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Discovery - Synlyfe's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall | #55 | 3.998 | 3.998 |
| Composition | #57 | 4.062 | 4.062 |
| Impression | #60 | 3.991 | 3.991 |
| Correlation to theme | #69 | 4.018 | 4.018 |
| Creativity | #85 | 3.929 | 3.929 |
| Quality | #96 | 3.991 | 3.991 |
Ranked from 113 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Judge feedback
Judge feedback is anonymous.
- I'm sorry to hear about your ear injury! Here's hoping that you're recovering well and are going to keep making music. This submission has a lot of promise and some quite interesting textural blending that I think is very effective. The use of sharkuhachi flute I think works in its brief appearance, adding a new, breathy layer to the soundscape that fills it out. In that moment, I really found that everything you had been building to kind of snapped together, which was lovely to hear. I'm sure due to the nature of your shortened preparation time, the track as a whole feels a bit disconnected from itself in that it doesn't seem to quite build toward a target, even as the textures that I do hear are very nicely put together. Structurally I think it just needs more of a sense of direction, where the listener can know that they are being taken on a journey-- told a story-- that's clear and concise. Even though in games we know our music is going to get sliced up and recombined in implementation, having a clear journey from the get go makes a huge difference. Given that you had such a short time to prepare I think the result here is admirable!
Description
Genre: Ambient, electronic.
Purpose: Theme; could function as a title, credits or a lore-driven level theme.
More info available below in "How does it fit the theme"
DAW: FL Studio 21 + Native Instruments, Heavyocity, Serum and stock plugins.
I wanted the track to be driven primarily by piano and strings and then use woodwinds and synths to buff out the composition. Composed in a minor key, but not inherently spending too much time on the defining minor notes - tried to strike a balance between sombre tones and a subtle but progressive hope.
Link to DAW overview on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyBn1Zm4Nik
Can be streamed via Audiomack, link below.
Message from the artist
Was super pumped to join this jam but unfortunately sustained an ear injury the night before it kicked off. After a couple of much needed quiet days, I finally got a chance to start on my submission approximately a day before the jam was ending.
There's very little post-work done, and there are a couple of instances of clipping that I missed upon exporting. All in all I'm decently happy with the composition but I would have liked to have taken it much further and developed the concepts within a lot more. I feel as though the chord progressions in particular are lacking, as is a general sense of substance.
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
I wanted to focus more on the spirit the child is speaking to and what it represents, so I opted for a minor key and left some of the child-like visuals, emotion and expression to the instrumentation.
I used short, delay and reverb soaked synths in Massive to represent the bubbles and wrote primarily for piano, strings and woodwind to set the tone; slightly sombre but with hope on the horizon. Marred happiness and fond memories are two keywords I kept in mind while scoring.
Ultimately the child is speaking to a spirit of a (presumed) loved one, manifesting amidst the bubbles and chalk drawings of fish. I let some reverb tails ring out a little longer and soak the ambience to really sell the water and sea creature vibe as best I could. Playful synths to represent bubbles and the occasional use of a shakuhachi flute to pay due respect to the culture.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://audiomack.com/synlyfe/song/discovery
Number of tracks1
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
Really beautiful work!! I loved the rhythm of the keys. How they give an impression of suspension and floating! And the surprise of it transforming into an electronic is very gratifying. Congratulations on the work!!
Thank you, appreciate words and you taking the time to check it out. :)
This is fantastic, I can't believe this took you a single day! Really great ambient piece, the instrument choices fit the image theme really well - I love the inclusion of the shakuhachi to represent the Japanese aspects of the picture, and the piano with the heavy reverb at the end really sells the underwater setting!
Excellent job!
Appreciate you checking it out and leaving a comment! Sometimes reverb is a little too addictive - given the chance I think I'd drown just about anything in it. 😅
Thanks again, best of luck!
I really loved how the soundtrack really described the theme and the picture. and i loved all of the detail sounds in the soundtrack!
I loved loved LOVED your detailed explanations for your instrument and mixing choices in relation to the theme! That kind of stuff is my favorite part of submissions because it invests me in the music so much further when I can see a reason behind the actions!
Great and diverse work!
I believe that we had similar situations and similar works, but you were able to work through everything better.
I wish you a speedy recovery!
Thank you very much, appreciate the kind words! Ear's all better now, just gotta knuckle down and practice for the next jam. :)
dang that's good!
I absolutely love this, everything flows beautifully and so many cool little additional splashes of colour pop up throughout. As others have already mentioned, the chip tune appearance was unexpected and very well done!
The looping effect and unique rhythm create a strong atmospheric feel for the song , it's amazing!
Aww man the song was so really well composed. Then the electric drums hit and make the atmosphere pop tenfold. Amazing job for the time you had left, am sad you didn't get a chance to fulfil a full soundtrack but I'll definitely keep an eye out for more of your works!
The sound design comes together really well here. Even though in your description you said the chord progression itself needed a little more substance, the orchestration is so varied and dynamic that it more than made up for it. It was engaging all the way through. I like the little flourishes of different instruments and sounds, and the electronic kick drum was mixed in well. I think you should add a little more reverb to that snare rim click to make it fit in with the rest of the lush atmosphere you built, but that's really the only criticism I have, and its a nitpick at best. This was really well done!
And kudos to you for getting this done in the time frame you had! I hope you recover from your injury!
Appreciate the kind words and the thoughtful comment! I was a little afraid of adding more reverb because I almost feel there's too much as is, but I simply can't help myself in some cases. 😅 Reverb and delay are too addictive sometimes.
Ear's all better now, plenty of time to prep for the next jam! Thanks again. :)
Love the groove!😎
What a lush ambient pièce, contemplative and almost hypnotic! The production is also so crispy and definite, I love it. The integration of ethnic elements like the shakuhachi is executed so well.
Nice work on the drums, and it was interesting to read the thoughts that went into picking these instruments. It was chill and atmospheric, especially in the last minute. Loved the addition of the shakuhachi. Very cool!
First of all thanks for rating my track it means a lot.
I am amazed at how you managed to create such a Piece in the duration of 1 day. It's only 1 track but the variation inside it definetly makes up for it. I personally often struggle to bring variation into my Tracks, so I find it amazing to listen to the smooth transitions and the changing chords/indtruments all while the Piano and strings remain as a constant in the background, while builduing their own motives.
Overall very nice peace and I'm hoping to listen to another contribution next year, with your ears in top shape hopefully!:D
Beautiful! The arrangement here is fantastic! From the first moment it had me completely hooked.
I think you captured the theme here very well, and for such a short time, this is very impressive!
Great submission, and I hope you're feeling better!
Thank you very much for checking it out and taking the time to write a comment! Appreciate the kind words. :)
Ear's all better now, thankfully. Ready for the next jam!
Wow, for one day, this is incredibly impressive. Bravo!
This has an awesome variety of instrumentation. Love the 808ish bass that comes in during the middle, and the arps too. A lot of great little touches throughout the track. The piano writing was on point as well.
Great work on this!
This was so chill im just doing homework with this and popping off
Very cute and chill atmosphere!! Especially loved the percussion and the flute, great job!!
This is a great track! I love how it changes and evolves over time, keeping things fresh and interesting. I really started vibing when the kick drum came in!
Wow, great work for only one day! Interesting instruments, ear candies and vibe! Strong submission!