ggaero - Plasma:

The Good:
-Very nice melodies! I really like how they're constructed overall and how they end.
-Very nice mixing as well. It's quite solid and keeps much distortion from happening.
-The breakdown at 1:30 is quite well-done, and the overall placement of the breakdowns and buildups are quite good as well.

The Not-So-Good:
-Oh, man. That default FL kick. This piece really deserves a better kick than that.
-As nice as the melodies are, it would be great if they were played in a different sequence. It's pretty obvious that there's only a single melody throughout - you can easily add in a second one.
-The drum fill right at 2:26 seems very weak and subdued - I feel like it could have used a little bit more "oomph".
-Variation. Your climaxes are both exactly the same patterns. It's actually not that hard to make a new pattern with the same base if you want - just right-click into the menu for the pattern in your sequencer and use the "make unique" option. That way, you have a new pattern in the same spot and you can edit it without changing the first one. Very helpful for variation.
-Your ending could use a bit of work - it's not quite there yet. Even just a final hit with some kind of chord wash would be good. You conclude your piece well, but you don't end it - the pattern just finished like normal and it seemed like there just happened to not be any more notes.

The Result: 8.4/10
This is well-written, well-produced, really solid stuff. Your biggest ways to improve this would be to increase the quality of your drum samples and introduce more variation into the music. Good job!

This is an official NGAUC Review

My personal rating for your piece is as follows:
Production: 24/30 (Above Average)
Composition: 24/30 (Above Average)
Instrumentation: 12/15 (Above Average)
Originality: 9/10 (Great)
Interest: 11/15 (Above Average)

Giving a total of 80/100, or 4 stars. (Above Average)

Please view your rubric for comments-
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ngauc2016samulis/Finals/ggaero.png

I like the atmospheric fade-in and subsequent cute melodies and synths. The kick at :19 is a little weak, but when you give it a little more bass at :34 it cuts through the mix pretty well. I enjoyed the build-up to :34 and the subsequent melodies. I like the space you left yourself for contrast and climax at 1:22. The melodic variations at 1:41 were also quite welcome. The chord progression is a little cliche, but I liked the more subtle approach you took to building up to the second drop at 2:26. The melodies at 2:57 get a little lost among what is either some heavy side-chaining or heavy limiting - I can’t tell. The ending was a little abrupt. Even a simple crash would’ve helped add a final touch of finality there. I would’ve liked to see you vary the drop the 2nd time around, too (2:26). I suppose my main grievance here is that it’s not a particularly unique or original piece, and the sound design reflects that. The piece in general sounded pretty generic, and this stage of the competition demands that your track stands out across a variety of parameters. That said, finding a unique style can take years of exploration, and I think you’ve improved the structure a lot from the piece I reviewed last round. Keep up the good work, Ggaero! ;)

7.75/10

What to say...

Spectacular piece! Excellent selection of presets, synths etc. 'On fleek' transitions, which fortunately weren't too high or too low (fades). If anyone wanted this for a game such as Geometry Dash or other games of that calibre, this would be one of the first tracks I'd suggest (:

~ Rating: 4.5

Now that I'm through making my entry, I have some time to drop reviews!

I think you did a pretty good job creating a cleaner mix in this as compared to Omikron, but even more so than that I think you did a good job creating a more varied soundscape! It may be the illusion of length (or the anti-illusion?), but the various sections in this piece did a better job capturing my attention for longer periods of time. There seems to be more dynamic contrast and a bigger range of sound than your previous entry, which is pretty awesome!

Sound design is superb! How about I start with the drums? You've differentiated the drop drums and the verse drums well, and it shows - the drop definitely sounds bigger than what comes around it! And what about the synths? From beautiful plucks like at 1:42 to really freaking big leads at 2:27 and everything in between, it all sounds awesome! And to put the cherry on top, it's all well mixed!

The biggest thing I'd criticize is the low compositional variance in the track... both the first and second drops are the same, melodies are constantly repeated, and there aren't any real chordal changes anywhere in the piece. Perhaps you could have included more variation and creativity on the compositional side.

Overall, though, fantastic track! Definitely one of my favorites from this round. 9/10, 5/5, good luck!