I just have listened to all songs and the winners are without any doubt “MISTER GARBANZO and HeartBeatHero” with “Synthwave Jungle”. They delivered the best composition/production and the song is the most complete of all. But I have to admit that I don’t recognize any Synthwave in this song, it’s not really a style mixture imo. But this is also one of two teams that managed to create something homegenous out of their different inputs.
You’re asking outsiders? Ok, but I’ll be honest.
shineeebaba
The song begins with a muddy mixed vaporwave part, turns into a clear mix of psy trance and ends with a kind of mashup of both. Each part has its pros and cons. I prefer the composition of the first part, but the way better mix of the second part dominates the whole song. The last part shows a little bit of what could have been achieved, both styles mixed together and more or less united. Instead there are sequences of different styles and the sequences also have a different quality in terms of the mix. More consistency required.
H3ADL3SS and Make A Wish
Nice “chilly” beginning, good transition to the “chip break” part. Unfortunately there were different drums used, so the balance is off. And it is forbidden to use different kicks as the main kick. The composition is quite good, but I would completely drop the “metal part” or at least adapt it more to the rest of the song. Personally I don’t like the transition from chip break to the metal part and the balance of the metal part isn’t that good. The ending is something different again. I can imagine your idea behind that song, but I think less is more. You’ve wanted too much. Imho there are too many different styles involved that don’t match and aren’t mixed together, therefore you’ve got several “song snippets” in a row in one song instead of a complete song. The drums would benefit from some punch, too.
Electronic Tiger Vs. Supercomputer60s
Nice beginning and the following clock ticking is promising, but it turns into a noisy experiment, I like the background strings around 2:38 but I don’t like the kicks from 2:24 and some crooked notes.I like the vocals, but they need a better audibility, especially in the middle of the song. The song has a nice ending with the strings again and some more atmospheric pads. The mix is muddy and the balance isn’t good, but it isn’t pretty bad either. And props to you for being able to create something homogenous. That’s a big plus! There are just the usual problems like too loud effects and hats/persussions or else. @eretsua knows.
Jek & Lneheb
There are some oriental samples at the beginning followed by a part with a loud kick and beat in comparison to the rest of the drums used in this song. At 2:22 the song really begins imho. The second part has a way better balance and the composition is pretty complete in comparison to the first part. Overall it’s a nice song, but it would have been much nicer if both parts would be one. Instead it’s a sequence of several parts. This way the song is not complete.
Mirtazapine Dream and DSPasic
The song begins with a nice beat that has nice samples. The instrumentation and balance is pretty good and I really like the composition. What I don’t like is the transition from the first to the second part, and I think the second part falls off composition-wise in comparison to the first part. The first part is much more varied, but nevertheless the parts fit together due to the instrumentation. The overall mix and production of this song is quite good. This is my personal second place from this competition.
MISTER GARBANZO and HeartBeatHero
Nice song, good mix, nice balance and production, partially dark atmospehere but with a punch and nice transitions. Good composition and instrumentation with a good consistency, you’ve managed to mix your artistical inputs together and create something homogenous. I also like the melodies, but there 's nothing Synthwave related recognizable. The mix is pretty good and has a good balance, but would undoubtedly benefit from some clearness. It appears to be a little bit muffled. But as I wrote, this is my favorite of all submissions.
Edit:
My Top 3:
MISTER GARBANZO and HeartBeatHero
Mirtazapine Dream and DSPasic
Electronic Tiger Vs. Supercomputer60s