You have a super-obvious, straightforward and prominent main melody and that is good. For some reason this particular melody feels kinda infantile and banal - especially compared to the main melodies in your previous submissions, which were real classy and funky. It gets a lot better when it's played by the badass bassy synth from 2:15 - it sounds a lot more appropriate then.
I enjoyed the additional sounds you have in this piece - especially that chord melody at 1:12 was a real treat, and you got to show off some, err, harmonic/music-theoretical skills if you see what I mean. Some other nice things were the robotic manipulation of the distorted synth at 3:02 and the more swing kinda rhythms towards the end.
These vocoded vocals have some real meat to them - but it's a bit jumpy and the heavy effects makes the lyrics a lot less intelligible. At least the most important part - the "tonight I will be moving to that symphony" line - is pretty clear so that's good!
It wouldn't hurt to have a few variations of the main melody, and at least a third theme/part in addition to the two you already have. The second half of the song is pretty much a ctrl+c, ctrl+v of the first half, with a bit more fills and a bit more crazy. You only have material enough for a 2 maybe 3 minute song in my opinion. Also the end was lazy as shit c:
I'll just say what I have to say in no particular order... the instrumentation is good here, the piano sounds great especially. The strings are okay - still pretty boxy and obviously programmed. The vocal harmonies are wonderful! So it wouldn't hurt for them to be even more prominent. The mix is decent, nothing gets too drowned out or annoying, but it's still a bit murky. The vocals seem to clip occasionally.
The composition is a lot like your previous submission, with the minor key chord progression being outlines by the piano and the other instruments embellishing that. You're quite great at really getting the most out of a chord progression. You're using the same kind of Vsus-V-i cadence here that you've been using for the last few songs as far as I remember, and it works fine here. The addition of a different part after 3 minutes is a great idea and really helps the track. Unfortunately the climax of the song (around 3:50) isn't quite as intense as you hinted towards with the buildup.
The ending is nice, very appropritate.
Vocals have always been a bit of a weird point in your songs - this time your singing sounds just as sincere as before, but a lot stronger technically than before (the singing is a lot more defined so to speak, and it's also mostly in tune). Unfortunately the sound quality is terrible in this particular submission, the whistling quality that comes with bad noise cancellation is very prominent, and only a very thin band of frequencies get through. This also makes some of the lyrics a lot less clear. I enjoyed the lyrics, the track fits them very well.
To be a bit more specific:
The intro is freaking good. The kinda low fi cello ish sound is really haunting and the strings and sound effects everything that you have in the first 20 seconds just really make for an awesome atmosphere. Then the acoustic drums that come in are kinda okay but as I've told you I don't think they fit TOO well in the synthetic nebula of sounds you created so to speak. It's sounds a bit like what it looks like when you install electric lamps in churches, the context makes the lamps kinda awkward. Anyway moving on, the bellthing does sound good here. Yeah I already told you what I think about the flutes too. But they do sound like they're mixed a bit better here so they don't stand out as much. The guitar sounds a bit much synthetic around this part.
The transition to 1:01 feels real classy, the bassline change and big pad chord is very reminiscent of mid- to late Pink Floyd. And the guitar parts here are just great, they might as well be real. The whole atmospheric part from 1:01 to 1:46 is fantastic, I love when you can kinda sit back and mentally throw yourself into like a soft mattress of just sounds and sounds. It's great. I try to have parts like that in most of my songs. A lot of panning that spreads out the sounds and creates a huge stereo width really helps too. I think you should some high mids to make it more pleasant though.
Okay yeah so after that it kinda keeps doing what it was doing earlier, albeit with more intensity and a few added and changed up parts and so on. To be honest I don't really enjoy that part too much, mostly because of the flute probably but it's also because the time signature and rhythms are a bit jumpy and awkward. Not that you should really change that though. At 2:03 things start getting a bit more interesting and at 2:13 you really do some great stuff, the parts from here on out are very prog rocky.
2:24 to 2:45 is like so good man.
After that the guitars are aaaaalmost a bit realistic but not really. And the harmonic lines at 3:00 are neatt. Majestic. Reminded me of Animusic's Harmonic Voltage. The frantic drum and guitar and organ synth stuff after that is just like whoa that was awesome. You're actually really really good. Fuckin fantastic transition to the new calmness at 3:36. That part is great! But I wish you hadn't introduced the flute again so soon because it kinda makes me go "oh, this part again". I imagine it would feel a lot more like a big journey if you had just not included it at that moment, because just after that (4:10) you do a new and entirely different part... you don't really have to restate the main theme that many times. And it wouldn't hurt to have some space in the mix by leaving it out either.
Woah neat drumming at 4.52. And at 5:12. And see there you introduce the main theme again so you didn't really need it last time.
Brilliant ending.
It's just 6 minutes but it feels a lot longer. Which is due to it being such a varied song so it's good.
The production is okay but also generally a bit muddy. It lacks that certain polish - each instrument doesn't really shine through the mix like it should. And the bass isn't very clear at all (at times it sounds like you panned it off center? That's not good). I suspect you might have used the reverb a bit too indiscriminately. That's the main thing that hampers my enjoyment of this song (well except maybe the flute lol but that's just about my personal taste).
These instruments are wonderful, the heavily reverbed percussion do create a certain rainforest vibe. They also play with each other really nicely, I love how the guitar and the mallet instruments play appropriate variations of the same theme and complement each other. I love the melodies you're using too, the ones at 0:22 and 0:32 are wonderful and really memorable. So are the ones later on. They're awesome.
Everything is.
The dorian-ness of it all is good.
Well I think you might want to liven up that arpeggio at 1:02 a bit, cause it's 100% quantized feels a lot more like a mechanical scale run than an actual defined melody like the super strong one at 0:32. I'd either change up the timing of some notes or switch it out entirely. I love the dissonant chord at 1:21. According to your description/the background of the tune, it kinda sounds like an unwanted or unbalanced element in the ecosystem that swiftly gets balanced out after a second. Don't be afraid to really emphasize that by making it louder, since you keep it so brief anyway.
The introduction of the more standard orchestral instruments sounds really nice, and in this whole ecosystem allegory it's sounds a bit like you're zooming outwards and showing the grandeur of the habitat's biological machinery in its entirety, whereas earlier you were kinda focusing on a smaller level of it and looking at relationships between individual creatures. That's neat
The strings at 2:00 are really warm and big, I wish you had more of it. The calm part from 2:11 is kinda progrocky actually, since everything is really restrained and subtle and it has a hint of improvisation. I like the harmonized thing at 2:18 and then 2:23, it really fits your description. The transition that happens within [2:42 , 2:48] is really great, I love how easily you bring back the original melody. The last reiteration of the main theme didn't really bring too much new stuff to the table except some small variations on the theme, so maybe add something more hectic there to spice things up. The ending is pretty okay but it just kinda dies out a bit since it gradually goes down in intensity.
I really really like the little detail at 2:52 where the guitar plays a high A and there's this synthish fluttering sound behind it, and together it sounds exactly like what water droplets bouncing off leaves looks like. More of that kind of stuff would be awesome and add another layer to the whole "cooperating ecosystem" feel.
The mixing and production pretty perfect so I don't think you need to think much about that.
OMG dude I just remembered how much I miss your reviews. Amazing review, thanks so much. I need to review one of your tracks again sometime.
COMMENCE OPERATION QUOTE RESPOND.
"These instruments are wonderful"
Thanks goes to the VST of the East and West variety.
"I love how the guitar and the mallet instruments play appropriate variations of the same theme and complement each other."
Very glad you noticed that; it's not often I make those kinds of background elements because I can harmonise just as well as a minor 2nd interval can... that is, not that well at all.
"I love the melodies you're using too, the ones at 0:22 and 0:32 are wonderful and really memorable. So are the ones later on. They're awesome."
Woo, thanks! Feels good to make something original after all those remixes haha.
"Well I think you might want to liven up that arpeggio at 1:02 a bit"
Good point. I'll do that!
"I love the dissonant chord at 1:21."
Yeah thank Skye for that. He's the one who said "there needs to be something playing before that massive hit" so I decided to throw something dissonant in there for once. I'll make it louder, I agree it's waaaay too quiet.
"The introduction of the more standard orchestral instruments sounds really nice, and in this whole ecosystem allegory it's sounds a bit like you're zooming outwards and showing the grandeur of the habitat's biological machinery in its entirety, whereas earlier you were kinda focusing on a smaller level of it and looking at relationships between individual creatures. That's neat"
Best. Comparison. Ever.
"The strings at 2:00 are really warm and big, I wish you had more of it."
Yeah, those are cellos. I love their sound but I didn't use them much in this particular track (OK that's a lie, I used them a lot, but at considerably low volume), reason being the mallets and guitar and stuff provided plenty of depth already and throwing in any more depth would mud everything up.
"The calm part from 2:11 is kinda progrocky actually, since everything is really restrained and subtle and it has a hint of improvisation."
Yeah that part is taken from an idea I had. It was my first attempt at making this school project song and failed miserably: http://www.mediafire.com/?cfq7kyuypz3m64w
I hate its sound now but I had that melody locked away inside me for months and I had to find a way to do it justice.
"I like the harmonized thing at 2:18 and then 2:23, it really fits your description."
Yup, I used it again at 2:32 and one last time in 3:11 in the final reiteration of the main melody, hence the whole idea of having different motifs and stuff cooperating with each other like an ecosystem would.
"The transition that happens within [2:42 , 2:48] is really great, I love how easily you bring back the original melody."
I was actually not so sure about that transition so yay!
"The last reiteration of the main theme didn't really bring too much new stuff to the table except some small variations on the theme, so maybe add something more hectic there to spice things up."
You are absolutely right, I did try and add some xylophone arpeggios or something but they failed so I just took the xylophone rhythms I used at 1:22 and threw them in there. I'll try and think of something else.
"The ending is pretty okay but it just kinda dies out a bit since it gradually goes down in intensity."
Yeah I felt an intense ending wouldn't really work for this track. I dunno.
"I really really like the little detail at 2:52 where the guitar plays a high A and there's this synthish fluttering sound behind it, and together it sounds exactly like what water droplets bouncing off leaves looks like. More of that kind of stuff would be awesome"
Fantastic idea thanks, that's what I'll work on next time I open the project file!
"The mixing and production pretty perfect so I don't think you need to think much about that."
Sweet. I was hoping the song wouldn't clip because it peaks above 0 dB pretty badly.
Thanks a LOT for the great review man! I love your reviews.
I dunno. I might have a particularly weak point for your style since I'm consistently giving you scores so high even you don't agree with them, but I feel bad about it at all and I honestly don't feel that it's an overstatement to say that the stuff you come up with in a couple of weeks challenges the stuff of established prog rock/metal bands.
My old praise remains: the instrumentation is absolutely glorious, from the absolutely authentic sounding drums via the playful latin jazz piano to the layers and layers of tight, squeaky clean and impressive guitar playing. There seem to be more chord progressions in this entry than the other entries this round combined. I thought the flow was great as well - sure, there are a whole bunch of abrupt and unexpected transitions but after a few listens I find none jarring enough to throw me off.
This time around your submission is one major issue away from jackpot, and it's a composition-related one, for this track certainly tests the listeners endurance and attention span: the song just keeps on going and going and going at full steam with hardly any change of pace save for the occasional roadbumps (i.e wonky transitions and triplet grooves). It's like the musical analogy of a stream-of-consciousness essay with stunningly beautiful prose that doesn't actually convey a big coherent meaningful message, but has an overarching feel and certain recurring ideas, and ends up being a hell of a ride in the end.
Wow Buoy c: thank you so much for the kind review! I think I should try to find a new approach to transitions though. I think BTBAM is already doing the whole abrupt thing XD
I was surprised to hear this song from you, given your previous entries. Just goes to show that you're a pretty damn versatile and skilled artist. The thin brushed drum loop has this nice breakbeat-like rhythm which, combined with the lush pulsating pad, makes this feel like something of a liquid DnB / jazz fusion combo. Quite a departure from the fluffy orchestral and piano ballads indeed!
The piano playing has a really laidback and sophisticated style that reminds me of Khuskan's old tunes if you remember that guy. Loving the little runs at higher octaves, and the leading tones and the altered chords you imply with the piano and the bass are an absolute treat to starved analytic ears.
Your tracks have been a relief to listen to throughout the contest but man the production on this one is smoooooth. You've got snappy drums and an at times quite bright piano, but no element of the mix ever makes me want to turn the volume knob down (except to some degree the 0:56 cymbal). The drum kit has a great width, and it really opens the track up at 0:56 when it gets introduced after the mono brush kit pattern. The drum fill you ended the track with is brilliant, I wish you'd used more of that stuff and maybe expanded the tune a bit. By the way, you mentioned something about loops so just out of curiosity where are they from? ezdrummer?
Overall: top freaking class. You've become one of my favorite artists on NG and the internet as a whole.
I've loved jazz for years and have wanted to break away from purely orchestral/piano music, but all I have are orchestral sound libraries. Since I wrote this piece in the MIDI lab at the college, I had access to a broader sound palette and was all too happy to take advantage of it. I've never heard of liquid DnB until I looked it up just now. I definitely want to play around with sounds like that.
With most compositions, I'm really focused on harmonic progressions. Strangely enough, I hardly thought about chords at all with this. I just went outside of the box and improvised a pad chord progression. Then I improvised a piano part over the top...Then I improvised a bass line...I actually haven't analyzed this piece, but it was more of an improv than a true composition. I do love using upper extensions in my chord voicings though. :)
The pad and beginning percussion loop were from Mach5, and the drums and fills were EZDrummer. The piano was MiniGrand, and the bass was XPand. I really wanted to extend this piece. The big drum fill at the end was actually intended to be the pickup to the next section, but time didn't allow for that.
Thank you for the awesome review Buoy. It seriously made my day to get great comments from an artist I respect!
This submission definitely has some of the best melody work of any round, and it's backed up with chords that have a fantastic voicing and timing as well. The vibe of the piano melody and way the chords follow it remind me of Vivaldi (for lack of a better reference), and the er, 'bassline', reminds me of church psalms and organ interludes. I'm loving the rubato style of the entire instrumentation, and the playing style of the mandolin combined with the clicky double bass gives it a real organic feel. And why yes you did manage to bring forth the Godfather mood, since you're asking.
The composition is pretty decent here, you have one very strong theme that you reiterate throughout the song with varying intensity and style, and for a relatively short theme-ish track like this one I'd consider that okay. The instruments aren't pristine (especially the strings sound rather boxy) but the instrumentation definitely is. You're using a relatively large part of the orchestra to great effect.
Aw man, I would really love to hear this turned into an epic, fleshed out song, because I'm hearing little cues and ideas that would be so amayyysing if they were revisited after a turning point of sorts. Such a lot of potential. As it stands currently, yeah it's pretty underdeveloped and doesn't get to say much before it ends. You should do it sometime.
The samples feel very midi-like here and make the song sound a little bland overall. I imagine that with some tempo manipulation, better samples and more expressive playing, this tune could have conveyed just as much emotion as say Bosa's entry for this round.
And the mix is nicer than last time! Probably just because you have fewer instruments and less intensity but it's a good thing still! Heh. Anyway, overall this is freaking good for 2 hours.
Woo! I'm glad there was a lot people got from this song, despite the circumstances. I actually have figured out a whole scene for this, and if I could gosh darn animate I'd go ahead and make the whole thing a small movie. xD
And yes, I'm fairly certain I'll revisit this some day. Just don't have the ability to right now, haha, =P
That's a very interesting and intriguing intro... reminds me of sound design-oriented stuff like recent Amon Tobin and stuff. It creates a great atmosphere too. The song doesn't get TOO out there before you start adding some sounds with a more traditional tonality though ;) I love how you're able to gradually morph the song into a dancy beat from 1:22 to 1:49.
I didn't particularly enjoy the minute following that too much, since you went where many people have gone before you so to speak, and not much new happened there. Especially the kinda moobahton-ish kick pattern threw me off. Also, while the sounds fit neatly together most of the time, occasionally they feel very random and out of touch with each other - most critically so with the bloopy cheesy 80s synths at 2:45.
I'll soon forgive you for that though, because the thing you do from 3:12 to 4:08 is incredible. The strings and flute feel kinda sampled and nostalgic and amazing and incredible. I just love it. If you had an entire song oriented around that kind of thing I would love it to bits. Maybe you do :o
You have a lot of space and air in the mix, and it definitely suits the song well. No real mixing issues as far as I can hear.
So good one! Definitely one of the most original and fun entries.
The song kicks off immediately with the greatest strength of the piece - solid, catchy melodies. The fake guitars make for a pretty terrible start though, as it is not only a pretty terrible sound but also out of tune. The bass, the strings and the traditional chiptune lines sound good though, as does your use of reverb.
Most of the positive things I have to say about this track are mentioned in the review for the previous submission, because these songs are quite similar. In summary, they are: good melodies, great harmonies, neat video game-like feel.
When it changes from the hectic metal beat to a more stripped down breakbeat, that's a very welcome change of pace. Consider taking it a step further and reducing the intensity of some parts even further - intensity and blazing speeds tends to be more appreciable when separated into more digestible chunks with room for breathing inbetween. This song is also characterized by a lot of very high frequency content - even in the less intense parts, and while this makes for good ear candy upon the first listen, it leads to ear fatigue really quickly.
Symphony (GB) 
Asperges Me 
~SW~ Star Nuclei 
Ecosystem 
Alpine 
-*}CaSH{*- Ministries 
We are now in orbit 
Get up n' Fight (NGADM) 
