Autumn in Budapest (autumn_in_budapest.xm)

Overall Impression (10/10)

This is one of the best tracker songs ever! It can even be compared to the jazz standards. In fact, I've seen a few people before get tricked by this song, thinking that it's played by a real jazz trio. It's focused on the limitations, using only 3 instruments: piano, bass and drums (rarely seen in tracker songs). Successfully overcoming its self-imposed limitations, it paints the feeling of joy and exploration.

Technique, Arrangement, Composition (10/10)

The technique is top-notch. What surprised me the most are the slight panning envelopes on the piano, something I'd never seen before. There are little to no tracker effects, the only ones used over the course of the entire tune are Axx, 3xx and Dxx. EDx, 4xx and EAx make short appearances, but they don't really impact the overall sound all that much. The triplet is not done accurately, but I think it's intentional. 3xx and Axx are used only on the bass channel.

There are quite a lot of dynamics in here with loads of various volumes used, which is mostly visible on the piano and the hats. The overall structure is constant:
- 6 channels for the drums: 2 channels for the snares, 1 channel for the kick, another one for the hats, and two more for other percussion such as toms and crashes.
- 1 channel for the bass.
- The rest is for the piano: 8 channels for the chords and the rest is for the melodies.

Carlos does not interrupt this structure at any point, showing that this piece was really planned out and turned out exactly how he wanted it to be.

Development (9/10)

There isn't a lot to 'mix' in here. The samples are a bit problematic, however, that's not noticeable at the end. The arrangement is stellar. Every chord feels like it belongs right there and nowhere else and gives an overall rhythm to the track. The piano notes fade out exactly when they should. The only problem is the bass, which sounds unrealistic.

Creativity (10/10)

There are quite a lot of real techniques Carlos brought over to the tracker. There are the piano octaves, fast rundowns, bass slaps, chord strums, arpeggios and many more. Carlos uses every instrument of the 3 (bass, drums, piano) as much as he can. There is a lot of originality as well, it gives a new perspective on the 7/8 time signature.

The melody develops slowly along with the intensity of the work. The energy is nicely paced, hitting peaks and then slowly going away, only to be reintroduced later when ending the piece. The piece ends with a climax.

There's a lot of great harmonic decisions in here. The piano is ringing with harmonies and happiness.

Enjoyment (10/10)

It absolutely does work as a piece of music. It is a completely thought-out idea, which is visible in every aspect of this track. The piano is taking the lead in here, and the bass and drums are following along nicely, building the backbone of the song and complementing the piano as best as they can.