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Ludum Dare 43

In december 2018, the Ludum Dare 43 (https://ldjam.com/) contest was on!
This competition is held every 3 to 6 months and asks participants to develop a fully playable video game, in just a week-end.

My friends invited me to participate and join their team. For this project, we were three: a game designer, a programmer and a music composer / sound designer(myself). My friends decided to create a 2D platform game in a cyberpunk universe. The game would have exploration and fighting phases, including a Boss fight at the end of the level.

My aim was to dive the player into a cyberpunk, yet fun universe, with a strong sound identity and consistency with all music tracks.
We came up with the idea to have a main title theme as an accompaniement to exploration phases, and a second more energetic theme for the fighting scenes (including the boss encounter at the end of the game).
After some listening of diverse soundtracks in the hopes to get inspiration (OST from Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Portal, I Robot), I proposed to integrate as main instruments syunthtizers for melodic lines, indusctrial percussions for the rythm parts and aerial keyboard layers for the harmony.

After a day of work, I had finised composing and mixing these two themes: “Chill Sad Theme” (exploration theme) and “Boss Fight Theme” (combat theme).
I especially took care in working to the loopable aspect of the tracks, so that they could be player over and over without anyone noticing the transition between the track ending and starting again.

Boss Fight Theme
Chill Sad Theme
 

For the synths, I mainly used “Retrologue 2” from Steinberg, which is part of Cubase PRO 10 which I use for music production.

For industrial percussions, I used “Damage” from Heavyocity, which completely answered al the criteria and had all the sounds that I was looking for (robotic and industrial sounds).
For aerial keyboard layers and sound design works, I mainly used “Gravity” from Heavyocity which is filled with exceptionnal sonorities.
These tools got me inspired and helped me in reaching the sound and energy that I was looking for, which we all felt was a very good fit to the game.

My friends immediately integrated them into the game. It was all fitting, but my girlfriend thought the “Chill Sad Theme” was maybe a little too calm and sad. She helped me realize that the game probably needed a fun element to it which the theme didn’t bring.

And so i made another track called “Synth Adventure Theme”, which became the new main theme, more rythmic, melodic and fun! 🙂

Synth Adventure Theme

All the tracks composed for the game share the same tonality (Bb major scale), so that we could switch smoothly from one to another during the different phases of the game.

I spent the rest of the week-end tweaking tempos and mixing the tracks, while also composing two other “jingles” for the winning and loosing screens.
Sadly, they didn’t have the time to include them in the finished game because the contest was close to ending.

Our game “Pyrrhus” submitted for this contest can be played by clicking this link :

Play Pyrrhus

(Some bug still have to be fixed and some adjustements are to be made)

A great bravo to my friends who made this quality game in just a very short period of time, and thank you for the nice and interesting exchanges we had for this project.

We are quite proud of the finished product, given that it was a first for me and my programmer friend to participate to this kind of contest.

You can hear bellow all of the tracks that I composed for this project, including winning and loosing jingles.

Main music production softwares and tools used for composition, production and mixing for this project:

Some screen captures of the project:

Composition

Mixing

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Genius – composition contest

Poster from the Genius series, by National Geographic

In September 2017, I participated in a composition contest organized by National Geographic. Participants had 1 month to compose, record, mix and edit a video on the theme of the TV series Genius, whose season 1 is a biopic about the life of Albert Einstein. It was necessary to propose an interpretation of the original theme, or to compose a different theme, reflecting the spirit of the series.

The original music of the series is composed by Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Inception, The Dark Knight, Interstellar …) and Lorne Balfe (Megamind, Ghost in the Shell, Lego Batman Movie …)

The two contest winners would attent a recording session of the original music with Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe, with, in addition, the sharing of their music on the social networks of the two composers.

Composers Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer
Composers Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer

I took the contest en route, which left me less than a week, a very compelling time to compose, mix, edit a video and post my submission to the contest.

I chose to produce music mixing both cover and original composition. My goal in this approach was twofold:

  • Alert the jury by my ability to reproduce the original theme by ear, be it at the orchestral level (what instruments play what, how, when) or at the mixing level (the volume, the stereo position, the reverberation of each instrument ).
  • Show my ability to explore and expand the original theme on variations, by composing a new theme including here and there some elements of the original theme.

My personal interpretation of Genius

You can listen and watch my submission to the contest below:

From 0’00 to 0’03: Composition

Introduction of a virtuoso solo violin, symbol of the spirit of “Genius” (at least that’s how I understood and interpreted it), in a rapid descent of notes, accompanied by stringed instruments only (violas, cellos, contrabasses).

From 0’03 to 0’11: Cover of the original theme

Exact repica cover of the intro and the outro of the original theme consisting of rapid attacks from the whole section of the strings (violins, violas, cellos, basses).

From 0’11 to 1’12: Composition

Composition of a new theme in a more sad atmosphere, to contrast with the original theme and propose an approach of Einstein from a different angle.
The rhythm is slowing down, a piano is introduced and the cellos and double basses are now playing long harmonies.
A concert bass drum concert also comes with heavy weight the first time of each measure.

French Horns intervene to emphasize the ends of phrases (like a wink, they play the exact same part as on the original theme, but in a much more discreet and scattered way).
The main melody played by the violin is replaced by a Bassoon, as if to emphasize another voice of genius, via a different instrument.

Then the atmosphere intensifies with the arrival of violins and violas in staccato, as well as a violin playing fast arpeggios. Back to calm, then pause.

From 1’12 to 1’55: Cover of the original theme

Acceleration of the tempo and start of the original theme of the series, which I rewrote by ear.
Crescendo of all the instruments on 12 seconds, intensification of the staccatos on all string instruments, introduction of a synthesizer (because why not – that must be an idea of ​​Hans: D), three big timpani shots, as to symbolize the rising excitement of the arrival of a new “Genius” idea.

Concert bass drum roll, and climax, cymbals crashing and sudden arrival of Trombones and French Horns, to support the expected return of virtuoso violin, celebrated as ever by a whirlwind of up and down arpeggios. Clear transition to the end with the return of all stringed instruments in staccato, as in the introduction.

End of the piece with a concert bass kick and a low note on the piano.

What the contest brought me

Even if I did not win this very first contest (with more than 740 submissions accepted), it will have allowed me to meet some challenges:

  • Deadline : 5 days to reinterpret the original theme, compose, orchestrate, mix and edit a video, is very short. I had to plan everything and force myself to respect my schedule. I would have liked to accompany the violin in unison playing myself on the electric guitar (since it is my favorite instrument), but I quickly abandoned the idea to refocus on the orchestral part and not be late.
  • Compose a Theme : which remained close enough to my basic inspirations. I am very influenced by the work of Hans Zimmer, whom I admire a lot and listen to since I am little. (I still remember deciphering Gladiator’s music when I was little on my sister’s piano).
  • Produce a video to accompany my track: I have never done a video to accompany on of my compositions. I decided to simply show Cubase, my DAW which I use to compose and produce music), which offered the abillity to ‘visually’ show my work.
  • Existing on social networks: the most viewed and shared video on social networks would win the contest. And since I still had no account on Twitter or Instagram, it was an opportunity for me to create them and start to solicit followers. Thanks to that, I could at least get a “like” of my composition by the composer Lorne Balfe on Tweeter! Yeaaaah 😀 !!

The winners: