Welcome to the OST Album Jam!

This is a ranked music jam where composers are tasked with utilizing a theme to put together an album or small EP to be judged by their peers.

What is the purpose of this jam?

For the most part, when composers put together a submission for a music jam they tend to put together one or maybe two pieces of music. And while there certainly are positives to putting one's time and focus into making a small quantity of tracks with higher quality, it can be just as important for a composer to be able to match that composition and production quality across multiple tracks. Especially for those of us that want to be more involved in traditional game jams that may require multiple pieces of music depending on the game's scale.

This jam is an attempt for composers to be able to practice putting together multiple pieces of music that all correlate to a common theme in some way while maintaining a consistent quality in their composition and production.

Theme: Cosmic Exploration

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

- Walt Whitman

Bonus (Optional) Challenges:

1.) Odd Time - Each track you submit has to be written in a different time signature. No repeats!

2.) Take a Solo! - Submit a track that contains only one (1) instance of a singular instrument. Doesn’t matter what that instrument is.

3.) Chaconne - Submit a track that follows the chaconne composition structure. This track should revolve around either a repeating harmonic progression, melodic phrase, or bass-line, with different musical ideas surrounding it.

What is required to submit in this jam?

- Since this jam revolves around albums and EP's, at least Three (3) pieces of music minimum is required in this jam.

- Each track must be a minimum of Two (2) minutes long.

- Try to keep the runtime of the full submission between Six (6) and Thirty (30) minutes long.

- Any genre is acceptable - however, keep in mind that how you choose to go about interpreting the theme will be a rated category.

- Please upload the following:

• .WAV, .MP3, or similar file type of each track submitted
•  Screenshots of each track from your workspace as proof of your work
• Cover art is optional, but helpful in standing out amongst the other submissions
• Link to streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, etc.)

Voting Criteria

Music Composition Quality - How was the writing of the music? Was it too complex, or too simple? Was there much in the way of dynamics, musical phrasing, or memorable melodies?

Audio Production Quality - How was the quality of the submission's mixing and mastering? Did it feel balanced, or did something feel out of place? Were certain frequencies standing out in a way that felt off?

Consistency of Album Quality - When listening to the full submission, was there a consistent vision or tone established by the composer? Did each track contribute to that vision? Or was there an instance where that vision was disrupted in an unintentional way?

Correlation to Theme - To what extent did the submission relate back to the jam's theme?

Submission Enjoyment - Did you enjoy what you heard, regardless of how you voted in the other criteria?

Other information to keep in mind

This is an experiment, and will be my first time hosting a jam. Some things might make more sense or work better than others - it's a learning process!

Please feel free to reach out and ask questions if you have any or want clarification on something.

Additionally, I'll be putting a post up on the Community board for everyone to voice their opinions on their experience with the jam. If this jam were to come back sometime in the future, I'd like the composers to come back as well!

Rules

- All work must be original and conducted during the jam's duration. Work that has been used in other jams will not be accepted.

- Samples are acceptable, so long as you have the legal rights.

- Maximum of three (3) individuals per submission.

- Individuals can only submit one (1) entry to this jam.

- Be kind and respectful to everyone you interact with in this jam. 

- Artificial Intelligence, or similar forms of generative methodologies, are strictly prohibited from this jam in all components of your submission.