An updated version of a track from 2019. I used different drum samples, and made a few other instrumental and compositional changes. The overall piece got a volume boost and hopefully it is mixed better than before.

There is one thing that still bothers me about it, which has to do with some melodic lines that don't work too well together. I intend to fix that before I decide it is good enough to go on my album.

That Road, Who Goes There? (2021 Update)

I made this track a couple of years ago as a homage to all the great trance productions I grew up listening. I tried to go for that early 2000's flavor. I plan for it to go on my first (demo) album. For that reason, I decided to give it a little update for extra polish. 

Mixing and mastering is still something I need to grow in. Listening to an old commercial track I was surprised how well each instrument sat in the mix and how easily sounds could come in and out without cluttering it up. That's the quality I hope to achieve someday. 

I'm almost done with the track. I need to clean up some rhythmic parts near the end so that the clap/snare works better with the kick. Not sure about the long snare roll or whether it should return later in the mix. Depending on what device I listen on, the claves is either perfect or a little too loud.

FEEDBACK REQUEST
In terms of mix balance, do you think anything is too loud or too soft? Is there enough going on to keep you interested until the end?

Yesterday is Gone (Moving On) [2021 Update]

Made some final tweaks to the mix. The bass gets its own little climax at the end of the transitional buildup because I felt that was kind of weak before.

Heavenly Marshmellows ("Bayou Boogie" and "Stickerbush Symphony" from DKC2) [UPDATED]

Here is a new piece I recently finished. It is called Theme from a Dream and features the piano, cello, viola and two flutes for a brief but beautiful run through a theme that I came up with after waking up from a dream a long time ago.

Many, many years ago I had this dream with a very moving, adventuregame-esque quality to it. Think Zelda. When I woke up from it I was sad that the story was over. As  I tried to re-play the dream and add to the story in my head I came up with this theme that has stuck with me ever since. I am thrilled to have finally put it to music after maybe two decades!

A second part is still in the making. That'll be more epic, movie-soundtrack like in 6/8 time.

I've also used it as background music in a recent YouTube video, featuring my latest Fall/Autumn pictures. The video is dedicated to the memory of my late grandfather, who died in November 2022 after a long battle against cancer. Unfortunately I was not able to show him the pictures before his death...or share this music for that matter.

Growth Spurts

Theme from a Dream - Part I

I got introduced to this website called videogamemusicacademy.com that has a music making challenge this month. Basically you are challenged to produce a snippet of music every day for the next 21 days in order to build a habit of composing.
The host of the challenge provided a list of ideas for people to get busy with, called Quest Logs.

Because of my chronic condition I don't necessarily expect to be able to complete the challenge. I won't be competing for prizes. I just want to see how far I can get. I like the idea of just writing something without having to commit to finishing an idea to completion.

This particular piece sprung forth from Quest Log Level 1. One of the challenges is to write something in swing (that means that 8-th notes alternate between long and short). I messed around on my piano and quickly got something that sounded swingy enough. It is not quite my style, but I guess playing around with it did teach some new things. For example: I learned that swing notes go well with triplets.

I quickly booted up MuseScore2 and wrote down what I got, then tried to add some more things. I ended up getting seriously stuck, but that's okay for now. Its not about getting polished tunes.

Yeah, the samples sounds terrible :P Can't help you with that.

PS: Oh yeah, the challenge started yesterday, so I enabled cheat mode and did two things today to catch up :P

[Musical Sketch] If It Aint Got That Swing - VGMA Challenge Lv I

I envisioned this piece to go with a short story involving a young woman and her soldier boyfriend. 

Part 1: A train arrives at a train station where the young lady is waiting. She's hoping to find her boyfriend on the train, seeing how rumor has it that he was wounded and is on his way to another station. 

Part 2-3: The crowd is making it difficult for the woman to find the man, but finally their eyes meet and a hasty conversation takes place. There is exchanging of gifts, but the man can hardly utter a word to his chatty girl. The train is only there for a brief moment before it starts moving again. She has to step aside to make room for new passengers, abruptly ending the conversation. 
As the train leaves off, she chases it down the platform as best she can, until it is out of reach and out of sight. 

Part 4: Saddened, she holds onto a letter that her boyfriend managed to give her before departure. Upon reading it she learns that he will soon return home to her. Then they can start planning their future together at last.

I initially came up with this piece in 2016. I only had a crappy MIDI version back then. Now I have a better recording, but I admit I had a lot of trouble getting it right. I ended up transposing it to A# major (I think) and fixed some issues here and there. I think I managed to polish it up well enough to make it a pleasant listen. What do you think?

Arrival - Departure

FREE at https://reignited.ocremix.org !

A World Reignited is the 74th FREE community arrangement album published by OverClocked ReMix and arranges music from Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age for the Game Boy Advance. It features 37 tracks arranged by 42 artists in a variety of styles.

It was made by fans, for fans, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Camelot or Nintendo; all images, characters, and original compositions are copyright their respective owners.

• Games: Golden Sun, Golden Sun: The Lost Age
• Composer: Motoi Sakuraba

• ReMixers: Alex Hill, Bluelighter, Bubble Pipe Media, Chernabogue, Chris | Amaterasu, Damian Nguyen, dannymusic, Deedubs, djpretzel, DS, Eladar, Fxsnowy, Gamer of the Winds, Ganaé, Glejs, GuitarSVD, Hank "The Spank Tank" Jankerson, Jake Kargl, JohnStacy, Juke, Lucas Guimaraes, luxu5, Matheus Souza, Nathan Madsen, Ophanin, Pavos, P2 Sue, RebeccaETripp, Reuben6, Sam Dillard, 744, Siolfor the Jackal, SirCorn, Spy Girls (Anny, Zini), StormSkuggan, thebitterroost, tibone, TSori, Vylent, wolfman1405

Director
• Logan Thomas (TSori)

Artwork
• Mikaël Aguirre (Orioto) - front and back cover
   - https://instagram.com/orioto
   - https://orioto.deviantart.com
• David W. Lloyd (djpretzel) - logo

Mastering
• Nathaniel Chambers (Bubble Pipe Media)

Website
• David W. Lloyd (djpretzel)

Trailer
• José E. Felix (José the Bronx Rican)

Associate Producers
• MindWanderer
• Joe Zieja (XPRTNovice)
• Jarel Jones (Arrow)
• Dylan Wiest (Wiesty)
• Dustin Lagaly (Theory of N)

Executive Producers
• David W. Lloyd (djpretzel)
• Larry Oji (Liontamer)

Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is an organization dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and interpretation of video game music. Its primary focus is ocremix.org - a website featuring thousands of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans. OC ReMix operates under the umbrella and sponsorship of Game Music Initiative, Inc, a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization (EIN: 81-4140676).

For interviews, articles, conventions, and soundtrack development with OC ReMix, contact us!
• https://ocremix.org/info/About_Us

PLEASE HELP US STAY RUNNING!

OC ReMix is a non-profit site that provides a ton of free music, which requires tons of bandwidth and a pretty hefty web server.
• https://patreon.com/ocremix
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• https://smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4140676
• https://gamemusic.org (Game Music Initiative, EIN: 81-4140676)

Golden Sun: A World Reignited

FREE download

1-11 Winter Winds [P2 Sue]

A new piano solo piece that I wrote between March and July. It started out with just the initial melody. I played around with more themes during improvisation sessions until things started to "click". These final themes stuck around.

Live recorded on digital piano but transferred to FL Studio for a different piano sound and some polishing.

Singles

Who Will Comfort?

This project has been gathering dust for a while now but I finally decided to finish the job. It is a remix/cover of the factory stage BGM from Donkey Kong Country (SNES) - a fan favorite.

I used a lot of sounds from FL Studio's new FLEX instrument which I really enjoy. Finding the right sounds to go together can be challenging, but I'm pleased with the result. I also spent more effort mixing and balancing the channels this time. There is really nothing left that bothers me about the track or that puts me off when listening. A nice accomplishment in the midst of many failures :D

What do you think? Do you have any good memories playing DKC and hearing this track?

Prime Factor

Prime Factor ("Fear Factory" from DKC) [COVER]

I originally and spontaneously came up with this piece back in 2018. At the time I was doing a 21-day composition challenge.
It grew into another attempt at writing some type of video game boss battle theme. While somewhat pleased with the concept, the MIDI sound was not so great. I made a number of attempts to re-create it using FL Studio, but I could never find the right sounds or get the different elements to work well together. 
Often I felt like this thing could just never work and I was prepared to drop the project altogether.

This latest attempt gets me closer to my imagined goal. The guitars and lead synth give it a more powerful feeling than the original. I played around with compression presets for the master to give it an fuller sound. The most obvious rhythmic mistakes were fixed and I simplified some parts in favor of clarity.

There's probably still room for improvement. Let me know in the comments what you think works and doesn't work.

Compare with the original here: https://soundcloud.com/bloominglatemusic/spontaneous-composition-this-is-how-we-used-to-do-it-ms

Okay, Here's the Plan! (2020 Reboot)

I'm a learner-pianist and amateur composer, looking to create beautiful and memorable music. My main inspirations are (classic) video game soundtracks, trance music and movie themes. I love energetic rock as well as more emotional pieces, especially with strings and piano.

In the future I wish to write Christian music with an emphasis on content that gives believers a Biblically sound and theologically rich 'offering' to praise God with.

I take piano lessons and learn mostly by playing around on my instrument or the computer. I work with Musescore 4 for notation and inspiration and with FL Studio 21 for a more professional sound.

Feel free to drop a note if you like my music so far. Should you decide to follow me I would appreciate some kind of sign that shows you're not one of the many fake accounts. :)

[Musical Sketch] If It Aint Got That Swing - VGMA Challenge Lv I

Blooming Late - original music & game music remix