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A jam submission

Mindspace (OST Composing Jam #7)View project page

A short soundtrack made for OST Composing Jam #7
Submitted by Zone /A\ — 29 minutes, 13 seconds before the deadline
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Mindspace (OST Composing Jam #7)'s itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Correlation to theme#1453.8393.944
Impression#1553.6773.778
Overall#1793.6663.767
Composition#1973.6773.778
Creativity#2483.5693.667
Quality#2583.5693.667

Ranked from 18 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Description
Mindspace is a story-driven game where the main character explores their inner mind, thoughts and memories through their dreams in a place called "Mindspace". The game is inspired by games like "Undertale", "Deltarune", "Oneshot", "To The Moon".

"Inside My Mind" - Title screen track. Sets up the mood of the game

"Mindspace" - This track is played the first time the player wakes up in the "Mindspace", it's kind of a theme of that place. I wanted to convey some sort of feeling of unknown and uncertainty with the beginning of the track and then as the main character becomes more accustomed to this area the slight fear of the unknown transforms into a sense of adventure with the drums coming in

"An Old Friend" - While walking through the memories the main character finds their old friend, it is kept ambiguous what happened to that friend, this track plays while the main character relives all the memories that friend was a part of. This is my favourite track, and the track I spent the most time composing

"Dreamtown" - Location theme. It's a small nearly empty town that combines many different memories of the main character, they go through this town meeting again many people they've met in their life. I came up with this track while sitting in front of a piano (I think it was the last day of the jam or the day before) and decided to not add any other instruments and just keep it in it's "raw" state with the piano playing alone. I wanted to make it a bit longer, but didn't have time to finish it. That's why the ending might feel a bit abrupt

"Repressed Memories" - As the main character goes deeper into the "Mindspace", they explore the memories hidden deep inside their mind. This track is played in the deeper layers of the "Mindspace"

You can listen to 2 extra tracks that I wasn't able to finish on time in the downloaded MindspaceOST.zip file. These tracks are:
"track2_2 (Exploring the mind)" - Another layer of the "Mindspace"
"track8" - Unfinished idea of a track for the game, maybe for a cutscene or something like that

Soundtrack permission:
I don't know if I'll use the music somewhere or not, so if you want to use this music just contact me and we'll discuss it

Message from the artist
This is my first OST Jam. I'm an 19 year-old self taught composer and I'm still learning, so I'm open for any kind of feedback.
Also I didn't have as much time as I wanted, so many track were rushed to finish before the deadline. The only track I really had time to work on was “An old friend”. I finished majority of “Dreamtown” and the title screen track only an hour before the deadline, I just quickly threw some stuff together just so I can include them in the submission. For most of the tracks I didn’t even have a name until the very end of the Jam.
In the downloaded zip you can also find an “Extras” that contains some unfinished track as well as some early versions of the tracks that made it to the submission.

Theme

Inside my world

How does it fit the theme?
The main character explores “their own world” inside their dreams, and the music is built around that concept

Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zone_a_1/sets/mindspace-ost-composing-jam-7
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUuC18JRCpk

Number of tracks
5

Genre

Orchestral
Ambient
Experimental

Soundtrack use permission

No

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

one of my personal favorite entries

Thank you ^^

Submitted(+1)

I like how the piano sounded warbly. It made it feel more like a dream!

Submitted(+1)

What a pretty OST, I wasn’t bored one second! One of the highlights of the day for sure!

Submitted(+1)

"Inside My Mind" - 

Lovely intro. I think the reverb is a bit heavy, but I do like the intended feel. It really comes together when the high piano comes in. The way the track opens up with the strings at 1:39 is really interesting. Great drop off to feature the low and high piano again. I think a fade out might have worked better than the more sudden ending.

"Mindspace" - 

Very different instrumental feel at the beginning. There's an odd rushing feeling to it, like the tempo might not be completely in sync. Interesting textures and synth melody. The vocal synths and drum sit very well when they first come in, but mixing feels a little off when the strings add in. Good with the piano after though, and admittedly the second time the strings are over those drums it sits better, maybe it's a very subtle thing. Love the synth melody and string feel that comes after that section. I really think more of the track should connect to this section- it's very lovely! Overall the track seems a bit all over the place, without a central feel to it. At the end it feels a bit unsatisfying.

"An Old Friend" - 

Lovely piano intro. Piano is a great instrument to represent memory, in my opinion. I feel like the strings would sit better more distant in the mix, maybe a little quieter and with more reverb. I can't decide if I like the tiny, high pitched toy piano sounding melody that comes between the main piano melody, but the dip down lower after is fantastic. The strings seem to sit better in the mix this next time they come in. The rhythmic build here with them is great, the slow rise in intensity really helps the sound reach a climax sort of feel. I like the toy sounding piano more this time, less crowded by the prior piano melody around it. Really lovely ambient feel here, it's warm and comforting. We're really in the stride of the piece in the last minute of it. OOO, lovely double melody at the end. Probably the strongest ending I've heard so far.

"Dreamtown" -

Retro sounding, vaguely reminds me of a pokemon town theme for a second there. Slight spooky air to it, which fits the empty feel that's intended. Lovely chord at the end, I'm surprised it ends there, I expected it to go on.

"Repressed Memories" - 

I like the dark synth here off the bat, I think it fits the title. Heartbeat is always a great way to bring in a horror feel. I like that breathing sounding synth that comes in on the chord. Really like the turn at about 2 minutes in. Feeling like a downward spiral when we get back in at 2:30, I like that subtle buildup. I would appreciate a crescendo over this section to really add to that feeling. I feel like the string synth here could be much more subtle. Solid ending return to that dark synth.


Piano is a lovely instrument, and it was a pleasure listening to an OST that so heavily featured it. :) I also really appreciate the breakdown of the game concept and the meaning of each track- great creativity. There's a lot of great moments in these tracks. Congrats on your first composition jam! I too had to face a lot of restrictions with my time during the Jam week, so I feel you there. Everything considered, you should be proud of what you've done, and I hope you find my feedback helpful. <3

Submitted(+1)

Caught me straight away with the intro into Inside my Mind - the thought put into the piano chords, the reversed reverb swell into it and the general dark tone that persists throughout. Gorgeous playing and thoughtfully pensive leading melodies. I like the accompaniment of the strings supporting the piece half-way through and the exploration into an even higher register with the lead, even if only briefly.

Mindspace is a departure from what I would have expected to follow up the first track, but it's pretty great. The intro blurring into orchestration is a nice touch and the layering of the strings is really well done. Choice of synth dubbing over them is eerie - not quite haunting, but not comforting either. Hair-rising without being adrenaline pumping. The latter two thirds of the track is really cool - good beat and supplemental percussion to flesh it out. Chord progression beneath it is nice and I love the change of articulation on the strings to enhance the beat.

Track 3, An Old Friend, feels a little more in line with the main theme but I really like how you've erred entirely in the middle of ambiguity here. Not easy to strike that balance of landing the listener right in the middle of various emotions but you killed it with this track. The prospect of meeting an old friend would be, in most cases, a happy thing, but this feels kind of unsure. It isn't quite a sombre event, but it is caked in uncertainty - in my opinion, anyhow. Great work on arranging this one.

Dreamtown feels a bit more pensive and definitive in its direction, but not fully so. It plods along and pulls you with it, without quite stopping at any point for a breather. It's an interesting palate cleanser after the last track, especially so when you consider the direction that Repressed Memories goes in.
Dark off the bat with a drone pulsing gently in the background. Fantastic choice of chords here for the piano, and I really like how you've spaced them out - there's no rush to fill the spaces in between. A very less-is-more approach that works really well in a track that has the tone absolutely befitting of the title. I really like how this explores a couple of other tones as it progresses on but ultimately begins to slink back into that dark, droning uncertainty by the end.

Really enjoyed this - it's dark without being gritty. An sombre undercurrent of how complex and confusing emotions can be when they're askew. I think this, as a whole, works really well for underscore and I think this would need a really special game to fully utilize it to its max potential - because it deserves that kind of attention to detail and tight execution. Great work, this is one of the frontrunners for me I think.

Submitted(+1)

Mindspace sounds so goooood. Great melody, and it gets even better when the drums pick up. Repressed Memories was a nice wrap up. Piano was really good. Enjoyed my stay!

Submitted(+1)

Really cool vibe and I really like how the story you described compliments the music. I really like your use of reverb! The cover art is great too! My favorite track is Repressed Memories

Submitted(+1)

"Inside My Mind" breathes in such an appropriate way for the concept. Overall, a contemplative and introspective OST.

Submitted(+1)

A really atmospheric and cute story, especially love the paddy strings in An Old Friend! Also, I enjoy the haunting vibe of Repressed Memories!

Submitted(+1)

Lots of really cool thematic ideas, I was drawn to this one especially by the cover and I think you match the vibes from that very well with your interpretation of the theme! Your melodic ideas are super compelling and made me excited to see what came next, which is something that's really exciting to see in a work. Your use of strings is super tasteful, creating space even over the constant movement in the piano across the songs. I'm impressed with An Old Friend because despite its longer runtime I think you have successfully made it compelling to listen the whole way through, which can be difficult! Repressed memories has some incredibly haunting lines, the drone throughout makes it much more impactful, and of everything here this is probably my favourite and the one I imagine most in a game!! I really enjoyed this, good job!

Just a note, in "Inside My Mind" the reverb on the piano is a little bit on the extreme side, i love the composition of it but it ends up being a little bit much to focus on, especially with the contrast of the relatively smooth and bright strings, and i think this note can be applied to songs like mindspace as well, look to how you did the piano in An Old Friend as i think you handled that much better. Still, well done!

Submitted(+1)

this is such a great little collection of pieces... love the noisy piano in My Old Friend, and the gentle groove paired with driving strings on Mindspace is A+.  the little heartbeat in Repressed Memories is a nice touch.  overall the writing here is really great and i enjoyed my listen through!! well done!

Submitted(+1)

This is amazing! I feel like I fell asleep and sank into the depths of my sad consciousness)

Mindspace is a great introduction. But the piano was straining my right ear a little because of the echo.

Mindspace - I Love Drums

An old friend - It feels like I've met an old friend whom I haven't seen for a long time, but with whom the most pleasant childhood memories are associated.

Dream Town is Sad... I like it! But a slight white noise gets in the way a bit... But I think it's already subjective.

Repressed memories are very annoying. I especially liked the heartbeat. It's original!

Overall, I like the arrangement! The idea that the author wanted to convey became clear to me.

Keep up the good work! You're good at making very atmospheric music)

Developer

Thanks, some of these tracks were a bit rushed since I didn't have much time and had to make the majority of the tracks the last 2 days of the jam. First I wasn't even going to include "Dreamtown" and "Inside My Mind", but I finished them quickly before the end of the jam. I used mainly free samples and VSTs and I used some compression to make the sounds a bit louder, but whenever a sample has some noise the compressor picks that up and boosts it, that's why "Dreamtown" has that white noise, I could have fixed it, but in the rush to submit the project on time I forgot to do that.
Also fun fact: Originally I didn't plan to add any drums to "Mindspace", but I had a small "creative block" while making it and I didn't know what to add next, so I threw some random drums to see how that would work and it actually worked so I kept them and started building the rest of the track around them