I like the atmospheric fade-in at the beginning and the energetic flair at :07. The echo-y synths and heavy filtering towards the end of phrases give the piece a bit of a wonky flow, and the harmonic content is rather minimal, but it’s still really catchy and the reverb helps fill out the texture. Some aspects of the sound design are pretty generic, notably the drums, and the piece is often rather slow to progress. I like the stripped-down approach you took to the section starting at 1:57 - I wasn’t expecting that, admittedly. There isn’t a lot of melodic content in the piece, and I think the atmospheric bit at 2:25 would’ve been a great place for that, although the bird sound effects were some nice substitutes. There’s a great sense of climax into 3:47, and the texture feels especially well-balanced and full thereafter. The piece is still missing some more memorable melodic content, and despite the smooth transitions and rich atmosphere I think you could’ve done a lot more with this piece compositionally. Still, the production quality is solid and I enjoyed the return to the more energetic, bass-heavy bit of earlier at 5:42. Overall, strong work! Keep at it, TerraNation! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

I'm not sure why most of the mix is panned to the left. However, it creates a very.. interesting space in the right. I think if you're going to do that, there has to be some way to pan the kick to the right or something, as well as transition noises moving from left the right -- maybe your monitors are louder in the left than the right?

I have no complaints other than that and a bit too much reverb on fuller sections. The amount of reverb is appropriate for naked sections but can be modulated down for drops.

I like the nice sub impacts and moments of calm in the middle. Shows a good knowledge of structure. Although again I would here because there is so much low and low mid appreciate less reverb. Or at least low cutting up to 250 hz on the reverb. It's very, very present throughout.

Here the mix sounds quite balanced to the center by 3:46, but again the bass comes in the left channel and I don't understand. My right ear wants your juicy bass too!

That said, loving your progression, and I'm happy you decided to share your cup of tea with us <3

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

-Official NGUAC 2020 Final Round Review-

Bringing Trance in the final round is a bit risky, yet you did a pretty good job with it. I don’t understand why you panned most of the mix to the left… Also i think the rising vocal chop at the very beginning is too loud when it ends and the instruments roll starts; on the other hand, the sound design is really solid and bright. While the technical and structural aspects are more than spot on (apart from the left pan of the mix), this track lacks virtuosity. It is big, full or rich sounds and ambitious indeed, but develops too slowly as time passes; 7:00 minutes of trance require a lot of different stuff, but also a heterogeneous chord progression as well. I wish you could have experimented more with notes, and maybe created a more intriguing melody. Still, I’m really fond of the part at 2:39, great and powerful emotional flow. Overall, the track stands up for itself and it’s pleasant to listen to. What a way to go out!

Originality: 1.45/2
Composition: 1.5/2
Structure: 2/2
Tecnicity: 1.47/2
Impact: 1.88/2
Total: 8.3/10

Mate, excellent work - love trance. You hit the nail on the head with this. We know its not massively popular on Newgrounds and that 'trance' is put under a pretty large varied umbrella nowadays (again, especially on here)..but you have stuck to what it actually is, progressive, melodic, euphoric and uplifting...and there are still many people who love this sort of stuff.

Well done.

Ahhh who cares if it's any specific exact "trance" or whatever. I have no idea. All I know is it sounds nice and I'm glad to see your name on a new upload, TN! Really good track!