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:
- Okay, this track really really needs to have its waveform EX P A N D E D. What I mean by that is that right now, it sounds very... 'crunched' into just the mids and compressed into a smaller db level than it really deserves. This type of sound works in the intro, but once you get into the more intense section, it barely feels like it opens up at all. Try exploring into higher and lower frequencies (though, careful with the intensity) and allowing your bass to reach into the subs a bit more especially. Limiting the track to -1.1dB would also be lovely. Do be careful with your reverb as you do this, since it can end up filling up your audio space a bit too much and cause mud.
- For a background in a video game, this track works quite well solely as background. It can, however, be more engaging - and also fit the framework of a contest more to boot, by giving it more of a B section with a new chord progression, and adding in some more clearly audible melodic themes throughout. Having more frequency space and loudness available to work with dynamics and expressive synths would help, but you can even do this right now with the instruments you have. You use so many of them for arpeggiation and small melodic fragments, but nothing that really clearly shows a hook. Try using that hook earlier in the music so that people can latch onto it and later go "oh hey, it's that melody again!" This type of feeling is exciting and tends to be very engaging for listeners.
Compliments to the Composer:
- Oh my god I love the framework and atmosphere and instruments you have here. Expanding the frequency space is partly because I want to hear all of their harmonics and sparkling spice and depth of bass. Your main pad is smooth and comfortable, providing a wonderful background for all the other instruments to sparkle over - like that wonderful bit of steady metallic percussion panned right throughout the track (I love this sound so much and want it in my library) and the triangle panned left at the start. Your variation in sound design with filtering is very nice, at the end I was wanting the music to continue because you had explored such a lovely bit of sonic space right there before it finished. (please continue this kind of stuff, damn)
Final score: 7.8
Bradley-Pittman 
