Approaching Battle

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Author Comments

Here is a track I've been working on to try and capture the feeling of an approaching battle. I wanted to get a sense of uneasiness and tension but also a feeling of heroism like you are about to charge into battle. Some things I feel like I'm still struggling with are my mix and percussion. The higher end percussion has been a massive thorn in my side. I've tried adding snares and shakers but they always stick out too much so I would appreciate any feedback on getting the percussion to create more of a forward drive in addition to a dramatic emphasis.

I am submitting this track to try out for the NGUAC competition. This is my first track that I have posted here and I have been learning music production for a little over 3 months now. Thanks for listening!

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TaintedLogic

2020-08-11 21:54:01

I like the apprehensive mood at the beginning and the crisp percussion. The dark chord at :21 is a nice touch, and there’s a great sense of build-up into :34. The string melodies there are beautiful, and you’ve really sold the drama well with the phrasing and instrumentation. The brass solos during the middle section were also really nice, and you tie the piece together really well with the melodies at the end. If I had to complain about one thing, it might be that the mix is a little quiet. But overall, really strong work here, my friend. You’ve earned a scout and, pending the approval of the other judges, a spot in the next round of this competition. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

potato-stick responds:

Thanks for the clearly thought out review! The mix has been something that I haven't gotten too deep into, so maybe I'll focus more on that for the next submission. I'm glad to join in on this competition and this community :)

X3LL3N

2020-08-11 07:13:42

3 months only ? You gotta be kidding me
Scouted you ! (everyone can hear your musics now)

potato-stick responds:

Yep! Started learning instrumentation, orchestration, DAW usage and stuff roughly three months ago. Before that I would play around on the piano but nothing too serious but maybe that constitutes a head start lol. Thanks so much for the kind words and for scouting me!