HoboKa: +|+|+|+| (4) Blue.Nocturne: ++|+++|+++|+|+++|+|+++| (16) glenji2k4: (0) Alex Smith: +|+++|+| (5) James Householder IV: ++| (2) Elan Hickler: ++|+|+++|+|+++|+++|+| (14) Numegil: ++|+|+++|+|+| (8) ------- Abadoss ------- HoboKa - I liked that you had the two very destinctive sections - with the intro and the harder section. The contrast was wonderful. You clearly got the urgency and the desperation down. I would suggest finding some higher quality gunshots and explosions, as they sound a little cheesy at the moment. One other thing I noticed was that you rely a little too heavily on drums and percussion for the basis of your pieces. I specifically went back to your first entry and noticed the same thing. The flow of your piece is driven, almost solely by the evolution of the drumtrack. I know that this comment can be written off as being a genre issue, but I think it's more than that. Let the other elements in play equal roles in determining the course of a piece. This will give your work more variety and - believe it or not - a lot of spontaneity that would other be lacking. Blue.Nocturne - I'm sorry that I didn't have time to write comments. Your piece worked really well, though. glenji2k4 - I'm sorry that I didn't have time to write comments. Alex Smith - I'm sorry that I didn't have time to write comments. James Householder IV - I'm sorry that I didn't have time to write comments. Elan Hickler - I'm sorry that I didn't have time to write comments. Numegil - I'm sorry that I didn't have time to write comments. First place: Blue.Nocturne Honorable mentions: Elan Hickler ------- Elan Hickler ++ ------- HoboKa - Original composition, nice choice of sounds. I think it needs a more hardcore sound. Blue.Nocturne - Wow, nice use of timpani. I can learn something from your usage of percussion in general. Please get lots of money and buy quality samples. I just learned something from your composition. It has a bit of an original take on this theme in terms of how it sounds overall. Nice at 1:21 and the following chord structure and melody. Overall the composition has a stragey game feel and fantasy-oriented sound. glenji2k4 - As I read your description with the music playing, I feel I'm playing a nintendo game and I just beat the last level and comes a nice epilogue. Original take on the theme, but it seems to lack that feeling of desparation of being surrounded. Alex Smith - You definitely need some money for nice samples. However, 1:36 was a pleasant surprise. Very nice. I think you should have brought in some nice hardcore synths along with it though, and another hardcore beat. Make it all hardcore. I like Hardcore... :) James Householder IV - Nice change at 1:48. Overall I feel it's lacking in power to really describe the feeling having to march to doom like in your description. Numegil - Ooh, interesting pad sound. Ooh, nice beat and melody at 0:30. Ooh, nice sparkly chimes. First Place: Blue.Nocturne Honorable Mention: Numegil ------- MusicManJ4 (James Householder IV) ++ ------- HoboKa - Nice intro, using the sounds of warfare, but I felt that you could have described it better in music than using sound effects. You considered it to be a piece set in the modern world, yet the more 'techno' beat in the second half made me imagine a more futuristic setting. I did love the sound in the first half, nice use of synth voices and mysterious chords, but I felt the entire track to be more 'mysterious' sounding than I think is called for. Also, the end didn't seem very powerful, it was like it more or less just ended, there didn't really seem to be any building of tension or other method to justify it, it's like it was suddenly cut off. Needless of the lack of tension that I wanted to hear, I could tell your ending was a reflection of the last member of the 'good guys' getting shot down, good job there. Blue.Nocturne - Attractive sampling throughout, you have my utmost envy. You managed to capture the theme and mood very well, but I felt the part of the theme which mentioned "cheering on" was slightly neglected, unless almost the entire piece was suppose to reflect that one part of the theme. In other words, I didn't feel the contrast that I thought should be present given the theme. A very solid piece of incidental music throughout, I must say, you have my praise. glenji2k4 - As this isn't favourite style of music, I have a hard time critiquing it. I didn't feel you captured the hope and will of lone warrior at the end that strongly, and it did seem to go on for bits with no particular direction, or at least it was hard for me to identify with what was going on for a while. Very solid intro, I must say, conveyed the feeling you were aiming for, but was just the slightest tad repetitive, I got tired of what I assumed to be the rhythm guitar in the beginning. Very cool sounds, but they didn't seem to follow the ideas you were trying to convey as well, and it was somewhat monotonous throughout, as in you didn't change things around too much, it was pretty much a consistent mood throughout the entire track. Alex Smith - I was a little confused at the very very end, weird how it just kinda fell away, maybe I was just disappointed because it wasn't as vivid as the rest of the track. I got lost on the first listen while following the cues, but as I read it was very easy to figure out where I ended up. You did a marvelous job interrupting the piece with the chorus, it provided the MUCH needed warmth and relaxation from the rest of the tensed up action. You made a very original interpretation of the theme, and you pulled off each element quite vividly. High-five. The only thing I have to complain about, is you though you reflected the cues very well in the music, it wasn't the music that told the story as much as the cues, you had a little too much fun going into details, which would be lost or not understood without the cues. Elan Hickler - Very attractive idea for the end, there. How you summed the whole thing up like it was a flash back, a story told of the past that explains the present. I really liked that, even if it could've been a little more interesting, maybe a fade out wasn't the right thing to do, I really don't know, but something was missing. Another thing that to me seemed missing was the lone warrior stopping to cheer everyone else on, it kinda got lost in your interpretation of the theme, and I'm not really sure where it went. Maybe it was symbolized by the raised spirits of the heroes as they tore through their enemies before they discovered the second army? If so, great job, it was perfect. BUT, it didn't follow the theme as it was written, there was no one hero that cheered the others on (you weren't the only one that neglected this point). Despite that, I thought whether that's what you were going for or not, it was a glorious interpretation. Also, very realistic samples, you have my envy. I truly missed the horns, though. Numegil - Nice mood, but I'm afraid that's about as far as it went. I didn't see very much development, you established the right feeling, but it's like you didn't act on it, you didn't do anything with it, it was somewhat monotonous, the same idea throughout. It was a fair piece of music, but I think it lacked some elements that pertained to the theme. For instance, I didn't feel where the warriors were cheered on by a hero. On the contrary, I did strongly feel the sense of hopelessness that you were aiming for, especially with the remembrance at the very end, but I didn't feel the fire or the heat of battle. It seemed more of an emotional reflection then trying to tell the story. First place: Elan Hickler Honorable mentions: Alex Smith and Blue.Nocturne ------- Numegil ++ ------- HoboKa - I really like this song; it really seems to flow quite nicely. Your introduction is great!!! It excellently captures the emotions behind the situation. It makes me think of every sad war movie I’ve ever seen. Possibly the most emotional introduction to a song I’ve ever heard, in fact. I also like how you use various effects throughout the whole song. However, I’m not sure if the fast kind of beat that’s in the second half of the song is effective for this topic. And I would like to have seen this song go on further. It seems to just end prematurely. You could expand on the themes you have there, and maybe add a slightly longer ending that mirrors the introduction. Blue.Nocturne - I like your main theme, although it does seem to be reminiscent of some other themes from movies, and your developments of the theme. I don’t seem to have any specific criticisms, so the whole song overall seems to be very well rounded. Good job! glenji2k4 - Ok, in my opinion, this song is too long. After the introduction, which is good, it seems to just drag on, and not really get anywhere. If anything, you need to make a few impact points that are more clear. The guitar sound also gets sort of monotonous after a while, so you probably want to change that up a bit. Alex Smith - I understand that you’re trying to convey a futuristic kind of feeling with this piece, but I’m not sure if that fits the theme that was given. It also doesn’t seem to fit the feeling of desperation or low morale which the given theme seems to portray. James Householder IV - I guess I like the mood of this piece, but after some time it does seem to get somewhat monotonous. This song does, in my opinion, fit the theme that was given for this competition, but I would consider adding some more variety to this song. It seems like all of your important lines are being played by brass here. Elan Hickler - Ok, this would make a good soundtrack for some kind of battle or siege scene in a movie. As such, however, it doesn’t seem to have any clear structure or climax. Save for the ending, most of the song is just loud. This would be good in a few places, but to have the whole song be so is in my opinion[...] First place: Blue.Nocturne Honorable mentions: HoboKa ------- NintendoMasterGC ------- HoboKa - I especially enjoyed HoboKa's piece at 00:53, where it speeds up and starts to sound very intense and urgent, seeming to depict the frantic footsoldier as he dashes through the hail of gunfire and stumbles at every earth-shattering blast of explosives. Kudos to him for that. Blue.Nocturne - Excellent. The opening choral chant is awesome - of course, I've always been partial to choral arrangements just 'cause they're so cool. There's a jump from minor to major around 1:20-1:25 (in there somewhere), and I was puzzled about that at first, but it dropped back to minor shortly after. Problem solved. Other than that, I can hear the "march to victory" which you must have had in mind, and the final fanfare at the last few seconds seems to indicate that victory has indeed come. Well done overall. glenji2k4 - The opening is a bit repetitive, but the choral background reminds me of Halo music for some reason. It stays repetitive until about 00:56, where it jumps into a slightly more hyped-up beat with more percussion (the "desperation" you were envisioning). At 2:10 you throw in a bit of techno remixing and much more variation. I love this part. At 3:31 the tune returns to the starting theme, keeping the techno quality you added earlier on. Mmm, good job there. And eventually the main theme blends into a remix of itself with more percussion, syncopation, and that cool Halo-esque choral background, finally fading out with a last vocal chorus. The only problem I had was the difficult listen on the introduction - it's hard to listen to the same thing repeat itself for nearly a minute with only slight variations. Still, the end here definitely justifies the means. Well done. Alex Smith - Sorry if I'm going to sound a bit derogatory, but someone has to be the devil's advocate. I can see how this tune fits with the pseudo-storyline you envisioned, but the heavy non-melodic minute-long introduction turned me off from the start. My mind was scrambling trying to make sense of the seemingly random notes. At 1:02, however, you redeem yourself with calm Gregorian choral chanting. Soothing to the ears. Then at 1:36 you jump right into what sounds like the opening beat to Sonic Heroes and stay with it for a little bit, building on layer after layer of music, keeping what you have and adding something else to the stack. This part really gets interesting; pity it's so short. Then it returns to the raw beat, joins with a small melody, and erases the beat, leaving only the techno-esque melody behind. I'm not much for heavy techno/hard rock, and the opening discouraged me from listening further, but the choral arrangement at 1:02 was good, as was the "Sonic Heroes" part. James Householder IV - Hmmm... I'm not quite sure what to say here. I like the trumpet fanfare that serves as most of the main melody right off the bat. Then the more lively march calms into something a little quieter; nice shift there. The length of quiet music suddenly blares into more trumpet fanfare - love that part. Again quiet, this time with bells, and then the fade into the ending. It was short but sweet, and the variation between loud and soft was expertly done. Your instrument choice was also good. Elan Hickler - Immediately I get that Command & Conquer feeling. After the heavy percussion disappears, the song morphs into a woodwind section, trumpets and the like. It goes so quickly that it's hard to catch any one thing in particular, but one thing that caught my attention was the re-addition of the beat partway into the fanfare. This song is constantly moving, never letting you drop. Then, at 2:07, something evil seems to lurk around the corner as the melody melds into minor keys. Still on the move here; I get the feeling of some evil alien factory building here for some reason. Very quickly, though, we're out of the reach of evil and back to our relatively happy fanfare again. The violin near the end was a nice touch. Overall, a job well done. Numegil - Numegil did a great job with the reminiscent, almost saddened feel of his piece. First place: Numegil Honorable mentions: HoboKa I couldn't help but write what little storyline Numegil's piece inspired me to write. Enjoy. "We've come this far, boys. They're here, waiting for us. We're completely surrounded." The leader extended his hand to his comrades, his soldiers, the men who had stood by him through countless battles. They had stood together, fought together, won together, lost together, advanced and retreated together - lived together. Their blood had stained the same ground; their sweat and tears had been shed for one another and for the things they held dear, the things they wished so hard to preserve. One by one the men reached out and grasped their old captain's battle-hardened hand. There were tears in every eye. "We're going out there together, men." The leader looked at each soldier in turn. Through the tears he could see the camaraderie, the bond that held them all together as a unit - as a family. "We've been together for years. I wouldn't go back and change one thing that's happened since we started fighting together. We've lived shoulder-to shoulder since this war began, eating, sleeping, laughing - fighting. I couldn't ask for a greater honor than to have such men as you under my command. I only ask one thing of you." The men, grimy faces streaked with tears, lifted questioning eyes to their superior. One of the bolder ones asked the question they all had. "And what might that be, sir?" The leader squeezed the hands of his comrades, and his body shook with emotion. "We've lived together, men, and that's the easy thing. Now I'm asking you to do something that no man has the right to ask of you. "Die together." ------- Blue.Nocturne ++ ------- HoboKa - I like the first half of your piece. I can really sense the warfare of the song. The second half is a little inappropriate for this theme because there is a lack of transitions and development. Overall though, the piece has a good sense of your style. glenji2k4 - This piece has a nice mellow feel, almost reminding me of the Terran music from Starcraft. It is almost a little too mellow, since it sort of lacks on the "Last Stand" theme. It has a nice progression, but the calm feel does not convey the message to me. Alex Smith - At first I thought this piece was not really theme fitting, but after reading the description it made a lot more sense. I really like the beat and transitions. It is also a nice twist on the theme, and the interesting take is what makes me like this piece. James Householder IV - It is overall a great song, but the lack of a good synth makes it unable to excel as well as it could. Very solid transitions and good take on the theme. Elan Hickler - Probably the best balance and instrumentation out of all of the pieces. Although, the melody and variation is a little static. The tone and atmosphere set up is very theme fitting as well. Numegil - I like the melody and feel of the song. It seems a bit repetitive though, since the second half is not that different from the beginning half. It really demonstrates the misery of the situation, and that's a strong point of this piece. First place: Alex Smith Honorable mentions: Elan Hickler ------- Bundeslang ------- Hoboka - I like the beginning, only the background samples don't fit. I like the built-up to the part around 0:55. That part is different, but in a nice way. The switch to section 1:39 is too fast and a bit weird. That part is nice. I don't like the 'shooting' end. Blue.Nocturne - Sweet beginning, like battle is already over. But than battle begins, I feel it. I feel the hope you described. The middle section doesn't add anything, I get the feeling the soldiers are already done with their job. Also the part around 2:50 is a bit boring. The ending is good. Overal nice song, but some parts aren't interesting enough. Glenji2k4 - Interesting start, but the next section (around 0:45) is a bit boring and long. I really hear the 'battlish part' around 1:17 playing in a warrior game. The part after that is the same again. The sampling is good, so are the built-ups. The main problem is that the parts are too long. The end is O.K. Alex Smith - Simple start, nice song description. The start is too boring, nothing happends, there's not much variation. I don't like the 'long silence' before 1:01 and after that part. The silence is not broken, that happends after 1:36. The part after 1:58 is too long. The ending is boring James Householder IV - Nice beginning, but after a while nothing happends. The part around 1:10 is not variating. Afer that, it gets better (at 1:4. This part could fit in the game Warcraft 1. The ending is not bad. Elan Hickler - Nice beginning, exciting.... I like this beginning. The part after that is not so exciting, but still not bad. Battle's on the top, victory approaches (like you've written). Excellent part. The next part is even better, very exciting and interesting. The last part is not that good and it's too long, but it fits in the story line. Numegil - Sweet beginning and sweet continue. The battle is all over??!! I like the part around 1:21. I like the part at 1:57, very nice done. The next part doesn't fit. The ending is good again. Nice sampling. First place: Elan Hicker Honorable mentions: Hoboka and Numegil ------- Euler ------- HoboKa - Blue.Nocturne - Musical, but seemed a little low key for battle. glenji2k4 - Alex Smith - The middle section not as strong as the "techno" beginning and end. James Householder IV - Elan Hickler - Strong opening. Very musical with interesting effects. Numegil - Good, but also a little low key. First place: Elan Hickler Honorable mentions: Alex Smith, Blue.Nocturne, and Numegil ------- Salty ------- First place: Blue.Nocturne Honorable mentions: Elan Hickler and HoboKa