Yowza! Seeing all these voters and reading these comments is such a wonderful way to end this event for everyone!! I'm absolutely thrilled that you all cared so much for the music we had to offer~ Thank you from the bottom of my heart <3
Been postponing the deadline so many hours so that I could vote myself because I'm really tired (the good kind of tired) as I've been wrapping up other aspects of this tourney from behind the scenes, too. Anyway, let's end this!
kleeder vs. Viraxor
kleeder's really sounds like a Showdown is taking place. Or the last level of a game. Those chord progressions give that feel to me. It's chilling. Reinterpreting Viraxor's theme with rapidly repeated staccatos was pretty clever and refreshing, since this hasn't been done before during the tourney. The part from 1:20 to 1:38 where the melodies play twice, but with different leads, was really cute, especially when Baskerville's theme shows up later in that part. 1:55 to 2:12 is one of multiple examples that shows how kleeder knows when to make several intruments take a short break so that listeners can also have a little rest from them. The key change was a welcome addition and the transition to it was smoothly done. There are a lot of well-written solos as well. This is kleeder's best entry on the tournament, I think, while the sgen entry comes in second place.
Gotta commend Viraxor for going the house route. kleeder's theme is a bit more subtle here, represented by the double octave bassline. Loving the initial bluesy key playing. I liked how the vibra-slap at 1:33 was used as a hi-hat. The organ solo that kicks in shortly after is such a fun listen, it's my favorite part.
Sound design wise, I prefer Viraxor's. But composition wise, I prefer kleeder's. So *kleeder* has my vote.
Dippy vs. RadamLee
Dippy's has a well produced dance beat. Much like in their sgen entry, the kick drum here is thumping, hard trance style, which is impressive for the sms. The chord progressions have this nostalgic middle to late 90's Capcom era. The use of octave ranges is very balanced.
Would've loved it if RadamLee's was longer and had a more laid back intro, much like in their nsfplus entry, that would build up to what we have here. However, what is here is already strong competitive material. The lead is highly expressive, with some of the wildest pitch bends and a syncopated rhythm, aesthetics the artists is known for. We have a secondary channel that alternates between bubbly accompaniment and glockenspiel-like plucking, which is a very clever decision to keep things more varied. Cute ending. This is a highly intricate piece. And for that, *RadamLee* wins my heart.
mirageofher vs. Minerscale
Was really looking forward to this match, since both duelists here are MuseScore powerhouses.
mioh's has a lot of detailed layering. The trumpet at 1:05 alternates between having a glockenspiel playing along on top and harps. Lots of other examples as well. There is a rich instrumentation overall and it is showcased taking turns every few seconds with strong melodies. I absolutely love how thrilling the chord progressions are. The transition to Aismo's motif at 2:17 was well executed. Speaking of which, I can clearly identify the character themes in mioh's entry this time. It's like Aismo had identity amnesia during most of its tourney trajectory, but finally remembered who it was at the end of the event. Hopefully mioh is cool with this analogy, as being mean is not the intent of it. It just seems fitting to me, is all.
I can definitely respect what Minerscale is going for as well. A lot happens with a more economic group of instruments, which seems really difficult to pull off. This has a completely different energy from mioh's in the sense that it's more about appreciating how these instruments can shine on their own, without extra interference from other group of instruments.
Will give my vote to *mirageofher* since their entry holds more true to the kind of music I'd compose myself, so I identify with it more. But Minerscale's is equally top notch, so my decision is based solely on personal preference.
kilowatt64
kilowatt's has a very moving intro. I loved their incorporation of both themes, which is a pleasing surprise! The mix of samples from different soundchips is fun and blended really well. As the tempo speeds up in the second half, we also get them middle eastern pentatotic melodies with strings and a shakuhachi, just the way I adore them. The samples are also tightly programmed, with lots of appropriate fade ins and outs and balanced use of vibrato. Ending the song just the way it started was the icing on the cake. I wouldn't have wanted it to end any differently.
This is a very powerful piece, fitting of a tournament finalist.
