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Birding Grounds's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Quality | #8 | 4.514 | 4.514 |
| Impression | #20 | 4.171 | 4.171 |
| Composition | #22 | 4.257 | 4.257 |
| Overall | #23 | 4.137 | 4.137 |
| Creativity | #39 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Storytelling | #72 | 3.743 | 3.743 |
Ranked from 35 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
For my submission I took inspiration from the picture. My imaginative game, called Birding Grounds, is a simulation game for taking photos of birds. Think of it like the old Pokemon Snap games.
The picture for this jam reminded me standing on a pier while summer solstice. That it also the reason why I took heavy inspiration of Icelandic artists like Olafur Arnalds, Janus Rassmusen, Asgeir and more. The songs are just for catching the vibe, so there is no leitmotiv or main melody. Goal was to create a smooth blend of orchestral sounds and synthesisers to convey a chill and atmospheric vibe. Also there is a strong attention on drums for creating a certain drive that makes you want to move. Most songs use a blend of a real drum kit, a drum synth and edited samples like camera shutters or bird callings. The following songs for my submission are:
01 – Intro [Birding Grounds] – This is the main intro for the game and also for the main menu. It should create a sense of mysticality and awe.
02 – In Flow – This is the song that took most of my time. This is the theme when you enter “flow mode”. Flow mode will be activated by taking pictures of bird events, like raptors hunting, and taking multiple good ranked photos. While on flow mode you pictures will gain a ranking bonus.
03 – A Rainy Stroll – This is an background theme for wandering around the map while it’s raining and not taking any photos. It should be taken a lot less serious and is about having fun. That‘s why it sounds noticeably sillier then the rest of the songs.
04 – Diashow – This song will play after you left the map and take a look at your taken pictures. It should convey a certain grace for nature and the animals.
DAW and VSTs
DAW used Cubase
Instruments used
Spitfire Audio Neo
Cherry Audio DC 106
Cherry Audio CR-78
XLN XO
XLN Life
Spitfire Audio Abe Laboriel jr. Drums
Spitfire LABS
Spitfire Abbey Roads Two
Pianoteq 8
Native Instruments Noire
Spitfire Audio Olafur Arnalds composer toolkit
Spitfire Audio Stratus
Korg MS20
Effects used
Universal Audio Spark suit
Fabfilter Pro-Q2, Pro-MB, Pro-L2
SoundToy suite
PS. Every picture you see here have been taken by me over the last year. Some even with some old manual equipment.
Message from the artist
This was quite the journey since that music is far of my normal compositions. However I really loved the process and hope to include more of it in my standard repertoire.
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
This can be seen as part of the game. We see the main protagonist waiting for birds to fly by.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://einelthefox.bandcamp.com/album/birding-grounds
Number of tracks4
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
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Comments
Vibes are immaculate!
I don't know why but this style of music makes me think of TV commercials for some odd reason, and I don't mean that in a negative way, but I just always seem get that sort of Pavlovian response from whatever genre this type of stuff is called😅
Really liked all the tracks, all the different drum sounds were really cool, especially in In Flow.
I had a bit of the same feel as pixcele, that when going from the energy of In Flow to the more mellow A Rainy Stroll and then Diashow that also starts pretty mellow as well, it felt to me that having A Rainy Stroll change places in the order with In flow, it would then work better to end on Diashow as the last track, kinda playing the listener out after the great energetic feel of In Flow.
Just some really subjective nitpicking from my first listen through, and only based on the listening order in the album itself and not the in game context or anything like that.
Stellar stuff!
really lovely submission!! one of the most high quality sounding ones i've heard from this jam
my favorite track is In Flow! i really like the production choices here and i also love the 2-step y drums throughout the song!!
Very professional and immersive sound, I truly felt a cold forest breeze enter my room as I listened! Excellent job!
Nice polished professional sound - I really enjoyed listening to this sound track - It's great when it's hard to pick out a favorite - from the composition to the mixing and production - nicely done
birbs in their natural habitat :]
I notice your music for this entry is way more in line of progressive trance (calm relaxing vibe). It's really nice to hear the bird sfx (the bird has some quirks in their sound that's hard to define)
My favorite is In Flow, A Rainy Stroll
Hey thanks for the reply and those kind words.
The bird callings have been used in two stweps either used as an effect, so the sample has been used in combination with XLN Life to create some interesting beat like sounds.
Or have been just used as ambient sound. Since I recreated an analog workflow I put the IPS for background noises extra low on the Studer simulation to get it extra grainy and a bit less prestine sounding. Maybe that is what you've been hearing.
Duuude this was so so good to listen to - everything about it was wonderful. Each track felt unique but came together quite nicely.
The sound design choices throughout the entire thing was excellent and your melody writing in In Flow and Diashow were some of my favorites from you so far. I would play this game a lot just to hear this OST over and over.
One of my favorite submissions from this jam, keep up the good work :)
A Rainy Stroll was definitely my favorite! Excellent work, there’s so much cohesion between the tracks. I really liked the mix and how you translated the feelings into music. I loved it!
Excellent work!
I really enjoyed the textures you created, especially in In Flow. It all feels very organic and fits perfectly with what you described. The whole game concept also resonates with me, since I also enjoy photographing seabirds and otters along the coast. I can easily imagine this in a game, and honestly, I’d love to play one like this with your music in it.
Overall, it’s a very polished submission with a great mix and some truly beautiful textures. Congratulations, and thank you for sharing this!
01 - Intro
This is really pretty! I love the texture you have created here contrasting the bird call sounds with more ambient support. The scattered piano above compliments it very well. I do think it gets a bit too dense in some spots, I think you could make some of the bird sounds a bit quieter, and the bass swell in the first 40 or so seconds takes over a little bit too much, but is a great addition in theory and would be more effective for me if it didn't stand out as much as it did.
02 - In Flow
I think how the bird sounds are handled here is much more effective, and I want to really highlight the way you have handled the mixing in this piece. It makes the piano really shine, and it feels like the rest of the instruments are well balanced to frame the piano as your main focus. If I had to say anything about this, I feel you created a lot of really cool rhythmic drive in the start of the piece and I wish that intrigue created by the syncopation continued through the rest of the piece a bit more. It ended up feeling a bit like you hit a peak right at the start that slowly faded throughout the rest of the piece. Still incredibly strong writing however
03 - A Rainy Stroll
In part I think this is because of how strong the last song was, I felt like this piece was a bit less interesting compared to the others so far. Its still good, but I think the reason this was my first impression is because of how things are structured and your instrument choice here. For the first bit of the song the drums really stand out, and with that loop repeating over a similarily repetitive synth line I felt like I was sitting in the same place for quite a while. You did develop more later, but I think a bit more thought in the timing of when you develop upon your ideas can help make more repetitive sections more exciting even in a slower paced song like this. Lastly I like the synth solo you have at the end musically, but the instrument choice does feel a little bit off for it. It felt a little bit too harsh for how the rest of the track hits my ears. You might even be able to keep that same synth as the instrument, but perhaps adding some more reverb or cutoff to help it blend in with everything else while still standing out would make it feel slightly less jarring. I do still like this, so I hope it didn't seem too critical, I just think some of your choices felt a bit less strong compared to the first two and wanted to explain why. Good work!
04 - Diashow
This piece really nails the ideas about repetition I was talking about above, you add just enough variation to keep these ideas fresh and engaging, and it made this a really pleasant end off to your soundtrack. I did lose a bit of the higher piano notes, but thats my only real criticism here.
Overall good work, hope this comment's length isn't too intimidating!
You’ve hit the nail on its head.
Both the intro (Birding Grounds) and A rainy stroll had their problems.
The intro was originally planed for a different idea I had but I didn’t want to scrap it fully so it got mangled into what it is now. Which might haven’t been the best choice.
Since In Flow took me quite a while and rethinking my game idea, I had to somewhat rush a rainy stroll, also because I was heading to vacation a few days after. So, I agree with most of what you said and think that there is room for improvement.
But overall I’m glad that you liked it and thank you for your critique.
what an awesome showcase of multiple talents of yours Einel! Interesting interpretation of the theme too I'm glad to see someone making a game ost of a pokemon snap sort of thing, haven't seen that before. And wow the music really works out super well for it. I can tell you paid special attention to the drums they're super tight and cleanly mixed, a rainy stroll felt really nice like listening to jamie cullum's more contemporary stuff which i love. Honestly if this is the new direction for you, i don't think anyone would have any qualms whatsoever, it's really superb!
I can imagine meandering in the soggy weather snapping photos in Rainy Stroll. The synths you use compliment one another nicely. Diashow pulls me into a serene and somewhat contemplative state. It's such a sooting way to round out the tracks. I really enjoyed the story and game concept. Your pictures are fantastic!
The whole soundtrack sounds very pleasant overall. Hearing the different instruments fade in and out really keeps my attention throughout the track.
Very creative with the ambience and idea you went with. Great soundtrack!
Intro - ambient sound and instruments are mixed fantastically.
In flow - the way the texture increases complexity and the ideas pass around different instruments is very satisfying. It's all very well balanced.
A rainy stroll - drum intro feels a bit rushed, perhaps it could have been a proper fill before it sets up the groove instead of just starting a bit early. Drums could be a bit more dynamic in this one overall. Really strong melodic and harmonic ideas, and that dotted quavers rhythm is super groovy.
Diashow - Very graceful piano and strings. It's another nice idea for a track, but feels more like a continuation of the rest of the soundtrack than a conclusion.
Really great submission, sound was really polished and the compositions were full of great ideas!
Wow, EinelTheFox, you have blown me away with this submission! Just amazing work. You have made something very special here. I love the story and theme for the game. Perfect chill game. And the music just fits it so well! I agree with Kale, this is some of your best work! Rainy Stroll was really fun. So was In the Flow! Just amazing work. Bravo!
Thank you very much!
Yeah this took quite a toll and burned me out a bit. But if you liked it, then it did everything I wanted and that‘s all I need to hear to feel much better 😊. Really appreciate your kind words.
I would play Pokebird: Snap! I also absolutely love how you just put a bunch of pictures of birds in your project. A+ design decision.
Musically, I think you accomplished your established goal perfectly. The music is all straight up just chill vibes, which is only amplified on "In Flow" that brings the energy up but still keeps everything nice and smooth. Great job!
Intro [Birding Grounds]: Very pretty choir. Almost reminiscent of Hollow Knight. I love birds
In Flow: That bass sound is so cool. And then the synths and piano over the top. You've got a lot of elements here but they fit together amazingly. Love this so much.
A Rainy Stroll: Love the choices of instruments to carry the chord voices. Great vibe. That synth put a smile on my face, its my favorite kind of synth lead.
Diashow: The piano is so mellow and satisfying. Then the percussion gradually creeps. Birds still present in the back (I love birds). Very effective outro
Great work!
I like Crows, I like Kookaburras (me), I like Flamingos, I like Oxpeckers, I like Bluejays, I like Mallards, I like Eagles, I like Ravens, I like Cardinals, I like Owls, I like Woodpeckers, I like Roadrunners, I like Geese, I like Falcons, I like Hawks, I like Vultures, I like Robins, I like Sparrows, I like Penguins, I like Parrots, I like Turkeys, I like Starlings, and I like this submission! Really good production and it feels like it goes together perfectly with your game! In Flow and Diashow are especiallly good.
Nice work 🐦⬛
Very eloquant work you did there, I have to agree last track is very nice, super emotional this could be a 7 mins track with lush strings and full of insane subtle build ups. Awesome job !
Normally I would leave some positive feedback and say good job, but instead imma just say: I like birds!