by

David Rhino
(Rhino)

A striking opening, very contemporary. This piece shows a definite command of music skill... You sound like a bona-fide composer. However, there are a few things that weaken this song overall. First, it should really be played by an orchestra. Score this and find a school to play it for you. :) However, in it's present (tracked) form, the sample quality is a -major- distraction. If you really want this song to stay tracked, then you're going to need better samples, and more of them--the breadth of the ranges you use aren't suited well to single-sample instruments. But, since this is a small-orchestra style song... One contrabass, one oboe, one piano... We're missing the nuiances of the instruments. Second, there's a problem with the tracking--volume control. There should be rises and dips in the volumes of the instruments as they're playing their phrases, which isn't there. Anyway. The flow of this song is a bit weird. It's like a serious of very cool sections, strung together, but with no real interconnection. I really, -really- like each section, but they need to come together in a more fluid way. Your -musical- skill, as I said at the opening is very much worthy of the second round, but your flow, tracking technique, and sample quality are not. Like I said, you really need to have this song played by professionals--it would sound incredible. Some of my favorite secitions were between 1:30 and 1:50, and again from 2:45 through 3:30. Oh, and the drumloop around 4:30 is great, but incongrous with the resyt

I somewhat enjoyed this--it's close to the deadline, however...I did listen to the ending. The samples are good--except for the loop on the piano (well you can hardly tell in the song, but you can tell from just the sample) and the noisy drumloop. And stay away from the GUS patches next year. :P The piano was also a bit unfulfilling. I didn't like the saxophone (?) and the piano switching off in the introduction--it just sounded wrong--my ear wanted them together. When you used the high strings the loops were evident. Your ending was weak for such a powerful mood-filled song. It just was unsatisfying--about as unsatisfying as your transitions. I didn't like how they just cut off. Boom. No grace notes, not even one bridging chord--the mood shifted abruptly and I didn't like it. I did like the mood of this piece--I'm not sure what injection you may be speaking of, but a physician's office comes to mind... The piano could have benefitted from volume swing (not IT-style random, but accent on certain notes) and also a bit of panning would have helped. Your volume envelopes were perfect.

Here are some notes that I wrote while listening: "... original opening for a tracked tune, clarinet is a nice touch .. even though it sounds like a MIDI tune with those synthetic woodwind samples used in the middle/later parts of the piece... ..author has obvious skill at arrangement... ... very rigid transitions... ... mental-image of an 80's drama movie :)... ... very original as far as form goes... ... around 3:40 - do more with the strings here instead of just letting them sit there (effects?)... ... loop at end doesn't fit at all, mainly because its 'all of a sudden' and there is no percussion anywhere else in the piece, but its also a bit off- slow speed i think (just barely).. .. do more with the very final melody (guitar sample?) instead of just those asecnding interval jumps..." overall, a nice progressive piece for a small orchestra & piano but could use more details and either add percussion that fits throughout, or dont add any... :) nice work.

Tracked with less skill than you would expect from a veteran. -.- Brave to attempt such a standard of standard style. -.- The image is very clear though, but could have been more vivid. -.-

Very interesting song. Good samples (except the piano, a bit unnatural) and technique as they should be in this division. The harmonies in orders 7 to 12 seem like having been generated in some fractal generator, stiil nice. Gets better and better. I like it.