Hello! This is a review for the NGUAC competition.

I've gone over one or two general categories of issues specific to your song, and one section of things I think also deserve complimenting. I prefer being very direct with my critique, none of it is meant to offend. Thank you for your understanding!

Constructive Criticism:

- So, you have some really really neat sounds like the sampled echoey vocals and pan flute instrument - however, a lot of your other instruments are very basic and sound much like preset FL Studio instruments. I would highly recommend seeking some higher quality acoustic instruments and drums, as well as exploring synthesis (especially if this is intended to be synthwave!) in the form of supersaw or triangle-based pads, as they tend to fit synthwave music quite a bit. Learning the basis of synthesis techniques would also help tremendously in blending your instruments together to have a really tasteful sound palette.

- It's very easy to get stuck in the trap of repetitive chord progressions. Cyclical four-chord progressions are incredibly common in pop music genres, but they aren't something that should necessarily stay the exact same for an entire piece. In general, you may want to look into having some variance in your chord progression for "B" sections (even within climactic sections) and potentially for the breakdown/bridge. Even just having some substitution chords you can throw in place of an existing chord at regular intervals would help out in sections where you don't have a fully different progression. On a similar note, it may be worth checking your chord progression and harmonic lines and comparing them to other pieces of music. Writing down the midi from other pieces can help you analyze what makes harmonic lines work or not.

Compliments to the Composer:

- Honestly, I *really* love that vocal sample, and the pan flute reminds me of one I used when I was first making music, quite lovely. I should remember that they exist, haha. Otherwise, the organization of the piece is lovely and I appreciate that you do distinguish between the two separate climaxes of the track.

Final score: 4.5

This is so calming. I like the the natural sounds you put in here.

Cool, keep it up!

Pretty nice. Keep it up. :D