Making a JRPG Soundtrack: Main Theme

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I wanted to try something a little more chill and emotional. Here's a fun title/main theme idea that I put together last week! I hope you enjoy!
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Want to commission me for music/soundtracks? Check out the commission sheet/demo reel here!
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Listen to the song here [Song Name: Aralia]
► Spotify: bit.ly/45qEQ3v
► KZbin: • Aralia
► BandCamp: bit.ly/CicadaA...
► Apple Music: Coming Soon
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EQUIPMENT
Guitars: Ibanez RGR652AHBF Prestige, Fender American Elite Telecaster, Schecter Banshee Elite 6 (with Seymour Duncan Alpha/Omega Pick ups)
Bass: Fender American Performer Precision Bass, Ibanez Soundgear
Strings: Elixir "Light-Heavy"
Orchestra: East West Symphonic Orchestra (Platinum Version)
Synths/Synth Drums/Various Instruments: Xpand!2
A bunch of other Stuff: NI Komplete 12, Omnisphere 2
Interface: SSL 2
Audio Software (DAW): Cubase 12 Pro
Tone Software: Neural DSP Archetype: Nolly, Plini, and Parallax
Drums: Superior Drummer 3
Mixing/Mastering Software: Izotope 5, Fabfilter Pro-Q 3
Video Software: Adobe Premiere Pro
Video Camera: Canon Rebel T5i
MIDI Visuals: MIDITrail
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MERCH
► bit.ly/ShadyStore
CREDITS
Balloon Guy Animation done by oa.padron: / oa.padron
Shady Cicada "Not like this" emote done by Chi: / arc0717
Current Balloon Guy avatar drawn by Dorsa Bidhendi: / dorsabidhendi
► Sign up with DistroKid and get your music out there! distrokid.com/v...

[@Shadycicada]

If I end up going through with this series, I'll pay live musicians to record this song with real instruments 😄. It's something I'm genuinely curious to hear.

[@-LorDDawi-]

My heart was singing listening to this track, Shady. I'd love love love to hear this series get the attention it deserves.

[@JuhoSprite]

U gotta make more of these JRPG song, they hit different

[@tunayop]

I'm normal about this project

[@Musicman995]

Hey, I’m really curious as to what the instrument was at 3:29 that comes in to double the melody, sounds like a kind of flute but IWANTITSOBAD

[@nekoman8560]

Use time stamps. 2:38

[@LegamSSF]

I'm all for this JPRG album in the making! It'll be interesting to see how the McNugget storyline unravels into defeating a GOD

[@jazermano]

Get a bored DnD group. They'll manage it somehow without really trying. 😂

[@kamakazikila4734]

gotta stay thematic. we're defeating the manager

[@brocubed4193]

That song was absolutely outstanding!!!! I totally imagined a whole video game around it!

[@novaduck_iv]

I can't wait to play Tales of Aralia: Wood Wood and the Crystal McNuggets

[@Aurakid]

I love how soothing it is, once again you've made an amazing song. It gives me Super Paper Mario mixed with Xenoblade vibes.

[@justanotherperson1046]

I find myself reminded of LoZ and Xenoblade a lot while listening to these, which is awesome because those series have some of my favorite songs

[@srrycantthinkofagoodname]

Holy shit that was absolutley beautiful. It really does sound like what you'd hear before starting an emotional jrpg. Gives me huge Xenoblade title screen vibes. Amazing job, and, if this does continue to be a series, I'm looking forward to more Project Aralia! Yo that Sawano-sounding song at the end tho 👀

[@axeoseilez3207]

This theme gives me a somber feel makes me feel like im wandering lost in a cave with no memory.

[@jazermano]

Looking for those chicken nuggets you don't know you've lost.

[@hiiistrex2838]

Sometimes I forget just how wide shady's stylistic range is. This is great :D

[@Fishtie1]

I cannot wait for you to uptempo that main theme on guitar for the climactic boss fight song.

[@veryberry39]

Me, sitting there at the title screen, just watching 8-bit grasses blown by the breeze until I've heard the whole title song and it's about to fade into a demo of the game.

[@luna4s]

Gosh dangit shady. Now not only am I wanting to draw I'm imagining entire games. Project Aralia is such a cool name. At first the song reminded me of rain. But then it was more like open vast planes. And then longing, and emptiness. I'd imagine it would involve some kind of time travel. Being perhaps in an empty town, seeing what once was and only occasionally being able to jump back into the past to experience brief glimpses. For some reason I imagined having a tiny bag of sand. And to go back in time or make time move again you'd have to let the sand slip through your fingers. Only... you eventually run out of sand. You'd have only a briefest of glimpses. Until you run out of sand. Maybe it'd be some kind of detective game, I've been liking playing those lately. Maybe some mystery to solve, how to make time move again. Something like that.

[@gornemant4639]

Such a cool idea this is!

[@nexustheninja1927]

ngl I thought of a Vast icey plain. Like a Vast Frozen world.

[@akaithecreator7448]

Chicken Nugget Land. An open vast plane of chicken nuggets and french fries.

[@pokenerd99]

Please get all FFVI on this soundtrack with recurring and modified versions of melodies and themes! It'd be epic as all heck.

[@NanaDoesArt]

Literally give me a basic description of the characters and I will make a fake box cover/title screen I'm not joking

[@greendaquil]

The intro is already giving me "yeah this is definitely gonna be in the final boss theme" vibes

[@ferret901]

This song is gorgeous. I'm super stoked that this is becoming a series. More of this, yes please.

[@tylervigue3878]

Those "Wibbies" are very hidden land/hidden highland from PMD2, I love it

[@HarrishCMusic]

Eyes: *juiced* Shady’s self-developed sense of music theory is honestly amazing. As a person who was classically trained in music theory, I have always wondered how Shady’s brain works because he comes up with insanely good tracks and ideas. Truly a genius musician. ❤

[@gulden4326]

I do wonder how you intend to tackle the whole soundtrack aspect. Do you intend to have a list of songs required for the story, or will you make songs you desire, then input them into a story?

[@markymoomoobear]

heya shady! my grandfather who i was very close with passed last night but thanks to your music and content ive kind of been able to distract myself from it. i love you so much and i hope that your life is treating you well. so glad to see that youre uploading again. your videos streams and music never fail to cheer me up and i appreciate all the work you do for this wonderful community youve built up. this song is really pretty, it might be one of my favourites but its hard to say

[@Ex0rknight]

I am so glad he’s back with more awesome music!

[@brodiemorris2081]

Watching this channel really makes me want to compose music for my current project even though music won’t really fit and even though I’ve never tried it before. It just looks like so much fun in these videos

[@Roach-community]

RETURN OF THE KINGGGGGG

[@gribblegrape6496]

When did he leave? It’s been a week.

[@Roach-community]

@@gribblegrape6496 idk

[@Tr0lliPop]

Can't wait for more Project Aralia content! (except yes I can no rush)

[@LuckySketches]

Can't wait for the adventures of the great hero Wood Wood.

[@Itsyourboinoi]

If you drop this, forget about your heartbeat.

[@movingtarget0867]

God damn this was good. I would 100% listen to this as i was doing other things. Keep up the awesome work and dont be afraid to try new things!

[@ItsJustFelix]

I wish the algorithm would heccin pick you back up, this is AMAZING, Shared it with a lot of my friends

[@elishawomack]

Gave me some "before the story" energy with the piano rhythms at the beginning.

[@ItsTheMagicMelon]

Wow this is exactly what I was looking for. I literally looked up “Shady Cicada Main Theme” yesterday

[@drowsap8458]

this is the type of song that i would play on repeat while working on whatever lmao, i love it

[@cocoaana2541]

this song was absolutely amazing, honestly a recent favorite imo!! keep up the great work friend!!! :)

[@NotActuallyElias]

im so excited to see a fake soundtrack, not only is it a good practice exercise for anyone but it's awesome to hear when it's completed, especially from a musician like you!

[@busterbeast999]

Thank you for this. These videos are truly wonderful. It's so nice to not only listen and see what you create but also hear a little of the process that goes with it. You are very talented.

[@hatanaye]

that was so pretty, i mean those piano parts... i just want to get on mine and figure out what you played right now i love it that much

[@Amoshuryu]

I nearly squeed out loud. I hope you have enough buckets for all this eye juice.

[@DarkMarxSoul]

Daaaaamn your melody work is getting better. I loved the sound design on some of these instruments, what a unique feel this song had.

[@christopherjobin-official7440]

This is very chilling; however, mellotron is even more chilling! Mellotron has this very eerie and feeling to it and sometimes its really calming.

[@Gem69420]

This is super soothing, great job man!

[@agreyplaugedr8747]

Idea for another: song that plays when youre making a character but the main villain interrupts you halfway through

[@jazermano]

Wait, what; you mean you're in the character creation menu of Skyrim, crafting yet another menace to society, and suddenly Tod Howard rocks up and slaps your goofy ahh? Cuz that would be a song of ultimate cheese, charisma, and sequence breaking. I love the idea already!

[@ariaaceves6073]

the way I recoiled when you named the project the same name as my D&D character

[@imos_theos]

Holy shit, dude. One of your best. Absolutely loved it

[@leytonwinkler9287]

I actually did something similar last year! (And kinda by accident) i make videogame-style music as a hobby, and found that there were a few tracks that kinda hit a similar vibe. That, paired with a comment a friend made about making a video game and a loose story idea i had floating around, inspired me to put them together in a short ablum/compilation. All that said (and apologies for the text wall), I would love to see more in this series! Watching your videos was actually one of the things that got me into making my own music, and its been a lot of fun listening to what you've been putting out!

[@suspiciousshadeofgreen]

You should definitely continue this series

[@alwayshappypastry]

yooOOOOOOOO those opening bars at the intro already got me in my anime feels. got my ears pumped for the rest of the video 😤😤

[@onlysmiles4949]

Can confirm, Wibbies is the scientific name Honestly, I'd kill for any one of your game ideas to come to fruition

[@Mochi.Rin_Official]

this video inspired me to give making a JRPG OST another try got started on it a while ago, and then never really got anywhere thanks for the inspiration ^-^

[@joshthompson94]

Awesome song. Love seeing Shady Cicada flash up on my notifications

[@arazet]

Strap in everybody, content is finally real again

[@Tracey1302]

beautiful work! i would really love to hear leitmotifs of this song across the soundtrack

[@TheWillieA]

This melody will play if you go back to the church in the north of christmas village on Reathall island. It will play in respects to the priestess whom you saw murdered before you very eyes by the main villain! If all of this is actually in another game as a real thing then I will throw away my gummy worms, for I am unworthy. In all seriousness, This song is amazing. I would love to see this series continue! Thank you for blessing us with content Shady, Don't stress on this. If you want this to be a series you have on the back burner, we'll wait! Whatever you decide to cook will be a whole meal. Keep your chin up friend, We're not leaving anytime soon!

[@Bandikit]

OOh! I'm making a main theme! I've already got a melody and most of the song planned out, I'm now on the optimizing and editing phase. Your videos have been a sort of inspiration for me and my video game soundtrack ideas. Love your vids, man. You're epic 🧡🤍

[@justicesilverwing]

Thank you shady for providing some good music that is perfect for relaxing to. Another track to add to my "when sleep is hard" playlist.

[@Unicorn_Crusader16]

Beautiful work Shady! Can't wait to see what else you do for this fun little musical ride of yours! Also can't wait to see how the character's, as well as how the bosses will sound once you get to doing themes for them too. I have no doubts you'll produce bangers!

[@justme9487]

Mark my words, there's gonna be a leitmotif from this theme in the final battle theme

[@rubededcii2395]

This would be a great game Edit: There would absolutly be a moment where a violin solos the main melody in an important moment

[@DelvonCharles]

Yes a new music from Shady Cicada?!

[@rayk7307]

Genuinely, that is the best song I've heard on this channel. Absolutely wonderful work dude.

[@retierashia]

Very beautiful, it worked because I have some eye juice leaking. Very well done!

[@hap2581]

That final product, so good

[@estrianwarlord4378]

This was insane! One of my favorites that you've ever released, Shady! Excellently done!

[@robloxianguy2477]

i imagine the main character walking through some enchanted forest for this song

[@BRDoriginal]

a little mysterious... magical... somber

[@River-0G]

I can 100% hear the emotion in this song I actually almost felt like crying, thank you for this lovely tune of emotional purity (I don't know what I'm typing but my point is part of me connects with this, it genuinely makes me feel kinda sad)

[@ikes_Pikes]

this is the best music I've heard in a while

[@lus-an-tsalainn]

Ngl, I felt the urge to cry for no reason listening to this.

[@superlynx98]

I can't wait to start balling my eyes out over the ending of a video game about chicken nuggets

[@Liam-pf7ih]

bro the wibbies are so good

[@breaddo4300]

sounds super tragic, absolutely love it

[@NovelteaJ1228]

dude this song made me cry, HOW DO YOU DO THAT WITH JUST NOTES...

[@Noma_Ney]

Another banger as usual Shady!

[@Maquiberry]

for a boss song that I'm sure you'll do again, I feel as if it needs more ensemble with chromatic sad undertone that have slight hopefulness to them. I just feel like thats what a final boss theme would sound like

[@clover-il7tf]

I love this song a lot! This is awesome, I'm so excited to see where this series goes!

[@pixelgamer6199]

cool series idea

[@ASandwall]

Holy schmoly, I felt things with this song, can’t wait for it to go up on streaming sites! Also that Sawano-style song (or wip) in the ending is hype as hell, can’t wait to see how that turns out as well!

[@TheScarHafag]

bro that was magical... makes me want to play the game now :D

[@tzar3098]

Beautiful stuff Shady

[@grinningtiki220]

That game that was sitting on the top of the bargain bin, with the wholesome, forlorn girl standing on a hill, over looking a seaside town with red tile roofs and a deep blue sky with puffy clouds. Its within your budget from doing odd jobs around the neighborhood and its compatible with your hand me down last gen console. At home the chonky cd case sits opened next to your tv and you insert disk one of six. The theme plays and fades from black to the title screen. A broken locket sits spot lighted in the darkness. You are spellbound with the music. It plays out its entirety while questions pour into your mind like a back yard fountain. Who is the girl on the cover? What is the meaning of the locket? When will you meet the badass flaming cat man from the cover of the booklet? You are about to embark on a journey that will mold the rest of your summer. New Game.

[@xander-jay-x546]

This was beautiful, I can already imagine the game title in my head, I would love this series to continue!

[@RavenTheA2]

yeah, i could imagine this as a jrpg

[@devildash5912]

This sounds so sooooo perfect omyghad

[@justinlipkin]

Absolutely amazing! It gets me hyped for a story game with a little bit of adventure. PKMN Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky vibes as well as some PKMN Black/White vibes.

[@aballisticninja29]

Fantastic! It was somehow melancholic but hopeful and spirited at the same time. Really excited to see where else this series goes if it continues!

[@masdrionalt]

I don't know how exactly to describe it, but this gave me a vibe somewhere between Deltarune and Ender Lilies, and I loved it.

[@micahwilcox8433]

How do i pay this man for making this. So so so so good man 😫

[@SkippyZii]

That is a beautiful song

[@nachobaeza]

this is SO GOOD

[@llenastro5986]

HOLY SHIT this is beautiful, great work (as always)!

[@brennenblotner6026]

I always like finding motifs in names - Aralia is no exception. If we break it apart as A-ra-li-a, it can translate as A-C#-Bb-A, ra and li coming from solfège. Could be a cool motivic idea, especially in D harmonic minor or something 👀

[@dew-it8744]

This is amazing. I can already hear the main theme in like a battle theme

[@dragonkitty7519]

This was so beautiful! Definitely achieved the goal of making people cry listening to it lol. Gosh I wanna know more! It sounded so somber but hopeful at the same time, it could definitely be the type of game that will change you fundamentally as a person. I hope you keep going with this concept (and that name sounds so cool as well!)

[@jumpay6524]

this is incredible

[@AchanCham_]

Phenomenal job!

[@36inc]

i can hear toby fox influencing that. the volume fading on the lil melody definity has a long strange and uncertain journey feel to it. but it straight up reminds me of the caves in undertale.

[@archangelofsorrow]

Love this so much

[@CakeDrakeNG]

if you end up getting to it, it would be fun to hear the theme for the hero / heroes

[@theopreston8507]

ooh this is such a cool idea!!!

[@sirreginaldfishingtonxvii6149]

As someone without any actual knowledge of music theory, your made-up-on-the-spot terms will become my permanent terms. Whether I want them to or not. They're fun to say though so hey it's a win in my book.

[@DanTheMann1218]

Please continue this series! The concept of a soundtrack for a game that doesn’t exist is really interesting.

[@Solar_Symphony]

Yup, definitely making art to this one! It'd be fun to try to imagine what the game cover art would be for this theoretical game~

[@realsimplyeli]

we're being blessed by mr cicada today