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Description
Game Story : Explained (with illustrations I made) in more details on the project's page
Game Genre : RPG Adventure Game
Genre : Orchestral/Ambient
Inspiration : Shadow Of The Colossus/Spirit Tracks/The Odyssey/Panzer Dragoon
What each track represents : Different levels/narrative situations
Software used : Studio One, OrchestralTools, Archetype Petrucci, Decent Samples, Spitfire Audio
Gear used : UAD Volt, Cordoba Stage (guitar on Interception), AudioTechnica AT2020 (lower-pitched vocals on Prohibited Artifact)
Message from the artist
Thanks a lot for listening, hope that you'll like my submission !
Also check the project's page for the full narration and illustrations I made to illustrate the different tracks (I hope you will enjoy browsing through it while listening to the tracks) !
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
The characters are the ones presented in the picture (along with the instruments they wield), and the quest is to gather an ensemble to play the Ancient Melody
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/valerian-dubois/sets/the-ancient-melody
Number of tracks6
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
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Comments
What wonderful storytelling. This is an incredible piece of work and I really appreciate the material you added to your project page. I do think adding a teensy bit more tempo variation would make the sparser tracks, like the duets sing more nicely together, but overall a fantastic job!
Thank you very much, glad that you appreciated the whole content !
I see your point about tempo variations, I did put different tempos for the different tracks but maybe I could have accentuated this trait more by making the différences a bit more noticeabke (and maybe do tempo changes for different sections within the tracks in the future because I'd like to explore this kind of writing also).
For the duet tracks I deliberately put a slower tempo for them to make them more didactic and easier to follow (since it would require the player to play the parts after hearing them like in the Spirit Tracks duets, so it would be more manageable if it isn't too hectic).
Thanks a lot for listening !
Awesome soundtrack. Impressive how much you got done in the short amount of time. Good strong compositions. I like unveiling the past the best. Great job on the harmony.
Hi thank you very much, glad that you enjoyed it !
I did have a bit more time to do it all this time (and also the opportunity to take sufficient breaks between the work sessions to listen to my work with fresh ears), and for the drawings/project page I worked on them the last two days (since I had a pretty definite idea of where I was heading so I didn't lose too much time brainstorming).
Thanks for listening !
Wow, did not expect that twist in the ending! Your soundtrack is incredibly immersive, and I love how you directly incorporated the theme image into how you designed the pieces. The art and story on the project page is also excellent and made the experience even more enjoyable! I really liked the gradual build up in Faljir Duet, with the Ancient Melody coming more and more to life as the three characters play together, and the way you then drop into the dark sound of Unveiling the Past was brilliant. Great job, and thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks a lot, very glad that you appreciated the music and the story especially !
When thinking about the theming of my story (with the theme of the jam) I globally had in mind the beginning and the ending of the soundtrack, with the duets being a nice way to mark the protagonist's progression (will the Ancient Melody be completed ? That's a mystery, but there is a choice that could be made).
That's all, thank you very much for your comment and for listening !
I'm loving the dark vibes, and the sounds you've used! Some powerful percussion in the second track to add on some tension after the first one (that set the tone for this soundtrack very well). The initial vibe is never lost, even when writing pieces that aren't inherently dark or anything, which is great, and ties it all together, you get a great sense of the general atmosphere of the game.
I like the mix, it's nice and powerful, and the right elements shine, if there's one nitpick perhaps, I feel like some higher notes cause a bit of a unpleasant resonance, an example would be on the beats at the end of "The Ancient Melody", so some EQing could perhaps help there. But I think you did a fantastic job, and I especially love Interception! :)
Thanks a lot for your comment, glad that you enjoyed it !
I indeed wanted to keep this darker and haunting vibe throughout (the Unveiling The Past being the first track composed for it, it quite set the tone for the rest) with some variations in intensity for the different tracks like you noticed (to fit with the general story that I had in mind).
I didn't apply this for the drawings on the project's page though (mainly because I wanted to put some colours in my drawings for once, but also to provide a nice counterpoint to the music's general vibe, and to not make the twist of the story too obvious in tone).
And pretty true for the EQ part, the Ancient Melody tracks for example could have benifitted from a bit more attention on this end (for the mixing I applied the bx_masterdesk plugin which is really nice to give the mix more clarity/punch, but a few tweaks here and there would be welcome).
Anyway thanks a lot for listening and for your feedback, it is greatly appreciated !
Thanks for sharing more about your process, I really like hearing about that! Really liked the drawings, forgot to mention that also. :) Haven't heard about the bx_masterdesk plugin to be honest, but if that contributed to the mix, then I am definitely intruiged! Because again, I really like how wide and powerful the mix feels.
such a good soundscape you've got here, big fan of unveiling the past just bc of the percussions/hammer instruments mixing alone!! interception was also a BANGER you created that sense of urgency/confusion super well here, also huge fan of the guitar leading the solo melody here (but that's also just bc i love the guitar in general LOL)
Thanks a lot glad that you liked it !
For the percussions I mostly took drum samples pack from a Humble Bundle pack I bought a long time ago (that I rearranged for the needs of the track), glad that it came out well on these two tracks.
I didn't use a lot of real instruments for this jam (compared to the previous ones where I used them more and more) but I still wanted to have the occasion to use one of my guitars and Interception was the perfect place to do so (the guitar playing is quite inspired by Fates Warning's Monument acoustic guitar part).
Thanks a lot for listening !
Great job! I like the simplicity and style you captured through emulating ancient-style music.
Hi thanks a lot for your comment, glad that you liked it !
An impressive sense of storytelling being shown here, with some really strong tracks. Especially liked the sense of atmosphere created in track 6. Great work!
Thanks a lot for listening, glad that you liked it !
Track 6 Unveiling The Past was actually the first track I wrote for the album (I had the general story written & divided into 6 different tracks, and this is the one that I started the writing with and that set the general tone for the album). I started with the bells to set up the ominous tone (inspired by the Closing track from Drakengard with a similar vibe) for this part of the story, and then the rest of the instrumentation came naturally with it.
Thanks a lot for your comment !
The most complete storytelling I've seen from a submission using the image, automatic 5 star from me !
The soundscape is really heavy and dark, even in the more "light" tracks, but it make the whole thing original and coherent so that's a win.
Thank you very much for your comment, glad that you liked my project and the narration I've made !
I indeed wanted to keep the general atmosphere pretty dreary and somber (not sure if I used major scales at all during the project but probably not) to paint an accurate image of the world this soundtrack belongs to, so I'm glad that it came through properly !
Awesome work. I am loving how you wrote a story from the image provided as a prompt, creating characters from it and even completing it with beautiful and very dynamic illustrations. (On a side note, I was also pleasantly surprised to see how the plot so resembled my own project!). I will now tell you my impressions, with some technical comments, about each of your pieces. Please don't take my criticism too harsh, as I think your work is great and I would like to help you improve:
The Ancient Melody:
- I think the drone in the background would benefit getting a little variation. It also seems to be too panned to the left, but maybe that's my earphones. The choirs are great and they really contribute to set the mood.
Interception:
- The combination of bell and the percussive high-tuned instrument works great to keep the tension and act as a basic melody. Also the guitar starting at the 1 min mark sounds great. Sounds good for a persecution scene.
Solior Duet:
- Great sense of a teacher teaching the pupil a new song.
World from Above:
- 90s RPG game vibes. The flutes seem to be all panned to the left, creating a bit of an unbalance. Loving the repetitive broken choirs at the background, and the slight dissonant brass. A sense of wonder at the beginning but also of danger at the end. Something dark might be lurking at the shadows...
Faljir Duet:
- It's a pity, as this would benefit so much from real voices, as the choir instruments sound too mechanical for the texture you seemed to be aiming for.
Unveiling the past:
- Very atmospheric track, probably the most balanced of all. Great sense of anticipation and leaving it open at the end with those open spaces and fade out.
Fantastic job overall. I liked how cohesive it was and how it could serve as a great foundation, adding more layers and using real voices and instruments to give it that texture it demands. I am leaving your project with a sense of having been in an alternative world for a while. Thank you for your work!
Thank you very much for listening and for the points of amelioration, really helps a lot !
You are right about the panning issues, at the end of the project I mostly listened to my tracks through my phone and speakers (instead of my headset) to check the mixing on different devices, but I could have checked again on headset to notice the panning inbalances.
And for the voice on the second duet track I only had either long natural vocal samples (that work okay for textures on other tracks) or this shorter one that feels a bit unnatural, maybe I should invest in a paid vocals VST to get something a bit more dynamic and natural (maybe you have some in mind that I would be very happy to check).
Anyway thanks for the constructive comment and for listening !
Yeah, in my experience I have the same problem with vocals. I expressed a common frustration I feel when making lyrical voice work. Unless you actually record a real singer, it is impossible to emulate properly. Maybe some other jammer can illuminate us recommending some good VST or vocaloid, but I also haven't found anything good enough (but it's also true I did not check above a certain price limit). An excellent reason for us to collaborate with singers, though.
Pretty true indeed, when doing my researches I did find some VSTs by OrchestralTools (Babel and Eternal Vocals mostly) that seemed pretty alright for the price invested, also considering that they make very nice free orchestral VSTs : I'm just not sure if they are flexible enough for different musical styles (the demos sure do sound pretty nice, but what are they like in my DAW ? That's a mystery).
Also yeah collaboration with other talented people would surely be the best way to go for higher pitched vocals (I did do the other vocals on the first track but I do have my limitations), maybe I should check this at some point.
First of all, I really like the illustrations you made for your submission! It does wonders to bring your game idea to life. Your tracks sound really pretty and do an excellent job communicating the scenes on your project page. I also liked the little jingles that played in The Ancient Melody tracks.
Thank you very much for your comment, glad that you liked it (and for taking the time to check the project's page too) !
For the Ancient Melody tracks I was mostly inspired by the Spirit Tracks duets with the back and forth with the player and the character teaching the song (I initially wanted to have the violin parts played sloppily like the character learning the songs, but I also wanted the tracks to not sound horrendous so there was a choice to be made).
Anyway thanks a lot for listening !
Hello! I thoroughly enjoyed your tracks. I think you did a great job connecting your songs to the story you wanted to tell, and the instrumentation aided in the ancient atmosphere you wanted to create. Great work!
Hey thanks a lot for the nice comment, very glad that you enjoyed it !
For the instrumentation I took a bit of inspiration from the Odyssey's soundtrack mostly on vocals and wind instruments side (made me think of it with the harpies looking like the sirens), so glad that you appreciated this part !