I like the wonky meter of the E-piano at the beginning, and the white noise that’s played with it adds a somewhat soothing ambiance. That said, the denser harmonies at :13 can sound a bit indistinct with the white noise. Did you add it yourself in a plug-in, or is the instrument a sample that comes with the white noise layered onto it? If you have a way of automating it, I might’ve toned it down at :13, but regardless that’s a pretty small detail. Despite the atmosphere provided by the white noise, the mix is pretty dry, which exacerbates the sudden transition at :13. The chords are pretty cool, but this piece never really has a strong sense of progression within a single harmonic framework. Instead, it consists of a number of individually cool riffs joined by sudden transitions, like :52. The way this piece is arranged, I’m not sure that the different sections of the piece seem like they’re part of the same story just yet. I think some more gradual transitions, including subtle volume changes, sweeps, drum fills, or other transitory tools could help make the piece feel a little more flowing. Regardless, the track comes together a bit better by around 1:18, but it still feels pretty minimal overall. I’d suggest adding some drums or a bassline to give some common sense of drive across the different sections of this piece. Still, I like the quirky mood, lead riffs, atmosphere, and harmonies. The piece has a lot of potential, but I think the choppy arrangement, minimal texture, and poor balance of frequencies are holding it back for now. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC, Jeffbeard. It is indeed better than last year. :)
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5/10