I think you sell yourself short. You made some cool tracks.
Over the last few years, I've written quite a few tools for making ambient that I use a lot. You can find 'em here: https://github.com/JoepVanlier/JSFX . They're all free, so can give 'em a shot if you have a few hours to spare.
The ones I'd recommend for ambient are Swellotron, Reflectosaurus (1, 2), LavaVerb, Yutani and Amaranth (in that order probably). Especially Swellotron and Reflectosaurus can be good at creating source material that you can slice from to build soundscapes. The first takes two inputs and blends them together in a reverby way, while the second is basically a souped up delay plugin that allows you to link delays to delays and add effects to each delay node. They were originally written for REAPER, but there's a plugin called YSFX that allows loading them in any DAW.
I should really take some time and do a final version of the Hacking one I think (after the compo is over). I really ran out of time and I think I left some potential on the table there. :)
Dodging bullet is indeed a bit of a sausage mix-wise. Unfortunately, given the haphazard way in which I set up the project, I'm not sure whether there is much I can still do about it. I had a blast making it, but my ears were kind of shot from working on so many tunes in a row by that time. I often make the mistake of mixing too loud so I get pretty bad ear fatigue.
Thank you for the detailed comments. Much appreciated! :)
Yours really didn't sound rushed to me. Man, I loved that ending. Such an incredibly optimistic sound. Got frisson the first two times I listened to it actually and it still feels lovely (just listened to it again!) :D. You can almost see the protagonists running side by side. So awesome.
Yeah, you're supposed to find out all their secrets right before that one hits. The scene I was picturing is you finding out what was really going on (the quiet part in Hacking) and then as you realize you're being tracked, you take the helmet off and the first bullets already start raining through the windows. Had a lot of fun working on those.
Thank you so much. And yeah, that was indeed the hope (that it would boost the last track a bit). Wanted to do a bit of a calmth before the storm thing with the hacking theme dying down to calmth again before the last one hits.
Thank you for your kind words. I totally agree on the hacking thing. I may revisit it in the future and do a final cut of that one. It really needs either some variety on the bass or some additional distractions to keep you more interested. I was really struggling with time. It took me far longer than I expected to synth all the patches and make them sound the way I thought they should. I even ended up editing one of the synths on the fly xD.
Thank you! The idea with that release around 1:46 in the hacking theme was that you'd basically be through all the barriers. In the end, I wish I had a little more time to add a bit more variety to the first section, but time pressure is at least partially what the whole crunch time thing is about, right? :D
Had a ton of fun working on all of these. I don't think I've ever been this productive in roughly 24 hours (I missed the first day).
Smoke and Mirrors - Cool! Love the lo-fi breakbeat in this. It's the perfect contrast against the jazzy melodies and the bassline. It feels like a stealth mission. Interesting audio cuts there. I imagine that would heighten the tension quite a bit. Oh nice, speeding up now. Oldschool drum and bass / jungle vibes. Very nice. Very cool opener.
Chip Hunter - This makes me think of anime. Not sure if it's the chord choice. Love the audio cuts with the single foley elements (the fizz, the bullet casing, etc). Those were masterful. Nice break again. Love how you mash it up a bit with some retriggering. Hitting the four to the floor section now. Huh, you've got more in store for us. Breaking out the breakbeats again I hear. Cool! Again, cool foley intermissions. Really doing some storytelling.
Now it's Personal - Oh yeah!! Now we're talkin'. Instant classic with that opening. Love it. Also love the percussion in this. Subtle, so that melody can take center stage. But still present enough to provide lots of momentum. Ah cool, here's that lead from the last track again. Interesting to hear it fits so well with the melody you started with. Oooh, what's happening now? Hello amen. Hello funk. I like where this is going. Nice payoff!
Awesome work! Love all the variety you put in these. Very nice!
My favourite was Smoke and Mirrors, but Now It's Personal is a very close second.
On the Rooftops of Neon City - Really like those little arps. Definitely gives it a futuristic feel. Nice little riser too. Oh nice, now you're breaking out the leads. They sound good!
Crossfire - Tickitytack tickitickiti... neat. Interesting percussive patterns. Also quite like it when the 808 drops. Especially that 808 makes me picture a battle with a relatively tanky enemy. There's a certain weight to the tune, that makes me think that it's an enemy that does massive damage, but isn't terribly fast. The faster percussions make me think that we are better at dodging than the enemy is though.
In The Moonlight - Sounds good! Nice choice of synths. This one sounds quite optimistic. It sounds like it would fit ending credits.
Enhancements - Ooh, getting 80s vibes from this alright. Really like it when you break out the harder percussions near the end of the track.
Cyberpunkin' - Oh yeah, here come the harder synths. Love how you slowly open up that filter in the opening. Great stuff! Cool lead noise too. Definitely feeling empowered by this. Love the build up to the finale. Great anticipation there.
Cyberpsychotic - This one has so much attitude. Very cool! The melody reminds me a bit of the trailer theme they used for CBP2077 (Hyper - Spoiler). Definitely fits the cyberpunk theme :D
Favourite: Cyberpunkin'! That energy is just addictive!
This soundtrack definitely has an otherworldly vibe. It makes me feel quite uneasy. Interesting textures morph in and out and it's never letting me rest. Also cool use of noise as rhythmic element in the first track.
Funky time! Ooh, nice violin. Getting a very psychedelic feel from this. I like it. Vocoder time! Uh oh... "more than a human? WCGW.". Haha, I like how it sounds like he's literally ascending now.
Cool track! Definitely a unique entry. Also cool idea to have a making of video included.
Well, come - Really lovely synth you open with. And beautiful ambient texture on top too. Very mysterious. Now it's starting to sound really alien. I can see why you went with well, come and not welcome. It sounds a bit scary.
Newworldly - Definitely still in an alien realm. Not sure why, but I'm imaging a desert. But things are very otherworldly here.
Funny Place - Cool. This one sounds very whimsical. Almost a bit like carnaval music. I imagine this will be a welcome respite to get your bearings again in between the more experimental tracks.
Very interesting soundtrack. I think you've definitely succeeded in making this sound very alien without going overboard.
Here we go! I'm imaging a title screen with this. It's scrolling. Really love those percussions, especially that tom-like blip. It reminds me of some 80s music. Ooh, nice chord change. Nice choirs seeping in. This really sounds like storytelling music. An opening to a game. An opening that has something to say about this world we are about to immerse ourselves in. Very pensive. Really like that plucky main melody. Oh no, it's over already. Would've loved some more. Didn't want to let go of that feeling yet.
DIE BY ME! - Nice and rough. I'm always a sucker for distorted resonance. Make those synths rawr. I really like how you handle the low health situation. It indeed feels like we're in trouble. I can imagine that really adding some sense of urgency too, once you start hearing that. Also really like that you faded back.
Aw Man! - Nice. Very rough tones. But I guess that's to be expected if we just got blasted to smitherines :D
Love the opening. Love how it syncopates with that kick drum. Lovely strings creeping in. Love that little synth too. Ah lovely, more sounds coming in. Love the ones that sound like they're coming from behind me on the right. Really nice mix too. Very pleasant on the ears and easy to listen to.
STAGE ONE - Interesting opening. So far, not what I'd normally expect from chiptunes. I like how you're constantly shifting the track in different directions in this one. It's in a constant state of flux. Cool glitching sounds everywhere. It's like we're tuning into this world.
STAGE TWO - From the music. I feel the enemies are getting more serious in this stage. Oh, love that thing you did with the hard panning. I really like how your soundtrack is constantly begging for attention by adding interesting little details, quirks and changes.
STAGE THREE - We're underground now, aren't we? Somehow the lowpassed opening sound makes me think we're somewhere far below street level and it's dark here. Second section makes me think there's some serious brawling going on. Really like the melody that kicks in approaching the end.
MISSION COMPLETE - From the soundtrack, I take it we won. However, now at the very end, some doubt kicks in. The very end sounded like it got a slightly unnerving twist.
Cool cover art too btw. It fits the soundtrack perfectly.
When Will He Break? - Very nice opening. Pretty relaxing tune this one. Title screen? Really like the gated choirs and those little slowing down LFOs sweeps.
Rampage - Cool. I like the tech house chords around 40 seconds quite a bit. It's a nice track.
Demon - Cool track. I like that rezzy / syncey synth that comes in around 40 seconds. Also quite like how the bass in this has an almost chainsaw vibe to it when you're gliding it. Very cool.
I really like how it has a good sense of urgency. Lots of forward momentum in the song. Very cool to actually submit a live recording and well played too. Great work!
Cyber-rails - Nice worldbuilding with the sound effects and vocal clips. Nice melody too. My favourite part in this one is the lead.
Train - Cool opening. Really like that pad that feels like it's under a ton of pressure. Like it's being crushed by a heavy weight. Really nice ambiences too. And those drowned out vocal-like sounds sound cool.
My favourite is train. I really like the tension it builds.
MIDDLE TECHNO ECHO V1.02.456 - Nice bassline. Very enjoyable beat too. Well mixed. Nothing to complain about really. Quite like the delay on that main synth.
KEYGENERATION - This seems like stage music. Can just picture the sound effects over this. Great stuff! Really like those little fast arps too. Oooh, that breathy sound is great. Keeeychange. Totally expected a lead to drop at some point.
ONLINE TOY SHOPPING - Cool track. Enjoying the funkiness of this one. Oh man, just as I said that, the funkiness really hit. Amazing. This one is really great. Also love the little vocal clips you added. One sound in your drums sounds a bit like the window refresh sound on windows. It confused me for a second there XD. This track is really great Love when we are kicked back to the melody one second time. So satisfying!
CLASSIFIED CORPO ESPIONAGE - Definite stage music again. Nice breakbeat. Could definitely see this in a game. I like the not-so-subtle speedup :D. Did they spot us? Oh yeah.... we're in the shit now :D. Great!
ATOP IVORY TOWER - Outro/Credits theme? Very nice. Quite relaxing. Does feel like the story ended optimistically. Something all too rare in Cyberpunk games. :D
Favs were ONLINE TOY SHOPPING and CLASSIFIED CORPO ESPIONAGE.
Great opening. Definitely nailed the theme. Quite like all the special effects you put it. Beat is cool too. Just arrived at the arp just past the midway point. Nice sense of space on that one. Really enjoy how you let it drop to silence before dropping the beat again. Great entry!
Nice opening. Quite like the combination of the choirs, synth bass and oriental sounds. It reminds me of Making of the Cyborg (Ghost in the Shell) quite a bit. Both the percussive elements and the choirs. Not intended as criticism. It's great!
Woah, kicking it up a notch now. I guess we're going into a combat section. Enjoying the change of pace and the frantic drums. Really epic guitar there. Definitely conveys a feeling of danger to the battle. Great work!
Quite enjoyed this one. Both halves complemented each-other well. Liked the second half best because of that guitar.
Here we go. Going in blank without reading anything.
Track 1 - Mysterious opening. I like it. Getting a bit of a noir vibe from the choices in sound design. It all sounds dark. Love how muffled that kickdrum/bass is. I quite like how that beat works here. Nice guitar too and lovely glidey synth.
Track 2 - Getting a bladerunner feel from how this one opens. Then changes a bit more to a mysterious vibe again. I like it. The melody works really well here. I like that automation on the synth as well.
Track 3 - Nice opening ambience. Again, lovely effects on the instruments to make them sound old. This has a really cinematic quality to it. Love it. Ooh, nice sax. Now it must be noir :D
Great work! Really enjoyed the combination of synthy and acoustic tones. Very nice. I find it difficult to pick a favourite on this one. It really works best as one coherent whole.
Here goes. First listen without reading anything... just stream of thoughts:
Neon Night - Oh I love this opening. Very dramatic. So much character in this. I'm totally expecting our villain to have only half a face. Was half expecting an evil harpsichord for a second. But then suddenly things mellow out for a bit. Only to go back to drama. I really like how this seems like a conversation between a dark and a light side. Back to the light side again. Super nice. Love the drums too. The way they echo into the deep makes me think of long empty streets with nobody there. It seems almost like the sides to this story are slowly reconciling? The dark is back, but it no longer sounds as evil. Great!
Neon Showdown - Gorgeous opening. Oh cool, some very cool synths on top. Love that chittering LFO-like thing flying around. It feels like some sort of small insect-like creature is flying around.
Neon Sunrise - Opening harkens back to the night theme. But this time around, it sounds far more ... victorious! Cool. I see what you did there. :D
My favourites are Night and Sunrise, but they are all great really. I'm thoroughly impressed.
Neon Streaks - Whee. Fast paced now. Quite like that noisy-synthy-texture you got going on in there. The pad. Ah neat, there's the motif again. Neat little arpeggiated synth there too. Nice electric piano at the end there, and neat little touch bitcrushing its decay.
Metro - Interesting opening. Cool glide on that synth. Quite like the percs too. It all seems to be happening in the high end, but it fits the tune.
Bastion - Bossfight? It certainly sounds combat-ey to me. Nice work. Really like that hard-sync like sound. The one you also solo at the end.
Countdown - It does feel like a story is concluding alright.
Favourite is probably countdown. Though I really like the outro to Neon Streaks.
Nice opening. Really like that LFO'd electric piano. Lovely. Oh, nice synths. Really like all the detailing going on in the upper mid frequencies with those fluttery synths. They add some lovely texture to the whole thing. I'm just picturing small sparklers floating around. Cool idea of pitching the drums and using it as bass. Nice lead line too. Oh that vocal-like synth sound is really nice too. I really like how it complements the rest. Nice outro by going back to the basics. Well done! Very enjoyable tune.
This is only your fourth track? Crazy. It sounds great. It definitely sounds a lot better than the fourth track I ever made. Heck, it sounds better than a lot of the stuff I do nowadays even (after years of practice). I'm impressed.
Fuck yeah. Few seconds in and I already know I'm in for a ride. Excellent bassline when it first opens. It reminds me a bit of bladerunner's ending credits theme. Not sure if intentional, but this sounds great. I like the weapon foley. Neat riser in the middle, before the train ambiences.
I quite like the storytelling you did here with the tune. It has a very cinematic quality to it.
