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The first part is very good, good variations, setting up the instruments, but at 1'23" it becomes brilliant. I love the two synths a sixth(?) apart. It sounds so good. And just when I think we're at the climax of the music, you throw in a banger: from 1'48" to 2'00" this passage is fantastic, you could have made it last twice as long and kept building on it.

In any case, bravo. When I listen to your first compositions and juxtapose them with this one, I find it hard to believe I'm listening to the same artist, you've progressed so much. I'm glad I got to know you through all those jams.

The pause with the bass solo is a great way of kick-starting the song at 1'00". And you've managed to make the second part just as interesting as the first, with different melodies and arrangements. It's neat, it's really good (special mention for the synth that does sixteenth-note arpeggios, it's very dynamic).

And bravo for the video, you've gone to a lot of trouble and thanks because it's great to watch (I love the "game over" on the bass).

I couldn't explain why, but I think the beginning of your melody is splendid (D-C-A-B at bar 3). You develop it superbly well. And that chromaticism from 15! I love it too :)

Once again, I'm amazed by your talent for creating a complete, coherent piece with medium-quality sounds and such a small number of instruments. Your great strength is knowing how to build beautiful melodies with an effective arrangement.

It's great that you've taken the theme and changed the lead instrument. The flute adds something medieval, but there's definitely a country feel. The softer, more melancholy beginning contrasts with the happy, bouncy end. It perfectly illustrates the transition from the end of the night to dawn.

You know I love seeing you at the jam, and I really enjoy our exchanges. What also pleases me is to see our progress. When I hear what you're doing today, I can see how far we've come in the last 18 months. You even take the liberty of changing the signature so brilliantly that we don't even realize it. If I didn't have the score in front of me, I wouldn't have heard it.

I also appreciate creativity and risk-taking. You experiment with rhythmic and melodic changes. I can tell you're having fun when you compose. I also sense that you want to surprise us without taking us by the hand.

You can be proud of your music and your progress.

How beautiful!

It's funny, Jofes finds the middle a bit empty, whereas I find this passage sublime : all in modesty, it's moving.
Your style really shines through in all your compositions (especially with the use of appoggiaturas). You'll have to try and find a JRPG studio. You've got the talent to make a great OST.

Ah Nick, you know me so well. Yes, you know my philosophy these last few months, I want to try things. At the moment I'm interested in Chris Christodoulou (Risk of Rain) and Mark Morgan (Fallout and Planescape Torment). So I'm happy to compose and try new things.

Thanks as always for your attention, support and friendship.

Thank you

Thank you, in view of the quality of your compositions, I'm always happy to get compliments from you.

That's what happens when I have several ideas at once and I want to try and fit them all in. Thanks for your comment

As for the sun and the coins, if I tell you it's a happy coincidence, do you believe me?

695-499

The melody is very pretty and it's clearly the opposite view from what we've come to expect from this theme. It's bold and it pays off.

Now let's talk technique and improvement :)

Around 1'00" you introduce an electric piano/harpsichord (?). From the start, it seemed to me too mono and too centered (and this is confirmed when at the end it is played with the trumpets). To improve the mix and gain in clarity, you can double your instrument (keep this one and take a very similar one, or have two of the same one at the octave), one well to the left and one well to the right.

What do you think, my friend?

There's a neo-retro feel to the theme.

The choice and color of the synths are excellent. It's good sound design for a nice build-up.

I love the second part with the bass, which adds harmonic depth.

It makes me so happy that you think the mix is good. That's what I've been working on for the last few jams. I'm glad it's paying off.

I've just listened again to Celeste's Obtaining a Heart, and the resemblance is striking!

Unconscious inspiration!

Thanks, this is the first time I've tested such rich and tight chords, I'm happy with the result.

On the first part, your synth and melody reminded me of Chris Christodoulou (Risk of Rain). I don't know if you're familiar with it or if it's deliberate. There's a mood of despair that increases with the right build up when you build up to 1'25.

I was fooled by the silence. I thought the music was over, but it wasn't! You repeat the theme with only synths. It's really great.

Right from the start you had me hooked with your piano appogiaturas.

Then you surprised me with the tempo changes and chromatic descents.

It's very original that you chose woodwinds to illustrate the AI (at 1'01"). I think we've all opted for pads or very synth sounds.

In any case, the composition is very nice and I hear a story while listening.

« Neo exits the Matrix » : I thought of it more as "We, technology, are taking over every aspect of your life, you can now relax and enjoy a pacified world."

But I like your interpretation too 🙂

Thank you for you comment

You've done some great SFX. The transition effect at 40" is excellent. The glitches sound great, as does the bit-reduced voice.

However, on the mixing side, I think the synth sound is too loud (when you remove the low-pass filter).

That's the only slight criticism, because the ambience fits the theme very well.

Did you make this music with just one note? You must have struggled with all those automations. The result is very good. The mix is good and the panning effects are great.

It would make a great soundtrack for a game set in a cyberpunk universe.

It's a bold choice to go over a minute with only eighth notes for rhythm.

You really take your time adding layers of notes.

I don't know if it's a choice, but all the notes have the same dynamic. This gives the piece a mechanical, unwelcoming feel, despite the upbeat melody at the start.

Bravo for the ending, which leaves only that bass line and that ghostly sound.

We can really feel the heaviness in your composition. The arrival of the kick with the side chain is extremely percussive.

Up to 1'58", you build up gradually, adding instruments. It gives the impression of an inexorable and powerful advance of the machine.

It's a shame that the intensity drops off after that. From 2'00" onwards, you could have either cut the drums and/or bass, or come up with something new melodically or harmonically.

Nevertheless, your music remains a great composition that illustrates the theme perfectly.

I wasn't expecting a boss fight against the AI. The melody is great and it's so punchy!

Great idea to have human (orchestral) instruments responding to the electronic sounds.

That drop at 2'05" is brilliant! With a little delay before starting again with military snares accompanied by a melody that sounds like a Bach fugue. What maestria!

Quality BlueLava, as usual!

It's great that you repeat the "same" motif on the piano, but that it gradually deteriorates. The sound in reverse (voice + bass) is very good. You've managed to convey the domination of the machine. Very good composition.

Very good work on the SFX.

It's interesting to have used a fugue to illustrate the singularity. There's something elegant and religious about it, as if we're facing something greater. The ending is creepy (in a good way).

The groove of the first part is excellent

And the melody of the second theme is so catchy that I couldn't wait for it to come back at the end of the piece.

You've been hyper-efficient with very few instruments. It's great!

Great intro and what a video!

You're a real eye-opener. I've listened to it several times (also without video for less distraction). The mix is well balanced, the instruments respond well to each other. It's really good.

The section transitions are punchy, and you've thrown in a few ear candies here and there.

The only small detail is the sound of the trumpet at 1'16", which is a little loud and contrasts with the response of the violins.

Otherwise excellent!

Haha! It's brilliant! It sounds like some weirdo has joined the orchestra and is trying to play in harmony with the others, except he's got a wacky instrument.

I really like it, and it's a very original way of integrating the sample.

It's hard to make people smile or laugh with music, and yet you succeeded.

I particularly like the second part (from 0'41"). By the way, you've taken the liberty of making a rather abrupt change at this point, which nevertheless comes across superbly. It sounds very natural to the ear. It's great because they're very different.

Wow, I didn't know that! I just listened to some demos, it sounds like it would work. And it's on sale for $40 right now 🤔

I love the harmonic progression you've chosen (and the chromatic descent is a treat).

Frankly, it's a great composition, even though the sounds are average, you've managed to sublimate them.

You handled the integration of the metal pipe very well, with this double impact then reverse and then the full sound on the transitions. And then you totally integrated it with the drums. It's really great.

You went right to the end of the challenge with very few other sounds. You really played the game to the hilt, and the music is great.

It's experimental and the jazzy sound is very cool. The glissendos are delightful.

I love the break at 1'16", very surprising and perfect for arousing interest.

The whole thing is great.

I'm less convinced by the mute at 1'42", which doesn't sound like a glitch but a bug.

But apart from that, it's super-creative, especially the fact that it starts with another theme in the second phase.

Bravo, it's a great composition

I'm glad you like it. I had a lot of fun composing and trying to make these stupid sounds!

Thanks, I feel I've made a lot of progress in mixing thanks to all these jams.
As for the metal pipe reverb, I can't help it. It's just the sound. Once the sound has a reverb, it's impossible to reverse-process it. Maybe we'll be able to do it with AIs soon.

Thanks, that's nice. It's clearly not easy to integrate such a remarkable sound without screwing up the rest of the music.

I played PaRappa 1, but didn't know about 2. I've just listened to it, and it's true that there's a bit of the same vibe, but there's a lot less "snip snip" in my music.

Thank you very much! It's great to see you in this jam, I'll go and listen to your composition.

For the metal pipe sfx, it was complicated, but I pitched it to bring it into line with my song and tried to get it as close as possible to the tempo. It's the best I could do 😅

"but what's this UFO" is a French expression I've translated it literally. It means : something unexpected that came from nowhere. It's used in a possitive way (a dunk from a small guy for example).

I'm not a sound engineer, so I can't tell the frequency by ear alone. I exported your music and put it in my DAW and used an EQ to know where I was hearing the sound :)

Very interesting not to start with a "melody" but rather with a mood. It's very clearly boss music. I really like the heavy work on the effects and the different grooves. That's not usually what's on offer, and it's cool to have distinctive sounds like yours.

And you were a little greedy and couldn't resist composing for the 3 Enemies!

I love it when the music takes off at 0'57". The melody is super catchy at that point.

And it's cool that you put appogiaturas on the melody of the next part, it gives a more lively impression to break up the mechanical side of the chiptune.

Solid composition