good shit vro, very mystical and whatnot

goated!!!

I like the glitchy reverse piano and glass breaking effects at the beginning. The texture comes together nicely by :32, although the piece is still pretty slow to progress. The bass-y breaks at 1:22 are catchy, if a bit minimal, and add some variety to the texture after 80 seconds of the rhythmic emphasis being based around the piano/glass breaking. I like the acoustic drum kit at 1:54 and the cool panning effects on the synth that comes in at 2:36. The climactic section at 2:36 hits the piece home nicely. I think this piece could be stronger with a bit more variety in the harmonic content, and especially some more dynamic melodies. Right now, the sound design is engaging, and the production quality is solid, but the piece also doesn’t feel like it’s leading anywhere. That said, I commend you for taking such an experimental approach with the texture and instrumentation here. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC, Octaneuro! Hope to see you back next year. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Besides being a bit overbalanced IMO toward the ultra high treble frequencies, in part due to clipping and in part due to very fizzy synths and glass samples, I find this piece to be compelling. Particularly the drum solo in the middle. Very nice choice of chords, solid theme, and direction.

The sidechained synths in the final drop are just a tad loud, and I would like more bass/sub/snare presence, but overall, great work!

What an incredible and chaotic intro. You're definitely a painter of music, and the sounds are your shades. This is a smashing track (pun intended)... Insane production on this; you clearly have complete control of your intentions when it comes to execution. A track like this is very difficult to mix well, but you've really impressed with this. Great job and good luck to you in the finals!