Play soundtrack
Freedom to be Earned's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Creativity | #38 | 3.792 | 3.792 |
| Correlation to theme | #39 | 3.583 | 3.583 |
| Impression | #49 | 3.708 | 3.708 |
| Composition | #53 | 3.667 | 3.667 |
| Overall | #60 | 3.567 | 3.567 |
| Quality | #105 | 3.083 | 3.083 |
Ranked from 24 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
DAW: FL Studio 20
Estimated time: 3 hours / track
Genres:
Abandonment – ambient, drone
Their Freedom – breakcore, experimental, trance
Your Freedom – orchestral, rock
Game idea and meanings:
I would imagine an RPG about a person living in a cruel and careless world, under an oppressive regime. A victim of external influences, trapped and left broken without any choice, trying to survive in a hostile environment and deal with the hellish pressure. We would follow the hero from their lowest moment – Abandonment, when they were completely powerless. Even stripped of the simplest option of them all – to run.
With time, the pain and loneliness grow into something else… something far more sinister – hatred. Hatred for those who live normally, hatred for those who are behind a wall and do not care. It explodes into rage and resentment of Their Freedom, leading to an almost ecstatic state of release. Empowerment doesn’t last very long though; in the end comes the realization that everything that was before is lost now, this time completely. The darkness crawls in…
Yet, after every night comes the sunrise. Your Freedom is a sort of rebirth; the pain is already in the past, the hero survived. The song starts with the realization that they are still alive, that they have persevered, that they are free now.
While we do not control everything, we still might try to build a new life when everything breaks.
Even if the world tries to chain us, our souls are still free.
Message from the artist
Hello everyone! Obviously this is a whole lot of text, so I am infinitely thankful to those who have read through it. You are amazing.
I've thought about writing the meanings I tried to include, but I'll leave that as a challenge for everyone to find out themselves, if they are up to that.
This was a really fun jam, and thank you for visiting my submission.
Take care of yourselves! Bisous!
Theme
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
Playlist - https://on.soundcloud.com/794mvPUBKJQa4hEo6
Abandonment - https://on.soundcloud.com/iLvypNiQodKJRZJo8
Their Freedom - https://on.soundcloud.com/PpPT2GKzEiZpGfLj8
Your Freedom - https://on.soundcloud.com/bF5eL623GRHRWc9YA
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
Scales... Bars..
Abandonment - Creepy tune... Seriously, it's creepy. The background thumping adds to the enormity of where I might be. And as for the end of the track, well... it...
Their Freedom - LOUD! PUMP! WAH! WAH! BANG! BANG! And someone's laughing at me...
Your Freedom - Nice and punchy ending... I like it!
Good job!
P.S. RAWR
I love the spooky vibes in the first half of Abandonment. The detuned music box was also a nice touch, it sounded like the music box was slowing down and needed to be wound again. I think you could have let the transition between the sections of the song bleed together a little more, there's a moment of silence between the wind fading out and the guitar coming in that took me out a little bit. I like the idea of changing the EQ for the second half, but I think you cut out too much low end. The mix felt like it was missing something since I was used to hearing the EQ of the first section. I'm a sucker for breakcore so obviously Their Freedom is my favorite. Absolute banger, no notes. Each track is individually solid, both of the Freedom tracks worked well together despite having very different tones, but Abandonment felt it like it was from a different game. Overall a great submission that kept me engaged all the way through. Good work!
Really nice work!! Their Freedom has REALLY cool moments! Bravo!
I genuiely liked the overall music and its evolution throughout the OST. J'aime beaucoup l'ambiance du premier morceau avec le vent en fond et les quelques notes de piano et le fait que ça finisse par s'énerver pour enchaîner sur la deuxième. Les glitchs à la fin de la deuxième pour revenir sur le piano un peu dissonant cette fois ce qui ajoute au sentiment d'une réalisation désagréable... de très bonnes idées franchement. La troisième inspire la sagesse et la stabilisation émotionelle. La mélodie est très agréable aussi. Et j'aime bien ton pseudo. Bref j'ai bien aimé quoi. bravo !
Merci pour ce commentaire détaillé, c’est très touchant ! Content de trouver un francophone ici, et à bientôt dans les commentaires de "Freedoms" :)
Bonne nuit !
story tell through color is really nice, using that low end of the piano and the really high end together really show that literally because of the space between the notes are so wide that they've abandoned each other. Then the 3rd track has the more closed voicings which tell us we're no longer abandoned. Good work :)
Thank you for visiting and listening! You've got some great eye for details, hahaha.
On my way to listen to your submission.
Take care!
I like the dissonant touch on the first track, it adds uneasiness. "Their Freedom" sounds cool with the fast drums, it's a bit loud at times though (the shattering glass sfx for example). The guitars could have been more sonically interesting, they feel too static.
Hello! Thank you for listening and being honest, I appreciate that, it is really important for our growth!
The guitar part is spot on and I agree with it, I was running out of time and didn't want to ruin the song accidentally, haha.
As for the glass part, it was intentional. The song is about some pretty strong feelings, and those are never quiet or controlled.
It is an assumption, but it appears that we are basically the opposites when it comes to creating music and I find it fascinating! I am now eager to listen to your submission to see if that assumption holds true.
Thank you for your feedback. Take care!
The dissonances in Abandonment work well to portray the, well, abandonment of the character. Their Freedom has a great energy--I think some more instruments to fill out the track would be good in the higher energy portions. The piano portion at the end was really cool! Freedom Jam was nice, maybe some reverb/delay on the snare could be cool. Nice job!
Abandonment is such an indicative title for the track. There's a defined sense of longing in this; I love the choice to open up with some droning tones and washing reverb/noise. It's cathartic as ever when this really starts to open up around the minute mark with the full piano chords to accompany the melody.
Their Freedom has some really cool instrumentation and sound-design aspects. The lead sound here really reminds me of something that Toby Fox might use. Loving the breakbeat percussion layered beneath; keeps the rhythm unrelentingly fast and driving forward. The glitched out ending resolving into some piano is super clever and is such a release of tension that had been building up for the prior 2 minutes. Loving these chords and the voicings.
Your Freedom, by comparison, is pensive as ever and meandering at its own pace. Once again, kudos to the piano work - definitely sounds like a comfort instrument for you, and I mean that in the best way possible. There's a sense of confidence that comes across with these choice of chords and articulation. The strings swelling in later are gorgeous and do a great job of bolstering the keys. The latter middle section was unexpected but helped colour the track with some more hopeful vibes.
All in all, great work. Mixing is good across all of these and everything fits together nicely. Nice variety of feelings (listening to the beginning of Abandonment and then hearing the end of Your Freedom paints two very different pictures) and tone throughout. This is really solid!
Hi, thank you for visiting and wowzers, this is a very in-depth exploration, I am impressed. Thank you for writing down how you've felt, I am happy that I was able to give you a sort of an emotional journey. Hope I wasn't too gloomy and that you weren't too bored to listen through my tracks, as your music knowledge seems quite huge and you are able to pick up patterns well.
As I always say... see you in your comments :)
And thank you once again for being here and caring to leave your impressions.
Have a nice day/night!
No, not at all - this was genuinely really fun to listen to, and I loved the variety at play! Happy to share thoughts and it has been a blast exploring what people submit. :)
how sneaky of you to have us guessing and figuring out the meanings for each piece... >:3c i really like the distinct vibes between each one; you were definitely intent on telling a story with a wide range of events and emotions...
something about "Their Freedom" gives me vibes that i relate to nowadays — the idea of spending your own energy and power where possible to help others because you have the privilege to do so... it's particularly distinct from "Your Freedom" despite their similar naming conventions, too. the glass shattering (?) is a nice touch! it does catch me off-guard volume-wise HAHA
Thank you for your comment :3
I admit it, my mixing skills definitely give off that impression of work-in-progress-to-be-upgraded-soon-do-not-question-it-stop-, but at least the glass shattering was intentionaly made to be uncofortable, hahahahahaha.
Hope my story made you feel something new or gave you some fun, as that was my intent.
And I am so glad that you have resonated with the message, that is very sweet.
Soo... see you under your comments.
Thanks for visiting, take care :)
Ooooh Abandonment is a VERY strong opening imo, music box + piano makes for such a great combo and the music box switching into minor every now and then completely sells me on the "broken and trying to survive an oppressive world" mood. I do feel like there could be a little more dynamics in the piano chords though, they sounded a bit consistently high for what felt like a more somber track.
Love the energy in Their Freedom, especially with the textures like the glass breaking, vocals and glitches. The electric guitar goes perfectly with the breakbeat, but I do feel like it was missing some low end bass. Also don't be afraid to completely hard pan elements (especially when you have multiple guitars) to the sides, 'cause with headphones on it did sound clean but felt like it was missing some stereo depth. That's a really small thing though, again, amazing energy and super cool transition into the outro. LOVE those chords in the outro I might steal those.
Your freedom is a great way to close it out too, mix-wise it feels much more full and it builds on itself well. Using the instrument combinations in the previous tracks (piano/music box) is a great touch and those strings sound pretty good. That chord at 2:10 hits very hard and feels earned, which I absolutely love to hear. The drum velocities sounded very similar to each other and the guitar at parts sounded a little too resonant I think though. Some variation on the hihats especially and either some EQ on the guitar or playing with the distortion a bit more (I know how finnicky that can be, that'd take me 48 hours lmao) would go a long way I think.
Overall, really solid submission. Great work!
Oh my, this is one of the best comments I've received yet.
Thank you so much for your sincerity and constructive criticism, I will apply these advices in the future. A lot of people are scared to sound too rash or negative, yet we still need honesty to progress, so my respect for doing just that.
As for the chords from "Their Freedom", they are quite simple: Some minor chord + 7 + 9 + 11 ==> a major chord half of a step lower with the same* upper voicings (you will DEFINITELY hear what needs to be lowered, haha. (It is the 9th, by a semitone)). Then just repeat it as much as you want to, but transpose the pattern by a major third down every time. I basically kept going down in big leaps on the circle of fifths, so that it evokes this "dread-like" feeling. (A slow pitch automation might also help, if you are after that specific feeling)
Thank you for listening, reacting and giving honest opinions. You are amazing.
Have fun and see you :)
Really liked how you created a story, not only between each track, but also inside each track itself!
I read the story you wrote after having listened to the tracks, and I can say that you definitely hit the tone perfectly! I was already writing some of my thoughts while listening and after having read your description I noticed I was basicaly just saying the same stuff as you!
My favorite was 'Abandonment', with the dissonant piano melody, that then erupts into heavy guitar, making it feel like the hero snapped and decided to take action!
Great work!
Thank you so much for listening, reading and writing your impressions - that is a lot of work on its own hahaha, I appreciate it :) (And also it genuinely feels nice to receive feedback, I think you are familiar with that feeling)
I am glad that you have visited my submission.
On my way to yours!
Take care!
For sure! Feedback, especially sincere, is what makes us better ourselves (and it does feel nice)!
Keep up the good work!
The glass breaking to start the second track is great! It feels like the first track was designed to flow directly into the second one which is a cool effect!
The toying with the tempo is also really neat!
I do wish that you had disclosed your meanings behind instrument choices. Even though it can be fun to discern them ourselves, having the artists insight can make the songs even more enthralling.
First of all... thank you :)
Secondly, I've seen you in the comments under a lot of submissions and you are quite amazing for really listening to every single one and showing that you care. That is some next level dedication.
See you in your comments, when I listen to your bangers.
Thank you once again, and thank you for being so kind to everyone.
Bisous!
Woah this OST went from Desolate straight to bumpin! I can feel the intense burning hatred in Their Freedom for sure.
I really vibed with Your Freedom at the end and yeah, just a great journey you put me thru here
Thank you for your words, I know that my songs are quite weak in reality (I haven't composed anything in two years, hahaha), but this was so much fun nonetheless. And thank you for finding something nice to say about my tracks. On my way to listen to your submission :)
Have a nice day/night!
Your freedom is my favorite! Would love to hear more!
Thank you so much! Sending digital hugs, haha
Franchement excellent! I think some more mixing would do wonders, but that's pretty much the case for everyone in such a small timeframe. Really love the end of Your Freedom!
Thank you for your honesty, I completely agree with the mixing part, haha.
And I am glad that you've liked it. Hope it was fun for you!
Like the bits of detuning you've used and there's some very nice choices of timbres! I really like the interpretation you have , and how you composed for each aspect! Really well done!
One note, I noticed the tracks were made to transition into each other, but the links were separated, I think the experience could really be enhanced if you created a playlist link (you are safe to edit your submission page btw if you were unsure) !
Hi! Thank you so much for commenting. I appreciate it. And thank you for telling me that the page can be modified, haha. It changes everything :)
Good stuff!! Interesting exploration of the theme :)
Thank you so much! It really means a lot to me <3