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The Stars Come Out at Dusk's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Quality | #16 | 4.045 | 4.045 |
| Correlation to theme | #22 | 3.864 | 3.864 |
| Overall | #28 | 3.827 | 3.827 |
| Composition | #40 | 3.818 | 3.818 |
| Impression | #45 | 3.727 | 3.727 |
| Creativity | #47 | 3.682 | 3.682 |
Ranked from 22 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
My chosen theme was the word “Freedom”.
First, I imagined a far-away planet that is both beautiful and lonely. From that starting point, I wrote three music tracks for an imaginary sci-fi game about exploring boundless space, filled with wonder and danger.
Each track is meant to reflect a step in the protagonist's daily journey.
The first one, Exoplanet, mirrors the start of an adventure — that feeling of apprehension and wonder when setting out into the unknown.
The second track, Spacefaring, tells a story about interstellar travel, which can be both dangerous and awe-inspiring.
The third track is called The Stars Come Out at Dusk. It reflects the day’s end: a time when nostalgia can creep in, and when rest is desperately needed after a long haul through hyperspace.
The main instrument in all 3 tracks is a virtual electric piano, Lounge Lizard. Synth keys, arps, and bass patches were made in Vital from scratch. As for the DAW, I use Logic Pro X.
For the atmosphere layers, I used pads made out of samples that I recorded, including duduk and kalimba notes. I added some electric guitar parts to achieve a more grounded and ethereal sound.
I also added some of my field recordings of nature to put the listener in a physical space.
Anyway, hope you like the music!
Message from the artist
Lone Rabbit, thank you for the opportunity! It was a really fun challenge.
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
When making the soundtrack, I focused on the idea of space exploration. Interstellar travel can be lonely and dangerous, but the freedom it gives is unmatched.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/max-shatalov-495676129/sets/the-stars-come-out-at-dusk?si=2510c306d1e14abebb78e1cc3028f764&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
https://youtu.be/zRcMcGukdOA?si=BLcY4GSOJfcf3ZS-
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any project
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Comments
Exoplanet - I was placed on a beach on an unknown planet...
Spacefaring - Yay! Rhythm! It feels as if the melody and rhythm have been played with wires..... And I love that “micro-instrument” that can barely be heard behind the main melody and rhythm - cool detail! And all the little “clicks” that swirl around my head..... yum!
The Stars Come Out at Dusk - Something a little sad....
Beautiful work!
P.S. Rawr
Thank you! It’s cool that you noticed the panned percussive elements, good ear!
I'm constantly trying to add similar elements to my tracks:>
Really like how quiet it all is, perfect for the loneliness that would come with freedom. The transition into "Spacefaring" felt really really good, and I love the drums on that. All 3 songs feel like natural extensions of each other and with that combination I could listen to these on loop for hours. Amazing work!
Thank you!
Yeah, I wanted to convey loneliness while still aiming for a somewhat hopeful mood, so I’m glad that seems to come through in the final tracks.
I think you nailed the mellow sci-fi vibe you were going for in Exoplanet and The Stars Come Out at Dusk. I love that you used your own recorded sounds for the atmospheric pads, it worked really well. Nice work!
Thank you, glad you liked the music!
I think you nailed what you were going for, I can really sense the spacey vibes and colors.
I would personnally have added just a little more melodic elements, but for ambient tracks this works very well !
Good job !
Thanks!
The space travel and awe-inspiring interstellar travels are well illustrated I think, good job !! I like the synths and the aerial / adventurous feeling. It's probably very personal but I'm not sure to really feel freedom through the music or the space set up (mostly because I see space as a very hostile place with a lot of dead planets, but it might be just my opinion xD)
Thanks! The freedom thing is subjective for sure, each opinion here is valid.
I personally think that freedom and some degree of hostility are kinda inseparable, be it in real life or in space. And there’s an interesting tension in that for me
i really appreciated the duduk and kalimba notes in this, very atmospheric composition and i think it felt really unique and perfectly matched what you had in mind.
Thank you, really appreciate the kind words!
the outer space vibes are top-tier... i love the the sense of variation between "Exoplanet" and "Spacefaring", though i do prefer the swelling pads that "Exoplanet" has which lend to that uncertainty and "calm before the storm" atmosphere! the percussion do distract me a bit in "Spacefaring", but they are the main addition to the original palette of "Exoplanet" after all ^^
"The Stars Come Out at Dusk" is perfect for what it represents in-game — nice and chill, even compared to "Exoplanet". overall, the concept is nicely tied together; excellent work!
Thank you for the detailed write-up, and for checking out my tracks!
Great atmosphere, the tracks lead wonferfully into each other. I think the mixing and sound design is also wonderful, great job!
Thank you, I’m glad you liked it!
I think you've captured a great atmosphere here, and it fits the concept you were going for fits incredibly well. I quite like how you choose to convey the theme here and I also like how cohesively the tracks connect with each other! I found the ambient pads and percussive rhythms incredibly satisfying too. Very nicely done!
Thank you!
By the way, your track is awesome. A really cool blend of genres that communicates the theme perfectly.
Immaculate vibes with this one. Hits that dreamy feeling perfectly, giving that floating feeling. Progression is interesting - feels as though it is continually opening up but at the same time it never quite blows wide open, making it perfect for looping and repeated listens. I like the touches of sound design throughout, helps ground the mix as a whole and adds some interesting textures to hone in on.
The drums kicking in for the second track were a welcome change of pace - adds some nuance and also affords an opportunity to appreciate what is moving around said percussion. I like how some of the melodies and patches here tend to change a little now that there's a new piece of ear candy to buff out the mix.
The third track being much more down-tempo peels it all back and kind of mentally resets you to be ready to go back into the same soundscape from the first track all over again, serving as a perfect bridge but also standing on its own quite well. It's a tie between this and the first track for me in regards to which I'd have to pick as a favorite.
All in all, super solid work. The visuals made for a nice, tone-setting vibe too. Feels like there was a lot of effort and attention put into the production of this - there's something about those voicings and patches that screams hand-made or at least carefully tweaked. Kudos on the aural palette for this! Best of luck. :)
Wow, thank you for such a detailed review, and for your kind words.
I really enjoyed listening to your submission as well, it's a very immersive track.
Best of luck to you too!
The drums kicking in was fantastic on the first track. Desperately needed to make it stand out among the crowd IMO and they worked wonderfully!
The rest of the OST reminded me somewhat of chapter 2 in Celeste which is neat!
Thank you, I’m glad you liked it!
Wow this is very good! I like the continuous, medley-like arrangement of the album.
Very evocative. The first track gave me light tears of the kingdom vibes.
Thank you for the kind words!
I listened to your submission just now and really liked the dark ambient techno vibe. So much of ambient music out there is kinda unremarkable, so it was cool to listen to something that has its own distinct personality.
Thanks a lot!
Your track really impressed me as well. Composing horror tracks can be pretty difficult, but you nailed it.
This is the best one I've listened to so far. This sounds EXACTLY like you described, and ot is amazing! Thank you for blessing my ears with such transcendent noise.
I really like how there are transitions between each song, it adds a lot to how the experience feels. I also enjoy thr soft synths.
Overall, I think this is going to be hard to beat.
Thank you so much!
I checked out your submission as well, loved the cozy vibes in your tracks.