Ngadm 2011: Finals!

[Echo]

Welcome to the official NG Audio Deathmatch 2011 thread for the FINALS of the competition! Yes, that's right! We're finally here! After all this time! It's almost over! Haven't heard about the NGADM? Go here), to get all the information you need about this massive contest.

So here we are after a minor delay due to the usual problems. The quality of submissions this round was once again very high. Remember, the people who win this round are guaranteed a frontpage and a prize signature!

Before I start posting the results for each judge, I would like to remind you all of some points:

1) Please wait until I have posted all the results before posting anything yourselves, so as to avoid unnecessary confusion. I'll be using alts due to post limit and I will give the go ahead once I have finished posting the results, so you guys can start firing away :P

2) Remember that you have 2 weeks from this point to submit your new submissions for Round 3 in this thread. DO NOT post in any other thread. Just use this one. The Full Revised schedule can be found below ;)

3) PMs will be sent to everyone linking to this thread. If you have already seen this thread, please disregard anything in the PMs which speaks about this thread.

4) Please remember that each judge is free to have their own opinion. If you disagree with any of the points mentioned in a judge's review; DO NOT start an argument in this thread. Please discuss it via PMs.

5) Read the RULES again. You never know. You might have missed something.

Also, due to the delay, the schedule has been revised and can be found below:

Round 1
Starts = 01/08/2011
Ends = 15/08/2011

Round 1 Judging
Starts = 15/08/2011
Ends = 22/08/2011

Round 2
Starts = 22/08/2011
Ends = 07/09/2011

Round 2 Judging
Starts = 07/09/2011
Ends = 15/09/2011

Bonus Round
Starts = 15/09/2011
Ends = 29/09/2011

Bonus Round Judging
Starts = 29/09/2011
Ends = 03/10/2011

Round 3
Starts = 03/10/2011
Ends = 17/10/2011

Round 3 Judging
Starts = 17/10/2011
Ends = 21/10/2011

Round 4
Starts = 21/10/2011
Ends = 04/11/2011

Round 4 Judging
Starts = 04/11/2011
Ends = 07/11/2011

Round 5
Starts = 07/11/2011
Ends = 21/11/2011

Round 5 Judging
Starts = 21/11/2011
Ends = 22/11/2011

Announcement of Winners
22/11/2011

So anyway I think that's it, let the posting of the Results commence!

[Echo]

RESULTS - SUPERSTEPH54

RESULTS

midimachine - Placebos (8-bit)

• 
  Placebos (8-bit) by midimachine

  Click to listen.

  Score

  4.45 / 5.00

  Type

  Song

  Genre

  Video Game

  Popularity

  116 Views

• Loading...

SUMMARY: Improvement.

REVIEW: Yeah, this is how it's done. This is very enjoyable, and it's an improvement from your other 8-bit submission. Really awesome work mate.

I'll start by comparing this to your Round 3 submission. The melody of Thief of Heaven is a bit more likeable in my opinion, but this has a much more solid progression of the melody. You were very creative with the structure in this one I think, and I also love the variety you incorporated in the drums. It's not often you hear such fitting 8-bit drums, and they added a lot to the submission. I love the drum fills and subtle changes here and there. So yeah, no complaints on the percussion.

The transitions are very well made, and for once I don't have any complaints about the transitions. I especially liked the transition at 0:57. You've got a really nice progression, starting off with a few very simple 8-bit stabs, building up to the melody, then throwing in an awesome drum fill, a great transition and then right after the one minute marker you start a new section of the song and slowly introduce a melody later on. It's all very well thought out!

The rhythms are innovative and the melodies are playful and have nice hooks to them. The mood change at 2:56 helped to break down the monotony, and I especially like the drums here. The gradual buildup and then the eventual tying together of thematic motifs and what-not was awesome :3.

My only issue with the song is that it seems to drag on for too long, which is a bit similar to my problem with Thief of Heaven. I can see that you gave particular importance to the variety and structure, but in all honesty, in some parts of the song I began to say "get on with it", and I've usually got a pretty long attention span when it comes to music. If I were you I'd condense it to a shorter version highlighting the good bits of the song and leaving out some parts which may be a bit uninteresting (for example, the part at 1:58 does feel a bit unnecessary).

If this were, say, an ambient, house or orchestral track, it'd be a lot easier to make it like 6 minutes long, but you're confined to the limitations of 8-bit over here and having five and a half minutes of 8-bit is going to feel a bit too long no matter how good it is.

Anyway, that's all I've got to say. This is really awesome and the effort you put into it shows. Brilliant job.

SCORE: 9.5/10
--------------------

aliaspharow - ~Delta~ Dreamer's Force (WIP2)

• 
  ~Delta~ Dreamer's Force (WIP2) by aliaspharow

  Click to listen.

  Score

  4.83 / 5.00

  Type

  Song

  Genre

  House

  Popularity

  166 Views

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SUMMARY: I didn't expect any less from you :D.

REVIEW: This is truly great. This song has my favourite mix from all of your NGADM submissions so far (and one of my favourite mixes from all the NGADM submissions too). Awesome.

As per usual, the mix sounds very bright and I appreciate the effort you put into it. Everything sounds crystal clear and the sounds are mixed together wonderfully. I really like all the effects you've got going as well. The sweeps are great and resonant, the kick is EQ'd to perfection, the reverb and echo effects were done just right and the mastering is also excellent.

You know, it's really hard to fault your mixing, although I will attempt to. I think the song seems to lack bass. The only sound with a sufficient amount of bass would be the kick. I know the lack of bass makes this mix sound so bright and clear, but I would like to hear some bass, especially in certain parts like the ambient part.

The style of the melody is very similar to your other submissions. As usual you've got a pluck playing a simple, effective minor melody and you occasionally layer different melodies on top of it. It works alright, although this style is getting a little old to be honest. I would like to see something new and revolutionary in your House songs, which is one of the few things that I think your House songs are lacking. Everything sounds great, but you've tired out the melodic style you've used in nearly all of your recent songs, and I'm hearing some rhythms recycled from a few older songs of yours too. This is probably because of the fast producing pace that the NGADM requires, admittedly, but some elements of this song are getting a little generic, if you get what I mean.

Having said that, everything is done well here. I especially like the transitions - they really shine in this track. 0:29, when you introduce the kick, is probably one of my favourite transitions. The introduction of the piano at 3:07 is sublime as well. Actually 3:07 is probably my favourite part in the whole track. The way the beat gets softer, the pluck melody playing in the background along with lush pads and a relaxing piano atop all of that... it's just awesome. That said, 4:22 is a bit anti-climatic. After a soft ambient part like that I expected the song to reach the climax I was anticipating before building down for the outro, but I was kinda disappointed. Nothing major... maybe I'm just too obsessed with climaxes.

Anyhow, overall this is a relaxing, very well-made house song. A few faults, but everything sounds great. Here, have a 9 :3.

SCORE: 9/10
--------------------

Results continue in next post...

[Echo]

RESULTS - SUPERSTEPH54 Continued...

Birdinator99 - Incantation (NGADM '11)

• 
  Incantation (NGADM '11) by Birdinator99

  Click to listen.

  Score

  4.07 / 5.00

  Type

  Song

  Genre

  Miscellaneous

  Popularity

  68 Views

• Loading...

SUMMARY: I like it so much I'm downloading it.

REVIEW: Yeah man, this is awesome. It has a very good, easily definable theme and it's pretty darn catchy! You say you're getting burned out and your quality of music is decreasing, but, on the contrary, I think each song is an improvement from the next! Good job :D.

What I liked the most in this would be the general theme and melody. I can easily relate this to witchcraft and cauldrons and all that jazz. The melody is also insanely catchy, and has an interesting rhythm too. So... as regards the theme and tune, I certainly don't have any complaints.

The sounds are all great too. I like the sound of the drums, the lead and the bass too, which was, by the way, a very nice addition to the track. My favourite sounds, however, would probably be the background sounds, especially the pads. They sound downright creepy, and fit so well in a song like this. You incorporated a few effects and pitch-bending here and there too (as usual :P) and it all fits wonderfully. That high short synth thing at 0:56 is also a creative addition. The sounds are a certain improvement from your earlier submissions - they're easy on the ears but retain an odd, ominous feeling.

The transitions flow very well and are smooth. I don't think I can hear one transition which is out of place. I feel that the best transition would be the one at 2:23. Really awesome way to move to that section. The drum fill you used at 1:16 and 2:44 made for nice transitions too. The intro was pretty cool (I think I'm hearing some panning too which is great, but I'm deaf from my right ear so I can't really tell that much). I like how you progressed to the main melody from the intro as well. The outro was awesome, no complaints there!

The structure, unfortunately, isn't as good as I would've liked it to be. I think structure is kinda hit and miss with your songs :P. Here I think the structure is too simple and predictable. Even during the first listen I expected what was going to happen next. You've got a small intro, the main melody, an atmospheric part, then you repeat the main melody section except with a few changes to the melody (which, I think, feel forced), then you play the atmospheric part AGAIN except with a synth on top of it, and finally the outro. It felt as if you were too lazy to make a completely new section so you just grabbed the patterns from the earlier sections, pasted them into the new sections and then changed and added a few things before moving on to the outro. I'm pretty sure this wasn't a stroke of laziness or anything, but sadly it sure does feel that way.

That's my only complaint though. Other than that, the song is catchy, fun to listen to and still creative like all your other submissions. Nice job, keep up the good work!

SCORE: 9/10
--------------------

ProudAardvark - NP - Memory Of Autumn

• 
  NP - Memory Of Autumn by ProudAardvark

  Click to listen.

  Score

  4.33 / 5.00

  Type

  Song

  Genre

  Classical

  Popularity

  289 Views

• Loading...

SUMMARY: Short, but otherwise beautiful!

REVIEW: You know, I think you're really good at atmospheric orchestral songs. Summer at the Monestary, Sleepy Village, Death of a Dream, and now this. They all have amazing atmospheres and are so good at helping me imagine any type of scenery. This one is no exception.

I'll start by praising your atmosphere and mood. The atmosphere here is no less than amazing. Very reminiscent of autumn and I'd imagine it would fit wonderfully in a game or movie. The constant harp pattern in the background helped to keep a consistent mood, and the occasional entrance of the strings just added to the atmosphere. I also love the occasional pizzicato string notes you have scattered around the track.

The instrumentation is great, if not a little typical for a song like this. The instruments all sound incredible (I especially like that sound which first comes in at 0:05) except the cello (?) which plays long notes in the background with a pretty long attack time. You can hear it at the very beginning. I don't know if it's just me, but I think it has some sort of weird EQ on it which I didn't like much since it sounded a tad too harsh. Like I said though, it could be just me. The mix is quite full of high end reverb, but doesn't sound muddy at all. I commend you on that, because I've never managed to achieve such clarity in my mixes when I use that much reverb. All the other instruments are nicely EQ'd (except the aforementioned cello thing). No significant complaints with the mixing either :3. By the way, I love the soft percussion you've got going.

The transitions and structure are all spot on. My favourite transitions would probably be the occasional entrances of the string section. There isn't much to say about the structure since this doesn't change mood much and the song is in constant change, but I do like how well the song flows, which is why, as I said, I feel that this would make perfect background music for a game. What can I say? You're living up to your Newgrounds userpage banner ;D.

My only big gripe with the track would be that it's pretty short. It's not even two and a half minutes long, and only goes to 2:40 because of some unexplained silence at the end. I don't necessarily have anything against short tracks, but in this case this feels much more like music to go in a game or movie, rather than to be listened. If you made this a bit longer, you'd have space for more mood changes and you could make this a bit more than a constant harp pattern with other orchestral instruments playing minimal composition in the foreground. I'd suggest listening to Denny Schneidemesser's "Heart of the Winter". That song is about a season like yours, but it's got plenty of mood changes, among them playful, heartwarming, uplifting, sad, etc... I'd love to hear something like that in this track (maybe on a smaller scale because that song is over 8 minutes long :P).

That's pretty much my only problem with the track. It sounds beautiful, and the atmosphere is brilliant, but this is quite short and I don't feel that I should rate it as high as your opponent's song which is nearly four minutes. What there is is amazing, but unfortunately this track could be so much more.

SCORE: 8.5/10
--------------------

Next - RobinDB

[Raven-Guard]

RESULTS - ROBINDB

Midimachine - Placebos (8-bit)

REVIEW: The melody is catchy, and I'm diggin the chord progressions. I have nothing bad to say about the first three minutes, but the segway to the second section is a bit lazy. The drop to just bass feels like an ending instead of a break, but after that point it goes back to pure 8-bit excellence. If you had found a smoother way to connect the two pieces, this would have been a perfect song.

SCORE: 9/10

Birdinator99 - Incantation (NGADM '11)

REVIEW: After listening to this a few times, I've decided that lyrics would have made all the difference. Even if they were just audio clips that repeat every 8 measures, or every other phrase. Without something to really make this stand out, it's just very, very good background music. Now I say that with the best intentions, and it is very good, it's just that it's nothing unique. The beat is solid, it's mixed well, the melody is catchy, and the piano breakdown is nice. But without the vocals, there's nothing to catch your attention after hearing it a few times.

SCORE: 8/10

ProudAardvark - Memory Of Autumn

REVIEW: It has a nice spook funk feel to it, and the melody is catchy. It gets a little tiresome after a while though, and I feel that the intro was a bit too short. The background synths fit very well for the chord structuring, as well as the bass. The synth solo added a nice change, but did feel a bit like it was only there because you became bored with the melody. The ending wraps it all up nicely. I feel like if you could add some rap lyrics on top of it, it would be golden.

SCORE: 7/10

ProudAardvark - Memory Of Autumn

REVIEW: The intro is very peaceful, and definitely puts you into a sort of lulled, nostalgic mood. The mellow background percussion worked very well to add just a bit of energy without undoing the feel of it. However, the string you used in the intro and ending came on just a bit strong, too bright for the low mood. It would have blended better had you used a warmer toned string as the lead. All the miniscule background noises add a nice ethereal feel, and I pick up on more every time I listen to it. Overall it has a very relaxing effect.

SCORE: 8/10

Next - jpbear

%u2003
RESULTS - JPBEAR

Midimachine - Placebos (8-bit)

REVIEW:
Writing: Heartwarming at parts, transitions between different sections were a bit too hectic, but either way I've never had an 8-bit track keep the energy level that high throughout. The track is essentially divided into two sections, almost gives a ballad feel with a question and answer format, the quest to the peaceful resolution. Nothing to really criticize writing wise, expertly done, very good 8-bit material.

Production: Very nice 8-bit production, percussion was very entertaining, especially the hats and fills between bars and the variations between drum patterns in various sections. Despite this, percussion was still a bit overpowering and distracting a bit too much from the melodies. Most people writing strictly 8-bit tunes tend to lack entertaining production techniques and value, but you definitely have a niche to make your 8-bit productions stand out it melodies and production. The timbre between leads were more variated in this track as well, another plus.

SCORE: 9.25
--------------------

aliaspharow - ~Delta~ Dreamer's Force

REVIEW:
Writing: The general chord progression was a bit standard and expected for a prog house track, the sublimal portamento'd leads made up for the plucks fortunately. Very gloomy and awesome atmosphere, I could barely keep track of all the luscious layers of pads and synths sweeping in and out at certain sections, it sounded fantastic. The hats got me very into the groove and got me feeling like I was trekking through a jungle.
SCORE: 9/10

Production: Off the bat, the mix turned me off with the lack of mids, a VERY severe lack of mids. Luckily the pluck supplied the mids with a bit more meat, but still rather unacceptable mixing. You still choke the mids out of your pianos, which can be necessary in a dance track, but there was so little mids in this mix, I don't see how your ears just didn't yell at you for more mids, one of the worst smiley faces I've heard in a while. It's a shame you could be so careless with your mix, you usually have a really good mix in your tracks although slightly smiley, but this track was just way over the top.
7.75/10

SCORE: 8.375
--------------------

Birdinator99 - Incantation (NGADM '11)

REVIEW:
Writing: Main melody and the writing throughout was very uninspiring, didn't really go anywhere or provoke much emotion, could be a kind of good track for ambiance in something I guess. The melodies and solos were rather interesting though, minor and rather Arabic. Just overall uninspiring writing. The choir was pretty cool and interesting.
SCORE: 7.75/10
Production: The kick is a bit too synthetic for the rest of your drums, which all seem acoustic/recorded. The infusion you have in your songs of synthetic(leads and kick among other things) and acoustic instruments (choir and bass guitar) is interesting and different, but can easily give a cheesy almost 80s porn feel to things. The mix was much more stable compared to your last stuff as well, and nothing pissed me off too much, but was still a little bland.
SCORE: 8.4/10

SCORE: 8.075
--------------------

ProudAardvark - Memory Of Autumn

REVIEW:
Writing: Very ethereal intro with awesome vibes, got me fully interested in the rest of the song. Beautiful use of those low strings (cello) fading in and out. Song had a very good sense of rhythm, which rather surprised me for a piece such as this. Awesome mix of ambient styled music with defined leads and instruments at certain sections, could seriously go on loop for hours and be entertained. Piece did seem a bit cutoff though, could have had a more resolute ending/
SCORE: 9.7/10

Production: Such full mids and beautiful use of reverb, production had me feeling so underwater yet floating above clouds at the same time. The full strings that come in around halfway were a beautiful surprise, didn't unsettle the mix too much but were very powerful. Panning was used nicely, the subliminal almost bubbly percussion instruments were interesting
SCORE: 10/10

SCORE: 9.85
--------------------

Next - LiquidOoze

[Raven-Guard]

RESULTS - LIQUIDOOZE

Midimachine - Placebos (8-bit)

SUMMARY: Catchy.

REVIEW: Man, you sure are creative when it comes to 8-bit. I love that bassline, it's so powerful and yet it's mixed in perfectly. Also the dubstep-ish part is really outstanding. You manage to create a perfect groove in a your songs in this contest so far.
The beat is pretty solid and is mixed very well. The kick is a bit too 'floppy' in my opinion, but that's just a detail. I really like your hats, even though they're just white noise hits they still have a great swing to them. The snare/clap also sounds great, it almost sounds like a real one!
I must say the song takes a little while to fire up. Also the white noise bangs that come in at one point are a bit too loud and also a bit too short. They would've sounded better if they were lowered in volume and had a longer release. Make the intro a bit shorter (about 0:30) and it's perfect.
What I like so much about the dubstep part is the great variation in background synths. Apart from the lead I constantly hear a few hits here and there, and it really adds to the song and isn't overused in any way, so props on that. You could've made those parts a bit longer for some more entertainment. :)
Last but not least, the break in the middle could've been a tad shorter.

SCORE: 8.7/10
--------------------

aliaspharow - ~Delta~ Dreamer's Force

SUMMARY: Sweet!

REVIEW: Whew, as I can hear this is one of your beautiful chill-out house tracks again. I love them all, so that's kewl. You've got a pretty sweet track going on here, pal, I'm pretty sure this will make me fall asleep when I want myself to. The plucks and the lead synths blend in really well and don't stand out to much. The pluck could use a bit more bass, but apart from that they sound awesome.
I notice that your beat, and especially your hats and claps, have quite some treble on them. This really adds to the airy and bright feel this song has, but could you take the higher frequencies down a little bit? The rest of your beat is awesome: kick isn't too loud, hats have a great vibe to them et cetera.
The break was also really neat. It maintained that airy feel and the piano added even more to that. It could have been a bit shorter though. Very relaxing track, I love it.

SCORE: 9/10
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Birdinator99 - Incantation (NGADM '11)

SUMMARY: Hehe...

REVIEW: The first few second after the beat comes in I really felt an espionage-ish vibe, like secret undercover agents preparing for a secret mission.
This is a pretty cool track really, the lead synth is very catchy and the melody has a mysterious feel to it. The choirs (or whatever kind of pads you have in the background) are also a great addition, they make the whole thing sound even more mysterious.
The beat is pretty good, I really like the snare. I think you should've taken a different kick though, I don't think it really matches the rest of the beat quite well. It's mastered pretty good though.
I really can't think of anything else, I really like this track man. Good job!

SCORE: 9.2/10
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ProudAardvark - Memory Of Autumn

SUMMARY: Wow...

REVIEW: The first few seconds made me think of the game Gretel and Hansel here on Newgrounds, and then I realized that game actually takes places in the autumn, so you really managed to associate this with the autumn very well!
I think you should've extended this. This would fit perfectly in a flash game (G&H 3?). Every instrument used in this song fits in so well, and it all even has something to do with the autumn, I hear things like the wind, the raindrops. It even makes me SEE things, like brown leaves coming down from the trees, a small asphalt road that's reflecting the gray cloudy sky, the wet grass. Yeah, this is an outstanding song man, I just have no words for this.
One complaint: the end Is kinda abrupt. And what's with the silence at the end? :P

SCORE: 9.5/10
--------------------

Next - djInTheDark

[Raven-Guard]

RESULTS - DJINTHEDARK

Midimachine - Placebos (8-bit)

SUMMARY: Far off the map.

REVIEW: One thing I really found to be a highlight of this track was how it appears to take the listener through what feels like a whole start, from start to finish. Overall I found it succeeded itself very effectively. I would also note that it has a distinct way of repeating the same styles and ideals in what I think is a whole new and different way. At times I found the chord structure to be a little abstract and confusing to my ears. I would have to say the part that disappointed me the most would be the intro. I feel it did not do the entirety of the song the justice it deserved, and thought maybe if you had taken a much lighter approach to the intro to help the listener get into the song, I think the whole song would benefit greatly from it. Lastly I loved the energy the song irradiated; it was very lively and warming in my opinion. Good work!

SCORE: 6.8/10
--------------------

Birdinator99 - Incantation (NGADM '11)

SUMMARY: Instant gratification.

REVIEW: Right away, I got lots of images in my head from this track. It has a very unique character I find to be very fascinating in nature. It knows how to keep the listener interested. I also discovered that for about 75% of the song continues with the same emotion and drastically changes in a way I did not expect at all toward the end, and in my opinion, help conclude the track in a very efficient fashion. The transitions were just as clean in my mind. In this case, I do not believe that having a perfectly seamless song is always the answer. This track has proven that you not only need to connect sections together and blend them in a unnoticeable way, but you also must know when to draw a clear line between styles and emotions and let the listener know what is going on. Nicely done!

SCORE: 8.8/10
--------------------

ProudAardvark - Memory Of Autumn

SUMMARY: Winter already?

REVIEW: For the most part, there were a lot of things that to the naked ear one might perceive to be disconcerting and off balance about this piece, but I found when analyzed very carefully, some of these seemingly off-putting aspects are actually quite profound in a multitude of ways. First, the frequency range that was applied to most of the leading instruments with in the piece. I think most people would judge that in and of itself, but to me I believe you effectively created good reasons to back this theory behind why you did what you did. When you only listen to that particular aspect, it may come off as unnecessary, but when you listen to the entirety of the piece, you can see it was a wise decision after all. The instruments are for the most part only focusing on the mids, but the rest of the instruments that surround them in the piece make up for this lack in highs or lows, ultimately proving that to have them there in the first place would have been redundant. It is examples like these that make me want to listen more, although I think I may be only in these theories sometimes so the quality of being universal for listeners is greatly reduced by this. Amazing work!

SCORE: 7.6/10
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aliaspharow - ~Delta~ Dreamer's Force

SUMMARY: Balance in Chaos

REVIEW: I was never really sure what to expect from this track. The subtle changes this track provide are very tricky to follow, but are more than welcoming to the ears. I would have to say though, I was waiting for it to give me that one moment of, "Wow, I can see what they were envisioning and the whole song makes sense now," but I unfortunately did not gain that after a few listens. All in all, the song flowed in such a way I found to continue and keep the listener engaged, but not a direction I thought it could conclude itself with. Maybe if the track had taken a new emotional course towards the middle to end, I think the song would have benefitted more and been able to end in a way that the listener could understand at its heart. Really enjoyed this, nice job!

SCORE: 8.1/10
--------------------

Next - Spikrodd

%u2003
RESULTS - SPIKRODD

Midimachine - Placebos (8-bit)

SUMMARY: A jaunty chiptune song oozing with emotion and talent.

REVIEW: I almost started to dismiss the chiptune song as some fauxchip at first, but then I started listening more at the song and after reading that it was done on LSDJ, I knew this was the real deal; a game boy chiptune song. Mega bonus points!

The progression was solid and I never really got bored with it since it changed every 20 seconds or so, and when the song switched up at the 3:00 mark, it was a welcome, emotional addition to an already fun song. I'm not a huge fan of the happier stuff, but I know what to appreciate in the sense that I know this took lots of time and skill to execute at all, let alone done well. Kudos.

SCORE: 9/10
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aliaspharow - ~Delta~ Dreamer's Force

SUMMARY: Gorgeous, clean prog house deliciousness.

REVIEW: I'll go ahead and say that house isn't my thing (you're gonna see a pattern here, most likely), but when a house song is done right, it's instantly the best thing i've heard, and this one did it right. It kind of plays it safe for the genre, not going too far from the style's comfort zones, with the heavy compression, pluck synths and piano, but that's excusable when you see that it's executed better than most songs of the same caliber.

All in all, well done.

SCORE: 8/10
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Birdinator99 - Incantation (NGADM '11)

SUMMARY: Spooky funky stuff, though a little unrestricted.

REVIEW: Despite what jpbear said last time, I think you going into wild solos every once in awhile doesn't hinder your performance, but rather enhances it. That is, only if it flows well and keeps the listener(s) happy or on their toes; this one barely did that for me. Yes, the constant solos are a bit reckless to some, but to me, I see it as a reinvention of the old freeform jazz solos you heard back in the 40s to 60s, and that to me is awesome.

Only problem is that the song doesn't seem to have a melody to fall back on for each instrument when their solos are done, which can confuse and maybe infuriate the listener. Work on that and yo'll be fine.

SCORE: 8/10
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ProudAardvark - Memory Of Autumn

SUMMARY: A build-up that never really climaxed into anything big.

REVIEW: I'm a little disappointed in the composition here. I was really compelled by it at first, the music lifting me and placing me into a dense, wooded forest, waiting for whatever to come out to come out, but all I did was wait... and then nothing. I really wanted a huge climax to come in and completely rattle me to the core, but there was nothing.

Granted, everything else was downright breautiful, I just think that extra oomph could have been used to push it from great to OH DEAR GOD MY EARS CAN'T TAKE THIS PLEASURE.

SCORE: 9/10
--------------------

Next - Score Summary%u2003

[ng1razor]

SCORE SUMMARY

midimachine vs aliaspharow

aliaspharow -- AVERAGE SCORE = 8.41

midimachine -- AVERAGE SCORE = 8.71
--------------------
WINNER = midimachine
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Birdinator99 vs ProudAardvark

Birdinator99 -- AVERAGE SCORE = 8.35

ProudAardvark -- AVERAGE SCORE = 8.74
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WINNER = ProudAardvark
--------------------

So there we go! Round 4 is now over and we're getting close to the end of the competition! The 2 participants who made it through this round now have to battle it out in the last grand battle and must get a song done before the 4th of November, 1:00 PM EST (NG Time). Good luck!

P.S. You can post now :P

[Acid-Paradox]

SHIT JUST GOT REAL MOTHERFUCKERS!!

sorry, it's just that i always wanted to say that

But yeah , congratulations to the finalists!!!

[Step]

At 11/7/11 11:52 AM, Acid-Paradox wrote: SHIT JUST GOT REAL MOTHERFUCKERS!!

I concur. Great work everyone, I very much enjoyed reviewing the songs.

Good luck to midimachine and ProudAardvark.

[dj-Jo]

Nice scores everyone!

:D

Good luck to the finalists!

[LiquidOoze]

Wow, this round sure was a neck-to-neck race, the scores don't differ more than 0.4 points! Congratz to the winners :)

[NekoMika]

Congratulations to the winners!!

[Birdinator99]

Tough way to go -- so many good songs! Congratulations to ProudAardvark!

I'll be sure to give each of the final songs a lengthy review :)

[BrokenDeck]

Congrats to both the wieners!

[Step]

Just wanted to add that there seems to be a mistake with Echo's formatting of RobinDB's reviews. The third review is supposed to be Birdinator's and the second should be aliaspharow's, rather than the second being Birdinator's and the third being ProudAardvark's.

[Birdinator99]

At 11/7/11 04:44 PM, Supersteph54 wrote: Just wanted to add that there seems to be a mistake with Echo's formatting of RobinDB's reviews. The third review is supposed to be Birdinator's and the second should be aliaspharow's, rather than the second being Birdinator's and the third being ProudAardvark's.

8/10 --> 7/10 -_- downgraded

[midimachine]

At 11/7/11 11:03 AM, ng1razor wrote:

get a song done before the 4th of November, 1:00 PM EST (NG Time). Good luck!

umm okay i'll get right on that

[Step]

At 11/7/11 05:23 PM, Birdinator99 wrote: 8/10 --> 7/10 -_- downgraded

Hey, in all fairness, you should have guessed that the reviews were mixed up. The review under your name mentioned a piano breakdown, and your song didn't have a piano breakdown.

At 11/7/11 07:09 PM, midimachine wrote: umm okay i'll get right on that

*Cough* He meant 21st November.

Silly Echo, making so many mistakes.

[Kirbyfemur]

At 11/8/11 12:26 AM, Supersteph54 wrote:

*Cough* He meant 21st November.

Silly Echo, making so many mistakes.

See, this is why we can't have nice things

[midimachine]

Yeah so the song I've got for this is definitely done now. Sort of? It's pretty much the only thing I've been doing besides sleeping, showering and eating for the last 48 hours, and I've been uncharacteristically inspired over this.

Might decide to change something at the last minute so I'm not rushing to upload this final version yet.

why am I even in the finals lol...

[JPRixdorfer]

uploaduploaduploaduploaduploaduploaduplo ad

[midimachine]

Nope.

[midimachine]

okay fine

• 
  No Homers Club by midimachine

  Click to listen.

  Score

  0 / 5.00

  Type

  Song

  Genre

  Miscellaneous

  Popularity

  2 Views

• Loading...

[Rahmemhotep]

I really liked Birdinator's track. Very funky and West Coast hip hop.

Good luck to the winners, losers, ProudAardvark and midimachine.

[Birdinator99]

At 11/9/11 10:54 AM, Rahmemhotep wrote: I really liked Birdinator's track. Very funky and West Coast hip hop.

Good luck to the winners, losers, ProudAardvark and midimachine.

Good luck to the losers?!?!? What does that mean?!?!? lol

I live nowhere near the West Coast.

I live nowhere near the East Coast.

I propose a new genre -- No Coast electric avant-garde post-funk trip hop.

[Step]

Today we celebrate the day the NGADM should have finished had the rounds not been delayed.

Awesome song by the way midimachine. ProudAardvark better have something good up his sleeve if he wants to top it.

[LiquidOoze]

I figured that after 8 days of inactivity this thread could use a bump.

[ProudAardvark]

The gauntlet is down, trying to bring my A game. Almost done :D

[BrokenDeck]

At 11/9/11 08:40 AM, midimachine wrote: okay fine
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/4 55170

What an odd name...

[midimachine]

At 11/19/11 08:14 PM, brokendeck wrote: What an odd name...

we're allowed one!