Ambiotica

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Ambiotica

Author Comments

Well, I had a little extra time, so I made this in about an hour. I would've wanted to work on it more, but I am a bit busy :(

The track was originally made by SkelaNG for the NGDIC 2 contest. It would seem that the rhythm is 11/4 (if I recall correctly), so I guess LunacyEcho will like that fact, hehhe. Some of you may even recognize some of the sound effects; sorry, I was in a hurry!
Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the original track (except for "4"), so I just named it something super generic.

A few things. I didn't change the MIDI much at all, I even strived to use many of the same intruments as in the original, though I changed a few for sound design reasons. I also added a few wooden blocks, a Chinese Tam Tam, as well as a Gong. I replaced another intrument with some simple strings instead too, and a new age pad with bells (because the new age pad was originally emulating bells).
Otherwise, everything is pretty much the same, except it isn't MIDI intruments.

It was a bit difficult to balance 16 different tracks playing at once, especially in so little time. If I was going to make an ambient piece myself, I would usually not stack as much on top of each other, nor make the progression happen this fast, but I wanted to stay relatively true to the original MIDI file XD
There is some minor clipping, but as it's an ambient track, I'm going to pretend that it's weird static.

Other than that, I also didn't have time to loop this perfectly, but oh well. After all, this was a pretty fun track to work on :D

The thread for the contest can be found here:
http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1397573

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TaintedLogic

2015-11-22 22:50:53

Well, this review is long overdue. I love the dark themes and sound palette. I wish it was a little more dynamic, but at the same time it would be very fitting for a videogame. It doesn't make a great loop, but I'm sure with some slight adjustments that could be easily fixed. I love how it's really hard to get any sense of meter from this track, which just adds to the creepiness. Keep up the good work and/or do more with this sometime! :D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Oh my, so it begins... And I haven't even gotten around to reviewing Blueshift and Vulpini yet :p
You'll stress me out :I

To being with, this isn't an original track of mine, but more of a remix, so I definitely won't make more of it XD But I think we can all rest assured I'll make some more ambient stuff in the future, heh.
I think I put the intruments here in approx an hour. The rules stated we're not allowed to change that much, so I couldn't really make it more dynamic either. I am aware about the clipping too :p
This track is in 11/4, so it's definitely hard to grip it, as was it for me. Thanks!

SkelaNG

2015-09-12 17:23:19

Very nicely done, and quite different from the harsh attacks that I would've put on it, much less "stompy" feel than I envisioned initially. The name of the track was "Room 11" in reference to the time signature, 11/4. I love what you did with it, I hope you like what I'm doing with yours.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Nice catch. The smoothness and change in attack is intentional. I wanted to go for a softer feel, as I made this into a semi-loop. That way, it can melt in to the background a bit more I feel, and can take more replays before it starts to annoy a player. I didn't view this track as a standalone piece, which is why I kinda realized it in a more bgm kinda way :)
Oh, yeah! I did read that name before, I just forgot it XD

Great to hear that you like my rendition of your track! I'm sure I'll thoroughly enjoy what you're doing to mine, no matter which direction you take it in ;)

LunacyEcho

2015-09-12 07:48:19

Some nice additions! They really improve upon the mood of the piece in a way MIDI just can't do. :D This would make brilliant background music for pretty much any game with an element of spookiness, mystery, or general suspense. And I love that it's in 11/4! I hate that there's very few rhythmic aspects so it's hard to appreciate the interesting time signature, but I also love that it's hidden so well that it sounds completely natural. :D

Nitpick: the bells get a little repetitive after a bit, and (as you already mentioned) the loop is great but a little under your usual standard. But you made this in very little time during what I can only assume is a super busy part of your life, so great work! Good luck in the contest! :D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks! :D
Good to hear that this brings some elements to the track that the MIDI didn't :3
I tried to go in a pretty general stereotypical creepiness direction with this. A little bit of everything that can be unsettling, in terms of sound design and effects.
Yeah, I didn't realize it was 11/4 before opening the track in Cubase either. In a way, I think that's part of the beauty of it. You can hear it on the flute, if you try to, as well as some other of the rhythmic elements. Keep in mind that this track is only 8 measures long, and it will be easier to hear!!!

I agree about the bells. I just wanted to stay as true to the original as possible, which is why I kept them as they were. You can hear the fact that the track is 11/4 by listening to each fourth bell hit too ;)

And yes, the loop is indeed not perfect. And sadly, I am indeed super busy atm :(
I have no idea how I'll have time to do everything that I have planned, hahha :D