there isn’t much to say beforehand, so let’s roll! i’m not going to be discussing my own tracks as Axeph-Null, but i will say that i did give them both a 7, of course, because that’s just in my self-interest, i’m sure you did so with your entries as well ;)

these will be formatted as artist name - song title: rating. i’m not going to be looking into the project files, i’ll just use nightradio’s video as a reference. i’ll try to rate not only based on nitpicky things like mixing, arrangement, and composition but also more generally on whether the song does what it sets out to do and how well it represents sunvox as a program

21music - Farewell: 5

the atmosphere here is quite nice, though the progression is a bit stagnant. the mixing is quite interesting, i can tell there’s sample rate reduction on the master. the lead melody does seem a bit masked for my taste. the pads are really lovely, and so is the little arp at the end. overall a nice little song!

Alex Cargo - Reunion: 4

cool techno vibes. the grindy thing and the pads in the background in the intro gives it a very inspiring atmosphere. the timing of the saw blips after that are a bit strange, but otherwise they’re really pretty and give a jean-michel jarre feeling. this song is quite slow to progress and quite repetitive, but i guess that’s the norm in techno (i’m not really familiar with the genre). the mixing is rather muddy and weak, not enough punch and high end

Alobx - Pixel beach: 5

really groovy french house(?) song! i really like the piano chords at the beginning, that’s definitely a house staple. it does sound like the bass is panned to the left, which is strange but i’m not taking off any points. the way you make the music sound like it’s coming out of a speaker at the end is really cool! sadly this is definitely on the shorter side, but it’s still good nonetheless!

Alobx - contol of dream: 6

hell yeah, amens! the arp and reese also gives this a very hectic flavor that i adore. it does get quite repetitive towards the end, but the speaker effect after that definitely offsets that. overall an enjoyable song!

Artinum - Fractal Garden: 4

very pretty. i don’t have the project file in front of me, but this has a very canon-esque feeling to it, is this actually a canon? that cadence at the end is nice. rather simple, but it could work as an interlude or something

Artinum - Sunvox Rock: 4

this is rather simple as well, has the characteristic major key feel to it. the mixing is rather flat, but the composition is still enjoyable. the choir synth is probably a bit too chorusy and swirly for me, and the stock guitar synth could have used some adjustments, but still, this is well put together!

ChibikR - Take Care of the Time: 5

you have created a really nice atmosphere here. almost feels like a water level in an dsi game or something. the lead synth is simple but absolutely sublime. maybe a little quiet in terms of mixing, but the composition is solid

EGERME - BER: 4

is your name and track titles meant to be some kind of secret code? anyways, the chords are really cool, and the use of the bitcrushed snare on the 3 gives this a neat flavor. the lead and chords almost give a more abstract modern r&b feeling. cool little song overall!

EGERME - YARDEM IT: 3

this is a bit rough, and not in the best way; the distorted formant noise and bitcrushed lead and vocals are arranged in a really messy way. but, i will give points for weirdness, which i like!

ESA - kp Barcode: 5

the formant arp is very neat, and the whole song overall feels very 80s. varying the feel of the song by changing the drum kit is very smart. the little effects at the end are definitely the cherry on top; overall, the song is good!

EdIceCreamArt - Fairy Kitchen: 3

good title choice, i’m getting a very whimsical vibe from this. the use of bitcrushing on everything does irk me a little, and the strange drum pattern could have been executed better. the heavy use of effects and tempo changes in this is also somewhat disorienting. the song does also feel a bit stagnant in terms of progression. the climax is disorientingly loud and distorted. i’d say a lot of things in this song could have been done better

EdIceCreamArt - Universal Affliction: 5

better than the other song, but the bitcrushing still irks me. the progressions and structure feel very cinematic, which i really like. the mixing could still use some work, everything is muddy and congested. the final section with the guitar definitely ends the song very well. overall, good!

Lilith 93 - New shores: 6

the pad synth and the melody it plays is absolutely beautiful. the drum pattern reminds me of nightradio’s “sprites and elves”, very tribal. the middle section with the gated synth gives a really pretty feeling. the buildup to the end with the keys is great as well, but i feel like it falls a little flat, it could have blossomed into something amazing. the mix does feel a bit overcompressed as well. but still, very good song!

MonoBen - Happen: 5

the fmx experimentation at the beginning is awesome, but the saxophone-esque synth does resonate a little too much. the breakdown is really cool, the harmonies and timbres here reminds me of creo (the edm artist). the mix is quite loud, and that’s good, but with the resonation and the fact that it feels a little overcompressed, i’d say it could use some improvement. the third drop was also rather unnecessary imo

Nuxs - Acid drizzle: 5

cool chiptune composition! the use of noise in the background certainly does sell the atmosphere suggested by the title. the melodies are very pretty, but the composition is short, which saddens me, i would love to have heard more of it

Obscure - Distance: 6

the use of the cthulhu pad here is very nice, and the filtered kick and melodies are very endearing. the portamento pulse wave towards the end plays a melody that i really like. the mix feels very full, but also a little muddy. overall a nice composition!

PhilipBergwerf - Symphonius: 6

awesome use of synthesized instruments to give a symphonic, classical feeling! the acciaccatura licks the flute/sax plays are very endearing. also, the use of the quiet snare drum in the right channel is very cool. the modulations are nice to see as well, you don’t get those frequently in electronic music. i do feel like the music could have ended on a V-I cadence or something instead of just fading out, but the composition overall is very solid.

Resistor - Fistfull of Justice: 4

cool hard rock feeling, though the square synth is way too loud for my taste. the way the lead guitar appears on the off beat in the middle is very cool. the song structure is maybe too conventional, but maybe i’m just expecting the wrong things from this type of music. the coda also gives a cool feeling, and the whammy bar part at the very end is awesome! but, the mix still feels flat, so maybe work on that next time

Reticomu - Proximity: 6

cool retro feeling! the glitchy part after the intro is very endearing and pretty. i don’t have much to say here, but the mixing and composition are very good!

SYNX - this.world: 5

very melancholic feeling in the intro, and i really like your use of vocals! you don’t see that often in sunvox. i do feel like what comes after the intro doesn’t quite live up to what is suggested. of course, the vocal chops are somewhat messy, and the mixing is a bit flat. but still, very cool ideas at play here!

SawZer - Showdown: 5

i saw that wip cover you posted on discord; i definitely get a sporty championship feeling from this! the guitar synth does feel a tiny bit resonant, maybe you should have put a compressor or something on it? the arrangement and mixing do feel somewhat stagnant, and maybe this is slightly too long, but the melodies and harmonies are really cool! overall, definitely does what it wants to do well

So?ing Machine - May we allow ourselves to freeze together: 6

the way you designed what reminds of piano strings and glassy percussion is really cool! the fact that this is on the speedcore side was unexpected, i was expecting some kind of housey beat like what alobx and monoben did with the project. the introduction of the kick was a bit rough, but the resonant squeaky sound that comes at about halfway was really nice! the vocals are very atmospheric as well. the way it speeds up towards the climax is awesome, but some of the sounds at that part do feel somewhat random. still, this song does a lot of things well and not a lot not very well

So?ing Machine - Minding My Business: 7

insane sound design here, and the composition is very driving for being so pastoral! the melodies the instruments play are very good, and the drum patterns are definitely danceable. the way the harpsichord-sounding thing comes in on the right channel definitely surprised me, and the sound effects afterwards are really cool. amazing work here!

SoundRise - Grab This Feeling: 6

cool use of fusing chiptune and festival house here! the vocals fit in very well here. the drums sound great, and everything is mixed very well. maybe this is a little shorter than what it should be, but at the same time i feel like it doesn’t have much it needs to say. good work, you three!

fuzion_mixer - Nature’s Delta: 5

very cool atmosphere! interesting squeaky sounds at the beginning, and the introduction of the breakbeat was done very well! the other sound effects are very cool too, though this song does feel a bit repetitive at times. though again, maybe i don’t understand techno. i can hear the mix clip at times, so perhaps you’ll want to work on that. but overall, cool song!

luxembourg city trip - reflectionally / reflexionally: 3

quite a long song you have here, and i feel like it doesn’t use its length well. i feel like the phrases get too long and the song ends up getting repetitive. the melodies are also fairly basic. then again, maybe their simplicity works in their favor. the mixing is also rather flat. overall, some work and trimming needs to be done

luxembourg city trip - threatened to be / caught by april: 5

this is quite an intriguing song! it’s definitely very loud and distorted, but it still sounds quite good, surprisingly! the melodies are very deep and rich, and the drums play a really cool pattern. good job here!

nchtn - marshrutka: 5

nice swingy feeling here! the way it shifts into a different pattern is awesome, and the constant saw synth on all of the beats in the middle is fun to listen to! additionally, the harmonies definitely add to the swingy feeling. it’s simple, but it’s nice!

o9 - BassGoddess warcry: 4

very interesting idm vibes here. i feel sorry for that poor formant synth, it being manipulated so much. the glitchy sounds are also very cool! maybe a little too weird for my taste though.

o9 - COCOCUBE: 4

same with this one. the darker and more muted sounds are really cool though! the way it develops is nice too. it does fall on its face at the very end, but i think everything before that makes it okay.

scorpionfly - alienshore: 4

cool halftime beat! i really like the echoed shakers at the beginning, and the lead and sidechained pads make this very contemplative. maybe the arrangement is a little nondescript. don’t have much to say with this one, but that doesn’t mean i don’t like it

scorpionfly - lastanswer: 5

really cool vibes with this one as well! very much reminiscent of oxygen by jean-michel jarre. maybe a little long, but i think that the slow development works in its favor. the final cadence ends this very well!

sk0 - Event Horizon: 6

as expected, the mix is amazing. the first part of the first drop is awesome, it makes me picture something like a machine gun firing. however, the second part has a very strange flow, with all of these fluid sounds flying everywhere. sorry, i’m just not used to things like that. the second drop is basically the first drop without the problems, so that’s awesome. overall very good!

sk0 - Last Day of Winter: 7

the stringed instrument sounds so good, and the harmonies and cadences are sublime! the synth backing and effects are very good. i am conflicted on the feeling this produces; i can’t tell whether we’re supposed to be mournful or hopeful that the last day of winter has come. i guess the best music has multiple interpetations

teck821 - one day time travel: 5

the chords after the intro are really good! i like the melancholic dnb sound this has. the mix does feel somewhat muddy; i feel like the sub bass is too loud. but this is a great song nonetheless!

Серый MLGamer - Неоспоримое счастье: 4

cool fast chiptune sound! almost feels like a power metal song rendered with chiptune instrumentation; at least, the blast beat-esque drums remind me of this. the composition is a bit too major-key-ish for me, though. i like spice in my melodies :) the ending was also quite unexpected. overall not bad

Серый MLGamer - Танцуй с Хацунэ Мику: 5

great inclusion of miku(?) here! the mix still does feel somewhat flat, but the melodies are good! i like the complextro influenced sound this has! the direct modulation in the second drop is also pretty cool. maybe a little messy towards the end, but overall very good!

have a question or concern about these ratings? contact me at me@acheney.xyz or through my various social media platforms, or leave a message at chat.acheney.xyz!