i really respect your transitions
and sound design
and arps.
uh but im not sure if you can just paste a section from the beginning into the end and say "ha ha its coherent now!!" i dont think that works outside of a contest =p
P.S. unexpected homestuck at 1:58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8GVlwRrXC8
I made a full circle in key changes so I slapped a part from the beginning at the end there :P
And like I said in the description I don't think coherence was a thing that existed too much
so whoops
It’s spelled the same way backwards lol
nooooooooooooooooooo i thought it was different
First review in 2 years
I like the relaxed mood and progression towards the beginning. The instrumentation wasn’t my favorite, though. The instrument at the beginning sounds a little generic, and the synth at :14 is very high-pitched and harsh-sounding. It might need a bit more treble taken off in the equalizer, because I think it could sound a lot more smooth and mellow to fit the easygoing vibe of the piece. That said, I did like the rhythmic variety and dense harmonies by around :35. You craft a gradual decrease in energy really well here, but the glitchy content at around 1:20 threw me off a bit - it didn’t seem to vibe well with the smooth-flowing nature of the piece up to that point. The piece sound pretty dark all of a sudden by 1:30 or so, yet 2:07 once again has a cathartic feel. Don’t get me wrong: all of the details in the phrasing and sound design here are fantastic, but the piece just simply has very little coherence. I also thought there were several moments of minimalism here that could be fleshed out a lot more. At the very least, I do recognize 4:28 as a repeated section, and the piece has a good sense of resolve by the end. The thing that bothers me most about this piece is the somewhat patched-together nature of the structure. The melodic content is amazing, and the mix is very clean. We’re both acutely aware that you’re facing Bassfiddlejones, but you should be immensely proud of this piece. Keep up the good work, 1f1n1ty!
8.75/10
Hey TL. Your review covered pretty much all the things I thought it was going to :P
Like there were three big things on my checklist and you just ticked them all, no more no less
Now, I know that you started out feeling a whole lot of pressure, first of all because Peaks earned you the highest scoring Audition track, and second because you were immediately matched up against the daunting team of bassfiddlejones & joshgawaldomusic. That much is perfectly understandable, and I cannot fault you for cursing the heavens over such a fate and unleashing the occasional primal yell. Regardless, you pulled yourself together and made another superb track for the Round of 64. I was just as sorry as anyone to see you exit the arena, but now that you're back in I am eager to hear what awaits us from here on out!
Okay, enough about that. On to the review!
Straight out of the gate, we have this very deep yet chill bass-y progression. While, at first listen, it sounds as though there's some sort of unintended popping going on at certain points, upon further inspection I believe that to be the introduction of percussion, due to its rhythmic nature. Next we have that high pan flute, which is quite beautiful, but does seem to have a little too much presence since those especially high frequencies come across as almost painful when listening through my headphones headphones. While switching over to speakers works a bit better, I still believe that there's an overabundance of loudness within the first 28 seconds. A softer combination could have made for a more dynamic and somewhat less harsh-sounding intro. After that, moving on to the fuller, more naturally louder section at :29 would have made an even bigger impact.
On the whole, this track possesses a really relaxing, chill sort vibe. The exception, of course, comes in around 1:21 when the music takes a darker turn. While I found the glitch to be just a bit startling at first, upon subsequent listens I have grown quite used to it and ultimately enjoy the break. It works quite well as a transition, and while that isn't always the case and glitch can easily be overused to the point where it loses effect, that doesn't seem to be a problem here.
You yourself have already brought up the fact that this track is an amalgamation of ideas, ultimately sacrificing a certain level of cohesion, and while that isn't usually the best plan of action within a contest like you, I can't help but feel as though you've managed to pull it off...for the most part. Your transitions are the real workhorses here, tying together each individual section in surprisingly convincing ways. You are indeed to be commended for such a feat, but the fact remains that some parts feel more well-connected than others. You are obviously prepared to accept that reality completely, so I feel that no more need be said.
Moving on to a few more of the inherent issues, there's a whole bunch of popping going on from 3:15 to 3:23. While this is glaringly obvious with headphones, it's a bit more subtle coming out of my speakers. Either way, that is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed, and while the synth itself shouldn't cause that kind of anomaly, it seems to be more attached to the long release or echo/delay that was applied.
And that pretty much brings an end to the constructive feedback portion of our review! I hope that you haven't already heard all of this a dozen times over, but I try not to read and therefore bias my own reviews by looking at those of others. I also prefer to write them live, which gives me an opportunity to listen a few more times as I really dig into the material at hand. May you find this feedback helpful going forward, and best of luck to you in the Round of 32!
9.25 out of 10
> "Next we have that high pan flute, which is quite beautiful, but does seem to have a little too much presence since those especially high frequencies come across as almost painful when listening through my headphones headphones"
Headphones headphones? Am I supposed to need those to hear it shrieking like everyone insists it is instead of singing like I hear it is?
Lack of cohesion is generally more or less of an unavoidable accident for me, because it'll just be that I try to make the next sensible section of a track but then 30 minutes later it'll be completely different from how I originally envisioned it and welp no turning back now. Reprimanding it with transitions was all I could do - good thing it happens enough that I've had tons of practice :P Somehow I need to figure out how to avoid that
The culprit of 3:15 was the tempo change. I was waiting for someone to bring it up. I tried may things to get the popping to go away but unfortunately my synths reacted very strangely to tempo adjustments.
Hey thanks for the review and thanks for being awesome and stuff :) I'll see what I can do this next round, not sure what will happen