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A Winter In Stasis's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Listenability | #8 | 3.864 | 4.000 |
| Composing Quality | #10 | 3.726 | 3.857 |
| Overall | #10 | 3.699 | 3.829 |
| Mixing Quality | #12 | 3.726 | 3.857 |
| Correlation to Theme | #13 | 3.588 | 3.714 |
| Overall Uniqueness | #14 | 3.588 | 3.714 |
Ranked from 14 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Link to Streaming Service
https://ihoist.itch.io/a-winter-in-stasis
Description
My submission for this jam is a song about exploring a beautiful world of nature and magic stuck eternally in stasis under the winter breeze. The song progresses through various dynamic sections to effectively guide you through the journey. While I'm satisfied with the quality of the track and the mix, I wish I could have done more for this jam, especially to explore the ambiance theme even further. Unfortunately, the rest of my life started to steal my time and motivation towards the end of the jam, and I figured I'd still submit what I'd made to get whatever feedback I could so I'd be even more equipped for the next jam. I'll do my best to respond to all the comments. Hope you enjoy! :D
Description of Setup (Optional)
My track was created in Ableton Live 11 Suite, primarily using Kontakt and Spitfire instruments, and Splice samples, and Raum's reverb. The first layer of instruments features a woodwinds preset from Lores, a high pizzicato violin with heavy reverb, a pad from 40's Very Own Keys, a sustained frozen cello from Spitfire Labs, and an ambient wind sample. The second layer adds some staccato cello chords, a picked acoustic guitar playing flageolet, a cinematic boom from Ashlight, a contrabass section, reversed string chords, and a faint drum loop created with Action Strikes. The third layer raises the volume of that drum loop, and also adds a celesta, a soft pad made with the Noire Felt piano, an ambient pluck from Piano Colors for added texture, and some staccato woodwind loops for some percussive texture. Section transitions are often accompanied by a riser/impact, which is created through layered samples, mostly from Splice. All tracks have their gain adjusted appropriately, and the master track has additional reverb added to it. There is also a low pass filter applied to the master in the first section, which fades away during the transition to the second section, only to fade back in during the conclusion. The high eq is also raised a little bit for some added depth. If you have any further questions on my composition/production process, please ask away in the comments! :D
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Comments
Alright iHoist - I already offered a solid chunk of feedback in the discord, but I'm here listening to it again a few more times.
I think I still stand by that I think its tone is more introductory than ambient. I'm not sure how to describe exactly *why* that's the case, but it is.
I think the title also doesn't necessarily fit the vibe in that it has a lot of motion. Then you added this aquatic effect, which is totally awesome, but I'm not sure if it fits the theme.
All of that said, I absolutely have to emphasize how well done this is, and I totally get it if your passion and inspiration got away from you and pulled you away from the theme a little bit. It sounds like it was professionally made to my ears, but just not quite for this theme.
I was actually surprised myself this time by how difficult it was to actually compose in an ambient sense, because I had to start more carefully considering many of the composing rules I've been used to. I don't feel that my track is perfectly ambient either lol
Regardless, you can absolutely be proud of this, it's very well done, and I hope my feedback is of service to your development as a musician, because you're clearly very competent. Next jam will not be ambient, so your style should be less constrained by that. I do hope to see you in the next one! :)
Hey! I did a review of your entry via video. I posted it on the Jam discord but appreciate everyone might not be on there. Here's the video timestamp for your entry: https://youtu.be/1-aLhBdNCKE?t=8661
Nicely done, very Vangelis - Conquest of Paradise with some epic vibes, second part feeling like going somewhere underwater, not sure if that was the intended vibe but this is what I strongly feel. But I think you can even build it up even more while keeping it ambient.
I really love the epic scale this song has, the drums hitting just right and not being too overpowering, the way the orchestra blends together, it's all extremely well done!
This is more on the adventurous side, but it's still so sweet and full of wonder! The beginning almost gave me Tchaikovskian vibes but then it took a surprising turn; the underwater section is very creative, the mix is crisp, composition is top-notch
Good intro with big sounds like an avalanche. Great outro too. The extended version is way better :) That underwater section and longer outro! Great tune!
Maybe tad too much on the epic side to really fit the more serene vibes I felt from the theme image, but for the text theme works great and I really enjoyed the track!
Listening gave the feeling I was watching a cinematic intro of the whole highland/valley area in a video game, with the camera moving through the area showing places while the music plays in the background.
Good job!
Great Work! Very cinematic and emotional, i can imagine a scene of somebody making it trogh the winter.
Loved the winter tracks, especially in the heat I'm having right now, especially liked the (Extended) version, more varied sounding.
Glad you enjoyed it! :)