My submission for NGADM's Round 3
wish me luck :3
My unsolicited thoughts:
Ooof as always in a rush, this is probably the weirdest I've got with my entries. Anyway I wanted to do something familiar but different, think I got it? Idk, you tell me! I do wish this was more memorable tho (more on that in a bit)...
The mixing could definitely be better, the ending should be a little louder and some elements are still unbalanced. I had to use some ensamble patches in order to finish in time and for some reason there seems to be a fade out in the ending? That's funny! is it really?
It's amazing how this competition is forcing me to fast compose because I'm unable to use the time I'm given and instead do it all in the last days. But I think I'm getting better at it so besides what comes out of the competition, this is a great exercise!
I'm enjoying how this one turned out tho so I'll definitely improve it later!
About the track:
What can I say, guess I had a main melody which I tried to use in many different contexts but kinda failed in the process so I ended up creating a second theme which is the one you can listen to at the minute and a half mark or so. I should've repeated the main theme when first introduced, I often forget about repeating, sorry listeners!
Music starts in D and then goes to G and finally to B in the last bit of the track. Harmony isn't complex but there are a couple cool chords you might find here and there, like some interesting dominant 9 chords from which I ended up experimenting a bit.
I'm still learning my way through quick reharms because I'm impatient and never write down the chord progressions lol. I expect to get better eventually, the Octopath Traveler soundtrack is a great example of methodically well crafted chord progressions.
Next up, I'd like to make something like Masashi Hamauzu, his harmonic language is so different and I'm super intrigued by that :0
I love all the beautiful sounds here! The intro, the moment at 2:01, 3:06, 3:54, aaaa
I also loved your percussion (though it's too hidden in the mix at times), 1:33 is a cool moment that showcases that.
It's a bit challenging to listen to this piece (i think mostly due to mixing), but putting in the effort was worth it in the end. Love it!
Thanks, yeah this was pretty rushed so mixing is a problem indeed, I was completely aware of it but I ran out of time. The arrangement is pretty crap as well (at least imo). That's how I ended up losing in round 3 sadly haha
Another one I'm sorry I missed the first time around. Again, very dreamy, like you're trying to capture a child's sense of wonder in a song. I love the gradual sense of climax over the first couple of minutes, and the woodwind melody at :45 is gorgeous. In fact, all of the sound design here really hits the spot, from the crisp strings to the subdued percussion to the evocative mallet riffs. The percussion really shines during the middle section of the piece - 2:10-3:00ish, before the woodwind melodies take over again. The transition at 3:38, while a bit abrupt, fits well with the narrative arc of the piece, and the modulation at 4:13 was a great way of driving the track home. Really great stuff, Elias! ^_^
This is a (overdue) judge review from NGADM Round 3.
This piece's strong point, at least in my eyes, is its composition. It keeps itself on its toes throughout and consistently changes to keep everything fresh, and yet it still builds upon a common theme without overdoing it. The key changes and consistent changes from major to minor throughout, the different themes and the ways you play on them... like I said, this is the song's strong point by far. The rest also isn't bad, either - the sounds you use are really good and help push the emotion throughout, and the production, at least through my headphones, isn't too bad at all.
If I had to really nitpick on something, I'd say a couple of things. First, I definitely think that first theme could be played upon, and I know you mentioned that as well. Maybe even an interaction between the first and second themes could be interesting and enjoyable to the listener. Alongside that, I think the piece could use a proper ending. What you have is serviceable, but an ending that helps wind down the energy or signal the closing instead of leaving the listener in a sort of cliffhanger would not only help to build on the story you're telling, but also keep the emotion and ideas going too.
Overall, though, I absolutely adore this piece and I think it's one of my favorites from this year's ADM. There's so much going well here that it's very much worth a listen.
holy heck, you never fail to impress!
very nicely done!
Amazing as always, xanti! Good luck moving onto the final!
Thanks dude! Appreciate the support :)
You are free to copy, distribute and transmit this work under the following conditions:
*Please contact me if you would like to use this in a commercial project. We can discuss the details.
Santi-Montali 
