"Peel", like a banana.

Reap the love, baby!

(that was terrible what am I even doing)

Wow, I'm flattered! Glad you enjoy it so much. The high-pitched double reed instrument you're hearing is indeed an Armenian zurna/zourna, and it comes from the EWQL Ra sound library. I assembled the looping melody myself utilizing several different articulation types available in the instrument, and I set it to play in one of the myriad of Middle Eastern tunings included in the software. I really wanted to give the impression of a lonely but light-hearted wanderer in a Sahara-like desert. The Ra library was the perfect tool for the job!

Thanks - glad you still enjoy that old piece! And no, I'm not on FA.

There's no real formula to it - I mostly go by instinct. If you listen intently to a lot of music from many different styles, the melodic patterns you pick up will help to serve as inspiration when you're writing your own melodies. It comes easier to some people than others, but anyone can build their skills if they're motivated enough. Learning some music theory might be helpful if you don't already have a natural feel for music, though that's still just a starting point - listening and imitating is key to growing in your abilities.

In this instance, I didn't design those glitchy percussive sounds myself - they were tempo-synced samples from the EWQL Stormdrum 2 library that I mixed & matched to taste.

I know, I'm such a cheater.

Sound design for electronic music genres really is almost a separate art from musical composition, despite the large role it can play in the composition process. I must admit it's a field I don't have a lot of expertise in (aside from tweaking virtual analog synths in Synth1 and the like), in comparison to some other music team members like Robert J! Lake and Gabe Nezovic. All I know is there's an overwhelming variety of software tools & plugins out there (both free & commercial), and the best way to figure out what works and what doesn't for your own music is to spend a lot of time trying them out for yourself. There are no right or wrong methodologies; it's all about what pleases your own ear and what makes for an enjoyable and productive workflow.

Eddie Morton, of course.

No hurdy-gurdy there! What you're probably hearing is the shō, a Japanese mouth organ traditionally used in gagaku music of the imperial court.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8D_%28instrument%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gagaku

The entire intro section of Courser (and the reprise at the end) is an imitation of that ancient music style. Here's a recording of the most well-known gagaku piece, "Etenraku", to give you a taste of the real thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx1uw4n575M

A complete listing of all the instruments & ensembles I used in the song:

JAPANESE/ASIAN:
Shakuhachi
Dizi
Koto
Shamisen
Ryuteki
Hichiriki 1
Hichiriki 2
Shō

JAPANESE PERCUSSION:
O Daiko Set
Nagado Fortissimo
Taiko Drums
Dynasty O Daiko
Okedo
Chappa
Atarigane
Tsuzumi
Suzu
O-daiko
Gagaku Uchimono
Shime-daiko
Hyoshigi

ORCHESTRA:
Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Flute 3
Oboe 1
Oboe 2
English Horn
Clarinet
Horn 1
Horn 2
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Glockenspiel
Orch Percussion
Orchestral Cymbal Rolls
Harp
Harp Gliss
Violins 1
Violins 2
Viola
Cellos
Basses

MISC:
Synth Bass
Flute Spits
Finger Cymbals
Gongs
Shaker Rattle

Play

You're in luck! Forumer BRPXQZME just recently wrote up some nicely-done Alternia sheet music, both as a full score and as individual parts:
http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?24618-Homestuck-Sheet-Music&p=5049206&viewfull=1#post5049206

Even remaking an existing song takes a considerable amount of effort, and I find that creating something entirely new (or collaborating on a project with someone else) is generally a lot more motivating and personally enriching for me.

That's not to say that I wouldn't consider redoing a couple of my old tunes at some point; it's just that it hasn't gained a high enough priority level in my mind yet to bump all the other stuff that keeps spawning above it out of the way.

I'd consider a professional to be someone who earns enough to make a living off of it. By that definition, I don't even come close.

Not that you have to be an actual professional to do professional-quality work, of course!

Yes - I just recently got a M-Audio Keystation 88es, my first full-range keyboard. Huuuuuge improvement in playability from the ancient Kawai K1 II I'd been using since the mid-1990s!

Yes! After having worked with Cakewalk software since 1994, I migrated from SONAR to REAPER a few months ago (midway through working on Courser) and have been very happy with it since. The developers have constantly improved upon it based on user feedback since its initial release in 2005, and the next major version (4.0) supposedly has a lot of improvements for MIDI editing in particular. It's well-built and surprisingly powerful for such a low-priced package!

...Maybe???

Making an entire album yourself is a pretty daunting task, though - especially when you're a perfectionist like me! While I won't rule out the possibility of it happening at some point down the line, I will say that the chances of it happening during Homestuck are pretty slim. I've got plenty on my plate right now just with collab album material.

Yep, you got it! Even though Pumpkin Cravings is an NES tune rather than SID, it was heavily inspired by that C64 game theme. Also Danny Elfman. And gypsy violin music. And cheesy '60s rock. And... I don't even know what all. I wrote it around Halloween, and I was kinda just going for stuff that would fit a general Halloween-y mood. In that sense, the pumpkin motif was doubly relevant!

Anyway, I've never actually played the game myself, but years ago I used to listen to Nectarine Radio (http://www.scenemusic.net/demovibes/) frequently and that theme would get played a lot there - that's where I first heard it.

More recently, I was reminded of its awesomeness by watching too many Let's Plays of IWBTG on YouTube. Needless to say, I am now forever paranoid of the moon.

WHOOPS sorry meant to make you cry. Try this instead:
http://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/alternia

...wait was that what made you smile in the first place

gosh freaking dang it

(thank you haha)

I've been writing electronic music off & on since 1995, when I was 15. (Yes, I am as old as Andrew. No, I am not the oldest member of the music team.) You can hear all of my old tunes on my terribly neglected website at http://www.beatfox.com.

Although I may have been composing for longer than most of the other members, my actual output over the years has been relatively small. I'm pretty sure Radiation's written more music during his year-and-a-half on the team than I ever have!

I've been singing baritone for several years in the Pacific Chorale, a professional-level volunteer choir. I've played saxophone and a wide variety of drums & percussion in the past, but I don't currently own any such instruments and am not involved in any groups. I also dabble around on keyboard, which I use frequently when composing.

You're right that I do put a lot of effort into a relatively small number of songs. I guess it's my perfectionist nature more than anything - I get a vision of what a song should sound like in my head, and then I spend a long time trying to approach that vision as closely as possible using the tools I have available.

I actually exercise a lot of restraint in starting new songs precisely because I know that the more songs I have available to work on, the more likely I am to start abandoning unfinished ones. It can sometimes get wearisome when I'm taking my time to just work on one thing, but I find that not giving myself alternatives to work on does help me to eventually finish what I start.

...Which isn't to say that I don't frequently end up resorting to non-productive alternatives like reading the MSPA Chat all day. x.x

Thanks! Glad you enjoy it. >^.^<