Abadoss: +++++ (5) XFactor: + (1) Zekk: ++++++++++++++++++ (18) stringfield: ++++ (4) Simon Frisch: ++++++ (6) ButzaW: +++++++++++++ (13) Weew: ++ (2) IceWind91: ++++++ (6) Maquis: +++++++++++++ (13) ------- Abadoss ++ ------- XFactor - This had a very ambient/industrial feel to it. I could definitely see this being background music to a level in a video game (that's not necessarily a bad thing). Unfortunately, I didn't really feel very much build. The most forward pushing part was the beginning (0:00-1:27), which gave a sense of things progressing, but it pretty much leveled off afterward. There was variation in what was going on, but it didn't seem to progress. I would have liked to have seen a little more development on that end. The piano at the end was a nice touch (a little out of place, but still nice). Zekk - I think you got a nice groove going in this piece. Definitely a good bass line. For a while, it was difficult to tell how this fit the theme. It seemed a little too cheery, particularly at the beginning. Once it had progressed out of it (about 0:50 with the entrance of the high piano notes), it made more sense. There was a lot of repetition for as short of a piece as you had. I'd have liked to see a good deal more variation. stringfield - You took a very interesting approach to this, which is something that I always appreciate. It kind of ended a little abruptly, though. I think your themes and phrases were pretty strong and I think you did a good job with the sound effects (although some were a little weird). I don't know if the sample you used for the piano was the best choice. It was a little too bright and pound-y (yes, I know that's not a real word) for my liking. You used a great deal of variation. My biggest critique is that it often felt like the themes weren't leading anywhere. They seemed to amble or idle in a certain area, isolated from the rest of the piece. I think that phrasing could've played a larger role in your piece. Simon Frisch - Kudos for the literary reference. If I'm not mistaken, you're using GPO. My suggestion would be to increase the "dry" in Ambience, so you'll get a little more volume. It will take a little bit of practice to get it right, though. I sure as hell don't have it down right, yet. I know that as a composer, you want to be accurate in how a live orchestra would be able to interpret those dynamics, but, unfortunately, GPO isn't live. I'm not sure what you use to master, but you might see if there's an option for amplifying in it. Just make sure that it doesn't peak out (which is tough with GPO). In the meantime, I was very impressed with the orchestration. It reminded me of old movie scores and, particularly in regards to the harmonies and woodwind sections, a little of Debussy (consider that a compliment, as he's in my top five composers). It hada very incidental quality to it. Over all, I think you did a really nice job. Very concert worthy. ButzaW - You piece reminded me a lot of the soundtrack to the game Equinox at the beginning. Definitely switched over to some other game, which I can't remember at the moment. Anyway, this piece had groove. It grew and progressed. It had harpsichord. A little short, but, generally speaking, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Weew - The sirens were a little irritating. I appreciate that you played around with the tempo a great deal. I really feel that if you had developed and focused more on the ideas you were had around 1:41, you'd have had a stronger piece. This is a good start, but it's time to take it up a notch. IceWind91 - I really liked the choir section near the beginning. It added a very nice element to the piece. The sixteenth note runs around 0:20 reminded me a lot of Super Mario World (the dungeon music). Anyway, this sounds very epic and has a lot of nice qualities. However, it often felt like the piece was more like an intro to something else. Maybe I should consider that a progressive feel. Maquis - I always appreciate a well used organ. And harpsichord. It's very easy to both badly and I think you were careful enough not to mess it up. It might have something to do with having been playing a lot of emulator games, but it took me a while (and you posting about it) for me to realize that these were MIDI sounds. That says a lot for the manner in which you used them. Mmm... organ... Oh, right. Critique. Very epic. I really enjoyed the more chorale-like sections (i.e. around 4:00). First place: Maquis Honorary mentions: Simon Frisch, ButzaW, and Zekk ------- stringfield ++ ------- Abadoss - I wasn’t overly impressed by this piece for one sole reason-I didn’t find its impression on me very powerful because it didn’t strike me if you see what I mean. I got the enemy preparing to attack part really REALLY well. Seriously well done on that. It was just a little repetitive without meaning to be I think largely because the main theme was very memorable in comparison to the others so every time it popped up you recognised it instantly. I got the idea of the fortress quite well I must say so really well done on that too. It was like film music. But the piece didn’t really take me anywhere, it didn’t show me this horrifying fortress being attacked in the flesh and it didn’t really tell the story so well. However it was still very enjoyable to listen to and quite entertaining if a little flat. Your orchestration was also very clever as was your harmonies. XFactor - I quite liked this one but it had its weaknesses. The theme and the instrumentation was fine for me in the first ambient half, one of the instruments even reminded me of goron city from Zelda, the marimba one I think, so well done on that. But I felt the change into trance was a little too ambitious and too abrupt. When it came in I felt somewhat surprised as a listener. Also the theme was a little overused. Making a recurring melody is all fine and dandy but the listener doesn’t need to be continually reminded of it by it sitting in the background. Other than that it was quite good. Zekk - I felt that this piece was ok but didn’t really describe the lair so much which is obviously a problem since this entire competition is based around the lair. The tower didn’t really appear anywhere musically in the piece IMO I’m afraid, so I’m slightly confused as to how it applies to the theme. Anyway having said that I got the sense of a hero ascending and battling really well so well done. I was just a little bit let down by the tower. Don’t worry though as a piece it was quite entertaining. Simon Frisch - I liked this piece a lot! It was really cool! It really gave me the impression of a sort of graveyard encampment. Well done! On the down side the piece was so good, that in places your pianissimos became frustratingly soft. I had to strain to catch stuff in places and with such a brilliant piece I found this quite irritating. But anyway great stuff. I loved it. ButzaW - I couldn’t find anything wrong with this piece! Its great! Really! I absolutely loved it! Well done! Even with the drum entry and instruments that normally ruin any sense of enjoyment for me (I usually don’t like harpsichords lol) I still loved it and I could completely understand why you used them. I thought it was great! Weew - I liked this piece until the middle where you used a really annoying instrument lol. Was it a wind machine or something? Anyway I mean the thing that was going weoooooooooo-oooooo-ooooo lol. I didn’t like it and you kept reusing it. Apart from that it was quite good I guess. There was a tempo change near the start of the middle bit which was a bit odd but not too bad. Yeah not bad, could have been really good if weren’t for that instrument. Don’t be offended, I’m sure people will disagree with me. IceWind91 - Cool I like this piece quite a lot. Not really got a lot to say about it I suppose. It was more the kind of entry that I expected would appear in this competition than the others but that’s not a bad thing. Yeah I liked it. Maquis - I think this piece should have been written a tad more carefully. In particular I’m talking about the organ part. Discords on an organ are really, really grating to the ear (or at least mine) because organ notes don’t fade away and so you have a consistent clash in note noises if you see what I mean. The organ solo was very grating to listen to IMO because the organ had these discords and held them on very long notes. I didn’t find the organ very impressive either, it sort of got overpowered by the orchestra. Anyway aside from the organ it was very good. It really conveyed a sense of grandeur but menace. Well done! Your mixing was also very good. It was just spoilt by the organ. Alex Smith - I’m really sorry that you didn’t get this in on time because I think if you had it would have got my 1st place. It was really brilliant! Seriously very very good. I can understand how frustrated you must be in not getting a piece this good in on time. I loved it. First place: ButzaW Honorary mentions: Abadoss, Simon Frisch, Icewind91, and Xfactor ------- Weew ++ ------- Abadoss - It seems like there should be a harmony going under some of it. It just is to bare during some parts of it but most of it is good and the general idea is also good. XFactor - I think it could use a little bit more of a melody and a little less repetition. Most of it is good and it is a good idea. Zekk - Great job I can't think of any improvements to make. stringfield - I thought the melody was a little to quiet during some parts. If that is supposed to be thunder then I like the stormy touch. Simon Frisch - It is pretty good but I guess is just not my kind of piece. It sounds like it should be performed on a stage. ButzaW - I can this being in a cinematic going into the vampire nest. IceWind91 - It sounds like I just walked into a desecrated cathedral. Maybe unhatched demons on the walls... Maquis - Sounds kinda like something from Medievil. There are just a couple parts that don't right to me and an instrument sounds out of place too. First place: IceWind91 Honorary mentions: ButzaW, Maquis, Zekk, and Simon Frisch ------- Bundeslang ------- Abadoss - Typical intro, I like the built up to the 'exiting' part. I like the balance and the orchestral fits perfectly. The song is not too long, could be used in a movie or something. Awesome work. The last part is a bit the same, but that's the only weak point. XFactor - Long, too long beginning, like the enemy approaches and doesn't come after all. But he comes at 1:30 and then still not too many happends, like you have written. I think the long beginning is dead for the song and at the end it's not a big fight after all. The song doesn't 'explode'. Zekk - Good intro, it is the enemy's lair. Great orchestra and sample working. I like almost everything about it, I don't know what to change. Maybe the ending should be like 'the boss is beaten'. stringfield - At the beginning I don't get an 'enemy feeling', like what's written in the description. It's more like the hero is walking in an intro level. The beginning part doesn't variate much. I also don't like the 'silence' around 1:25. Simon Frisch - It starts scary and dangerous, but it doesn't explode. But after 2:14 finally the song gets life, but still it keeps like walking around the dangerous area but not in it. It's a bit too soft for that. After 3:17 it finally explodes a bit, but then the song ends already. ButzaW - Short song and it's more like the enemy is beated as we are in his area. The part after 1:00 is a bit too boring, the nice built up which starts at 1:37 doesn't help that. Weew - Nice song description. I have the same feeling. After a while the sirenes become boring and there's not much sample variation. The part around 1:45 is nice, but too short. The ending is a bit boring. IceWind91 - I like the beginning. I like the dangerous taste from the song. I don't like the silence parts around 2:03 but I do like the last part. The ending comes a bit too short. Maquis - Nice beginning, it's like everything is lost already. The middle part is a bit boring, and the switch to the '2:00 part' is a bit too weird. Every part of the song is too long, but mixed very well. First place: Zekk Honorary mentions: Abadoss ------- ButzaW ++ ------- Abadoss - The song's description reminds me an awful lot of the film 300, heh. Composition wise, I enjoyed this a lot. Very interesting notation, that never seems to be repeating itself. I think the music here is a little too positive for the theme, but that's a personal opinion, I guess. Nice work overall. XFactor - I'm really digging this synth bass you've used! This would work well as a non-intrusive BGM for adventure video games such as Zelda, as it starts slowly and quietly. I think this song is a little too repetitive. Some more melodies and harmony could be great here. I like the part at the end with the rising synth (one that ends with a bang). Cute track, keep it up. Zekk - This is my favourite submission. That piano with its banging lead notes is just great. Very catchy, and the strings are a perfect addition. I like how you interpreted the theme. It's not all that evil, but still sounds epic to me. Really good work. I mean it. stringfield - Quite a strange way to interpret the theme, but cool nevertheless. This is very nice as a standalone track, but I'm not really sure you've managed to fit with the theme. The piano and flute were nicely composed. Simon Frisch - You should take note of the volume of your songs. This is too low... I enjoyed this greatly. For some reason I think it would fit perfectly in a long RPG game such as Baldur's Gate. Not really music that is up front on the attention, but more like background music. I liked it, but the volume levels really messed things up for me, which is a shame. Weew - Nice going with the detailed plot; this is good thinking. That siren effect sounds like it came out of something like an SNES RPG, which is neat. I think it would have been nice if you removed that effect at a certain point earlier, though. In my opinion this song lacks a bit more energy in it. Some more harmony, some percussion, things like that. Nice work. IceWind91 - This is very nice. I especially liked the part with the choir. The song reminds me a lot of the lost Hyrule Castle theme from Zelda: Wind Waker. I think some more development would make this more interesting, such as a change in mood or extra instrumentation. In any case, this is one of the better submissions in my opinion. Good work. Maquis - This is very nicely composed. However, I have to say it's too long in my opinion. The harpsichord is nice, and so is that other organ. Some background effects and/or drone sounds would improve this one greatly, I think. Nice work. First place: Zekk Honorary mentions: IceWind91 and Simon Frisch ------- joret ------- Abadoss - A well planned piece that really gives one the impression of a long march towards the enemy lair. It's the moment before the final battle! Well made by Abadoss, I can't hear anything wrong with it. XFactor - Not a bad piece, but I feel like there is something missing. It really doesn't peak anywhere. It had more of a game feeling than anything else. Zekk - A nice sad piece, it does bring out the despair of the hero for having to kill an old friend. But it doesn't bring out the feeling of a moment before the final battle, just the realization that he must take out his friend. It should have been darker, more sinister. stringfield - A nice piece indeed, but it didn't take me in. I know it's theme is sadness, but I feel that it rather should have been happier. Since the evil has been defeated, it should be celebrated. As for destroying a lair, it is done, so no more evil can take the previous monsters (or call it what you like) place. But otherwise, a real nice piece that works with the empty, destroyed lair-theme that stringfield was aiming for. Simon Frisch - Nice! It's like taken out of a movie score! It had a John Williams-esque sound. Very impressive! A piece that does depict the scene of a moment before entering the lair, and a on-following drama that would occur when entering the enemy's lair. ButzaW - This piece was really short! And it ended very suddenly. It had a game-feeling to it, it's like the music for either the final stage or the final battle. Otherwise a nice piece, that is far too short to do it justice. Weew - This piece was under par. He describes middle as when he is running, but I don't get the feeling, it seems more like cruising away from danger. I believe this piece would have been better with a tempo change. And the "siren" went on for too long, and drawed attention from the music. IceWind91 - A quiet piece. The beginning promised more than it gave. I do feel the anxiety of the piece, but I thought it would've peaked somewhere. I expected something like drums or things like that. This piece would have fitted a horror flick. I expected at 2:05 it would start off again with orchestral drums or something, but it ended with the choir. So I felt a little disappointed. But it isn't a bad piece. Maquis - Nicely done, Maquis! A comment that got the imagination going, and a piece to match it! I can actually imagine the standard bad guy, sitting by the organ. Playing and with his sly voice saying: "I've been expecting you". It brings out the mood of the hero standing face-to-face(or should I say back?) with the maniac. It's well put together, and I enjoy listening to it. First place: Maquis Honorary mentions: Abadoss, Zekk, stringfield, Simon Frisch, ButzaW, and IceWind91 ------- Reaktorz0 ------- Abadoss - The drums in the beginning are a bit repetitive, and the way they suddenly stop at 0:40 sounds pretty weird. Otherwise, it's an overall nice song :), but somehow not dark enough, IMO. XFactor - I like the beginning of the piece... it would be perfect for a space dungeon thing or a deserted spaceship with mutant ghosts and stuff... unfortunately, the drums and the xylophone don't blend really well with the rest of the song. :( Overall, it would have been a really good entry, if it was a bit less repetitive and if the choice of instruments wasn't as random as it is :P Zekk - Really nice song. I like how everything evolves during the song, as if the hero was actually climbing the tower or something. :) The only thing I don't really like is the piano part from 0:30 to 0:47, but I love the bassline right after 0:47 :D Sounds like something you could hear in the final dungeon of a kirby-like platformer. :D stringfield - You came up with an extremely original and interesting concept, and you managed to make a really nice entry, that represents it very well. :D Reminds me of something from the Seiken Densetsu series at some places. :) Simon Frisch - Nice song, but I think it doesn't fit too well with the theme. I found it almost happy at some places. ButzaW - I like it :D I don't like the ending, though :P Weew - There are a few parts I like a lot, but unfortunately, the rest of the piece isn't as good. :( Some parts sound a bit random, too... IceWind91 - Pretty good start, but it doesn't evolve enough... too repetitive :( otherwise, there's a great potential in this entry. :) Maquis - Pretty interesting concept :D maybe not as original as stringfield's, but still, extremely well rendered in your song. I like the different parts and how they manage to naturally transition to each other. :D Alex Smith - Too bad you didn't submit it in time, otherwise, I would have given you a [+1] vote :) It's a nice song. I like the drum part a lot, and there's a lot more energy in it than the other entries in the same style. :) First place: ButzaW Honorary mentions: Maquis, Zekk, and stringfield ------- Gimgak ------- Abadoss - XFactor - Zekk - stringfield - Simon Frisch - ButzaW - Weew - IceWind91 - Maquis - First place: Zekk Honorary mentions: ButzaW and Maquis ------- Zekk ++ ------- Abadoss - I like the way you arrange the parts, your transitions from one part of the song to the other feel very fluent. Your choice of intruments isn't bizzare in any way shape or form. It all fits nicely together. This has a very militaristic feel, which although I like, I wasn't such a big fan of the lack of filler. (I guess you would call it) Just a personal preference. It seemed very hollow at some points. Although i'm fairly sure that you were going for just that. so Kudos. XFactor - Very dark synths. Your beats are very loud and present. I like that. Although maybe some more variation on them would breath a little more life into the piece. The synth that plays the melody starting at about 2:00 doesn't seem to work very well with the rest of the sound field. A longer melodic line would be cool as well. It's shortness made it almost obtrusive by the end of the piece. Very creepy feel over all. stringfield - Right off the bat, I play piano so the piano and flute combo was a very pleasant thing for me. Sometimes the volume on the lower piano notes are a little too loud. I do get the broken hollow feeling that you said you were going for. Almost a depressing sense of sadness, but not without an evil overtone to it. Simon Frisch - I love your orchestration. You go from one extreme to the other. Dynamics are very convincing. This has a very cinematic flavor to it. Actualy now that i think of it, The style reminds me of the music style from dragon quest 8. Very enjoyable. I also get flavors of Fantasia/Peter and the wolf if your familiar with either of those. I'm guessing you probably are. ButzaW - Quick and to the point, I like how the pace for this piece gets set so quickly. It's very decieving how it starts off. The building speed is a nice touch. That boingy noise seems a little out of place, but doesn's really do enough to detract from the whole. Sometimes its hard to hear the guitar in the background pulsing away. I don't know much of anything about guitar, but if i were to take a stab at it, i'm guessing it has something to do with too much distortion, or too muddy. I'm sure you know what i mean. Weew - Pleasantly creepy intro. Once things get rolling i really like the guitar melody and harmony that you have going on. The sound that ripps back and forth gets old very fast. I wouldn't have minded if it was absent from the piece all together. I'm a sucker for choir stuff. So i really liked that as well. There was a definate feeling of climbing or progressing as i listened. IceWind91 - Love the choir vox. Very dark and foreboding feel. A sense of Impending doom almost. I would have liked a little more variation at the end it seemed louder but not really more deadly. I was expecting the door to insight the fear of god. Pretty cool none the less. Maquis - Organ = yes! This is very powerful stuff, And very thoughtful at the same time. I love this approach to the theme. It has character, and really feels like it tells a story, and matches your description very well. You get my winning vote. (take that part out if i'm not supposed to say) Because the melody is just downright viral. I can't get enough. it flows and very easily gets stuck in my head. The Climactic organ chords at 3:30 made me giggle with delight. (no, seriously it did) the Sustained organ tones at the end are nifty as well. I took this one to work with me for 3 days straight and listened to it on loop on my lunch break. Love the Waltzy feel. Nicely done. First place: Maquis Honorary mentions: Simon Frisch