Quarl AIM 2022 Review
Composition/Structure (0-10), Production (0-10), Emotion (0-10), Relevance to Artwork (0-10)
EvilRacoon, RedHell: 10,10,10,10

I knew I was in trouble when I saw that extra long description and a time stamped image. Judging this contest has been hard but I think you really outdid yourself to demonstrate the theme of "inspiration." I didn't give out that many perfect scores for this contest but you really nailed the challenge with the cinematic fidelity of a pro. I didn't even make it halfway though the song but I knew you deserved a perfect score almost immediately. Every instrument has it's own location and conveys action beautifully. Choosing a small comic strip was unique, no one took advantage of situational comics. A lot of artists used animated pixel art to their chiptune benefit but I'm a huge comic book nerd. Comics have become incredibly glorified in the last decade or two and this is the kind of music I'd expect to hear in a MCU block buster. If anyone is reading my reviews they might be a little upset to realize that I'm not taking off relevancy points over your failure to use atmospheric sound effects to convey location. A beach scenery could benefit from the sounds of waves crashing, or an image of a racecar could employ the sound of a revving engine. The image you chose might of featured gun shots, explosions, alien grunts and fast footsteps. You didn't use samples that could transport us into the image but your audio description was incredibly inspired so I ignored that. I also have a lot of respect that you reached out to the graphic artist and talked to them. An original theme of this contest when it was introduced almost ten years ago was that musicians would reach out to the graphic artists and develop relationships or social skills. It was a rule to get permission from the artist. You get massive Quarl credits for that.

I spent a lot of time writing reviews for this contest but I'm grateful that I don't need to spend much time on yours, I'm just buttering you up at this point. You did an amazing job and I was rooting for you. Salutations Racoon!

holy shit

Amazing stereo usage, amazing sound design, and foley integration is awesome. The arrangement is also sufficiently diverse, yet still has a central theme. A bit more diversity might be positive, but I'm unsure. Melodies are not the focus, but there are some really nice ones that pop up here and there (3:57, 2:56, or 0:11, with 3:57 being the main motif imo). The piece is not too repetitive at all.

Other random notes:
- The scream in the background feels like it attenuates a little abruptly (1:15 & other hits -> 2:15-2:17)
- I suspect the mix is done better than my headphones can appreciate, but I could be wrong. I'd love to hear what this sounds like in an auditorium, or with a better soundsystem
- Outro is really nice, I love how it contrasts the rest of the piece

My main suggestion is just to get those melodies to pop out a bit more, so they can serve as more powerful emotional tools! Maybe even different melodies for different levels of intensity.

Love it!

Wow! The choir in your music gives me a lot of chills! Really, I don't understand how your music isn't better known, you have a gift for this style of music! And thanks to this one, I can imagine the end of my story, which I hope will appear one day. I have nothing else to say, excellent work!

I have one question : What does mean "AIM" in your song ?

Sorry for my bad english ! ^^

You should really make a song like this that’s available for gd, seriously it’s so good amazing job.

I love it. But, I wish I could use it in GD.