! Really glad you liked the build up :)

Andrei Castanon

Thank you so much! I'm happy you enjoyed it :D

Andrei Castanon

Thanks so much Giuseppe!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Ashley! It was so fun to make the track :)

Andrei Castanon

Thanks Rusiana! Definitely more live mode content is coming up in future posts :D Can't wait either!

Andrei Castanon

Thank you Kristen! Me too AAHH!

Andrei Castanon

Thanks Gustavo! There are some gorgeous animations coming up in a future post! Can't wait either!

Andrei Castanon

It's always fantastic to hear from you, Andrei. Once again, what a beautiful creation. I know you and the rest of the Paralives team aim for a feeling of coziness for the game, but your soundtrack so far has always made me feel very vulnerable in a way I can't fully explain. Not in a sad way, just in a very raw way. It's like experiencing nostalgia for things unknown... Little Trinkets is no exception, especially the bit around 3:26 (also, the one around 4:33). There's something so poignant about these tracks that always makes me a bit misty eyed. To think that it emerged from improvisation and randomness is both fun and mind-boggling. That "accident" could have not happen at all, or in a completely different shape, and yet here it is.

ladyteruki

Love this!!👏🏻😁 amazing job as always Andrei! 🥁

Becky

OMG this is amazing! You seriously need to write all the music for the game, very original and love all the instruments and layered sounds, You are a master Andrei! <3

TnT_Terry

If you look at the Patreon tiers, the elder tier says you get a free soundtrack upon game release :)

Keela

Wow! What a beautiful soundtrack that was! My favorite soundtrack is this one and the one that was playing in the 11 minute build mode video back in 2021. I hope that soundtrack still exist. Because that will be my top ten!🥰💖

PinkRosie

Very Wells i love a most

rénette

I love that. The track has emotional weight without being depressing

I JONES

I hope we'll get to buy this soundtrack somewhere for download. It's so cute and I wanna have is to listen to it while studying c:

lias

Absolutely fantastic, magnificent work! The soundtrack is really killing it, kudos!

Luka

Geniální melodie. Do všeho vkládáte velké úsilí. Děkuji za vaší lásku, která jde cítit při všem, co vytváříte pro Paralives.

Magda Klímová

This almost made me cry. I don't cry to music often. Game's not even out yet how have you done this?

Rebecca Blue

You’re so talented!!!

Chloe-oe-o

This music is going to be really good! I can't wait!

Carelle

I love it

Lucas Medeiros

Andrei, do you realize you’re potentially creating a very meaningful soundtrack that will resonate with many people for years to come? One day, it could even become nostalgic for future kids who discover Paralives when it’s released. 🥹 The song is really good and cozy - very much in the spirit of Paralives! Love it!

SimMattically

OMG I can't wait to listen to the song in game, I am never gonna leave buildmode the song is too good. Thank you for this banger, Andrei ♥♥♥

Kateřina Králová

Beautiful!!!

Toastybrioche

The music you created is gorgeous! I can't wait to play the game and be listening to this! The vibe is exquisite 😌

Stephanie Marion

I absolutely love all the music you've composed so far! I can't wait to experience it in game.

BreakingGaia

I love it Andrei! I was just waking up when I watched the video and listened to Little Trinkets and it was exactly as you said. A warm hug. Thank you so much. 💜✨

Candle

Hopefully, you should be able to turn off the song in the settings. It does stick out compared to the beginning of the song. And the bit after the whistle sounds after busy and a bit "hurry hurry hurry" to my ears. Not sure if build mode music should stress out the player.

Vera Ohlsen

Love it. So talented, Andrei!

Michael

Agree, it's a bit too strong, it could be softer and that part would become much better imo

Renikee

I think this might just be my new favourite music along with Intertwined! The music posts are my favourite types of posts here

Renikee

I upped my membership a bit ago just so I can get the soundtrack on game release, I absolutely love all of the tracks so far. Thank you for sharing!!

Lindsey

The song composition is lovely, but I'm sorry, that high-pitched synth-y whistle sound is a sensory nightmare for me for some reason. 😬

Madeline

PEAK

Pvydrow

He sure can!

Alex Massé

absolutely ADORE the new track!!! wonderful job <3

Daniel A

I like it a lot! Although the pitch that starts at 3:28 should be toned down a little, it was a bit annoying in my opinion.

Rodrigo Escribano

That was magical!! ✨️ Thank you for sharing the behind the scenes music creation! I love the 'Little Trinkets' tune and I can't wait to build by it!! 💕

tey711

Let's gooooooo! You make it look so simple and magical—amazing work! So much effort and love put into this game; I absolutely love it.

Ivan

Love seeing this side of the game!

Siri Gierlich

It does feel like a warm hug so mission accomplished 🫂

Andres PDM

Trinkets sounds beautiful. I can certainly hear why you called it trinkets.

Fran Smith

Andrei can also sing?? 🤯

Mario Miravalles

I appreciate you sharing the process! Video game music is an underappreciated task, and especially in life sims, where you can spend hours building or making characters, I feel like that music is doubly important. It's cool to see the creative process on display!

Ellen Kaluza

Oooh, I have to say I really love the build mode track and I think the title is just adorable!! Music like this will really add to the cosy atmosphere while building in Paralives. Thanks for sharing!

Trisha

Such a fun video and post! I absolutely love little trinkets, I love the way all the songs build up and each segment has its own feeling of tranquility that just washes over the listener. Beautiful work 🤍

Cece

Such a beautiful track. I'm very excited to listen to this for hours as I meticulously build my homes!

Team True Destiny

I'm just in love with this music

Giuseppe Sammatrice

It was so beautiful watching this come together! This was a fantastic behind the scenes!!

Ashley Rose

Yall are amazing I'm so excited for this game! 🥰

Kristen Wright

I was so hopeful for a new animation showcase, but at least the songs are still perfect 🥹

Gustavo Oliveira

Awesome. We’re waiting for posts about the characters and the life mode! Can’t wait any longer😄

Ruslana Ivasenko


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