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[Jasmine]

Hey guys! I've recently posted my first professional(ish) game soundtrack titled:

womp womp

Poppin' cherries left and right.

If anyone has the time to take a listen, I'd love feedback on it, especially from those of you who play piano as a primary instrument.

Listen
Leviathan OST!

Play
Leviathan Game

Thanks in advance, and I hope you enjoy it!

[Daniel Pellicer]

Listening...

Edit: It's really cool. Reminds me to Braid music a little bit. The problem is that is not so easy to put the music in a context. It would be really nice if we had a link to the game or a little description of where will the theme sound.

My favourite one is Regret doing this waves all the time. Beautiful.

[Jasmine]

Listening...

Edit: It's really cool. Reminds me to Braid music a little bit. The problem is that is not so easy to put the music in a context. It would be really nice if we had a link to the game or a little description of where will the theme sound.

My favourite one is Regret doing this waves all the time. Beautiful.

Hey Estudio, thanks for the feedback! (You're so helpful)
I never thought of that... I guess with this soundtrack, themes aren't exactly black and white. I'll work something out to perhaps give a better idea of what the music was meant to portray!

[Knives]

I like it. Especially for a first time making music for games. And it definitely made me interested in the game itself.

If anything, I would say that when it comes to game music, I feel it's important to have a distinct main theme. All the songs in your soundtrack make for great background music, but it'd be nice to hear a piece with a memorable melody that people could immediately associate with the game itself.

Other than that, keep it up, homegirl!

[medieval]

lovin' it so far ! I can just dream away with this music. I don't know what type of game this is for, but I imagine deep seas, distant horizons and calm clouds, and a setting sun. And such loneliness...

and then comes "the heart" and I get violently jolted out of that vibe (unexpectedly, but brilliantly). The leviathan appears!

---

In al seriousness though: great work on the piano! With all the dynamics and pedal work you've done amazingly well in emulating a real piano sound (i was fooled). In fact if I didn't assume it was a VST, I'd say "awesome piano work, did you play this?"

I feel it's important to have a distinct main theme.

This is true. the motif in "You and I" that comes back in "Hello, Friend" would actually work really well in building that memorable melody, if the song was more 'tied together', which brings me to the only thing I could think of improving:

In the slow piano pieces, sometimes I find it hard to grasp what I´m meant to listen to, some songs are rather 'abstract' if you will, making it hard to connect the dots. In "Retrospect" you solved this problem by varying between slow and fast segments that were recognizable and memorable in their own ways, which does really well to wake up the mind. Dreaming away is great too though!

Longest feedback I've ever written.

p.s. I haven't forgotten, i'm just not half as productive as you

[Jon Sysyn]

I really enjoyed this Your harmonic language is fresh and style is whimsical in this album. And I assume its a bit of a free roaming/explorative game? That's what I got from the music. And nice instrumentation at the center of the track list (The transitions to and from The Heart.) The only thing that struck me as odd were the fluttering dynamics in the strings (I was wearing headphones so it might have been exaggerated) but I think as a whole that aesthetic works because of the backward piano sounds at the end of the album and the consistency of the strings' behavior throughout the whole body of work.

This is nice art, thank you for sharing it! And I found a video preview of the game online, the music looks like it will be great for it!

[Jasmine]

@Knives:
Thanks for the feedback, Knives! I greatly appreciate it! I do have a main theme in there, but it seems that to your ears, it is floating around aimlessly. I guess I made it far too subtle. I'm working on that a whole lot more in a few games I am currently writing for, so hopefully, I am doing a better job with those!

* * *

@Narasu:
W00t! I am honored that I can be the first person to have their thread graced by one of your long reviews.

Now, 'bout the piano. I didn't play it. It is all vst (actually, a freeware soundfont!). My goal was to try and make it sound as realistic as possible (both in terms of sound and playability). Glad to know I was able to fool at least one person.

As far as being abstract, I totally understand. I know, for example, the second piece is very ... fragmented. My goal was to have the theme come back up as "memories", which were audio clips, rewound, fastfowarded. Again, an attempt that, had it been executed a bit better, could have come across more successfully.

I love your description, too. A lot of what you mentioned are vast expanses of "something" which is what this game encompasses. Though the expanses are meant to be both physical and mental.

You're just that good, Narasu.

P.S.S - I just lol'd all over my keyboard.

* * *

@UpliftingBreeze
Hey, Uplifting! A huge thank you to giving my track a listen. I think the fluttering dynamics come from the delay I put on the strings.
The sound kind of bounces between earbuds. phones. things.

Also, you are right, to a degree! The game is explorative, but not heavily so. There is a goal.

[Daniel Pellicer]

Much easier to understand with the descriptions now Jasmine. Anyways tell us when the game is ready to be played! or at least a video or something. Im really curious about it right now.

[Jasmine]

Much easier to understand with the descriptions now Jasmine. Anyways tell us when the game is ready to be played! or at least a video or something. Im really curious about it right now.

The game is currently playable (I posted a link to it in the soundtrack page)

I'll place a link in the OP, as well. Don't want people to have to go digging.

[Daniel Pellicer]

The game says it needs the file rgss202E.dll. dont know if thats normal, I assume somethings missing.

Edit: I installed the RPGVX RTP and it worked. Its here: http://www.rpgmakerweb.com/download/additional/run-time-packages

About the game: boaaahh, is quite beautiful in its own sense. I like the design and the ambient it creates. It also surprise me the combat mechanic, I didnt expect a pokemonesque style of game :p. I think is very nice and the music is fitting really well to the ambience. (Im right now in the dessert area) I think the theme is like this much easier to be remembered.

Thanks for sharing!

[Jasmine]

@Daniel P:
I would upload the broken link.
Alright, I have updated the url in the OP. It should work without RTP!

[flamestalker]

Hi,

Taking a listen now! I'm a classical pianist.. so I hope my opinion will be of use to you!

You And I: Immediately I can hear your jazz influence.. very cool stuff. I like the sparse quality of this piece.. adds some mystery to the track.
Separation: Sounds almost like Schoenberg in a sense it is very pointilistic and unpredictable. I'm sure that's what you were going for though, nice.
Regret: Personal opinion, but I felt the gaps in between were too long.. perhaps some kind of ambient noise could fix that? I like the pulsing figures, very pretty.
Retrospect: From a mixing POV, i feel like the higher notes could come out more.. very serene with a small twisted quality to it.
Leviathan: loved the string quartet + piano, has a great effect.. sometimes the strings were getting in the way of the piano.. or maybe the piano wasn't loud enough again.
Hello Friend: the piano comes in as quite a surprise.. in a good way! nice textures. Towards the middle, maybe it's a bit too stagnant
Come Back For Me: one of my favourites, a delicate and pretty piece. Again the strings might be too loud compared to the piano. This is your best piano writing in my opinion
At Their Expense: I liked your use of panning in this track, very effective.

All in all, cool stuff! I'm not sure how it was in the game, but it could've used another high action track.. Of course I haven't played the game so I can't say.. but I really like your style great job!

[dawid w. mika]

Nice melodies with some great atonal moments and lot's of well considered silence. Good job, I buy it!

I can only complain about sound of piano which is a way too sterile to my ear. Such intimate music could benefit a lot with more organic sound - maybe one of these: http://www.imperfectsamples.com/website/samples/index.php (steinway is my favorite).

[Jasmine]

@Flamestalker:
I want to extend a large thanks your way! A lot of your comments (with gaps in silence and textures/mixing points) were well-received! I'll make sure to keep a close eye on things of that nature when (or if) I write more piano. Then again, I'm not sure what project would warrant something of a similar nature. I really do appreciate your feedback, it was all great!

@Dawid:
Thanks for helping out! Definitely plan on investing in those samples. I'm a huge fan of your acoustic and organic approach to music, so I do not take your comment lightly!

[amushel]

especially from those of you who play piano as a primary instrument.

I go where I am needed. 

This is a really cool soundtrack. Overall, I think you do a good job with piano naturalization and keeping it dynamic, though it is precise to an inhuman degree at times. Your piano sound is quite limited in terms of timbre compared to the real deal, but you utilize it well. I am curious what soundfont you used, specifically.

In terms of composition, I really enjoy the dynamic range and the use of silence/contrast, especially in the slower piano pieces. The mix in the denser tracks is generally pretty solid (though, the Heart is a bit bass-heavy for my taste). I really like the glitched approach to the strings a lot and the reverse of the piano part from Hello, Friend in You Won is a nice touch that works well in that context. Manipulated acoustic instruments can make for very interesting textures (as in this case).

[WittyNotes]

Ahoy there, M4usviecr, I'll trade you three reviews for one! Here's my quick take on some of the tracks I picked out from Leviathan.


You And I: The solo piano gives a very nice personal touch, and as the piece continues and the deeper tones start filling out the scape, it has a lovely sentimental warmth. That said, some of the opening textures (especially around :23) sounded more 'hesitant' and 'mistaken' than 'playful' or 'childlike' to me.

Separation: As others have mentioned, the reversed tones are nicely used. The only part I'm a little unsure about is that I feel the need for more held chords or pads to make the piece feel a little less "stop and go", especially if it's backing up gameplay.

Heart: Some of the filters added at the beginning give a nice blend of modern styles, but I agree with what (I think?) others have said: it's a little bass heavy for me, and I definitely think the opening strings might do better with a wetter reverb. Is that a sampled instrument on the violin around 3:00, btw? If so, can I ask what sound library you used?

You Win: This compares very nicely with 'Separation' I think: the reversed tones are still nicely used (although they give a somewhat ominous feel, especially considering it's "Win Screen" music", but the long-held string trems let me relax and focus on the change in color over time.


Hope that helps! For the record, I did study classical piano in college, but as I pianist I didn't really see much to comment on in that department.
If you want to pay me back, I'm working on practicing my mixing, and have a 60-second theme I'm experimenting with here:

https://soundcloud.com/evan-witt/reduced-redemption-theme

Any advice would be most helpful!

[Jasmine]

@Amushel:

Haha, a month off, but I still wanted to give my thanks! I've had a few people comment on the piano quite a bit. I plan on taking it upon my self to upgrade that area since I was using a freeware piano soundfont for the entire soundtrack.

As for the precision, I will work on that as well! Still some learning I need to focus on.

Also, I was using the EWQL Hollywood Strings library. (actually, I'm guessing. Either that or EWQL symphonic strings. I'll have to go back and check)

I greatly appreciate the comments!

@Witty:
More great feedback! At least my errors are consistent, haha.

As for the sampled instrument, it is a free soundfont! If you like it, I can send it your way.

Being two months late, not sure if you still want the feedback, but I'll give it to ya:

I love the transparent switch from horn to oboe. The french horn sounds wonderful, though I kind of wish it was more a part of the mix, rather than at the forefront. The rest of the instruments are situated within the "orchestra", while the french horn kind of stands out. Perhaps give it some distance? (Away from the front of the stage, so to speak).

Aside from that, I enjoyed it!

[bbtombo]

This is really beautiful. The piano is so honest, if that means anything to you. The music definitely allows you to sink into the game, which I think is hard to achieve. I love that little motif at the very beginning of "You and I." I'd love to see that come back in other tracks (maybe it did, and I just didn't catch it)! That first track is very Hayao Miyazaki in my opinion. As a whole, it's a tiny bit disjunct. The first four tracks are solo piano, mild ambiance, "The Heart" is orchestral and busy, and then the last few tracks are ambient orchestral swells. On their own, I love every track - but as a whole, what unifies them? How can you bring back ideas from the earlier tracks into the later ones? I don't know. Overall, it was a wonderful listen!

[Audiosprite]

Hey Jasmine, I don't have any critical feedback to offer here, I just want to say that this is really, really good.