4.20 star(s) 143 Votes

patachoucs

Member
Mar 26, 2020
409
1,505
Not quite - the orchestration (or the arrangement) isn't part of copyright law (don't get me started - it's absurd), it's the recording which is separate from the composition.
Yeah I realized later my wording wasn't precise.

For anyone interested in these things, the "Tailor Swift rerecording case" is a very insightful one about how the industry works.
There are some good breakdowns on Youtube.
 

Lightaces

Well-Known Member
Aug 3, 2018
1,362
2,075
Don't forget, that different countries have different laws of copyright.
Yes, but most western countries have reciprocal arrangement treaties on copyright, and if you are going to release in the USA, it better cover American copyright laws. Plus, of course, the difference between composition and recording is going to be true everywhere, in some way.
 

The Naughty Captain

Active Member
Game Developer
Aug 21, 2019
779
2,306
"copyright free classical music"
Just a word on that.
This doesn't mean that you are free to do whatever you want with said music.

99% of the time, that means "usable within the limits of the license we grant you."
That is actually the case for every "copyright-free music" platform I visited.

It's free, as long as you don't do anything they don't want you to do.
Like porn, erotica, or any kind of adult content.
 

TRANT

Active Member
Aug 22, 2017
579
650
Just a word on that.
This doesn't mean that you are free to do whatever you want with said music.

99% of the time, that means "usable within the limits of the license we grant you."
That is actually the case for every "copyright-free music" platform I visited.

It's free, as long as you don't do anything they don't want you to do.
Like porn, erotica, or any kind of adult content.
do the Beethoven move and turn deaf and blind when someone wants to sue your work.
 
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TRANT

Active Member
Aug 22, 2017
579
650
do the Beethoven move and turn deaf and blind when someone wants to sue your work.
no, seriously, he get along with that until his death so I think it´s worth a try! Your location is another factor I think, I know some dev giving a damn of copyrights because he residates in brazil and he has that "who should catch and sue me there?"
 
Oct 7, 2020
71
66
The perfect soundtrack doesn't exist. I gave up on that. I just want something decent.
But getting the rights is a nightmare.
About the music issue, have you tried just taking samples and remixing them yourself, or try get in touch with some DJs, or sound engineers. Im not 100% positive about this, but if you take a track, remix it, change some pitches, slow down or speed up some tempos and are able to change 25% of the song from the original its legally not the same song anymore.
 

SonsOfLiberty

Board Buff
Compressor
Sep 3, 2022
19,148
157,615
Scene 26.

So, I started seriously writing scene 26. I'm about halfway through it and it's already about 4.8k long. I actually wrote more than that but I've already started to edit it down.

I'm not really surprised by the size of the scene, I expected it. However, I'd rather keep it under 8k words, 6k if possible (I don't think it's possible).

Scene 26 is part of the evil asshole path, and as such, is pretty difficult to write. I hope the second half will be easier to deal with.



I think it's time to talk about scenes 26 and 27 and their content. It might be kinda spoilery.

Scenes 26 and 27 are a bit peculiar. These two scenes are endings for the Evil Asshole and the Psychotic Knight paths. If you played those paths, you know that Jack has passed a point of no return and is headed for an early denouement during that very night.

These paths aren't very popular and I know that most of the players who walked them didn't do it in the hope of inky content but because they are interested in the story itself in all its aspects. I want to thank them dearly.

These endings may come early but they won't be "bad" ones. They are not avoidable, they are just the ultimate conclusions of these paths. They mark the end of these stories and I can promise you that they will both end with a bang.

An ending is something that must matter. Something that must have weight. And it must feel rewarding for the reader/player. I honestly think it will be. I've been planning these two endings for a long time now and I hope you will like them.



The quick sum up :

  • Day 6 Part 4 will contain 2 new scenes: scenes 26 and 27.
  • Day 6 Part 4 will contain 2 reworked scenes from Day 2, Scenes 1 and 10.
  • Day 2, Scene 1 and 10 have been rewritten, posed, rendered. The scripts have been sent for proofreading.
  • 9549 words of reworked content, 4800 words of new content so far.
  • 2007 lines of code so far.
  • 289 shots are planned, 289 are posed, and 289 are rendered.
  • I'm working on writing Scene 26.

 

The Naughty Captain

Active Member
Game Developer
Aug 21, 2019
779
2,306
no, seriously, he get along with that until his death so I think it´s worth a try! Your location is another factor I think, I know some dev giving a damn of copyrights because he residates in brazil and he has that "who should catch and sue me there?"
I'm in France. They would catch me and sue me into hell.

About the music issue, have you tried just taking samples and remixing them yourself, or try get in touch with some DJs, or sound engineers. Im not 100% positive about this, but if you take a track, remix it, change some pitches, slow down or speed up some tempos and are able to change 25% of the song from the original its legally not the same song anymore.
I didn't think of that. But honestly I'm not confident it would avoid me legal troubles. I'll go the safer way and buy music.

I don't want to take any risk, especially with a possible launch on steam next year.
 

Lightaces

Well-Known Member
Aug 3, 2018
1,362
2,075
About the music issue, have you tried just taking samples and remixing them yourself, or try get in touch with some DJs, or sound engineers. Im not 100% positive about this, but if you take a track, remix it, change some pitches, slow down or speed up some tempos and are able to change 25% of the song from the original its legally not the same song anymore.
Samples need to be cleared for copyright. This is definitely NOT the way.

There is no shortcut to making good music. You either do the whole thing yourself, or you pay someone to do it for you.

I didn't think of that. But honestly I'm not confident it would avoid me legal troubles. I'll go the safer way and buy music.

I don't want to take any risk, especially with a possible launch on steam next year.
It would not. It doesn't matter how much you change a sample, it still needs to be cleared and paid for. But also, sampling and remixing is also a highly skilled activity, and takes as much time as writing and performing original material. It's not a shortcut to anything.
 
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Oct 7, 2020
71
66
I didn't think of that. But honestly I'm not confident it would avoid me legal troubles. I'll go the safer way and buy music.

I don't want to take any risk, especially with a possible launch on steam next year.

Understandable, all the luck in the future, with good vibes.

Samples need to be cleared for copyright.

It would not. It doesn't matter how much you change a sample, it still needs to be cleared and paid for. But also, sampling and remixing is also a highly skilled activity, and takes as much time as writing and performing original material. It's not a shortcut to anything.

Yes and NO,

(excluding the current topic of our discussion)
With extensive digital manipulation and loopinig, and with the addition of your own beats to create something new and unique, samples can be used under the Copyright Act's "fair use" exception. DJs have been doing this for decades.

In the past sampling and remixing would take a higher degree of skill due to technology and equipment( vinyl, tech12's, and your recording devices). If you had and knew how to use it, sampling wasnt and isnt really hard, the hard part is the mix, and that requires patience, and ability to beat match (mix and match your beats).
Once computers were brought into the mix it became incredibly easier with music software and digitally recording your music. And now with everything digital, the hardest part is still the beat match
 

Lightaces

Well-Known Member
Aug 3, 2018
1,362
2,075
Yes and NO,

(excluding the current topic of our discussion)
With extensive digital manipulation and loopinig, and with the addition of your own beats to create something new and unique, samples can be used under the Copyright Act's "fair use" exception. DJs have been doing this for decades.

In the past sampling and remixing would take a higher degree of skill due to technology and equipment( vinyl, tech12's, and your recording devices). If you had and knew how to use it, sampling wasnt and isnt really hard, the hard part is the mix, and that requires patience, and ability to beat match (mix and match your beats).
Once computers were brought into the mix it became incredibly easier with music software and digitally recording your music. And now with everything digital, the hardest part is still the beat match
Samples need to be cleared. Period. This is not an example of fair use, which is for things like making a personal copy of an album or song (think, back in the day, a mix tape, or recording an album to cassette so you could listen to it in your car); criticism or commentary; or educational use. In the latter cases, the use of copyrighted material must be material to the point, and used minimally. But there is no use of copyrighted recorded material to create new material which falls under the guise of fair use. It must be cleared, and it must be paid for. The whole "four notes" thing pertains to composition copyrights (C copyrights), but not to recording copyrights (P copyrights). Oh, and the whole thing of react channels only using a certain amount of the original content - yeah, that's not a thing. You must be adding substantive commentary or criticism. Just going "whoa!" at the exciting bits won't cut it. Which is why many of those channels get copyright struck on a regular basis.

DJs have to pay for C copyrights through ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC licenses, which are paid for by the venue. Woe be to the venue who plays music they don't have a license to play. The licenses aren't bad if you pay for them properly, but the fines if you don't will kill a small business. If you own a coffe shop which hosts music, or a resturant which has music in the background, make sure you got your licenses. But that only covers live events, and public performance of P copyright is not protected in the USA (don't get me started - but you can blame the various early radio magnates). But live performances are not the same as media. If a DJ puts out an album, every single piece of source material has to be cleared and paid for. If their work is used for a soundtrack, it's a whole other set of clearances, with (usually) much more expensive licenses.

Doing something which actually sounds good with sampling still takes a great deal of skill and taste. The tools maybe easier to use; knowing what to do with them is not. I've been a musician for 40+ years, and I went to college to learn about recording and production. I have kept up with the industry and the tools. Making good music is still, as always, a high skill trade.
 

patachoucs

Member
Mar 26, 2020
409
1,505
I want to thank you both for the in-length explanations. It's truly interesting and shows well how complex it is to navigate for a small dev.

I don't envy the Captain (or anyone else having to struggle with this subject).
 

MaxRichard

Member
Oct 7, 2023
181
419
I'm in France. They would catch me and sue me into hell.



I didn't think of that. But honestly I'm not confident it would avoid me legal troubles. I'll go the safer way and buy music.

I don't want to take any risk, especially with a possible launch on steam next year.

Maybe consider generating samples at They're not fantastic but they are "good enough" elevator music if you pay the $12/mo subscription and don't mind fighting with the prompts a bit
 

SonsOfLiberty

Board Buff
Compressor
Sep 3, 2022
19,148
157,615
Scene 26, again.

I finished writing the scene. Or more accurately, I finished rewriting it entirely.

I was editing the first version of the script, trying to lower the word count to something manageable when I got some new ideas for both the script and the way I'm going to render it.

I have now a new version of the scene, much lighter than the first one, with barely 5200 words. Which should translate into about 175 renders. It's a rough estimation, as I haven't cut the scene yet, but that shouldn't be much more than that.

That new version is actually fairly different from my original plans. I changed a lot of things, especially in the way Jack behaves. It's also not as dark as my original idea. And more importantly. It's way less boring.

I'm still using the same core but I removed some parts that felt essential at first but stopped being interesting after a few days trying to edit the script. I'm going to leave a lot of things "untold" and I kind of like that. It will fit Jack's state of mind.

I think I'm happy with the results. I'll be cutting the scene first thing next week and immediately start posing it. The prep work is already done for the most part.



The quick sum up :

  • Day 6 Part 4 will contain 2 new scenes: scenes 26 and 27.
  • Day 6 Part 4 will contain 2 reworked scenes from Day 2, Scenes 1 and 10.
  • Day 2, Scene 1 and 10 have been rewritten, posed, rendered. The scripts have been sent for proofreading.
  • Day 6, Scene 26 has been written.
  • 9549 words of reworked content, 5207 words of new content so far.
  • 2007 lines of code so far.
  • 289 shots are planned, 289 are posed, and 289 are rendered.
  • I'm working on cutting and posing Scene 26.


 

The Naughty Captain

Active Member
Game Developer
Aug 21, 2019
779
2,306
Maybe consider generating samples at They're not fantastic but they are "good enough" elevator music if you pay the $12/mo subscription and don't mind fighting with the prompts a bit
Using AI-generated stuff would be the very last thing I'll try. I don't like the idea of soulless art.
 
4.20 star(s) 143 Votes