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Red Lenses's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Correlation to theme | #1 | 4.250 | 4.250 |
| Overall | #29 | 3.817 | 3.817 |
| Impression | #33 | 3.875 | 3.875 |
| Creativity | #40 | 3.750 | 3.750 |
| Composition | #54 | 3.625 | 3.625 |
| Quality | #55 | 3.583 | 3.583 |
Ranked from 24 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
Game Story : Explained (with illustrations I made) in more details on the project's page
Genre : Rock/Metal, Electronic, Ambient
Inspirations : OSI, Fates Warning, killer7, No More Heroes, Metal Gear Solid
Game genre : Adventure, Infiltration, Combat
Software Used : Studio One, NeuralDSP Archetype, Arturia
Gear Used : Epiphone Alex Lifeson Signature, Fender Bass VI
Pictures made by me
Message from the artist
Don't hesitate the check the projet page to learn more about the setting of the game !
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
Picture theme : The game takes place in red depressing dystopian world, and the protagonist from the game wants to break free of the oppression by feeling the light of the outside world.
Freedom : The instrumentation is electronic and oppressive until the very last track, representing the feeling of liberation of freedom that the protagonist feels when feeling the outside world for the very first time.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://on.soundcloud.com/hwGKUd43mZP1h3Q88
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
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Comments
I like that you created kind-of comic panels to go along with this. Pretty impressive that you did that along with making a soundtrack in just 48 hours! Love the energy in "En Force" especially, and the piano does a great job of breaking things up nicely and leaving room for the guitar to come back even stronger. Cohesive, complete soundtrack overall with a steady sound. Nice work overall!
Thanks a lot for your comment (glad that the illustrations were noticed, I did them in the last 2 hours before the deadline while listening to my tracks in the background, it was tense) !
I really liked spliting up the track in half in En Force with piano in between, like you said it provided a moment to breathe to make the guitar solo have a bit more impact (and it adds a bit more variety to the track by creating different parts so it's pretty nice).
Anyway thanks for listening and glad that you appreciated my album !
Cool concept!
The blend of sounds, especially in the first 2 tracks brings to mind some of Tangerine Dreams stuff for the GTA V online missions bgm, You managed to get the same nice vibes going on in these.
Not sure if you've listened to a lot of Tangerine Dream, but felt like some of their stuff like the Stratosfear album might be up your alley type of stuff.
Good work!
Thanks a lot for the comment, and indeed I think I have heard some tracks from them however I haven't done a deep dive into their discography yet (they should béright up my alley since I really like Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, electronic and prog rock music in general) so thanks a lot for the recommandation!
Oh hell yeah, love how gritty and spacious this all is. The mix of live and electronic elements reminds me a ton of Nine Inch Nails (especially with that piano in En Force) and the overall anger and spite seeping from these tracks matches perfectly with the theming. Truly amazing stuff, I can totally see these being straight out of a game.
Thanks a lot for your comment !
I really should listen to NIN in more depth at some point since I really mixing live guitars/basses and electronic instruments in my compositions, and they are kinda THE band most people think of when talking about mixing those kinds of instruments (for my submission I had mostly OSI and killer7's soundtrack in mind), so it could be a very useful listen for my future compositions, so thanks a lot for reminding me of it !
What a vibe! I always love me some synthwave and you did a great job of using the genre to bring the game to life. The only thing I maybe would add is a snare in the higher energy parts of Pale Fire and Red Lenses. Awesome illustrations as well, really helped set the scenes of the idea. Nice work!
Thank you very much for your feedback (and for the compliment on the illustrations too) !
It is true indeed that a snare sound or some drum variations on top of the hi-hats on those tracks could help bringing more energy in those parts (I should look more into what constitutes a great drum section since I have been more focused on the melodic aspect of music untilnow, could be a great idea for my future compositions).
Anyway thanks for listening and for your comment !
ough, i really love how you worked with the theme illustration to visually and musically sketch out a plotline! the soundtrack you composed works quite well with the futuristic but oppressive environment you've imagined for your videogame concept. ^^
each track has distinct vibes that for the most part work with the specific scenarios you wrote about on your project page! this is only me being nitpicky — i would've loved for "Red Lenses" to maintain that gritty, electronic feel but in a generally more minimalist manner (that's already present in parts of the track) given the scenario of wandering the city. regardless, composition and production are well done!
Thanks for the feedback and for listening !
I see what you're saying about the track Red Lenses (it could have made a lot of sense in the whole context of the story and it could have been appropriate too), however I didn't want this track to feel overly oppressive and gritty when coming up with it and the story (to add some variety of moods with other tracks too) : the protagonist has lived there for so long that that atmosphere of the city feels a bit less daunting and she is more going through the motions when walking in the city than being constantly on edge (eventhough it would be preferable in this context, at least that is what I had in mind)
Anyway thanks a lot for listening and for your comment!
Can't believe I forgot to come here! SO let's go:
(1- Red Lenses) Okay so before everything else, I love that you're explaining your theme and your tracks with other art you madman xD. This first track does fit really well with the first picture, feels like someone walking on a city and then sneaking somewhere. I think given what you posted you recorded yourself, and I'm not sure it was intentional, but there's a slight delay with the bass playing, and it wouldn't be too noticeable but because it's a repeating line, my mind keeps focusing on it for some reason. But overall track one really good, I wish the bass would be a bit more impactful in the mix but it's a nitpick.
(2- Pale Fire) Second track sells the picture as well perfectly, you did a great job finding something that works for sneaking in while still being energetic in a way, great!
(3- En Force) I think that's probably where you see the 48h limit hit harder with the mixing that's lacking (don't worry, it's the same for fking everyone or almost), I hope you'll give it a go cause it rocks! Love that you're adding intensity, while having similar to a danger alert, really good. Also I wasn't expecting a guitar solo DUDE xD that was really cool!
(4- Finally Free) I think it perfectly suits the mood, the protagonist is free, but because of how you made the story about the giant dome, it doesn't just positively resolve, there is tension which makes sense, as they've never seen the outside world. I really enjoy that you were able to do a great deal of storytelling by being really specific on how you did this track specifically.
I've read your project page which helped a bit more on the context, really appreciate the detail and the fact that you did MORE art is insane to me lol amazing!
Anyways super solid OST, I enjoyed it a lot and like how you told the story through the tracks. I do hope you'll be able to spend some time on mixing for it after the jam, because I think it would be fully realized then.
Excellent taff franchement, épaté!
First of all thanks for taking the time to write this detailed review, it is very appreciated !
1) Thanks for checking out the project's page (I've first begun illustrating my track ideas on the first comp jam I joined because I initially had a bit of spare time, and now it has become a habit to do so because it helps bring out the various details of the story I envision in my head when writing music, this time with colors since it had a lot of relevance with the picture theme and the bleak red and black future of my story).
For the bass indeed it could have been tighter (not quite used with being steady on the Bass VI when recording compared to other basses, I'm working on it).
2) For this one, I wanted some anticipation (with the synth and cymbals driving the song) mixed with moments of sporadic tension (with the different parts and slowdowns), so glad that it came through when listening to it.
3) Yeah that one was pretty tough to adjust (even when trying to listen to it with my computer and phone speakers after having worked on it through my headphones), fortunately I think I'll work back on it at some point to make it more balanced (could be a great exercice to practice mixing with complex heavy tracks by the way, I've done it already with some metal tracks trying to record and mix myself as faithfully as possible but never with tracks full of synths sound, so it could be a great opportunity to do so).
And yeah solos are cool, when there is an opportunity for one I'm taking it of course !
4) That is a pretty accurate description of what I had in mind, I wanted the track to feel like some sort of liberation for the protagonist without it being too triumphant (the dome is still present and the outside world is still out of reach for the moment).
Initially I wanted to give the track some sort of resolution in an hypothetical second part, but by listening to it in the context of the previous tracks in a more advanced state, I realized that it wouldn't make a lot of sense with the worldbuilding and the story so far : I kept it purposefully in this unresolved state for this reason (true freedom in the outside world might be reachable for her later, but right now feeling the glimpse of outside is just a foretaste of what might be yet to come for her).
To conclude thanks a lot for your comment (it definitely inspired me to take the time to take a look back at my tracks in the near future after the jam) and glad that you enjoyed listening and reading through my submission !
Et merci encore pour le commentaire détaillé, ça fait super plaisir !
Some really fun and nice writing! Great sounds, interesting to listen to! I would maybe take another pass at the mixing. I think you could pull some things down to make room for the more interesting parts of your music. Great work!
Thanks a lot for your feedback, glad that you enjoyed it !
Mixing was indeed pretty tough to manage in this timeframe (especially on track 3 with all the various layers), maybe I will take a look at it once the jam ends properly !
amazing guitar playing, a lot of the music in this sounded really intentional and well made.
and yeah amazing job on that project page with all the images - so cool!
Thanks a lot for your compliments and for listening !
Ooh loved the bass in the first track. Also the tonal shift going into the last track did a great job of capping off the story.
Thanks a lot, glad that you appreciated it !
Using electronic music to represent an oppressive atmosphere are the kind of details I want in the theming department!
I also liked the art style you have! I assume it is at least a little bit Persona inspired right?
Thanks a lot for your comment (electronic instruments really do wonder when writing tense futuristic music) !
It does look like Persona 5 indeed with the heavy emphasis on red and black (I haven't played it and I really should at some point, but I had it in the back of my mind when drawing at least), I think I had in mind Milk Outside A Bag Of Milk Outside A Bag Of Milk (strangely enough) and Signalis for the general color vibes, and thanks for the compliment too !
First of all, the presentation on the project page is INSANE! A good example that sometimes, the looks and presentation add to the whole experience, like with food. The reason why one would spend hours of precious jam time drawing art for a music only contest. Insane illustrations, great taste, thrilling dystopian vibes.
This soundtrack is so evocative, it's insane! You can see the story play out. It's all so badass! The choice of instrumentation with the synths and the drums, the guitar coming in on the third one to evoke action and dramatism! Great work. In my opinion the mix might get a bit busy on that track actually, as a bit of criticism, if I may.
And that last track is, as it is said in Spanish, cream. cremita pura. Simple and perfect. I'm actually curious on how you got that soft and delicate guitar tone, as a fellow guitarist. If it isn't asking a lot, I desire your secret spice!
Great job, bravo.
Thanks a lot for your comment (and for taking the time to appreciate the project's page also, I did the illustrations in the last few hours of the jam while listening to my tracks in the background to not lose time on reviewing and adjusting the mix, it was quite intense) !
It was quite an adventure to mix all the synths, drums and guitars (especially on the 3rd track with all the different layers on top of each other), so I'm glad that you enjoyed it !
And for the last track, I used the Archetype Petrucci plugin by Neural DSP , using a clean sound with a lot of reverb/delay
(the plugins have free trials and they might be on sale for 50% off around Easter so I really recommend trying them for heavy and clean sounds). I think I used a Jazz III pick (like most of my guitar playing) to get a bright and clear attack for the track, and think I kept my guitar switch on normal mode (not Treble or Rhythm) not to get an overly light tone.
Anyway thanks a lot for listening and for your feedback, it is always appreciated !
Thanks to you for the insight! In a way that places the vault for the secret sauce in Neural DSP's hands, but it's okay, I might try it sometime. These days I do my guitar business mostly in hardware, using the Zoom Multistomp range's amp emulations in place of real amps. I think the real solution here is to practice more guitar production. The easier solution would be just buy an amp that sounds good and mike it, but my self-destructive modular synthesis habits already hog my feeble budget.
Since I'm at it, I'll drop an actual piece of advice of my own for any third parties reading this: Possibly the biggest trick in sound design, even in guitar, is keeping a clean version of your sound in parallel with the distorted and dirtied. The opposite angle is adding a subtle parallel distortion into clean mixes
It's the secret of the Klon Centaur, of Led Zeppelin's production, and also Tekno kicks and amateur analog mixes (set up a distortion pedal send for your analog jam sessions!) Depending on use that clean sound can be saturated, compressed or reverberated, but you want to keep it clear and dynamic. The orthodox way this is usually done when recording guitar in a studio, is a Direct Input box, which splits off a line-level version to Input Directly into a mixer or recorded, and the guitar-level signal you were going to pass through three high-gain pedals and a chorus, you rascal.
If you own a Zoom Multistomp like me, you first look up how to change its effects around with a computer. Then you want to get the bass version of the distortion effects; those allow clean blending to preserve precious bass frequencies in the front. So the bass rat, the bass tube screamer, etc. Those will work like different flavours of the Klon's paradigm of saturation.
In the DAW I've been keeping an entire mix bus dedicated to the distortion, separate from the clean kick and bass bus. I always cut the lows and lower mids on that bus. That way I can do all sorts of EQing, dynamics/volume automation, and silly effects, only on the dirt.
Very detailed, I hope somebody finds this useful.
Very interesting piece of advice, thanks a lot for writing it out I will look into it !
I haven't dove much into recording techniques (especially analog techniques because I generally use digital techniques for jams or compositions) since I generally just plug my guitar into my audio interface and run it through plugins without looking back (since I can tweak the plugins values after recording the guitar parts to adjust the sound after making changes elsewhere), but it could make a real difference indeed I should try it out at some point !
This is such a cool take on the theme! The image theme does remind me of a futuristic setting so I think the story you came up fits the theme very well.
Your tracks give me that futuristic feeling and I think they perfectly fit the scenarios you associated them with. One I'd like to highlight is En Force, that one was my favorite (probably because I love electric guitars) Also that synth note that starts around 0:17 gives off that "robot drone detected intruder" feeling (i don't know how else to put it), so I think that's a really nice touch.
And as always I love the illustrations you make to help visualize your story, they make your submissions very unique and creative! Honestly it should be a crime for someone to listen to your entry without checking the project page. Great job as always!
Thanks a lot for your comment !
When seeing the image theme, it gave me a bleak and cold vibe based on the main colors (red & black with a white highlight in the middle of it), so I went for a depressing dystopian future ruled by an authoritatian force (inspired by the stories of 2112 by Rush or Stray for the dome part), with the music using a mix of electronical instruments and guitares/basses to reflect the tense and cold vibe of the story.
I really liked writing En Force (certainly the one that took me the most time because of the guitar recordings and the complexe structure), so I'm glad that you liked it too ! The synth note was also indeed meant for an alarm kind of sound to make the tension constant.
Once again thanks for listening (and for taking the time to take a look at my illustrations and the story on the project's page, it means a lot) !
Thanks a lot for your comment (and for the compliments too) !
It is true indeed that the first two tracks are a bit similar in vibes, originally I had another idea in mind for the second one (a calmer track about the discovery of the sun beam on the wall), however it broke the pacing of the album a bit (especially when placed between track 1 and 3) and it was a bit redundant with track 4 having a calm vibe too, so I settled for something a bit more in between for this one.
Anyway thanks for listening !
Nice sound design throughout, I liked the synth whooshes and effects, pretty cool. The acidy bass and the metal guitar at "Red Lenses" are fire.
Thanks a lot, glad that you liked it !
Tonally this is probably one of the more unique entries I've come across. Red Lenses really does capture that infiltration vibe. Laden with tension throughout, swelling as the situation grows more and more uncertain. I love the choice of voicings in this track - it feels so diverse but packages together really nicely.
Pale Fire is much of the same - this actually gives me MGS1 vibes. The short plucky synths, use of semi-open and open hihats and tom hits, and the low piano drone notes really sell this for me. Not often I get that kind of a vibe from music as I feel as though that style was very unique to MGS1 itself. Great work!
En Force has some really nice acid-sounding bass offsetting the typical bass. Guitar work here is pretty solid - sets the tone and gives some much needed bite to back up the title of the track. The choice of chords and guitar textures in this one reminds me of both Tekken 3 and 4!
Ending with Finally Free - this track does the title justice. Large departure from expectations when it comes to choice of instruments and voicings. It feels rather pensive and does good work of cleansing the palette to end off on.
All in all, great work! These tracks really reminded me of some older games that I now need to go back and play again.
Thanks a lot for your comment, glad that my tonal experiments on this project didn't go unnoticed !
I indeed had the MGS 1 soundtrack in the back of my mind when writing Pale Fire in particular (especially the track Cavern from MGS 1 with the synth building up tension and the cymbals) so great job picking up on it (and on the interpretation of each track also, it is almost as if you were reading my document listing my intentions for the various tracks).
Anyway thanks a lot for your comment and for listening !
Ahh that's great to hear! MGS1's OST is quite unique in comparison to the other ones so I can say with certainty that I was not expecting to come across any submission that reminded me of it at all. Super solid work as a whole - made for a thoroughly enjoyable listen. :)