I like the pensive, echo-y mallets at the beginning and the woodwinds shortly thereafter. Sounds very Far Eastern. The string melodies and plucks are lovely, and the piano at the 1-minute mark provides a nice element of contrast from the richer texture of before. The mix could be a tad more polished here - it seems like almost all of the harmonies are playing the middle of the frequency range on down, so maybe opening up the frequency range a bit with some transpositions would help the mix breathe a bit, especially earlier on in the piece. As for the composition, I absolutely love the meditative piano riff at 1:41 and the gradual (and then not-so-gradual) swell into the final climax at 2:25. You absolutely nailed the sound design and melody-writing here, Papkee. Oddly enough, I remember especially liking another Eastern-inspired piece of yours from a few years back, “Heart of the East.”

Also, I’d be remiss not to point out that your work has been an inspiration for me for 10+ years now; I think the first piece of yours I heard was “Utopia,” which you submitted to the 2013 NGADM. :’D Anyway, heartfelt congratulations on your success in this year’s competition! It’s been an absolute pleasure hearing so much of your work these past 5 months, Papkee. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

Magnificent melody

Amazing. How it makes me feel like I am climbing a mountain in search of an artifact is crazy. Great music in all spots.

Cool

Nice