This sounded like an expertly crafted ride! The composition has a clear path and vision and I think it very well done while fitting the theme. I really appreciated the sound staging at time, like the ornamentation of strings panning and sounding like they come from far to a bit closer than far away again. Also I really like the splashes of dissonant notes in various instruments. I think it might be worth exploring subtle rhythmic variations as well before the 2:50 time mark, speaking of which great intensity ramping up suddenly! I think it is impressive how you could do a such a demanding tonal shift but I still felt immersed in this world you created. Thanks for sharing!
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The Lights of the Forest's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Emotional & Atmospheric Impact | #5 | 4.333 | 4.333 |
| Composition & Arrangement | #5 | 4.250 | 4.250 |
| Overall | #6 | 4.104 | 4.104 |
| Theme | #8 | 4.083 | 4.083 |
| Sound Design & Production | #10 | 3.750 | 3.750 |
Ranked from 12 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
About the track
This song is about a journey in the forest that doesn't go as expected.
I imagined the visual of it like a cutscene, not like a "simple" background track.
I composed this song on Cubase, with VSTs exclusively (mainly from East West).
You can also listen to the song here: https://soundcloud.com/user-247715617/the-lights-of-the-forest
Comments
Thank you very much! :D
I actually wrote a little story while I was composing the song, like a cut scene in a video game, with camera movements, etc.
It was a first time for me doing that, but I'm quite happy with the result, I should say (it's pretty rare for me to be satisfied XD).
Thank you for noticing the stereo work, I had fun with that and I'm glad someone heard it :D
I thought about rhythmic variations as well, I tried a few things, but everything seemed "too much" to me.
I wanted to represent incertainty, but more as a safe world being distured without knowing what's happening. I think that the major to minor shift and the chromatic bits on the piano were enough to picture it, in my point of view.
Especially because I wanted a really sudden "in-the-face" transition after that, and I didn't want to make it too obvious, if you know what I mean.
Thank you very much for your feedback! :D
Whoa you have stuff in here (around 30 sec in) that sounds like the episodes in a Bach fugue. That's pretty funny.
You obviously are strong compositionally, with good general knowledge of harmony (such as the bVI - bVII thing around 1:49) and an instinct for memorable section and instrumental changes which can be as obvious as the Penderecki strings leading to trumpet chaos into a very intense half of the music, or as subtle as the vibraphone doubling at 0:44 that gives the pizzacato part a bit more shine.
Very intentional and beautiful work. Definitely a contender for one of the best pieces here.
Submitted
Rookie WoodsI don't know that much about Bach's work, so that's clearly a coincidence XD
But now that you point it out, I can tell, yes :P
Thank you very much for the compliment, I appreciate it a lot.
I've been composing for a long time, now. And I don't like "not knowing what I do", especially if it's sound good to me, if you know what I mean. So I'm practicing a lot and it pays off a bit. I'm quite happy with that.
And feedback like yours are also helping me a lot, so thank you very much, sincerely.
The first part is really pretty and reminds me of some of the more upbeat Hiyao Miyazaki movies like My Neighbor Totoro. The transition from the major key into the minor and chromatic zones is quite seamless and makes for a cinematic and grand transition into the nightmare part of the forest. I really like the dissonant violin melody playing underneath the choir vocal hits bouncing around. I wonder if that could have been brought forward more since it felt a little too sheltered? The third section was quite impressive sounding and was my favorite part! Great work and thank you for sharing!
Submitted
GladewingWow, thank you! I love Studio Ghibli, so that's a huge compliment :D
The violin doesn't feel sheltered at all to me, but that might be because of the audio support I'm using. I only have headphones (good ones, but still only that), so I can't really compare on other audio supports. Except on my phone, but it's a crappy one, so that's pretty much the opposite in terms of quality XD
I'm glad you liked my work, and thank you very much for your comment! :D
This is an inspired piece! The cheerful first half into the bloodborne-esque atonal onslaught is a great subversion.
The fact that the melody morphs with the changing mood adds cohesion to the disparate sections.
I didn't feel like any moment felt out of place, even as the instrumentation changes. Very fun to listen to!
Submitted
HeliotropicsWow, did not expect that hahaha. I think Apsistic put it perfectly, it really does sound like a fusion of Ocarina of Time and Dark Souls. The impact at the shift is incredible, and if this kind of moment happened to me in a game, I'd definitely remember it! I think the composition and overall atmosphere is fantastic, the only thing that kind of jumped out at me is the harp, which sounded a bit harsh compared to the rather mellow sound of the surrounding instruments. I think the music would sound even better if you adjusted the harp's sound, so it meshes in better with the other instruments and the overall atmosphere. Great job though, had a lot of fun listening to this one!
Submitted
Rotslayer OSTAnd as I said to Apsistic, this is clearly one of the best compliment I've had, so thank you very much to you too! :D
Yeaaah, about the harp, I've heard it too late (thanks to a friend who pointed it out to me).
I'm not entirely familiar with the articulations and the playing in general of the classical instruments, and I got so lost in everything, all of the tracks, the layers, the harmonies, etc... That I forgot that my harp was constantly on max MIDI velocity x)
That's a mistake I won't make in the future for sure! :P
Thank you very much for your amazing feedback :D
I really like vibe this song gives off. It feels like if ocarina of time and dark souls had a baby. It reminds me of the shadow temple as well. I like the build up to the 2:50 mark, that's where it has a very dark souls boss feeling. I also like the use the use of pizzicato with the arpegiated chords.
This is one of the best compliment I've had, seriously. I didn't think about Ocarina of Time when I was writing (in the way that I wasn't purposely "writing in the style of"), but I'm a huge fan of The Legend of Zelda, especially OoT, so that might explain a bit of the reason why :P
And Dark Souls, even though I never played it (I don't want to throw my keyboard out the window XD), has an amazing OST!
So thank you very much, sincerely! :D
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