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A jam submission

Inside the PipeworkView project page

Music theme for Alternative Soundtrack - music jam #3
Submitted by kirrifant — 3 days, 16 hours before the deadline
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Inside the Pipework's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Creativity#123.6843.684
Composition#143.4213.421
Credibility#203.4213.421
Overall#203.3583.358
Impression#253.0533.053
Sound quality#273.2113.211

Ranked from 19 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Streaming link
https://soundcloud.com/kirrifant/inside-the-pipework?si=67415884420b4fbdbad8fbe478f5f0d0&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Track description | Creative process
When producing this track I wanted to keep the mysterious and eerie feeling of the original theme and I added some turns to give it a similar sense of being lost and not knowing what will come next, mixed with a basic hip hop urban beat inspired by the Wii version soundtrack of the game, as well as various experimental sounds to create some kind of subterranean, echoey and uneasy feelings.

The theme ended up much heavier than the original, in fact it has probably nothing to do with the original! xD But I like to think the inspiration was there, and its main characteristics, that is "part A: ambiguous but still grounded phrase" and "part B: chaotic apparent randomness which makes you totally lose your way" are still somehow there.

Inside the Pipework (an underground journey):

Apart from the general audio and musical concepts, my approach was to have some kind of story through the track. Listening back at the completed theme, I would describe it as follows:

In the intro you are dropped inside an intriguing and dark underground world.

In part A you start walking and hear your steps rebounding on the metallic surface of the pipes under your feet. You think your eyes are beginning to get used to the darkness, when...

Bam! Part B: the unknown, the sudden realization that you are lost, you had your rhythm but now there is nothing to guide you, until you see again some glimpse of light which guides you, and again you are in...

Part A, you are writing your own story and starting to feel at home here (bassline giving the harmony lacking from first take of part A), but then...

BAM! Part B again, this time worse. You thought you had control of the situation, but in reality you are still lost, and some nasty things are lurking here.

You step inside a new area, at part C, and you hit the walls repeatedly trying to feel your way. You ask for help knowing no one will hear you, and your calls come back to you broken, distorted, your voice mixed with its own reverberation and something else. You fell on your knees.

You are back at the beginning (same intro pads with different notes). Darkness surrounds you and you are alone. Finally you take a deep breath, and decide to go ahead and venture again into the unknown.

At the end, part A last reprisal. Everything experienced comes together: the first feelings of strangeness at the intro, the finding of your own rhythm and harmony of part A, and also the melody of your voice, which is now not broken, but strong and bold.

Lastly, the underground outro (same as intro, but now it is not new and strange to us any more): we become the darkness itself and we watch as the character walks into the distance, not scared any more, engulfed by the still mysterious world around him, a small dot of light becoming smaller and smaller and fading into the pipework.

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

Nice haunted feeling. I find it very creative and I really enjoyed the build up near the end.

Developer

Thank you so much! Glad you liked it!

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

Those tritones at the start are dissonant af, nice. 

Developer

Hehehe, thank you!

Submitted(+1)

I felt really surprised with your song! Congrats, I like it. The base and the composition are cool.

Developer

Thanks a lot for your kind words! So glad you found it interesting!

Submitted(+1)

Very nice textures. That section after 0:39 is very cool. Nice work!

Developer

Thank you!!

Submitted(+1)

I really enjoyed how you did the build up and then pulled back for the ending. It loops well to continue to build that sense of tension and comfort. Also liked how the beat was done. Awesome job!

Developer

Thank you so much! Glad you liked it!

Submitted(+1)

Very creepy, while still having the Mario vibes! Amazing work!!

Developer(+1)

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

Good stuff ! I really like the part that starts at 0:38 (and its variation at 1:14), would fit well in a real Mario game ! Nice work mate ! 

Developer(+1)

Thanks a lot!

Submitted(+1)

Nice mood, some rhythm part reminds me of the original track, it could have been louder in some parts to convey better your ideas, but it's a good composition!

Developer

Thank you so much!

Submitted(+1)

This was nice and creative! I like the ambience you created with the different instruments, though I think some parts could have been mixed more to keep with the overall energy level of the piece.

I think the piece fits your description, well done on composing to the idea!

Developer

Thank you so much for your feedback! I'm very happy to hear you found it creative and will work to improve the mix!

Submitted(+1)

very cool and mysterious!  felt very liminal

Developer

Thanks a lot!

Submitted(+1)

Super cool ambiance, I really like the part at 0:54 its like really dark and gritty. Very different textures and melodic movement. Good job

Developer

Thanks a lot for your kind words! Glad you liked it!

Submitted(+1)

I like the different ideas you have, and i think they all do fit together well compositionally, but the stark contrast in instrumentation, volume, and effects almost takes me out of it a bit. I think if you worked on turning the volume on the loud synth down a bit, and boosting everything else it will make for a more enjoyable listening experience, while still conveying that "broken distorted voice" feeling you said you were going for. Pretty cool!

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much! I will definitely work on that aspect of the track you mention to try to tame down that unpleasant lead and make it cause an effect but not reach the "discomfort zone". I really appreciate your detailed feedback!

Submitted(+1)

always <3