NGADM Review:

Hey, sorry I'm a day late on this. It's been a while since I've listened to this but I am a big fan of the track. Sonically, this song sounds really awesome. The instrument combinations in the beginning sound really awesome. The bassoon and violins really work together quite well to create that quirky feel. I felt the lower instruments were a little bit too loud for my taste, but it didn't take away from the feel in my opinion. At some points during the song it sounded a little messy like around the 2:20 mark. It was just a lot clashing frequencies and messiness due to reverb it sounds like. The instrument realism is REALLY good. I'm really pleased with the dynamic shaping of the woodwinds and brass. Really nice work man.

8.6/10

-Ryan

=== This is an NGADM Round 2 Review ===

This piece is great! It is a small but realized world all of its own, and compared to a lot of the music that I hear it really has a unique vibe going on. It reminds me a LOT of ZipZipper and a little less of SteamPianist, but perhaps a little less insane than either of them.

We launch off with a little melody played on the music box, which is joined by some orchestral elements and gradually elevated until we get into the main section at around 1:30. I have to say, the chord choice at this section is just awesome. Your entire song has this totally fantasy-sounding vibe to it, like we are flying through another magical world. In fact, come to think of it, I could totally see this song in some Harry Potter soundtrack - it's got exactly that magical and wonder-filled vibe.

The little details that you put into the arrangement - the ticking clocks all over the place, for instance, add a lot. I'm also a fan of the choirs in the beginning of the piece. Yeah, the timing is slightly off, but you can fix this by bumping the pattern ever so slightly in the other direction in your DAW of choice.

Honestly, I really dig the section around 1:30. It's so nice that I wish that you would have stayed there a little longer and explored the melodic space a bit more. Perhaps a modulation into another recapitulation of that theme could have made this song better? Just a thought.

After the initial, magical 1:30 section, we move into another section based around speeding up the tempo. The composition here is, again, very strong. The chords somehow become even more awesome as you develop the piece. I really dig what happens around 2:20 - suddenly we have some cool sounding majors that add even more to the awesome vibe of this song. But as much as I like the chords, I feel like this section is overall somewhat unsatisfying. It's too short! Just when we're just about to really get into it, the song is over. This is incredibly disappointing! I can only imagine how good this song would be if you would have properly fleshed out that section.

The above is a good segue into my main critique about this piece as a whole: the arrangement is unsatisfying. I have to admit, the first few times I listened to this track, I didn't think it was special at all. Eventually, when I sat down and analyzed it, I realized it was much better than I was giving it credit for. The reason I didn't appreciate it initially was because of the arrangement.

A song that is arranged very well will very emphasize the best parts of the song - either by dynamics, by transitions, or something else. This song is the opposite - it hides all of its awesomeness because the transitions and dynamics do not emphasize the good bits of the song. We don't even realize that we're in the 1:30 climax until the climax is over because there's nothing in the arrangement that says "hey, this is a climactic moment!" This takes away a lot of the satisfaction of listening that this piece could otherwise have. It instead makes us disappointed because the good part is over before we could even realize it.

The funny thing is that my initial critique of this song was simply that it was too short and needed more development. As I think about it more though, I'm not sure how much of it is due to the length and how much of it is due to the arrangement not showcasing the development that is already there.

Anyways, arrangement issues aside, I think that in terms of composition and overall feel of a track, you more or less nailed this. Keep it up!

Score: 7.5

NGADM Round 2 Review.

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Good:
- Mesmerizing sound design.
- Fun composition.
- Wonderful atmosphere and mood.
- Creative percussion.

Ooooohh this sounds so magical, I love it! I used the word 'fun' to describe this, because this piece is just plain fun to listen to. It has a real mischievous yet lighthearted vibe to it, yet it is also haunting. I can't seem to shake that wonderfully unique sound that you've created here. It sticks with you even after the track ends. Now THAT is a sign of something immersive and masterfully written.

What to consider:
- Soft parts = strong, loud parts = slightly weak.
- Nice reverb, just needs to be tweaked a bit!

Geoplex and Step have made a really solid point; the softer passages of this piece are far stronger than the louder portions. They've covered everything that needs to be said about that, so I'll move on. I agree with MetalRenard about the reverb, it seems that the music box in particular should sound closer to the listener to create that feeling of having it playing right in front of you. That would enhance the creepiness! I will say that the sound is spread across the stereo image evenly though, which works perfectly.

Excellent work, Azthar. Keep up the spooky work! :)

Score: 8.8/10

This is an NGADM Round 2 Review

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While this style is certainly not something I'd consider unheard of when it comes to your music, I've got to say that the most alluring characteristic of this track is definitely its uniqueness, especially compared to most other tracks this round. This sounds creepy, tense, and extremely descriptive, with beautifully-written melodies/harmonies, an excellent flow that isn't interrupted even in tempo changes like 1:45, and a strong sense of instrumentation/voices. I consider this one of most well-executed tracks I've heard from you. It's really damn good!

Pretty much all of my complaints are in the production. For starters, I agree wholeheartedly with Geoplex that your softer passages are far stronger than your louder ones. There's a lot more subtlety and a better blend in the softer parts than in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" part you were talking about. I also feel like, as a whole, there's a significant lack of low end in this track. Lastly, some of your instruments have attack times that are unfortunately a tad too long, namely the choir in the intro and the strings that carry the melody.

Anyhow, this is a super solid piece and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We've reached the stage of the NGADM where I'm bummed with pretty much every matchup since I want both contestants to win haha. Wonderful work.

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SCORE: 8.7/10

__--=***NGADM Review***=--__

I enjoyed the orchestration, it had a bit of a Banjo-Kazooie vibe minus the weird stuff but still with some sound effects etc. (could be due to the instruments used... If anything I just wrote makes sense). It sets the tone quickly. I liked the detail in the highs (the ping-pong echo of the small metallic instrument for example). The strings sounds good too, but I would have preferred if they were a little louder, the woodwinds totally dominate in this and pushing them back a bit would have really smoothed out the whole thing. I'm not sure about the reverb used either but I guess it sounds ok, I would have gone for something a little "closer" (not so "roomy") maybe.

You may want to snack on your 8.5/10 with a side of lettuce and vinaigrette.