Sho Hyu - DreamDive

Description of entry: 

Genre - Electronica, Chiptune, Ambient

Runtime - 1:40 min

DAW - Ableton Live 11

Inspirations - Disasterpeace (FEZ OSTs), Porter Robinson

my process - I started with layering random textures I recorded and sampled from field recordings and my go-to sample library Splice. Afterwards, I played around with synths to accompany the textural layer where I used Plugins such as the Fabfilter Twin 3/2 as well as the wavetable synth plugin Vital. I also included VSTs such as Studio Labs Glass Piano. To compose a musical sketch for a video game OST inspired by the word "palindrome" I integrated the concept both structurally and thematically. Structurally, I applied melodic and rhythmic palindromes both apparent in the synth melodies as well as the percussive figures which can be heard in the composition. For the melodic palindromes I tried to mirror the melodic motifs vertically so that they sound identical when played reversed. Other elements such as the drums have a rhythmic palindrome where it would not sound the same if played reversed, however I split the drum loop (4 bars) in half (bar A and bar B) and changed the order of the elements in the loop (AB-BA structure). 

For the thematic palindrome I thought of the following structure: 

Example Sketch Breakdown:

A. Introduction (Forward) 0:00-0:40min

• Start with a simple motif. Keep the texture thin and the dynamics soft.

B. Middle Section (Peak) 0:40-1:21min

• Gradually build harmonies or expand the motif to a broader theme  where the middle is the pivot point and the reverse begins to take shape.

C. End Section (Reverse) 1:21-1:40min

• Mirror the original motif, but with slight variations to maintain interest, while clearly giving the listener the impression of "returning" to where it began.

Theme: 

Adventure/Exploration

About the Soundtrack:

For the ost, I envisioned a dreamy atmosphere. When you listen to DreamDive, imagine you are wandering as a little knight trying to figure the meaning of their journey and as they wander they discover a land filled with mystical beings and supernatural occurrences. I took sonic inspiration from the indie game ost in the game FEZ composed by Disasterpeace. The ost is also a collection of chiptune electronica soundscapes and I tried to replicate the emotions I felt in his works. 

both soundcloud and yt are fine as streaming platforms (https://www.youtube.com/ & https://soundcloud.com/)

I would like others to use my soundtrack for their own purposes. If someone wants it to be used as their own video game Soundtrack I would love to continue on this project and be part of that game! 

(also please credit my artist name Sho Hyu! :D)

Contact Info: Instagram @wherehyuat / duc.j.tran@gmail.com