Let's face it, Andromeda's music was lacking

I'm a fan of the building crescendo of the main theme. Starting slow was great, turning into an epic track later was what clinched it.

Reminded me of one of my favorite tracks from Mass Effect 2, The Long Walk. Although that one had the benefit of the Main Theme of Mass Effect and the Suicide Mission to guide it.

I couldnt agree more OP. For Andromeda i feel like EA probably had some kinda committee or focus group meetings to find out which type of music appeals to the widest audience(like whats popular in them Marvel movies, lets copy that for our game). Everything else in the game has a similiar safe and generic feel, so it wouldnt surprise me if they did that. Its a shame that ME:A's soundtrack is so bland and forgettable though, especially coming from the trilogy which had some excellent OSTs. If only they could of stuck with Jack Wall and Sam Hulick, all the best bits of music, Mass Effect was those two composers. John Paesano's ME:A soundtrack isnt all that imo. Its very generic, like so many other aspects of the game. Its not bad per se, but its not particulrly good either. Feels very Destiny-ish and Hollywood movie score at times. Again it all falls a bit flat, cookie cutter, its the supermarket own brand we're getting. "Meh"... would be the word the kids use these days. That's what Mass Effect Andromeda's soundtrack is. (Now if only they could've got Jon Hallur Haraldsson( or there's also the great login themes for each Eve exspansion, my favourites being(in no particular order) Trinity, Apocrypha, Kronos, Odessey, Hyperion, Rubicon, Oceanus, Rhea, Retribution, Phoebe & Crucible), just have him do the entire soundtrack instead. Now that wouldve been super damn awesome. He'd of been the ideal composer for a game like this imo. His synth style, and sound would have fit perfectly and enhanced the game's world and space atmosphere, be more befitting to a futuristic science fiction world that this game is set in, but at the same time fit with the established vibe of Mass Effect as a whole. Also I feel like the guy who did the FTL soundtrack would've been a good/better choice for ME:A, bring that similiar vibe and distinct but complimentary flavor to Mass Effect's soundscape or a composer like Joris de Man wouldve been a good choice. I mean i really liked the futuristic style techno/Trance as shown by the fantastic Velocity2x soundtrack he did ) i think he'd fit with Mass Effect pretty well. You've also got Michael Mccann as well of course( ), he wouldve worked too. If they wanted to go the more orchestral but still ambient route then somebody like Jasper Kyd would've been a great choice. I mean to this day his Hitman 2: Silent Assassin soundtrack still holds up as a great example of a blending of those two styles, a masterpiece in parts(particular highlights being the Japanese Mansion track, The Russian level tracks & H2 Exploration). But the soundtrack for that game makes the entire game i'd say.. ...But the point is they had options out there, but Bioware Montreal were really only focused on the gameplay side of things i think, the game certainly feels that way. Everything took a back seat to that etc). Though tbh with all the issues this game has the lacklustre soundtrack is the least of its worries.





Agreed. I think as far as ME2's DLCs music goes.. Kasumi's Stolen Memory's soundtrack(by Cris Velasco & Sascha Dikiciyan) is also up there for me. Its a fantastic score that really sets the mood imo. Probably my favourite actually. The track "Infiltration" is pure eargasm!. In hindsight i love how Deus Ex: Human Revolution-esque the soundtrack sounds(of course Kasumi Stolen Memory came long before Human Revolution, maybe Michael Mccann was inspired by it, who knows~). But i love the layers of sound, the rich soundscape and how it really fits the vibe & enhances the atmosphere of the mission as you romp around that Beckenstein crime lord's mansion VIP party james bond style. Great to listen outside the game too.

Infiltration:




Kasumi's Stolen Memory ost:



I digress... As you said its amazing what a great soundtrack can add to a game, even more so in RPG where its all about immersing yourself in the world. The sonic aspects of immersion really should not be overlooked, it really can improve a game immensely as atmosphere is such a huge part of why so many enjoy these games. And in many way music & sound design is atmosphere. But clearly Bioware & EA dont feel that way. Personally Ive never understood why you'd go to the great lengths to make these detailed worlds but then not put the same effort into bringing it to life via the soundtrack. The two go hand in hand. It just feels so cut corner-ish in ME:A though. Mass Effect should never feel that way. Shame really.

Music must be bugged. There are times I hear it and most times nothing.

Much nostalgia in this thread. The MEA soundtrack is very good, listened to it twice now. It's definitelly the most "professional" of all four games. Replaying ME2 right now and the music is certainly full of great ideas but the technical execution is lacking. MEA sounds like a proper full-blooded AAA soundtrack.

But I agree it was quite sparse in the game, partly because of bugs apparently.

The thing is - no one ever hears that 'epic' part. That's a 100% failure on the music direction side.

ME1 had sometimes made me linger in the main menu just a little longer - to enjoy the entire 'Vigil' loop (and see the squad portraits).

Same true for the Dishonored 2 - a marvelous and fresh rework of the old tunes, fitting the new setting.


What do I hear before loading the most recent save in MEA menu? Right. Nothing, but an ambient + couple of piano notes. If I'm slow enoug - I might get to the 'dawn will come' melodic part.

Do you remember Diablo 1? Probably not, but 'Tristram theme' had your ears pinned, right from the first second of loading into the game.
Memorable, 'moody', fitting...hell, I can sing it out right now, 20 fucking years after!

Aren't we talking about the music as it is in the game?  

I agree on sounding similar to DAI, for a moment I thought I left open DAI on my ps4 and not mass effect lol.

I'm a music nerd and I completely agree with the OP!

I can't be the only one playing ME1 tracks while roaming around on various worlds, right?

Other than the opening theme I really don't remember any of the music in the game. I know it plays during combat sometimes, but not all the time. Can't recall any other times it's come up, even with the galaxy map the only thing I can hear is the sound effects when you zoom in/out of systems. I guess I need to take a look at my settings and then pay more attention. :smh: