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Chaos in the Pumpkin Patch's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Jam Theme | #15 | 3.941 | 3.941 |
| Overall | #27 | 3.549 | 3.549 |
| Accompaniment | #30 | 3.412 | 3.412 |
| Melody | #30 | 3.294 | 3.294 |
Ranked from 17 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Explicit Content
No
Methodology
I used Ableton for most of the composition. I used Audacity to edit the samples used in the project.
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Comments
(Very impressive for someone who claims to not have much musical background.) As sporadic as it seems, there’s actually some melodic direction to the lead synth line. I think simply adding more accompaniment (bass, accompaniment chords, etc.) could really enhance the melody/overall composition.
Great spooky halloween-ish production (especially that vibrato effect on the lead synth).
Thank you very much! Actually, I was in choir since middle school but I wasn't a very good student so I didn't learn much through it. 😅 No lie I didn't even understand what like a major chord was or how to make it. I have been studying music theory in my free time for the past year or so though through youtube videos. I think it has helped a lot.
Thank you for the advice, something that has been really hard for me is deciding when the amount of instruments is not enough / too much. I will definitely be looking to see how I can add more instruments to help the song.
The chaotic energy you were going for. I think the rhythmic crow cawing was an amazing addition, and the movement the way you panned it was cool. I think if you automated it, that could create a sense of the crow flying around. The electronic tone colour works really nicely with the theme and the percussion is so detailed. It contributes to the chaos of a boss fight really well.
Love it when you have that contrasting section with the crows and drum roll. It's a nice way to break up the piece . If you added some more contrasting material might make this a bit more interesting over time, especially with the context of video game music. But I think this is really cool overall, nice work.
I'm really glad you commented on the panning, I thought that was a fun idea to add in and worked well with the chiller part. I think it gave some more change to a pretty samey area. I can definitely look more into it though! Thank you for the comments, will be looking at these again in the future.
LMAO thank you, yeah listening back to it does sound pretty weird. I'm glad it gave you chaotic vibes!
Very intense and I love the creativity with the crow.
I think your own criticism of the sporadicness of the piece is interesting. I don't think a piece necessarily has to flow between each section, as it depends on what the piece is going for, and only you the composer know what is right and wrong. Making a chaotic piece can be easy but making a good chaotic piece that still has some structure is hard. In this case, I think you managed well. If you wanna work more on getting a better flow/transition between sections maybe try to change your composition process. Of course, I have no insight into your process but instead of working with fills as transitions have some long notes carry over or add a bar and two to make a transition.
I think this could fit very well in certain games/scenarios.
Overall very good and creative!
Thank you very much! Your comment on the flow of the song is very interesting and honestly it makes me want to use a sample game to get more familiar with how this song's flow would actually work in context. I also really appreciate your advice with holding over the long notes. I have started seeing them as a possibility to carry over certain things within one part, but it's a really exciting idea to try and use that to combine whole parts.
Wow, chaos is a good descriptor and you hit your mark on that! Though I think that having the percussion outline the rhythm, even though it’s not predictable, helps give some sense of direction to it, which makes it fun to listen to. Your instrumentation is unique, but definitely gives a scary feel which fits the Halloween theme well. Your crow and owl sound effects are well-placed and remind me that the setting is a pumpkin patch. You mentioned that you felt the structure was sporadic, but I didn’t feel there was any point in which I felt that one section did not belong where it was - it fits very well with the chaotic intention of the piece! One suggestion that I have is that while you have multiple playing the exact same melody line in monophony, it would be cool to explore trying to add two separate lines together to create some chaotic harmony; this idea of counterpoint is something I’m still working on as well and is something definitely easier said than done. Overall great work and thank you for sharing! Thank you also for your dedication to listening to and commenting on all the other submissions. It is people like you who make these jams so fun and such a positive learning experience!
Honestly I was having trouble writing the percussion so I'm glad it helps in some way. Usually it's the first thing I make, but this time I started by writing the melody. Essentially went: Lead Melody → Drums → Bass Guitar → Melody Support → Samples. I am definitely going to look into the idea of counterpoints, I really appreciate this pointer! Honestly I think I can do a lot more with the supporting guitar, and it would be cool to see that.
And no problem, I had a lot fun listening to everyone's songs! I took notes for each song I listened to, and I feel like I learned a lot from the process. I hope my thoughts and critique are useful for everyone.
Hello, the composition fits very well with the Jam theme. Some images of epic battles came to mind. The main part is well defined and very intense. It sounds pretty chaotic for more melodic listeners like me, but that's fine given the theme of the Jam. Overall it is a good production.
Thank you for the kind words! Chaotic is exactly what I was going for with this one, so I'm glad you got that feel even if it's not totally your preference.
That was pretty intense. I didn't notice the changing time signature until someone else pointed it out, but I think that's because it all ties together really nicely. I'll be honest, I think I like the second half of it more because it's not as intense and it's got some nice guitar parts in it, but I think for a video game boss where you want things to get weird and chaotic I think it's really fitting. I think there were a couple of Paper Mario songs that kind of sounded like this but I'll have to go back and look to see if I can remember which ones they are, lol
But, yeah, it all fits really well together. I don't think the transition is as harsh as you would have me believe, like if it's for a video game soundtrack then I think it's a good way to shift the tone depending on what's happening in the boss battle
That's a good point about the shifting to be honest. Most of the time when I make music it's made so that it can be rearranged horizontally according to the situation, so it's really interesting to hear this comment. And to be honest, it seems like a lot of people are gravitating towards that chiller part, so I wonder what that means I can do with it. Thank you for your comment!
I really like your idea of chaotic and how it's implemented into the theme of the track. The marching style part was a really good change of pace and I didn't feel it was lost from no transition that much, I thought it fit well. I think one thing that would've helped if there was a bigger break or "chill" section that builds into the chaos would really set it off imo! Great work!
Thank you briisu! I will definitely be looking into working on a bigger break section! Honestly that is my favorite part of the song so.
Very interesting use of 5/4 and 4/4, and also how the sections in common time are split up. You mention the sections sound sporadic, I would agree due to how hectic the drum pattern is and no noticeable dynamic change between the sections. For boss music specifically I would say it's quite fitting stylistically though I would like something to keep the rhythm more grounded when changing time signature so often.
The melody is really catchy and quite discernable (I got a Gm Bbm Dm Dm7?) That with the descending and ascending patterns hidden behind the vibrato are a nice contrast and imo fits the theme really well.
The samples are nice touch and make it sound polished. The section with the crow sample, I would've preferred maybe a slow arpeggiation instead of block maj7 chords so it was more audible and ominous.
Oh yes, dynamic changes, something I ended up almost completely ignoring during this project! X-x I think there is definitely a lot that can be improved with dynamics, and probably one of the first things I would take a look at going forward. I really appreciate your comments on the rhythm, also. I started by making the melody before the drums, and I find that I have trouble making it in that order, so any comments that help with that are great.
I'm glad that you like the samples, I really enjoy adding in samples so I'm super happy to see how much love that's getting! 💖
I will also check out doing some arpeggiation for the chill crow part, maybe it will make it sound a bit more interesting.
You definitely achieved chaos, my brain didn’t know what was going on but I was bobbing my head anyway XD I love the section with all the marching-band-like snares and the chords and guitar (it’s hard to describe but I think it was about a minute or so in? it's the penultimate section of the song) and the use of crow sounds was really creative! Great job!
Thank you very much! To be honest that is my favorite part too and I kinda want to take a look at that and use that as a key for improving the rest of the song. It was the simplest part but it turned out great. Sometimes less is more, I guess?
I really enjoy the sound for the melody during the initial section. I keep wanting to use the word “onomatopoeia” to describe it, but this is not correct. Nevertheless, it makes me think of that connection. In this case, the sound leads me to visualize a stretchy, bouncing ghost boss in a “cozy” horror game. Very cool and I find myself continuing to hear it in my mind afterward.
Oh wow, thank you so much especially for that last comment! I really want my music to be memorable in a positive way, so I'm really happy it has that effect. I think it's funny that you are imagining something bouncy and stretchy, I can totally see that.
Love the crows as well! ;) Great experience, there's some really unique stuff going on here. Memorable despite all of the chaos, which is a hard thing to pull off. Well done!
Yooo the crows are really popular, I really am happy with that. I was a bit nervous about how people would take them, but I love using samples.
"Chaotic" is really a perfect description. And I mean that in a really positive sense. Great job!
Thank you so much!
woooah! What a cool track. That sampling is crazy. I know you mentioned this as criticism, but I actually don't mind the abrupt changes between sections. It makes sense with such a chaotic piece.
nice work!
Thank you! Putting in samples is one of my favorite things to do when I'm making music, so I'm glad that you like it. And I'm glad that you agree it's chaotic, that was the main goal. I'll keep working on it, and either way I'll take a look at each section to see how they fit together.
This is a cool track. The use of the visualiser is a nice touch.
I am in love with the use of crow/bird sounds on top of the snare drum. That is such a unique addition to the track that really adds to the Halloween vibe.
I also think the main guitar pattern does a good job of fitting the chaotic vibe you were going for.
If I had to criticise it, I would agree with what you wrote about having a more subtle blend between sections as at the moment it is quite abrupt going into the chill section.
I think you did well despite being busy and I'm sure this was a useful learning opportunity for future projects. Good job!
Edit: Reposting bc I forgot to click save on the ratings. Apologies
I feel that, I had to rewrite a comment or two myself. 😅
Thank about the crows, I really like sampling so I'm glad you say it adds a lot of the vibe!
The guitar was kinda a hard choice not gonna lie, but when I wrote something for it, I knew.
I will definitely look into blending the parts more, particularly the "into chill" section you mentioned because that is actually the part I was thinking of when I wrote that comment. Honestly I think there needs to be a bit more time in between, and also the transition part needs to be rewritten.
Thank you very much for listening!
I think this turned out better than I was hoping with how busy I've been.
I would say my favorite parts of the song are going to be the instruments I used as well as the more subtle sound effects I paired them with.
One big criticism I would have with my song right now, is that the parts feel a bit sporadic. They don't all naturally flow into eachother. I tried to fix that with fills, but it was really a patchwork job. One thing I noticed is that I really like how the chill break sounds, so it might be worth looking into why I like that part and applying that to the rest of the song without making it all the same.
Finally, one thing I succeeded in I think was making it sound "chaotic" which was my biggest goal for this. I don't really have much of a music background, so I was glad that I was able to get an effect I wanted despite not being super knowledgable.
Thanks for listening!