AIM - Lost in a Frozen Dreamland

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AIM - Lost in a Frozen Dreamland

Author Comments

Art by SkyrisDesign

Frost Gem
by SkyrisDesign

Illustration

2,317 Views

(Everyone)

Description: You find yourself in a frozen dreamland, unsure of how you arrived, and you gaze in awe at the vast, untouched landscape. You feel cold and realize you're alone, but you're too distracted by the beauty surrounding you to be worried, and your curiosity drives you to venture further out into the land. As you travel, you lose track of your location but you pay no mind to that and keep going. Eventually you discover an utmost beautiful scene and pause in astonishment.

I had a lot of fun working on this (minus FL Studio making crackling noises because I used too many Kontakt instances). Over the past few months I studied woodwinds in an orchestral context, voice leading, and mixing techniques, and I recently purchased Albion Tundra, and this song provided a great opportunity to use this new knowledge and sample library.

I'm not fully content with the mix and realism, but I think I did a good job considering I worked with several less-than-high-end libraries.

I used several synth pads from Albion Tundra; I'm amazed by how well they blend with the orchestra. I also used several multiphonic woodwind notes - they enhance the song's texture but aren't very noticeable.

Watch on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EZAvGaOJ6w

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ChronoNomad

2020-06-23 01:12:57

This starts out so warm, instrument-wise, despite the frigid landscape in the art. It gives me all kinds of shivers, and I simply adore that flute just before the midsection. Very vivid images are being conjured up within my mind's eye by this, and the only word that really fits is "breathtaking."

So short, though! Oh my goodness, I could have easily lost myself to the music for far longer, but you do wrap it all up so very beautifully. Even though it seems like they would clash, the overall vibe is both serene and triumphant, and it's a wonderful thing. A few more times around the frozen tundra block for me, I think! Brilliantly done.

Everratic responds:

Thank you for the lovely review!

I was heavily inspired by many of Skyrim's exploration songs, which I would also describe as breathtaking :D

To get this warm, smooth sound, I made significant EQ cuts around the 4k area on both the master and individual tracks, particularly on the strings. This loss of high-mids comes with the additional bonus of being able to use very-high end instruments for special emphasis; this helps the cymbals, chimes, and solo flute shine, and it makes the climactic moments sound more majestic. The one downside I found is that the track sounds much quieter, which I don't mind, but I know many casual listeners prefer a much higher perceived volume.

The song sounds both serene and triumphant by design - I'm glad you noticed! I carefully crafted the chord progressions, and the arrangement accordingly, to smoothly switch between those vibes. The song is meant to sound more serene during the suspended/ambiguous chords, and more triumphant during the major chords.

Thanks again, and good luck in the contest!