I love how you are able to tell a story using a song that is broken into several parts without compromising either one of the two. The music is obviously very fluid, you travel between eight different ages each with their own distinct characteristics and many different instruments, rhythms and ideas but manage to make it feel like a one way ticket to the final destination without any stops in between and that is the main goal while trying to tell a story with a song, telling the actual story in one compact musical trip and not in 8 mini songs glued together.
On to the song...
Very well accomplished intro, i love those "floaty watery drums" and percussion around it, the Woodwind instrument gives the impression that people are actually working in a teamwork environment and getting things done while being proud of it. Im not sure if you changed the transition between "The Building Begins and Kings and Queens" since the project you sent me and this final version or it simply sounds better today but i criticized it a bit and now it sounds awesome...sorry if its the same file i messed up then :S
Kings and Queens is without any shadow of a doubt my favorite part of your song, im a total sucker for choirs and yours are just beautiful!
I think one of the best transitions of the song happens when the tuvan throat singers hold a note then the bagpipes have a pretty epic solo over it and a bassy solo follows, i really like that part!
Inventing New Realities is really interesting to hear since it departs from the things we heard so far in the song and introduces a lot of new cool electronic stuff.
Very good work on the build up to the final climax before the ambiance comes on.
On a global note this is a monster piece and you should be proud of it, it tells its story with flair and class. You are both Mr.Details and Lord Mixing in this song, both those aspect are unbelievably well done and its obvious you spent a lot of time with this track. On a side note it is pretty hard naming one song, you had to name 8 parts and the song itself xD
Awesome job Skye!!
Reviews for "~SW~ Astral Nation"
Hey Divo!
I love to tell stories with my music. :) It's what I really try to do. If people see images in their head while the sound plays... I've succeeded.
The "floaty watery drums" are the tabla and tamboura. They're REALLY fun - I got them from that massive soundfont pack. Maybe you should try to use them? I'd be interested to see what you come up with!
It's funny you thought the woodwind instrument gave the team-working feel, I personally thought the xylo would do that more. Just goes to show how different people think, huh? ^_^
The transition between "The Building Begins" and "Kings and Queens" actually is the same as it's been from the beginning. I personally think it's a really bad transition, but considering what it's bridging, I guess it's decent.
I'm glad you like Kings and Queens so much. :P For some reason it's my least favorite part... I didn't have nearly as much inspiration while making it, so even though it's one of the shortest sections it took the longest.
All the details and little mixing things took soooooo long. x.x That's where all the time spent on this really came from... Thanks for noticing it!
I'm really glad you like this. Thanks for reviewing! I've left a review on your Musical Mirror in return. :)
Shivers down my spine... just magnificent. So much attention to every fine detail! Excellent story telling over a vast arc of styles and genres. This piece is simply incredible... It lacks nothing. Every single noise in this has a purpose and a reason, and there is nothing left to standards or cliches.
You need to spend less time being so awesome! I am getting jealous with my inferior works! :D
Keep compos(ed/ing)!*
-Samulis
* No really, after this, you had better keep at it or I will break your fingers or something... your past pieces have been 'wow', but this really took it to a new level.
Hey, Samulis! Glad you reviewed this! I'm glad you like it - as I said, it took a ridiculously long time to make. I'm glad you noticed that every instrument serves a specific purpose in telling the story. :^) (hooray for new smileys) You know I also really really hate making pieces sound cliche - funnily enough though, this takes a lot from a variety of songs, such as Step's Ecosystem, a percussion pack from Buoy, that song I showed you with a similar bagpipe riff from Grandia, music by Two Steps From Hell, the song Artificial Intelligence by PeterSatera... Yeah. I'm not actually as original as people like to think. ^_^`
Your works are FAR from inferior, man. You've made some amazing stuff!
I am definitely going to keep at this - don't worry, I have two other songs in the works (though one is backed up ad infinitum because the person I'm working with hasn't been active in over two months... :<). I do have a couple other ideas for new pieces as well, hopefully they'll be as enjoyable with this one!
It was all in all a very well done piece. It was very clearly stated; specific about what was being said and where.
I feel you have a leg-up in this competition over a lot of people, so good luck in that.
Now, you were very specific in your description about the story that goes along with this. So if it was your intention not to dilute the imagination of the listener, I think that backfired because of the very detailed time-stamp you have there. It's like an MMO, say, WoW, which puts you into a world, tells you what's going on and where, but in the end is a theme park game where you're on a set path, instead of a sandbox game where you can do just about whatever you please.
So you might want to consider nixing the time-stamped description, or making it even more generalized.
Sincerely, I did enjoy this piece. It was exciting at times, and the variety of instruments used and the specific times they were used at made this what it is. You achieved your goal to a certain extent. So in that, very well done (and be proud)!
This section here is why I say you met your goal to a "certain extent":
2:38 ==> Dawn of Technology
3:18 ==> Inventing New Realities
At the beginning of Dawn of Technology, there isn't much of a dawn. The bagpipe enters, and we get a nice headbobbing rhythm, but our new-age sounds don't enter until after you say this section is over.
There are some great examples of music that use the industrial age of man literally. Hammers banging, machines turning, screws being spun in - all of these things can be used rhythmically, and even melodically if you're careful, to represent an amazing sound of technology that the audience can really connect with. Personally I think this section would be all about the rhythm of, say, working on an assembly line for machine parts. That rhythm of workers monotony moving the industry along.
Lastly, "Deep into the void" comes along, and that ambient sound you have is a great finish for the song.
On a side note, since no one in humanity has ever experienced this (and lived or returned to tell about it), this is solely subjective input.
I think if I were being launched into space, or envisioning being a particle of two colliding and making a miniature black hole (Large Hadron Collider), or even dying and traveling off to where ever it is we go, there would be more awe involved.
Much more sense of being dumbstruck with excitement, adrenaline, perhaps even a sense of fear. I wouldn't imagine it as an ambient flowing sound unless you take being in a space suit out for a space walk literally. If that's what you meant to do, great job! If not, I think the final section could use some revisiting.
Wow, this is a large review. Incredibly detailed and surprisingly not very technical. I'll respond to it section-by-section, I guess.
"It was all in all a very well done piece"
Thank you!
"if it was your intention not to dilute the imagination of the listener, I think that backfired because of the very detailed time-stamp you have there."
Hm, I think I'll have to disagree with you there - while they certainly do give some hoops for the stories to go through, they are by no means constricting... besides, people don't necessarily have to follow them. It's music - anyone can interpret it however they want to.
"very well done (and be proud)!"
Thanks again! I certainly am, if only because I feel I really nailed the mixing on this.
"At the beginning of Dawn of Technology, there isn't much of a dawn."
Ah, I should probably explain that - it's more the "rising up" at that point, focusing more on the dawn than technology. Toward the end the technology part comes in, as you noticed.
"That rhythm of workers monotony moving the industry along."
I'm sorry, this was more of a personal thing for me - I REALLY dislike monotonous, repetitive music. Since that seems to be what you're suggesting to depict the modern age, I have to disagree wholeheartedly. Besides which, the modern age is also about discovery and invention, hence a few of the things such as the arpeggio effects at 3:45 and 3:53.
"this is solely subjective input."
I'd like to note something here - Since this is a subjective topic, it is necessarily my interpretation of it. I chose to interpret it this way. Other people may choose to interpret it another way. Funnily enough, I did have some inspiration from the Large Hadron Collider in the "Preparing for Launch" section - that's actually why the "LHC" is also there.
I find space to be a peaceful place, overall. Even with the technical speeds that everything is going at, it's actually really slow compared to the speeds. Also, there are several accounts of people who have been to space that are about how viewing the universe from there, seeing the earth from there, has been an extremely philosophical and calming experience.
Thanks for your review overall, it gives me a perspective that other people haven't said.
I would ask though, since you only gave it 3.5/5, I'd love to know more about why than "I didn't like how you titled the sections" (since that is essentially what all the negative points are about) - I'd assume there are some more technical reasons you didn't like it, and I'd love to hear those as well.