How Digital Circus's Music Makes You Uncomfortable (feat. Evan Alderete)

Let's talk about The Amazing Digital Circus's bizarre, wacky, and unsettling soundtrack, and why it sounds so cool. MUSIC THEORY
MEGA thanks to composer Evan Alderete (The Amazing Digital Circus, Hazbin Hotel) for coming through for the video! First feature on this channel EVER!
Also special thanks to Gooseworx for answering my silly little questions about Canon and chord progressions.
Listen to the official soundtrack here: • DIGITAL CIRCUS: Pilot ...
Tunes used:
docs.google.co...
Bandcamp: cadencehira.ba...
Soundcloud: / cadence-hira

[@Knyckoh]

the void theme being played both forwards *and* backwards really emphasizes the idea that it's a place without beginning or end

[@jezkey427]

wait that’s deep

[@itsunknown5520]

very observant, gold star

[@fabianustertius6460]

a good analogy of existencial death

[@justanotherreviewer]

“Your New Home” is a prime example of how to capture the mental state of a character without explicitly stating it. Words cannot express how successful that track is at eliciting the same feelings in the viewer that Pomni was experiencing on screen. It did exactly what it set out to do and I’m not surprised it’s blown up as an audio on social media.

[@Rasupubegasu]

It feels like despair and a forced happy ending.

[@Artificer_]

i forget all the song names, but if Your New Home is the ending song, it is an audio! there are lots of versions of it as an audio on social media actually

[@aro-affo]

It feels like you’re 12, going mentally insane, and you’re at the park with 12 of your younger cousins.

[@StarArtGamer]

Beautiful

[@JargonJunkii]

Listening to Evan Alderete give really insightful commentary on the making of the OST while Cadence Hira draws big chungus Jax is peak entertainment

[@nutsi3]

Spoilers! Lol

[@heyheyitsjae2475]

4:59 The cut back to what you were drawing dealt psychic damage

[@antikovt]

And for the second time at 14:17

[@CATel_]

​@@antikovt it took me time to realise that was the trollface

[@O_Scud]

Your MS Painting got me locked in like a subway surfers video

[@redmaw8411]

the grandiosity of the orchestra feel overwhelming which fits the existential dread of the characters and setting. Also the goofier circus music feel like it's mocking the characters as they go insane

[@peonylarkspur645]

I literally have to mute the end of the pilot whenever I watch it bc it’s so viscerally uncomfortable

[@totomhavehat]

« There’s also a fat 808 there » is my favourite music notation

[@moemuxhagi]

What's an 808 ?

[@al_eggs]

@@moemuxhagi a kick/sub bass

[@skelenigma]

Reference to 808 Error???

[@totomhavehat]

@@moemuxhagi an 808 references the original Roland Tr 808, a drum machine from the 80s. The 808 and 909 are probably some of the most notable drum machine ever made, they’ve been used in many different genre of electronic music. 808 kicks are used a lot in hip hop culture, just google tr 808 you’ll understand quickly

[@salmonmeister]

@@skelenigmait’s a percussion/bass sound font

[@kquiwi]

the song that plays in the void was so intense and majestic no one talks about it 😭

[@IIImp3]

IT ISSS SHIT MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WAS ASCENDING

[@kquiwi]

@@IIImp3 FRRR

[@thatstockin]

that shit made me ☁️ 🧘‍♂️ ☁️

[@BananaSplitSmoothie]

FORREAL LIKE I WAS LISTENING TO THE SOUNDTRACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT THAT SONG HIT ME LIKE A TRUCK AND I SOBBED

[@suruxstrawde8322]

common gooseworx music moment

[@cosmicspacething3474]

Side note: let’s also give respect to Gooseworx herself, for trying to keep a clean fandom

[@BitBlush]

I just hope she's also taking it easy. She's done all she can so far, but this is inevitably going to be a huge source of stress for her if she keeps feeling responsible for the crazies on twitter.

[@UnicornFoxy]

trying

[@cacto1680]

Trying

[@Sickbeatswithasg1]

Respect ✊

[@TheCaregiverSITMOB]

“herself” Wait, Gooseworx is a girl?

[@lunondisposable5382]

The use of the "Twin Peaks technique" is so effective and fitting, just incredible how polished every aspect of the show is. God I wish I could watch it for the first time again.

[@tinabattaglia6898]

At 13:52 yes the chord progression is recognizable as the same ones heard in Pachelbel’s Canon, but the true name of the progression is a common schematic trope called the Romanesca!

[@CadenceHira]

I love the Romanesca! I talked about it in my Anime Canon video :)

[@Zaranell]

The language of music theory goes right over my head, but it's cool to hear professionals talk about this in such detail nonetheless. I hadn't consciously noticed the "closing maw" effect in Your New Home, that was particularly cool to see laid out! Also you've got a lot of respect from me for correctly recognizing that Kinger is, in fact, underrated. I love that goofball.

[@fiddlefordmcgucket5655]

I lost it, when she drew the Big Chungus shape

[@k96man]

Big jungus

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Big Jax-gus

[@nanisarchive2042]

I'm not sure it's part of any music theory, but something about the main theme I had noticed that I found really cool is a soft ticking noise in the background. It really emphasises the feeling of being trapped. Hearing the clock tick and being incredibly aware of time passing despite not being able to change anything about being stuck in the digital circus. I feel like it really displays the horrors of the characters and the feeling of being trapped. Thanks Goose and Evan for this fantastic soundtrack!

[@Ockeroid]

Great video! Thanks Cadence and Evan!

[@veggiepeasoup]

OCKEROID???? no way

[@malik-a-creeper]

I absolutely Admire all of you people

[@Raticus_1493]

The melody that was used for the creation of both TADC's theme and Your New Home is one, if not the best melody I have ever heard and is my favorite.

[@Memorie]

I was hoping someone would make a video about this! I'm a music student myself and I just fell in love with the music in this show, especially the last piece "Your New Home". "Your New Home" perfectly demonstrates the exact emotions Pomni goes through at the end of the episode and paints an exact picture of every theme, context and implication. The track can be split into 4 stages. The first stage is the most innocent: a sense of curiosity and processing. Pomni is transported into this impossible world of all these fantastical colours and circus themes that, on its own, trigger a sense of euphoric wonder. Throughout the episode, Pomni had a strong sense of hope regarding the exit door. She refused to believe that she could be stuck in such a world and desperately believed that, if she found this exit door, maybe she could escape. Stage 1 of "Your New Home" takes place in Pomni's mind as she processes the reality that she finds herself in. It's calm because Pomni's initial feelings of hope are still present as she slowly pieces together that her only hope has been crushed. Stage 1 then rises in its dynamic before seamlessly transitioning to stage 2. Stage 2 of the track represents Pomni's initial feeling of shock, horror and over-stimulation. This part of the song is still in major and can still be considered happy if you take away the context; this is done on purpose. Pomni tends to process trauma with all her emotions. This is why she always laughs whenever she experiences emotions of dread. Stage 2 perfectly replicates the intense feeling of dread mixed with mania and euphoria, but the bright emotions that she feels quickly dissipates, bringing us to stage 3. Stage 3 of the track represents the intense feelings of anxiety and terror as Pomni's initial manic response dissolves. The dynamics are just about the same as stage 2, if not just a little more intense, but those dark intervals and sustained high notes elevate the suspense of the music until we are met with a very brief window of silence, that can be seen as a deep breath, before spontaneously moving to stage 4: a cinematic major chord representing a scream of horror. I believe this song perfectly represents what it feels like to have a panic attack. The bright stimulating show-runner themed music mixed with a sense of dread and anxiety is just all too familiar and I believe that the track is just pure genius. Even the circus/show-runner themes of the song hint towards the context of the panic attack: Pomni is trapped in a sort of hell where she is forced to perform in a circus for eternity or until she abstracts. If y'all haven't already, open Spotify or Apple Music or whatever you use to listen to music and just listen to "Your New Home" with this analysis in mind. I've listened to this track for about 2 hours straight and I honestly couldn't help but tear up from how beautifully horrifying it is when considering both the composition, the production and the context. It is absolutely incredible that such a powerful and vivid story had been perfectly fit into a 1 minute track. I would expect nothing less from this incredibly detailed series.

[@Orenotter]

To heck with the cow bell. I need more wood block!

[@minoassal]

Wood block best instrument

[@RiedlerMusics]

I *knew* it sounded like snipperclips. HUGE props for how well that style is emulated.

[@ZoomDoomBoom]

The feeling I get from the soundtrack is it never lets you settle into familiarity or anything you can dance to, thus causing discomfort and putting you on edge. It's oddly fitting because there's a never-ending sense of "what am I missing/not being told?" in the pilot. I ofc don't know if the invocation of discomfort throughout is supposed to be borderline nauseating, but if they were aiming for that, they did well and definitely showed they know what they're doing. Bravo!

[@Micha-Hil]

shoutout to you drawing The Pom in the background

[@chobies5383]

Will the entire fandom be calling her "The Pom" now?.

[@BetterCFLOP]

The newer song "Somebody Real" Is amazing, and similar to the void one in my opinion, except it is a little more hopeless.

[@TinkaPon]

I am happy to tell you that they now have a kinger plushie

[@connor.chan.jazzman]

The Void song is simply brilliant. So creative, so grand, so overwhelming and majestic, but very eerie too

[@jdcreeper8307]

I never thought of the TADC theme song to use the Canon Chord Pattern. It's so fascinating to lean about this.

[@symply_Sym]

fantastic analysis and awesome that you could bring Evan in for an interview! as a side note, big chungus jax will haunt my dreams

[@myhairismessy3363]

The TADC main theme and Pachelbel’s Canon in D mashup was extremely cursed. I love it! Thanks for a great video!

[@Mariasouza-um8cx]

The void theme really gives the felling of seeing something so impossible to comprehend. It feels calm and angelical but also overwhelming and grand in a way that makes you fell small and insignificant. They really took cosmic horror and turn into audio format!!!

[@Alecations]

Honestly this really describes my thoughts. And it's also why it's frustrating how this fanbase is mostly people who don't understand it.

[@lilyofluck371]

A lot of people just think, "wow, this is cool" without caring why or how

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Most fans of things don't understand why things are good, they just know it's good.

[@Hawk7886]

It's fully valid to vibe with something without analyzing it

[@lightningguy14]

@@Hawk7886yeah you dont need to know how to make something to know if its good or not

[@meirzamsky]

thank you for helping me with my withdrawl of sideways videos

[@maxmyzer9172]

8:56 i love that effect and was wondering how they did it! cool!

[@ra1nb0wph0en1xarts]

As a person who’s been in band for 7+ years and is slowly starting to get into music theory, composition, and looking into getting a minor in composition along with a major in animation, seeing this is just getting me into total geek-out mode, with scoring, instrument selection, and looking at the transposed score is just the perfect bow on top. Wonderful video overall, and I’m so excited to see what Evan and Goose cook up next 😎

[@lavenderfana3137]

Music student here, wanted to talk about the chords at 18:42 Minor 3rd subs are a common technique in Jazz reharm, popularized by Barry Harris 6th diminished theories. All dom chords can be substituted for a chord a minor 3rd away. So E7 -> G7 -> Bb7 -> Db7 are all interchangeable in function. You analyzed the penultimate chord as a B diminished, but I perfer to see a Db7b9 w/out the root. It explains why the chords fits (it sticks with the pattern). Among other things, it also make the last cadence a IV -> I with extra spice, a plagal cadence fits with the royalty circus vibe, so I think that justifies the explanation a bit more. Much love!

[@tanweifeng4112]

When they started drawing big chungus jax i think i lost it

[@thegamingteen44mc5]

Honestly I would have to argue that indie shows have been making pretty memorable soundtracks for quite a while. Soundtrack that is unique in its own right and perfectly fits whatever situation is portrayed quite nicely. And its not just the current indie renaissance that does this; Wolf Song The Movie, released all the way back in 2016, has some pretty interesting soundtrack which perfectly captures whatever is going on, and even though pieces of the soundtrack each appear more than once, that doesn’t take away from the overall feel. TADC has managed to impressively pull off something similar, instead the soundtrack is mostly shown individually, but yeah. For the example I listed, feel free to analyse its soundtrack whenever you feel like it

[@PuppetThanksScott]

This was such a great video!! Indie stuff needs to get more attention in ways like this. There is so much we can learn from but only very few people seem to actually care :(

[@chobies5383]

15:25 Reprise is pronounced like that?! I thought it was pronounced "re-prize".

[@saddlebag]

I believe both pronunciations are correct.

[@chobies5383]

@@saddlebag ok

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

Easy tip: if it's not an English work, there's exactly a 0% chance of the character i being pronounced as ai.

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

*word

[@eldmusic]

Mr. Alderete and Gooseworx are EXTREMELY Talented composers. If I could have even half as much skill at music as these two have I would be set for life

[@AlexDuos]

I don't know what it is about that flat note on the third measure, but it makes me feel some kind of way I can't describe. Like, the whole song kinda makes me feel comfortable and a bit nostalgic but that note makes me feel... something I can't describe. Like I'm playing a game I love for the last time. Like I'm giving my kid a hug before he goes off to college.

[@Bekkocho]

Your New Home is my absolute favorite. It will always give me goosebumps. Really cool to hear the theory behind all the music in TADC, it all makes sense why the show hits so different!

[@Loveybuggi]

What fascinates me the most about the music/show itself is that it’s hard not to watch, the music has that progressive feel that makes me want to hear the end of the song to see if I get those answers I want

[@fabiangutierrez9378]

Hi! This is an amazing video, and "Your New Home" is one of my new favorite tracks. I've had music theory training, and have been composing for several years now. That penultimate chord is a special flavor of diminished or dominant chord thanks to the G and Db notes in there. It could be interpreted as 2 different chords. It could be B dim b6 add 9, but that would require some enharmonic respellings. The other chord (which is the one I prefer), is G7add b5 in first inversion to account for the B in the bass. It's a dominant-functioning chord that still allows for the chromatic step-wise movement in both the high and low voices.

[@FabricioPodesta]

the way you used the word isekai as a verb 👌

[@SaplingofSpunk]

I had no idea what was going on in the video, but it was nice to hear some musical dissection so that I, a lowly commoner, can attempt to understand the genius behind this soundtrack :)

[@Lyy0n]

Great video! That going nowhere excerpt really is something. I hadn’t heard of this animation until this video

[@anulimusic]

Lets not forget that she used the weezeer riff at the end of the main melody! (Genious idea btw)

[@ficklefitz]

"Welcome to the Show" sounds JUST like a bo en track i stfg they did their homework

[@mushroomcrepes4780]

I didn't know about Digital Circus but the music is amazing

[@haha_noty]

5:24 woodblock mention i love them theyre my favorite percussion instruments

[@kookoobrick54]

You helped me put the feeling the theme song gives me into words. To me the theme sounds like it's trying to make the best of a bad time.

[@pinkred22]

You probably already know this by now, but KINGER HAS A PLUSHIE NOW WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

[@begonedamen]

14:17 This is literally my favorite chord progression too 😭 I know at least 4 songs that use it (example: waltzing flutes)

[@godslaughter]

I'm coming in here with experiencing no discomfort, only delight, when listening to the music from The Amazing Digital Circus, so this video is going to be...a ride.

[@celticireland]

the song at the end with the strings and stuff sounds like insanity that starts out slowly then keeps getting larger

[@vfutral7644]

19:20 I think the chord progression changes from moving up in 3rds, like you pointed out, into a 9-8 suspension with a hint of B Dorian in that rising scale (and raised ^2 scale degree: Bnat) in the baritone line. Even though Goose isn't traditionally trained it's a pretty neat trick

[@KalebGomez5439]

9:53 I'm assuming midnight from Prokofiev's Cinderella

[@andreimata6894]

11:21 I KNEW IT!! I'm so happy to hear that confirmed because every time I hear the Void's theme it reminds me of the intro to Midsomar, and yeah Reborn especially the ending part.

[@nebulaayt]

BO EN MENTIONED OMG

[@BigMilk79]

The big changes was obvious. But the reference to those little dudes that dance to tom morellos solo from gh2 is prime 👌👌👌

[@raptorsharkplays28]

your new home chills me to the bone and fills me to the brim with terror and dread NO MATTER WHAT

[@HermesPurple]

the void theme straight up sounds like something that would fit in with 2001: A Space Odyssey

[@lawsontake7383]

hahaha gangles troll face mask ahahahahaaa

[@cubedtothex]

Holy cow, this is amazing! Thank you! This deserves at least 1 million views!

[@Starjellybear]

I love seeing how music us made and how different instruments can give different vibes to different songs The toy piano sound can give ether a sinister or a nostalgic feeling depending on its use, the sinister vibe of this song is helped by the toy piano while in songs like Lemons and Pears (by EDU) it can help give a slightly nostalgic tone

[@loganhollowell9565]

Calum bowen goes crazy with his soundtracks!!! All of his stuff is so silly and goofy. Absolutely love him, and goose and evan!!!

[@ponguRBLX]

lol ragatha in the background is looking devious

[@charlesmartin1972]

10:09 challenge accepted. Prokofiev's "Cinderella", just before act I ends at the stroke of midnight at the ball

[@unarmed_civilian]

14:04 everywhere ITS CANON EVERYWHERE

[@Madeleinewith3Es]

"the same chord progression as Kom Susser Tod" is absolutely sending me

[@pundertalefan4391]

Dude, I'm freaking listening to this in the background, and I just so happened to look over when you were drawing Jax. XD

[@_pitako]

When listening to "Welcome to the show" I get a sort of 8/8 feel instead of 4/4, split into 3-3-2. I can't quite explain why, but given that I play rhythm games that tend to prefer 8/8 over 4/4 (Konga Conga Kappa from Crypt pf the Necrodancer, which is 8/8 silencing every 8th beat, and pretty much most tracks in Rhythm Doctor), I think my brain naturally looks to that indtead of the more common 4/4

[@PIGselGames]

3:44 something i want to say about the part where they found an abstracted kaufmo, the piece of music that plays when they reveal kaufmo gave me heavy Pikmin 3 vibes, when the armoured mawdad (the first boss) gets revealed.

[@dawnbeckett9179]

2:54 Yes! I knew it! The song XDDCC has super strong snipperclips vibes

[@clownymoosebean]

HOLY SHIT, YOU GUYS! The Amazing Digital Circus is like a different version of 12oz. Mouse, except Pomni and the others know their trapped in a simulation from the start. It's going to be very interesting how they explore this concept. Edit: BIG CHUNGUS?? You just earned a new sub!

[@mildsauce455]

Cadence, how do you fell that your cry was answered, and there is now a Kinger Plushie

[@martytheanimator6426]

Now that Goose mentions it, I can actually hear bits of Komm Süsser Tod in it.

[@yellowshirtfellow]

A new sub from me, interesting techniques used. Keep up the great work!

[@StorymasterQ]

Bootleg Kinger Plushie ftw, perfectly cut scream included, nice!

[@AxelPoggers]

when he mentioned colin stetson's Reborn i literally pumped my fist in the air i fuckin love that guys work

[@dagold2142]

9:10 Just realized that the technique Evan used here conveyed the bombrush of emotions and yet emptiness that is: the void. At least that's my take, emotions left emotionless. Like you want more, but you're stuck drifting outwardly as your previous actions are replayed over the original - represented by both sound & animation with the warpiness of the void

[@ThriftyFangirl]

I recently saw Prokofieve's 5th for the first time and I know exactly what he meant about the wood block. That was one of the highlights of the piece for me

[@rainydaysatyr]

I learned today that some people think the music in tadc is unsettling. I just think it sounds fun and grandiose.

[@SethidusVorscye]

Huh, so both main and the ending theme were Mario references? Nice lol. I didn't catch that with the ending. For the main theme, when I kept playing it in the good ol' brain radio, it would annoyingly keep changing to that one Mario animation with Hyadain singing lyrics to the first stage in Super Mario World. Also Kinger indeed best character I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking that.

[@coocoo3336]

No they arent. The ending fanfare is a subversion of more common fanfares which are all over the place but the flagpole one is an example. Basicly your new home doesnt follow the chord progression we would expect. There is no reference to mario

[@floppathegorilla]

I always forgot how close this song is to Sniperclips 1:50

[@theoheinrich529]

love the troll face at 14:52

[@finnsaffelsipes]

ive been listening to going nowhere over and over oh my GOD HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS PIECE

[@rosetea5899]

WOOODBLOOOOCK!!!!!!!!

[@BIGBUCKS_moneh]

the only proper way to watch this is with the ost in the background

[@leGUIGUI]

Curious, my first association with the music of the Void was with 2001 Space Odyssey when they finally get to the philosophical stone.

[@9jxvqrme]

immediately rewatching this after getting emotional (and music theoretical) shocks by the OST of ep2

[@CadenceHira]

STILL NOT OVER GUMMIGOO AAAAAAAAAA

[@Rapandreas]

13:55 This is so cool, but also feels so incredibly cursed. I hate it and I love it!

[@JACOBRYDER-xm8mo]

13:16 That lovely Neapolitan chord!

[@I_draw_alot]

Barely understood any of this but your voice sounds nice so I watched this while drawing

[@MythicVulpesVulpes]

I just had a secret deordarant ad played before this and then the video starts and it starts with "it's no secret" lol

[@AuriPlayzz]

I’m not that big of a fan of the digital circus, but I respect the franchise a lot; it’s obviously had a lot of effort and time poured into it. The soundtrack is one of the things that really fascinate me. Occasionally it has that retro 90’s/80’s early video game feel, and other times it uses the regal orchestral fanfares for the dramatic scenes as you said - sometimes I listen to the soundtrack when I’m bored lol, it has all sorts of different things in one

[@mjkhoi6961]

can you add KIKIYAMA to the list of Canon believers at least two songs in the Yume Nikki soundtrack use the Canon progression, "Working...Please wait..." and "FC Field"

[@micahmondt4117]

comments, we need to find this Prokofiev piece…

[@micahmondt4117]

2nd piano concerto?

[@Mitski.Is.Love420]

I KNEW GOING NOWHERE HAD SOME REBORN INSPIRATIONS!!!!

[@Mildi1802]

FINALLY SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT THE MUSIC!!!!! YIPPIEEE🎉

[@santi-37919]

I left this video in my watch later list for a while and I ended up seeing the thumbnail change, kinda hate it, thanks!

[@CadenceHira]

i don't really like wojaks either but the video went from 15k views to 100k over the span of a week immediately after i changed it

[@santi-37919]

@@CadenceHira lol, it's not a big deal, seing the thumbnail change was very funny when I noticed