Play project
The Secret Lake's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Correlation to Theme | #20 | 3.650 | 3.650 |
| Composition | #24 | 3.250 | 3.250 |
| Overall | #30 | 3.210 | 3.210 |
| Execution | #37 | 3.050 | 3.050 |
| Vibe/Atmosphere | #40 | 3.250 | 3.250 |
| Listenability | #45 | 2.850 | 2.850 |
Ranked from 20 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
For this entry I created a video with the opening credits of an imaginary film. You can watch it here:
https://youtu.be/DNziu_zNNkQ
---
Video used for this project created by:
Matthias Groeneveld
https://www.pexels.com/@matthiasgroeneveld/highlights/.
Any names appearing in this work are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
----
Music theme produced with Cubase Elements 13.
Water sounds samples from freesound.org.
Asian Gong sample from freesound.org.
Instruments used:
HALion:
Koto
Kontakt:
Ethereal Earth
Hypha
Jacob Collier Choir
Kinetic Treats
Soundpaint:
Piccolo flute
SINE Player:
String Quartet (Salu)
Link to Streaming Service
https://youtu.be/DNziu_zNNkQ
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Comments
Initially, I feel like it feels just a little busy. It is also a little dry.
However, the elements you do have here are enjoyable to listen to. I think just balancing the sounds out and focusing on spatial mixing (i.e. far sounds are wetter with less delay) you have a really cool sound.
Great work.
Thanks a lot for the feedback. 🙏🏼
I think the elements and the idea are already there that create an interesting atmosphere and also an interesting song. However I think the production leaves it a bit behind. Specially when it comes to creating an ambiance and also in creating a feeling of depth. As for right now everything feels rather on the very dry side with not much going on to give each element space. The sounds themself sound interesting, although at times a bit bassy with some. From what I hear it feels like you’ve been after something like Bernard Herrmann, which also leaned on the rather dry sound at times. However there is still much room in there just by the seating and how these scores have been recorded back then. Second thing would be the stereo placement. Everything feels rather mono. and cramped into the center. Specially with the orchestral sounds the seating and stereo positioning feels off at times. I’ll guess that would be the reason with some comments about feeling cramped at times or that there is too much going on. So my personal recommendation would be to get a inner picture on where each instrument should appear. represented by their placement on the stage, with elements more into the background having a more roomy sound (judging by the screenshot this would be specially the case for the strings where it is just one instance. I would recommend using one instance per seating/player so for strings Vio1, vio2, viol, cell, bass so the can be processed and panned differently also it avoids adding too much voices per instrument). Additionally, and specially with with FM-like synth sounds like your koto and Ethereal Earth, would need some reverb or any additional effect like modulation or delay to actually sound really good.
None the less it was still an interesting listen.
Execution. 3/5
Vibe/Atmosphere. 3/5
Composition. 4/5
Listenability. 3/5
Correlation to Theme. 4/5
Generally I think the production side is what held it back the most
Thank you so so much for the detailed feedback! I struggle a lot with reverbs, always unsure what's the right amount, cause I am not consistent with how I apply it or the one I use. I'll try to stick to one single method to practice and use the "inner picture" you mentioned.
I think there's is a bit too much going on here, the human ear can only focus on so much at any given time. I think the sound effects and quality are fine (a bit of reverb would help though), but less instruments would actually make more of an impact here IMO.
Thanks a lot for the feedback! Yeah, I was thinking about the same after leaving the piece rest and listening to it after some days. At the first half I kept some stuff from my first draft, specially some of the koto lines, that maybe should have been deleted.
Yes, happy to help! It's not too bad overall, but part of being a musician is also being a good editor, think of it being like a movie director if that makes sense. Like when you're watching a movie, you don't see all the scenes of the movie at once, but they are presented as a sequence. and even then, the director decides what to focus on. Like they might zoom in on a certain scene, so in a similar fashion, you might want to focus on one of the ambient noises or instruments. It's pretty subjective what to focus on though, so mostly your call - if you felt that the koto wasn't adding to the piece, then trust your intuition. Don't be afraid to take away some things from a piece - sometimes it can be just as effective if not more than adding to it. (this can apply to sound effects too, not just instruments btw)
Another way to think about it is what is the scene you had in your head, i.e. what exactly is the scene that are you going for? Do the instruments / sound effects support the scene you had in mind? Or do they detract from it? Keep the things that make sense and get rid of whatever doesn't.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful advice! Learning a ton from your comments in mine and other entries as well. 🙏🏼
The water splashes are too forward and too dry - it doesn't blend with the instruments. The production is good, but could use some glue to sew everything together (add some reverb and/or a soft string synth). Otherwise it's a solid entry and explores a variety of sounds.
Thank you so much for the feedback! A soft string synth at the background sounds like a great idea and I totally agree about the water splashes: the more I hear them, specially the ones before 0:30, the more I feel like there's someone washing the dishes while the music is sounding at the background... Lots to learn.
Congratulations, it's a really cool track! And seeing the visuals in the video you shared, it really fits perfectly. Thanks for your submission, it's a great addition. The ending is very interesting!
Thanks a lot for your kind words! It means a lot. Very happy you liked it!
Great Job! I thought it really felt natural to the theme and especially the video it's presented with. 1:45+ was a highlight for me. I think it really ratcheted up the tension and took it from exposition into drama. A lot of good flair from the high strings and ambient noises. The sub was definitely popping out, which may have been a choice to balance how it sounds across different systems or just artistic preference, but as a listener without context to the decision I thought could be dialed back a little. I enjoyed the submission overall and I could definitely see this fitting in a movie opening!
Thank you so much! Glad to hear it worked for you. ^^ And I take note of the sub popping out! It was a deliberate choice to make them powerful to compensate for the constant more shrill high strings and fill the low-end with some "paranormal" really deep and resonating bass stuff, but I only checked this in headphones, so it might indeed be too upfront.
The low strings, like other have said, are a little bizarre, but everything surrounding them is alright. Good submission.
Yeah, and I am seeing now it might have to do not only with the sample itself but with how I messed up the reverb. :$ Thanks a lot for taking the time to listen and comment!
Super organic this one is! Wow. I can vibe with you on this one. I agree with FoxHyode about the low strings at 1:44. A bit odd. But man there was so much tension yet not so much. It was a very well mixed song. Well done.
Thank you so much! Very happy you liked it! ^^
The primordial, earthy quality here is extraordinarily unique, and it is one of the more memorable submissions so far. It gives me prehistoric vibes (which I'm a big fan of), namely the Carboniferous era. The mallets and violins might be a touch too forward for the ambient vibe, though. Softening them with reverb, granulation, or even reverse reverb would let them sit deeper in the space and make the whole thing feel more immersive. Really strong work overall; I really like this submission!
Thanks a lot for the feedback! So glad to hear the primordial vibes came through. I was not thinking about a specific prehistorical era, but indeed aiming for some cosmical-monstruous horror vibes, so hearing your impressions from this makes me superhappy. I definitely need to work a lot on my mixing, specially for ambient tracks, as I tend to get drawn by the drama. I take note of all your suggestions to apply them in future tracks!
Suuuuper organic take on this one, it feels very ancient and also a little tense, I can feel some stress but its not too crazy though, the only thing i'm not convinced was the low strings at 1:44 or I think its the low strings (Viola, Cello) they don't sound quite well in terms of texture, the high strings sounded great though. But I like the overall track and the vibe you came up with its very unique, good job !
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it! Will check out those strings. I just used the Salu quartet and also felt the sustains at the end did not feel totally right.
The Song is rather Ambient, but the Gong is deafening, & the SFX could've been a bit quieter... Other than that, It definitely seems like a pretty unique Soundtrack you made! It does sound good to me.
Thank you so much for the feedback! Yeah, I got too carried away with that gong, hehehe, and the water splashing is definitely too "in your face" now that I am listening to it with some days distance. Still lots of work to do to get good at mixing! Thanks a lot for taking the time to listen and comment. ^^
I can have the same problem too, by the way! I've heard that Mixing the Song is usually one of the harest parts in Music Production... You're welcome for the comment!
The movie intro idea is cool and works well with the theme. Overall your music is a little chaotic, a few gongs, bassy notes, etc. sticking out of the mix and pulling me out of the atmosphere. That said the compositional choices are pretty cool, I like the accelerating strings at the end. Nice work!
Thank you so much for the feedback! Yeah, I should have mentioned I pictured this as the opening credits for a horror movie, so the chaos is a bit intentional, but I see now it might have gotten a bit (a lot) out of hand, hehehe.