The synths at the beginning are cute, but I think the lead synth there is a little harsh-sounding. I think you could stand to dial back the reverb a bit and take another look at the equalizer for the synths. They might have a bit too much treble. While I like the texture overall here, it seems like the rhythm of the beat, especially after around :44, is a little too busy when paired with the synths. The rhythmic content is just a bit too dense overall. The piece also doesn’t really have a strong sense of progression until around the 1-minute mark, but I like the filtering work on the lead synth at 1:06. I think that watery version of the synth is actually a lot more pleasant to listen to than the staccato-y patterns earlier. The percussion solo at 1:18 is a bit overdone, and after the build-up into 1:50, the harmonic content and instrumentation of the piece seems rather different, which is a bit jarring. I’m starting to think that you need to consolidate some of your compositional ideas in this piece and focus on 2-3 main ideas, with more emphasis on creating variety with phrasing, automation, and the like instead of adding and subtracting a lot of instruments all the time. That said, the glitchy percussion and bright synths at 1:50 sound really cool in isolation, and I would’ve liked to see you do more to develop those themes rather than reset the piece again at 2:35. The part at 2:47 sounded like a pretty pleasant breakdown, even though the texture was pretty thin. It also dragged on for a bit too long imo, and at 3:30 it seems like you’re taking the piece in yet another unexpected direction. All of a sudden, it’s very atmospheric, yet the lead synths are very repetitive and the transition at 4:02 seems a little generic. Overall, there are a lot of good ideas here, but I think you need to make the arrangement less choppy with some more gradual transitions and connectivity in the harmonic content across sections. Mixing-wise, the piece is pretty solid, but I think you need some tighter equalization on some of the harsher-sounding instruments, and the drums aren’t quite punchy enough at some of the busier sections. Overall, I like the atmosphere, harmonic content, drums, and mood, but the texture can be a little too thin, the transitions need to be smoother and more gradual, and the composition can be choppy and repetitive. There’s a lot of potential here, though. I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece. Keep at it, SoFtBOILeD! :)
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.75/10