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Aquatic Module — Impressions Composing Jam : Ambience #4's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Execution | #7 | 3.783 | 3.783 |
| Listenability | #7 | 3.826 | 3.826 |
| Vibe/Atmosphere | #10 | 3.913 | 3.913 |
| Overall | #11 | 3.713 | 3.713 |
| Composition | #12 | 3.609 | 3.609 |
| Correlation to Theme | #26 | 3.435 | 3.435 |
Ranked from 23 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
For this music jam, I created an ambient downtempo track inspired by the theme of The Secret Lake and Koho Shoda’s painting of Lake Biwa. I imagined the lake as a hidden aquatic world almost in plain sight, focusing on the quiet feeling of exploring and learning. I mostly wanted to convey a nostalgic scholastic atmosphere inspired by late-90s and early-2000s educational media, particularly aquarium exhibits and marine science programs, but also a silly, light-hearted vibe (Utopian-Scholastic).
I composed the track in B Mixolydian to follow the jam’s modal constraint, using separate, sustained subtle drone notes to meet the second constraint. I also created my own aquatic sound effects, including underwater ambience and bubbles, to help establish the feeling of being beneath the surface and exploring the lake.
Alongside the music, I created and edited my own photographs and artwork to fit the aquatic scholastic aesthetic I was going for. I wanted the music and visuals to feel like they could belong to an old educational aquarium program or marine biology presentation.
The images are all pictures taken, edited, and photobashed by me! [Chicago Shedd Aquarium + Pokemon Fossil Museum]
I've been wanting to do this aesthetic for sooooo long!
Link to Streaming Service
https://youtu.be/av4c9NUArEY
DAW Screenshot - Demonstrate that this is your own work
See the uploaded screenshots
Discord Tag
Simishcj
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Comments
I like the scholastic inspiration (the flute!). The reverb is nice for the underwater vibe, but at times some instruments were drowning in it, I think you could carve out some definition around them without losing the intent. Great listen!
Very solid work! It is well mixed as well.
Kept you waiting huh?
Well first things first. I do like the approach you’ve took. Somehow the mix of mid speed drums with the peruvian flute does create something that feels akin to something that would play along a Mario game. However it would feel more under water or beach themed than a lake or the more sombre tones of the picture. But I’m not here to judge, since mine also wasn’t much on point in that regard.
Ambiance wise the I find the song starts strong but then misses its mark slightly. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t any ambiance. Personally I think there could be additional elements that would work quite well with what you have so far. One idea would be to use something like a keys instrument as a waving motion in the background that adds extra texture. Something like stratus (by Olafur Arnalds and Spitfire) could go really well here. Additionally, to add some airy texture, I could very much hear a shimmer verb being useful. The effect could be easily done with a normal plate verb, a delay and an octaver.
Execution. 4/5
Vibe/Atmosphere. 4/5
Composition. 4/5
Listenability. 4/5
Correlation to Theme. 3/5*
*This is mostly due to giving more under water/beach vibes than lake or something that would fit the picture.
I'm glad the Mario comparison came through; that playful quality was definitely part of the intent. And you are right about the theme drifting more toward underwater or beach than lake lol.
Funny you mention the keys idea; The two pianos—the reverberated piano that runs throughout the song, and a second one appearing from 1:10 to 1:30 and again from 2:12 to 2:32, are quite quiet in a way. Funnily enough, I originally had shimmering syncopated chimes but thought it might've been too much. I still have that track, just muted in the project tho haha.
i have no idea what this is for, but i like this aesthetic a lot. itreminds me of shrimp music. i was looking for aquatic music and found this
I feel like it's a bit far from the jam theme and vibe but it's a really good submission.
I can immediately feel the nostalgia atmosphere you’re going for. Those little flute stab things were in like every 90s 2000s educational program love that appearance haha. This was super fun.
Hello, simishcj! Here I go with my review for your entry.
I listened to the YouTube version of your entry with closed-back headphones.
Track by track review:
1. Aquatic Module
Fantastic underwater vibes, feeling very very organic. You achieved a great texture with your samples and the interplay with the subtle drones and downtempo beat is cool and very soothing. I also love the concept of Utopian-Scholastic genre! I listened to it with eyes closed the first time and it was beautiful. The second time with the images it felt whymsical and the selection of pictures and editing really contributed to the experience, leaving me feeling like a kid again at the science museum.
General impressions:
Cool experience leaving me with a smile on my face and transported to your subaquatic aquarium world, with a hotdog and soda included. Lovely entry. I really liked the outro with those bubbly sounds and the little guy at the picture at 2:32 down at the left completely stole the show for me!
Ratings by category:
Execution: 5/5
I found the quality impeccable, both in mixing, sample work and instrumentation. Great usage of dynamics and pacing.
Vibe: 5/5
The atmosphere was very interesting and unique.
Composition: 5/5
Very nuanced and well-developed piece. No mistakes found. If I had to (unnecessarily) nit-pick, I would say the percussion pattern starting at 1:08 became a bit repetitive, but that's just my impression.
Listenability: 4/5
I enjoyed it so much that I listened to it two times.
Correlation to Theme: 3/5
I think in this regard this might be the less strong point of your entry. I can feel the aquatic characteristics, which are extremely well done, but to me the track lacked the "secret" part, maybe because of its downtempo chill-out nature, and also departed from the picture, as the flute chosen worked perfectly with the rest of instruments and the context, but felt more Andean than coming from the Far East.
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As we discussed in Discord, 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
Thank you so much for the thoughtful critique. I'm glad the intentions came through and that you liked the Pokémon pictures—I really wanted an excuse to use them since they were from a museum exhibit to really fit the vibes.
Your ears are sharp, as your Andean comment is spot on. You actually picked up on something I wasn't sure anyone would notice. Some of the padded instruments in the background were heavily modified/modulated South/Latin American instruments from SRX World, so you caught the real thing, not just a vibe!
This is like a remastered mix of a dated sound, but not in a bad way at all. It reminds me of Aquatic Ambience from Donkey Kong, Kingdom Hearts, and what the 90s/00s dolphin/tropical aesthetics should like like. Great job!
Thank you! That was definitely the intent, so I'm glad it really came thru!
The infamous Red Tracks Daw, this one feels very old school video game, I like the vintage pads and textures and the hot dog.... I don't have a very specific feedback it's just a chill track in which the composition is chill but not out of this world, it works perfectly well for what it could achieve in a game but to push it a notch you could switch things up slightly add even more ear candy
Simichcj, I think you have outdone yourself with this one. It was honestly awesome to listen to with all those sounds and drones you had in there. Very aquatic indeed. I love the soft undertones and combination of bobble sounds, the drones, and playful melody. It was very peaceful and did feel like something you would hear in an aquarium. Very ambient and soft. Solid work here man!
Big fan of this. Listened to it like 3 times. It's pretty and I enjoy it :) Everything that isn't drums sounds kinda like it's in the same space which sounds nice to me. The drums feel like they stick out the right amount. I like the drum changes throughout (~1:08 etc.). Great stuff.
Interesting beginning/ending Textures you used.. (Reminds me of some pretty interesting Omnisphere Patches, LOL) It sounds like an interesting combination of Lo-Fi & Ambient.. Kind of reminds me of the The Undergarden OST. Overall, very unique song, I like it!
I'm scared to get into Omnisphere (it just seems like such a big tool lol). Most of the sounds here are from Roland Cloud, EastWest, and NI.
Cool! As an Omnisphere User, it can be pretty hard to get used to, but I found out that it was perfect for me once I started getting more used to it! For EastWest Sounds & Native Instruments, those are pretty good companies, but I don't use Roland Cloud all that much. I also still have yet to get something from EastWest Sounds, but I've been debating on it too... If a Virtual Instrument and/or a Virtual Instrument Library meets your needs, get it if you need it. Otherwise, save your money! (BTW, Omnisphere is one of the most expensive Virtual Instruments, but I've seen worse prices)