Mix Challenge

Hello,
I leave you below the topic I have prepared this time.
It is based on pads that grow with a bottom line and a very simple melody that varies in sounds and accompaniments.
I hope you like it.
And most of all, I look forward to your reviews. Which is really the most valuable thing about this competition.
Good luck mates !!



Tools used:

DAW Reason+

Instruments:
Europa x3
Thor x3
Grain Sample Manipulator
Electric Bass
Algoritm x5
Processed Pianos
A-List Acoustic Guitarist

Air Music Tech Hybrid
Classic.GTr

Effects and utilities
Master Bus Compressor Reason Classic
MicroMIX x3
The Echo
Pulveriser
RV7000 MkII Reverb
Quad Note Generator
Scales & Chords
Pattern Mutator
MClass Steror Imager
Combinator x3

Softube Saturation Knob
Soundspot Halcyon
Valhalla Supermassive x3
Soundspot FAT2
Soundspot Renegade
Analog Obsession LALA
Soundspot Propane
CableGuys HalfTime

dpMeter
SPL HawkEye
ADPTR Metric AB

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your production.


Let's see if we can exceed 10 productions this month...

Hi again,

This is my final entry.

Thanks to the feedback provided this week, I improve the song's begining and also changed the master bus parameters to a point I like it.

Instruments:
Piano: Fl Studio Stock, with long reverb, a ping pong delay and Izotope Vinyl.

Bass: Korg's Polysix sine wave with distortion, LFO, chorus and detuning

PAD: Korg's Purity with chorus, reverb, phaser and flanger.

Some extra instruments in the back: A cello from Fl Studio, some bells with delay, and a gong sound I found in Massive. and some SFX for transitions.

The track main chord progression is: D - E - G - B. Despite all being mayor, the track has a sad and melancolic touch. The song structure is A B C B C and it's betwen 60 - 70 bpm.

Hope you find it ambient as I do.

This genre made me think 'atmosphere'. That was main focus and goal. I took the challenge to record myself playing a tongue drum, an idiopan. I also worked with a lot of pads and a few nature/folly sounds. Spent most of my time trying to get tracks to blend into a somewhat pleasing atmosphere that opens up over time - Blooms. Look forward to hearing others.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ze4oeyucz0761 ... m.wav?dl=0

PADS - a lot came from Lunaris, some from Absynth
Kontakt - The Pluck (Yanqin) and Erhu
Piano - Kontakt
Nature sounds I recorded some and used (legally) some other peoples recording - a nature pack
Ozone 8

It is the 25th March 2021, 0:45 UTC+1/CET - this month's Songwriting Competition has official ended

A very, very warm welcome to all new faces on the forum. And welcome back to our regulars.


If I didn't miscount, we had 11 participants overall, which is 5 entries more compared to last month (6 entries), and 5 less compared to last year (16 entries). Please scroll further down below to read up on an update of the game mechanics this month for the voting process



The "staff balancing vote" add-on rule does not apply
"Sole Winners Podium" rule (equal or less than seven participants results in a single winner) does not apply. (3-position Winners Podium)

There was no (number: 0) production submitted after the deadline
No (number: 0) entry has been disqualified (productions released outside of the game's timeframe)
No (number: 0) entry has been redacted



How do we go from there?

Over the course of the next (hopefully) 24-48 hours (usually up to 6-12 hours maximum after the game has ended), I'll gather all links into one post and hot-link to that from the first post of the thread. Please, no more changes to your entries, but please do check your links that these entries are downloadable. We then perform with the final feedback and "public vote" system.


We have 11 participants. That means that each participant can vote for 10 tracks, the staff will will not cast a balance vote, unless there is a tie that can't be broken.

Keep the Rules and Guidelines in mind. As long as we're not exceeding 20 participants, let's give feedback to all participants and(!) cast your vote for all of them.

The Top 10 list can look something like this:

01 (10 pts) - Mr Moon
02 (09 pts) - Mr Sun
03 (08 pts) - Mrs Venus
04 (07 pts) - Mr Mars and his companions
05 (06 pts) - ...
06 (05 pts) - ...

Please take a look at the last two Songwriting Competition for how your feedback and vote could look like (sans the super technical information):
SWC042 - Song Collection and follow-up
SWC041 - Song Collection and follow-up

Please cast your vote in collective form through the "spoiler text" bbcode: Please use the forum username of the participant to make it easier during the score collection to address what vote belongs to whom.



Please also take note of the Rules and Guidelines on giving feedback (mandatory for all participants, failing to do so results in a disqualification). Even if you already gave feedback prior to the deadline, please offer some final encouraging words, and maybe give some additional tips for improvements on the way.

Feedback from non-participants is highly encouraged (voting not needed!). The same goes for entries after the deadline, or those that sadly do not count for the current running game (even if you've exceeded the deadline, why not post your entry regardless?). Musicians and Engineers are always after constructive criticism. This is what this forum is about.


I also need to address an overhaul of the game mechanics, as introduced with SWC038. You can read up about the new concept here:
viewtopic.php?p=8957#p8957 (will be implemented into the Rules and Guidelines during Q1/2021)

Basically, disqualifications will only happen from this point forward, if you have submitted a production from outside of the game's timeframe and you're not participating in the feedback process. Everything else is handled through bonus points. This overhauled mechanic has been a test run from September to November and has been taken positive so far. If you don't want your bonus points go to waste, please update your posts with documentation by 3:00 (morning, German Time), and check that your files are properly named / downloadable.





Have some general feedback? Please voice your feedback/opinion/concerns here:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=97



Please have an eye on this thread!

Let us kick off the VOTING PROCESS, which will end on Thursday, 01-APR-2021 23:59 UTC+2/CEST latest


There is a GLOBAL COUNTDOWN to check for deadlines.
Just follow this link: Global Countdown (on homepage)



Here is the collection of productions from all participants (in hope that I didn't forget anyone). As usual, if you click on the small upwards-arrow right beside the quoted name, you can jump to the original post and read up on the documentation for this production.


.

TrojakEW wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 13, 2021 15:04 CET

"Nature Awakening"

A Future in Noise wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 15, 2021 23:00 CET

"Spring Gettin' Grown Up"

mp3:

48 kHz, 24 bit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17vn1oN ... sp=sharing

AskAndy wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 17, 2021 01:54 CET

"2 Day Bloom "

WAV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YFUUyk ... sp=sharing

becsei_gyorgy wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 17, 2021 16:52 CET

"Melting Point"



Video version available

SoundBeing wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:34 CET

"Alien Communication"

WAV: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ntgeba1lx7ice ... n.wav?dl=0

VCA-089 wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 21, 2021 13:36 CET

"Back to Life"



FLAC: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OHt71u ... sp=sharing
MP3: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ha-3Xy ... sp=sharing


Video version available

Blang wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 21, 2021 15:05 CET

"Spring 2053"

WAV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bGvjRH ... sp=sharing

Clueless wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:54 CET

"Cold Spring"

EsteveCorbera wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 18:57 CET

"Spring Bloom"

canese wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 24, 2021 23:01 CET

"Morning Decay"

Shea wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 24, 2021 23:37 CET

"Bloom"

WAV: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ze4oeyucz0761 ... m.wav?dl=0

.



BONUS ENTRIES (submitted after the deadline - feel free to give feedback, but you sadly can not vote for these entries)


<no bonus entries>
.


Please consult the last post of how your vote could look like (which links to more sources). And to make it simple for me for counting the votes - please use the forum usernames in your listing. Thank you!

SWC043 participants giving feedback to each other (to every participant) is mandatory, else you will be disqualified. Please also keep the bonus point game mechanic in mind.


Good luck to all participants!




If you have an idea for a future Songwriting Competition, please post about this in the theme/genre request page

Let me start first then.

Comment for all:
I will not comment on stereo compatibility on each track. Because all tracks have some phasing issues that will not work very well in all devices. Some have minor and some quite big. Problem is that even with phase issues the stereo image is not very good in any track, so I do not think it bring any advantages for headphones listening. It was not worth to sacrifice mono compatibility for stereo that can be achieved without loosing mono compatibility.

I found most of tracks have removed too much from 10kHz range and above. Making them sound bit muffled. Not sure if it is because ambient genre that make us feel we need to cut everything in this spectrum out or something. Yes it depends on system where are we listening those tracks and about how damaged our hearing is. Since we are all aging slowly we loose some capabilities to hear some frequencies so I used visual tools like SPAN and Tonal Balance Control to confirm if what I hear (or not).

Another thing is volume difference of tracks. In previous round people tend to go for very loud mix -8 or even lover integrated loudness. This time is opposite. I still need to compensate volume for almost every track while listening to them. I was thinking that if we aim all for about -14 LUFS differences in volume should not be that great. This will make it easier to listen and concentrate on track itself rather then spending time to play with volume knobs.

Again I included some basic statistics for all tracks to compare.
---------------------------------------
A Future in Noise - Spring Gettin' Grown Up

Track sounds more like kind of pop track. Not much ambient feel here. Too much stuff is happening here. Only part at 2:10 to 2:19 fit the genre. Sound effects are bit weird and doesn't add much to the ambient mood. Do not know what those sound represent but that water effect sounds like pouring water from a glass? It is too loud and it simply not fit here. Maybe that weird synth like "riser" at 1:08 kind of represent blooming/growing but the sounds itself if too synthetic and do not fit to the rest of instruments. Maybe it is just too loud I'm not sure. The swelling synth pad and vocal synth pad also create very huge contrast with other acoustic instruments. That contrast is for me more disturbing then relaxing. The theme feels bit cluttered. Like you are not sure where it will go.

That synthetic wind like effect in the beginning is harsh. Mix is overall bit muddy with some peak at around 600 Hz. It have overall general midi feel. I think most of synthetic sounds you used are way louder then the rest of the instruments used and this cause imbalance in mix. For example at 0:32 where this synth pad together with synth vocal cover almost suppress every other sounds. That type of sound is more suited as background but the volume of it is like you are trying to make a lead instrument of it instead.

Statistics:
Max momentary loudness -7.2 LUFS
Max short-term loudness -9.1 LUFS
Integrated loudness -14.1 LUFS
Loudness range 9.2 LU
True peak L -1.93dB
True peak R -1.07dB
DC offset L -0.002% (-92.3dB)
DC offset R -0.004% (-88.5dB)
---------------------------------------
AskAndy - 2 Day Bloom

Track fit the genre and also the theme. Some nice parts here and there but I think using that arpeggiated percussive sound for whole track is not very good idea. That sound after a while become repetitive and "boring". It should be used more sparingly as a way to add more to the tension and to create more intense parts in track. Instrument choice is good otherwise.

Most problematic for me is mix. It is muffled. Very muffled. The most of sounds are in 80 to 3kHz range with peak at 80Hz and around 500-600Hz. Almost nothing above 5kHz only occasional sounds add something there. This is also reason why the stage itself is too narrow. Almost mono feel.

Statistics:
Max momentary loudness -14.8 LUFS
Max short-term loudness -16.0 LUFS
Integrated loudness -19.5 LUFS
Loudness range 7.0 LU
True peak L -6.68dB
True peak R -6.37dB
DC offset L +0.001% (-104.5dB)
DC offset R +0.001% (-105.6dB)
---------------------------------------
becsei_gyorgy - Melting Point

I do like the track mood. Fit the genre and even the theme because melting is part of blooming. Intro part is great with almost like Jean-Michel Jarre feel. Like the simplicity that really creates underscore ambient feel. Video is great addition. Is this your work or it is some stock footage?

Mix is not bad but there are some problems. It have muddy feel. Too much stuff in 600 - 2kHz spectrum with peak at 2kHz mostly. That whistling sound pierce my ears a bit peaking at 3kHz.

Statistics:
Max momentary loudness -8.7 LUFS
Max short-term loudness -10.4 LUFS
Integrated loudness -14.9 LUFS
Loudness range 12.6 LU
True peak L -1.65dB
True peak R -1.01dB
DC offset L +0.002% (-94.9dB)
DC offset R +0.002% (-94.9dB)
---------------------------------------
SoundBeing - Alien Communication

Great ambient track. Very atmospheric and great tension. Great ideas and mood. Only problem is it is suited more to some kind of scifi or horror theme and do not fit chosen theme for this round. If this was different theme it will be in top position for sure.

Mix is not bad but there is too much happening in low and sub spectrum make it sounds rumbling. Track because of this loose clarity. It helps the piano to pierce through the mix but since it play occasionally so it have that low passed feel. This also do not help stage itself.

Statistics:
Max momentary loudness -9.2 LUFS
Max short-term loudness -10.1 LUFS
Integrated loudness -14.0 LUFS
Loudness range 11.0 LU
True peak L -0.13dB
True peak R -0.12dB
DC offset L -0.034% (-69.4dB)
DC offset R -0.034% (-69.5dB)
---------------------------------------
VCA-089 - Back to Life

Nice track for sure. Fit theme and genre for sure. Like the second part with almost like strangers things soundtrack feel. Good choice of sounds. They works together really well.

Mix is good but there are some problems here and there. It tends to be little muddy with peak at 100Hz and bellow and around 800-1000 Hz. I would like to have more air here.

Statistics:
Max momentary loudness -11.8 LUFS
Max short-term loudness -12.3 LUFS
Integrated loudness -15.3 LUFS
Loudness range 9.6 LU
True peak L -1.13dB
True peak R -1.34dB
DC offset L +0.002% (-94.6dB)
DC offset R +0.002% (-95.3dB)
---------------------------------------
Blang - Spring 2053

Really nice work on those sounds. They are really great and they really create nice ambient underscore. Good simple but evolving and changing atmosphere. No complains here.

Mix is not bad but miss air a bit. Some instruments have some air but most of sound played are bit muffled. Some sounds pierce my ears like for example part starting around 2:30. That pad like sound have nasty peaks around 1 - 1.3kHz. I can say that mix is muddy for me.

Statistics:
Max momentary loudness -11.8 LUFS
Max short-term loudness -12.8 LUFS
Integrated loudness -17.9 LUFS
Loudness range 10.5 LU
True peak L -4.45dB
True peak R -3.89dB
DC offset L +0.001% (-104.0dB)
DC offset R +0.002% (-94.0dB)
---------------------------------------
Clueless - Cold Spring

Great sounds and very good atmosphere. It is really great ambient themed track with interesting composition. Yes it have that cold feel but for me it is too much cold and dark. It is more like cold freezing winter instead of spring. It have almost like post apocalyptic feel of dread and dead. Really great track and I really like it but it simple do not work for me for the theme selected.

Mix is well poor. Very distorted muddy with a lot of rumbling. Most annoying is that distortion. It is almost sound like some distortion or over saturation on master. Maybe just over compressing, I'm not sure but it affect every sound there.

Statistics:
Max momentary loudness -10.0 LUFS
Max short-term loudness -11.7 LUFS
Integrated loudness -16.9 LUFS
Loudness range 10.6 LU
True peak L -2.62dB
True peak R -2.81dB
DC offset L 0.000% (-207.4dB)
DC offset R 0.000% (-197.5dB)
---------------------------------------
EsteveCorbera - Spring Bloom

Yes ambient track and almost fitting theme. Why almost because it have sad feel. Intro is nice and pitch bending that pad is nice. It add nice movement. I like intro the most. Simple but nice. After bass started playing the track change mood quite a lot and it become a sad track. Piano later lacks dynamics. It sounds like it is played on same velocity. The same for that bell sound later. This time is is worse because it sticks out even more and without dynamics it feels lifeless. Idea is nice but it needs more work.

Mix is bit weak. Sometimes that bass dominate the track and when that ear piercing bell starting playing it takes over the lead. It is not balanced. Lots of peaks here and there and lots of holes here and there in whole frequency spectrum. Also I do not like that panning. Where you just automate or you have assigned lfo to pan and instruments just go from left to right and back. It is weird and it doesn't help to create the stage.

Statistics:
Max momentary loudness -10.6 LUFS
Max short-term loudness -12.3 LUFS
Integrated loudness -17.0 LUFS
Loudness range 8.7 LU
True peak L -1.96dB
True peak R -1.94dB
DC offset L -0.010% (-80.1dB)
DC offset R -0.006% (-84.6dB)
---------------------------------------
canese - Morning Decay

Most relaxing track of all. I also like your theme the most in this round. It really have great mood. Gentle with nice movement on sound while keeping simple ambient genre.

Mix is not bad but as I said it lacks air. That pad also introduce quite a lot of energy in around 50Hz that could be tamed a bit more. Track dominate in mid-low spectrum so it also lacks bit of clarity. Bringing back some mid-high and high frequency reveal more effects like that delay on this bell like sound that was almost inaudible in your version. With some tweaking it bring more life the the mix and more life feel to the track.

Statistics:
Max momentary loudness -22.2 LUFS
Max short-term loudness -24.2 LUFS
Integrated loudness -27.9 LUFS
Loudness range 6.9 LU
True peak L -13.19dB
True peak R -12.10dB
DC offset L 0.000% (-146.2dB)
DC offset R 0.000% (-149.2dB)
---------------------------------------
Shea - Bloom

Great idea, nice sounds and quite good composition. It is quite interesting track for sure but ...

Mix is well .. it feels instruments fight each other for dominance. They occupies same frequencies and it sound like they all all kind of blended. This weaken and also make stereo field sounds narrow. Also volume of instruments feels sometimes unbalanced. I mean that they sound all on same volume on low dynamics and few seconds later they all went up together on volume. There is no differences between each individual instruments dynamics. It is kind of like you are using layering within the same midi pattern instead of separate pattern for each instrument. Or you just simply automating master volume not sure.

Statistics:
Max momentary loudness -9.9 LUFS
Max short-term loudness -11.2 LUFS
Integrated loudness -15.8 LUFS
Loudness range 13.6 LU
True peak L -1.01dB
True peak R -1.01dB
DC offset L +0.003% (-90.3dB)
DC offset R +0.003% (-89.3dB)
---------------------------------------

And the part I hate the most - voting.

All in all, this month it has been seen that the boundaries of the given genre can often be interpreted more broadly, and this is also true of the ambient genre.
It’s a good thing too, as long as you have to listen to more varied songs
For me, a sentence on the musicmap.info page left a deep impression: „ambient... very slowly and gradually the music changes in time while subtly and vaguely presenting images from another reality”
I don’t have any experience in the genre either, so read my review and points in light of that

TrojakEW - Nature Awakening
I would split it into two parts: the first half (especially the intro) is less like it. Too much delays, which have the effect of not being in nature but in an enclosed space. (a bird exhibition in a hall ). I think the space is not well chosen for the intro sounds.
But I like the second part very much, great, top quality cinematic fantasy (ambient) composition. Very, very nice job.
Overall bright, 'new age' feeling. the second part is my absolute favorite of all the songs.

AFutureInNoise - Spring Gettin Grown Up
Good ambient intro, however, after the intro suddenly a very dry part comes with a sharp shift.
Later the ambient feeling is exhausted in 1-2 water effects. It's a pity because it's an interesting composition, good storytelling, but it's like the narrator jumps between story mosaics. Unfortunately - with the exception of the intro - the ambient feeling is completely lacking.

AskAndy - 2 Day Bloom
Good ambient theme. Nice elements, but I think that not all of these elements need to be present throughout. The rhythmic base could also change or the synth elements (e.g. bass drone) could sometimes disappear from time to time or be rhythmically varied.
The FX azt 3:19 is a bit unexpected but not sure pleasant
The mix could be a little brighter with more space, although i also like the dark ambient sound, it could be a little more open.

SoundBeing - Alien Communication
Very good ambient track, create great atmosphere. If it didn't have a title, I could still imagine it as the background of a sci-fi movie
I might try add moore reverb on the guitar, maybe would be better.
Overall nice, dark sci-fi theme with the drones and FX's.

VCA-089 - Back To Life
This song also consists of two parts. The first part is more similar to classical ambient songs, nice intro. I like the simple progression, the sounds (maybe the birds are loud a little bit ) The curved, more lively melodies of the second part move further away from the classical ambient line, there is a lot of movement in them.
Overall the song creates a very good atmosphere, it's a sophisticated work. Great.

Blang - Spring 2053
Nice sounds and nice background ambient song.
I think there is a good balance between the sounds.
Maybe it would be nice to have a motif that repeats once, twice, which grabs you better, but doesn’t take you in a more melodic direction. Maybe it's my fault, but overall I see experimenting with sounds, but less of a song structure.
However, it is a pleasant song.

Clueless - Cold Spring
A bit of an 'apocalyptic vision' ambient.
Good dark mood, very good sci-fi background, i like the reverb on pluck sounds. But (maybe Liberty?) distortion would be good if it were not constant and all-encompassing. I like the song, but a slightly brighter theme would have been better for this month.

EsteveCorbera - Spring Bloom
Nice evolving intro.
The piano is a bit dry. The panned, reverbed bell sound is way more natural on this ambient background.
This is one of the best (if not the best) reminiscent songs of typical 'airport songs' for me.
I really like the pad background, doesn't want to get too prominent, it's right there. The song has just as much of everything you need and that’s why I like it.
Nice job, I very like the overall mood, the simple motifs, the sound choices.

Canese - Morning decay
Nice relaxing mood.
The background pad is a bit 'thin' for me and the piano would be brighter (or the whole mix?).
The piano disappears for me many times, maybe more compression(?).
Overall nice track, good job.

Shea - Bloom
A lot of sounds, effects, good work. Great background music for games (but I think I've written this to you in recent months ). Some parts (sounds) are very loud, harsh to me and I feel less of a dynamic, but skillful song.

Hi peoples,

Either I have a very different view on what is relaxing or people find it difficult to make a relaxing piece in these times (or perhaps some skipped over the brief ). Anyhow, I have tried to provide you all with some insights that might be useful to you.

TrojakEW - Nature Awakening
Nice calming sounds. A bit noisy perhaps in the intro. You can create a very calm and clear sound by reducing the high frequencies of all elements except for one or two ‘lead’ elements
Vocals sounds a bit new agey, but they get the vibe across.
It might be the soundcloud data compression, but for this kinda of music I prefer a more hifi sound.
The composition has a nice natural flow to it. It seems like everything is where it should be!

AFutureInNoise - Spring Gettin Grown Up
Those high freqs bells in the intro are maybe a tad obtrusive for this genre, especially so soon. Nice orignal sound design though! The piano could use some reverb to blend in with the rest.
In general it changes mood quite fast and often for an ambient composition. For example the sudden change around 0:50 with the guitar hammer-ons. In the middle it does settle a bit with piano melody.
The very low Eb in the bass sound a bit odd there at 1:38.
The final part reminded me of some 90s game music.
Most of the composition relied on recognisable acoustic instruments (well, software version thereof) and the brief was to use one or two max… If you take the middle part and mute the bass and acoustic guitar it might sound a lot more like an ambient track though.

AskAndy - 2 Day Bloom
Cool, original sounds right away. It draws me in without being to apparent.
Around 2:20 I asked myself “Should something happen right?” Quickly after that some stuff changed ever so slightly, but I think just enough. Around 3:30 the vibe strs getting slightly more ominous, dark to me. Perhaps suitable as a film score. 6:00 that one bend in the bass synth kinda deviated from the rest of the vibe. Sorry, I had to find something
Nice, 7 minutes of ambient vibe without it getting boring or annoying; That’s no small feat!

becsei_gyorgy - Melting Point
Well, I’m glad I can still hear those very high frequencies in the intro. Bit intense to kick it off with perhaps.
The intro is very tense and suspenseful, especially with that slow pitch bend from 1:11. Very cool, but not that suited for this moths genre. Nice release though around 1:30.
So, yeah it’s all more high energy, epic ambient style. Quite the opposite of the brief "relaxing"
The noisy high freqs of the pad are asking a lot of my attention. You could get some extra movement by automated the cuttof freq of a low pass filter; making it darker in mellower passages.

SoundBeing - Alien Communication
Looming. Ominous vibe. That is enhanced by the low rumbling.
The vibrato piano could be altered even more I think, since the rest is so ‘alien’. Extra reverb, space delay. And perhaps a bit darker so it’s sounds less like a piano. Cool how the guitar enters just before 3 mins. I expected (and would have liked) more of it.
The continuous E droning kinda missed the mark for this months brief "relaxing”. Well, at least you’ve got something at hand if someone asks you for a brooding Hans Zimmer-type score

VCA-089 - Back To Life
The chords repeated too often and obviously. It might work well if you started with an instrument without any attack; so a pad basically.
When using only one chord progression for a nearly all of a 6 min composition it might work better if you pick something more neutral. I like the chords though, but a bit dramatic to be relaxing. For me it’s mainly the last chord of the sequence that seems to notify a change is about to happen, but then it just goes back to what we have heard. Maybe you’ve created a new genre this month: beatless reverberated lo-fi hiphop
Especially since it’s so sparse, all attention is going to these chords. So some more variation sound wise, in voicing or dynamically would make the journey more interesting I think.

Clueless - Cold Spring
The intro sounds make me think of some dystopian future. I might wanna see the movie, but I wouldn’t go the to relax. The part that follow is very relaxing though; Nice sound design! The distortion on the leads, make it sound rougher and slightly uneasy. Cool, but not in line with this months’ brief. A shame, because I do feel the melodies and harmonies are quite pleasant.
Be careful of the low rumbling that occurs from 5:00 on. It creates a, almost subliminal, tension that may or may not be suitable.

EsteveCorbera - Spring Bloom
Beautiful how that drone evolves in the intro! The high sof plucky sounds sound perhaps a bit cheesy / new agey to me, but well that’s so subjective. However around 1:12 that sound plays a B natural, which stands out from the rest in slightly odd way. The piano that enters around 1:30 is very upfront and dry. Some reverb and/or delay will help it blend more with the rest or use the sustain pedal on the piano.
The high glockenspiel type synth has keyboard related panning - high notes Right, low notes Left. For this application it could’ve been more subtle for me, because it felt like the instrument was jumping around; not the most relaxing.
Nice simples themes that are repeated throughout the piece, without being too obvious. Nice, it makes it feel like a whole

Canese - Morning decay
Nice calm, slowly growing intro. Very southing sounds. The first time I heard the fancy chord (the last one of the sequence where you replaced the minor chord with major) around 0:30, I thought “Okay, daring but cool”. The second time around the surprise wasn’t there and it felt more gimmicky. Maybe you could save the B major for the special moments and make it a B minor in the other cases. So when the B comes it will be even more epic. At 2:04 the C# in the melody seems to be clashing a bit with the harmony (mainly against the G I think).
Even though the chord progression might be slightly epic, heroic for the brief, it was also relaxing and ambient for sure!

Shea - Bloom
Mmmm, calming waves of sounds. Cool use of near silence. The percussion was a bit distracting for me. Partly, because of it not having an own (clear) rhythm or a relation the the wave pad
Oops! the sneaky 4-on-the-floor kick gives it groove. Normally not a bad thing, but not in compliance with this months’ brief.
If all percussive elements would be way in the background instead of foreground, it might serve as extra ear candy under the pads. But unfortunately, now it feels very chaotic too me, and for from relaxing.
It might be interesting to let the pads sustain for a while. So the new chord has about the same intensity as the previous one. This would probably work best for the subtle climax in the middle.

I thought ambient only was an adjective, which, in that case, would have been a strange name for a genre (like tall or red). OK, so now I have checked a few more dictionaries, and it looks as if it can be a noun as well. I thought the genre allowed a wide variety. And Flowers (like the one on the photo) needs water, (espicially in spring).