Sample Pack Contest VI - Scoring Template

Your name/pseudonym: Magister_ZZ


Greetings, contestants! Just wanted to note that I did not have time to fine-tune these scores 
(heck, I didn't really even have time to thoroughly listen to some of the pieces), 
so they mostly reflect my feelings about the pieces relatively. On a similar note, 
I hope you'll forgive any indiscretions with my commentary on the pieces, as they were written
quite hapazardly at different times and with different moods (sometimes with even different
listening conditions) - they may contain some facetious remarks elicited from ignorant presumptions.

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SCORES:

1999 or 2012: _68_/100
A Song for My Cat: _86_/100
Akira Yamaoka vs Ken Ishii: _81_/100
Alleyway in Chinatown: _75_/100
Aqua Aura Pura: _84_/100
Aya Hirano's Megaton Punch: _76_/100
Bad Tekno: _74_/100
Candy Rock Jam: _88_/100
Cloudtrip: _84_/100
Corruption of the Tune: _73_/100
Cyberdemon Boogie: _65_/100
DanielDellaCocco: _71_/100
Deep Throat Tengoku: _74_/100
Doctor Mars: _87_/100
Everybody Wants Overcalculated Scientist Orgasms: _92_/100
Extra Antler Velvet: _73_/100
Gateway to Happiness: _79_/100
Go Go Power!: _76_/100
Green Grass: _86_/100
How to Open a Can of SPC: _80_/100
I sneak up and hitcha in the crotch: _89_/100
King of the Crypt: _70_/100
Legend of Sample Pack Compo: _77_/100
Martian Lab at Midnight: _79_/100
Medium Zero: _75_/100
Mr. Huffletuff's Kitty Cat Cosmic Escapades: _83_/100
No Bananas for Deborah: _82_/100
Nobody Wants Overcalculated Scientist Orgasms: _88_/100
Omnious Abbey: _85_/100
Our Heliocentric Garden: _90_/100
PRUNEAU: _81_/100
Riding the Duckdragon: _82_/100
Seven Proxies: _70_/100
Slick Venus: _84_/100
Spaz Premium: _72_/100
Tarot Pharoah: _78_/100
Ten-Chan Looks Like Joey Wheeler: _69_/100
Tertiary Jump: _89_/100
The Incredible Cat Mincer: _78_/100
Tidal Chamber: _90_/100
Trop Glop Flop: _79_/100
TV Surfer: _70_/100
U.B. Funky: _72_/100
Untitled: _84_/100
Way Out - No Way: _73_/100
We Hate the 1998 Wave: _79_/100
Welcome to SPC 6: _75_/100
WHAT THE @#$%!!: _86_/100
Whippin' Good: _66_/100
WorldJ: _64_/100
Zen You Reach Ze State of Completeness: _71_/100
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COMMENTS:

1999 or 2012
Comments:
Some interesting composition and, but it drones on a bit too long to me (or at least being rather fatiguing to my ears). 
Mix sounds overly saturated/muddy in the midrange, and amplitude is way up for too long I think.
Also, I'm hearing a lot of light clicking throughout - not sure if that's by design or just a bad sample.

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A Song for My Cat
Comments:
Rather like the processing and layering of instruments in this one. Especially liked how the pad background interacts with the voice/synth lead.

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Akira Yamaoka vs Ken Ishii
Comments:
Certainly does not disappoint from the title. I think I do like the end result for the most part, though not for repeated listenings, heh.
On the production end, I think the mix might be a bit too bright sounding at parts. Anyhow, feels like experience
would vary.

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Alleyway in Chinatown
Comments:
Nice and simple use of the samples, and the composition itself is pretty spiffy too. It's might be leaning towards a bit too dry/thin sounding though,
especially made evident in contrast to the ending part (which is pretty cool sounding though).

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Aqua Aura Pura
Comments:
Some neat sounds in this one, and cool bass work as well. The first half or so after the intro felt like it could've used a bit more stuff in the forefront 
outside of the bass and synth dabbles. Second half is pure gold, though. 

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Aya Hirano's Megaton Punch
Comments:
Interesting use of the samples, for better or for worse. My opinion of this piece is somewhere between interesting and obnoxious. 
Felt like it could be at least a minute shorter at least, kind of meanders along at parts. Production-wise, it feels fair enough, nothing big stands out.

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Bad Tekno
Comments:
(Not too) Bad Tekno, really. Instrument choices are kind of kitschy, but I can live with it. Some clipping problems exists, 
particularly during many of the "snare" hits and especially during those two big hits in the middle. Ending reminds me of the last SPC, for some reason.

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Candy Rock Jam
Comments:
I really liked this one: clean mixing with simple but very effective use of the samples (or just about as much as you can with such samples), 
and plenty of twists throughout without sounding overly busy. Only thing I didn't care for was the lazy fadeout ending
(there also seems to be to be a bit of an errorneous blip at the end too), but otherwise I can take no significant issues.
________
Cloudtrip
Comments:
Quite a trip, for sure. Very driven sounding, and just a fun listen through and through; very nice use of the orchestral hits too, by the way. 
Mixing could probably use some more work though - it was hard to pick up on many of the details during the busier sections without using headphones,
and I also question the decision for the lead instruments to primarily reside in the background of the piece. 

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Corruption of the Tune
Comments:
Another aptly titled tune, I think. Has a rather similar feel to "1999 or 2012," though with a more balanced form maybe - hard for me to gleam the finer details of your style.
Sidenote: I think you are really digging this drum groove a bit too much, haha.

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Cyberdemon Boogie
Comments:
There are some interesting sounds in this one, but compositionally it feels a kind of weak to me - feels more apt for a test run for the instruments rather than a full fledged piece. 
Mixing could be better too - really need to iron out that "hi-hat" sound at around 7.25Khz, for example; it sticks out like a sore thumb in the mix.

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DanielDellaCocco
Comments:
The samples don't sound too adjusted, but have a nice enough feel to them in the mix. Composition-wise it's fairly simplistic but not unenjoyable, and I rather liked the intro myself.
Mixing wise, I think there could be more seperation - ie, lead instrument could be brought into the forefront some more, more stereo dimension as well, etc. 
Again, some problems with clicking (sounds like it's coming from the drum samples).

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Deep Throat Tengoku
Comments:
Interesting Technoy piece, with some aptly placed samples here and there (Fun bit at the end, especially). Production-wise it feels lacking in presence given the driven feel of the music -
most notably the kick drum and snare, which feels barely present at times. 

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Doctor Mars
Comments:
Cool sounding piece, really enjoyed it both compositionally and instrument design-wise. The mixing felt alright too, except for that high-hat sound which was way, 
way too loud and really distracted me from the whole affair at times. 

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Everybody Wants Overcalculated Scientist Orgasms
Comments:
Oh, wow. Simply, awesome. Really novel use of the samples to create an amazing soundscape for the composition; surprised how full and rich it turned out, really.
There are clipping problems, and the high-freq chirps are a bit too loud, but they do little to detract how great this piece is otherwise.

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Extra Antler Velvet
Comments:
Liking some of the sounds in this (for example, that fuzzy bass in the beginning), but over-distortion elsewhere makes it hard to enjoy the piece as a whole. 
Rather hard indeed.

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Gateway to Happiness
Comments:
Quite an interesting piece - quite a journey even. There's a slow sort of progression to it, but it never gets too boring with the gradual changes. 
Mixing could definitely use some work, what with the whole bass to lower midrange sounding like a muddled mess (mostly due to that pad sound I'd wager). 
There's also a few problems such a few overly resonant high bell notes in the beginning (at around 2Khz), as well as significant clipping towards the end.

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Go Go Power!
Comments:
Has pseudo 8-bit feel to it, heh. Some really cool sections in it for, such as around 0:50. 
The mixing could be better, as auxiliary parts such as the drums really starts to get buried during the thicker parts.

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Green Grass
Comments:
A nice enough tune with some bossa nova going on, though perhaps a bit on the short side. 
Instruments are more normal sounding, but work great in the context of things. 
Mixing is really nice and clean, though the bass and drums might be a tad too punchy. 

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How to Open a Can of SPC
Comments:
I think this might be the first of your pieces that I felt was a bit on the short side, heh.
A shame though, as I was really starting to get into it by the end. 
Mixing wise this didn't sound too bad, as there wasn't too much going on in the mix to potentially mess things up; only seem to be some some clicks due to bad samples I think.  
Sidenote: I now also realize that you also have a favorite bass riff too, haha
________

I sneak up and hitcha in the crotch
Comments:
Another of these cool pieces, I guess? And pitifully short too, again. 
Digging the arp thing throughout, and along with the instrumentation - though a few parts almost start to feel like there's too much going on! 
Good production for the most part too.
______
__
King of the Crypt
Comments:
A somewhat interesting piece, but something feels kind of off to me. Well, one thing may be lead standing out a bit too much in the forefront. 
A bit of reverb might help disperse it more and help it blend in with the rest of the mix (or taken the other way around,
maybe tighten up some of the background sounds more?) 
Also, there seems to be too much low end to the mix too that doesn't help.

________
Legend of Sample Pack Compo
Comments:
Quite a persistent motif throughout this one, no? Interesting bit with the clicks too - I'd only advocate their use in a situation like this where they add
a deliberate and clear rhythmic element to the piece (though they probably could've done with more processing). 
Anyways, it manages to be fairly interesting throughout until about the 3:30 mark;
afterwards the extended section doesn't really feel interesting enough to warrant the length, and throws off the overall balance of the piece as well.
Mixing feels too heavy the mids but only briefly, as the latter part of the piece ended up pretty sparse instrumentally.
_
_______
Martian Lab at Midnight
Comments:
Quite a fun(ky) tune, and it certainly takes some interesting and unexpected turns in it's relatively short time (and without turning overly kitschy about it). 
Production feels pretty solid throughout.
________

Medium Zero
Comments:
Rather like how you managed to bend all the samples to your trademark toolkit of sounds, haha. Dig the overall feel of the piece, except maybe the fadeout at the end;
feels a bit off to me for some reason. Mixing and production is nice as usual - the sidestick/snare in the part after the intro might stick out a bit too much.

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Mr. Huffletuff's Kitty Cat Cosmic Escapades
Comments:
The instrumentation and style kind of makes me wonder if the author of last year's Electrolysis Aquatic did this. There seem to be some striking similarities.
Anyways, downright delightful and sometimes even cute piece, one very fitting of the title.
The percussive sound that first comes in sounds quite a bit too harsh to my ears (also the "chirps" that come later on, to a lesser extend), but otherwise, a nicely done production.

________
No Bananas for Deborah
Comments:
"Bananas" indeed. Quite like the groovy feel of this one, and the instrumentation is pretty nice too.
Good mixing as well. Main complaint for me would probably be the annoying clicking sound, which pervades throughout the piece (fade out your samples?!).

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Nobody Wants Overcalculated Scientist Orgasms
Comments:
Despite using several different instrument choices, this really does pay homage to the earlier "Scientist" piece (or is it the other way around?) in many ways, which I quite like.
Hard to avoid comparisons also - the song itself is a bit more active and arguably more interesting, but overall I feel the instrument combination and general feel "Everbody Wants..."
works a bit better as whole. Again, there's really nice production values around, though again that chirp comes in too strong in the beginning.

________
Omnious Abbey
Comments:
Great sounding soundscape in the first half or so - hard to imagine how such pithly samples were used to make it, especially that rich organ-like sound.
The actual song part is bit is fun but if somewhat of a letdown after that intro, though I imagine the whole thing was meant be semi-serious anyhow.
No real complaints about the mixing given the natural of the piece, though would've liked to see those higher sustained in the intro notes be a bit more dynamic.

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Our Heliocentric Garden
Comments:
Some beautiful sounds from this one - really loving that warm filtered pad thing you've got going on. It grabbed me from the start and kept me entranced throughout, 
and it had me listening through repeatedly to pick out the many details from within the mix. Really nice job on production on this too.
________

PRUNEAU
Comments:
Quirky tune for sure, but I'm liking the groove of it. 
Watch out for some of those high frequency blips. Might want to also bring out the farback sounds in the intro a bit more too.

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Riding the Duckdragon
Comments:
Pretty solid, hybrid chippy tune. I find it likeable for the most part, though some section feel almost too busy. 
Production sounds alright for the most part, though it sounds kind of squashed in the thicker sections. 

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Seven Proxies
Comments:
Some interesting ideas, but feels a somewhat underdeveloped. Instruments feel a bit dull and notes kind of proceed on a haphazard pace - don't really agree with the fadeout either.
Mixing could use a deal more work as most of instrumenting sound quite too quiet.

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Slick Venus
Comments:
First thing I noticed is that theres some very nice and deliberate stereo seperation of the drums. The rest of the tune seems to just falls in place in the mix, and overall it's just a very
neat piece.

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Spaz Premium
Comments:
Minimal DnB? The panning really helps keep it interesting in the beginning, as well as giving a call and response sort of effect. Drums felt like they could used bit more processing
here and there, being they are the focus of this. Also got a bit overboard with the "chipping" near the end in my opinion. 
________

Tarot Pharoah
Comments:
Feels a bit different than you usual type of work (several of the instruments at least, somewhat), but still quite ingrained your style. I think you might've considered deviating from
your standard melody lengths to better portray the titular feeling. 

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Ten-Chan Looks Like Joey Wheeler
Comments:
Well, at least you know this one's a joke entry right from the start, heh. There's some neat delay/buffer effects going on in the voices, but really outside of the drums it could hardly be called music.
Also, the excessive clicks kind of ruined the otherwise handy sample manipulation.
This probably would actually be more effective with more obnoxious, in your always in-your-face mixing, so there's a missed opportunity there. 

________
Tertiary Jump
Comments:
And yet another very well thought out and well executed piece - and doubly so given that it's not melodically driven at all. 
Loving the drums in this one - which acts as a strong driving without overpowering the mix at all - as well as the varied instrumentation and effects. 
Great dynamic filtering in the end, a bit strange how there was relatively little of that in this SPC. 

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The Incredible Cat Mincer
Comments:
Not sure if there was some live recording involved, but in many places there feels like notes flailing around and
not quite lining up. The end result is something that's barely not clumsy, I think.
Could be that it was intended to play out like that, but it certainly doesn't give the impression of it at least.
Also, the fact that the sound and production is very solid and full-bodied actually makes these timing quirks stand out even more.

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Tidal Chamber
Comments:
Serving as quite the fitting companion piece to "Our Heliocentric Garden" (much like the "Scientist" duology), this piece takes things
even further back and paints a vast sonic dimension. I feel almost able to close my eyes and visualize it; the harmonies, the melodies - 
falls all appropriately in place. If I had to nitpick (even more than normal), I'd say the gliding flute sound might be a bit too quiet
once the music starts filling up, and that maybe it wouldn't hurt to have just a bit more in the front of the mix (possibly the bass parts). 


________
Trop Glop Flop
Comments:
Another nice dark industries work, this time with a relatively active bassline to boot that makes it rather groovy sounding.
That said, I think the bass needs some work as it's too loud, especially on those sustained notes. 


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TV Surfer
Comments:
I'd expected something a bit more capricious with the title, but I can sort of see how it may work in this way too.
Anyways, feels like fairly typical "insert name here"-piece, with all the implications that it brings. If I were to get specific,
I'd say that the lead up to the ending didn't really feel like needed an extra repeat, nor the repeat into fadeout ending
(I thought the part right before was quite well done and fitting enough).


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U.B. Funky
Comments:
Hey, shuffle bass! Well, it could be executed a bit better, but I'll give you bonus points just for that haha. Also like the flutter
decay effect in the hi-hat analog. Piece itself sounds fairly "standard" - steady groove with bits added here and there until the end, 
with rather narrow stereo-scape and grimy assortment of sounds. It may be difficult to process these samples to sound good (go crazy with the EQ,
maybe even try a harmonic/subsonic exciter), but at least try to spread them out a bit more (no, the occasional 180degree panning doesn't really count). 

________
Untitled
Comments:
Honestly, I'm kind of disappointed by this song. There's is interesting build-up straight from the beginning, 
and soon we're teased with many different small ideas building against a constant motif. Then there is a momentary release into 
a new section around 1:30, but it kind of ends up meandering from 1:50 to 2:15, which I felt a bit weak. Then there is the rebuildup
again starting in the next section, this time with even more pathos and decisiveness… but it builds into nothingness. Merely a copout
fadeout of an ending. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I felt this piece could've been so much more.
On the technical front, I felt some of the instruments in the first part could've used a touch more reverb to help blend bridge the
soundscape a bit better. Also, there's the usual business with clicks abound (especially harsh on the instrument that comes in at about 1:25).
Small pickings really incomparison with my ultimate disatisfaction with composition itself.

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Way Out - No Way
Comments:
Really simple piece, but I feel it to be fairly effective given the expressiveness of the samples. I think you could've done a bit more flourishes
in the second half, and less so for the first half to give it a more balanced feel. As is, it kind of feels like you're dragging out until the ending 
(which turns out just to be fadeout to the beginning). I'm a bit split on the clicks in this piece - I feel like they do fall on the right spots, 
but really need more processing to actually sound right/intentional - or better yet, replace with a more meaningful sound.

________
We Hate the 1998 Wave
Comments:
Hey, I think this one breaks the trend a little bit; there's certainly quite some degrees of unexpected rhythmic variations, at the very least.
Sound design wise, it still kind of varies from vaguely interesting to vaguely obnoxious, but I feel that I'm more in agreement with this piece than not.
Mixing could also be improve as the piece feels kind of flat as is.

________
Welcome to SPC 6
Comments:
Pretty fun and lively piece (love the ending, by the way), and I think it does serves as good introduction for both the samples and to your other pieces.
Also nice to see a good range of dynamics between the sections, though next time maybe compress the peaks more before limiting them? Haha…

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WHAT THE @#$%!!
Comments:
Impressive synth orchestra mockup. Frankly, I'm surprised that someone can even do such thing with the samples (ok, maybe the orchestra hit helps more than abit).
Really like those detuned strings, and just the right amount of ambience on everything too. Would almost like to see a full-fledged piece using these instruments,
though that may be asking for too much. Mix sounds great too, though there are some chopped peaks during the hits (though it may be unavoidable for the impact).
Shame about that cutoff decay at the end though.

________
Whippin' Good
Comments:
Another pseudo-joke entry, but this one definitely feels like it's dragging on way too long. I think this could be easily
a minute or two less, especially without some of those overly long transitions, and more enjoyable with that. Mixing is again
a bit flat, with some parts like 2:10 being pretty much straight up mono (which is something you really don't want to do with 
such a full section). Also, in the first two main sections, the EP-like note around 300Hz is sticking out quite a bit.

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WorldJ
Comments:
Well, that was less than coordinated. I think there may have been some interesting ideas there, 
but the goofy execution made it very hard to see past the surface. Doesn't help that the sounds are altogether rather kitschy as well.

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Zen You Reach Ze State of Completeness
Comments:
Starts off well enough, but I'm not sure agree with the choice of instruments as things progress. Namely, pretty much all of them are
very "peaky" and filled with strong harmonics, so things start to almost sound cacaphonious when it gets particularly busy. Might fit with 
your idea of Zen, but it sounds like a spectral mess most of the time.
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