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This was a really pretty soundtrack with great orchestration and production quality, reminiscent of JRPG’s like Final Fantasy and Nier. Some of the sections feel so different I feel they can be separate tracks, like the end of Discovery and Quantus. Instead, I’d suggest that there is potential for these tracks to explode into B sections using similar but bigger orchestration, slightly different harmonies, and soaring melodies. I’m most impressed with your electronic sound design and your ability to seamlessly blend them into the orchestra - truly phenomenal! This was a beautiful soundtrack with good variety and a unified vision - an incredibly satisfying listening experience!
(Oh and I also liked the cover art too!)

Thank you! I wanted each track to have a unique character, so they each feature different metal percussion:
Dive - gamelan, Seafloor - tongue drum, Abyss - celesta, Fish Festival - marimba and vibes (marimba is wood, but still fitting), Trinket - music box and kalimba

For me, this was a complete soundtrack. Each track has a unique role in the world/narrative while still feeling unified. The decisions made in terms of composition feel deliberate and well thought out, but it’s also just a nice soundtrack to listen to on its own. Sunday Funday is the perfect vibe for exploring (I imagined a game like Space for the Unbound). I like the sound design and floaty feeling of A World of My Own - that might be my favorite. I really enjoyed this soundtrack! Great work!

Stuck in Time - My favorite track of the two - I definitely hear some Celeste and Undertale in this! Awesome expression in that lead synth, especially when you slow the vibrato towards the end. The arps are especially beautiful. In the intro, there is some interesting detail going on with the effects, low in the mix. I can tell this is going to be an emotional journey.

The Earth Can’t Hold Me - This was epic! Nice harmonies, bold panning choices. Based on your story, the way I see this track being implemented in a game is in vertical layers, where each layer fades in as the character walks closer to the end. So I think the drums and choir at 3:22 could each fade in separately, as well as the guitar at 4:02. The mix is somewhat overwhelming at times - maybe some tracks could be balanced better or EQ/filtered, like a high-pass filter on the panning synth. Good job with the key changes - these really complete the narrative arc!

Overall, the composition and production are emotional, dynamic, and creative. You have a very strong grasp of narrative writing, throughout the soundtrack and in each individual track. I also wonder what the rest of the soundtrack could sound like - perhaps with some lighter, neutral emotions to contrast these important story beats? Great work here!

I can tell you had a ton of fun with this project! Really good composition and orchestration. The production is great, just watch out for mixing stuff like reverb - I suggest sending everything to a reverb bus so they all sound like they are in the same room, and not too much! The Nest of the Unkindness might be my favorite - love the contrast between the fat bass synths, the marimba clusters, and upper melodic lines. This was a fun and well-crafted soundtrack that had me smiling throughout!

Inside my world - the keys/synth is very warm and cozy while the brass is fun and quirky. It was a great idea to have sections with and without brass because there is nice contrast!

Inside phantazia - cool sound choices. Dreamlike yes, but more nostalgic than ominous to me. The banjo sound in particular has a rustic charm to it.

Inside my guilt - creative use of rhythm here, kind of alternating between a swing in 4 feel to a straight 3 feel.

Inside my fear - love this track! The pad sound combined with the echo effects are beautiful - particularly love the vibes. The crackle is peak ambience. I was waiting for this track to explode into a breakbeat - could work for an alternate version with a synth lead maybe?

Inside my bravery - really nice open harmony in the pads! And interesting pitch drifting. This track goes on for a while without much change - I personally wouldn’t mind shorter tracks, especially since we know that most game music is meant to be looped!

Inside my innocence - beautiful instrumentation and groove especially in that slightly dissonant gamelan(?) sound.

Inside my comfort - great emotional melodic writing! It would be cool to have a contrasting section where everything shrinks down to a solo instrument, maybe piano playing the melody over arpeggiated chords?

Inside my heart - really beautiful way to close out the soundtrack. Nice extensions in the string harmonies. There’s a wonderful tension between the primal percussion and the sophisticated strings. This would be so beautiful with a solo violin melody on top! This is tied with Inside my innocence as my favorites!

Overall: I love the journey you’re taking us on - the game you are writing for definitely feels like an emotional one. And you captured the 2000s sound very well - I’m reminded of Pseudoregalia in some of these tracks and Undertale in others, and it sounds very cohesive! This is already a fantastic soundtrack - some contrasting harmony in B sections with melodies would push it over the top for me. But considering you did this in 24 hours, I have no real complaints. Awesome work!

I enjoyed the story that was told throughout this collection of tracks - my favorite track is Towards Our Reflections. Your composition skills and sound choices are good, and you have great potential! I would recommend learning about “avoid notes” since I heard this kind of dissonance in And it Stared Back. Overall, this was a nice soundtrack with strong storytelling - keep it up!

I'd appreciate some feedback! Thanks! https://itch.io/jam/ost-composing-jam-7/rate/2846728

Make a Fish - That awesome bassline makes this my favorite track. I think the drums could be louder and snappier. The vocal you used towards the end adds so much, and dropping out the bass there was a powerful move.

Load or Save Fish - This seems like a remix/reinterpretation of Make a Fish. The difference in sound design is interesting, I just wish there were new and distinct elements that set it apart from Make a Fish.

Ready to Dive? - The instrument sound you chose is very relaxing and reminds me of a kalimba in some ways. Combined with the arpeggios in the composition, it makes for a great file select track.

This was a fun soundtrack overall - good work!

Track 1 - love the vocal resonance in this one - it feels very mysterious. My favorite moment is 1:02 - 1:13, since I can hear a G# tone that seems to pitch bend down as the wind noise comes in. 

Track 2 - I’d suggest using fade-ins or filter automation for the start of those layered audio clips because the sudden room noise is somewhat distracting. And check out noise reducer plugins if you haven’t already.

Track 3 - the bassy drone and whisper noises are working really well for me, but the static room noise is a bit loud for me personally and overshadows the drone and whispers.

Track 4 - this track is genuinely scary. The combination of the drone, the thumping, and the snarling are perfect!

Just watch out for the finer details of sound production since that’s very important in this style. Overall, I had a very fun time trying to listen for the different sounds woven into your texture. Each track has their own character, but they still feel dark and unified. Very cool and creative submission!

Based on what you said on your project page, I can relate to having trouble with creativity. One thing that helps me is setting a goal to learn something new. You could watch a tutorial on YouTube and make a song using what you learned from the video. Or you could try to copy an existing song. Or just explore on your own and make something new. Whether it’s weird or good, it’s still music.

Anyways,  my favorite track is your version of the theme in Bedroom. The sounds you chose are perfect and the mix is great. You could add two extra chords somewhere in there, make that a separate section, and that could be a complete track. Good job with this soundtrack!

Seeking the Floor - my favorite track here, love the harmonic exploration and how well it fits with the picture theme.

Inquiries at Last - the harmonies in this one are quite strange, which I’m guessing was your intention. There's also a strong pull towards Cmaj, and for me, I wish there were more Cmaj resolutions than the one at 0:32.

Beyond the Edge of Absolutely Everything - I really enjoy the scifi vibe combined with the plucky accompaniment here. I feel like this has potential to explode into a darker scifi vibe with saw synths.

Victory Sting - it’s a weird but fun one! Cool to see stingers like this in a soundtrack!

Throughout the soundtrack, I enjoyed your exploration of different emotions and styles. Also, I feel like there is room to build these tracks more gradually. Plus, your sense of harmony is really good so I’d recommend leaning in on that. Great work overall!

A Bubbly Feeling - the progression reminds me of Radiohead’s Creep. The B section at 2:42 and then the jazz cymbals after are really nice.

Even if Just for a Moment - this track is really touching and the push and pull of the tempo is perfect. Reminds me of Omori. This one might be my favorite!

Welcome to my World - wow the contrast between the huge choir and the filtered underwater section is really beautiful!

I’m not sure what you envisioned for your game, but it would be nice to hear some kind of battle theme (btw, you can still edit your page description to describe your game/story). Overall, a charming soundtrack with great emotion!

Minimal, and yet that minimalism becomes core to the beauty of the soundtrack. Lovely use of harmony and space. Janus might be my favorite. Beautiful soundtrack!

Great sound design and gradual evolution in these ambient tracks. You are also really good at controlling foreground and background layering. Very cool and unique soundtrack!

The 7/4 is a nice touch, your harmonies and composition are good, and you definitely brought me into a water setting! Personally, I found the drums in Floating in the in Between to be somewhat repetitive - my suggestion would be to have a section somewhere in the middle where the drums drop out. And I really dig the instrument combination in Respite - it would be nice if you threw in Ebma7 Fma7 somewhere in that progression! Good job with this soundtrack!

First of all, I like how you are thinking about game soundtracks: different intensities for Subaquatic Saunters and a separate introductory track for Mechacanthine Foreboding. The music itself portrays a very clear story through your varied composition and styles. Love the chord at 0:58 in Epilogue! Great work here!

Are you sure you aren’t a musescore ambassador because this was amazing xD. I like how each track plays an important role in the overarching story: the hazy strings of everyday life, the staccato splashes of creation, the dancing trills of up in the clouds, everything hidden in the sea.. all the while, portraying the childlike wonder from kawaakar._’s art. Personally, I can’t stop thinking about how you pass the trills around in up in the clouds, across instruments and between foreground and background. Really inspiring!

This soundtrack has so much character and works well with your game concept. I especially like the melody and western vibe of Shadows in the Desert Sun, and your development with layering is great and varied. It would have been cool to explore different chord progressions too. Overall, a fun listen that really captures the spirit of the game concept!

I genuinely fell in love with this track and got emotional listening to it. It's so beautiful. Your choice in sounds, the 6/8 groove, melodies, and timing of arrangement changes is just perfect. If you wanted, you could even push the emotion further: after the shrinking down at the end of the song, you could have a section with huge saw synths or strings. Really, really great track!

Very nice production. Wow those plucks around 1:00 are perfect! In fact, all your sound design and arrangement is excellent. I love the wandering arp at around 2:15. The low register piano is a bit too low for the lines that are playing - maybe a synth drone would fit better? Great composition and production that closely fits the theme - great work!

Alone Among Myself is the most interesting composition for me - very bold harmonic choices here, at times quite dissonant which is cool. The pizzicato with marimba is a great pair! Dynamic expression in your strings would be a game changer, and I wonder if it would sound better to have the marimba in time with the chord changes instead of the melody (just an idea). Good job with keeping a cohesive sound throughout the soundtrack!

Really imaginative concept! I love the first 4 tracks, which I can clearly picture alongside a charming indie game. The last two tracks are well written too - I just wish there was more cohesion with what came before. Sticking to the orchestral stuff at the start of So Do Nightmares would have been perfect. Lastly, be careful with using too much reverb in the last two tracks, especially for low frequencies. Overall, your writing and how you develop your ideas is good - well done!

An excellent ambient soundtrack. The pads are dynamic and you've structured different sections that tell a story within each track. The pitch shifts in Auritas are very cool and really evoke water imagery. Overall great soundtrack!

I enjoy how different the tracks are, yet they still feel like they belong in the same game. The guitar would be nice with a bit of reverb though. Overall, your concept is imaginative, and your music tells the story wonderfully. Great work!

TRAILER and BIGBAD are my favorites. I especially appreciate the varied range of emotion and exploration of styles throughout the soundtrack. Nice work!

I really like all  the different ways you use the main motif. They feel transformative enough without losing its central character. I also like the sophistication and tension in Stay Afloat and River Styx. Their placement in the context of the soundtrack adds so much! The titles perfectly match what the music portrays, and last but not least, the production is really great. Bravo!

Every track is a unique and satisfying soundscape. In a way, the crazy sound design in the first 3 tracks prepares you for the beat drop in In My World. It's not only face melting, but it works in the context of the entire soundtrack. This soundtrack is definitely going in my favorites!

The first and last track are really beautiful. I also really like the interesting combination of sounds and textures used in Ebbing Tide. It's very groovy and satisfying to listen  to. Very cool soundtrack!

The compositional aspects are really good. The melodies are catchy, and the way you develop your arrangements are very satisfying. I enjoyed the plucky sounds towards the beginning of the soundtrack - they really signify humble beginnings. The audio storytelling between Takeoff and Void is so vivid that I can imagine the story just from the sounds alone. Departure of a Friend is my favorite track - you really nailed the harmonies towards the end there. Lovely soundtrack!

Where can I sign up for the Babycastles Pro+ subscription? Seriously though, all 3 tracks are all charming in their own way. I liked how you transitioned in and out of the middle section of Pure Imagination. Welcome to my World is just such a good vibe. And Tomorrow Never Knows is a heartwarming sendoff with its mix of guitar, synth, and keys. Lovely soundtrack!

The background noise in GirlTheme is some great earcandy and the arpeggios in HappyMemory fit the theme perfectly! I love the ambience in SadMemory, but with the context of the previous tracks, I wonder if it's too dark? Cool soundtrack overall!

Sounds beautiful and fits the theme perfectly!

Your interpretation of the theme is very cool, and you know how to keep the listener engaged! Your tracks are very  dynamic, and they don't overstay their welcome. The end of Buyer's Remorse is cool. The final track is a banger! Impeccable storytelling and sound design throughout - really fantastic work!

Cool trip hop vibe with nice developments. I enjoyed the bouncy acid bass groove towards the middle and it all blends together with the flute and strings very well!

Meditative and trance-like track that somewhat reminds me of the Sable soundtrack. With a few tweaks like less reverb, smaller sounds, and more variation in the base layer between sections - this could work great in an exploration game like that!

I agree - the compositional aspects of your pieces are very good. There is a wonderful range of harmony, dynamics, and register, especially in My Dream. And the way you use dissonance is very pleasing actually. Great work!

Like exedexes1 said, I appreciate the groove you created - and with live instruments too! I'm loving the indie prog rock vibes. Compared to all the submissions I've heard, Shallows is a really unique take on the theme that still works quite well. Really cool!

Wow I really appreciate that! In some ways I can relate though - this jam is fun, intimidating, inspiring, and everything in between. Thank you!

Thanks so much! I really tried hard to fit the picture theme as close as I could with every track. It was such an inspiring image for me personally.