One Hour Compo - Round 862 (OHC862)
Votes (2)
-
The Flow
DDRKirby(ISQ) -
morning drive
starla -
Rushing
nukage
All comments are replied to on Discord, making this section irrelevant. Onto the voting!
TheVideoGamer - This track is basically techno/trance at it's core, with a mix of 90's styled sounds, and modern sounds. It initially sounds like a straight forward driving Techno piece, but then the chords come in, and it makes it more dynamic, and melodic. There isn't exactly a melody here, at least compared to my other entries, but it does have a lot of melodic ideas and a key change. Bulk of the interest comes from a lot of driving basslines, a thick 303 line modulated throughout, and a 80's styled pad playing a thick progression. This is all then sidechained for a thick pumping feel. Lastly, there is also a key change in the middle where we move from F# Minor to A minor. This is accompanied by a piano part to keep it melodic as it is rhythmic. All in all, i like it, it's very much a dynamic piece even with the intense in your face techno stuff. Oh well, glad you liked it!
Lyra_183 - Oops you left your metronome on lol. I do love the reverb here it makes me feel like i'm in a large church or even cave. Your singing has progressed so much since i first heard you, the melodies are great in this, and i love how clear and concise the pitch is. The only thing taking me out is the metronome, but the rest is great. Good job!
DarkShadow - Ambient album when lol. One day you will make a track with so much bass, my headphones will just give in and say, you're on your own hah. So far this is getting there, man the bass is so in your face, you have no time to breath lol. I do like the sawtooth synths here, but sometimes i think the buzzing bass is a little excessive, and i say this as someone who listens to gabber heh. Still though, this is definately a little more unique than the average DarkShadow entry, it sounds so cool! Good job!
Nukage - Ooh that is a Linkin Park chord progression if i've seen it. Don't know how it was made, but i do feel that 2000's rock, it's hard hitting and hype. The vocals weirdly don't feel suitable for this style of guitar playing, however it's sung exceptionally well, so i can't complain too much. I do like the dynamics a lot, the drop was great, even if a bit on the soft side. The drums kind of get lost in the mix, whilst the vocals are the star. I think a lot of smoothing in the mix would make this so much better, however what i heard overall is very nice. Although it has potential, i felt there was more to like than dislike. So much so i chose it for the third spot (Yes i'm a hypocrite sometimes, but each round varies with the number of tracks that are awesome to needs work. It's weird like that lol), either way, amazing work!
DDRKirby(ISQ) - Sweet pads, this is extremely chill. I feel like floating on a cloud. You know it's a good DDR peice when we have the soft reverbed piano. Ok i wasn't expecting the DnB drop, i assumed it was a downtempo piece, this is actually suprising. The mix is awesome in this, the drop is deep as hell, and the embelishments in the background add so much. This is such a great banger, it has that perfect mix of soft and soothing meets hard hitting. The journey in this one is more atmospheric, but man it's done so well! I think honestly this might be one of your best, the mix is awesome. Absolutely lovely stuff, so lovely it went straight for the top spot, incredible work!
Cryef22 - Beats me mate lol. Cool electric piano sounds, great idea to speed up to the main section, great intro idea. This one is a 5/4 number, but with a drum beat in 4/4. It's kind of a polyrhythm thing going on, it's great. The melody is very nice, but a bit upfront compared to the rest in my opinion. I think the overal mix is perhaps a bit too quiet, it feels like it's too low compared to the rest. The track in itself is pretty great however, the melody is catchy, and the bass has that oldschool chiptune quality. Really the mix just needs to be a little bit louder, and the overal melody not eating the mix as such. Good job though!
Meistr - That chord progression reminds me of a song that might be on Monstercat but i don't know. Killer drum work, i like how it sounds like DnB but more acoustic. This one is shorter than it actually is because of a long tail, so a few repeats were needed to process is. The vocals were great, but i think since you went for a fast genre, they struggled a bit. Raphaelle's vocals sort of tripped up a bit, before she got back on track, and in the final part, the drop was overpowering the insane rap part from Astrea, so without the lyrics i would not understand a single word, sorry. The drop is excellent, so hard hitting, and Astrea's sing/rap part was really well done. Honestly it's just smoothing really, a bit of cleanup would take this to the next level. I do have a habit of being way too critical sometimes, but seriously this track is extremely dope either way, so it has no bearing on the abilities or production. Good job!
DarkMystery727 - Interesting background ambience, don't know if it's you recording, or if it's a youtube video. You say it's experimental, but all i hear is a Chopin inspired synth piece. Which if that's experimental, then what have i been making all my life haha. It's very cool, especially the synth, it sounds like i'm in a haunted mansion. You are right, the ending was a bit WTF, i do like my music loud sometimes, but not cluster loud lol. I feel there is an incentive to take this further, as i liked some parts a lot, and others i felt it was too out there for my taste, or at least i felt we could do more with it. Good job though!
Coloradoweeks - Ooh very short one from Colorado. Gonna have to do a few repeats to get it. The shorter a piece, the harder it is to review, and the more likely i will not rank this one as much. Again i must stress this is not exclusive to you, but to anyone. It makes it hard to review if there's so little music. I take zero objections to copying and pasting. It's the TVG bread and butter haha. This beat is Sonic the Hedgehog style, right down to the insanely futuristic chords, but yet the beat is quite Punk rock, which is interesting. Usually i expect a DnB beat, but i can work with this. It is quite intense, i thick it's too bass heavy towards the end, a little too in your face. But i sense this was made in a short amount of time, either due to failing ideas, or you really only had 20 minutes. If this isn't the case, i'm sorry, i try my best not to generalise. Long story short, it has the potential to be turned into a right banger, good job!
turbo852 - Welcome new guy, i am a regular, and i am also known to winge and moan at entries. Haha i'm joking, i do review and i can be a little more critical than some, so take this with a grain of salt. My comments are just really...my personal advice/opinions. Nobody has to listen or to read this. I try and be as fair as i can, but also honest. Anyways, you also went the really short route, so this will take a few repeats. Not expecting car sounds for this, but i can definately work with this, since that is the whole point of the theme really, and i am big advocate for going outside the box. I dig that semi-DnB beat, it's extremely punchy and hard hitting, and the percussive elements work wonders with it. You also made an extremely catchy horn melody, very authentic even when it's an EDM style. I think the transition to the beat, could be a little more smoother maybe, or at least i can anticipate the beat, without it being too abrupt. I also sense potential for a thick wub bass, and a chord progression. Basically there is a lot of potential, it sounds sick. I definately sense eventually you will be comfortable with the OHC format, and you will eventually be pumping out some excellent bangers in no time. Good job anyways!
Arcana - I like the mix of EDM and acoustic sounds here, it has a bit of a live feel in parts. The vocal work is very masked in this one, especially when the thick trance chords come in. The vibe is really nice, i love the vocal melody, and the distorted effects. Some parts definately feel like it's on top of each other, i don't know if the vocals are maybe too upfront, or if it's the processing of the vocals, as everything feels crispy, even in the synths. The track has a lot of killer ideas though, there is some great effects going on, i totally sense potential, so don't be discouraged. Good job!
Starla - Pretty chords, not expecting something this happy from Starla, but to be fair, i don't expect me to make ambient music and yet i've done it. This is a killer beat, it's very hard hitting and in your face. Vocal work is incredible, the effects are beautiful, i also love the light and shade parts, one minute it's chill, next minute it's in your face (But not in a intense way, it's really nicely mixed). The vocals are definately more designed as a melody, than a full set of lyrics, but that's fine, not everything needs lyrics. Vocals can be anything. Either way this was awesome, couldn't find anything else to say. It was so good i picked this for the 2nd spot, i loved it. Amazing work!
Relax.D - Not really an entry, since it was shared the day after, but i'm nice enough to give it the benefit of the doubt. I really like the FM like synth, it's super interesting. Lots of cool synth noodles here, apart from one moment that appears at the end of each repeat, where it's a bit too dissonant for my liking. Beat is mixed very intensly, however the drums are soo cool, it's part trap, part synthpop in a way. The track has a lot of potential, that string sound is haunting but also very cinematic. It's pretty great, it just has a lot more to make it less dissoannt, more dynamic. Good job though, i'm glad you shared it!
Top 3 - DDRKirby(ISQ), Starla, Nukage.
Awesome - Nukage, DDRKirby(ISQ), Starla.
Needs Work - Lyra_183, DarkShadow, Cryef22, Meistr, DarkMystery727, Coloradoweeks, turbo852, Arcana, Relax.D.
Ouch that is a lot in the Needs Work section, i swear i'm not normally this harsh. There's been some rounds where it was so good nobody needed to be in this section, it varies. On average it's normally 50/50, it's just this week i might not feel it as such. There's some excellent entries i've made, and some absolutely terrible ones, so i'm also not afraid to call me out on my own entries. Maybe next round you might be even more lucky. Also remember, i'm one guy with an entirely subjective opinion, so you don't need to take this as gospel, nor am i saying this with any intentional malice. Anyways, let's hope the next round changes things up.