Departure (Game OST Menu Theme)

Hello everyone. My hands are nearly shaking ready to submit this now that I'm done. There's just so much talent on this site that my pieces feel pathetically simplistic and incompetent.

I'm pretty self-conscious right now about my music. Even still, please be completely honest with your opinions. I'd love to continuously improve.

This is a piece I wrote for an Indie Game named Blades of Orterra. It's a fantasy RPG. Pretty standard stuff. I ended up writing music for the game out of necessity, but digital composition is slowly consuming me.

Please have a listen :) This is the first digital piece i have ever composed.  It's worth noting that the volume is surpressed during the main chorus/melody in the beginning for some reason. Fixed on my soundcloud version.

Any feedback much welcomed!

Awesome! The octave doubling at 0:44 I found to be a little out of place for the atmosphere you set up prior.
Chord at 1:13 is weird since it's like a V over vi chord (G over DFA) making the resolution unclear. 
It currently feels a little bit sectionalized, but not necessarily episodic. Listen to the Halo 3 main menu theme. It has a clear sectional format, but it's also methodic in how it's done. The form of this piece is a little bit too lengthy as a whole and too short for each little section, if that makes any sense.
I think you did a wonderful job for a first draft. I've always been in the mindset that you should be able to sit through a loop of the main menu theme and still not hit "start" yet because it's so memorable. It's close to that, but could use some spicing up in some sections.

11 hours ago, Monarcheon said:

Awesome! The octave doubling at 0:44 I found to be a little out of place for the atmosphere you set up prior.
Chord at 1:13 is weird since it's like a V over vi chord (G over DFA) making the resolution unclear. 
It currently feels a little bit sectionalized, but not necessarily episodic. Listen to the Halo 3 main menu theme. It has a clear sectional format, but it's also methodic in how it's done. The form of this piece is a little bit too lengthy as a whole and too short for each little section, if that makes any sense.
I think you did a wonderful job for a first draft. I've always been in the mindset that you should be able to sit through a loop of the main menu theme and still not hit "start" yet because it's so memorable. It's close to that, but could use some spicing up in some sections.

 

What an absolutely fantastic review. Thanks for your insight. I agree with everything you said. I will likely go back and re-edit when I can find the time. It's rough using free sample packs, but I know I can't blame the tools. I hope I can continue to get great feedback like yours in the future!

Compositionally  I like it a lot..  The whole piece has a lot of hi end, and not any low The strings sound a bit too treble, almost distorting in some places when cymbal rolls happen. .   Could use some bottom EQ, or an instrument playing a part an octave lower?  These days with good samples / Kontakt libraries/ etc..  you often don't need much EQ..   

And yes it's a GREAT piece..  

*** This is the first digital piece i have ever composed. ***

What do you mean by digital? Do you normally compose on paper?

13 hours ago, Ken320 said:

*** This is the first digital piece i have ever composed. ***

What do you mean by digital? Do you normally compose on paper?

 

Dude, give him/her some slack with your wording, not that your comment was mean, but this is his/her first post. And the comment sounds a little like arrogant. Jus a litt.e

I was being direct, asking for clarification. But since it offends you so much, let me explain. Many people compose with not just notation programs, but actual pencil and paper. There's a thread on it here. It's a skill that they have honed over the years and they are not about to give it up. Does that sound arrogant too?

15 hours ago, Ken320 said:

*** This is the first digital piece i have ever composed. ***

What do you mean by digital? Do you normally compose on paper?

 

I think OP means he was composing using a MIDI sequencer, as in a program that straight up doesn't use any sort of Western traditional notation, just direct inputs into a timeline (it's not easy but a lot of people do it that way) but I could be wrong. That's how I interpreted it. 

Hi all. Thanks for the feeback. I composed for the Great Highland Bagpipes (Which I play competitively) and a bit on piano, but to clarify this is the first piece I composed not using an istrument. I used MIDI sequencer to place notes in using VSTs. Although I know enough music theory that I am not placing notes randomly.

Im on a $0 budget passed the FL liscence.

And yeah i faded way too much bass out when doing EQ on the master. Ive not touched eq that terribly since that mistake.

Thanks for all your feedback. I dont mind harsh critique. I just want to improve.

Thanks again guys!