OST Composing Jam #4

Hosted by Lone Rabbit · #OSTCompJam

3,680

Ratings

Overview Submissions Results

Screenshots Submission feed

A jam submission

run. by A to JumpView project page

SEGA Genesis-style cyberpunk electronica

Submitted by TheGameLlama — 14 hours, 5 minutes before the deadline

Add to collection

Play soundtrack

run. by A to Jump's itch.io page

Results

Criteria	Rank	Score*	Raw Score
Creativity	#81	3.737	3.737
Correlation to theme	#112	3.474	3.474
Impression	#113	3.368	3.368
Overall	#139	3.274	3.274
Quality	#168	2.947	2.947
Composition	#169	2.842	2.842

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

Description
OST Composing Jam #4 entry
Author: A to Jump
Album Name: run.
Genre: electronica, SEGA Genesis-style cyberpunk
Runtime: 4:08, 3 tracks
DAW used: Ableton, with lyrics recorded by my wife, Mumbles, in Audacity (she makes Bitsy games on Itch.io under the name Mumblesbot - check them out, they’re so cute and nice!)
Cover image credit: Francois Hoang, used under free-use Unsplash license
Story: You wake up in an undersea research lab to blaring alarms. Run!
The game is a (fictional) side-scrolling, SEGA Genesis-era shooter. You’re underwater, but the lab has clearly seen better days. It’s dripping in places you know it shouldn’t be. You splash through puddles and blast guards on the way out.
The boss battle is a multi-stage, screen-filling robot. Used to be a person? Now it’s the only thing keeping you from escaping back to your home in space!
If you beat the boss, you get the ending cutscene as you look down on our dying planet. It’s peaceful up here. What adventures await you next?

Message from the artist:
This is my first jam AND my first time using Ableton, which I learned just for this jam! Thank you for listening!

Theme:

Runaway

How does it fit the theme?
My three tracks are the story of a runaway. You wake up as a captive in an underwater lab and start to run! This leads to a boss fight, and - if you win - you return to your home... outer space!

Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/thegamellama/sets/run-by-a-to-jump

Leave a comment

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.

Comments

dechroSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

I really liked the reverb on the bells (bleeps?) you used across the various tracks; They really added a cool sci-fi, space-y aesthetic to the music. The use of sampled vocals on the second track was an interesting addition as well.

Nice job!

Submitted

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago(+1)

Just what I was hoping for. :) Thank you!

StaccatosaurusSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

I like the cyberpunk feel in this with all the beeps and chirps. Very quirky boss battle theme. Great cohesion between all pieces. Thanks for sharing!

Submitted

Covering Ground

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago

And thank YOU for listening! I made sure to use the same instrument selections on all three to keep them cohesive. Glad it worked out!

FoxHyodeSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

This is pretty unique, I liked the overall ambiance, nice dynamics. The mix is really weird for some reason I feel like everything is mono straight in the center but the reverb and spatialisation is stereo, feels really special. good job

Submitted

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago (1 edit)

Yeah it’s my first try with Ableton, doing my best. :) Thanks for listening!

C.c.Submitted2 years ago(+1)

Great tracks! I especially enjoyed the first one with the alarm and the underwater ambience. Nice work!

Submitted

Endless Emerald

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago(+1)

Thanks a lot! That echo really helped the ~vibe~

saikeSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

Impressive that you did these tracks while still getting familiar with the DAW.

Escape - This sounds pretty ominous. I quite like those blippey sounds. They give this track an almost outer space feeling. I guess they refer to the protagonist being from there?

Boss Battle - The boss battle is really cool. I also find the inclusion of the vocals a really cool touch. "It's tiiiiiime for a boss battleeeeeee" and "There's a plane out there!". Brilliant! :D.

Ending Cutscene - The blips are back. It did sound like a finale.

My fav was the boss battle. I like the excitement it conveys!

Submitted

child of the forest

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago(+1)

Thanks so much! Learning a new DAW was a lot of working around what I could and what I could not figure out how to do. Chopping up and adding effects to the vocals was really fun, though, and I think I’ll try to do that more going forward. I didn’t realize how different my tracks would be from a lot of the other submissions before I was able to listen to everyone else’s, which is really fun!

saikeSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

Yeah, I felt the same way about the contest. It's the first time I joined and I am just impressed by the number and variety of great productions.

elitestratmanSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

Learning a new DAW for one of these jams is no small feat, congrats! I love Ableton, even though I'm a traitor and use logic now hehe. Oh yeah, and this soundtrack is absolutely bonkers lol. It's like a fever dream. And then reading your description it makes so much sense! Beauty in the chaos. Very fun :)

Submitted

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago

Thanks so much! I’m already finding the limitations of the “Lite” version, but didn’t want to fork over $400 for the full Ableton yet. It’s clearly powerful but was so daunting at first, all those knobs…

elitestratmanSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

my philosophy is that if I don’t understand it… I just ignore it :)

JackaljkdanSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

Loved the first and last track, they definitely make me feel underwater! Great instrument selection.

Submitted

Yellow-Eyed Child

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago

Hehehehe it’s cool being able to evoke images with sounds. Being human is weird!

drive, elizabethSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

First, I loved the outrageous nature of the game premise - an underwater lab? home in outer space?!! I most enjoyed the first track, 'Escape', which had that underwater echo-y quality. This would be a game I'd want to play - great entry.

Submitted

Futuristic Runaway

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago

Thanks so much! Both for listening, and the nice comment. :)

KaSSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

Impressive that you learned Ableton so fast! Really like the creativity in the third track, huge fan of the pulse that goes on throughout.

Submitted

Journey To The Oak

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago

Watched so many YouTube videos, and still had the “wait, why don’t I hear anything oh wait the other track is solo’d” moments! Thanks so much, I was really proud of some of the sounds I was able to create out of nothing in just a few days. Jams are wild!

Magnality2 years ago(+1)

Very unique use of voice sfx! Impressive work learning a DAW in the space of a week to create this.

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago

Thanks! I've used like, LSDJ before, but I'm excited to see what kinds of things I can do when I have even more experience. :)

SocietyManSocietyManSubmitted2 years ago(+1)

this is the best boss battle in the history of gaming

Submitted

Catastrophe Caravan

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago

Take that, Sephiroth! Thanks so much!

Mumbles2 years ago(+1)

Amazing work! Love the jamz.

TheGameLlamaDeveloper2 years ago

Thank youuu~~~