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Description
Dystopian settings where nature feeds itself with what once human-made was there once upon a time have always captivated me. My goal was to mirror the "innocence" of nature through the elegance and energy of orchestral music. The idea behind the main track "Song of a Forgotten World" was that it could serve as a "Beginning" opening section where the main premise of the story unfolds. On the other hand "Frostbite Fissure"'s main idea was to convey the wet and cold feeling of underground caves and (maybe or maybe not) human made grottos. What might possibly hide behind these seemingly infinite and repetitive mazes?
As for the composition process itself, I let the main progression in the first track unfold by itself through a basic two-chords succession. A clocktower bell "going back in time" being played in reverse announces the entry of the dulcimer, foreshadowing the main theme which will unfold completely (or not yet?) once the two-parts choir takes the spotlight. The same theme, slightly varied, is performed as some kind of answer to what the choir sings, eventually leading to a bold modulation which leaves us wondering what might be waiting for us just around the corner, just right after that modulation played once again as in a lullaby, hinting at the "origin" of a living being of some kind.
As for the second track, I wanted to lose myself in an improvisation just like I do whenever I visit a dungeon in a game: wandering aimlessly, apparently running in circles, with no apparent patterns in sight, just to find some new space opening to new possibilities (or new threats). We might stop for a while immersing ourselves in this cold and wet place, just to backtrack and look for a new passage revealed by hitting a random switch somewhere. Basically "Your friendly neighborhood Multi-Floor Dungeon level".
As for the DAW, I used Mixcraft 9 with free plugins from Spitfire LABS.
Message from the artist
First time joining a Jam, so please do NOT be kind. I'm here to learn lol
Theme
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/peppe-5k/tracks
Number of tracks2
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any project
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Comments
Really well done. I know in your message from the artist you're asking for some criticisms, but you made that job difficult. Submit WAV files instead of mp3s if you can? From what I have heard WAV files work better over a broad range of sound systems. More hammered dulcimer please! I mean that is a selflish take on my part, but your use of it pulled me in so much. Your songs progress so naturally and effortlessly, seemingly through harmonic progression and instrumentation.
In Frostbite Fissure try giving your foley drip sounds as much attention and development as your instruments. I think it enhances your track at the beginning but it was is the same seemingly through the whole track so if feels a bit flat in the first swell. Maybe try thinking of it as a musical voice just as any other instrument you use? I don't know if you have listened to The Books before, but I think they do some creative things with sounds that might spark some ideas? I really enjoyed both your tracks and thanks for creating!
Thanks a lot for the feedback!
Yeah, .wav format is the way to go apparently.
It's the first time ever I've used a dulcimer in a composition hahahaha glad you liked it!
And the drops thing, I think you're right, might consider doing what you suggest, it might be so interesting! Thanks for pointing it out.
And no, I'm not familiar with them, will definitely look them up.
Will be seeing you in your comment section! 馃馃枻
Lots to love about this. I honestly didn't expect to like this as much as I did. I like calm orchestral pieces that pack a bit of punch like yours. They're really dynamic and don't let you get bored. Think "Spring Rounds" from "Rite of Springs" (although that second half of that song does get a bit too dynamic for me... I can appreciate the experimentation and storytelling, though.)
Song of a Forgotten World was pretty well composed. The soft piano part alongside the strummed mandolin, followed by those choirs... Makes your mind dance. I like the subtle switch to the harp in the middle, it's also played very naturally... You seem to have a good grasp on velocities, and such.At 1:18 on track 1, the chord progression took a developement I did not expect, gave me goosebumps.
Frostbite Fissure was absolutely amazing, I really felt a fairy tale, mystical vibe to it that I don't often hear captured in songs, like genuinely. I did think that the choirs in the background playing the Bond motif was a tad strange (probably unintentional, it's just impossible to listen to this without thinking of the movies, but it was still cool. The way the bells prepare the arrival of the strings is just so heavenly... The only thing that brought it down a little for me was the little crackling that can sometimes be heard in the background, which took me out a bit. I think it might actually be the bond choirs, actually... I chalk it up to your plugins instead of your ability to compose, but it's good to know for the future. If you ever wanna make another theme for a crystal cave...
I know you don't want us to be kind, but.. I really don't have any grievances about this lol. Extremely impressive for your first jam, and with only free plugins?? Like damn. I'll give you this: some of the instruments, like the choirs, don't sound super realistic, if that was the intent.... But it really wasn't a huge deal. You might flourish even more if you invest into paid libraries.
High grade from me!
The Maestro spoke! Thank you so much for commenting and taking the time to write ALL of this down. Commitment, once again lol
I think you can learn a lot from the past. It's a great reference when you work this way. Through analysis, trial and error, you can achieve at least partially what you're aiming for.
The Bond motif is a must have for dungeon levels, apparently 馃槄 It was kind of cliche, but it just ended up being in my improvisation, so I just left it in. I mean, it works, it worked since, what, Final Fantasy VI? Hahaha
I really can't notice the crackling... It must be some kind of "interference" between two plugins, probably. Or maybe just some fx creating "sonic artifacts" (?).
Thabk you sooo much for your feedback 馃檹
DUDE, the dungeon bond thing is SO TRUE!!! How did I never notice that?? Zelda 2's Temple theme is one of my favourite video game tracks ever because of it! I've been obsessed with this remix of it by Noble Demon for a while now. Just for making me remember that trope, I might give you an additional star in storytelling....
Keep composing!
Will be looking it up, thanks!
And that'd be unfair, keep the grades the way they were hahahaha
Both tracks are really really pretty, so wild that you only used free plugins, but everything I used from LABS so far was very good. The soundtrack kind of reminded me of the "Death's Door" music, one of my favorite video game soundtracks! Very well done, great composition!
Thanks you for your feedback, Leaf!
What's actually wild is that free plugins can sound THAT good. I'm not familiar with the game but I am open to know more. Thanks again!
Yeah, you're welcome! It's just a 3D hack and slash game inspired by games like Elden ring and Zelda by a small indie studio and dear to my heart. Anyway, you make really beautiful music, I hope you keep going!
Immaculate vibe! The instruments you chose for each tracks fits really well with each other. Also now I gotta check out more of the free plugins from LABS, I especially love the composition of Frostbite Fissure, great work!
Thank you so much! I used those plugins for other works in the past, you really just have to learn some minor tweaks to unlock their potential. The moment I opened the Spitfire library after years, there seemed to be way more free collections than I could remember. Definitely give them a try!
your track fits my cover art more than my track
you made my favourite submission
I really couldn't disagree more! Your music and your visuals blend together so well, it really made the whole thing feel as it was an existing indie game. The whole thing stuck with me, I mean it. I'd really like this game to come to life.
Thank you so much for the kind words!
Nice work! I like the development in the first tracks with the symphonic accompaniment, while the harp and piano kept the same repeating figure. I would've liked to see more variety in the piano and harp, rather than them just playing in unison. Also, the harmonic change at the end is super sick with that major 7 extension, but I think you could have led into that a bit more clearly. Part of it could have been the chord voicing and mixing being a bit muddy with the timpani and horns. The 2nd track is so organic and lovely sounding. It feels like a mystical area with undertones of melancholy, with the natural minor sound you got. The droplets add a nice soundscape layer as well. Good job!!
Thank you for taking the time to listen and comment, Andrew!
I agree, it might feel kind of bland, but at the same time it seemed to me that adding too much texture to such a simple arpeggio when everything else is happening outside the piano and harp part felt overwhelming. I couldn't come up with anything different but for the harp to stress the last four notes of the arpeggio. The poor mixing definitely is the responsible for the lack of clarity in that sudden modulation.
Thanks again!
This is it. The last submission. I've now rated every single submission in the Jam.
I liked frostbite Fissure quite a bit. The droplet noises were nice and it really felt like a grand cave. Reminded me a bit of Xenoblade 2.
I also wanted to ask if your cover art was AI? It has that kind of AI feel and I don't want to assume it is, but if it is, just know that it's a really bad look for artists to use AI.
Kudos for this majestic accomplishment! That's kind of crazy, to say the least.
Thank you for the feedback.
I was working on a cover art myself (two actually, but I am no artist and yet there I was working with only a pencil and a piece of paper) but got nervous and ended up scrapping the idea. I want to replace it since I have the chance to and also since I hate the current one lol
Please do! even something simple that's man made has a lot of charm and pull. someone in a previous jam earned a really high spot with a picture of saul from better call saul with a dumb mirror filter that made it look super goofy.
Thank you for your honest opinion, that means a lot. I'm on my way!
This is so beautiful. The sound in both tracks could be even "deeper," which can be achieved by mixing. But overall, very well written!
Thank you so much for taking the time for listening and commenting!
I definitely agree, I really need to learn some more mixing. Also, due to time constraints (and due to working on these tracks at 4 AM), I really couldn't make it sound the way I wanted but then again, I still need some more mixing learning.
Thanks again and see you soon on your post!
Those 2 pieces were pretty cool to listen to. The compositions are well written, and the vibe of a forgotten world is very easy to grasp. In "Song of a Forgotten World", I enjoyed the textures with the dulcimer which I found really interesting. The horn was also very cool and added a lot to the song, and the timpani rolls came at the perfect time. For the more negative side, I'd say I would have loved to have reverb on the voices. The timpani rolls were also sounding very weird, almost like they had no low frequencies and no stereo. Though I tried my best to not take it into account when listening to your tracks, I was just pointing it out.
"Frostbite Funk" also had an interesting vibe, and I once again particularly appreciated the composition work.
Congrats for finishing the jam !
Thanks a lot for taking the time to share such a long insight!
Also thanks for the in-depth feedback.
As for the voices, I felt like the more reverb I added, the more confusing it sounded, and many notes just stumbled upon the next ones, yet they sounded a little bit dry, so I kind of agree. I have to learn how to work with this plugin better than I did.
I totally agree on the timpani, they weren't as majestic-sounding as they should.
I really need to work on mixing a lot more.
Thanks again and will be seeing you on your post very soon!
For the reverb, you could try to put your voices on 2 tracks: one dry, one wet (with 100% reverb or less). You can then adjust the level of that track for more or less reverb, instead of using a "mix" knob that may (depending on your plugin), reduce your dry when increasing your wet.
It'd be great if you had a "decay" or "feedback" knob to reduce the length of the reverb without altering the spatialization it provides. I can recommend you the plugin "valhalla supermassive" which is a wonderful reverb. You can do a ton of cool things with it: huge reverbs, weird reverbs/echoes, small reverbs, and you have a lot of control over it.
Hope it was helpful.
And thank you very much :) I hope you will enjoy it.
Thank you so much for the heads up. Gotta try that double-track stuff. I'll also look that plugin up, it might be just what I need.
But in the end, I think that most importantly I have to get through some mixing!