copie2.it (copie2.it)

Posted by Kruser on Mon 19th May 2003, rated 7 / 10.

This tune is a good example of how to combine chip sounds with more "conventional" instruments and produce a solid overall sound. The chip sound that is present at the background (and sometimes as lead as well) creates a relaxing, yet upbeat atmosphere. The background strings could be worked on a bit more, as the transition from one note to the other is really recognizable and at times creates tension not really needed for a song of this genre. The strongest part melodically (along with the chip sound) are the bass and the piano, which are indeed very well tracked and complete the positive atmosphere that this song offers. The weakest part is the percussion - here the author could really do with some more samples and better sounds. Still, since this is primarily an ambient song, perhaps the very simple beat (just one rhythm sample) is sufficient. In summary: excellent tracking with samples of less than average quality. All samples are 8-bit and contain some noise within them (except for the chip sounds). Still, it is the way they are assembled into the song which make this song work as a whole. The chip tracking is flawless (I think), both as a background and a lead sound. The bass is quite funky and at the end it even takes the role of a lead (in this case it works, because the main bass line is actually provided by the background chip sound; very original). The piano present in the song is adequate for a moderately-paced ambient song and fits in very well with the rest of the sounds. The background strings could probably have been improved with the use of instrument envelopes. And, it should have been paid more attention to the percussion, though the author certainly deserves credit for making the most of that one rhythm sample, with clever use of the set offset and panning effects.