Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback BG3's Music. The main melody is overused.

I might generally be too sensitive to music cuz no one else seems to be disturbed by this. And I also played Larian games that the late divine composer Kirill Pokrovsky could still work on so I might be biased and spoiled and bitter and sad...
The music has a big problem besides not having as many bangers as before os2 times. (Some of os2's music feel like Kirills tho. Like the ship music. Did he create that?)
I'm sorry if I am rude I can't really tell: The main melody has been BORING INTO MY HEAD INTO MY HEAD MY HEAD MY HEAD. IT'S EVERYWHERE.
Like an external metaphysical earworm trying to get in. I also dunno what I mean by that. Yeah I do maybe be do be doo be too sensitive. But when i try to look at it objectively the soundtrack has problems that I've also had with the one of os2.
There are some truly great musics like the main themes in the menu and character creations... but using their melody at as good as EVERY corner of the game badly influenced my experience. A strange kind of earworm like I said. Not to mention the music theory aspect. You don't just do that. The main melody is reserved for reaaaaallly special moments.
A perfect example on how to use themes in motivs is Undertales soundtrack of course. Melodies also can be incorporated more subtly into music. If the path of the main melody being everywhere is still taken in the future I would suggest not just placing it everywhere mostly one to one like so far. Mix melodies. Create new ones. Is it too late to at least add more variety? I feel strongly about this.
Am I wrong? The composer knows more about all this so maybe I am overseeing something and have been wrong all this time.

What’s the main melody? Down by the River?

Yepp. Sorry for not specifying
u can hear it at alot of points in the game as a motiv. Did you also notice it being overused? Overused. Flowing on and on like a river.

Yeah, I get what you mean. For the size and scope of this game it does kinda overuse that one earwormy theme. For me it is not a major annoyance, but I would have loved a more diverse musical palette.

The funny thing is, thats exactly where the music was coming from in their original story, the tadpole/Daisy.
When they cut that story element, the narrative aspect of the music/leitmotif disappeared.

I do really like the song, as I think it’s referring to one of my girl Shadowheart’s romance scenes, but it’s confusing that the song is everywhere when it’s her theme (one character). But I don’t mind. Lohse’s song in DOS2 was similar, it was pretty common, at least when I was playing as her. But since I loved the song, I didn’t mind. Actually I wouldn’t mind if they let bards play “Down By the River.”

Right, it’s everywhere because it was tied to Daisy.

Yeah, BG3's music was my biggest disappointment with the game.

After DOS2, where even after dozens of playthroughs, I still stop in awe of the excellent soundtracks and just listen. BG3 music tends to feel rather repetitive and less memorable outside the one song...

Which it's not a bad song. It was nice when in the character creator. But then after? When it kept reappearing throughout the game? When music boxes would play the same song? It started to feel a little bit overdone...

Like even if it's supposed to be linked to the story... It's better to bring it out to emphasise its link to the story, not just toss it everywhere all willy nilly.

I think it was initially tied to their central plot. There’s a thread somewhere on these forums, titled Daisy, the absolute, and the Emperor, I believe? You can probably find more info on it there.

Here: https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=881141#Post881141

I like BG3's leitmotif. Leitmotifs were a very common thing in 90s and 2000s era rpgs. Baldur's Gate 1 did it for example with how its main menu theme has a leitmotif that is repeated throughout the game in different contexts.


For example the theme song for the fight against Sarevok closely mirrors the main menu theme. However it has a more dour and horror tone as exemplified by Sarevok's line "Face me! Face the new lord of murder".

(I dunno how to quote properly) ""I think it was initially tied to their central plot. There’s a thread somewhere on these forums, titled Daisy, the absolute, and the Emperor, I believe? You can probably find more info on it there.[/quote]""""

It is still not used properly at the proper places. It is used improperly in improper places. It is used wayy too intrusively and is wayyy too easily hearable. Feels really just mostly copy-pasted. Worn out rubber band. Lost its magic.

I am not alone! yaay

The melody is unchanged, unrelated, copy pasted, predictable...
Apparently it is not as big of a deal for other ppl than for me tho. Made me sad every time I played. That just when Larians games got known to a wider audience, that these games were the ones Kirill couldn't work on, that other people missed out on his work. It was so unique... "Fremd-FOMO"? And also normal FOMO I guess. That it lacked variety. Especially for such an ambitious game as MalacPok stated.

That the music comes with, to me, inrusive flaws... hmm I guess it feels less like and ear-worm and more like... an ear-drill?