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Misty Crossing's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Composition | #13 | 3.600 | 3.600 |
| Correlation to Theme | #22 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
| Overall | #24 | 3.380 | 3.380 |
| Listenability | #27 | 3.150 | 3.150 |
| Vibe/Atmosphere | #29 | 3.550 | 3.550 |
| Execution | #33 | 3.100 | 3.100 |
Ranked from 20 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
Composed for the Impressions Composing Jam: Ambience #4, this track uses F# major hexatonic scale. It follows a boat as it leaves shore, passes through gathering mist, and reaches land again.
Link to Streaming Service
https://tincca.bandcamp.com/track/misty-crossing
DAW Screenshot - Demonstrate that this is your own work
https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvNTA2MjIyMS8zMDMwOTQxOS5wbmc=/original/ASYcfj.png
Discord Tag
@_tincca
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Comments
I think the ambient sounds were maybe a little bit on the overly-present/harsh side.
The bass kicking in is nice.
Nicely done! :)
wow, I love this, really felt like you captured the journey of the boat. the mix the so clean too. nicely done ‼
An unfortunate amount of dryness in the mix here. Otherwise the tracks are fine in terms of composition and theory. The mix kind of pulls the overall quality down, which is a bummer because otherwise it's a fairly good submission.
Hello, tincca! Here I go with my review for your entry.
[Note: Please don't take my criticism too hard, as I am trying to be as constructive as possible, and nothing is further from my intentions as to sound harsh or unrespectful with your work. I want for all of us to improve through these jams and I am learning myself to give a focused and attentive listen and thoroughly and sincerely comment other's entries as much as I would like mine to be reviewed.]
I listened to the Bandcamp version of your entry with closed-back headphones.
Track by track review:
1. Misty Crossing
Feeling like I am entering a machine. Background buzzing is too loud. There seems to be a lack of bass, and the noise is omnipresent. The melody could benefit from some legato. At 1:00 finally I got that bass I felt needed, the track starts to feel more balanced. I don't get boat vibes, but rather being inside some kind of factory. Selvatic because of some of the effects, but not entirely natural. At around 2 minute mark the buzzing becomes a rasping sound with more rhythmical qualities, dropped around 2:30 to get some sense of harmony changes, but there's still something in the background which is grating, couldn't say precisely what is happening that is making the sound uncomfortable. They are very very long sustains without apparent changes in volume or texture, and become difficult to bear for a long time. The rest of the instruments don't compensate their strong and powerful presence. Because of the background, I found it difficult to focus on the added nuance that I am sure is there on the foreground, but which is eaten alive by the sustained drones.
General impressions:
Overall, your track gave me this feeling of oppression. I tried to listen to the details and connect with the journey you were aiming for, but the drones setting a constant and very intense background low-end with sustained notes and noises made it difficult to appreciate the nuances of the composition.
Ratings by category:
Execution: 3/5
I find it difficult to judge with precision, because everything is conditioned by the problem with the intrusive space taken by the drones compositionally and in the mix, but I think that there are many interesting things that are nuanced on the foreground in terms of variation, but sadly they are difficult to discern properly.
Vibe: 3/5
There's some interesting atmosphere going on here at moments, it just needs space to breath.
Composition: 3/5
Same situation as with the execution. The lack of a resting moment of calm with the constant drones don't give room for appreciating the variations.
Listenability: 2/5
For this category, the impact of the drone problems was the most strong for me. It was difficult to listen to the track through one time.
Correlation to Theme: 3/5
I felt there was a connection to the theme, but not specially strong.
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Note: for this jam I am starting to use a rating rubric/template in order to rate more consistently and make my feedback more insightful for the person I am rating. It is available here in case you wanted to check it out: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LEz4pyyHR7iQ75W2IFjA22odaeDNmdm-/view
Really interesting perspective and thanks for the feedback! My intention was to use the synthesizer to imitate natural buzzing sounds. And since this was my first time taking part in this kind of jam, I wasn’t really sure what loudness level I should aim for, so I just used my usual mastering level. Now I’ve realized that the mastered version of my track is waaaaay louder than the others, and I think that’s probably why you felt it was loud and mechanical. Still, your view is really helpful, and I’ll definitely try a more natural approach next time!
Good arrangements, I like the buildup and the chords, love the stutter effet in the beginning , i'd like to know how you made it and what did you use as FX, samples, etc. Mix sound great but its a little loud and can get noisy rapidly as other comments pointed. Good job !
Thanks for your feedback! For the repeating and stuttering effects, I used Serum to create a filtered saw-type pad, then ran it through Valhalla Supermassive to add some reverb. After that, I used a few granular-effect VSTs, such as Autochroma and Emergence, to create the repeating and stuttering textures. As for the samples, they’re just some field recordings of water and birds.
The entire mix is quite forward and even on the dry side. Increasing the reverb and dropping the faders would go a long way to bringing the track to a comfortable and inviting level. Aside from that the atmosphere is good.
I used Valhalla Supermassive a lot and it might not sound like a regular reverb since it can produce those repeating, shimmering sounds. Gonna try tweaking the dry/wet balance and experimenting with some different reverbs. Thanks for the feedback!
I hear a lot of Noise in this Soundtrack that makes it a bit hard/harsh to hear at parts, but other than that, you did a pretty good job working on this!
Thanks! And yeah, for an ambient track, those elements are probably a little too much. I’ll try to tone them down next time!
Sure thing! Do what you would like to do.
Grats on submission and nice work. Idk if it's my ears being sensitive but there are a few things in this piece that are harsh to listen to for too long: The beginning pad + water swish and the quickly oscillating effect around 1:45. By like 2:20 I don't want to hear anymore. Solid composition but mix/sounds are harsh for me.
Thanks for the feedback! I actually really like those effects though haha. Maybe the volume and dynamics are a bit too intense, so I’ll try toning them down in the next mix!