The Climb - Orchestral

[Blocky]

I've hit a bit of block and was having a hard time coming up with something new. So I decided to remaster some of my older work. Here is the first remaster. The Climb. https://soundcloud.com/nathaniel-dk-garner/the-climb

[Canilho]

Good track.
I love orchestral sounds and I know that it's hard to make one that holds the audience from start to finish, unless when people recognize the sound from something else ( like a movie, games, TV ads, etc).
It's funny that recently I've started making one of my own, still WIP.

So many good elements in here and the sound is great, so don't get me wrong but I'm only going to point what I disliked, or liked less.
There are at least 2 moments where you could "break" the song, to create more tension,(1:22 and 3:01), but the main rhythm never stopped, and the break is too small to be noticeable. Create more space in each of these moments, add a big drum hit (+ clash) when the melody returns and check the difference.

The second thing was the strings melody (Cello I think). It felt that it did not change too much from start to finish. There is no noticeable rhythmic change, except for the middle part.
Its ( taa tata taaaa) for too many long, on the second part, after the big realization, you could change the melody for something more calm.
You've reached the top of the mountain, you are relieved, you can rest a little, take some time to appreciate the accomplishment and take a deep breath. You can decrease the tempo or rhythm. Instead of the ( taa tata taaaa), you can switch for a more calm (taaaaaaaaaa, ta, taaaaaaaaaaa) for instance. (just one opinion )

Great work
Keep up

[Blocky]

Thanks for the feedback! It's actually pretty consistent with what I have received elsewhere. Funny thing is I made this song as an exercise in simplifying my work, ha ha. Normally my tracks do change up quite a bit but I wanted to teach myself that it is ok to sometimes take a simpler approach. This is by far the simplest melody of any of my songs, and in fact, it really isn't a melody but a chord progression, which is why if feels like it doesn't change. I wanted to do exactly as you suggest, but I was torn. You see, part of the reason I write music is with the intention of them being used as tracks in games. As a stand alone song, it needs to be dynamic and evolving and tell a story, but in the context of a game, that may not always be true. Rather in needs to just set a mood and not distract from the scene.

But anyway, thanks for the awesome feedback. I do think you are right about the break being needed to increase the tension... to slingshot the song into the next part. I'll play around with that.

[brandystarbrite]

I've hit a bit of block and was having a hard time coming up with something new. So I decided to remaster some of my older work. Here is the first remaster. The Climb. https://soundcloud.com/nathaniel-dk-garner/the-climb

It sounds really amazing!

Funny thing is I made this song as an exercise in simplifying my work, ha ha. Normally my tracks do change up quite a bit but I wanted to teach myself that it is ok to sometimes take a simpler approach. This is by far the simplest melody of any of my songs, and in fact, it really isn't a melody but a chord progression, which is why if feels like it doesn't change. I wanted to do exactly as you suggest, but I was torn. You see, part of the reason I write music is with the intention of them being used as tracks in games. As a stand alone song, it needs to be dynamic and evolving and tell a story, but in the context of a game, that may not always be true. Rather in needs to just set a mood and not distract from the scene.

I will admit, I myself noticed, that the tune did sound simpler in comparison to your other tracks. But after I read this whole part, it all makes sense now.

You see, part of the reason I write music is with the intention of them being used as tracks in games. As a stand alone song, it needs to be dynamic and evolving and tell a story,....

Exactly! That is very true.

but in the context of a game, that may not always be true. Rather in needs to just set a mood and not distract from the scene.

The "beats in my head" track for Elena's stage, in Street Fighter 3 Third Strike, is a good example of that. It is a simple repetitive tune, that accomplishes that effect.