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Aaand my second piece, submitted for the 2nd phase of the NGMT '13, which also earned 2nd place, in a 3-way tie :P

The theme for this one was "Biodome - On a new planet or future earth where the surrounding environment is hostile, a biodome is a place where normal life can still exist." The challenge for this round was to create it in 3 days.

I ended up going for a more natural approach for a future Earth, and tried to show some of the beauty of being inside the dome while having the listener be acutely aware of the hostility of the outside environment.

So it was quite a challenge...but I'm pretty okay with it. I am aware of several points that need some work, thanks to the many people that left some incredible feedback in the voting thread :3

That being said, do feel free to leave your thoughts below~!

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That change from that dark atmospheric intro surprised me a little. This is beautiful work for a cinematic. Well arranged use of instruments. I loved the harp in there! Yes. I'll want to listen to this again on my headphones later. :D

alternativesolution responds:

Oh oh, nice! I'm glad to hear that. Thank you!

I like the intro, sounds a bit like a war-themed movie piece but that changes once that harp (?) comes in. I feel like the song changes too much though, like you keep that ambient thing going but switch between instruments and then it gives it a different feel but without really any transition making it feel more like different pieces for a movie than as one coherent song.
I like everything you have, I just wish they were structured more naturally? Seeing as this was for a challenge, you did a good job on fitting the theme. As a soundtrack type piece I think you did very well, but as an active listening type thing it doesn't work so much there but I understand that's probably not the point of the piece so good job.

alternativesolution responds:

I agree, this was not meant to be a "song", but more like a "soundtrack", for the audio contest. I'm glad it did its job, though. I appreciate the comments - thanks a lot for your review :)

Still my favourite track from the second round. Obviously the one I voted for. I thought this was the fabled Step & Echo collab. I already wrote a review. I like how unusual and interesting it sounds. All the sound effects and exotic instruments. The contradiction of the tranquil peaceful sounds and instruments the menacing sound effects. That also captured the feel of life inside a dome. The sound at the opening is as if something evil on the outside is knocking to get in. The reverb makes you feel like you're inside a bubble. Some of the percussion sounds like machines. Other instruments sound more like a forest underwater (or in a dome).

alternativesolution responds:

Haha, I don't think I could compare to them just yet ;P But I appreciate the compliment, as well as your vote ^^
Thanks for the lovely imagery and comments~ I'm glad the reverb did its intended job. And yeah, at the beginning it's supposed to be from the outside, and then you step inside and then it's like 'oh! It's much better in here. Not scary at all!' before you walk around viewing the rest of the dome, while occasionally looking outside the glass to see what lies just outside.

Yesss. This is such an improvement over your NGAPTAC submission. Wonderful atmosphere, very solid composition and spectacular use of instruments. Even though it's a whole new level from your NGAPTAC submission, for some reason I still instantly knew it was yours. You've got a knack for making stuff that sounds experimental, avant-garde and sometimes downright weird, and when you execute it well enough to make it enjoyable and sensible on the whole, like you did here, that's when you have me impressed.

This was one of my favourites from the contest for various reasons. If we had to judge solely based on atmosphere, I think I would've voted for yours. You manage to build a pretty incredible atmosphere with both unsettling elements like the industrial-esque percussion and voice, and more majestic elements like that harp and flute. Some instruments like the guitar are used both to convey a tense mood (1:14) AND a feeling of majesty and grandiose (2:49). Hearing the difference in mood from each section played by the same instrument was something I loved.

Like I said, you make great use of your instruments. You really give each instrument its due respect, which is the total opposite of how I work. I throw in as many instruments as I can into my work and together the instrumentation is a greater whole than the sum of its parts. On the other hand, you seem to give each instrument a lot more attention and care, and then make them somehow work together at the end. You don't use as many instruments but make great use of the instruments you ARE using, and by the end of the track each instrument has its own unique identity, which is a very interesting approach. Yes I have no idea what I'm talking about.

And the composition is great! I love the chords you use, the melodies you make and the rhythms you create to support them. You have some truly great ideas over here, for example stopping the drums at 3:03 and then bringing them back in with a little mini-buildup, which, coupled with that descending phrase on the harp, really highlighted the beautiful atmosphere you have going over there.

Now, my main problem with this is the one I mentioned in the thread. The eccentricity of this track is a double-edged sword. Going against the norm creates very interesting and unique listening experiences, which is certainly evident over here, but at the same time, take it too far and it starts making the track difficult to enjoy at times.

For instance, you've got that harp and flute combo playing beautiful melodies at the beginning, and then at 1:04, without any form of suitable gradual transition, the track suddenly becomes tense, which doesn't make much sense. You probably did it to depict both the majestic atmosphere and dangerous atmosphere of the biodome, but that transition makes it sound a little forced. In general, the track's metre is also hard to follow at certain points, which, again, is not necessarily a bad thing, but personally it made it harder for me to enjoy.

With regards to composition, I would've liked it if you latched on to a motif that plays occasionally, since the structure of this track is pretty much all over the place. Additionally, I think that the flute doesn't quite fit at 2:17.

I understand that my points of criticism sound like they're trying to "standardise" or "dumb down" this track to make it more pleasant for a casual music listener, but what I really think is ideal for this track is that it nails a balance between sounding experimental/unique and sounding like a structured and well-thought-out piece of music. Right now, it's still very enjoyable, but leaning a bit too much on the experimental side, I feel. A track which, in my opinion, nails the balance, and has a pretty similar atmosphere to this track, is Shadow People by Buoy:

Anyway, that's my opinion on this track. You've done an excellent job, and this track is bursting with great ideas and an amazing atmosphere. I very much enjoyed it, bravo!


alternativesolution responds:

I just... *blushes*

Thank you very much for your absolutely wonderful review! ^___^

I find your critique very informative. And I'm really glad you like it! Yes, considering my NGAP submission was done in just a few hours (not proud of that), I would hope that this one would sound more improved.

Though it varies from the different types of music I make, I tend to work on my transitions last, so that may be a telling point when it comes to how they've been affecting the stronger sections of my pieces. So, I will work hard on those!

Um.....all the detail.... T__T

I'm still smiling after reading this huge fence (it's not so much a wall..) of text, haha. :) I appreciate your thoughts on this piece more than you could know !

Awesome stuff Alti!! really awesome. It's atmospheric and musical. I like the beat and drums... It gives the song kind of an industrial feeling, making you see how the biodome works to keep people alive.

really nice work! ^_^

alternativesolution responds:

Thanks man! :D That's exactly part of what I was trying to convey. Thank you for your lovely review~

Credits & Info

4.58 / 5.00

Jun 10, 2013
5:28 PM EDT
File Info
5.4 MB
3 min 57 sec

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