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Discovery - Synlyfe's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall | #55 | 3.998 | 3.998 |
| Composition | #57 | 4.062 | 4.062 |
| Impression | #60 | 3.991 | 3.991 |
| Correlation to theme | #69 | 4.018 | 4.018 |
| Creativity | #85 | 3.929 | 3.929 |
| Quality | #96 | 3.991 | 3.991 |
Ranked from 113 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Judge feedback
Judge feedback is anonymous.
- I'm sorry to hear about your ear injury! Here's hoping that you're recovering well and are going to keep making music. This submission has a lot of promise and some quite interesting textural blending that I think is very effective. The use of sharkuhachi flute I think works in its brief appearance, adding a new, breathy layer to the soundscape that fills it out. In that moment, I really found that everything you had been building to kind of snapped together, which was lovely to hear. I'm sure due to the nature of your shortened preparation time, the track as a whole feels a bit disconnected from itself in that it doesn't seem to quite build toward a target, even as the textures that I do hear are very nicely put together. Structurally I think it just needs more of a sense of direction, where the listener can know that they are being taken on a journey-- told a story-- that's clear and concise. Even though in games we know our music is going to get sliced up and recombined in implementation, having a clear journey from the get go makes a huge difference. Given that you had such a short time to prepare I think the result here is admirable!
Description
Genre: Ambient, electronic.
Purpose: Theme; could function as a title, credits or a lore-driven level theme.
More info available below in "How does it fit the theme"
DAW: FL Studio 21 + Native Instruments, Heavyocity, Serum and stock plugins.
I wanted the track to be driven primarily by piano and strings and then use woodwinds and synths to buff out the composition. Composed in a minor key, but not inherently spending too much time on the defining minor notes - tried to strike a balance between sombre tones and a subtle but progressive hope.
Link to DAW overview on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyBn1Zm4Nik
Can be streamed via Audiomack, link below.
Message from the artist
Was super pumped to join this jam but unfortunately sustained an ear injury the night before it kicked off. After a couple of much needed quiet days, I finally got a chance to start on my submission approximately a day before the jam was ending.
There's very little post-work done, and there are a couple of instances of clipping that I missed upon exporting. All in all I'm decently happy with the composition but I would have liked to have taken it much further and developed the concepts within a lot more. I feel as though the chord progressions in particular are lacking, as is a general sense of substance.
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
I wanted to focus more on the spirit the child is speaking to and what it represents, so I opted for a minor key and left some of the child-like visuals, emotion and expression to the instrumentation.
I used short, delay and reverb soaked synths in Massive to represent the bubbles and wrote primarily for piano, strings and woodwind to set the tone; slightly sombre but with hope on the horizon. Marred happiness and fond memories are two keywords I kept in mind while scoring.
Ultimately the child is speaking to a spirit of a (presumed) loved one, manifesting amidst the bubbles and chalk drawings of fish. I let some reverb tails ring out a little longer and soak the ambience to really sell the water and sea creature vibe as best I could. Playful synths to represent bubbles and the occasional use of a shakuhachi flute to pay due respect to the culture.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://audiomack.com/synlyfe/song/discovery
Number of tracks1
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
Thanks for the detailed comment. Unfortunately I only saw it after the jam ended so I wasn't be able to rate your entry, so I'll just give you some feedback instead.
The track contains a very eclectic combination of instruments; the acoustic and synthetic instruments were blended together well to create a cohesive experience. A lot of thought and attention went into the theme, I enjoyed the inclusion of the shakuhachi and the synth-like bubbles, it fits the picture so well. The music evoked the feeling of reminiscing tender but sad memories, outside the section in the middle with the kick drums, which felt like an interlude of sorts.
Sorry to hear about your injury, if it's any consolation you made a great track in one day.
Man it sucks to hear about that injury; but with the time you had you created a really good track. Really like the ambient chill vibe.
Beautiful sound design! I like how the electronic sounds and percussion blend together with the high strings. Also, that little pause at 1:10 before the flute entrance was a nice touch.
Great work on this submission. I really love how the instrumentation and arrangement fit with the theme as you described it in your explanation. I also really enjoyed the beat throughout the song.
That really sucks about your injury, but what's here is really great for the little time you had. It easily stands up against many of the submissions that had a full week's time! Interesting textures and sound design, solid entry!
Appreciate you taking the time to check it out and leave a comment! Thankfully the ear's all better now so I just have to get ready for the next jam. :)
very nice for only having 1 day. The balance was good overall, and it still came out pretty clean. Also love the melody and the sounds used to create the ambience!
This is a gorgeous track, I love how the ambient and textural aspect stays soft and melancholic, without ever falling into a darker/sadder vibe. And the resolution around a soft and smooth electronic beat got me very satisfied for some reason, making me think of Sea of Stars or Tunic for example. Congratulations on a beautiful piece !
Really cool chill vibes! I really liked the introduction of the beat at 0:55, I wasn't expecting it but I think it adds a nice texture that fits the rest of the piece really well!
The string ensemble I think could use a little more reverb, just seems a little dry to me, but that's very nitpicky.
Great work, thanks for sharing!
Appreciate you checking it out and taking the time to comment! Glad to hear that the change-up at 0:55 was well received if unexpected - truth be told that wasn't the direction I was intending but it kind of just came to be, so I ran with it. 😅
Even if it wasn’t the direction you intended on going it worked out well! Happy accidents and going with the flow is a great way to try new and unexpected ideas :)
the ambience towards the end was really cool!
The fact that you made this masterpiece in one day is insane! Good job!