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Description
Fernweh is a german word that describes the opposite of homesickness, aching for unknown places...
I envisionned a game 'à la' Outer Wilds where you explore a windy and desertic world to find forgotten secrets.
I think I saw something like : An oasis lost somwhere - the promise of it to be the door to something lost... enigmas, and a revelation of course :)
I think it is easier for me to tell a story after composing. It matches better but it is also how I feel doing it :)
1-Fernweh : sets the landscape so we can escape and undurstand this desertic, enigmatic world
2-Ninshat : Exploration tinted by questions and fear/stress.
I couldn't help but picture my kitten (1 year old but still) going like a ninja at night while composing this, so I added footsteps ^^
3-Shuougaïm : aarrrr quality :/ (needed more time)
Character access a passage (via door/oasis? undewater?) to some cave leading in a jungle. So there's more life there ! But it's threatening !
4-Anavrin : Ending scene when you resolved whatever mysteries and bring back... yourself?
Message from the artist
I think I made a parallel with this idea : a part of you is a forgotten world, and in this game you literaly have to find what makes the world desertic to get this part of you back, with the world going on a second life
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
I wanted to use my voice recently (maybe too much ^^), it is an instruments evocating ancient times or forgotten worlds I thought. I pitched withe noise to have a singing wind ! I loved this idea. I used acoustic intruments such as guitar, flute, shakers (my voice and my fingers on a cardboard ^^). I think I imagined these "Songs of a forgotten world" as trying to set a both familiar and unfamiliar atmosphere
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH9dq1kyUvjo
https://on.soundcloud.com/rf7JpL2VYS72UIPful
Number of tracks4
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
Fernweh: These arps tho. Such a pretty atmosphere.
Ninshat: Really like this instrumentation. Very magical sound. Wind is a nice touch. Some really cool chords in there that caught my ear.
Shuoogaim: I wasn't expecting the low vocals. So cool. I also relate to the time struggles but dw the quality was really good here!
Anavrin: This is brilliant. Love this reprise. So haunting yet beautiful.
Amazing work.
I love it, so atmospheric, so unique, and so engaging to listen to! I recognized your bouncy, bubbly sound immediately, and really liked the way you combined it with other new sounds like the wind and voice. The combination pulled me into your world and painted it very vividly. Amazing work, thanks so much for sharing!
Superunique entry. The textures are amazing and your work with vocals is inspiring to say the less. Shuougaïm definitely my favorite. The first track, though, I must confess that from the 0:51 mark the harmonies made me feel a fantasy flight more in the lines of a Wizard of Oz escape than a travel to an enigmatic place? Does that make sense? Probably just me... Ninshat is also superimmersive and mysterious with the windy mouth sounds and arpeggios with strings, and finally Anavrin (which at places to my ears reminds me a lot to some of Thom Yorke's work) is just on the verge between a magical whimsical world or a terrorifically alien one (I am still deciding but I think I will stay home just in case)... Awesome submission. Full points in creativity.
Nice ambient music! I like your blend of contemporary OST practices with pointillism to create an enveloping atmosphere.
Very strong soundtrack, with nice uses of layers and textures, especially the voices in the third track. Great work!
Thank you ! :)
One of the most creative soundtracks I've listened to, each track is oozing with character. Sound design, instrumentation and composition are so unique, I feel like I'd be able to spot your style from a mile away.
1. Fernweh: Beautiful strings against the howling winds. Quite a lot of closed voicings at the low end during the chord stabs, feels a little dissonant. I would normally advise against this but it does bring a unique character to the track. You use some pretty complex harmonies throughout the soundtrack so it also fits the bigger picture.
2. Ninshat: Unusual wind instrument whimsically playing arpeggios up and down. It feels like its performing a call and response with the wind. Later joined by various strings (what plucked string instrument is tha at 1:33) that playfully pop in and out. I enjoyed the lighthearted yet mysterious nature of this piece.
3. Shuougaïm: The vocals are so good, did you make them yourself? I would prefer a little more reverb on the drums, they sound a little dry. Other than that this is a well made track, lots of low end energy that contrasts really well against the rest of your soundtrack.
4. Anavrin: A huge cloud of complex harmonies, reminds me of Jacob Collier. Beautiful end to the journey.
I think this has one of the most diverse sonic palettes in this jam, the usage of your voice coupled with many unusual instruments gave the soundtrack an otherworldly atmosphere. Excellent work!
Oh thanks a lot ! I really appreciate that feedback :)
To answer your remarks :
1. I like that you talk about voicings, I easily get lost when trying to 'orchestrate' a part and close voicing in the low register is a formulation that helps me understand some results I get sometimes, it was not really intentionnal so that's nice to hear you say it fits the piece, but definitely an improvement I can work on, I'll keep that in mind thanks to your precise wording :)
2. Playing around pitching white noise to make singing wind was ton of fun but also a pain the ass ^^ manually calculating frequencies on automations or sometimes by ear, I would have loved to make more with it.
I'm not sure about the plucked instrument at 1.33, cause there are layers, if we focus on bass pluck sound there is a 'bell synth' (that is very slightly pinched up or down depending when) + a kind of harp playing bass notes at the same time.
3. Yes but I can't do low guttural vocal like this naturally haha, transposing the audio an octave down gave it the guttural feel, and adding an octaver for the low end consistancy, I wasn't sure how to mix all this low end... You also make me realise that being the only track with drums I even forgot to work with reverb on it :/ haha
4. And yes again, if it's been a long time I wanted to try things with my voice, Jacob Collier was an influence and motivation to do this :)
Thank you for the kind words, and I really appreciate the helpful heads up !
Fernweh: I am always so impressed with your ability to set the scene using very creative and new strategies that feel really fresh, all while allowing it to feel really organic. I’ve never heard desert music sound like this, though at the same time it is so clear where we are when I’m listening to this. I particularly love the bells and plucked instruments at the beginning.
Ninshat: Pitching the wind to be a musical element is such a fantastically creative idea! The highlight of this track for me was the subtle flute-like trills that pop up spontaneously throughout. That was like fairy dust on an otherwise very magical sounding piece.
Shuougaïm: I have only listened to a handful of soundtracks at this point, but I would argue this is possibly the most creative track in the entire competition. The lowest pitched vocal effects alongside the low frame drums is such a cool effect.
Anavrin: This is a really wonderful cap to your OST. The oasis seems clearly in view at the 2-minute mark and the melody is fresh and infectious. Oh and that chord turn at just before the 3 minute mark was like pure nectar! Your guitar playing and singing is phenomenal, though I think the composition of this piece was the most masterful part in my mind.
I suppose that I have listened to enough of your music that I should know to expect something so imaginative, creative, and unique every time, but I still am always blown away by what you deliver. My overall impression is that you CREATED a world solely with your music. This is no emulation of other types of music (that I know of at least) and the result is a stunning and intriguing soundtrack that deserves to be part of the core identity of an actual game. Very excellent work on this OST. Thank you for sharing your music!
Thanks you so much ! Your review is really precious as always, and it reassures me as I was feeling taking some risks and not knowing the effect and outcome :). Your words truly makes me happy about starting these jams !
The vocal aspects in the 3rd track were really cool and I like how the tone shifted from the first 2 tracks in the second 2.
I think the final song might have been a little long. The vocals were nice, as was the guitar, but sometimes it felt like it could move onto the next section a tad faster. That part starting after 4 and a half minutes though was really nice and reminded me of pikmin music when the day was coming to a close and it became a softer lullaby style version of the song.
Oh I like that comparison :D thank you :)
Super cool vibe! I love how diverse the instrumentation in Ninshat is, and the vocals in Shuougaïm are really unique, I feel like they really help paint the scene.
Thanks, I had fun doing these voices ! :P
Oooh, extremely creative, I love it! I hear the exploration definitely inside the game but also in the creation of the tracks. The vibes, the mystery, it's all there. I also feel like the mixing is very nice, nothing sticks out that shouldn't, and there's always something interesting at the top
Thank you very much :)