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Ngadm: Round 3 Results

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Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:13:08


Gah, this time the delay was huge :(. a 2 day delay: this means that you all have till the 11th February to submit your song, but if you can, submit it before that so on the 9th of February we can start judging. Anyway, as a general comment, again, I was extremely impressed by the masterpieces submitted this time. So much, that I only gave either a 10 or a 9 to each submission. Next time I'll be harsher, I promise :(. Well, at least I tried harder to make better reviews now that we're approaching the finals :). Anyway, I said this before but I'll say it again. Thanks a lot to SBB who judged for this round; we now have 3 judges again!

By the way, remember, please don't post until I say so, which will be right after the results/deadlines post. Unfortunately, yet again, we're unable to do the pairings right now, but expect them tomorrow. Again, sorry for the delay: we've been having a hard time with judges as all of you know, and also Group 2 is experiencing a few problems as well. Still, we're managing, and we have some awesome plans for next year if any of you care to join again! Oh, and I'm going to post Darklight's results like I did last time, for the same reasons as before (yes, he likes watching movies...). I'll be using my alt DarkShadow166 because of the '4 posts per half an hour' rule, but whatever, you all know the drill :).

Finally, as a cheesy outro, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who's participating in this competition. You're all really talented: to be able to think up such great songs in only 2 weeks is a feat that anyone would give respect to. I wish you all good luck in Round 4, and to those who didn't make it, tough luck, I'm being honest when saying that every submission was amazing. Just a reminder: don't post until after the results thread, and in conclusion, enjoy the ridiculously delayed results!


Review Request Club | CHECK THIS OUT | Formerly Supersteph54 | I'm an Audio Moderator. PM me for Audio Portal help.

BBS Signature

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:16:13


RESULTS - SUPERSTEPH54

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SUMMARY : Wow, that's one rough bass.

REVIEW : For your second dubstep song, wow, this is actually rather good. The first thing that I noticed is how well it fit with the name. The hi-hats all over the place sort of represented teeth clattering, and the bass kind of sounded like teeth grinding. This song seriously gets you in the mood for a fight :P. The samples sound really amazing too. That kick was excellent, hats sounded awesome, so did the crash cymbal, but my favourite would definitely be that awesome snare. Bass sounded awesome and you used it to its full extent throughout the song which was great. Synth at 0:54 sounded nice too. I also really like your intro - one of my favourite parts from the whole song. That scraping effect in the background was so cool, and the hats just added to the tension. Vocal sample provided an excellent transition, and the crashes you added throughout the song gave some really good transitions too. Melody was very catchy, and fit well with the song. Now for the bad news. To start with, the ending was weird. I don't know if you intended this to loop or not, but as a song the ending is strange and pretty abrupt (face it, hi-hats can't end a song :\), and as a loop, it doesn't loop too smoothly either (since you started the intro with a crash cymbal, when you ended the song and it looped, the crash cymbal sort of came out of nowhere, providing a rather rough loop). Also, the song does have some repetitive parts. I expected the bass to be crazy, random, and all over the place, but it's easy to catch some monotonous repetitions of the melody throughout the song. Also, the high pitched synth at 0:54 needed a bit more variety too. Anyway, all in all, a very interesting and unique submission, which sounds really great, and it's fun to listen to. Some repetition issues, and a weird ending, but overall, loved it! 9/10!

SCORE : 9/10

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SUMMARY : Another amazing song!

REVIEW : Wow, you really excel at drum'n'bass. Actually, your submission and Bjra's are quite different, even though I expected them to be alike. They start out the same - epic intro, then at around the 0:50 marker, the beat kicks in and leads the song into awesomeness, but from then on, they take seperate paths. Bjra's keeps the rough bass going along with the drums, keeping generally the same mood and rhythm, while yours ventures more. I hear ambient parts (1:32), rhythm changes (3:22), tempo changes (4:08), beat pace changes (E.G.: the beat at 0:50 is much slower than the one at 1:55) and overall a lot of creative variety throughout the song (sorry if I'm not making much sense - this is almost the first time that I'm reviewing songs like this). It's these little things that keep a song interesting for a whole 4 minutes and a half ^^. Anyway, lets start with the intro. As I already said, it was EPIC. That high-pitched synth really set off your "shrieking" feel, and the guitar gave it even more power. At first, TBH, I thought this was going to be a song full of random untimed (I'm pretty sure it's a word) noises here and there, but as soon as the beat kicked in, I was blown away by the superb power that this song evokes. The beat compliments that guitat-like sound a lot, and it was decently varied. I also really liked your creative use of vocal samples, and the effects you put on them made them sound even better. All of the sounds you used were great as well. Loved the drum samples, and all the synths sounded awesome. My only complaint is the rough transition at 3:09. I think that part puts you off for a little, and you sort of lose track of the song's rhythm. Maybe you should find a way to smoothly transit from 3:09 to 3:22, leaving out that weird solo in the middle. Still, that's not enough to stop me from giving you a 10. Keep up the great work: Bjra may impress everyone with his "I'll beat you at your own genre" tactic, but it's hard to beat someone who makes DnB sound so awesome :P. Great job!

SCORE : 10/10

___________________________

Bjra - 9 / 10
Quarl - 10 / 10
___________________________

Continues on next post...

Review Request Club | CHECK THIS OUT | Formerly Supersteph54 | I'm an Audio Moderator. PM me for Audio Portal help.

BBS Signature

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:18:53


At 1/28/10 03:16 PM, Supersteph54 wrote:
Continues on next post...

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SUMMARY : Nice job!

REVIEW : This sounds really good, and to some point sounds also quite creative and unique, considering how hard it is to make a trance song sound unique since it's probably the most popular genre on NG. The synths sound pretty good. I liked the synth at the beginning, and the one at 3:18 sounded great too. Saw synth was a bit generic, but sounded nice nevertheless. The snare rolls were cool too, such as the ones at 1:14 and 4:02-ish, and they provided good transitions. Speaking of transitions, I enjoyed the excellent transitions you did around the song, and the use of filters was fantastic. The melodies were calming but still great, such as the one at 3:18, and the background depth was impressive too. I also enjoyed that long and gradual buildup you did at 3:10. Now for the bad news. Firstly, the intro dragged on a bit too long, even for a trance song (yeah, I've noticed that your intros are a bit long and monotonous). I think it's better to introduce some more things such as melodies, pads and effects and stuff a little earlier towards the intro, to keep the listener interested as new stuff comes in the song. Also, I think this lacks some sort of climax. Maybe some part where some epic melody along with powerful drums and amazing background depth, since there were a few parts in the song such as 1:21 and 2:15 where I expected a powerful climax to come in but it never came. Also, the drums were quite repetitive. Finally, outro was slightly weird. Perhaps trying to slowly fade the song out from about 6:44 onwards would provide better results. Still, overall, for a trance song, this has quite a lot of creativity, and there were some awesome transitions and buildups. Just work on making the intro a bit less monotonous, adding more variety on the drums, adding some climax and working on the outro. These nitpicks force me to give you a 9, but keep up the awesome work!

SCORE : 9/10

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SUMMARY : One of the best songs from this round!

REVIEW : This is a really cool song, and it shows that you don't only excel at trance, but techno too. I mean, wow, to start with, the variety was genius. I really can't find anything repetitive as new things were introduced all over the place. You also had many things happening at the same time, yet your song didn't get cluttered or random whatsoever. So yeah, song structure, blend and variety are definite wins for me. Vocal samples were also a very nice touch. Unfortunately, this is quite a bassy song, and the bass is quite powerful and intense. Maybe a weaker bass would work, to leave some space for all the other sounds you have. Still, that isn't much of a problem. Perhaps you should make the intro a bit more creative than just a simple fade in and quick buildup, and also making the outro a bit better than a fade out. IMO, the intro and outro are important parts of a song, since the intro gets the listener interested and convinces him/her not to press the 'Back' button, and the outro leaves the listener with a good impression of the song. By working on the intro and ending, I think it'd do wonders to this almost-perfect track. Also, at times, the drums were slightly overpowering such as 2:18. Anyway, that's enough nitpicks; back to the advantages. This has extremely good transitions, namely the ones at 2:15-ish and 2:47, and there were some great buildups such as the one at 1:33-2:18. The melodies are also quite unique, and all of the different sounds you used were excellently done. The high-pitched plucked square was a nice touch, too. Drums, apart from the fact that they were occasionally a bit too loud, were brilliant, and the samples you used were great too, and also extremely unique (that snare doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard before :P). Well, overall, this sounds amazing, and it shows that you never cease to impress. I just gave you a 9 because of the occasional overpowering drums, uninteresting intro/outro and ridiculous amounts of bass :P. Overall, keep it up!

SCORE : 9/10

___________________________

Osher - 9 / 10
xKore - 9 / 10
___________________________

Continues on next post...

Review Request Club | CHECK THIS OUT | Formerly Supersteph54 | I'm an Audio Moderator. PM me for Audio Portal help.

BBS Signature

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:21:02


At 1/28/10 03:18 PM, Supersteph54 wrote:
Continues on next post...

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SUMMARY : You've critically damaged your opponent...

REVIEW : Wow, this is just so amazing. Boss battle music at its best. Seriously, from the beginning I was instantly hooked to this song, and its action-packed rhythm leaves me gasping for breath. I mean, wow, this song is so fast-paced! I'll start with the melodies. They are flawless. The main melody is probably the best melody from the whole song, and I also liked that although you varied the foreground so much, the fixed background kept the song from becoming repetitive. Harmonization, especially towards the end, was so amazing. When it comes to to the transitions, they're some of the best tranasitions I've heard in a long while. The transition at 0:23 would probably be my favourite. I always like those transitions where the song goes quiet for a bar or two, and in that bar some sweep, reverse cymbal or drum buildup plays to kick the song into its full power, and you executed that perfectly. My only very very small complaint would be at 1:36, which I think was just slightly anti-climatic. I mean, you gave the song all that power with those fast notes and the gradual buildup, and then it sort of calms down a slight bit (not that this song is ever calm, but you get what I mean xP). I would suggest doing a transition similar to the one at 0:23 at 1:36: the song goes quiet, and then some sweep and a quick buildup gets the song back to its former awesomeness with one hell of an epic crash cymbal or something. Also, you could consider a slight tempo change, where the song slows down like -60 BPM or so for around a second, and goes back to its former tempo the next second as it reaches the peak of the buildup, and then the song continues. Just something to make that epic transition a bit more epic and dramatic. The drums are flawless, not much else to say about that, and the intro/outro were both brilliant. The intro had a great buildup, and the ending was awesome too (I also liked that you added those wind-chimes). Overall, my only complaint is the slightly anti-climatic part at 1:36. That's the only slight nitpick I could find, because other than that, the song is perfect. Keep up the epic work! Gah, I'm giving out too many 9's and 10's...

SCORE : 10/10

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SUMMARY : Quite generic...

REVIEW : ...but still very well done. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The transitions were very well executed, and there were loads of cool effects, snare rolls and epic transitions to keep the song flowing smoothly. What I liked were the buildups in this. There was a cool buildup at the beginning where you gradually introduced new things, plus the building down at the end was very well done too. Synths all sounded great, except that bass synth which IMO is probably the most generic thing in this whole song. It is pretty hard to get bass to sound original and not generic, but give it a try and it can do wonders to your song. The main saw synth sounded nice, and I liked that pad-like sound in the background: it provided a lot of good depth to the song. The melodies actually didn't sound too generic at all, and I enjoyed listening to them. Main melody, although slightly repetitive, sounded great, and all the other effects and background synths complimented it very well. When it comes to the intro, as you said, it's not too good. You started the intro pretty well with the automation on the drum filters at the beginning, but then at 0:25 it sort of lost its touch, since it became a bit bland. Still, the buildup after made up for it. What I like about this is that it's a mixture of different genres, and that's what I find really good about your songs. This is definitely trance because of the stuff around the beginning and the end, and it also has some hardstyle aspects to it, plus the part at 2:08 sounds really dancey and the glitch effects were a nice touch, all in all producing a great song like this. Unfortunately, the ending doesn't seem complete. Although towards the outro you had a great build-down, the end sort of leaves the listener saying 'is that it?', which is rather weird. Well anyway, overall it sounds awesome, and the mix of different genres is fantastic. It's just that the song sounds a little generic and the intro/outro need a little bit of work, so I'll give you a 9 instead of a 10. Keep it up.

SCORE : 9/10

___________________________

Blackhole12 - 10 / 10
djInTheDark - 9 / 10
___________________________

Continues on next post...

Review Request Club | CHECK THIS OUT | Formerly Supersteph54 | I'm an Audio Moderator. PM me for Audio Portal help.

BBS Signature

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:24:39


At 1/28/10 03:21 PM, Supersteph54 wrote:
Continues on next post...

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SUMMARY : I can't... I just can't...

REVIEW : I can't stop my jaw from gaping wide open. Wow, you just get better and better at this. You're a seriously good competititor to the DM, and I'm sincerely extremely impressed by this submission. First thing that you'd notice would be the amazingly calm and relaxing atmposphere that you evoked, but the varied and glitched drums provide an excellent contrast to the warm and slow pads. Speaking of warm and slow pads, they were beautiful. I liked the beginning pad the most, but the one that sounds like an organ which comes in after sounds great too. Glitch effects, as usual, were pristine, and I particularly liked your drum work in this. That snare just sounds so cool and fits flawlessly in this song, plus those hats that came in playing along the organ-ish pad matched so well with the atmposphere. I mean, wow, how do you manage to make such an amazing atmposhere with glitched drums such as those? When it comes to the intro, I think it was the perfect way to start this song up, and lol at the ending :P. Like MH16, I was hoping that the A note would come in, and I was happy it did xP. Seriously though, that ending is very good, and the song feels complete after hearing that brilliant ending. I also liked that ritenuto you did at the end, it was great. The melodies are flawless, and it's hard to believe such long notes can sound so good (yeah, as you already know, ambient isn't one of my favourite genres :P). The only thing I'm probably not too sure about would be the transition at 1:22. I feel that the glitch effects should always be in the background in a song like this, so when the glitch effects took over for those 2 bars or so, it sort of ruined the atmosphere, before you continue the atmosphere with that organ-like pad again. Maybe you could make the song quiet, add some subtle effects in those bars, add some heavily reverbed sweep or reverse cymbal, and then continue it like that, providing a more subtly and smooth transition. Anyway, just a suggestion which won't stop me from giving you a 10. You're a very talented producer, and I really enjoyed this submission. Keep up the amazing work!

SCORE : 10/10

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SUMMARY : Starts good, gets better.

REVIEW : Wow, I think you're one of the best New Wave artists I've ever heard on NG. This song sounds euphoric, and has excellent melodies. It starts with some really good tunes, and gets even better as new melodies are introduced. All the instruments you used sound awesome too - the guitar was cool, and the chimes were a very nice touch. I also liked the part at 1:18 where a new synth in the background was introduced. The drum work was pretty good - could be better, since at times I think the drums were a bit too weak, but overall nice percussion, which was well varied. Speaking of variety, I really liked the variety in this song. Maybe the bass was slightly repetitive, but other than that, the variety was top-notch. Shakers added to the submission as well. As for the outro, it was OK, but I think it'd be better if you ended it with a bit more of a satisfying bang instead of a subtle and slightly weird/abrupt ending. What bothers me a bit would be the production of this song. The volume levels could use a bit more work - maybe you could turn that bass up a little and at times turn the drums up a tad bit too. Loved the intro, by the way. I can't think of any other better way to start the song ^^. What annoys me a little, though, would be the transition at 1:07. First, I hear an epic drum transition, and I expect a powerful beat playing along with a fast-paced melody, but the drums switch from powerful to weak way too suddenly, and so it ends up as a rough transition.I'd suggest either making the drums at 1:09 more powerful, or making the drum transition at 1:07 a little less powerful, to even them out. Still, other than the fact that the 1:07 transition is rough, the drums need a bit more work, the outro is slightly weird and the mastering isn't too good, this is a very nice song, and I enjoyed it a lot. The problems I mentioned may seem like a lot, but they're only small nitpicks, which didn't stop me from enjoying this song. Definitely keep up the awesome work! 9/10.

SCORE : 9/10

___________________________

SessileNomad - 10 / 10
vanguard182 - 9 / 10
___________________________

Darklight17's results come next!


I am Step's alt.

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:26:34


At 1/28/10 03:24 PM, DarkShadow166 wrote: Darklight17's results come next!

Blackhole12 - Critical Damage:

What else can i say but wow? Everytime i hear any one of ur songs, i just think ur getting better :S . Anywayz, great song on all terms basically. Intro was great and provided a brilliant and varied build up into the main melodies. Drums in the intro were as varied as anywhere else, which is particularly impressive, seeing as you somehow managed to vary ur drumbeats after every pattern or so. Instrument choice was interesting too. The choirs at the end and in the beginning could've used more a bass (maybe a male choir?) and the same goes for most of the song as bass was sadly lacking and this in turn reduced the overall depth. Slightly repetitive in certain areas too, but i admit that it could stand as a chorus and as such is accepted. Chord progressions were fascinatingly original and the fact that they werent always played by the same instrument helped too. Melodies were fast paced and mixed well with the drums, they also changed and the fact that u managed to intermix melodies together all over the place was a amazing too. Great job. Indeed, the outro for this is one of the best ive heard from you so far. It closed the song off nicely and even managed to include a nice ending for the drums. Great work. Overall, this is a great piece and it fully deserves its high points. It definetely shows that u dedicated ur time and will to this as whenever you do that, you come up with masterpieces.

Intro/Outro = 1/1
Blend = 2/2
Mel./Transition = 2.5/3
Drums + Bass = 2/2
Originality = 2/2

Score = 9.5/10
______________________________
Quarl - Shriek:

Interesting piece. To start off, introduction seems a bit random and unorganized for my tastes, even for a genre such as this one, you should stick with some kind of structure and not introduce notes all over the place. Still, the main melody with the guitar was pretty cool but the instrument with the whiny tone didnt exactly mix well with the rest. Melody also tended to get slightly repetitive too. In terms of blend and background, sadly lacking and in some places even discordant. What i really liked was the originality with the voice. The words were well chosen and the pitch bending on the second one was awesome. Drums were also really cool on this, and mixed well with anything that was playing above them. However, they seemed to be slightly repetitive in some parts. They could do with alterations in some parts where the melody gets different and faster. Bass was also lacking and even though this genre isnt particularly relient on bass, something else in the background could most definetely help. Overall, a nice and varied use of FX helped too, melodies responded well to both change in tempo and mood. Originality was pretty high but more overall variety could have been used. Outro was great too, with a nice but slightly abrupt fade out.

Intro/Outro = 0.5/1
Blend = 1/2
Mel./Transition = 2.5/3
Drums + Bass = 1.5/2
Originality = 2/2

Score = 7.5/10
______________________________
Bjra - Toothgrinder:

Decent work. Intro was fantastic and set off the mood brilliantly, it also provided a great build up into the main melody which then transitioned well through a great use of vocals wavs. Melodies after that were varied and intricately layered, with a great use of effects to top them all off. The melodies were however slightly repetitive and although in certain songs this may provide a sense of familiarility, it didnt quite work in this one. Drums, although not varied a lot, were quite a decent work and the panned hi hats and heavy kicks set their mood off quite well. Bass, although slightly rough, followed an ungeneric progression providing something new around every turn. It also mixed well with the top melodies and the fact that it came up in register to respond to the melody in some parts helped too. Overall depth was quite decent and the originality u used in mixing together the instruments helped to give the listener something new and interesting. Outro was great and even though it is in a song format, it loops brilliantly, in fact it looped twice before i noticed. There's only a tiny bit of irregularity between the snare at the end and the cymbal in the beginning, but other then that, brilliant work.Although i must admit that it isnt one of your greatest works, it is quite impressive and fits the genre well.

Intro/Outro = 1/1
Blend = 2/2
Mel./Transition = 2/3
Drums + Bass = 1.5/2
Originality = 1.5/2

Score = 8/10
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djintheDark - Tomorrow is Coming:

Amazing work. Intro instantly set off the mood well with a brilliant use of a phaser on the hi-hats and a nice use of bass. The build up and transition into the main melody was awesome too. drums were same as in every trance song however and could've used some slight originality even though they fit in well with the bass. The fading in melody after the drums cut out was brilliantly introduced but when it repeated for around 5 times, well that got a bit annoying. However, blend and depth after that were amazing for a trance song as the music was intricately layered and mixed. The effects were well used and got the users attention brilliantly. Drums remained the same when they came in for the second time and couldve used a variation. Bass in the secodn part was slightly repetitive too and although it played a great melody, some variations wouldve helped. The Outro was fantastic too, with an interesting fade out by the bass and a continued line by the drums, overlayered by a great Sound Effect. Nice work. Synth choice was great but couldve used something more, maybe anotehr synth playing a responding melody to the main line. Chord progressions were quite original and i couldnt hear any parts were they followed any generic pattern. Overall, a decent piece of work, great use of both instruments and FX.

Intro/Outro = 1/1
Blend = 1.5/2
Mel./Transition = 2/3
Drums + Bass = 1.5/2
Originality = 2/2

Score = 8/10

Continues on next post...

I am Step's alt.

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:28:27


At 1/28/10 03:26 PM, DarkShadow166 wrote:
Continues on next post...

______________________________
xKore - Distorted:

Ever since, you started submitting in this competition, u've managed to make me fall in love with every single one of your submissions, and this one is no different. Intro was instantly great, with a less powerful feel then the main melody, but with enough depth to catch the listener's attention. The transition and build up into the main melody were almost perfect,with only a slight feeling on my part that the build up could've been longer. The punchy bass drum was what really built up this song though, aided by the magnificent use of bass and slightly glitch melodies. The rest of the drums were brilliant too, coming in in all the right moments to bring this song to the net level. The glitchy melodies were simply fantastic, climaxing, changing tempo, anti climaxing and overall doing nothing but being perfect. What i particularly liked was the fact that you put enough attention in providing a background through some faint pads and some fantasic Sound FX. Reverb and delays were particularly thought out too, with not too much or too little being added. The originality in the vocals, which were set at perfect times around the song, was simply amazing. Outro was fantastic to, closing off the song perfectly. In my opinion, this song is overally Amazing and there's really nothing i can find that reduces its score.

Intro/Outro = 1/1
Blend = 2/2
Mel./Transition = 3/3
Drums + Bass = 2/2
Originality = 2/2

Score = 10/10
______________________________
Osher - Classic:

A decent piece. Interesting intro, with a nice, albeit a very long, intro. Particularly great build up into the main melody but this was then cut short when the melodies failed to climax into anything. Background got slightly repetitive after a while and lacked any sort of build up as well. Drums too were slightly repetitive but u varied them later so no points go down for that. Originality was particular in instrument choice and use of effects. Interesting fade out made it more fun to hear and the FX u used improved the quality quite a bit. What i particularly liked was the use of responding instruments as they interlocked with the main melody. Depth however was sadly lacking, and it could've used more harmonization of instruments in the background. The interlude in th middle was brilliantly placed and provided a welcome break from the normal trance beat. Outro although slightly abrupt was great and it even looped very well with the intro. Overall, decent job, but could've used more work.

Intro/Outro = 0.5/1
Blend = 1.5/2
Mel./Transition = 2/3
Drums + Bass = 1.5/2
Originality = 2/2

Score = 7.5/10
______________________________
SessileNomad - Bipolar:

Incredible, simply incredible. I cant say i found a lot that sounded wrong, even from the point of view of anyone who hates this style, this is simply something you can never ignore. A brilliant, atmospheric intro, with amazing glitchy melodies. The build up into the main melody was simple sublime, nothing wrong whatsoever with the transition. U also looked like u put extra focus into building the atmosphere, and it paid off, as the depth and background on this was simply fantastic. The chords in the background were simple amazing, harmonized beyond perfection. The gltichy melodies, as ive said before, caught my attention and didnt let go till the song had looped five times. Simple superb, varied, interesting, harmonized, everything that makes them perfect really. Drums too, were focused and varied, providing a steady rhtym which paid off in terms of both overall originality and background blend. Outro was great too, closing the song off fantastically. Theres only one thing i can find that bothers me (arent i picky :p) and that was that the song felt like it was building up towards a superb climax but this never actually came! Still, overall, this is a great song and fully deserves all the high points it can get.

Intro/Outro = 1/1
Blend = 2/2
Mel./Transition = 2.5/3
Drums + Bass = 2/2
Originality = 2/2

Score = 9.5/10
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Vanguard182 - Rise:

Not bad, not bad at all. The intro was definetely something you should be proud of. It immiedetely set the template for a great song. With a superb but slightly long build up. The interesting beat in the background from the start was simply fantastic and added to the general atmosphere, which was yet again great. The synths which came afterwards, slowly fading in and building up, played some pretty awesome melodies, which sadly, got slightly repetitive after a while. The drums, although slightly too faint, were quite good, varied and providing a steady beat. I particularly loved the way they mixed in with the middle section, setting off the mood brilliantly. The thing which really bugged me however was the sad lack of bass. I thought i could hear a bass playing faintly in the background, but whether it was there or not, it should definetely be louder. Originality was also quite little. Chord progressions were slightly on the generic side as was the beat. But still, the main part of the song was great. Outro was slightly abrupt but left the listener hanging, wishing for more, so great work on that behalf. Overall, great work on most parts.

Intro/Outro = 1/1
Blend = 2/2
Mel./Transition = 2.5/3
Drums + Bass = 1.5/2
Originality = 1.5/2

Score = 8.5/10
______________________________

SBB's results come next!


I am Step's alt.

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:30:35


Just to clear up I gave the (imo) best of the entries a score of 10,0, so the score of all other entries are in comparison to that particular track. So not totally like an ng review. Supersteph54 thinks I'm being all harsh, and in that case, please excuse any harshness that may ensue, it is purely intentional.

Blackhole12 - Critical Damage [7,5]

This piece of music stays energetic throughout the whole composition, it maintains an almost constant state of excitement but still leaves room for dynamics and variation. Less desirable features of the track: the drums don't really punch through the mix very much, and the sound of the track as a whole feels a bit plain/flat.

Quarl- Shriek [7,0]

Very suspenseful track that eventually breaks out nicely, but not impressively. There seems to be a lot of work put into the track with its detailed sound effects, mutating synths and clever mood changes. The mood seems to wander about; there is no clear direction. Production feels a bit rough around the edges.

Bjra - Toothgrinder [9,0]

This is a very dark and ballsy dubsteb track with a cleverer-than-usual bass line. There is a great deal of bass, distortion and reverb in the track, and as a result the mix is (perhaps unavoidably) quite muddy. It has a very aggressive attitude, but is still very enjoyable. Some calmer, more suspenseful parts break up the track nicely. An odd, but very satisfactory listen.

djinTheDark- Tomorrow is Coming [7,5]

Starts off with a deep, promising intro, resolves into a generic, but great sounding high-energy dance part. Then it... doesn't seem to keep up with itself. Around the middle mark, the song feels like just another one of so many other trance tracks on this website, even though the production quality is a few notches above most of them.

xKore- Distorted [10,0]

The intro is one of the most creative and skillfully done segments in any track I've heard in a long time. Somehow manages to create a pumping, intense and bassy sound without any significant loss in sound quality. Very cool attitude, so many clever ideas put into the track. The DEEP bass contributes a lot to the mood, but it may be a bit intense and fatiguing at high levels. In my opinion it is by far the best sounding and most creative track in the contest.

Osher - Classic [8,0]

Another nice, energetic track with a lot of cool retro-sounding synths. Features a nice deep kick but still has a very airy hi-fi sound compared to other entries. Feels a bit generic and clichéd at times, and could probably have been a lot shorter. After a while you want something more, but you don't seem to get that. A little disappointing. However, the tune sounds very likable and is very well mixed.

SessileNomad - Bipolar [6,0]

The song features a very relaxed, majestic intro with pads, and then there's a bunch of very hectic percussion going on in the background. The two styles seem to fit somewhat, but only very barely. It could probably do a lot better with some more controlled percussion and more pronounced beat. It is a quite original concept, but I don't think it works out too well.

Vanguard182 - Rise [6,0]

Quite unlike the other entries, this is a very optimistic, upbeat track. There are some major problems with the track: the drum track seems to be so soaked in reverb that it's only a bad photocopy of itself. Thus, even with the lively drum arrangement there is not much punch at all. The sound of the track is a bit too odd to be very enjoyable. A good composition which could have had a much better production.

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:34:25


And here are the results! (they're covered in SBB's harsh scores :P) No ties this time xD.

-ROUND 3 RESULTS-

Bjra vs Quarl - Winner: Bjra
9 + 8 + 9 = 26/30 vs 7 + 7.5 + 10 = 24.5/30
8.67/10 vs 8.16/10

Osher vs xKore - Winner: xKore
9 + 8 + 7.5 = 24.5/30 vs 10 + 9 + 10 = 30/30
8.16/10 vs 10/10

Blackhole12 vs djInTheDark - Winner: Blackhole12
10 + 9.5 + 7.5 = 27/30 vs 7.5 + 8 + 9 = 24.5/30
9/10 vs 8.16/10

SessileNomad vs vanguard182 - Winner: SessileNomad
10 + 6 + 9.5 = 25.5/30 vs 6 + 8.5 + 9 = 23.5/30
8.5/10 vs 7.83/10

Winners of Round 3:
Bjra
xKore
Blackhole12
SessileNomad

--------------

And the remaining deadlines:

9th February - Round 4 complete.
11th February - JUDGING PROCESS - 2 participants left.
--
2nd March - Round 5 complete.
4th March - Teh Judgement Day - Winner announced.

--------------

Alright, that's all for today, you may post! As we always say, get producing!


I am Step's alt.

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:36:05


løl! I can see why you thought I was harsh. You just praised everything, haha. I guess that makes me simon cowell.

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:37:28


9 + 8 + 7.5 = 24.5/30 vs 10 + 9 + 10 = 30/30

does not compute...

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:44:35


Hey, this is my alt account which I'm sharing with Darklight17. I'm posting with this one since I can't post with DarkShadow166 OR Supersteph54 for like 15 minutes...

At 1/28/10 03:36 PM, SBB wrote: løl! I can see why you thought I was harsh. You just praised everything, haha. I guess that makes me simon cowell.

Yeah, I have a habit of doing that...

At 1/28/10 03:37 PM, SessileNomad wrote:
9 + 8 + 7.5 = 24.5/30 vs 10 + 9 + 10 = 30/30
does not compute...

Darn it, I thought I fixed that...

Oh well, everyone makes mistakes :P.

9 + 8 + 7.5 = 24.5/30 vs 10 + 9 + 10 = 29/30
8.16/10 vs 9.67/10

Happy now? xD.

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:45:47


At 1/28/10 03:44 PM, Raven-Guard wrote:

9 + 8 + 7.5 = 24.5/30 vs 10 + 9 + 10 = 29/30
8.16/10 vs 9.67/10

Happy now? xD.

No, because I lost :P

But yeah, 10 + 9 + 10 does NOT = 30/30.

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:46:23


Happy now? xD.

your damn right im happy now!

when are the new pairings coming?

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:48:54


At 1/28/10 03:46 PM, SessileNomad wrote:
Happy now? xD.
your damn right im happy now!

when are the new pairings coming?

"Unfortunately, yet again, we're unable to do the pairings right now, but expect them tomorrow."

You never read everything, do you? :P

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 15:51:41


At 1/28/10 03:48 PM, Raven-Guard wrote:
At 1/28/10 03:46 PM, SessileNomad wrote:
Happy now? xD.
your damn right im happy now!

when are the new pairings coming?
"Unfortunately, yet again, we're unable to do the pairings right now, but expect them tomorrow."

You never read everything, do you? :P

lol oh, that happened last time as well, and i believe i said, god dammit i need to read more

im not gona say it again

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 17:19:19


At 1/28/10 04:47 PM, Bjra wrote: WOOWOO. oh shit wait xkore is still not knocked out. FFFFFFFFUUUUUUU

YEEHAWWW

Ngadm: Round 3 Results

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 17:28:41


At 1/28/10 05:19 PM, xKore wrote:
At 1/28/10 04:47 PM, Bjra wrote: WOOWOO. oh shit wait xkore is still not knocked out. FFFFFFFFUUUUUUU
YEEHAWWW

lul

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 18:41:54


Yay! I lost!!

I expected it. I would have been surprised if I HAD won. I've been very very busy lately with NeonProjects EDM Album and getting signed by ArtistCraze. Had I not had this happen at once I would have been able to concentrate more on it. Oh well, hopefully I won't be as busy next year.

Congratz BlackHole and good luck!!


The Main Thing is to keep the Main, Thing the Main Thing.

Latest Song: Retraktion [House/Electro] / Latest Mix: Voltaicly Uncondensed

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Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 19:54:16


lol congrats everyone, and good luck sessile. also thanks steph and darklight for organizing things, i'd say this competition is a success because there have been some damn good quality submissions.

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 20:09:15


Unless my wrist problems resolve themselves soon I will be physically incapable of producing a song for next round.

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-28 21:06:30


At 1/28/10 08:09 PM, Blackhole12 wrote: Unless my wrist problems resolve themselves soon I will be physically incapable of producing a song for next round.

use your other hand dammit

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-29 00:12:49


At 1/28/10 09:15 PM, Bjra wrote:
At 1/28/10 08:09 PM, Blackhole12 wrote: Unless my wrist problems resolve themselves soon I will be physically incapable of producing a song for next round.
you gotta stop wanking it so hard man

:(

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-30 04:50:28


Well, its taken a while, but the pairings are finally here. Tks to Blackhole12 for making us a random pairings maker cos the first program got deleted somehow. Anywayz, here u go:

Bjra vs xKore
Blackhole12 vs SessileNomad

Good luck to all of you! A tough battle this time...

Darklight17

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-30 09:22:20


At 1/30/10 04:50 AM, Darklight17 wrote: Bjra vs xKore
Blackhole12 vs SessileNomad

ohhhhh shiiiiii

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-30 10:02:47


Its pretty obvious that xkore or bjra is gonna win, might as well dropp the other two

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-30 10:53:00


At 1/30/10 10:02 AM, Skela wrote: Its pretty obvious that xkore or bjra is gonna win, might as well dropp the other two

Now that wouldn't be dramatic would it?

Besides, you can never be too sure what SN or BH can come up with...


Review Request Club | CHECK THIS OUT | Formerly Supersteph54 | I'm an Audio Moderator. PM me for Audio Portal help.

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Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-30 11:29:41


At 1/30/10 10:02 AM, Skela wrote: Its pretty obvious that xkore or bjra is gonna win, might as well dropp the other two

way to be a DICK!!!

good luck to you blackhole

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-30 16:27:45


At 1/30/10 11:29 AM, SessileNomad wrote:
At 1/30/10 10:02 AM, Skela wrote: Its pretty obvious that xkore or bjra is gonna win, might as well dropp the other two
way to be a DICK!!!

good luck to you blackhole

No no no, my friend, good luck to you. You're going to need it after what Skela said, since I fully intend to prove him wrong. >:3

Response to Ngadm: Round 3 Results 2010-01-30 16:31:46


At 1/30/10 04:27 PM, Blackhole12 wrote: No no no, my friend, good luck to you. You're going to need it after what Skela said, since I fully intend to prove him wrong. >:3

And the drama begins.


Review Request Club | CHECK THIS OUT | Formerly Supersteph54 | I'm an Audio Moderator. PM me for Audio Portal help.

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