itch.io

Oh, it seems I pronounced it wrong as well! I pronounced it as "Cell-Key-Own". Now I am finally sure :D

Wow, what an explanation! Thanks a lot for this :). I'm gonna take some time to read it for a second and third time to really grasp the points you make, but I am already happy that I understand most if not all that you say. Music theory for the win! Oh, and all the songs that I've heard so far which uses the 'challenge of reduction' use the same interpretation as you, so don't worry! It's me who interpreted it wrong ;). Thanks again :D

Thank you so much!! That means a lot to me :)

OH MY GOD DUDE! That's so freaking awesome! Where do I start...?

The instrumentation. Flawless! The theremin/synth at the start, the hiphop "cool" drums, "funky guitar", and of course the vocals! You probably used some kind of vocaloid software for it, curious to hear which one. Not only are some vocals refreshing (and I would guess would increase your rating overall, especially if done well using vocaloids etc.), but it fits the guy so well since he looks like a rapper / dancer.

The stairs. I noticed immediately when you switched: you switch rhythm and go for a classical "Take Five" 3+3+2+2 rhythm. And I love these little intermezzo's like the one at 1:25. You lose track of the rhythm and just get lost in the blasts. And the whole step upwards (I think at least that is what it is - I can't hear intervals well) makes it immediately clear that we are at the start of a measure again. So nice! The transition at 1:47 is so sweet too! I also really like the way you incorporate the vocals in the rhythms too. The placements of the "ain't afraid of me" for example are so interesting in a 5/4 rhythm. I want more vocals in odd times now xD

And the video man.... Did you draw and edited this all yourself? Really impressive. I would LOVE to see this in a Rhythm Heaven game, I'd play the fuck out of that.

I'm very glad I got to hear some of your songs again. It's been a long time since I last joined a jam with you. I remember you took a little break from jams to work on personal projects. I hope I'll see you again in the future, perhaps in some future jams. Have a good one, friend :)

The main instrument sounds almost like you reversed it, as it goes from soft to loud. This fits really well, giving it a bit of a spooky vibe. And it still feels quite chill and "cool" 😎

The chord at 0:38 was unexpected and signals the transition to the 5/4 phase. Here, it seems you add a 5th beat to the end where you sort-of repeat the 4th beat in an interesting way. The melody also goes a bit wonky, which feels quite nice and spooky. You linger for quite a while in 6/4, and I wonder if it is not a bit too long without any real movement of melody; it felt a tad bit out-of-place with the rest of the song. The transition back to 4/4 worked well again.

Overal, this song fits the guy really well and sounds cool and nice! I found it very nice to hear some of your songs again, these jams. It feels like it has been way too long. I'm curious to hear more from you in the future :D

I love the melodic instrument. Its little short staccato notes fit the rat well. From 0:58, the little added sounds also fit surprisingly well.

The little speedups actually fit quite well too for some reason! Maybe because it's a rat and it sounds like he is speeding off or something. Not sure why, but it fits!

Overal, the song fits the guy surprisingly well and sounds nice too! Really cool entry :D

Haha, very nice! It seems I am not the only one who thought about a rap-feeling and a hiphop-style beat. That initial sound reminds me so much of a particular game... Sonic Tennis for the DS or something, where it was used for the rapper-guy. Very smooth! And it fits the guy so well too.

I love that first melodic instrument! It's just some saw-synth or something, but it sounds so clean. And it has some glide on it, which just makes it so much more smooth! The cut-off staccato chords on that piano-like instrument also work really well. And you also use that one instrument that Toby Fox used for some of his songs - no idea what sample that is, but cool choice.

Very cool song! Especially given that you only used 3 instruments at once and "was doing this in the middle of the night and wanted sleep". Always makes me a bit annoyed, when people make it sound like they put no effort into their song and still put out such bangers haha. Great job, I'm keeping this one ;)

That "lead" melodic instrument is perfect! It is so squeaky and mouse-like. Really cool way to fit the theme.

The time is doing weird stuff that I found hard to follow at first. I see you used the 'challenge of the stair', so it makes sense. Let me analyze... Is it doing... a single measure of 4/4, then a single measure of 5/4, and then two measures of 6/4? Ah, looking at your DAW, I see I was right! That's a very interesting idea for sure: you're not just walking up the stairs once, but you keep running up and up and up the stairs! It makes it a bit hard to follow since you switch so often, never allowing us to really find a time to grasp onto. And the 5/4 and 6/4 parts seem to be designed to sound like a 4/4, making the two beats of 6/4 sound more like three beats of 4/4 instead. From 1:23 onward, you switch to a constant 4/4 beat, giving us that resting place, which is nice. I do find this second half a bit less fitting, having this EDM-like "party"-kick.

Overal, really cool entry! You should be happy with the result, it all sounded very nice :D

It's so cute! As always, you manage to make it sound perfectly like "rat", "student" and "magic". The instruments, chord progressions, and melody all fits so well.

I interpreted the 'challenge of reduction' as using 3 instruments in total, not at any one time, but that makes a lot more sense! It gives much more room for creativity, and I am impressed to hear (and see!) the result. Looking at your DAW screenshot, you really did your best: a lot of quickly alternating instruments, and using the reverb to still get more than 3 instruments sounding at once (but still only 3 playing at once!). Really creative and good use of this limitation. And given your love for a large number of instruments, this must have been a very interesting and challenging song to make!

0:23 to 0:28 is really an interesting progression, really fitting a magical student vibe - it almost sounds straight outta Harry Potter or something. The harp, violin, and flutes really make this song fit so well. I've read your 'correlation to theme' and am now really curious what you did with all these progressions - all these "borrowed chords" and "Mixolydian flavors". I would never have guessed to use such things!

In short, a classical Blue Lava masterpiece! I'm glad these jams gave me the opportunity to hear some amazing composers at work again, definitely including you. I can't wait until the next time I'll see you again!

PS: Where's my mp3, I need to put this in my iTunes ;)

I like the idea of an 'electric' feeling, and the synths also feel a bit ghostly to me as well. It has a nice beat to it, which sounds cool, just like him ;). The 5/4 and 6/4 sections were quite decent to follow too. I'd say "quality" is your strongest suit in all of the songs you've made for this jam: they all just sound nice! I do agree with kirik_9 below that it feels more like a battle or even an environmental song. As usual, nice entry man :D

Thank you so much!!

I am continuously learning from other people's entries and am getting increasingly fond of the 'call-and-answer' style. A sax and theremin just felt fitting for this, and I am glad you like it too :D.

Thank you, saying I've "mastered odd time signatures" means a lot to me! I have liked them for a while - at first just as a way to be different from other composers - and am getting better at them! You got quite some mastery in it yourself I should say; your 'Wooden Shroom' and 'Cola Verde' are really inspirational.

I am personally also noticing that I'm making big progress: learning music theory, analyzing other people's songs, changing DAW, and just trying things out all really paid off! Thanks again, your comment means the world to me <3

Thanks a lot :D. Glad you find it fitting the theme well. Everything just fell right into place!

Thank you so much, that means a lot to me! I am always very unsure about my works, but this gives me confidence that I made some good choices :D

Thanks a lot! Glad you like my song and particularly the time changes :D

The idea of panning the sax left and the theremin right was actually inspired partially by your previous song, 'Hunting Season'! I loved the panning of the initial instrument there. Do you recommend panning the sax in the center or just more towards the center? I do like the call-and-response of the sax and theremin and having them on opposite parts of the panning-spectrum, but perhaps they are a bit too spread out. I am very new to the idea of panning, so I am still experimenting! Would love to hear what you think :)

Thanks a lot!!

I'm glad you like my instrumentation. It took me a while to get it find a nice balance (and am still not sure I found it). The sax vs theremin was a nice call-and-response duo you've probably never heard before, and I am very content with it! The idea of "trading off from one ear to another" was a trick I've learned over time - I particularly noticed GrassTypeFire using it in its previous entry, 'Hunting Season', and really wanted to incorporate it too using a call-and-response concept.

Happy that you like my time signature changes! I have never done a 4/4 - 5/4 - 6/4 movement before, so I really had to get creative. Adding a beat to an existing rhythm felt like a simple way, but I didn't want to add it to the end like usual. Instead, I added it in the center giving it a 2+1+2 = 5/4 rhythm. This was then easily extendible to an 2+1(+2+1) = 6/4 rhythm by simply repeating the first half twice! I learned from your genius 'Time Rifts of the Cuckoo Epoch' that if I simply keep the kick and snare consistent, I can add and remove beats without worrying about the listener losing track of where they are in the music. Quite a lot of things coming together!

I have respect for anyone who sticked to team Bird, since it did indeed feel like an extra challenge. You are the perfect person to try team Bird, since given how much of an expert you are and how easily you typically win music jams, it felt like you could really use a challenge. Whichever team wins, I am just really happy I joined these jams and was able to listen to these amazing entries again from some of my favorite composers! :D

Thanks a lot! When I hear "ghost", the theremin is the first instrument that comes to mind for me and just screams "ghost". Super glad you find the song fitting the character :D

Thanks a lot! I am quite content with some of my design choices, like the "spooky synth" and my signature changes. I am very glad you like them too and find the theme fitting for an actual videogame environment! Thanks again :D

Aah, thanks for your explanation! I totally know what you mean - I also remember songs trying to incorporate an uplifting, hopeful section, like 'Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, Dialga/Palkia theme' or 'Zelda Spirit Tracks, Fighting Cole and Malladus'. Not sure if these sections actually use major chords, but they feel hopeful rather than hopeless. It's mostly final bosses that seem to do this in my experience. I'm down to try this sometime, it seems quite interesting! :D

Hey :)

I also struggle so now and then with adding new time signatures in Logic. I am currently working on diving into it some more and figuring out some tips and tricks - if I have some, I'll let you know through Discord!

Ah, you're right. I also get a lot of tracks when I use an electronic drum kit. I never noticed that until a few days ago. And I understand that color coding isn't in your system yet. That's why I let Logic automatically set the colors of all tracks to be different. It helps me not only distinguish between tracks, but I can also select multiple tracks and open them in the piano roll editor, and the notes of the different tracks will be colored by the track color! (At least, if you have set the colors to show "region colors" instead of the default "velocity colors"!)

Of course, I am new to Logic, and that means that I am very eager to look into every aspect of it. I write everything down too. So I might send you some useful tips soon, when I have something concrete to share :)

Thanks a lot man :D. And congratulations with 2nd place, I think your entry was delightful to listen to!

The switching tempos are very cool and fun to follow, and the song sounds quite nice. It doesn't really fit the theme well, as you already knew, but it kinds fits a buff "heavy metal"-esque vibe haha! Interesting entry for sure :D

Very cool! Incorporating the sung "happy little song" together with the static noise was very creative! Incorporating multiple sections representing different phases is nice. I wonder if it would've been cool if there was a build-up or transition to the fourth section, though this instant transition has its perks as well. Each section has its own aspect of the horror, just like in movies or games, which is wonderful.

Overall, really creative entry, I'll remember this one :D

Oh yes!! I was severely hoping you would use an odd time signature after your 'Cola Verde' left a lasting impression on me (I mean, single measures of 5/4, 6/4, 5/4 and 4/4 is just genius!).
You also make the 7/4 very easy to follow, following similar principles as I tried to do. You start each measure with a common instrument and repetitive theme and end it with another instrument and theme. This repetitiveness and clear start and end makes it very easy to follow and nice on the ear.

Let's see if I noticed all your time shifts:
I see you're shifting to 4/4 at 0:39. Classic move, to be able to include a more easy-to-follow melodic progression.  And then you go back to 7/4 at 1:06. And at 1:18 a single measure of 8/4 before going back to 7/4 - haha, why not! I see both Blue Lava, you, and me incorporating odd time signatures in our works, which I find so enjoyable given that you two are my biggest inspirations from these jams!

Cool instruments. You use similar instruments as me: a lot of xylophone and strings, some flutes, some cool guiro (which I regrettingly chose not to use!). And this droplet-like instrument, what's it called? Love it! It all fits the forest theme very well!

From 0:39 onwards, the song doesn't feel too fast-paced, which is an interesting choice compared to all other songs I've heard so far. And the chords become... uplifting, hopeful, explorative. This section feels like it fits in some overworld theme. I find it less fitting than the start of the song, as I have slight trouble to imagine a boss phase where this fits well. But I also read that you "struggled to put the three phases and instruments together in a coherent way". Given this struggle, I find that you did a very good job, as the transitions are definitely smooth.

I just noticed your video. Did you draw all of those yourself?? If so, I didn't know you were multi-talented! They all look great!

As usual, very great job :D. I was very excited to hear your song given the awesomeness of your past bosses (heck, I even used Giant Slimy Dragon as inspiration for my giant phase!). And you didn't disappoint, as you never do. Can't wait to hear what you make for the third round!

Good Afternoon: How unsettling... It starts off with these evil sounds, and then goes into some almost "major" chords and melodies. And with the occasional off-note, it adds even more to the theme. The bells fit the lore as well. This was very close to the kind of song I was expecting people to make: a music-box-like melody slightly going off-tune and getting more and more unsettling as time goes on!

Bad Evening: I can feel the tempo going increasing and decreasing slightly, very cool choice! The low vocal sound at 0:30 was very cool! The start also fits well into a "crazy overdrive" mode with the instrumentation and sounds. Many notes are off and definitely give an uneasy atmosphere. The second part, where vocals of the village can be heard, makes me imagine we are all outside together, the monster standing menacingly on top of a tower of sorts. Very nice.

Very interesting and creative tracks! I can see you really spend a lot of time on them. Nicely done :D

Too me a second to grasp: aha, it's in a 6/8 time! Love it :D. The repetitiveness made sure I easily fell into this time. The shakers have an interesting rhythm, emphasizing not beats 1 and 4 but 1, 3 and 5! It makes the song sound faster and gives it an unexpected 3-quarter pulse rather than a 4-quarter pulse.

I love how the panning of the bass goes from left to right. I still have to experiment with that someday! And it's awesome how the bass just keeps going throughout the entire song yet has enough variation in chords and notes played that it stays fresh. It just sounds really cool too!

The song didn't immediately scream "fungal" to me, but after a few listens and imagining it in a forest, it does sound quite fitting to me. The shakers, the instrument introduced at 0:13, and the one at 0:25, all do fit a forest vibe. And the fast-paced setting fits a boss fight as well.

The chords and melody are very nice, you always surprise me with that. Very cool song! :D

PS: this is currently the song I have on repeat the most. I really just enjoy listening to it for a long time! If there was an "enjoyability" rating category, you'd get 5 stars ;D

It still surprises me how much you manage to make in 3 hours! I'm sure you must have taken a few hours of "thinking time" before, riiight?

The xylophone (similar to a Marimba) sounds very wooden, and together with the pan flute it surely fits a forest-sound. It is nicely fast-paced with fast bass and drums, fitting the boss aspect. As usual, your chords and melodies are nice and memorable. Really cool, as usual, well done :D

HOLY SHIT! This was fucking awesome!

I was so curious to see your entry since, indeed, you've not made a horror song yet. And no, 'Boneyard Bash' and 'The Hallowed Showdown' don't really count - they are more joyfully spooky than haunting. And damn, you really analyzed the shit out of horror songs, didn't you? The eerie sounds in the beginning, including strings, sudden cutoffs, breathing, etc. work amazing. I am so gonna learn from this song!

And hell yes, you incorporated odd time signatures like me! Don't think I wouldn't notice, I am the king of time signatures among my peers ;). Let's see if I spotted them all on the second listen:

0:41: 4/4
1:22: 5/4
1:28: 11/4
1:44: 4/4 again
1:55: 5/4 again
2:02 4/4 again

Odd time signatures fit boss fights like a glove, and I love it when people dare to use them... and use them well! It adds a little unsettling feeling to the whole fight.

(I noticed in hindsight that I can see your time signatures in your DAW. I see I missed some. I didn't change my list above afterwards though.)

This is why I love your songs so much: they are the single most inspirational pieces of music I can think of. You always nail a theme, without exception, and execute it so flawlessly. The result is a high-quality song, perfect for learning from! Whenever I need to make a horror theme, know that I will definitely use this as inspiration!

PS: I see you color-coded your DAW! Looks way clearer. I hope it helps to keep an overview as well. But damn, 142 tracks...?? How do you keep track of that xD. I always keep my number of tracks at 10 or lower or I'll lose focus haha!

Thank you so much! <3

Your analysis, as usual, is spot-on! You perfectly describe my design choices, and I'm really glad you find them working and executed well :D. When I first started out a few years ago, I could never have imagined myself pulling something off like this, so this was a big step outside my comfort zone. When I first heard your 'Sunset Sands' in Town Music Jam #1, I remember feeling overwhelmed - this composer (you) was so many levels ahead of me, and I felt like I could never make something like that. I still wholeheartedly admire your music and think you're a level or 15 ahead of me, but I feel like I am slowly "catching up" to your skill level. I am starting to understand what makes music (and also, your music) tick. Though, I still often hear your music and think "damn, how did he make me get goosebumps from this? What is his secret?!" I got a lot to learn still ;)

To this day, I have never gotten a higher rank in any music jam than you. And I have never gotten first place before either. And I am completely fine with both :). But someday, I would love to show you my improvement through a song worthy of first place :D

Thanks again for commenting, I really appreciate it :)

Thanks a lot! Really glad you like it :D

Thank you so much! It means a lot for you to say all of this :)

In my past, my songs incorporating odd time signatures were often hard to follow, so I am very glad you think this is "easy" to listen to! Also, every of your points was something I spend a lot of time on (forest theming, balancing of instruments, transition to the giant phase...), so it makes me very happy that you give me so many compliments for them!

Since these compliments come from you, one of my top inspirations, I do not take them lightly. Thanks again :D

The slowing down was indeed the intended effect, you describe it well! And I'm glad you like the more "natural" forest-y sounds and find it all fitting the theme. Thanks a lot :D

That's a very respectful idea, to start listening before the rating period if you have little time. I really appreciate the effort! And indeed, the way you explain it is perfect: instruments made of wood, or instruments mimicking sounds found in woods like flutes mimicking wind/birds, work very well here. Great to hear you learned something :D

Thanks a lot! You're early haha, the rating hasn't even begun. I'm glad you like the 5/4 sound and the instrument choice; I took a lot of time deciding everything :D

I am especially glad you like the transition, since that is the thing I worried about the most. I've never been good about transitions, but I want to keep trying it :)

Awesome! I've also gotten a lot better at music theory the past years. If there's something you'd like me to explain, or you'd like to discuss some music theory, don't hesitate to reach out! :D

Wow, I just noticed! I took a deep dive into your chord progression and stumbled upon something that might have been intentional or not:
Your progression strongly resembles the 'Descending Thirds Sequence' or 'D3(-4/+2)'!

Your first chords (C-E7-F7-e7-F-e-F-G7) strongly resembles that of the D3 (C-G-a-e-F-C-d-G7).
Most chords either agree or almost agree. For example, "E7" is the same as "G", except for an added note 'E'; "F7" is the same as "a" except for an added note 'F', etc. I thought I heard the smooth progression in your song, but I couldn't figure it out until I dove into your progression.

The last chords are intriguing as well. The chords (G7-a7-e-F7-f6-G-Bdim-C) can be divided into two parts: The part (G-a-e-F) again fits straight into the D3 progression shown above, and is thus composed of a step up ("G-a" and "e-F") and a fourth down ("a-e"). Normally, when you end on a "G7", it leads back to the "CM", but you go into a little deceptive cadence by going to "a7" instead (which still contains the full "CM" chord because it's a seventh chord)!
The last part, (f6-G-Bdim-C) is actually a simple (ii-V-I) progression, the classical authentic cadence! Namely, a "f6" is simply a "d" chord, or the "ii" (second) chord of the scale. You add a little "vii˚" chord in there, the Bdim, for flavor, but it functions identically to the "G" chord before.

So, in essence, you sprinkle a ton of variations of the beautiful 'Descending Thirds Sequence' in your song, giving that lovely vibe, and finish off with an authentic cadence. No wonder the chords sounded so beautiful :). Really, nicely done! It was fun to dissect your chord progression, thanks again for sharing it :D

Thank you so much <3

Oh btw! Fun idea of putting this song in the 'Town Music Album', as it is of course a town theme. I would recommend, however, to temporarily turn the other songs in this album off and prevent them from being seen. I already see that exedexes mistakenly assumed that each of those songs was a submission for this jam, and I've seen that same mistake happen once to my album too.

I wonder if we'll see a "character-theme album" soon? ;)

Thanks a lot, I appreciate the comment :D

Thank you so much for your in-depth feedback! This kind of feedback is what helps me grow, and I can tell a lot of time went into it. I appreciate it.

My colors are - surprisingly - mostly random. I have turned on that new tracks automatically get assigned a new color (in Settings > View > Tracks > Track Color: Auto-assign-24 Colors). Sometimes I customize a color myself. It also really helps if you select multiple tracks simultaneously; if you then choose 'Right-click > Region Colors' in the Piano-roll Editor, you can see and distinguish different tracks with their own respective colors. My idea is that similar instruments get a similar color, but my colors tend to be a bit random still haha.

Oh wow, I love the idea of instruments matching colors! That is such a cool way of thinking about them. I definitely do not do this intentional using colors - but I do think of instruments in terms of how 'snappy' (sharp vs round), 'peaceful', etc. they are. I have added weird instruments in the past a lot - a theremin in an underwater song, a timbales in a horror-song, a guitar and flute in nearly any song... One of the thing I like most is experimenting and finding a new set of instruments or chords that work well!

Thanks again for commenting! Looking back, I do say I have improved a lot. I keep track of my rank and score for each of the music jams and keep them in an Excel file, so I can visualize this upward trend. Given my nature to explore wild new ideas (like 9/8 time signatures, Lydian modes, changing rhythms...), my songs will not always end up working out, but that's okay. I am enjoying this a lot, and that's what counts! And comments from people like you are what I maybe enjoy the most :)

Thank you so much! I'm glad you like my melodies. The melodies in this song are kept simple and repetitive to not distract much - the 9/8 time and changing rhythm possibly distract enough already ;). And no, Glass Space and Studio Violins were not intended to sound like breathing; they were just slow pad-like instrument which I could put in the background. But I like the idea of them sounding like slow breathing, it adds to the atmosphere :D.

Thanks again, can't wait until next jam :)