ESTA CANCIÓN ES HERMOSA, Es muy difícil encontrar música como esta <3
Ojalá se pudiera utilizar en Geometry Dash 🥲
Author Comments
NGADM'22 Round 3
Oh time to write another commentary and this time I don't have any clue on what to say. Once again the mixing could be better but I'm super lazy and time was short. Thanks for passing by and hope you enjoy it :)
NOTE: I know the mixing is lacking but will upload the new version once the judging period is over! :)
About the music
So basically I just mixed a bunch of stuff I liked and tried to come up with a theme and I ended up having 4* haha. In order to give it some kind of logical structure, I used the first one which consist of long notes for the intro that leads to a big crescendo and transition to the real main theme which is that epic John Williams kinda motif. It goes fast, I didn't want it to be immediately catchy by repeating 2 times so and instead we have a more lyrical melody that then takes us back to the intro theme, but this time its way more epic. Then we get a reference to a theme I really like from a film from my childhood (see if you can guess what I'm talking about). After a little bit of pseudo-counterpoint based on the main motif, you'll hear a new folkish theme that emerged as a variation from the previous themes, this one is my favourite but it doesn't repeat lol. I'll let you figure out the rest because I'm getting tired of writing....
*actually the themes weren't concieved from the beginning and that's why the track is a little chaotic. But it's fine since I wanted it to be chaotic!
Harmony is simple but it modulates a couple times and I actually lost track of them lol. You might find some interesting measure cuts or interchange between 3/4 and 4/4 now and then. Specially in the middle section.
Santi-Montali responds:
Gracias :) Esta configurado como para que se pueda usar en Geometry Dash! Que extraño...
Official NGADM review:
These are the sounds that accompany the opening credits, or better yet, a preparing-for-battle montage of a fantasy themed movie. They speak of action, of movement, of dogged perseverance in the face of adversity. The tide will be turned as the tribes are uniting, their hesitant leader flitting from one unit to the next to monitor their progress, unexpectedly building their trust and boosting their morale in the process. Peter Jackson eat your heart out.
Simply put: this piece is amazing. You write about the mix being lacking and the chaos in the composition with the four different themes, but neither are obvious enough to draw attention to themselves. Well, that's not entirely true: the changing time signature does register, and even though I couldn't figure it out off the cuff (it's 7am, forgive me), it still feels natural enough not to detract from the vibe of the piece nor hamper its momentum. Also, despite there not being a lot of repetition in the piece, the sections form a coherent whole with a natural flow and a solid overarching theme.
The choice of orchestration works really well; the brass adds a sense of urgency to the anxious mood set in the strings, the simple rhythm section allowing for them to perform cartwheels and flourishes in the background as the tension rises. The dynamics also work really well, giving it that roller coaster ride feel necessary to really build suspense. The only criticism I can come up with is that by contrast the final four bars feel forced and empty - I get why you would move into this section, but for a climax it feels incongruously sober and to the point compared to the rest of the piece - I envision the entire string section cascading in on itself, if not outright smacking each other around the ears with their instruments. Mental note: if you are playing the violin, best not to mess with the bass player at this point.
Anyhow, the end result is simply put very, very good. As might be obvious by now, it really sparks the imagination - for me at least - which I think is one of the best qualities any song can have regardless of genre, composition or production values. Keep up the good work!
Santi-Montali responds:
'Mental note: if you are playing the violin, best not to mess with the bass player at this point.' Well violin section has more players so I think overall you might end up winning that fight lol. Thank you so much for listening and reviewing! :)
This an official NGADM review
A stunning piece from the start to finish. The entire composition resembles of a main theme soundtrack from some fantasy movie. The leitmotif is easy to remember and it really stands out from the composition and those "tempo mutations" you made on the melodies are really clever and they work outstandingly well.
I really wish the structure was more clear and progressive, but im just speaking from my personal perspective. The breakdown elements could be used more frequently in the chorus parts and so on... Otherwise I love the fact that you kept on adding more details to the composition.
As for the mixing, the brass instruments alongside with the flute rolls are a bit sharp around the 1-5khz area. Now, thats my main complaint. The ear is very sensitive at those areas and id reccomend to notch some resonances out in that areas. The width of the mix could be also bigger and I wish it had more movement. Im missing having those (on the other hand really epic) flute rolls more convoluted with reverb and effects. Might be an artistic preference though.
In short; apart from some details in the mixing and structure, I really much enjoyed the whole composition and I cant wait for more submissions like this one from you!
I wish you the best of luck in this contest.
-CRY
Santi-Montali responds:
Hey, thank you for reviewing. I'm glad you find this a good composition. I really get what you mean with all those mixing tips since I had to hurry to finish and didn't have the time to mix it. Besides that, listening to the track retrospectively, I think my brain actually molded to compensate these and now I can definitely tell it's too bright which is actually pretty weird since libraries tend to sound opaque. I did somehow managed to miss the convo reverb and that would explain the convoluted runs you were hoping for (and also the lack of warmth). I don't know if you are into this kind of music but the width is actually a problem when it comes to orchestral libraries since you have 4-5 mics that were pre-panned and messing up with the stereo image is often a problem more so than an artistic preference. You were probably expecting this to sound more on the modern style of cinematic music which tends to be ginormous, and I'm often looking for some kind of mid ground between that and the classical orchestra sound (might be too hard haha). Anyway, sorry for the long response. Again, thank you so much for listening! :)
You never cease to amaze me :O
Expect an official NGADM Review soon ^^
Oh demonios! Me e perdido de mucho! ( T_T) Veo que sigues teniendo el mismo potencial y que has mejorado ╰(＾3＾)╯ ya veo porque se me hace muy reconocido tu nombre cuando te mandaba spam jajajaj (• ▽ •;) pero ahora se que sigues haciéndo canciones de leyenda (人*´∀｀)｡*ﾟ mucha suerte en el concursos bro, parece que vas de gane (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧
Santi-Montali responds:
Gracias hmno, ojalá se de esta vez. De igual manera la ADM me sirve mucho para sentarme a componer que habitualmente me cuesta por falta de motivación jajajaja. Abrazo
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