Featured image of post Elementals OST

Elementals OST

The Soundtrack I Created for a Group Game Jam Project

This soundtrack was one I created while working in HackClub’s Arcade Summer Hackathon. I collaborated with a bunch of people to create a Roblox game, where I was the sound designer and track composer. I had a lot of fun, and I ended up creating some of my favorite tracks.

The game was previously called SparkOps with the idea in mind that we can shoot electricity out of our guns as a game mechanic, but then we settled on using all the elements through runes and renamed the game Elementals. The image was one we AI-generated for the cover page of our game. Makes a sick album cover!

Once again, it really never gets old: I keep using notes that revolve around G and Cm. When they work together, they efficiently create a metal or rock atmosphere, hence why Cm is my favorite key signature and why the notes that it plays around with are often used in metal.

Arcade required you to have a Github commit for each project you upload, so here is the Github Repo for all the tracks and SFX I have designed for the project. You can also get access to the JSON files, so you can remix and play around with what I made (Note to self, make this a feature for all the tracks!).

Deadly Current

This was kind of the "main battle theme" or a boss theme in the game. I also started playing around with the instrument volume sliders to reduce muffling sounds, and frankly it turned out great! My newer themes seem to have a higher quality to them, at least that's what it feels like. Could just be the work of EQ filters.

Bloodlust

I went into making this track with the mindset of making this is metal as possible. I still feel like I held back a bit, but I didn't want to overdo the distortion to the point where the software couldn't take it and it all ends up sounding bad. But fortunately for me, it ended up sounding great! I even added a double-bass-drum section, where I managed to balance the boomy sound of the drums through the work of EQ filters, a powerful tool.

Cataclysm

The basis of this track finds itself rooted a lot in the previous one, as I wanted it to feature guitars and heavy action. The aesthetic difference of this track from Bloodlust is that I wanted this one to be more energetic and center itself around a high-register guitar solo. I did make another version of this, but I added a backing drone that got way too muddled with the bass line for being in the same register. I shifted the line up an octave, and now you have this track.

Lobby Theme

This would be the theme that plays in the lobby. I went for something a little heavy to remind the player that indeed, this is a gun game, but made it sound ethereal towards the middle to remind the player that these guns use magic. I think the mix came out really nice because I learned how to control the instruments volume sliders, and not let it break the DAW's limiter to make it sound muffled.

Shop Theme

This is supposed to be the shop theme. It may kind of sound serious compared to shop themes from other games, but I kind of wanted to remind the player once again that this is a gun game and you are buying guns. In that sense, the track tries plays heavy music for that cool feeling.
© 2024 Murtaza Haque's Website
Built with Hugo
Theme Stack designed by Jimmy