Track by track lets go!
1. Beginning Of Salvation
this track was crazy! The screaming was wild and I liked the deep voice talking. Sometimes it got a little too loud for me but it was to great effect!
2. Horrible Village (Ambient)
I really liked whatever that frog-like instrument was that played slightly panned to the right. The horns I think they were gave an effect of an out of date alarm system which was very cool! I think the beeping that happened on beat in the first half was a little distracting Though sometimes I can't tell what is or isn't meant to be distracting on purpose.
3. Caves (Ambient)
The revving engine noise that happened around 1:25 and 2:05 hurt my head a little with the panning. It also didn't really feel cave like to me if that makes sense? like the only thing that felt cave like to me was when the bubbles echoed but bubbles don't really feel like a cave thing. maybe some like gravel or boulder sounds?
4. Sewers (Ambient)
What sounded like a dying child gasping for help sometimes was both creepy and a really cool effect. I also like the high beep noise. Also, this is a better place for the bubbles which you did use so good job. it started getting way more intense at the end which I liked. that hollow sounding instrument was really cool! I think you might have used the screams too often at the end though as they started to lose their effect.
5. Rock And Stalagmites
This feels like a battle theme for the sewers that would transition organically but I think the title is weird considering this is a battle meant to happen in the sewers and not the caves. The rising guitar went crazy!
6. Underwater Serpent (Boss Theme)
This seems like the first track to have a solid foundation to build a melody off of! I think it maybe came a little late into the playlist. Having a stronger core song like this almost 20 minutes into a playlist makes it feel like the pacing of the music is off if that makes sense.
Like if I was a casual listener and I heard the first 5 tracks I wouldn't think that there would be much variety due to the placement of the songs.
I know they are meant to go in chronological order and that is perfectly fine but it might lead to listeners getting bored before the more involved tacks can get a chance to hook people in.
That being said, This track is much more my style in terms of what I want to listen to so it is my fav as of now.
7. Train
While the style matches the other tracks, the instrumentation is way different and I like that! keeps things fresh!
8. Among The Boxes
I like the factory vibe of this one a lot! I think something that could be improved is with the Brake drum hits. Right now they are all hit at the same velocity but I think making some accented and others a tad quieter could make the track feel a lot cooler!
9. Raising The Crow's Nest
The start with the Crows cawing was a really great intro. I like the thematic use of crows here since a flock of crows is called a Murder and the story involves the main character basically trying to murder Patient Zero so thematically it is neat! Same criticisms here as with the last piece being that the brake drums having unique velocities for some hits would be really cool! Loved it when the organ came in though it might have gotten a bit loud too.
10. National Emblem (Boss Theme)
The crow caws are again a great intro and having them persist is great for a crow boss. The voice at the beginning was also cool. I also notice that each area seems to have their own leitmotifs which is great! The first area had the bubbles and this one has the brake drums! Adds a lot to the video game aesthetic! There were some noises in this one that I thought were people behind me trying to get my attention which was freaky!
11. False Rest
The birds were nice on this one and I like what I assume was a gunshot noise! False rest is a great name since it has the tranquil birds but is still an uneasy song!
12. Cat And Mouse
The tempo switch-up was great. I also really like this synth you used it reminds me of the scene in Wreck-It Ralph with the bug killing FPS. Wasn't a big fan of the strings here. It didn't feel like they fit very well with the other synths.
13. Metro In The City
Once again I really like the synths you used but I didn't feel like the more orchestral instruments fit here. The bits of dialogue were rally cool atmospherically! I also like how the girls voice seems to be getting clearer as you get closer to her! I am assuming that's who it is. I did like the mallets though because I always like mallets!
14. Rest Zone
I DO think the orchestral instruments work here however! I like how airy the flutes you used were. Gives a sense of fleeting as though the rest is only a short one. Also liked that it still remained rather uneasy.
15. Queen's Archives
From what I can tell, the rest theme leads directly in to this one. If so, I like it! If not, then I think the rest zone ends too abruptly. Since this place is supposed to be freezing, I think adding more "cold" instruments would be good. About halfway through a synth comes in that has that cold effect but I think some echoey chimes in the background would enhance the effect a lot!
16. Full Metal Temple
I had heard this one in the Devlog chat before. I recognized the intro! I liked that sometimes there would be the briefest of pauses with almost every instrument. It made me wish that you had played with empty space in the fuller songs more. Really empty them out for like a second to change things up and keep them more interesting!
17. Green Stage
Very clear voice on the girl, though now I can clearly tell that there are 2 distinct voices. an adult woman and a child. I am assuming the little girl is the infected one so who is this person that keeps calling me a mean b-word ),: Liked the choir here!
18. Chaotic Zone
This song had really fantastic percussion! It felt like it stood out a lot compared to a lot of the other tracks which made the entire song feel a lot more memorable to me. This is likely my new fav of the entire OST. Especially because of the choir! Sometimes I do think this one got way too loud though. The ringing phone at the end was cool though IDK what it means.
19. Patient Zero (Boss Theme)
Going all in on the strings was an interesting choice but one I think works. I was scared that the final boss track might get lost in the shuffle by being too similar but the strings and choir prevented that! Bad words ),: The ending where I am assuming she is dying was really loud but I think that was an appropriate place for high volumes.
20. Monologue
I didn't like this one. Made me uncomfy ): I can feel his breath on my neck as he speaks. Narratively speaking it is cool and creative but as a track in an OST it isn't really a song. I won't hold it against you but I wouldn't listen to this as a song which I think is still an important aspect for each track to have in an OST composing jam
In Conclusion
This was a very unique and interesting entry! I think there were some issues with volume getting too high at points as well as some missed opportunities in certain songs. I also feel that some of the songs didn't feel as unique as they could have been causing a few to feel similar. I also found some instrument choices to feel out of place compared to the rest of the track.
This definitely isn't my style of music but I can absolutely see it being others. I feel it would work incredibly well in a video game which I think is an important part of OST composing jam. I think the sound design is excellent with things like voice lines, SFX, and atmosphere.
Good Job! Be proud of the effort you put in!
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