by

Victor DOUBLESTAR Laboratory
(DOUBLESTAR Laboratory)

Nice main melody, it flowed well through the song. The melody in patterns 16-19 is not the best filler between the repetition of the mail melody, perhaps a change up in the beat would have been better instead of keeping the backing part the same and just changing the main instrument and lead melody in this section. Also, the song was far too long, there are not really many variations on the main part of the song therefore it shouldn't go anywhere past 4 mins. It would have been good if it was shorter.

A powerfully moving pop/rock mix. I could feel the anger in this song. The rhythm (especially the congas / bongos) is very well done. The leads shouldn't repeat as much as they do--personally, I think you should get in with a lead, make your point, and go on to something else. Repetition is for other parts of the song. The electric piano was very well done, but it should have been more of a bridge section--you didn't change enough from the verse it came from...and then you changed the parts at the end of the bridge--it just seemed to not work--my ear was expecting something else. The repetition of the piano riff (the sample sounds tinny when played alone but it blends well) is a nice theme and really adds to the mood. The little stop before the roving electric guitar lead just didn't work for me--but at least you changed the leads after it--repeat a lead too much and it gets boring. People like repeating rhythms and chords, not leads... Watch your NNA count--pianos can't play the same note as they can play two different notes--you have to fade out a same note faster. Try also accenting notes on your lead with volume effects. The panning was perfect--except the kick drum should generally be centered (it was hard to tell if it was)

The piano section had a great riff, but it repeated too often... It was the some thing for the entire song (untill you replaced it with strings and changed key). On Order 04, the Electric Guitar had too much of a pitch-slide too it. The flute lead at Order 08 sounded too "mechanical". That might have been OK 2 years ago, but I've seen tracking go into more "realistic" era in sequencing. If you spent a little more time on the flute, that would have made the song much, MUCH better (listen to some of Leviathan's stuff). In general, the best part of the song was the piano riff, however, that was repeated too often and so were many other parts of the song. That might be something you want to work on. All-in-all, this song was actually quite good... Very good. You have a great idea in there, but expand it a bit more. Great job!

Good opening, I like the bass. I would have liked some chord work in the piano riff rather than single notes. The drums need some work and need more variation throughout the song - hihats could use some volume adjusting and more subtlety. The lead guitar is done well - I like the pitch envelope, but it shouldn't be used all the time - use the S7B command. I like the sample that comes in at order 8 with a good tune. However, there is some clash and dissonance with the strings in channels 6 and 7. The different melodic parts are mixed well but underdeveloped. The key change at order 28 is effective and well done. I would prefer a more solid ending. The panning is well done and not overworked. The samples are good but slightly out of tune - the strings sound flat in the song. Overall a simple but listenable tune with some flaws here and there.

This tune lacks variation badly, is monotonous and seems washed out of emotions. It sounds like most composition work you did was turning channels on and off. The guitar sample is OK, but balances out with poor lead. The key change was a good idea. The tune would be very interesting, if you applied more of them.

This actually sounds quit old school. This is quite, quite gorgeous. Not Wonderfully echo-sticken start. Good quality samples except that one guitar. Panflute song.

[originality:] This song exists in a perpetual state of cheesy 80's pop styling :) The genre's been beaten to death (too many tunes that sound like Breakfast Club soundtracks). [form:] The musical progression throughout this tune is consistently average, and presents itself very well. I like the consistency of the phrasing of multiple leads, which gives this tune a really good flavor. At times, it does seem a bit dull and repetitive, but overall, the composer does a good job at keeping the listener interested. The upwards progression at the end sounds a bit forced. Good tracking style nonetheless. [technique:] The mixing is well done. The ending seems a bit abrupt and uninspired (did you run out of time? :) Good panning, good samples - the only sample i had problems with was the guitar "hiccup" (pitch envelope causes the guitar sample to hiccup at the same time, over and over and over again...) This is a bit too distracting from the overall tune (although it is a pretty neat effect) [sample quality:] Again, the samples were well-chosen and mixed very cleanly. This song is a good example of how to add much more girth to a tune simply by concentrating on volume and panning.