Getting rid of that dreary John Adams music

[Trelane]

Am I the only one who can't stand most of the Modern Era soundtrack? It's a symphony of defeat and despair. Getting rid of it isn't that hard.

The modern soundtrack is (with typical installation) located here:

C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Assets\Sounds\Soundtrack\Modern

The task involves more than just replacing the old MP3s with your selections. Civ4 is programmed to play specific file names - your new selections must have the same names as the files they are replacing.

(If Civ4 tries to play a music file that has been removed, some sort of cannot-find-file message will pop up, but the game won't crash, and it won't disqualify a HOF game.)

If you want fewer than 14 different MP3s in your personalized Modern soundtrack, just make multiple copies of certain selections. For instance, one copy of The Who's "Don't Get Fooled Again" would appear as TrombaLontana.mp3, another as MeisterEckhardt.mp3. For effect, time that late-game city capture for the moment Roger Daltry sings, "Meet the new boss..."

I'm thinking of replacing the entire Classical soundtrack with Spinal Tap's "Stonehenge."

 

[djvandrake]

You're not alone! That modern era soundtrack drove me nuts! I'm a big fan of the classics though, so I replaced the modern era music with some great selections from Bach and Mozart. My modern era soundtrack is a retelling of the Renaissance.

 

[Wimsey]

Thanks a lot, I too have tried using my own music but only ends up reading the "can'd find music"-message. In the end I put the modern music back in its folder because it was better than playing silently . Now I can listen to the 1812 Overtoure while my riflemen conquers the world!

 

[Bushface]

So there are 14 "music" files for the modern era ? They all sound alike to me . . . equally horrible.

 

[Trelane]

Think I'll make up a wish list of music files to place in the Modern soundtrack some day. I've had some of these jotted down already, but I'll round it up to an even 14:

Copland, Appalachian Spring
Dukas, The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Gaye, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"
Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue
Holst, "Mars, the Bringer of War" (from The Planets)
Orff, "O Fortuna" (from Carmina Burana)
Prokofiev, "Montagues and Capulets" (from Romeo and Juliet)
Ravel, Bolero
R.E.M - "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5, movement 4
Stravinsky, "Infernal Dance" (Firebird suite, 1919 edition)
Williams, "The Raiders March" (from Raiders of the Lost Ark)
The Who, "Don't Get Fooled Again"
Vangelis, "Alpha" (featured in Carl Sagan's Cosmos PBS series)

 

[Itachi]

Turn off the sound( or just the music) in civ and run windows media player(or any other media player) in the background. It works fine for me.

 

[Trelane]

Come to think of it, Elvis has long been associated with the Civilization series - he deserves a place in the Modern soundtrack.

"Suspicious Minds" would be kinda appropriate for BTS.

 

[Halforc]

I was also wondering how to do this. I hate the modern soundtrack, some Vivaldi will do just nicely.

 

[Pieman]

Yeah the Modern soundtrack is quite poor. Almost as bad as Civ III's dreary soundtrack.

 

[Ramesses]

Three words - Mirror's Edge Music.

EDIT: I'm also partial to Final Fantasy recompositions from OCRemix.

 

[apenpaap]

Wow, does no one but me actually like the modern era soundtrack? I think it's (musically speaking) the best part of the game (apart from baba yetu).

 

[macmert]

Replacing modern era music... Hmmm lemme think...

Slayer - Angel of Death
Megadeth - Holy Wars Punishment Due
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Slayer - Raining Blood
Megadeth - Take No Prisoners
Manowar - Blood of The Kings
Manowar - Holy War
Manowar - Hail to England
Blind Guardian - Time Stands Still ,
Blind Guardian - Jerusalem

Nice warmongering, especially Megadeth with Nukes falling down

 

[Trelane]

Macmert must be under the age of 35

I've been rethinking my own list. There should be a Big Band selection - like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apc50yPFXPI

It can replace the Shostakovich selection.

I'm also thinking that "Rodeo" might be the better Copland pick.

 

[Anexus]

Wow, I found the modern soundtrack a pleasant surprise and enjoyed many of the tracks. I'm not sure how you can say it is all dreary, there's one particularly fast track which is quite exciting. Sure it's not as accessible as the Dvorak or Beethoven from the industrial era, but I think it's good music.

I usually end up playing itunes in the background and turning the music off, though.

For me, I'm not a fan of Bach and Vivaldi. I find that music to be boring. Very rarely am I in the mood to listen to that era.

 

[macmert]

Macmert must be under the age of 35

I've been rethinking my own list. There should be a Big Band selection - like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apc50yPFXPI

It can replace the Shostakovich selection.

I'm also thinking that "Rodeo" might be the better Copland pick.

LOL Yea I am only 27...

Btw I dont know about you but the opening music of civ4 warlords is just amazing... Incredible harmony of violin and strings...

 

[Combat Ingrid]

If you guys don't like the modern era music just go to the audio options and choose to play a custom music folder once you hit the modern era. No need to replace any files.

 

[macmert]

God please help me then...

I cant get the custom music work!! I check the box, I choose folders, but no music plays, an error message appears, saying as no file found...

 

[Retrospect]

Wow, does no one but me actually like the modern era soundtrack? I think it's (musically speaking) the best part of the game (apart from baba yetu).

I do..... I think it has an appropriately apocalyptic feel to it!

 

[Combat Ingrid]

God please help me then...

I cant get the custom music work!! I check the box, I choose folders, but no music plays, an error message appears, saying as no file found...

Check the file format. It doesn't seem to work well with wma files, but mp3s should be fine.

 

[Yngvi]

@apenpaap: I like most of the modern music well enough, but "Chairman Dances" is like torture to my ears. That one I did get rid of. The medieval music with all that chanting irritates me more.