NGADM Review:

This is really really cool. You created an absolutely awesome atmosphere with your instrumentation. The mixing and production really tie together really nicely. The things that sort of bugs me, but I suppose not to the degree of John below me, is that there is no true melody to drive the song for me. This makes the track feel bland I suppose. This is really my only complaint, but it's a pretty hefty one honestly. A track like this really needs a melody in order to stand on it's own. Otherwise though, you have been one of my favorites in this contest. Great work!

8.9/10

-Ryan

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

So when the scores for this track came out, I felt kind of bad, because I was the only outlier giving you a low score, when everyone else really seemed to love this piece. So I feel like I should do a good job justifying exactly what I think about this piece, because I don't want to be that kind of jerk. Well, I guess I'll still be a jerk, but at least you'll hopefully feel that my jerk-ness has some sort of justification.

This piece is pretty DANG good. Like everyone else has been saying, the production value is immaculate. It's orchestral with just a slight tinge of electronic to it - kind of reminded me of JacobCadmus' and SoundChris' song from Round 1, actually. The instruments sound awesome. The percussion is detailed as heck, and it fits perfectly in with the rest of the track. The mixing is darn near perfect as well, though there isn't any real bass to speak of, so you got off easy there. (Not that that's a bad thing. It's totally fine to have a track without much bass content if it works well with the mood, and I think that it works *very* well with the mood here.) You also have a great knack for introducing new instruments. This song is composed of a couple of different sections which fit together very naturally.

The thing is, this piece would work darn near perfectly as a background track for a video game. I think someone mentioned that this is great title screen music, and I'd say that's exactly what I could see from it - the title track of some sort of epic, mournful war game.

So why was I such an outlier? Let me see if I can explain.

I've mentioned this before, but the way that I score tracks is as standalone pieces of music. Particularly what this means is that songs that get higher scores from me are songs that I want to keep listening to. Songs that really jump out, that do something new or interesting. This usually boils down to mean that I like songs that are arranged in a compelling way and have strong melodies or beats, but none of that stuff is a requirement. The only requirement is a song that I want to listen to again.

There's nothing wrong with writing a really good opening menu track for a game and nailing the production, but it's also not really a track that I would be especially compelled by, or really have a strong desire to listen to over and over again. And it's hard for me to fault you for that, since it's not an opening menu track should make you want to keep coming back for it - but again, it doesn't really stand out in my mind either.

The arrangement for this track, for instance, is not particularly compelling. The energy stays at the same level for the entire track. Again, fine for a menu track, but it doesn't really make the song compelling to listen to. The melodic content is also not super compelling. Again, it's not offensive - it works very well to establish your mood, honestly, and I can tell just by listening to your melodies that you have a lot of compositional talent, because the details are . But it isn't doing anything that catches my interest, either.

So in the end I'm left with a song that ticks all the production boxes, but does not grab my attention. I hope that this review isn't too negative. I think that you are doing a LOT of things right here, and if you were to push your skills and work a bit harder on the arrangement and composition, then I think you would do fantastic.

Score: 6.5

This is a NGADM Round 2 Review.

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Good:
- Fantastic sound design.
- Great composition.
- Nice blend of instruments (electronic/orchestral/ethnic)!
- Good mix, super production value overall.

Wow. This is such a great piece! I really enjoyed listening to this one, Iglica. There is a beautiful blend of the electronic and the orchestral here...and then you threw in those ethnic/world elements. I was completely sold on the piece within the first 30 seconds. Your sound design work is awe-inspiring, and I'll be outright in saying that I am heavily inspired to write something now because of this track. Honestly, I could go on and on about why this piece is great. It is so understated, yet it has this humongous appeal because of that characteristic. Fantastic.

What to consider:
- The conclusion was a little disappointing.
- There's some room for dynamic improvement.

Honestly, my biggest gripe is that the song ended too soon (at least it seemed so) and that its conclusion was a little underwhelming. However, considering that the rest of the song has a 'subtle' sound to it, this didn't bother me a whole lot, and so I essentially let it slide haha!

What an exceptional track; one of my favourites throughout this year's NGADM.

Score: 9.5/10

This is an NGADM Round 2 Review

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Oh man, you really nailed this one. I'm not usually one who goes crazy about songs of this style, that are relatively low-key and unchanging in dynamic, but in this case I'll have to make an exception, because the blend of instruments and composition is nothing short of masterful. Wonderful chord progressions, excellent contrast between traditional orchestral and electronic, and nice, subtle percussion that sits nicely in the background without being too overbearing or too quiet. The ethnic vibes offered by the bongos, flute and plucked string instrument fit surprisingly well too.

Honestly, this sounds like it would fit right in a big-budget game or movie. If I had to point out anything, it would be that, first off, the ending is rather abrupt. Considering you didn't have any discernible piano before the end, and then the piano came in for a couple of ending notes, it sounds like the ending came out of nowhere. Like Geoplex, I also think this could do with a few more dynamics, similar to your Round 1 track. I don't think it's that much of an issue here since there's still a lot of emotional value in your composition, but I have no doubt I'd enjoy a dynamic experience a bit more.

Despite the small flaws I mentioned, this is among my favourites of this round. Phenomenal work.

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SCORE: 9.6/10

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

Very "big" without being over the top. Very TV or movie cue sounding but with a bit more soul. Production values are through the roof - very professional sounding, not too full or muddy, parts are understated but in a beautiful way, like 0:57, that part is stunning. I found I liked this more and more as I listened to it AND THEN THE FLUTE HAPPENED and I died. Happily. Excellent track.

9.75/10... Not bad I guess... :P