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- May 7, 2010
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Apocalyptic
Create a music piece which will express the destruction the apocalypse has caused, how empty a person can feel, left alone, lost many friends and family members etc. The only thing to do is to survive. Your piece can also depict an apocalyptic world where no survivors exist.
- First Place: 40 reputation points an award icon
- Second Place: 25 reputation points and an award icon
- Third Place: 15 reputation points and an award icon
- 5 reputation points for each contestant and judge
Video provided by deepstrasz.
https://www.hiveworkshop.com/attach...2/?temp_hash=944141ea39abff3d16161c9abf184847
The Hive Workshop's Music contest #6
Reviews and judging by Devine
Preface
All songs were reviewed separately, playing on loop while I was writing the reviews, which are
located further down the document. After that, the songs were compared for me to find a suitable
score for each composition. I am a student sound engineering and music production, if that is any
reference for my expertise. These reviews are subjective, as in anything in art, and if you do not
agree with me or have any questions regarding this review, you can contact me. The score, however
is final.
Scores:
1) Enzo2090 40/50
2) Nightstalker 38/50
3) Deepstrasz 37/50
4) Prince Yaser 36/50
5) Deafir 34/50
6) Brambleclaw 34/50
7) Destroyer123 33/50
8) Naze 33/50
Brambleclaw – Apocalypse Hive - 34/50
Theme /15
11/15
The theme was done justice. Some parts worked better than others, but mission accomplished.
Creativity/Originality /10
7/10
The most part was not exceedingly creative, but I did definitely hear some interesting sounds. The
sort of middle eastern violin pitch bend, with fitting percussion did work very well. The part with
piano and synths work refreshing as well, after a seemingly endless intro
Production /10
6/10
The thing that strikes me most in this production, was the programming on the violins. They really
don't sound organic, with notes coming in at an inexpressive, fixed speed and then getting cut off by
the end of the midi notes. It makes the intro sound very fake, stale and inexpressive. You also could
have put some more effort into getting movement in the velocity to create tension, and to make it
more engaging. Expression is the keyword here, and I feel your production is lacking it!
There is much room for improvement there. I do like it when you kind of abuse the computery
violins to get these unnatural portamento sounds in the exotic sounding part. Though it may sound
computery, it does sound very expressive. It works very well with the percussion, which sounds a
lot more convincing here than in other parts of the piece too.
The final part with the sort of marching band snare rolls, has a cool production. It's slightly cliché
and I don't see it fitting the more oriental instrumentation of the part before it, but that's another
story.
Composition /15
10/15
Stale as the intro might be, I will attribute that partly to the production. However, the intro still takes
looong, which is also something you have to take in mind when composing. An intro of 2 minutes is
generally not a very good idea, especially if you're not really introducing the part that comes after.
The piano part straight after, and the rest of the composition has little to do with the intro. The song
actually would have worked better without the whole 2 minutes, since what comes after is
absolutely twice as musical and interesting and has a different tone.
After a few listens, I can very clearly indicate 3 main parts. The intro, which I discussed, which
ends at 2:00, a great exotic sounding main part that ends at 4:00 when the outro is introduced.
I can see that you probably had a more nuanced structure in mind, but this is how I experience it as
an objective listener, so take that in mind. The exotic part kind of clashes with the instrumentation
of the intro and outro, which makes your composition not very consistent.
The song flows from 2:00 and becomes quite eventful after that. The outro may stylistically clash a
little with that, but it's not a very big problem. The problem here is that you make this song very
hard to enjoy at first listen, however it gets better with each listen, and I dare say that without the
first 2 minutes this would not have been a problem at all.
Deafir – Post Apocalyptic Conversation - 34/50
Theme /9
9/15
The piece fits the theme to some extend, but to be honest I'm getting more of a Perfect Day vibe by
Lou Reed, which is kind of weird in a post-apocalyptic setting. It's sort of melancholic but also very
soothing, which is maybe not the best idea (the soothing part that is).
Creativity/Originality /7
7/10
The arrangement and idea are cool. I can dig the sort of minimalistic approach of guitar versus
strings and bass. It's not a typical approach to a nerdy, bombastic theme such as the apocalypse,
which is very cool.
Production /8
8/10
The strings sound almost realistic. The notes don't really flow into each other in a legato way. Some
more tweaking, or finding a better sample library could have still made a big difference here. I also
miss some texture in them, which is important for a would be foley artist!!
The guitar sounds a bit hollow, I miss the details you are playing. I also feel like the strings are too
loud, which further makes the guitar sound a bit too hard to grasp. It is the most important element,
but it sort of disappears in the strings here and there. Some compression, or perhaps a different
microphone position, or processing could do the trick. However, this is also largely due to the
composition.
Composition /10
10/15
It's a cool piece composition-wise. It sounds fluent, sensible and it's full of intent. However, I feel
it's not really a full piece. It sounds more like a jam or a instrumental break in a pop song. I miss
some contrast harmony-wise, but also dynamically and structural. I miss a melodic theme.
While the piece is sonically pleasing, it sounds more like a freewheeling guitar solo than a
composition.
What I said earlier about the guitar being a bit too unreachable, has to do with the composition as
well, in the sense that a large part of your guitar playing is situated in the same frequency range as
your strings. They tend to get in each other's way.
Deepstrasz – Visions in Patmos 37/50
Theme 11/15
Originality 8/10
Production 8/10
Composition 10/15
I divided the previous reviews in different parts, but if I do this with your 10 minute long piece, my
review for you will be 2 pages. I'll just write it to you in a couple of paragraphs, that way I can
make more sense with less words. I really like what you did for the most part, but there is some
harsh critique in here, so buckle up. Hehe.
The use of harmony makes your intro very elusive and undefinable. It sounds like Bach without a
plan. Your musical theme is introduced in a way that it is instantly shooting in all harmonic
directions before you've actually established anything. That also doesn't give your piece a backbone
to return to in later stages, which is what this intro is trying to suggest to me. The choir part straight
after that sounds a bit unearthly but mostly awkward in its chopping. I can hear the midi, and it
doesn't add to the music in my opinion. This doesn't make the intro very satisfying, but it soon
becomes apparent what direction your going for. The intro, however becomes a rather confusing
factor in the bigger context of this composition.
You do some fun, crazy vibrato stuff after that with the choir, which is actually very interesting and
from there on, the song just goes insane, straight into the avant-garde. It's interesting, it's very
ambient, it does feel very dystopian and unsettling, and maybe a bit futuristic too. This is by far the
most interesting part of the piece. The intro doesn't quite cut it for me and it seems out of place if
you compare it to the rest of the song. Arrangement-wise it is completely different, but also
stylistically, but mostly a bit awkwardly composed. The sort of elusiveness of this part and that
reach for the skies tone ladder, makes it sound like you're not really introducing anything, but rather
forming a tonal counterpart for the later piece. It feels forced, as if you're trying to impress, rather
than to compose with a plan. When Bach leaves, his crazy avant-garde cousin takes over and the
piece becomes a totally different one. It would make more sense if it never had that baroque-ish
introduction, or if it was set up in a different way, which re-enforced the ideas that would come in
later.
Apart from the intro you created something really cool, and it does stand out for me in a couple of
regards. The textures and sound design throughout the song are outstanding. It's a shame you went
for that intro, because I would have rated your piece quite differently if you hadn't!
Some quick final notes:
Some of your soundfonts sound a bit cheap, such as the organ, certain choir parts and
probably some others too. The cheaper sounds blend well with the rest of the arrangement in
later, crazier parts of the song, so I wouldn't worry about it there.
The piece is very monotonous in active listening but it makes great background music, just
that bloody intro switches the active/passive listening thing around which is conceptually
weird too.
The silence at 1:25 sounds a bit awkward and doesn't work that well in this instance.
I can appreciate your cinematic concept, with a title like that, it works. However, maybe
your instrumentarium in the intro was a bit off too if it were to represent Patmos?
later, crazier parts of the song, so I wouldn't worry about it there.
The piece is very monotonous in active listening but it makes great background music, just
that bloody intro switches the active/passive listening thing around which is conceptually
weird too.
The silence at 1:25 sounds a bit awkward and doesn't work that well in this instance.
I can appreciate your cinematic concept, with a title like that, it works. However, maybe
your instrumentarium in the intro was a bit off too if it were to represent Patmos?
Destroyer123 – Apocalypse X 33/50
Theme 10/15
Well it works with the theme just fine. More dynamics in the production could have made this more
suspenseful, which would have worked better still with the theme.
Originality 6/10
Instrumentation is fairly standard. It stands out with a distinctive style, which is probably a nod
from your software, but it still stands out.
Production 6/10
I get a very big Runescape vibe from your piece, largely due to production and the software you
used. I'd never personally go for a sound like this, but you did manage to pull it off, though. I could
see this fit a Runescape kind of game, so you did something very right there.
This piece would work better, obviously, with more realistic sounding sound libraries, approaching
the real deal. But it can also work like this. It's just no match, emotionally, for a real classical
recording, obviously. But as far as productions like these go, it works.
I hate the sound of your timpani. Honest to god, I want to fly to wherever you live and delete it off
your hard drive. Your percussion game could have been stronger in this composition. I don't know
what the limitations of your software are, but a more elaborate percussion in this track could have
still made a very big difference.
Composition 11/15
Your composition, though slightly monotonous because of the very mechanic sounding fonts, does
one thing very right; being consistent. I appreciate this a lot. I can feel one certain thematic that
evolves. The piece is introduced in a way that makes sense, and the outro ends the piece nicely. It's
very fulfilling in that regard. I had it on loop for a while, and it makes perfect background music to
a game.
As mentioned before, your rhythm section in this piece are basic and dare I say a bit boring.
More effort into this aspect could have really taken your piece to another level.
Enzo2090 – Rotten World 40/50
Theme 12/15
The bombastic nature of your intro made me smile. You're sort of slapping us across the face with
the apocalypse here. A cliché it might be, I must admit it works very well. The rest of the song
works well too!
Originality 7/10
It's not super original, but if you have to stick to a theme, that's completely understandable.
Production 8/10
I can hear some cheap sounds here and there. But your piece has a lot of impact still.
It definitely has a dynamic and emotional range and it is well done. The sound effects fit the theme
and set the tone in a way that makes a lot of sense. The more delicate parts after that sound like it
could come from Hans Zimmer. Which is definitely not a bad thing if your writing a soundtrack
kind of composition.
Composition 13/15
I feel like the intro with strings takes itself a bit too seriously and demands too much attention,
while in reality its only purpose is to provide a contrast so the impact of the choir is maximal.
That's a small note, but from the choir and onwards, I have no real problem with anything in the
composition.
The piece really evokes an emotional response and what more can you ask for, really?
It's the best composition. It's extremely functional and it's really a roller-coaster of emotions, while
still making sense on a larger scale. I'm thoroughly impressed by this track.
Naze – Last Moon Of Hope 33/50
Theme 11/15
The theme was done justice. It definitely has a dark thematic going on.
Originality 7/10
Nothing exceedingly original here, but good enough for me!
Production 6/10
I don't really like the production all that much. The strings sound fake in their dynamics and texture,
and your drums sound thin and strongly boosted in the high end. The drums have almost no impact
left (low frequency pounding), and the cymbal are the only part that really come through because of
that.
The bassline is in there a bit too loud sometimes, and it has some weird rhythmical ideas in there
that don't quite make sense to me. Production does take something away from the composition,
which is a shame.
Composition 9/15
While the composition has some good aspects, I have one big concern.
The main melodic theme of your song doesn't work. It sounds like an embellishment to a larger
theme. It is very simple in its essence, with a very complicated and hard to listen to ornamentation
of notes. In a classical setting, this would only be used as a variation of the melody, but not as a fullfledged
theme. Therefore I think your melody and building block of the composition is inherently a
bit flawed. That and the fact that the violins sound very unrealistic and inhuman in a productional
sense, make this theme a bit obnoxious to listen to for me.
Either way, the composition is coherent in its own right and makes sense on a larger scale. The
different sections work well, and the piece has a good overall structure, which is harder than it
sounds. I can tell you had a vision when you started this piece, which is really good.
Nightstalker – Not to be overwhelmed 38/50
Theme 11/15
Slow and steady. Desolate feeling certainly prevails here.
Originality 7/10
Choosing a genre like this was a bit obvious, so nothing super original, I suppose.
Production 8/10
Your percussion is a bit stale and machine-like. Velocity changes, using more samples, variations
etc would have made the timpani sound better. The metal drums sound surprisingly convincing
(what did you use? Haha)
The guitar playing is not always in time. Just a couple of edits would have taken the production a bit
further. Violins sound good, intonation-wise, but their texture is a bit ugly. I feel like they're a bit
too mid oriented in the frequency spectrum, and their stereo information doesn't quite add up with
the rest of the track. I have the same feeling with the sluggish long drawn out guitar notes.
They don't blend that well with the drums etc, on a sound technical level.
There is one timpani hit that is duplicated somewhere in the song, and causes a phaser like double
hit (phasing issues). → Small detail.
The part at 1:40 ish really comes in with a bang. Sounds very pleasing.
It's nearing a credible production. Not quite there. Some more top high frequencies could have
really made this breathe a bit more. Your stereo imagining could have been better. If you want to
compete with other productions in this genre, where everything sounds super tight, you gotta nail
this. The standard is set a little higher in this genre for impact. The way you compress is a bit too
eager too I think, try working with some slower attack, while aiming to get the same impact with
some less compression.
Composition 12/15
Your composition is simple, but effective. Your intro builds up to a turning point which makes a lot
of sense within the song, the genre and the contest theme. There is a recurrence of certain thematics
which gives your piece a sense of consistency and wraps it up with a bow. Good stuff!
Prince Yaser – Saturated Calling 36/50
Theme 9/15
The music sounds appropriate to some extend, but partially due to production it doesn't really say
apocalypse to me.
Originality 9/10
Honestly, I like this piece a lot and that's probably because it doesn't scream apocalypse to me. It
sounds mature in its moderation. It sounds intelligent and meaningful, and more human than any of
the other pieces. While other pieces in the contest were largely depictions of post apocalyptic
nerdgasm sceneries, your piece, was an oasis of empathy and human storytelling. A portrait, maybe,
a more personal apocalypse, depicted in a bitter sweet way.
Production 6/10
Uh. Production is very low budget and crappy. But in a very charming way. It adds to that humanity
to your piece, but takes away from any post apocalyptic impact that it also could have had. The
recording was in a sense a very determining factor in this piece and certainly adds an emotional
value. I will not “punish” you for this production because I believe it's very functional. However it
could have been a lot better, even considering you were going for a low-fi vibe. More panning and
spatial effects such as reverbs, delays, echos and what have you, could have made this a million
times better still.
Look up songs like Torley Wong's - “Time Travel Ain't Easy” or Radiohead's recent “A Moon
Shaped Pool”, to see just how much effect reverbs and effects can add to a song like this.
Composition 12/15
Composition is aesthetically pleasing. It's simple but functional and it's consistent. I love the sort of
full stops in the songs where the violins fade in again. It's trippy and it kind of works.
The arrangement could have been better still. I'm thinking of a more intricate left hand for the piano
maybe.
Whew! Listening to these submissions was quite a task! There were a lot of great ideas, and it took a lot of careful thought, re-listening, and re-re-listening, but I finally have some results.
Note #1: When I'm judging music, I rarely give out perfect scores, only if a song massively exceeds expectations in that category. So if you are a few points from perfect in a given category, it still means you did excellently. I wouldn't even consider giving my own music full marks.
Note #2: I judged this contest effectively blindly. In other words, I downloaded all the submissions without writing down the artist names (0.mp3, 1.mp3, 2.mp3, etc.) and listened to them without considering who wrote the song.
I think this is a valuable way to judge because it helps the judge listen to the music alone without coloring anything with expectations and preconceived bias.
So if you didn't score as well as you would have hoped, please don't take it personally. A lower score also doesn't mean you are bad at music, just that this specific song may have room to improve. If you were critically listening to one of my songs, I would expect the same constructive criticism and good-faith advice from you.
That said, here are the scores!
NightStalker
------
Theme 11/15
Creativity/Originality 7/10
Dynamic/Tonation 9/10
Composition 12/15
This composition takes what I would consider to be the more aggressive interpretation of the theme but still a valid one.
However, I feel like there's a lot of space to explore in the contest theme that isn't completely explored here.
I don't get much of any sense of feeling alone, but the feelings of an apocalyptic event of dire magnitude are definitely present in full force.
Good dynamic variation. I can feel a real storyline playing out, with the soft beginning and gradual rise to the climactic moments, with a few calmer sections.
Layered melody and string parts starting at 1:20 were my favorite compositional element of the song.
Very nicely harmonized and layered parts, especially as a simple theme builds up into a very intricate one.
Would like to have seen a bit more compositional variety given the song's length.
Brambleclaw
------
Theme 10/15
Creativity/Originality 8/10
Dynamic/Tonation 5/10
Composition 9/15
This composition definitely has a wider range of melody, which I really like to hear in a piece. I do get feelings of the contest theme as well. They are subtle, but definitely there.
The pad that starts around the 2:00 mark is a bit overpowering; would be helpful if its volume was lowered in the mix a bit, since it overshadows the string parts.
Small technical tweak: a few of the parts fade out suddenly or have small disconnects when transitioning to a different part of the song. It would be helpful to smooth the edits in these parts.
Dynamics are a bit monotonic. You have a lot of dynamic range to work with, so it would boost the song to make use of more quiet parts rather than keeping nearly one constant volume throughout.
I like the environment change around 4:00 and the use of sound effects at the end.
Naze
------
Theme 7/15
Creativity/Originality 7/10
Dynamic/Tonation 7/10
Composition 11/15
This composition is musically detailed with a lot of layered parts and things going on. When listening, I'm less inclined to think of an apocalyptic world and more of an intense boss fight in an adventure game.
Compositionally, I find the individual instrument parts to be interesting, and the melody (and harmonies) go a lot of interesting placed I don't necessarily expect but in interesting places nonetheless.
The song has a reasonably good dynamic flow as well, with levels matching the intensity and feel of each section.
You probably would benefit by placing more instruments in different places in the stereo field, as some parts of the song get very busy and sometimes "muddy" as a result, where there isn't much space for each instrument to breathe.
enzo2090
------
Theme 14/15
Creativity/Originality 9/10
Dynamic/Tonation 9/10
Composition 12/15
This composition definitely scores well in the spirit of the contest theme. I found myself quickly imagining the exact "apocalyptic shell of a world" described in the contest.
Very good use of sound effects to shape the environment around the music, and very good musical environments as well.
The composition flows well and was also pleasantly dynamically varied.
Dynamics of music, if done properly, often will mirror the flow of a human voice, with smooth variations in volume and time taken to rest at the end of each musical passage (to take a breath, so to speak), and I could definitely hear some of these aspects in your piece.
deafir
------
Theme 4/15
Creativity/Originality 8/10
Dynamic/Tonation 7/10
Composition 10/15
Technically, this composition is very pleasant and smooth to listen to. That said, I had a lot of trouble placing it within the theme of the contest.
It inspired more serene and pleasant thoughts than "being alone in an apocalyptic world".
Within a different contest theme, I feel like this piece would score very highly, as it is very enjoyable to hear.
deepstrasz
------
Theme 7/15
Creativity/Originality 7/10
Dynamic/Tonation 6/10
Composition 5/15
I can sense aspects of an apocalyptic world in parts of this composition. Some parts depart from the theme, but some are within the theme.
I feel like all the ideas for a good piece are there, but some parts of the song could be trimmed or edited out, to make a really compelling final result.
There are a few awkward silences as well, while some parts feel too long and drawn out.
Ultimately, flow and pacing are probably the biggest hindrances to this song.
PrinceYaser
------
Theme 10/15
Creativity/Originality 8/10
Dynamic/Tonation 8/10
Composition 11/15
Although this theme might not initially sound apocalyptic, upon listening further, I can actually start imagining a world similar to the photo selected for the contest theme.
The composition itself is beautiful and holds some of the empty feelings someone would have in that world.
I like the compositional harmonies and instrument layering as well; and I definitely hear some dynamic variation and texture as well.
The sound effects add a nice additional layer to the theme as well.
The biggest issue is technical, as the stereo field sounds very tight center field and positioned almost behind the listener.
You need to take one of the channels (left or right) and invert it, and that alone will correct some of the stereo field issues.
DESTROYER123
------
Theme 8/15
Creativity/Originality 8/10
Dynamic/Tonation 7/10
Composition 9/15
This composition has aspects of apocalypse, but also intermixed with melodic choices more reminiscent of a medieval world. I suppose that is still within the contest theme, but it still doesn't strike me as strongly as I think it could.
Ultimately, instrument choice is probably the biggest change I would suggest. In other words, you could take your same themes, and orchestrated with a different set of instruments, I think you could drastically change the feel of the theme.
There is also a lot of empty space between notes, something that could be improved by adding a little more padding (sustained instruments) and a little bit of reverb.
------
Theme 11/15
Creativity/Originality 7/10
Dynamic/Tonation 9/10
Composition 12/15
This composition takes what I would consider to be the more aggressive interpretation of the theme but still a valid one.
However, I feel like there's a lot of space to explore in the contest theme that isn't completely explored here.
I don't get much of any sense of feeling alone, but the feelings of an apocalyptic event of dire magnitude are definitely present in full force.
Good dynamic variation. I can feel a real storyline playing out, with the soft beginning and gradual rise to the climactic moments, with a few calmer sections.
Layered melody and string parts starting at 1:20 were my favorite compositional element of the song.
Very nicely harmonized and layered parts, especially as a simple theme builds up into a very intricate one.
Would like to have seen a bit more compositional variety given the song's length.
Brambleclaw
------
Theme 10/15
Creativity/Originality 8/10
Dynamic/Tonation 5/10
Composition 9/15
This composition definitely has a wider range of melody, which I really like to hear in a piece. I do get feelings of the contest theme as well. They are subtle, but definitely there.
The pad that starts around the 2:00 mark is a bit overpowering; would be helpful if its volume was lowered in the mix a bit, since it overshadows the string parts.
Small technical tweak: a few of the parts fade out suddenly or have small disconnects when transitioning to a different part of the song. It would be helpful to smooth the edits in these parts.
Dynamics are a bit monotonic. You have a lot of dynamic range to work with, so it would boost the song to make use of more quiet parts rather than keeping nearly one constant volume throughout.
I like the environment change around 4:00 and the use of sound effects at the end.
Naze
------
Theme 7/15
Creativity/Originality 7/10
Dynamic/Tonation 7/10
Composition 11/15
This composition is musically detailed with a lot of layered parts and things going on. When listening, I'm less inclined to think of an apocalyptic world and more of an intense boss fight in an adventure game.
Compositionally, I find the individual instrument parts to be interesting, and the melody (and harmonies) go a lot of interesting placed I don't necessarily expect but in interesting places nonetheless.
The song has a reasonably good dynamic flow as well, with levels matching the intensity and feel of each section.
You probably would benefit by placing more instruments in different places in the stereo field, as some parts of the song get very busy and sometimes "muddy" as a result, where there isn't much space for each instrument to breathe.
enzo2090
------
Theme 14/15
Creativity/Originality 9/10
Dynamic/Tonation 9/10
Composition 12/15
This composition definitely scores well in the spirit of the contest theme. I found myself quickly imagining the exact "apocalyptic shell of a world" described in the contest.
Very good use of sound effects to shape the environment around the music, and very good musical environments as well.
The composition flows well and was also pleasantly dynamically varied.
Dynamics of music, if done properly, often will mirror the flow of a human voice, with smooth variations in volume and time taken to rest at the end of each musical passage (to take a breath, so to speak), and I could definitely hear some of these aspects in your piece.
deafir
------
Theme 4/15
Creativity/Originality 8/10
Dynamic/Tonation 7/10
Composition 10/15
Technically, this composition is very pleasant and smooth to listen to. That said, I had a lot of trouble placing it within the theme of the contest.
It inspired more serene and pleasant thoughts than "being alone in an apocalyptic world".
Within a different contest theme, I feel like this piece would score very highly, as it is very enjoyable to hear.
deepstrasz
------
Theme 7/15
Creativity/Originality 7/10
Dynamic/Tonation 6/10
Composition 5/15
I can sense aspects of an apocalyptic world in parts of this composition. Some parts depart from the theme, but some are within the theme.
I feel like all the ideas for a good piece are there, but some parts of the song could be trimmed or edited out, to make a really compelling final result.
There are a few awkward silences as well, while some parts feel too long and drawn out.
Ultimately, flow and pacing are probably the biggest hindrances to this song.
PrinceYaser
------
Theme 10/15
Creativity/Originality 8/10
Dynamic/Tonation 8/10
Composition 11/15
Although this theme might not initially sound apocalyptic, upon listening further, I can actually start imagining a world similar to the photo selected for the contest theme.
The composition itself is beautiful and holds some of the empty feelings someone would have in that world.
I like the compositional harmonies and instrument layering as well; and I definitely hear some dynamic variation and texture as well.
The sound effects add a nice additional layer to the theme as well.
The biggest issue is technical, as the stereo field sounds very tight center field and positioned almost behind the listener.
You need to take one of the channels (left or right) and invert it, and that alone will correct some of the stereo field issues.
DESTROYER123
------
Theme 8/15
Creativity/Originality 8/10
Dynamic/Tonation 7/10
Composition 9/15
This composition has aspects of apocalypse, but also intermixed with melodic choices more reminiscent of a medieval world. I suppose that is still within the contest theme, but it still doesn't strike me as strongly as I think it could.
Ultimately, instrument choice is probably the biggest change I would suggest. In other words, you could take your same themes, and orchestrated with a different set of instruments, I think you could drastically change the feel of the theme.
There is also a lot of empty space between notes, something that could be improved by adding a little more padding (sustained instruments) and a little bit of reverb.
Scoring formula: POLL_PERCENTAGE * Votes / VOTES_MAX + JUDGE_PERCENTAGE * Judge / JUDGE_MAX
Corrected
1st
NightStalker
2nd
enzo
3rd
deepstrasz
PrinceYaser has been disqualified.
Contest | Poll
