Mix Challenge

Blang wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 01, 2021 16:45 CET

becsei_gyorgy "Brave New World"

Smack My Bitch Up - The Prodigy (3:00). That's the same vocal sample in the intro right?

Nice I'll definitely ask Nick Phoenix.

Doc Jon - The Meaning of Life
Excellent beat in the vein of. Textures suit the target genre perfectly. I kind of wanted to remove the "meaning of life" a bit so I could ponder said meaning while enjoying the other textures more. Songwriting wise, it would've been nice to *not* have the reveal towards the end, I think it would emphasize the journey/mystery aspect of life instead of one facet.

Esteve Corbera - A New World About Us
Great use of textures, but by around 2:04 I'm really missing harmonic development. The sonic development is lovely, and the motif fits well. Chimes could've been further back in the mix slightly. I do like the Jarre-esque delayed synth that runs along the track.

Vodou Queen - You Never Know What The Sun Will Bring, Setting Or Rising (feat FutureAnalysis & Eshar)
Nice noisy sample to start. Right away, I'm a little jarred by the sample and melody which are out of tune with each other. Not sure if this was intentional. It's a shame, because I really think they go well together in every way besides intonation. I love this mix honestly but everything is out of tune! Really wish I could hear the sax in tune with other stuff, it's a lovely sample/performance.

Olli H - I Guess It’s Time To Go Now
Very melodic and relaxing. I think this completely works as New Age, but perhaps not the variant I listened to. Excellent job at restraint, just the bare minimum with a not overly sparse mix in order to keep the mood relaxing. Well put together. The strings are excellent, especially with how they provide nice background harmonic texture.

Gyorgy Becsei - Brave New World
Another Korg M1 user! To me, that synth *is* New Age. Very much the late 80s early 90s period. I like the approach to this, reminded of something Yanni might compose, especially with the focus on the strings. Percussion do a great job moving the track along.

Blang - Hold On
Gentle and ethereal opening, very enjoyable. I like the background stabs. The mix might be a little too high end focused. I think the goal of the piece was for texture exploration. I would've liked to see more of that.

Marius L - Story Teller
I love these soft attack arps in the beginning, instant mood for me. Great sound selection. I do think you managed to evoke the era with selections like the Expand2 choir, definitely has a Korg M1 feel to it. The piece is focused and seems very in sync with the target genre. Could've used the vocals slightly back in the mix, wouldn't have missed any power by doing so in my opinion. Even though its simple, you keep the interest high through these excellent solos. Nice job!

Brunnsqi - Theta
Nice interplay between leads. I think we need a little more instrumentation to not wane in effect. I like the chord progression, I feel like it wouldn't be out of place in an 80s fantasy movie, and that's a pretty good place for a New Age track to be. I think I just wanted a little more instrumental detail or focus to really complete this track.

Double Tap - Ambient Dec 2020
Excellent pad. Very appropriate percussive action with the brushes and then xylophone and wood blooks. Vocals mixed perfectly in my opinion for the track. This track is a very moody and almost dark piece, but I think it's still very much target genre. Between the vocal solo and background detail, the ear is kept nice and fresh, love it. Gets even better when the flute sound comes in midway. I love how the track refuses to be rushed to any conclusion. I feel like I'm being explained something in a language I can't understand, hard to feel more "New" than that.

VCA-089 - Wild Energy
Shakuhachi comes in great, and a real nice mood is set up immediately with the pads. I like the wolf sound patch, somewhat melodic, somewhat background effect. Moves the track along keeping you tense. I felt a little more danger than I think contemplation, reflection, trascendence etc of typical new age track, but I think your vision was well executed. Great caws at the end.

Shea - Knewage
I like the switch up in lead. I really wanted more of those plucks to be honest though, they were beautiful. The percussion programming/loop is fantastic, has some push and pull to it. When more come in, it definitely takes it to the next level. After this I feel like I lose track of the piece a bit until it ends.

A Future in Noise - Unfinished
A gentle piece, but I feel like I heard 3 or 4 maybe distinct sections in there none of them quite establishing a domninant motif over the track. I really like the blown glass sound, I would've liked to hear more with it kind of taking front and center.

becsei_gyorgy: "Brave New World"
+ Very skillfully created song.
+ Relevant changes come in right places
+ That pulsing arrangement is great.
+ I like those "out of tune toms" (or is it pitch shifting effect?)
- The main concern to me is the humming human voice as the main carrier of the melody. As human voice is very dominant, in the long run one expects more variations or story telling from it. So, although the melody line is great, it begins to feel too repetitive and empty. And at the same time it masks all the great nuances in your arrangement. So I feel that it steals the show without giving back anything substantial.


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Blang: "Hold On"

+ Tasteful guitar playing
+ Coherent feel all through the song
+ I like the minimalistic arrangement. Less is always better, if it happens to work, and in this case it works
- it feels to me that main part never starts, or it feels like the main instrument/vocal line is muted


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Brunnsqi: "Theta"
Beautiful atmosphere, well done.

But unfortunately it don't develop to new dimensions or perspectives. It leaves me in a waiting state: nice song is about to born, but it takes some more time for it to find it's own character. That is to say, for me the song doesn't progress. It remains as description of one mood. So maybe it should be a part of some movie scene, where the story is told visually.

One problem is probably those two arpeggio instruments that are telling their story with too similar sounds. And then you add also that pad-synth that competes in the same frequency area. I might try to transpose the synth to one octave lower or use eq to cut away those frequencies that are essential to those arpeggio instruments.



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Doc Jon wrote: "The Meaning Of Life"

This overdose of repetition brings in to my mind "Number nine" of Beatles.

Nice bass lines. I like that relaxed groove. Well done. But otherwise, I don't remember anything afterwards of the music parts as the repeating lyrics took my the whole attention.

Nice idea but it starts to repeat itself too much. The main question is so huge that it creates big expectations. Now it feels that this is an unfinished song. Maybe there should be some in-between lyrics. After that repeating one was expecting more surprising solution.


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Double Tap: "Ambient Dec 2020"
Nice chord progression.
Great atmospheric sound.
Elegant stereo drums (or whatever those rhythmic elements are) groove.
So, very promising start.
But then - the moment when song should start - comes in that lady who is yelling out in some far distance. It just doesn't make it for me. After that moment I start to feel that the song never starts. It begins to feel like improvisational tests for the forthcoming sound.


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EsteveCorbera: "A New World About Us"
+ nice piano chord lines
+ beautiful atmosphere
+ the atmosphere works nicely as such in every part as such, but I think it lacks the bigger movement and progression idea.
This should be a part of some science documentary where images provide the story and music gives the atmosphere. As such, I think, alone it lacks the movement to be an independent musical piece.


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functionform: "Out The Door"
Nice start. It awoke in me an interest where this song is about to take me. Skillfully done.
After that comes in that choir. Interesting moment. As if some dancing tribe is repeating some religious messages. Works nicely. But soon after that I lost the focus. Or should I say that those repeating mysterious word lines takes the whole focus, and as such they don't feel to me strong enough to be the main music part. One starts to expect something more to happen.

I like those small (compression?) movements in bass line.

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Marius L: "Story Teller"
I'm not a fan of atmospheric music, but this one was different to me. You have nicely spread the instruments into different frequency areas. And spatially they are nicely in three dimensional stage. And furthermore, you introduce new elements in right moments in different area. So there's all the time nice focus point somewhere in the stage.
So it feels to me as very skillful production. This could be a perfect music track for some Leonard Cohen song. For example the style of "Waiting for the miracle" comes to my mind.
+ I like the sparse pulsing arrangement.
+ nice bass rhythm
+ Nice 3d dimension created partly by that occasional very close dry scratching sound. First I didn't like it, but little by little it became one of my favorites.
- humming human voice starting around 1:50 would have been perfect place for singing to start. But this way it was a bit disappointment. Maybe if you had introduce lyricless voice earlier I wouldn't had been deceived.

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Shea: "KnewAge"
Nice and skillfully done atmosphere.
Drum groove is pretty nice. But it's also very dominant. I feel it sort of mask many nice details that you have in other instruments. Maybe for that overpowering effect, soon after the drums come in, the song starts to feel to me as sort of loop based mute-unmute composition. Drums steal the show without giving essential content. Maybe more variations to groove and some far-close-loudly-softly-nuances to drum loop could make a difference. It might give room and stage for other instruments here and there. Now the small nuances and stories told by other instruments are buried under that drum beat.

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VCA-089: "Wild Energy"

Nice intro that anticipates something ominous is coming.
Toms start nicely but start to feel as a loop quite soon.
My favorite part is the moment you introduce hi-hats. Very organic and groovy hi-hats. But soon after that song disappears in my experience. First part takes me to some sort of 1800's horror a la "The Hound of the Baskervilles", but that mood disappears when synth bass and more instruments come in later. Then it's more like sci-fi action movie.
Around 3:00 it starts to feel as if the main melody line is missing. But as an atmosphere track works very nicely.

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TheVodouQueen: "You Never Know What The Sun Will Bring, Setting Or Rising"
Music starts nicely. I like those lo-fi-drums. Also the full sounding drum kit feels good.
But unfortunately quite soon the song starts to feel like a collection of experimental riffs. There's arpeggio riff, synth riff and horns riff, but they feel separate. As if they are not listening to each other to create one coherent song.
Horns feel as if they are out of tune. Also they are sonically in totally different space than the rest of music.

Esteve Corbera – A New World About Us
Nice intro with the bell chimes and vintage strings, great soundtrack material and gets us straight into New Age territory
Some typical Vangelis touches coming in at 0:55 onwards, nice piano line and panning synths
Great chill vibe but I was wanting the track to develop more as it progressed with a little more variation which would have lifted the score higher

Vodou Queen – You Never Know What The Sun May Bring
Spooky opening, I loved the synth sound at the start, authentic vintage beat and ingenious Fx
I was less keen on the second section with the mallet sounds
Sax at 2;35 was a welcome addition and the laid back percussion at 3:20 was a nice touch
The dissonant arrangement worked well but did left me wanting some harmony as a form of resolution by the end of the track
Certainly a very different and original track, at almost 8 minutes I would suggest a bit too long

OlliH – I Guess It’s Time To Go Now
Beautiful guitar playing
Very relaxed and fitted the New Age feel nicely
Good use of tympani percussion in the second half of the track
Good mix and production, my only gripe was that rather generic 80s synth flute sound which persisted throughout the track

Becsei Gyorgy – Brave New World
Lovely intro with those haunting vocals and outdoor foley sounds
Authentic New Age feel
Great beat and nice build as the track progressed, you made the percussion sit perfectly in the mix
An interesting mix of cultures and influences within the track
Extra point for the shakuhachi (I was wondering how many tracks would feature it this month!)
Excellent mix and production as always

Blang – Hold On
Nice gentle intro with the chimes and gradual introduction of guitar and that lovely synth arp
Definite New Age feel, listening with the lights down low it took me on a journey
Guitar section from 1:35 was particularly effective
Kudos and extra points for using such a selection of real instruments in your arrangement
Great mix and production, overall lovely track, well done

MariusL – Story Teller
Some nice Jean Michelle Jarre touches in the opening section with the soft synth arps and electro percussion, I liked the development at 0:58
Vocal was interesting and fitted well with the track adding an authentic New Age vibe
I did like the change at 2:48 with the introduction of that ethnic synth sound
Nice outro
Overall good arrangement and mix

Brunnsqi - Theta
Nice intro with some pretty sounds setting up a nice New Age feel
I was expecting a stronger beat to come in at 0:45 which I think would have helped the track to build more rather than continue the sparse soft kicks in the background
I liked the way the arrangement developed at 1:30 but there were some timing issues in that following section, not sure if that was deliberate but I would have preferred a slightly tighter arrangement
Track was too short, I would have liked more!

Double Tap -Tribs003Moodys
Fantastic pad sound opening the track, very nice indeed
We get the New Age feel when the ethnic percussion comes in and the vocal helps to build on this and develop the track further
I would have liked some more variation and development in the second half of the track, and that pad sound did start to overwhelm the arrangement by this point, maybe changing to a different pad or dropping it out completely for a section before bringing it back at the end might have worked better

Functionform _ Out The Door
Straight in there with the shakuhachi - nicei!
Strong beat, bpm probably at the upper limit of the tracks for this month but helped along nicely by the tribal vocals which kept it firmly in New Age territory
Nice break at 2:40
Vocals did get a little repetitive by the end but overall great track

VCA-089 - Wild Energy
Nice intro, synth wind AND shakuhachi, extra points for sure!
That beat was superb with the pitched drums and percussion, I would perhaps have mixed the reverb a little lower on the percussive hits but that is being really picky
All the animal noises fitted well throughout the track and the way you mixed and processed them was very effective
Nice change at 2:45, a little less New Age in this section but as good contrast to the opening section, great soundtrack material
Nice drop at 3:20
Track perhaps a little too long overall and I would have been tempted to edit it to around 5:00 or so in total, but otherwise really very good indeed

Shea – New Age
Lovely intro, nice outdoor foley sounds
Hammered dulcimer sound worked well in the context of the track and fitted the New Age feel to me
Nice understated synth sound coming in at 1:30
Great percussion and vocal samples
Very good mix and production although the cello was perhaps a little too hard panned to the right for my liking

Bonus entry – A Future In Noise - Unfinished
An interesting track which reminded me in the opening section a Tim Burton film soundtrack, this was definitely the best part of the track for me
I wasn’t so keen on the section from 1:00 which was too much of a change in style to fit well, I would have jumped straight on to the section at 1:28 which seemed to flow much better from the opening part

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your feedback and cast your vote.


Please don't let yourself be disqualified by not participating. The Songwriting Competition lives from the given feedback towards each other.

Doc Jon - the meaning of life

I like the general vibe and the mix of vocals and instrumentation. It feels to me a bit busy for ambient music, but it’s fairly chilled out so it’s not a long way from what I perceive the brief to be. A minor mix issue with a vocal at the end leaping out of the mix a bit more than it should. Nicely put together track.

EsteveCorbera - "A New World About Us"

This is a bit more Eno. I do like the chord progression, the sound selection and the sense that the piece was advancing. I felt the chimes began to feel a little stale after the fourth time.

TheVodouQueen - "You Never Know What The Sun Will Bring, Setting Or Rising (feat FutureAnalysis & Eshar)"

The spooky vocal intro is interesting, although I wasn’t convinced by the texture beneath. I enjoyed the slightly discordant tension between some of the elements up to the point that the sax came in and then it just didn’t quite work for me. Too much of it felt like the musical elements were competing with each other than being complementary - it would have been better, in my view, if it had been simpler (although I know that's not a common view in music production land). Like, the gamelan-ish riff that comes in about 5mins in I really liked, but I couldn’t quite make it out for very long.

Olli H - I guess it’s time to go now.

This felt like I’d walked into a shop selling crystals, so spot on for genre. The chord progression was nice, you had counterpoint and a nice mix of sounds and it sounded well-mixed to me. I don’t really like the panpipe sound but that’s personal taste and it's totally appropriate for this genre.

becsei_gyorgy - "Brave New World"

Very much liked the rhythm and the instrumentation, and although I personally don’t like panpipe and warbly ‘ethnic’ vocal, it’s spot on New Age so good marks for that. For me it was a bit too urgent though - it put me on edge rather than relaxed me.

Blang - "Hold On"

The simplicity was really refreshing - you weren’t tempted to overload the track and that was great. Nice guitar and arp, with the flourishes filling the right spaces. I really enjoyed it.

Marius L - "Story Teller"

Another track which made great use of space. The percussion was lovely. I kind of wish you hadn’t added the backbeat in fact - I don’t think it needed it, and I didn’t particularly take to the male vocal, but otherwise I thought it was strong. I wanted to hear more interplay between the rhythmic elements - more of a hyperbeat sort of effect where the ear is drawn to the speed of the arp and then the slowness of perc, if you know what I mean.

Brunnsqi - "Theta"

I liked the sound selection and the way you used the space to create floatation. Putting the drums back in the mix was a nice touch, except they sounded a little out of time and didn’t quite develop enough. 3pt

functionform - "Out The Door"

Brilliant use of vocals. I really enjoyed the alleluias and the use of the stereo field to bring them out, and the pads to emphasise them. It felt quite driven - my only complaint for this genre-wise, but not on its own merits.

VCA-089 - "Wild Energy"

Really enjoyed the opening. The wind was a nice touch. Sorry, still don’t like panpipes, but you used them well and gave them plenty of space. The toms were perhaps a bit aggressive for me in this context - perfect for a great build, which is where the track went - I would have enjoyed it more if it had been more restrained though.

Shea - KnewAge

You said the aim was a nice build and I think you got there - great sense of progression without feeling like it was turning into a proper hands-in-the-air wait-for-the-drop kind of feel. I enjoyed the drum/perc track - I would have liked it to be a little more distant in the track to keep the foley and melodic elements in the foreground.

Voting

Hi guys,
And a happy new year.

I am so sorry to let you know that I will not have any votes or feedback.
Today I listened to all of your songs, quite a few times each song, and I have written a message here with my feedback for you and with my votes, and it just vanished when I tried to submit it, and the website asked me to log in again and it even didn't work a few times after that.
So I lost almost 6 hours for nothing, not even eating, and I will not go through that again.
Well, it was not exactly for nothing because at least I listened to your tracks paying attention to some details and having my take on some things, but I am sad that now I couldn't share my part with you.

Many thanks for your feedback and I am glad that I participated. Good for learning something new, listening to some new and good music, and to be part of this little community.

All the best,
Marius

Nice work everyone!

Doc Jon - The Meaning of Life
Nice composition. I liked the sound choices and the beat... very enigma like. I liked the whole 'meaning of life concept' but felt it was repeated a little to much which produced a redundant feel by the end. Cool mixing choices to keep things spicy. The FX after "love" needs help... I like the idea but it doesn't sound quite right yet - not as quality as rest of song.

Esteve Corbera - A New World About Us
Nice inspirational feeling song. The chimes popped out a bit much - a tad too loud. This song held a nice space but I would have like more evolution in the arrangement - more of a story.

The Voodoo Queen - You Never Know....
Very trippy song. Too funky for meditation in my opinion. Interesting arrangement with lots of changes. A bit too much dissonance for my tastes - off notes for the key stuck out too much. I really liked all the 'lighter' peaceful sounding parts 1:45 and 4:30 but then the dissonance of vocals or bass seemed to twist the mood too downward. Cool spoken word. Didn't quite fit genre too me - this was like funk jazz. Very interesting production tho!

Olli H - I Guess Its Time to Go Now
Nice peaceful feeling song. I like the flute but there is something rough about making it sound non-organic. Cool percussion. Good job on the arrangement, the song had a nice ebb and flow to it.

Becsei Gyorgy - Brave New World
Very cinematic production with a nice sense of adventure. Nice arrangement - definitely not boring. I like the sound choices and the singing and chants. Percussion and field recordings sounded well placed. The ending didn't hit quite right for for... the key change was cool just not enough for closure of song, I was looking for more to the end of the adventure.

Blang - Hold On
Nice and meditative beginning. I appreciate the quality mix!! Very engaging arrangement in a pleasant way. Nice subtle bass. Overall nice job. Maybe a couple timing issues and some instruments sounded crowded a little but really nice song.

Marius L - Story Teller
I like the slow start. Interesting beat. Interesting vocal but might be a touch sad compared to feeling already present in song. (I could feel his pain like he stepped on some Legos barefoot and slowed it down). Song felt like it could have benefitted from more bass. Overall nice job.

Brunnsqi - Theta
Nice beginning - caught my attention. Then song felt like it took too long to take me somewhere. The drums worked well. Song was good just not enough of a journey for me - the arrangement could use some spice.

Double Tap - Ambient December 2020
Cool beginning and build - nice and spacious feel. As it progressed it felt like the main synth was a little too thick and dominant. Interesting arrangement but song felt a little long like more could have been in the arrangement.

Function Form - Out the door
Mix was rough - way too much distortion (2:02). I liked the arrangement and sound choices. Chants mostly worked well. It was hard to hear through the rough mix but from a songwriting point of view - Nice Job!

VCA-089 - Wild Energy
This did have some wild energy. An interesting arrangement - long but not boring. Cool 80's drum vibe that maybe could use some variation. Song felt like it lacked the vibe of New Age in parts but that's just my opinion as the genre is large.

After I spent some time listening to your entries I assume there is a strong drift into a soundtrack territory. This genre is kinda blurry in itself though, so it is quite easy to take a different route and follow the idea in your head rather than try to sqeeze it to a boundries of a someone's style which describes this genre best. I tried to measure the entries by the overall production value instead of a genre which I don't know well and don't care after all...

1. Doc Jon - The Meaning of Life

I like eastern vibes. An interesting arrangement, based around lo-fi beat with acoustic instruments and synths. The vocal pharases gets repetitive pretty fast. The choir section is spot on.

2. EsteveCorbera - A New World about Us

A promesing start with that electronic ambient vibes. The piano part sounds a bit wierd, feels like AI generated. The composition is kinda undeveloped, there is no feeling of progression.

3. Vodou Queen - You Never Know What the Sun Will Bring, Setting or Rising

Some instruments in this arrangement are out of tune and also feels out of place. A tons of different sounds and parts brought together without any distinctive style and vibe. It actually feels good in sections with relaxed beat and some atmospheric sounds. Overall production is not there yet.

4. Olli H - I Guess its Time To Go Now

A solid medieval style composition and arrangement, perfect for a fantasy videogame.

5. becsei_gyorgy - Brave New World

Another early 2000's videogame soundtrack. Good selection of sound with occassional electronic elements. A few percussion elements has an odd timing (due to overlapping loops I suspect), but it's not critical. Good production overall.

6. Blang - Hold On

I like how natural and coherent this song sounds with so many different instruments from different worlds. The composition and mood is spot on. Could be a great soundtrack aswell.

7. Marius L - Story Teller

Very nice relaxed beat. The vocal part is too loud and too upfront so the woodwind part aswell. The overall mix is quite balanced except those two elements. Good atmosphere and vibe.

8. Brunnsqi - Theta

An 80's movie opening soundtrack, almost Vangelis style. Simple but quite effective.

9. Double Tap - Ambient Dec 2020

So the name speaks for it's self. I liked the main pad, but there could be some variations in tone like filtering or wavemorthing throughout the track. Good percussion section, nice toch with the brushes.

10. functionform - Out The Door

This song sounds somewhat closer to an 80's New Age, mostly because of it's lo-fi vibe. Most of the instruments and background effects sounds like a vintage sampler. The overall mix sounds like it is recorded on an old cassette tape. There is a strange thunderous bass drop in the middle of the track that feels out of place, perhaps the only element that ruined the immersion. Technically and sound wise, I feel it is what should be done for this particular challenge.

11. Shea - KnewAge

Very interesting and detailed production. Brings out vibes of wild nature documentaries. Great atmosphere, composition and arrangement. I feel like this is what "New Age" should be in a modern context.

@Blang
About Paul Speer: I swear I never - ever - heard about him. And yes, I guess my song does sound a little bit like the one you pointed out, but I was completely unaware of it's existence. I like to listen to Vangelis, Jarre and Enya and I know a couple of songs from Kitaro and Yanni. And I remember somebody even forgot an Andreas Vollenweider album at my mom's too, but that's it (I've never even listened to it from the beginning to the end). I've never delved further into the genre either.

Anyway, thank you for pointing out this issue but I assure you it was unintentional. Do you think I should take down my track?

@TheVodouQueen
Well, I'm not exactly new to music, but definitely not a pro. I used to play the guitar in a punk-pop-younameit band between 1999-2007. We recorded an album in a local studio, and we also used to play regularly around the town.

About Cakewalk, I just use it to play around with virtual amps fx and such through an old Digitech RP355 I use as an interface - so I know the very basics of it. I also like to toy with an old Edirol PCR-500 and virtual synths. I grew up in the 80's so I really like synths but I never took time to learn how to properly play the keyboard.

About my song:

Well, I guess by now it's clear I was in a hurry. This melody was already playing inside my head for a couple of days, but I had exactly 13 hours left before the deadline when I finally decided to sit down and record it. That's why it ends so fast.

Thank you all for your kind feedback and good luck everybody!