itch.io

Super happy you enjoyed my narrative take on the theme! I definitely agree that the mixing wasn't my best with this submission, I hope I'll be able to improve it for the next jam! :)

Happy you enjoyed it! I tried to make good use of a central motif, glad you caught it! :)

Glad you enjoyed it! I'm rather proud of that piece! :D

Glad you enjoyed it! :)

If you're working on bullet hells, I have experience. Reach out if this ever becomes real ;-)
Also this piece is godlike! :D

Might as well throw my hat in the ring. Would love some extra feedback if you haven't already! :D https://itch.io/jam/ost-composing-jam-7/rate/2831296

For this jam, I wanted to use a lot of my new instruments and sounds in the Komplete 14 Collector's Edition, specifically their solo string quartet, action drums, and BEAUTIFUL plucked nylon guitar. I use Ableton Live 11 Suite and made roughly one track per day. My composition process was mostly the same for each track:

• Turn on your computer, breathe (write that down), and open your DAW
• Decide on a direction/vibe for the piece
• Look for an instrument to load into the first track
• Mess around for 2 hours until I have a chord progression
• Load a viola/violin into the second track and come up with a melody
• Put some ocean wave sounds over everything
• ***BASIC LOOP COMPLETE***
• Duplicate the section, load and compose 1-3 new instrument parts to add DYNAMIC VARIATION
• Repeat the prior step a few times until the song is of appropriate length
• ***SONG DRAFT COMPLETE***
• Add some variation in the structuring, like a buildup or a delayed resolution
• Add EFFECTS to the tracks, such as reverb, reverb, or alternatively, reverb
  
• Make sure that everything feels cohesive with what you've already written, and that it's solid in general
• Do some MIXING (adjust gain levels,  and pray the VSTs do the rest)
• Do some MASTERING (run Ozone 11 on the master, laugh since it thought you wrote a rock piece, and set it to cinematic)
• Do some QUALITY CONTROL (actually make sure the piece sounds good enough to show to hundreds of people and potentially some industry professionals who you would love to be in their position one day and would desperately love to earn their feedback)
• ***FINAL SONG COMPLETE***
• Wait a few days
• Develop self-doubts
• Post your song to the discord server and beg for feedback
• Get mostly positive feedback
• Tell yourself that you need to do way more with the time you have
• ...change literally one thing
• Rerun Ozone 11 and submit the master before you can change your mind
• ***FINAL SONG COMPLETE, FOR REAL***

This is a very scuffed and lighthearted take on my composition process, but it's honestly not that far off. I always start with a solid loop and continue to add instruments to create a bunch of dynamic levels that would hopefully phase between each other as the track evolves inside of a video game. I leaned into my strengths with this jam, all while utilizing my infinite new Kontakt libraries and instruments. Overall, I'm happy with what I've been able to accomplish. If you're interested in rating my project, please check it out here, I'd love to hear your feedback! :D

This is one of the most coherent soundtracks I have heard in this jam. Well composed, but restrained and quiet in its presentation. The curated instruments are beautiful together, though I do think the tracks feel a little too similar overall, and I wish it went in some more different directions both compositionally and with regards to production, as I'm confident you could have maintained that central cohesion so integral to the OST. Overall a great submission, and definitely fits the vision you were aiming for.

Solid submission, the vibes are there and they are strong! The compositions are enjoyable but could use way more variety, and the production was good but there's definitely room for improvement. In particular, I really enjoyed "Delivery!" and "Treacherous Space". I also liked your story as displayed on your itch.io page. Good job! :D

Wow, this level of detail in such a short time is an unfathomable feat, yet it's one you accomplished perfectly. The quality of the music is really strong, both compositionally and in production quality. But the real amazing feat here is how you weaved these tracks into a meaningful story through your descriptions and well-produced video. Some of my favorite tracks were "Their World" and "Fight for Whom". Amazing job! :D

This is some great ambiance, really loved the sounds you used and your overall production. It feels so effortlessly simplistic and fades into the background like a perfect score should. I echo some criticisms mentioned in other comments, but overall I enjoyed just listening to this in the background. Would love to see a game use this score, as you've permitted.

What a fun submission! Quality is on point, and I loved the creativity in your compositions. The first track was elegant and thoughtful, and I got lost in the melodies paired with the ambient guitar and keys. The Owl Encounter started off ominous and creepy with excellent use of string techniques, only to subvert my expectations with a whimsy latter half. I wasn't expecting the final track to be a creative machine-heavy boss theme that still kept my immersion through the presence of those delicate strings, perfectly meshing together with the synths and foley. Gotta give credit where credit's due, I don't have anything to criticize. Amazing job. :D

The vibes are immaculate here, what an ominous vibe you've managed to capture with your compositions. You use pizzicato strings and atmospheric instruments to such an effective degree, creating a true aura of sneakiness and scariness, perfectly aligning with your cover art. Great job! :D

Dreamy and sweet, but the master is very quiet.

These sounds have my attention in an iron grip and refuse to let go, I like how you use these overlapping electronic sounds and synth patterns to surround the user with layers of music to listen to. My mind bounces from analyzing the pads to riding the synth arpeggios up and down. Overall, a solid submission! :)

The ambiance is stunningly immersive. The piano is beautiful, the atmospheric strings are so dreamy, and I could listen to these loops for hours on end. Great job! :D

I really enjoyed this soundtrack! The instrumentation feels very whimsy but still manages to keep me immersed and entertained. I loved the guitar present throughout the OST, and while I do think some tracks overstayed their welcome, I nonetheless enjoyed and can confidently say this deserves more ratings. Great job! :D

Damn, this is a vibe. I adore the foley in these tracks, blending computer beeps with ocean waves. The dreamy ambient pads in Power On let the foley wash over me like waves, the guitars in Booting Up were pleasant and lulled me into a sense of comfort, only to turn to slight discomfort in the face of /dev/null. But nothing could have prepared me for the intensity that was the second half of In My World. Freed My Memory was a solid ending. Overall, great sampling and composition! :D

Wow, what a beautiful OST! I agree with what others say about MIDI-like piano, but otherwise, these orchestrations had me completely immersed in the world from the very first track. Most of the instruments sound great, and the production is solid as a whole, but the actual composition work is great. I love this! :D

This is incredibly creative, I really like your varied orchestration and overall quality! You took me to a lot of different places. Great job with your submission! :D

Damn, this orchestration is great. The quality of the instruments is stunning, and the mixing was overall very solid. I really loved Trials, Be Strong for Me, and Overcome in particular, I definitely feel the inspiration from Ori and the Blind Forest (which is great, because I ALSO LOVE ORI). Overall, great job! :D

Wow, this is nice. Minus some distortion here and there, the vibes and composition are great, there are some very experimental practices here that keep me on my toes, like the arpeggios and ambience in the second track, but overall it's a great listen. Good job! :D

This is it. This is the one. I'm kind of at a loss for words, the beauty and artistry on display are phenomenal, with incredible composition, orchestration, and production. I feel truly immersed in the world you've created when I listen, and it inspires me to strive for such potent emotion and quality in my music. Just like rahsaan.lacey, this is my front-runner for the jam. Incredible job! :D

Those strings are beautiful! BEAUTIFUL, I SAY! That orchestration is great overall, with little to critique. The climax at 1:17 is epic as can be, and I really love that there wasn't too much percussion, but it was rather used to occasionally and subtly support the rest of the instruments. It does clip out with the cut-off cello at the very end, feels unintentional. Otherwise, phenominal job! :D

This submission caught me off guard with how it grabbed my attention. I enjoyed listening to how the first piece evolved from the intro's calm ambience giving way to a lovely hybrid-orchestral buildup, all with these beautiful vocals over it. Then the second piece came with more intense and electronic sounds, but still keeping that orchestral core and those vocals. While the mixing and sound curation could use some work, the creativity and composition are very nice and overall I like the submission. Great job! :D

Wow, there's so much variation here! The composition and production are so beautifully immersive and effortlessly transport me into the world you've crafted. I have very little to criticize, so I'll try and go into detail about what I loved. First of all, the guitars heavily present throughout this OST were a very pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of your third track, Past Life. Face Your Fear was a jaw-dropping head-bopping boss track. Overall, an absolutely incredible submission that just might deserve to stand in the Top 20. Great job! :D

Short and sweet: that's what this submission is to me. The atmospheric elements get me immersed in the flow of the tracks, and the chiptune synths for the melodic components are incredibly charming. I wish the tracks transitioned between each other more easily, even if just through fade-outs. Overall though, you nailed the theme wonderfully. Great job! :D

This soundtrack is incredibly present. The sounds you curated definitely portray a vibrant world underneath the waves. While the production feels fairly simple, I think that works to your benefit as the tracks are just super easy to listen to, and can fit in the background of a video game effortlessly! Great job! :D

This is some solid synth work! Quite a bit of dissonance, but I think you managed to make it work well by committing to the eerie energy that your tracks emanated. The mixing is quite direct and in-your-face, and I would have preferred some more exploration of the dynamics. I also don't really get sucked "inside your world" when listening to these tracks, as they don't leave much room to be immersed, demanding quite a bit of attention. Overall, I like the vibes, I just wish the tracks were mixed a bit more atmospherically.

These are some incredibly peaceful, beautiful tracks. I love the orchestration and how it blends with the subtle electronic pads and effects. Great job! :D

These are some incredibly peaceful, beautiful tracks. I love the orchestration and how it blends with the subtle electronic pads and effects. Great job! :D

Wow, these scores are amazing! I love how perfectly ambient they are, serving to underscore actual gameplay in a video game. The quality of the composition and production is really solid, and the hybrid-electronic groove in "Ebbing Tide" with that sick bass-line was awesome. Ultimately, everything fits the theme like a glove. Great job! :D

This submission was an interesting yet pleasant listen, always keeping me on my toes with what vibe I'd be presented with next.  The Undertale-style influence is very present, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Compositionally, each piece is sufficiently strong, and though the mixing could use a bit more polish, the vibes are there and carrying this submission. Great job! :D

I also loved hearing certain pieces that I remember seeing and/or offering feedback on Discord during development. Also, that little pencil! ♡

Wow, these compositions are stunningly beautiful and incredibly well-produced! It fits the theme perfectly, and I really loved the thoughtful story you were able to construct. I strived for a similar story in my submission, but there's so much careful detail here that it's inspiring. Thanks for such an incredible submission! :D

Okay, this OST absolutely rocks! I love the ambient vibes of the first two pieces, and the 5+ minute metal track is a vibe that I just want to keep listening to, even though I have plenty of other submissions to rate. The composition is effective, and production is sufficient but there's definitely room for improvement, even just better mastering could make it 10x more relistenable. While the first track does match the picture theme, the OST as a whole does not and I would have recommended sticking to the Inside My World theme. Overall, a great submission that I might just process with Ozone 11 myself so I can loop it for an hour after the jam ends.

This was a pleasant submission to listen to. Composition and instrumentation were solid all around, although the second track didn't feel too cohesive with the rest of the submission, and didn't emanate oceanic vibes. Cohesion could use some work, but each track individually stands well on its own, and I enjoyed listening to each. Good job! :D

...did you listen to Scott Buckley when writing that first piece?

in all seriousness, I enjoyed this soundtrack. There was a lot of creativity with the instrumentation and the story, and while I wasn't fully immersed in every second, I still found myself thoroughly engaged by the time silence finally fell upon my ears. Compositionally, I think every piece is solid. Production-wise, I loved the more ambient tracks towards the end and the main theme at the beginning. The aggressively panned synths in The Shell Dealer were a bit unpleasant to listen to, and the energetic drums and bass in I'm The Cat Burglar! make the track feel a bit disconnected from the rest of the soundtrack.

Overall, I really liked your creativity and experimental production on this OST, most of it was executed very well! :D

These tracks are stunning! The instrumentation is delicate yet beautiful, and the motifs go a long way to make the pieces feel connected and cohesive. In particular, I really like the third track, Blue Dream, where I got lost in the dreamy pads and orchestration, floating through an ocean of my own creation. While the sounds you picked are beautiful, I think they could be performed with more articulation and dynamics, especially the piano. Overall, I'm incredibly impressed by your compositions, and I'll definitely be listening again on my own time. Unfortunately, I gotta go rate 600 other entries! :D

Thank you for the feedback! We're still wrapping up this game for the deadline, what you played was a beta build. We have patched being unable to click on the restart menu. We hope you enjoyed it and would consider trying it again once the game is submitted for the Boss Rush Jam 2024! :D