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right ok this post will be long  here's how i judged:
- 1 put the mixes in one folder, put them in random order and renamed/retagged them as numbers, from 1 to 16. this was to make it completely anonymous
- i listened to each mix, pretty much in full, while writing some on-the-fly comments
- after listening to all, i found out who was behind each one, and flicked back through each mix to remind myself of the mixing etc, also to judge levels & melodics. i gave scores to each one & reasons for each score
this is how i scored, just to clarify
Originality - i gave lower marks for those who used standard prog/melodic/tech trance with mostly big tunes. higher for those who mixed it up with other, lesser known styles or artists
Flow - this was how well i thought the set was structured, and also how well the tunes fit together, stylewise. if i thought a tune would have sounded better placed earlier/later in a mix, or totally out of place, i took points off. also i like my mixes to feel like they are going somewhere, changing/gaining energy throughout
Beatmatching - self explanitory 
Levels - points were taken away here for harsh, untidy bass changeovers, or tunes playing at the wrong volume
Melodics - was a headache working this out.. eventually went with adding up the number of transitions, then counting how many of those had clashing basslines, and calculating a score out of 25 to deduct
Phrasematching - also self explanitory
| quote: | 01 - matt
great start.. straight into the bosh
this kind of hard trance is pretty hard to structure considering every tune is bursting to the brim with power & energy.. but i can hear signs of progression still, stuff at the start is less
intense, more uplifting
mixing is tight as... pretty much perfect
legacy came at just the right time to break up the monotony a tad (not that i was finding it boring at that point), great addition
ibiza sun is a fucking awesome tune... but this remix kinda lacks power, needs more drive behind it... kinda works but at the same time doesn't
can hear it getting more intense & harder around the hour mark, good stuff, love that penultimate tune
finishing on a classic works too, only prob is it isn't at much higher a tempo than the start, would have preferred more of an increment
a) Originality (10%) 6 - a couple of pretty obvious choices from some of the hardtrance bignames, but well incorporated with lesser known choices
b) Flow (20%) 15 - ibiza sun & c sharp sounded a bit soft for where they were. but otherwise the flow was smooth with a gradual build
c) Beatmatching (20%) 18 - virtually perfect, was just one or two where the kicks didn't sit on top eachother too well, although not badly enough to cause galloping
d) Levels (10%) 8 - no big problems, tho i find sharper/more rapid EQing works better with hard stuff, most of the fades here were pretty gradual
e) Melodics (25%) 18 - 2 clashes either side of 'not tonight', 1 out of legacy = 3 transitions out of 11 = 7 point deduction
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - no problems
OVERALL: 80 |
| quote: | 02 - DMdj
first mixout: beats/phrases weren't matched, the EQ sounded rushed, and noone on earth?!? after a techno tune?! dear lord
second mixout: more rough mixing, phrasematching still out. back into technoey stuff, dunno wtf is going on here with the tune selection. goes into harder sounding epic trance randomly
18:41... horrible out of time mix.. and warp brothers argh, really not getting the tune choices here
sound quality is screwed on the next mix... dunno what's up with that?? sounds horrible
another trainwreck into independance... that drop was terrible, completely out of time
heard shivers.. then had to skip through the rest, was just beyond the point of no return... although i caught love theme dusk at the end :S
a) Originality (10%) 2 - all completely rinsed out big tunes except tracks 1 & 3
b) Flow (20%) 0 - none at all, barely any of the tunes seem to fit together stylewise, there was no direction.. and it just felt like a random collection of badly-mixed music
c) Beatmatching (20%) 4 - all were really rough, only about 3 that didn't completely gallop
d) Levels (10%) 1 - all over the shop, on most of the mixes the bass cuts out/drops in too rapidly, or doesn't fade out enough
e) Melodics (25%) 17 - clashes out of orange theme, shivers, dream machine = 3 transitions out of 10 = 8 point deduction
f) Phrasematching (15%) 2 - only heard 2 mixes in phrase, and even then they had pretty bad timing
OVERALL: 26 |
| quote: | 03 - silent raver
lovely intro, but dreamchild only works as an opening track for harder/techier sets i think, seemed too much of a drop in energy when the trancey tunes came in after
first mixout was a bit dodgy
the tune after 10 point 00 didn't seem to fit, seemed to drop things back a gear down
mix out of advanced was out of time a little
mix out of strange world started a bit too early, felt a bit cluttered when the bass came in.. another phrase error too
great flow through the 2nd half but thought the last tune was a bit of an anticlimax
a) Originality (10%) 2 - all pretty well known big trance/tech tunes
b) Flow (20%) 14 - dreamchild first was a big no no, and are you fine was completely out of place, but otherwise ok-ish, best from tracks 8-10
c) Beatmatching (20%) 13 - no real trainwrecks, but quite often the beats didn't feel very tight, slightly out
d) Levels (10%) 5 - some transitions had the bass coming in too early, or the previous track fading out too rapidly. some were ok but quite a few could have been smoother
e) Melodics (25%) 22 - slight clash out of advanced = 1 transition out of 10 = 3 point deduction
f) Phrasematching (15%) 10 - 2 obvious mistakes here.. out of advanced & strange world
OVERALL: 66 |
| quote: | 04 - mr2gti
using access as a starter? that takes balls ..really shouldn't work, but it does, first mixout is awesome
track 2 goes on too long & the mixout is left too late, cuts out early
track 4 is a bit of a let down.. thought it was gonna change direction after cryptomnesia but went back to the techno again, mix wasn't great too
not getting the flow here, style of tracks seems a bit erratic although they all fit together well. not much direction
warrior! haha... nice one, completely didn't expect it, completely out of style but could've been worse i guess. kinda works actually
a) Originality (10%) 10 - completely refreshing & different, diverse mix of styles indeed
b) Flow (20%) 12 - all the tracks went together pretty well but i didn't really feel much sense of direction for alot of it
c) Beatmatching (20%) 18 - spot on apart from the mix out of cryptomnesia
d) Levels (10%) 9 - super smooth EQing, only minor issue was volume changes in the first ~3 transitions
e) Melodics (25%) 22 - slight clash out of warrior = 1 transition out of 10 = 3 point deduction
f) Phrasematching (15%) 13 - while it was in phrase, the mix into cryptomnesia was way too late
OVERALL: 84 |
| quote: | 05 - Andreas Zwerg
all the tunes here sound the same to me :S
quite a few ropey mixes.. including one around 32 mins which was completely bodged. all seem really short too, bit of a cop-out
nothing's standing out here, can't feel it going anywhere, pretty much same full-on style of psy from start to finish
a) Originality (10%) 5 - i didn't recognise any of the artists here, but then none of the tunes sounded original as far as psy goes. so guess i'll give it half points on this
b) Flow (20%) 8 - felt no direction/progression here at all. all the tunes went together well but that's inevitable when they all sound so similar
c) Beatmatching (20%) 8 - pretty lousy considering how short most of the transitions were, few were fine but alot were slightly off
d) Levels (10%) 8 - mostly fine
e) Melodics (25%) 25 - no clashes
f) Phrasematching (15%) 7 - cockup on the 3rd mix, the one on 32 mins & the one on 43 mins
OVERALL: 61 |
| quote: | 06 - Psylo
intro seemed a bit obvious, knew what was coming
is this like asot's greatest hits or something hehe.. first mix was great, next few weren't so hot but still ok
mix into heaven sent could have been awesome, great harmonic work, but the timing was bollocksed, wasn't beatmatched properly
nice harmony into proem again, bit of a drop in energy though
shivers again :/ this tune needs to die srsly
no progression change of direction in the 2nd half... all rinsed out asot trance in random order
a) Originality (10%) 2 - for heaven sent (*NOT* scent... your confusing it with the bedrock track ) and FHTE, the rest all seemed really obvious choices
b) Flow (20%) 8 - started off well but then amsterdam felt like a drop down, then M1 should have been left to the end. there's also no progression between tracks 6-10
c) Beatmatching (20%) 10 - seemed like about half the mixes had beatmatching issues
d) Levels (10%) 8 - mostly ok, a couple minor EQ jolts that felt a bit too rapid
e) Melodics (25%) 25 - no clashes. melodies were nicely mixed too, harmonic
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - no problems
OVERALL: 68 |
| quote: |
07 - Last Sequence
big strong start, followed up pretty well
feeling asot-ish again, although tune selection not as obvious as on set 06, mixing really tight too
awesome flow here. but slow progression.. can start to hear some pace picking up around halfway though
43:30.. first mix that wasn't spot on, isn't corrected either & the EQ comes in too harsh.. shame
losing interest around 50 mins, too much of the same sound. last mix is a bit out too
a) Originality (10%) 5 - pretty common uplifting trance sound but there were a few not-so-known tracks in there
b) Flow (20%) 12 - strong overall theme but barely any progression
c) Beatmatching (20%) 17 - lost points for the trainwreck on 43:30, mostly good otherwise
d) Levels (10%) 9 - all spot on, really smooth, apart from aforementioned transition
e) Melodics (25%) 25 - almost one clash but was avoided by good timing
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - no problems
OVERALL: 83 |
| quote: | 08 - Boban
niiiiiiiice opener, mixout was a teeny bit out but full marks for effort, very effective
2nd mix feels out for too far long, it's not hugely out but should have been corrected alot sooner
few more bodged bits of mixing eek. the tunes make up for it though, lovely warm summery vibe
good progression up to half way, tunes getting gradually more upbeat, nice smooth flow.. the trance comes in wonderfully, keeping with the floaty summery vibe
feelings was a great inclusion, came at just the right time too. kinda peaks there, was hoping it would carry on building but the next tune brings it down a bit
only one works well as a finisher
a) Originality (10%) 6 - fairly standard style/structure here but well executed with quite a few interesting tracks
b) Flow (20%) 18 - the penultimate tune let it down, but was otherwise perfectly executed
c) Beatmatching (20%) 10 - needs work in a few places
d) Levels (10%) 8 - EQing felt smooth, penultimate tune was too quiet, as was the alucard one
e) Melodics (25%) 25 - no clashes
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - no problems
OVERALL: 82 |
| quote: | 09 - DJ D-flux
some oldskool sounding trance starting things off.. mixing so-so
evolves a bit into some slightly techier stuff after about 20 mins.. starts to get harder after, good progression thus far
seems to keep a half modern/half retro feel to it, works pretty well... as does mixing up the hard trance with the techy stuff, pulled off nicely
the mix into shockwaves wasn't quite right, i usually love mixing into it because of how phat it sounds when the bass comes in, but the moment isn't quite caught here, track before should've been
EQ'd out earlier i think
that remix of play it louder was cool, really steps up the pace towards the closing stages with the last tune hammering it home
a) Originality (10%) 8 - quite an original mixup of tech, hard & oldskool trance
b) Flow (20%) 15 - i think tracks 5 & 6 would have worked better nearer the end, otherwise pretty solid
c) Beatmatching (20%) 13 - few pretty rough ones
d) Levels (10%) 8 - mostly good use of EQ (couple could have been improved), no volume issues
e) Melodics (25%) 23 - clash into deep sonar = 1 transition out of 11 = 2 point deduction
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - all fine
OVERALL: 82 |
| quote: | 10 - Timtrip
opening tune sounds alot more appealing than with the last psy set (set 05)...deeper & not so generic, but still with plenty of energy. better mixing too 8)
infact 3 tunes in i can already tell i'm gonna enjoy this alot more than set 05, tunes seem a whole lot more interesting & mixing is flawless
trancey bit around 18:30.. wtf  this tune is fucked up hehe, i like it
31 mins!!! ffs!! ths mixing was perfect up til then & it's like the dj just stopped caring & didn't bother to correct it, really annoyed me cos of how good it was up til then
towards the middle i can hear a slight progression, tracks getting more driving & flat out, but then 3/4 of the way through it seems to go deeper again, i guess there's a structure even if it's not
a clear one
last track worked as a finisher, sounded quite a floorfiller
a) Originality (10%) 9 - i'm not a fan of psy.. and from the outside the general view is over how alot of it sounds samey & generic (see set 05) but the tunes here were all quite interestingly
varied & kept my interest
b) Flow (20%) 17 - this was pretty well pulled off, not totally clear but gradually getting harder, then deeper, then finishing off with a big tune
c) Beatmatching (20%) 17 - perfect bar that mix on 31 mins, which was so bad i took 3 points off
d) Levels (10%) 10 - excellent
e) Melodics (25%) 21 - clash into open your eyes & expression = 2 transitions out of 12 = 4 point deduction
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - no problems
OVERALL: 89 |
| quote: | 11 - Sabi
interesting first track, first mix was spot on & progressed things nicely... thought i'd be in for something good but then the 2nd mix trainwrecks & jumps straight into peaktime trance, shame
meh, basscore doesn't fit right between 2 uplifting trance tunes.. not much flow towards the start
things start to straighten out afterwards, clearer structure in place. mixing improving slightly too
was annoying hearing coldfusion at such a slow tempo, really needs to be cranked up for full effect. infact most of the 2nd half of the mix feels too slow.. this kind of music should be in the 140s
awesome finishing track, does the job nicely
a) Originality (10%) 4 - mostly pretty common trance but there were a few interesting cuts
b) Flow (20%) 12 - kind of a mixed bag, could see the overall pattern but several tunes just didn't really fit right for me
c) Beatmatching (20%) 8 - only 1 *really* bad one but nearly all the mixes were slightly out for a more than acceptable time
d) Levels (10%) 8 - bass crossovers were mostly pretty spot on despite the beats being out, but as a result of the galloping it made the mixes feel louder
e) Melodics (25%) 25 - no clashes
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - no problems
OVERALL: 72 |
| quote: | 12 - Ian
awesome intro on this, first mix slipped in a few places but was corrected quickly, didn't disrupt the flow too much
ewww second mix was rough, less of the cutting, this aint hiphop
the tracks seem to all go together smoothly despite the ropey mixing
i like the bassline change around 24 mins, adds some variety & progresses it well. loving it come 27:00.. 8)
loving the progression up to the halfway point, top notch. some interesting sounding tunes too. i wanted it to get a bit faster when the tune on 45 mins came in though
dear lord the mixing between 49-50 mins would have even tiesto turning in his grave (if he were dead). thinking this person could benefit greatly from ableton
picks up in pace towards the end nicely, covering a range of styles, without detracting from the overall theme/mood of the set. very nice
a) Originality (10%) 8 - very different, pretty diverse stylewise.. just a couple of points off for reusing some artists twice or more
b) Flow (20%) 18 - lovely, no tune out of place & a nice overall build, just felt it needed to speed up a bit more about 2/3 of the way through
c) Beatmatching (20%) 7 - ropier than a ropey thing
d) Levels (10%) 7 - mostly alright a few tracks seemed to fade in strongly a bit too early
e) Melodics (25%) 19 - clash on 24 mins, 28 mins, 34 mins = 3 transitions out of 13 = 6 point deduction
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - seemed fine to me
OVERALL: 74 |
| quote: |
13 - Insertion
quite liking this 2 tracks in, tough & bouncy without being too upbeat, lovely mix too
already has a strong armin feel by track 3. quite accessible/borderline cheese in some places too, but well put together all the same... building nicely
mix between 40-41 mins is a bit below par, mostly ok up until then. needs to progress also, too much of the same uplifting vocal stuff
mehh still the same kind of stuff at 50 mins, getting boring now. and the next track.. and the one after.. yawn. some variety wouldn't hurt :\
last track gets a little bit stronger... but not by much
a) Originality (10%) 3 - pretty standard vocal trance, few names i didn't recognise though
b) Flow (20%) 9 - good start & finish track but the rest could have been jumbled up in random order and the result would have been the same, got bored 3/4 through
c) Beatmatching (20%) 13 - fine in places but pretty naff in others
d) Levels (10%) 7 - track 2 was a bit too quiet, track 4 sounded really low quality, EQing pretty decent overall
e) Melodics (25%) 23 - clash out of eternity = 1 transition out of 11 = 2 point deduction
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - all good
OVERALL: 70 |
| quote: | 14 - Dj spirit fingers
starts off well, nice chunky bouncy melodic prog.. spot on mixing
love the bassline change between 25-26 mins, adds a nice progression... again just before 30:00, little bit too rapid maybe! sounds cool though
first mixing cockup out of moscow morning, beats were matched (almost) but the phrases were out
YES to that bassdrop on 49:08, beautiful
didn't think the alt-f4 remix worked, felt weak & felt like a drop down after remote kontrol.. plus i swear there's loads of keyclashes in there. the original would have worked better
come around again fits kinda, but think the mix should be pushing towards the peak around this stage, & again it's kind of a drop down from the preceeding tunes
neon eyes w00t now that's a finisher! only real prob is it wasn't quite built up to properly at the end i don't think
a) Originality (10%) 4 - nothing really new here stylewise, apart from the son kite inclusion which was wicked
b) Flow (20%) 15 - first half was fine, but the part between remote kontrol & neon eyes needs some work
c) Beatmatching (20%) 19 - *slight* mismatch out of moscow morning, otherwise bang on
d) Levels (10%) 9 - almost there, fine EQing, a couple of tracks sounded louder than the ones before them though
e) Melodics (25%) 25 - nada clashes
f) Phrasematching (15%) 12 - mix out of moscow morning, again
OVERALL: 84
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| quote: | 15 - Rockabye
absolutely gorgeous first track, sublime mixout into the one after too, also beautiful. loving this one straight off
man first 3 tracks make up the best 20 mins of music i've heard in a LONG time, incredible. track 4 is sweet too, brings a bit more energy into play
superb crossover into 4x4! came at a perfect time, and another great track to do it into 
not much to comment about the rest of the set, it flows & progresses absolutely perfectly to the end & finishes off well. man this is pro quality, my fav so far
a) Originality (10%) 8 - lovely selection here from breaks to prog to house, only a couple familiar ones
b) Flow (20%) 20 - hands down winner, all really sublime.. floaty breaks to heavier breaks to some dark prog & then elevating to some bouncier prog/house, then finishing on dreams & then wings was
awesome
c) Beatmatching (20%) 20 - didn't notice any errors at all
d) Levels (10%) 10 - all uber smooth, no errors
e) Melodics (25%) 25 - no clashes
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - fine 8)
OVERALL: 98 |
| quote: | 16 - Evelon
last one now... brilliant start again here, bit vocal heavy on the first few tracks though
mixing seems weird, it's beatmatched properly but still sounds rough, must be dodgy EQing/levels
eww track 4 cheeeeeeese  & dammit more vocal overload, always been of the view that vocal tracks should be used sparingly but that might just be personal taste
some decent progression here if anything, bass drop just before 37 mins rocks & brings up the pace a nice bit. some instrumentals too 8)
props for including the signum remix of oceanlab but you mixed it in all wrong, needs to come in in earlier so the initial bassdrop gets the full effect. kinda ruined its impact as a result
that deepwide mix of timeless is growing on me, i like the floatiness of it, but feels a bit of a drop in energy at this stage
mehh at eternity, the alex morph remix would have gone down a treat here but this mix (original?) doesn't fit at all & totally kills the flow. also too slow at this point, the sunblind track needs
to be faster than this!
a) Originality (10%) 3 - standard trance, not many really interesting picks here
b) Flow (20%) 14 - kinda ok, eternity & yoake seemed out of place & the flow was pretty gradual overall without enough pitch increment (imo), but the structure is mainly there
c) Beatmatching (20%) 19 - didn't notice any double-beating
d) Levels (10%) 4 - this let the mix down, since most of the transitions sounded rough yet the beats were matched. alot of the time the volume fading just seemed wrong.. and the mix into signum
cost a few points too
e) Melodics (25%) 23 - slight clash out of eternity i think = 1 transition out of 13 = 2 point deduction
f) Phrasematching (15%) 15 - no probs
OVERALL: 78 |
if anyone disputes the scores or my methods then go ahead, i'll take it on board & elaborate on any of it.. but just bear in mind i wasn't paid to do this shit hehe. i did actually enjoy judging all of them, apart from andreas zwerg's which was really difficult
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