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Really interesting track! I think you nailed the theme you set out for! I appreciate the different timbres you choose and I think they were strategic as well. The mix sounded really balance to my ears. I really appreciated the rhythmic change around 1:53, like the forest is covered in sticky material that is going to slow the pace. Did you use FM synths on some of those bass voices? Nice and gritty! Thanks for sharing.

Nice track! I think the instrumentation and the airy timbres fit the theme really well. I am totally getting a chill vibe in a forest!

Wow these tracks sound professional! It is also impressive how much you completed for a jam at this quality.

Rootmother's Reverie: this is a vibe! The instrumentation selections feels spot on and layered in a way that feels ethereal. The voice parts in particular feel mix in with lovely sound staging. Even when you give a hint of a dissonant harmony half way through I still feel I am in a safe place and making progresses in a place I want to say in forever. I really appreciate the build up in intensity and then a return to the intro, that moment of rest feels so light and well earned.

Slay the Rot: The rhythmic drive traversing through different harmonies go from danger, to turning the tides, and then to feeling like the danger is greater than we original thought. The mix felt a touch muddy on one of my headphones (Fiio ft5) but gave another listen on Sennheiser HD600 and things were much more clear, so I think that is more on my end of the equipment I am using. I don't know if it is worth another listen on you end on different devices and see what you get? It is a busy track and everything feels weighted just right. I like how it sounds like a single violin coming in through the frantic choir and then takes over into getting its own backing instruments, sounded great!

Intermezzo in a Twilight Grove: I am catching that non functional harmony chord alternating pattern Blue Lava mentioned from Chrono Trigger. I remember trying to write something similar as an exercise once but couldn't come up with anything original. This sounds very much like your own, I think I might have missed that reference to Chrono Trigger if didn't read the comments. Like a mix of Chrono Trigger and the  voice parts sounding in the same genre as the outros to Outlaw Star. I really appreciate the harmonic progression at about the 3/4 mark of the track. I felt like the piano sustain and the voice sustain were fighting for some space at times in the first half. I don't know if that would be worth checking again to see if that would tighten up the mix a bit. I am not trying to downplay how great I think this track is. Really just a curious suggestion on my part. The bells have the right amount of attack and reverb though! It really help compliment the vibe instead of cutting through everything as bells have the power to do. I think I really just wish the track was longer cause I enjoy it so much!

Rotmother's Requiem: I can definitely feel a powerlessness against the forces of nature. That hard stop into the music box sounding instrument and then a build back into every more danger than before feels real! It sounds like the strings from there are backed by horns which helps them shine through when they sounded like they were fighting for a voice before,  a great contrast between sections! Ending with the music box instrument sounds like a tragic defeat took place! All these tracks took me on what felt like a an emotional journey that was very well crafted and intended. Thanks for sharing!

I really enjoyed this composition! I think it was crafted well and I really appreciate how you could repeat a short simple melodic theme and kept it fresh and interesting the entire track through instrumentation and harmonic progressions! I was getting some Super Nintendo timbre vibes on your instruments but like you matured them up quite a bit! The voices sounded great! Also on your bass voice in the first half it sounded more like the Sega Genesis (Master System), were you creating some voices in FM synthesis?! Thanks for sharing!

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!

Wow I think you have created a piece that takes the listener on a journey. It is pretty clear you have a great understanding of harmonic progression and it was great to be part of this journey through different places. I think you nailed the exploration and search for a lost city. I think my favorite part is that you did start with a phrygian mode sound, which is commonly used for desert themes, and made your track work for a forest. Under the right graphics and color palette I think your track would be uniquely the perfect fit under a number of uniquely different art directions. I think your mix was clear and I could appreciate all the layers of different voicing. I did get some clipping during some of your swells though, not sure if I am the only one picking that up. I did try 2 different headphones when listening and caught this on 2 different devices. Wonderful composition though, thanks for sharing!

I think this is a great track. The mix, instrumentation and composition all sound very professional. I think it is impressive how you could convey different levels of energy but maintain a drive and a sense of purpose, like a player in a game has clear goals and a strong desire to move forward. I think you did this by each instrument have a clear purpose. The track sounded very full and multi-layered but at the same time there was no waste or bloat, really well done I think! The few examples that stand out for me was the guitar strumming being this really cool timbre added to a driving rhythmic idea, the voices elevating the emotional stakes, and the droning instrumentation sounding alive the whole time! Thank you for sharing!

I really enjoyed this track! I was hearing a pretty static main theme/melody and it still sounded fresh the entire piece with all your rhythmic and instrument variations. I wanted to hang out in the vibe longer. I think the creativity you explored with your different recordings and all the complex rhythms you implemented, it breathed so much life into this track, I found myself in a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Thank you very much for sharing!

Ok wow! Where to begin on good things to say about your compositions!? The bird is alive! The forest is alive! You instruments are alive! I think one of things I appreciated most was every instrument was given a performance. I could hear natural pushing and pulling of dynamics, intensities, panning, and emotions. Of course this makes a melodic line feel vibrate but also keeps repeating patterns interesting and engaging. I really liked how you could journey a melodic idea through different harmonies and then use slight variations to indicate where we were in a phrase. Rhythms and syncopations were fantastic! Also, was that a picardy third to end the piece?! I feel bad posting after only a few listens because I know I will have more to say upon more listens but thanks for sharing and well done!

Hey sound staging! It is great to her some in this jam! I like how you could take sounds of rain and animals and make them sound like they are at different distances. I think it really helps create this vibe of a living breathing place, which yeah I feel like I am in a forest. I think that's really impressive in such a short time, also the mix sounds solid. It would have been great to hear you develop the music a bit, but I think given the short time constraint you still delivered a solid piece! Thanks for sharing!

I think this was a fun piece and you nailed the theme! I think there was some uncommon ideas for this theme that you made work really well, it was a pleasant surprise! The mix was a washy for me in the mids some, but I think mostly the treble. I think I am quite sensitive to treble fatigue so if you don't hear what I am mentioning on another listen, then I wouldn't be worried if I am the only person mentioning it. Was that a sidechain attached to a drum set to 32nd notes to create that stuttering transition sound? Thanks for sharing and using hand drums!

Hey timpani, fun to hear some timpani! I am getting some grand adventure vibes! I can see a party of adventurers journeying through a forest for sure. I appreciate the layers you have created and how the mix keeps every instrument clear from one another. Also how seamlessly you threaded instruments in and out of melody, counter melody, or harmony between phrases.
About the snare. I am not sure if you come from a drumming background or if this will be helpful but sticking patterns are based on rudiments. There are quite a few of them, I think over 30 but there a few basic ones that can carry anyone composing through most of their music. They are the single stroke roll, diddles (or double stroke roll), paradiddles, flams, and five stroke roll.  You can play with the velocity on digital snares to emulate these sticking patterns to help generate a more organic feel. I do believe some people have made videos explaining the basics of these rudiments. Sorry if this is unsolicited advice but I hope it is helpful! Thanks for sharing!

I felt this track gave a very nice light-hearted vibe. Maybe very well suited for a more casual game like a Stardew Valley. The recorded instruments were really appreciated and I think made your mix all the better for it! I really liked that there was a bit of syncopation in the guitar part, I think it interesting to explore some other rhythmic variations in the other recorded instruments as well! Thanks for sharing!

I think your composition and instrumentation totally fits! I mean your page submission photo is practically giving leading the listener to where you want to take us with the music, an unarmed person in a dark forest standing in front a monster 5 times their size. From what I could hear in the first 2 tracks was the audio clipping most of the time. I think this can be an effective device but if I were playing a game with one of these tracks on loop I would get listening fatigue. I think if you used these intensities at the right moment it could take your solid tracks and make them even better! Thanks for sharing!

It is very interesting listening to your take on this jam theme. I for sure could get transported to a forest in a game in which the player isn't given anything to defend themselves. Like the darkness is scary but also the player's only cover from danger. I am not sure if I have the best ears to judge, but to me this mix sounded great. All the voices were distinct from one another. Also there  was no treble fatigue for me, which I think can be difficult to do when using a lot of droning voices like these tracks have. Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed these submissions.

Hey fellow uploading difficulty contestant person! Thanks for the feedback on my track. I was gonna do some comments after I listened to everyone's, but I am about half way through listening to the submissions and your track is standing out big time for me! Musically I am vibing hard with what you're putting down and it all sounds so professional and crisp! Thanks for sharing your music!

Thanks for taking the time to listen and give feedback. I needed this and really appreciate it!