Just amazing!
Author Comments
Specifically made for the NGADM Round 1.
There's three adjectives I know from music that hooks me: groovy, epic or mellow. If I had to choose one to describe this I would say YES.
The complextro part may be really awkward for some listeners, the coffee I drank kicked in when I did that part lmao, and I risked myself again mixing very atmospheric textures, hope this time doesn't sound very clogged due to reverb.
I really wanted some vocals fit nice, but I would need to contact someone to sing them and I don't know how it works.
Specifications that no one asked for:
Project start Date: July 31st but I didn't start arranging the song after 9 days, lol
Sounds made from scratch: Sequence synths, arps, basses, Drum loops (made from pre-made oneshots), most of the complextro part synths, That synth layered with the piano (1:16)
Main plugins used: 25
Processing plugins used: ~80
Ok! New Demo out now! ID:92881610. Have fun!
I like the pensive synths at the beginning and the dramatic sweep at :16. There’s a good sense of build into :31, and I like the energy and variety in the sound design there too. The mix could’ve been a tad sharper in places, and there’s a lot of reverb in the texture that’s probably not helping matters. I had to replay 1:33 several times because I thought my ears were deceiving me, but YES there is a bit of dissonance in there, probably layered onto one of the sweeps with a stray oscillator. It’s really subtle, though, and actually helps contribute to the underlying tension in the piece.
The drop at 1:46 was a pleasant surprise - the rhythmic content there is especially creative, but it’s also the section that lays bare the production issues. The drums could be a lot more punchy there, and are seriously struggling to stay on top of the mid-range bass and airy pads. I like the injection of energy at 2:31 and the return of the string synths at 2:47, although it also would’ve been nice if you had switched up the main melody the second time around. Pacing-wise, the end of the piece felt a tad rushed - even if you had copy-pasted the post-chorus at :47, that might’ve helped wind down this track in a more satisfactory way.
Overall, I really like the melodies, vocal samples, instrumental sound design, and rhythmic content here. The mixing remains my biggest concern, although a tad more variety later on in the piece couldn’t hurt. Also, I didn’t find a place to mention it earlier, but that little snare roll thing you do at 2:42 and a couple of other places is awesome! Keep at it, Ryzmik. ^_^
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10
Ryzmik responds:
Thank you for the great review!
My intention for the final was to make an even more melodious chorus and some calm break but due to all the stuff I had to do to make that chorus full, I felt very lazy to be honest and left it as when I uploaded. Also I was so nervous and rushed cause I actually misread the deadline date thinking it was on August 16th as the last year. Regardless, no excuses lol.
Clogged with reverb? I wouldn't say that. However I'd back the verbs off by about 10 to 15% on sections of whole notes and barring accents. Modulating reverb wet pays off (says the person who rarely does that, or uses delay to do what verb is supposed to do)
I find myself in general wanting about .2 to .3 dB more out of your basses
You've done a lot of sexy gating throughout. great work!
May I please use this for geometry dash you will be mentioned in the description of my level.
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