Streaming link
https://soundcloud.com/blacklightsnd/animal-crossing-new-horizons-reimagined-sunny-island-area

Track description | Creative process
I've tried to capture a tropical smooth jazz sound for the music. If you are playing a game similar to New Horizons in a sunny and tranquil area, I think the player would prefer this kind of music over something like the OST of Jaws. ;)

Regarding the instrumentation, I have chosen typical jazz ensemble instruments: electric piano (in this case, an MKS20), clean electric guitar with a touch of tremolo effect, brush drums, 5-string electric bass to reach lower registers and cover certain parts of the harmony without having to play bass lines in higher octaves (I preferred a J-Bass configuration over others like P-Bass or more aggressive sounds, tending towards a warm and vibrant sound), brass section, and finally a vibraphone that recalls the original game's sonorities so well, not forgetting a Hammond B-3 for some sections where the music becomes a bit more intense.

Regarding the recording process:

Electric Piano: Throughout the entire piece, it supports the whole ensemble since it is present all the time. I used the classic sound of an MKS20 that my Nord Electro has for its soft and velvety nuance.

However, it also has its drawbacks. The harmonic changes in the music are constant, and the melody played with the right hand sometimes blurs as it blends melody and harmony throughout the entire piano arrangement.

As a solution, the parts carrying the melody have been reinforced with different instruments throughout the piece, which can give the impression of small improvisation sections by each instrument and a section near the end where they all come together.

Electric Guitar: I haven't used tube or transistor amplifiers. The guitar was recorded through one of the instrument inputs on the interface and processed with a Morgan amplifier emulator.

Would it have been more appropriate to use an emulation like a Roland Chorus transistor emulator or just something clean? Possibly, but the rack emulation units I have are a few years old and are less "expressive" and more "flat."

Vibraphone: Once again, the integrated sounds in the Nord Electro have turned out quite well, although it's obvious it's not a real acoustic instrument.

Electric Bass: As mentioned earlier, it's a VST configured to sound like the described electric bass.

Playing it with a keyboard offers a lot of freedom in making arrangements, and it's easy to visualize bass lines moving from one tonal center to another. I aimed to give this instrument a sense of groove and to form a coherent rhythm section.

Hammond: Again, the Nord Electro has been a good solution. You just play without adding any plug-ins. Although it's in the background, the feeling while recording was very expressive and liberating, being able to use the drawbars and the Leslie speaker effects typical of this instrument.

Brass Section: Again, sounds from the Nord, which in my opinion, are not realistic in this case but fit well into the mix.

Drums: Sequenced by MIDI through a plug-in. It was recorded right after the keyboard, and everything else was built around this structure.

The mix has barely been touched, except for some low-frequency cuts, maybe to give a bit more clarity. Before "mastering" the track, the mix was printed through some analog gear, and a UAD tape emulation was added to offer a warmer sound.

Regarding mastering: small adjustments were made with the TC Electronic Finalizer software to slightly increase the volume without overdoing it.

That's all! I hope you find the music refreshing and pleasant and enjoy the result. I've had a lot of fun recreating music for this game.