Pavloff: +|+++|+|+|+|+|+| (9) Rich Douglas: ++|+|+|+++|+| (8) Noé Falzon: ++|+|+|+|+|+|+|+++| (11) Nicholas Singer: ++|+++|+|+++|+++|+++|+|+++|+++| (22) xiii1408: ++|+|+| (4) LM: ++|+|+|+|+|+++|+| (10) Alex Smith: +|+|+|+++|+| (7) James Householder IV: ++|+|+++|+|+++|+|+++|+++|+|+| (19) ------- Abadoss ------- First place: Nicholas Singer Honorable mentions: Pavloff, Rich Douglas, Noé Falzon, and Alex Smith ------- beckett007 (Rich Douglas) ++ ------- Pavloff - First and foremost, nice mastering here... the mix pops as a whole, great work! Though sometimes, it's a bit too compressed for my taste (but to each their own!)... and your bass drum hit is a bit distorted. The theme is cool, and like my own piece.. this one is definitely inspired by the likes of Hans Zimmer and co. Nice execution overall, I really love the subtle yet effective trumpet crescendo calls throughout. Noé Falzon - Once again, this one suffers from Sampleitis... better samples would do some wonders here. Decent writing, but it is marred by the lack of velocities and over quantization of the strings which carry the march itself. Nicholas Singer - Ah HA! A fellow Jerry Goldsmith fan! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ominous intro with the mysterios string crescendos and choir. Descent Samples for sure, decent mastering... and I love the originality here, i.e.... not another brass march. I also really dig what was done from 1:00 on with the synth work... very nice. This one is a very very close second place for me... xiii1408 - The Frosty Reaches - Now heres a refreshing change... a heroic theme for... piano? Interesting idea, but it just doesn't fit the vibe of the CMC to me and is trying far too hard to be artsy and different. There's a happy median between too familiar and too out there... unfortunately this one is just too out there for me. ALTHOUGH, it is a decently composed piano piece that serves as a great listen. On a technical note, the reverb seemed a touch to overpowering, you might dial it back a smidge. LM - Another well orchestrated piece of music, but once again.... it sounds like a rehash of space themes we've heard from films like the last starfighter and star wars. LM is definitely a John Williams fan, and it really shows here... thats a great compliment. Williams is very difficult to mimic with samples, so nice work there. I wish the strong heroic string writing right 2:00 was experimented with a bit more. The mastering overall is a bit too "soupy" with the amount of reverb and the brass needs some stronger EQ, but decent writing overall. Alex Smith - Sampleitis strikes again. Better samples would help this piece for sure, but the mastering is really well done, the whole thing pops rather nicely. I did however enjoy the theme, though for some reason it was evoking more of a mideval vibe to me. James Householder IV - It's a well orchestrated piece of music.. but a little bit too much of what is to be expected to be heard here. The samples are "OK", in a day where anyone can really afford the East West libraries, It's time for an upgrade. Also, sometimes the brass seems to wander without a purpose and there are some fairly inconsistent vilocities abound. It definitely reminds me of the likes of the Space Quest, but parts of it are a bit too close to the theme from Ikari Warriors (NES) for me. First place: Pavloff Honorable mentions: James Householder IV, LM, Nicholas Singer, Noé Falzon, xiii1408, and Alex Smith ------- TheJ ------- Pavloff - oh you got drama down for sure :) , i love the break on 0:48... great production also, top stuff. it delivers the atmosphere for sure, i would love a strong melody... but she didnt come as well... Rich Douglas - same as pavloff you are great too, but i cant identify with "star force one" if there is no melody. great use combining electronics and symphonic. Noé Falzon - ah good 80's synth and strong melody, reminds me of startroopers..some kind of old animation series! if only this could advance further after 1:30! you kept going with the "nice" feel and no BIG drama, i was waiting for the drums,brass etc, even on the same idea(which is strong!) you started with. Nicholas Singer - the start definitly sounds epic and very cinematic, no question of your libraries sounds and your production quality. it definitly fits the theme and progress is very good, my nag is just that there is no strong melody to identify with "star force one", which is a must in my opinion. LM - what a start! all your ideas are just what i imagined for this title, and everything is just composed correctly and flowing correctly and very nicely, its just that your libraries didnt give the theme the proper amount of energies! if they could have more dynamic range, lowering some volumes there raising there to increase the drama! great job composing this, just need to work on your production. Alex Smith - you have good composition ideas, i think to this theme they are spread too much, making the composition abit tiresome instead of giving credit to your really good ideas. production:im not sure the triangle notes are that good, something should be added to them, i guess you intended them to be mysterious, it could also be library value. your orchestration is good, and your buildup is pretty even. James Householder IV - ahh i can see composition essence here. melody, build ups with pure notes, not special effects!its hard to judge since everyone else invested their effort and time in production so it wouldn't be fair for them, or would it? First place: James Householder IV Honorable mentions: Noé Falzon and LM ------- emiel1 ------- Noé Falzon - Another orchestral piece in the competition. It is (to my taste) a bit too long and feels like it isn't polished well enough. Nicholas Singer - It's one hell of a piece that is fully orchestral (which I personally very like in theme music) and grips me from the start. It also is to the point, not that long, but it can easily be made longer. It can serve as a theme music, but also music to listen to on its own, which I think every piece of theme music must have. Alex Smith - A close second: the feel is just as great as the one in first place, but you can't listen to it on your own and that makes it second after Nicholas Singer. First place: Nicholas Singer Honorable mentions: Alex Smith and Noé Falzon ------- xiii1408 ++ ------- Nicholas Singer - Remarkable use of mood; I definitely feel like I'm floating through space. James Householder IV - Great use of harmony. First place: Nicholas Singer Honorable mentions: James Householder IV, Noé Falzon, and LM ------- Noé Falzon ++ ------- Pavloff - Awesome epic choirs! Superb instrument sounds and film like orchestration. Rich Douglas - Epic. I love epic. Maybe a bit too much of electronic instruments. As you said, it lacks a bit of coherency, I guess. Nicholas Singer - Very impressive sound rendering, with electronic instruments and effects that fills my headphones completely. I was very surprised when the buildup section started (it indeed sounded very light and gamey, but turned quickly back to a more emotional moment). I'm not sure it was necessary to have that many parts (I can't really distinguish the main theme you mention). xiii1408 - I think it lacks a bit of harmonic content, it sounds like you use the same chord a lot, and I couldn't get an impression of a running theme. It is however very nice to use the piano solo, quite original since the theme inspired more orchestral pieces. LM - Not a fan of the use of dissonant chords. Very cool use of the orchestra. Some parts are very Star Wars like, if I may, with the brass theme accompanied by strings, followed by a quiet part with string arpeggios. Especially the C C C F followed by the bass that marches the scale down. Alex Smith - Very nice theme and orchestration. I find the overall piece a little too calm, but it fits very well the idea I have of an opening music that turns into background music as the attention is drawn to, for instance, the action a movie. James Householder IV - Too bad the synth sound isn't too good (maybe adding reverb would help). It's interesting to decide to use only brass, but sometimes in the piece it sounds a bit "naked", and the addition of other timbres would maybe make the sound richer. Otherwise I like the rythmic bass, and the harmonization of the theme along the piece. First place: Alex Smith Honorable mentions: Pavloff, LM, and Rich Douglas ------- RavingSpleen (LM) ++ ------- Pavloff - Sounds straight out of a modern video game or movie, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. It's a good thing because that means you're good at what you do, however, it's also bad because you don't have an individual voice. It was nice, but nothing I heard screamed "this is unique and adventurous" (I feel like I'm guilty of this too though). Consider using more complex and unique progressions, orchestrations, and melodies in your pieces. xiii1408 - Bold move composing for the piano. The augmented chord was well used throughout the piece to give it a mysterious, quasi-space feel. However, I don't think that it was necessarily wise to limit yourself in that way. Maybe in a more reflective, or sad prompt solo piano would have been more apt. James Householder IV - I admire that you've composed for yourself, and not for a commercial audience. I realize that this is a "conceptual" competition, but it showed individuality. However I still think it a good idea for you to invest in some samples, be it GPO (which I use, btw), EWQLSO, or some other one. Not saying you have to buy it either, if you catch my drift... First place: James Householder IV Honorable mentions: xiii1408 and Pavloff ------- integration (Nicholas Singer) ++ ------- Pavloff - love it, especially the sub at the start, although could do with more development and maybe a punchier mix- i think it has the same problem as mine, which is that it drags a bit because it's based on harmony rather than melody, my only suggestion would be to have more dynamic movement within those chords? Rich Douglas - love the ambience and foreboding, the quintuplet/triplet violas halfway in are brilliant, I think the drums could sit a bit better in the mix but I'm not one to talk about mixing, and the full theme was awesome. Noe Falzon - really like the chord sequence at 50 secs-1min50, pity we only hear that harmony the one time. I think it meanders about too much in the middle- might benefit from more of a sense of build or direction. I think the slower section is a bit too much of a diversion from the main concept- i would expect there to be more action and bravado. xiii1408 - definitely evocative and atmospheric, but could do with more development especially harmonically. I like it but it's essentially a meditation on two chords. Great to hear a real instrument though! LM - The opening takes me right back to playing Super Star Wars on the SNES, not that it's a bad thing- this is definitely the most ambitious and I think it has the most actual musical+thematic content, but it's just a bit too much like John Williams for me, even if he was the one who established 'space music' in the first place.. Alex Smith - Unfortunately whenever I hear an oboe in a space context I immediately think Stargate, but that's probably just me. Feels really epic, I like the use of contrast and the thematic development in the middle. James Householder IV - Fanafres are definitely appropriate, and it's a very heroic theme, but it just gets a bit samey for me- i really think it could really benefit from some arrangement and instrumentation. First place: Rich Douglas Honorable mentions: Noé Falzon ------- James H. (James Householder IV) ++ ------- Pavloff - I was really expecting something to latch on to, this track seemed more like scene background music than the type of attention getting hero music the prompt alluded to. The eerieness was effectively captured and there was good atmosphere as such, but I didn't think there was enough contrast and heroic material to latch on to. Very epic beginning, though. Rich Douglas - I expected an eerie beginning and I happened to get one, however the rhythm track caught me rather off guard. I didn't seem to fit the character of "the frosty reaches of outer space", it seemed more grounded to me, if you know what I mean. Also did not seem quite heroic as you advertised. Noé Falzon - The sample used weren't entirely great (indeed, mine are horrible!), but I don't judge on sample quality. I detected some Mars/Holst influence in the cello ostinato and appreciated the use of horn and oboe, however the parts seemed rather expendable to me - they could have been better infused. Also, throughout I didn't feel quite the sense of drive and attention-getting forward motion a "main theme of... adventures" would have evoked. I liked some of your harmonies on occasion - more near the beginning. Your atmosphere was rather engaging at times, but I felt the track was a bit on the lack of interest side of things as a whole. Nicholas Singer - Very attractive other-worldly atmosphere in the beginning, but this wasn't quite the theme I'd expect to hear a drum track laid under. It makes it too rhythmically centered for me and didn't seem to heroic as the prompt indicated. Also, the main theme you alluded to in your briefing didn't really come out to me, it seemed too subdued. xiii1408 - The atmosphere was very promising at the beginning, but aside from that I felt this leaved much to be desired. Entirely too much tonic going on - where's the heroic theme? This didn't really hold my attention very well, but nice attempt, I assume this if your first time, fellow YCian. Piano solo hardly stands a chance unless you come up with something quite exceptional, sadly. Your arpeggios weren't quite that catapaulting, btw. LM - For once a heroic theme! Every entry I've listened to before this was all atmosphere and nothing to grip on to. I felt this lacked an eerie beginning, but you made up for it with a contrasting middle section. I found the track and the theme very engaging in spite of poor or weak sound samples, but I don't judge on sample quality. There perhaps only was not enough emphasis on the eerie atmosphere the prompt alluded to. Alex Smith - Very nice climactic moment following the eerie beginning. The atmosphere wasn't very engaging, thought it was effective. This also lacked contrast, I felt. Was all atmosphere, where is the heroism? Too subdued to evoke the theme, I thought, minus the two climatic moments throughout, which seemed pretty much identical to my ear anyways. First place: LM Honorable mentions: Pavloff ------- Monobrow (tie breaker vote) ------- First place: Nicholas Singer Honorable mentions: James Householder IV ------- thatguy (tie breaker vote) ------- James Householder IV - I'm not being biased in any way being a YC'er, but James Householder is the only one that really captured the theme for me. Outlandishly heroic and a little cheesy was perfect fot the theme. First place: James Householder IV Honorable mentions: Rich Douglas and Nicholas Singer ------- Bretterfly (second tie breaker vote) ------- Pavloff - Very urgent sounding, great for a dramatic scene. I felt it was too repetitive. I would have liked to heard a contrasting alternate theme; the section where it slows down with the light cymbal, or whatever that tinging sound is was alright, but that would have been a great chance to transition to something different and keep make it sound less repetitive. Also, the drum fill seemed out of place to me. xiii1408 - I think this piece would have benefited greatly if the theme were further developed and had some orchestration added. It seems to "tucker out" about halfway through. The harmony makes a decent progression, but the theme seems to vanish. LM - This had a good amount of contrast and transition, and it played on the main theme fairly well. It would have been great if it had a section to build up some suspense. James Householder IV - I liked how it opened by layering different sections into a chord using the theme. I just love this piece. First place: James Householder IV Honorable mentions: LM and Pavloff ------- Halt (second tie breaker vote) ------- Alex Smith - I really liked it and all, but maybe some of the instruments could have been changed up. James Householder IV - Amazing stuff, but it seemed some of the brass notes in the beginning coincided with each other and kinda seemed like it was a bit too much. First place: Noé Falzon Honorable mentions: Alex Smith and James Householder IV ------- Nathaniel Near (second tie breaker vote) ------- Pavloff - Stylish, effective and idiomatic sort of take on the concept. There isn't much wrong with it, it just doesn't quite shine. Nicholas Singer - Really rich and lush soundworld is created with a nice use of the sort of what I call half major half minor scale to introduce the main section of music which builds in an effective way with an engaging ostinato and dynamic strings. James Householder IV - This is harmonically fairly bold and ambitious and musically dynamic. I feel the material could have been slightly more compressed and somehow the music didn't quite capture the profundity, if you will, of Star Force One. Solid, solid piece though. First place: Nicholas Singer Honorable mentions: Pavloff and James Householder IV ------- DarkeSword (final tie breaker vote) ------- Nicholas Singer and James Householder IV - Householder's got stronger melodic statements, but I think Singer's more effectively captures the wonder of deep space. First place: Nicholas Singer