Music library

Whereas Game-Maker provided powerful, well-designed utilities for drawing, defining, and organizing graphical elements — tiles, sprites, maps — the sound side of things was always kind of a shrug. Although there's a decent editor for PC speaker-based squawks, Sound Blaster support only came around with the software's 2.0 release, and the formats it supported were... curious. Any digital samples had to be in .VOC format, and any music in the very peculiar .CMF. Whereas even now it is possible to find audio applications that support .VOC, there never really were any popular sequencers or conversion utilities for .CMF.

So what you’ll often find is Game-Maker games with original, brilliant visuals and subversive design that borrow most of their sounds and all of their music from the demo libraries, or even from other Game-Maker games. If the original author complained, the derivative author would issue an update and give him a credit. It was a different era.

Game-Maker came with a limited set of stock pieces, which tend to populate most games. Designers also got clever, tracking down .CMF files on bulletin boards and hacking existing commercial or shareware games -- especially early Epic Megagames releases -- for their music. Most users built up a small personal library to plug in the way a film editor uses temp tracks. If Game-Maker were ever to support a better format, or come with a custom music editor, then those temp tracks would get swapped out. Except none of that ever happened.

Stock tracks

These are the tracks included in the Game-Maker sample library, and used to track all of RSD's demo games. They are, therefore, the most commonly reused pieces.

GMSONG1.CMF

Sort of the Super Mario Bros. overworld theme or Green Hill Zone theme of the Game-Maker world. Used in nearly every Game-Maker game in some form, often in the first level or primary area.

Known uses:

• Sample (Overworld)
• Nebula (Titles, Star map)
• Penguin Pete (Overworld, Maze 6)
• Tutor (Level 2)
• Glubada Pond (Levels 1 & 2)
• Peach the Lobster (Menu)
• The Patchwork Heart (Level 3)
• Paper Airplane (?)
• Yuphex (?)
• Invasion of the Blobs! (?)
• Badman (?)
• Commander Xeen (?)
• Orb: The Derelict Planet (Second area)
• Space Cadet (Level 2)
• Time After Time (?)
• Reptalia (?)

GMSONG2.CMF

A traipsing, bucolic theme often used for laid-back, period, or natural settings. After GMSONG1, probably the most common theme.

(There is no GMSONG3 and, at least for public use, there never was.)

Known uses

• Nebula (Blue planet)
• Penguin Pete (Mazes 1 & 2, Last stage)
• Houses (Hero map)
• Clyde & Zeke (Main level)
• Glubada Pond (Level 4 & 5)
• The Patchwork Heart (Ending)
• Invasion of the Blobs! (?)

GMSONG4.CMF

Otherwise known as the Jaws track. It's not literally the theme from the movie, but it evokes a similar feeling. Used for dark and sinister moments. The bit where it switches to a childlike melody is especially unnerving.

Known uses

• Pipemare (Level 1)
• Penguin Pete (Maze 3, Underwater)
• Tutor (Level 3)
• Houses (Ending)
• Glubada Pond (Level 4)
• The Patchwork Heart (Level 1)
• Paper Airplane (?)
• Invasion of the Blobs! (?)
• Invasion of the Blobs II (?)
• Commander Xeen (?)
• Space Cadet (Boss level)

GMSONG5.CMF

A track suggesting wonder and adventure; a wide-eyed journey into the unknown. Sometimes there's danger. Sometimes there are concepts and technologies beyond your understanding. Sometimes it's thrilling. Sometimes a little overwhelming.

Known uses

• Pipemare (Level 2)
• Penguin Pete (Maze 4)
• Tutor (Level 1)
• Houses (Biker map)
• Glubada Pond (Level 6)
• The Patchwork Heart (Level 5)
• Invasion of the Blobs! (?)
• Invasion of the Blobs II (?)
• Badman (?)
• Twinbee Land (?)
• Orb: The Derelict Planet (Opening scene, third area)
• Shanna (Level 1)

GMSONG6.CMF

An arrangement of "Beer Barrel Polka", often used sort of interchangeably with GMSONG2. Also used for droll, sardonic, or otherwise strange moments.

Known uses

• Sample (Menu)
• Penguin Pete (Maze 5, Final area)
• Houses (Heroine map)
• Zark (Ending)
• Invasion of the Blobs! (?)
• Commander Xeen (?)
• Space Cadet (Ending)
• Baxter Vs. The Brain Snatching Aliens (?)

GMOPENIN.CMF

A brief fanfare heard at the start of many games. Its main problem is that it immediately repeats, creating a maddening DVD menu effect if you allow it to sit too long on one element.

Known uses

• Sample (Ending)
• Pipemare (Ending)
• Nebula (Ending)
• Penguin Pete (Menu, Ending)
• Houses (Menu)
• Terrain (Menu)
• Glubada Pond (Ending)
• The Patchwork Heart (Menu)
• Invasion of the Blobs! (?)
• Blork (?)
• Orb: The Derelict Planet (Menu)
• Shanna (Menu)
• Baxter Vs. The Brain Snatching Aliens (?)
• Die Blarney! (?)
• Reptalia (?)
• Robo Wars (?)

GMZARDOZ.CMF

A theme that begins with the famous GMOPENIN fanfare, and then transitions into a dark, contemplative, medium-tempo yet driving traveling music. Calls to mind dungeon exploration with a mission.

Known uses

• Invasion of the Blobs! (?)
• Barracuda (Main map, Wrecks 1 & 4)

GMDARKMO.CMF

Another dark, contemplative piece. A bit mechanical-sounding. Often used for moments involving concentration, focus, or determination. When this music appears, that's when things get serious. Also known as LASER.CMF.

Known uses

• Zark (?) [as LASER.CMF]
• Yuphex (?) [as GMSCI-FI.CMF]
• Invasion of the Blobs! (?)
• Invasion of the Blobs II (?)
• Barracuda (Wreck 2)

GMRAILRO.CMF

A moody minor-key piece with percussive, driving piano. Tense, a bit mournful, and old-fashioned sounding.

Known uses

• Invasion of the Blobs! (?)
• Barracuda (Submarine levels)

GMMOONLT.CMF

An arrangement of Bethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, aka The Moonlight Sonata. Often used for water levels, for some reason. Also distinguished as one of the few stock tracks not to contain an awkward loop within the first two minutes. A player might finish a whole level before the track finishes.

Known uses

• Invasion of the Blobs! (?)
• Invasion of the Blobs II (?)
• Barracuda (Wreck 3)

Common tracks

In later versions, Game-Maker came with many more demo games by a variety of authors. The following tracks were included in those games, and so may also be considered in regular distribution.

BETRAY.CMF

An arrangement of "Greensleeves", often used for a moment of formality or medieval flair.

Known uses

• Zark (Titles)

EGYPTION.CMF

[sic] A laid-back, exotic-sounding exploration theme that calls to mind hot sun, sand, and palm fronds.

Known uses

• Crullo: Adventures of a Donut (Level 1)
• Peach the Lobster (Story)
• Yuphex (Star map)

GENTLE.CMF

A quiet, wistful, and fussy piece. Used for storyline, flashback, or idyllic or old-fashioned feeling game segments.

Known uses

• Crullo: Adventures of a Donut (Menu)

GHOSTHOP.CMF

Bouncy, jazzy tune. Memorable and thematic.

Known uses

• Zark (Level 2 - Oral Caverns)

GHOSTRUN.CMF

One of the better action themes. Good for boss battles and important levels.

Known uses

• Peach the Lobster (Boss stage)
• All Quiet (Main stage)

GMEND.CMF

A slow, sentimental piece. You expect photographs and subtitles. Waving Zippos and gel lighting.

Known uses

• Peach the Lobster (Title screen)
• Badman (?)
• Pengo Adventure (?)
• Twinbee Land (?)
• Commander Xeen (?)

GMISLAND.CMF

A Brazilian-influenced, upbeat bit of moving music.

Known uses

• Peach the Lobster (Level 1)

GMLOST.CMF

The track starts off sounding anticipatory, or a bit ominous in a childhood Halloween sense. After about half a minute it transitions into a floaty piece that occupies a space around GMSONG2 or GENTLE.

Known uses

• Crullo: Adventures of a Donut (Level 3)
• Peach the Lobster (Game Over)

GMSPACE.CMF

A well-composed piece full of foreboding and uncertainty.

Known uses

• Zark (Level 3 - Stomachy Area) [as STRIDER.CMF]
• Orb: The Derelict Planet (?)

GMSTARFM.CMF

A pastiche of the Star Wars theme, often used for celebratory moments -- say, victory screens.

Known uses

• Crullo: Adventures of a Donut (Ending)
• Peach the Lobster (Ending)
• Yuphex (Final level, Ending)

GMTENSHN.CMF

A well-composed, anxious, and anticipatory piece.

Known uses

• Yuphex (Planet Yuphex/2)

MECH.CMF

Sounds like busy industry and machinery.

Known uses

• Peach the Lobster (Level 4)
• Yuphex (Yuphex landing)
• Invasion of the Blobs II (Stage 5)

RUNNING.CMF

Boss music if I've ever heard it.

Known uses

• Peach the Lobster (Level 2)
• Invasion of the Blobs II (Stage 3)

SAGAIA.CMF

A strong, flexible movement theme that calls to mind Zuntata.

Known uses

• Zark (Level 1 - Hell Hole)

SPOOKY.CMF

One of the best, and therefore most frequently used, tracks. A driving, ambitious, thematic track comprised mostly of ringing bells. A very memorable melody. The main problem with the track is the noisy sting at the start. Occasionally it fails to resolve correctly, resulting in the entire track being corrupted throughout the level. Often this results in grating metallic buzzes and hums.

Known uses

• Crullo: Adventures of a Donut (Level 2)
• Peach the Lobster (Level 3)

Original composers

• David Barras
• Jim Faux
• Mark Hadley
• Eric-Jon Waugh

Links

• Creative Music File format @ moddingwiki
• A mother lode of .CMF files
• Another .CMF archive
• And another