HoboKa: +| (1) Reaktorz0: ++|+|+| (4) Johnny Burt: ++|+|+++|+| (7) larsdood: +|+|+| (3) Dev: ++|+|+++|+| (7) Blue.Nocturne: +++|+|+|+++|+++|+++| (14) Chief: +|+|+| (3) Ferdinand Schenck: +++| (3) Numegil: ++|+|+++|+| (7) Gimgak: ++|+|+|+++|+|+| (9) Virtualshock: ++| (2) ------- Abadoss ------- HoboKa - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique. Reaktorz0 - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique. Johnny Burt - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique. larsdood - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique. Dev - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique. Blue.Nocturne - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique. Chief - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique. Ferdinand Schenck - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique. Numegil - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique. Gimgak - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique. Virtualshock - I apologize for not having available time to write a critique... and for copying and pasting the same message for each of you. First place: Blue.Nocturne Honorable mentions: Reaktorz0, Gimgak, and Numegil ------- Johnny Burt ++ ------- Numegil - I feel that this piece was one of the most unique and original concepts, musically. Good instrumentation- very indicative of a surreal environment, without the trite use of more commonly used orchestration. First place: Numegil ------- Virtualshock ++ ------- HoboKa - Really wierd, fits your theme really well unil 1:22 with the paino chords, then at 2: you regain yourself. 2:30 made me laugh. Overall pretty good job. Reaktorz0 - Preety good nice jazzy feel. I liked the little "tinkles" they gave a real dreamy feel, Overall pretty nice. Johnny Burt - I liked up to about 1:00 I think you could have done fine with out adding the rhythm. larsdood - Wacky fits the theme, good job. Did I hear smoke on the water? Dev - Really nice, seemed almost sad, in some ways almost to melodic. Overall really nice but I dont know if it fits the theme, Im going to have to give it a Honerable Mention Blue.Nocturne - Well Done, Really close to winning, so hard to pick... Chief - Good job, you really captured what you described Ferdinand Schenck - Like the dance of the clowns, nice and "hoppy." I enjoyed the its somewhat old style feel, overall really fit your description, well done Numegil - Well done, but I don't think you had to throw in the stuff ~1:18 Gimgak - Nice theme, I liked, but I'm going to have to give you an Honerable mention First place: Ferdinand Schenck Honorable mentions: Reaktorz0, larsood, Dev, Chief, Gimgak, and Blue.Nocturne ------- Dev ++ ------- First place: Gimgak ------- Bundeslang ------- HoboKa - Weird intro. I like the lead, but not the noisy background. The part around 1:00 is really good, I like that. There's not much to say about that. The ending is full of weirdness again. The ending voice fits well in this. Reaktorz0 - No description....Dark beginning, too dark continuing. The middle section is good. The difference between some parts is too big (hard-soft). I like the building to the end. Johnny Burt - I love the intro, the strings are very good. The switch to the section after the first minute has passed isn't very well, but the next part is good. The voice fits perfectly in the song. I don't like the part after 2:30, it's too boring. The last section is good again. larsdood - Noisy intro again. I like the beat which comes in at 0:20. The song keeps being noisy, which isn't very good. Finally, at 1:09 something changes (in a good way). The part at 1:45 is very funny. The part after this is very logical, I like what you are doing here. The ending is TOO LOUD, it's not an ending but a destruction. Dev - Calm beginning, very good and emotional. I like the song and there's a good balance. I don't have much to say, only some instruments are too dominant. The ending fits. Blue.Nocturne - Again, calm beginning with dominating 'bells'. The balance in the first section isn't perfect. The song is too calm at some parts (like 1:17 and 1:35), but that's not bad. The 'dream' comes to an end at a typical way. Chief - The sound level in is not good, there's too much difference (like 0:10 vs. 1:30 vs. 2:30). I like the song although it's a bit all the same. The ending is too short. Numegil - Good intro, exactly the description. The timing of the song to come in. I don't like the middle part, it's boring and doesn't belong between the storms. The part around 2:00 is also weird here. The storm is dominating almost the whole song. Gimgak - Totally different begin after the intro. It's not like the other entries, but fits with the theme. I like the samples you used, some parts are only too long and not variating enough. The last 20 seconds shouldn't be here, you better had those skipped. Virtualshock - A piano... terrible clarinet (as mentioned). The song is very calm, too calm. There's almost no variation, but still not a bad song. Try to variate more next time. And change that clarinet (of course). First place: Dev Honorable mentions: Gimgak, larsdood, and Johnny Burt ------- Reaktorz0 ++ ------- First place: Johnny Burt Honorable mentions: Gimgak, Chief, and Blue.Nocturne ------- Gimgak ++ ------- HoboKa - Pretty good job of representing a vision that results from drugs. The end made me laugh. Reaktorz0 - Interesting piece. Sounds like a dream/ vision that resulted from drug-intake, if that was what you were going for. Johnny Burt - I LOVE the beat. It really creates a feeling that you're being rushed through some unkown land, which fits the dream theme. larsdood - Good representation of a nightmare. A chaotic moods sets in as soon as the song starts. The part at 1:41 is interesting. Dev - Good orchestral piece. I like the floaty woodwinds that come in at the beginning, they set up a good mood. Blue.Nocturne - This piece is awesome. You hit the theme head on. I really like your use of that synth that comes in at 0:38. Chief - Nice composition, just in my opinion I did'nt think it fit the theme as well as some others. I liked the build up in the second half, pretty epic. Ferdinand Schenck - I liked the idea behind this song. I just thought that your transitions could be better because it kinda just jumps from one section to another. Numegil - A cool idea that was well done. Good use of sound effects. I like the harp runs towards the end. Virtualshock - Man, that has to be the worst clarinet sample I've ever heard. But if you ignore that, the piece is fairly relaxing. Sounds kinda like a lullaby. First place: Blue.Nocturne Honorable mentions: Johnny Burt ------- Elan Hickler ------- HoboKa - I like how this composition is named after me. Ooh, very nice ambient beginning. Nice change at 0:55, I now see myself looking around confused as hek because I'm drugged-out in a trippy dream. Wow, this song is a bit too trippy for my blood, and I'm going to pretend that voice didn't hear that voice at the end. Reaktorz0 - Untitled and no description? omg... this better be good. The percussion stands out as good. Interesting synths/sequencing, a little middle-eastern in some parts. Interesting change at 1:43. Overall, I feel like the composition is a bit too structured with a consistent beat throughout the composition to really represent the dream world. Johnny Burt - Interesting interpretation of the theme, you don't really treat the "dreamworld in question" as a dreamworld, but more of a threatening reality. However, the overall feeling I get from the composition is not very dream-like. It seems more like a futuristic struggle/battle like the Matrix. However, it does seem to fit your description. Personally, I feel it would have made more sense for the composition to be a bit less structured, a bit more strange. This composition is very structured. Of course, while it is definitely a good composition, I feel it's not hitting the main theme. larsdood - Ah good, from the very beginning it sounds pretty strange and dreamlike. Even with the consistent beat throughout the composition, the percussion changes up enough to be consistent with the randomness of the dream world. A lot of strange random synths, too. Wow, what the heck was that at the end? Dev - Ah, an orchestral piece. Your use of marimba was definitely a good choice, I only wish there was more usage of those types of instruments throughout the composition to create a colder atmosphere. The composition leaves me with the feeling of daydreaming or watching clouds pass by due to the instruments you chose (heavy use of strings, woodwind, and brass, a very "warm" ensemble) . Overall sounds more like contemplation than a dream-like theme. Blue.Nocturne - Ah, finally, something that sounds truely dreamlike. Very nice beginning. I really like your usage of piano and marimba/xylophone/glockenspiel (whatever it was). Very interesting interpretation of the theme. With the synth elements of the composition, it brings out the perfect futuristic utopia you described. Overall, peaceful and enjoyable. Chief - Personally, when I think of the dreamworld I think of a nighttime atmosphere and surreal dream-like images. This composition makes heavy use of brass in such a way that doesn't really represent the dream world for me. Ferdinand Schenck - I feel this composition fails to represent the surreal setting of the dreamworld. Numegil - Aha! Ambient noise. This composition definitely has the surreal and cold atmosphere that would make a dreamworld. I like your usage of the harp, a little cliche, but refreshing to hear. Very nice ambience around 1:00, an unexpected change. Gimgak - Ooh, very nice and ambience at first impression. Later transitions to something with more of a beat. Overall, I feel the composition could have easily represented a theme other than the dreamworld. Part of the challenge of the contest is to represent the theme and at the same time leave the listener feeling that the composition was made specifically for the theme. Virtualshock - The composition is a bit too traditional to represent the dreamworld First place: Blue.Nocturne Honorable mentions: HoboKa, Numegil, and larsdood ------- Numegil ++ ------- HoboKa - I like the general feel of this song, particularly the part starting around 1:23, but I think you could have expanded more on the melodies on it. Reaktorz0 - I like some of the melodic elements here, but I'm not sure if the kind of rhythmic background is fitting for a "dreamy" environment. Johnny Burt - I like the feel of your intro, but I think its kinda long, and doesn't get anywhere fast enough. After the intro, I don't think the drum parts fit this theme, and should be cut down somewhat. You also could expand more on the melodies in the song. larsdood - I like some of the ambient background pad sounds, but I'm not sure if the rhythmic background is fitting for this theme. Dev - I like the mood of this piece. Nice sampling too. I think you could have added more direction to it though, as most of the song doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Also, the ending seemed kinda abrupt. Blue.Nocturne - Great job on this song. It excellently captured the desired mood for this piece, in my opinion. Chief - Nice job on this piece. I don't seem to have any specific criticisms, but your song definitely had some sense of direction. Ferdinand Schenck - I think a lot of your song seems too simple. You should try to add more counterpoints, and expand on the harmonies. Gimgak - Virtualshock - First place: Blue.Nocturne Honorable mentions: Dev and Chief