This was a really tough one to judge, especially across genres, and just the criteria of using (but not necessarily featuring) two synths. The most interesting thing to me, based on the criteria, was how much the artist challenged themself. But this is impossible to really know without really knowing everyone's whole catalog of songs, and even then might be hard to pick out how people exactly challenged themselves. I like the contest concept, but it really makes it tough.
In any case, this contest got me going down a rabbit hole of really digging into synthesizers. I tried to learn a ton of 80's synth riffs as research, which was easy enough (for the most part), but then got frustrated that I couldn't get the sounds right because I don't really know how to tweak the knobs. So then I started taking the Syntorial lessons, which are amazingly good so far.
Anyway, to the judging:
GmfSongs - Shadow to a Stone
- drums too loud at the beginning, seem to get better as the song progresses
- I really like the guitars
- good voice, nice subtle echo
- the hook starting at 0:37 is great
- 1:11 - cool synth part
- 1:32 - you lose a lot of energy here. Maybe it's on purpose, but it was disappointing to me.
- 2:23 - this solo part is great
- good-sounding mix
Jilliam - Deprivator
- great intro
- not a fan of the voice sample
- interesting sounds, but no development
TrojakEW - Brand_New_World
- I like the intro
- percussion is awesome, and mixed really well
- main synth line seems meandering, like you are just improvising for fun over a scale/mode
- mix sounds awesome, as usual
- like the gated synth at 1:58
- not much development, though I guess this isn't the type of genre for development
becsei_gyorgy - Space Cowboy
- I love the intro - that's got to be the Wavestation making those sounds. I love that synth.
- the bouncing space sounds very 70s. Repeating bassline would sound much more like 80s, I think.
- main theme is great
- 0:33 a bit dissonant
- the RetroHit drums sound great.
- nice transition at 1:09
- cool vocal effect at 1:47. Almost sounds like it turns into a synth. This is awesome.
- the repeating theme is fine, though it would be cool if you modulated it to different keys.
OlliH - Red-Haired-Stranger
- I love the intro guitar
- synth sounds very 70s
- I think it would sound better if you sang it an octave higher, or maybe just in a slightly higher key
- synth line that starts at 1:39 is great
- transition at 3:14 is a little rough
- Not a fan of the "up a note" modulation for the last chorus. Not going to ding you for it - most songs don't even modulate anymore...
DocJon - Everything Will Be Alright
- I love the arps at 0:08
- great singing. I like the octave-doubling with the female-sounding voice
- I really like the fake guitar sound. Reminds me a bit of Jan Hammer's signature synth sound, though it sounds real in parts as well. Actually, with the mood of the song and vocal treatment, it could almost fit in on Jan Hammer's "Beyond the Mind's Eye" album. You would need to add a lot more bends/portamentos, though :-)
- very well produced
- great song overall
- the only criticism I really ahve is the "so let's just do it" voice sounds a bit out of place, but it's funny.
CaughtWithCandy - Missing Pieces
- Has a Smashing Pumpkins "1979" vibe for a bit
- the vocals are great in parts, but the vibrato in parts is way too much for my tastes.
- 1:32 - fantastic. Great vocals at the start of this section as well
- nice-sounding mix
- I like the fade-out at the end
- good song overall
Green-Dog - trap_and_trigger
- interesting from the start
- amazing vocals, but are a little buried especially when listening at low volumes (esp at :31 when they come in)
- I like how the synth octave doubles the guitar
- aside from all the song has going for it, it starts to get boring for me after a while. I guess there's not enough going on, or maybe it should just be shorter. A synth hook might add some interest as well.
► Show Spoiler
01 DocJon - Everything Will Be Alright
02 becsei_gyorgy - Space Cowboy
03 Green-Dog - trap_and_trigger
04 GmfSongs - Shadow to a Stone
05 OlliH - Red-Haired-Stranger
06 CaughtWithCandy - Missing Pieces
07 TrojakEW - Brand_New_World
08 Jilliam - Deprivator