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I like the vibe of both tracks, and how you took multiple approaches to this theme - which I think is totally appropriate, given the theme.

Constructive feedback: 

On the second track especially, I feel like the spatial elements are still overlapping in a way that is generating just a bit of murkiness. There are a lot of professional level tracks that have this level of murkiness, so it's not a major problem, but I've personally been finding out that one of the best ways to achieve a clean sound is to really just make sure that things are well placed in the space.

The absolute biggest lesson I learned this jam was simply to have two different reverb busses (rather than 1), a single track for each reverb, with each track linking to those reverbs. As soon as I split those reverbs, my sound quality difference was insane.

It allowed me to have a big, lush sound that is also clean and not murky. So, my setup was Neoverb, which is my favorite "clean realistic" style reverb, and then I had Valhalla supermassive in the background. I tweaked how much of each track was sent to each reverb as well.

I'd have to see your mix to troubleshoot completely, but this was just one of the biggest things I discovered this jam and I wanted to share it. I feel like that kind of application would open your tracks up more so they have more of that ultra-clean polished sound to them.

Again, great work overall, the vibe definitely was right on the money. :)

(+1)

All of the effects (reverb, delay, ect) were recorded via analog devices. 

Each song has two versions of each track, one of two passes. One with the dry channel's lifted, and a second with the FX / Wet channel's lifted instead. This was done to create two uniquely different passes of each track, one with the intention of existing as a baseline and the other to be the foundation of the texture and design space. 

Recording this way does have it's drawbacks, especially when giving myself 12 hours to record and 12 to produce / mix. But I chose to lean into the muddyness and grain and attempt to include it into the track as part of an essense of the world building. The grainy and rough verbs alluding to the sanded down rust and stone of the world presented in the painting. Hollow yet full of Tetanus. 

Had I done this digitally, I think I just would have given each track it's own individual verb channel, but kept the delays to one bus to stop the effect heard here with the Darkstar, the panning / ping ponging some folks didn't really like. Doing something like seperating the verb busses and running different FX sends through them, like one chain for time modulation, one for other verbs, one for delays, ect. Then a way to tighten it all and keep the juice without straining all the pulp if that makes sense. 

I think in one of the next jams I'm going to do a Dev log, maybe 2 hours recorded from each 12 hour day. Showing and explaining decisions being made, pedal choices and why I chose them, amp choices, VST / Synth choices, ect. A lot of people always ask about super specific stuff when I do these, especially in the realm of creating music that just sounds dirty while, like you said, still sounding professional. 

Like always I appreciate your feedback and hosting of these events. Thank you for taking a listen to my submission.