Hi. Changes were made to the music in the game for the season of Autumn. This is my feedback on it. Because this is music and I'm bad at this type of stuff, I'll do my best to explain why, even if it sounds like a baby babbling, particularly at me trying to identify instruments.
If I make a mistake anywhere or missed something, please let me know. I'll might also include some artificial gameplay as well to see the difference in actions, but that may take some time and will depend on my mood. I might include timestamps for the music too, but that's also more work.
I'll start with what I like and then what I think could use some improvements. I guess @dansorce is the person of interest for this too? Keep in mind that I'm listening to the music and comparing them while writing this as well.
The Fighting/Danger music:
This music plays when you are fighting normal mobs (aka not boss mobs like Bearger or the Shadow Pieces, which have their own music).
- This is the old sound.
- This is the new sound 1, 2 and 3. (It chooses any of the three at random, but I don't notice much of a difference, which is fine).
Feedback: I have zero issues with it. In fact, I like it a lot more than the old one. It sounds like I'm fighting in the season of Autumn. Nothing too intense, it's just string instruments that sound like Autumn and I'm fighting something.
Same level of intensity as before (you're in danger/fighting) and the more "intense" parts of it has some flutes playing instead of the drum cymbals from before, which still keeps it rather calm/not super intense. Again, zero issues.
Now for the music that I think needs improvement.
The Busy/Working Music:
This music is played during Autumn on the surface when you're chopping trees, mining stuff, digging stuff, and what I would consider to be very important, crafting stuff.
Feedback: I really am not a fan of this new music and I'll try my best to explain as best as possible.
Autumn itself is a cool, chill, and relaxing season to play. Under the old theme, the music was rather slow-paced, it was somewhat subtle, and the choice of instruments makes it rather calm and relaxing (I hear some calm wind instruments, some calm string instruments, a trumphet-like sound here and there, and I think a xylephone?).
It felt like I was frolicking/being busy in the wild in the season of Autumn. Chop a tree/mining something? Rather chill. Make a few boards? Also rather relaxing.
Now, with this new work music, it just sounds so I N T E N S E. In fact, I feel that it's more intense than the new fight music and makes it feel like I'm in danger instead. It also doesn't make me feel relaxed anymore cause of fast paced it is.
Go to chop some trees? I'm working like there's no tomorrow. Mine some rocks? Mine like no tomorrow. Refining some stuff, like rope or boards? I gotta refine a million boards to match the intensity of the work music. Need to work hard, faster, and as efficiently as possible, like I'm working in a workshop or in a city.
It would fit perfectly for Hamlet when you're in town being busy, but not in DST for Autumn work, where I think the calm, relaxing busy music suited it best :'(
I also think the instrument choice is playing a role too. The sounds overall sound so much "heavier" too. It's like hard bells being hit, very deep string instruments, deep xylephones/piano sounds. It's not like the instrument choice from before where everything was lighter in tune and intensity that made me feel like I was frolicking/relaxing.
Oh, and at the timestamp here, the music gets super intense, like something dark and brooding is occurring, even though I'm just making some boards.
And yea, that's my best way at trying to explain it. This was harder to explain cause I'm listening to the music side-by-side while writing this and I'm not good with this type of stuff, so I can only really get the emotions across unlike Lua where I can say line XYZ is the issue. I'll try to provide time stamps/improve upon this post, but I make no promises.
You also mentioned sailing music? I didn't hear anything different from the above music, though I could have missed it or its in the RoT beta. I need to play around with it.