Starcraft music

[Sietsh-Tenk]

The protoss music is fine: it draws from other sci-fi franchises, and the soundtrack 3 minutes into the game really reminded me a lot of Halo.
I don't know the zerg soundtrack.
The Terran soundtrack, however, needs some work.
As far as I recall, the Terran soundtrack of SC1 had three songs.
The first one is the hard-rock like score. It's tough, it reminds you of the rusty uncertain world which the terran inhabit. It also spells determination: no one fucks with the people listening to this music.
The second score is the one with the brilliant keyboard solo. It reminds you of the smug side of the terran, the side of humanity that says 'I'll take this on, no problem', then finding out that 'this' is a world-eating alien species bent on killing and assimilating you and a planet-glassing species that wants to stop the first species from assimilating you, but not really minding killing you off in a planetary bombardment in the process, at least some of them. It's the kind of music that reminds me of a fast Wraith raid. You can just see the over-confident pilot performing a few barrel rolls before getting shot down by a stealthed protoss Scout or some such. But at least he died trying, and looked good while he was shot to bits.
The third one is the defining theme from Brood War, the heavy orchestral piece. It's more grounded in classic Space Opera, like Star Wars. It goes perfectly with the might of the UED fleet, and the seeming implacability of the Terran Dominion, created as some megalomanic project by Arcturus Mengsk. When you listen to it, in it's bombastic overtones you can feel traces of humanity overstretching itself in the face of dangers it cannot grasp.
The three songs all have two things in common: toughness and uncertainty. The toughness can be rusty and industrial, like in the first song, smug and smooth, as in the second, or militaristic and grand, as examplified by the Brood War theme.
The uncertainty can be felt in the quieter interludes, such as the one that ends in a harp in the BW theme. What's out there? Aren't we going to fast? These are the questions that arise during the interludes, as if the represent a moment of reflection that most terrans really don't have time for - soon the tough music continues.
The rock-like songs also share a syntethic industrial sound, and it makes them rise above bread-and-butter hardrock, makes it sound unique.
The SC2 soundtrack tries to emulate this, but fails utterly. The bombastic orchestral score is missing: I can do without it because it wasn't my favourite piece the first place, but it would have a place especially now, with Mengsk's newly consolidated dominion.
The rock-themed tracks have lost all their sense of urgency. They sound bumbling, uninspired and hick-like. I don't know who came up with the violin, but he's an idiot. I have nothing against violins in a country style, but the light tone this one plays in just doesn't fit the dark, threatened universe the terrans inhabit. The synthesizer elements have also been dropped completely. The bland hardrock that remains reminds me mostly of a Discovery show about buildings bikes from a scrapyard, or something. Certainly not of an enclave of humanity in a brooding, doomed sector of the galaxy.
I have no idea what happened to the musical prowess that has marked Blizzard, even with WC3 and WoW (and the protoss score, though I don't know it very well). What we have now for the terran is cheesy, uninspired hardrock mixed with hickish, well, something that's supposed to invoke bluegrass, I suppose. Bring back the sense of uncertainty, toughness, bring back the synthesizer. I know Blizzard can do it!

[p5ych0p4N]

As a violin player, I resent you that violin comment

I for one like the Terran music, it reminds me of Firefly in some parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcghLSIpZlM

[Josue]

There's already a thread about this here:
http://sclegacy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3522
Mods, please merge threads?

[Sietsh-Tenk]

I'm all for merging.

I love the violin, but there's good violin and bad violin, and this is clearly bad violin.

[screw_ball69]

Am I the only one that loves the Terran music.

[Dragoonx]

Am I the only one that loves the Terran music.

One of my favorite themes in races but I play them less than my Protoss.

[pure.Wasted]

Am I the only one that loves the Terran music.

No, you're not alone. Coincidentally, everyone who I've shown the game IRL has said they love it.

[Mandilorordo]

I find the terran music to be the best in game. That's not to say the tos and zerg aren't good I just really like the terran music, guess its all personal opinion.

[Maxa]

I also like it. It has a more understated, more polished feel which I appreciate and which to me is indicative of a more mature aesthetic (and I agree that it's more memorable than the zerg or protoss music). I guess it's not surprising that many fans wish that it were more hard edged or bombastic--video game fans generally aren't the sort to go for subtlety. Less is more, people!

[Triceron]

I love the music, and it didn't have to grow on me. However, I've come to appreciate it even more now that I've been listening to it for a while.

I just wish there were more Protoss tracks to enjoy.