British note names ahoy.
To be honest the mapset's pretty solid so most of this will be my stupid ideology, and since you're pretty consistent with your themes, what's said about one example will probably apply to all repetitions in the piece.
So let's go!
Generic Comments
- 00:00:623 - Why do you not map this sound on any of the difficulites?
- It might be interesting to add some of the appoggiaturas in the higher difficulties as a sliderend like the one found 00:41:419 - here. After finding this one and looking at the Extra, I'm sure there are more that we've missed and it would be awesome to see most/all of them in-game.
Easy
- 00:28:569 (1,2) - Rhythmically I don't think this sits well with me. Musically speaking I'd expect the rhythm denoted by 00:28:569 (1) - the sliderend to be a one-off so to speak and then as a player I'm expecting the next note to fall back in time with the crotchet pulse. If 00:29:546 (2) - is an offbeat rhythm it feels very lop sided to play - especially since 00:29:742 - this sounds more important than 00:29:546 - this, even if the phrase picks up on the offbeat. The same goes for 00:32:087 (4) - and the other repetitions.
Normal
- I stand with the idea that sliderends can hold the same rhythmical properties as repeat slider ends depending on the next object after it, and that can be a way of identifying unusual rhythms or providing interest as long as those rhythms are prominent in the music. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about but I'll run it through in this example because I'd think it'd be really applicable here, and this point kinda came up in the Easy diff. In 00:25:442 (5,1) - this example, the sliderend 00:25:833 - here is on the drum. You can apply the sliderend idea and change 00:25:442 (5) - this slider into a 3/4 slider. This way, 00:26:028 (1) - will be in the same rhythmical position as 5 if it was a 3/4 repeat slider. Even though you'd usually find this technique in songs with 1/3 divisions and most map like this without knowing, it can also work wonders with dotted rhythms in jazzy songs like this one. Obviously this is a normal and this could be justified as going too far here, but in some places where the rhythm can be very ambiguous it can be a lifesaver when you have nothing else to fall back on. 00:25:442 (5) - That said, I think this slider could use that sliderend for some nice rhythmic interest or perhaps in the key change later on 01:18:602 (5) - for some spicy all out sliderend madness.
- 00:30:133 (2,3) - I'm having second thoughts about this rhythm again. Honestly I think the way it's simplified makes it harder to read because there's no real way to prepare 00:30:817 (3) - this offbeat note without already knowing it's there. That means that in the same way as the Easy, it becomes quite common to mistake it for a note on the downbeat instead of the semiquaver upbeat. I think instead of leaving the crotchet gap 00:30:133 (2,3) - here I believe you should rewrite the rhythm in a way that uses the quaver distance snapping that you've already done.
This way, the player is more savvy to the next object being offbeat aswell (00:31:208 (4) - ). At least that's what I believe. - 00:34:041 (1) - I have a really bad pet peeve about slidershapes with anchors that don't have an aesthetic or musical reason for placing those anchors. All the hard-point sliders until now have been symmetrical 00:19:970 (1) - 00:28:569 (6) - . Unfortunately this one isn't symmetrical and the hard-point isn't on a note in the music, it's on a weird 1/6th division 00:34:367 - .
- 00:39:123 - What about giving the sax a circle here?
- 00:46:550 (1) - Wouldn't it be better to make one of the straight edges of this slider line up with 00:45:768 (3) - this one, similarly to how you did 00:41:859 (1,2) - this?
Still pretty solid though.
Hard
- 00:10:589 - To be blunt this section feels very meander-y. I don't feel like it's following anything important because the drums have some claps on offbeats that aren't being accented (00:11:566 - , 00:13:911 - 00:15:670 - ) . It's not following a melodic instrument. Honestly I can't tell what this is, or even if it belongs here. If you matched your structure to the length of the piano phrases (mostly 3 beat phrases) it might feel more in accord with the music.
- 00:23:390 - I'd think a note here would be quite nice since you're missing out on a triple here and it would be a good way to show the start of this section.
- 00:27:885 - I have two problems with this bit, and only one can be changed, so here we go;
>I think missing out on this note within 00:27:592 (1,2,3,4) - this phrase kinda feels weird. Mapping them all as circles would go against the themes you've already used, so perhaps you could make a 1/4 repeat slider starting 00:27:885 - here to include this missing note?
>However in doing so you you're missing out on some great call and response 00:29:155 (1,2) - here by not including 00:29:644 - this note when it's a repetition of 00:27:983 (2,3,4) - this. - 00:35:605 (1,2) - Because of the way that (2)'s slider shape moves away from the start circle, it appears like you've incorrectly blanketed the two slidershapes. Since blanketing entire slidershapes doesn't really appear in this map, I can safely say that this wasn't your intention, but regardless it does look a little off. This can be avoided by either obeying the blanketing and rotating (2) clockwise by about -11 degrees from selection point, or doubling down on not blanketing (2)'s slidershape by rotating it in the other direction from the selection point so it's instantly apparent that it's intentional.
- 00:41:468 (5) - It would please me immensely to be able to play this as the offbeat rhythm in the music 00:41:566 - .
Well that was nice, haven't got any other qualms.
Insane
- For the beginning I wouldn't really map the rhythm so open like this, so I thought I'd give my 2 cents on what I'd do.
- 00:01:989 (3,1) - The gap between these objects is kinda odd, perhaps incorporate 00:01:989 (3) - this 00:02:380 - here like so?
- 00:02:673 (1) - Since this is emphasising the piano, shouldn't you be using the correct semiquaver rhythm instead? It's a 5/8 slider, and you can even put a reverse slider in.
- 00:03:553 - perhaps a 1/4 sliderend here?
- 00:04:725 - I'd put in a repeating 1/4 slider here.
- 00:08:243 (4) - Why did you choose to use a longer slider here? I don't think there's much to warrant this one. Especially since 00:08:341 - 00:08:536 - are left unplayed.
- 00:23:390 - See Hard.
- 00:30:426 (2,3) - These might service you better as circles, they're way more staccato and snappy than 00:28:569 (1,1) - .
- 00:40:295 (4) - This might be better off as a sliderend of 00:40:198 (3) - .
- 01:02:966 (3) - I'm not really a fan of these circles. Even though there is a drum hit there, I don't think it entirely fits because it's made to seem like 01:02:966 (3) - this is more important than the melody which I definitely would not agree with. I think turning 01:02:869 - this sliderend into a 1/4 slider might be more appropriate for aptly accenting the melody. Things like 01:15:475 (1,2) - this are a lot better though because they do fit the intensity and provide a good contrast into the key change.
- 01:28:765 (1) - You didn't really change anything to emphasise the sax popping off.
Extra
- In all modesty I think that the high SV is going a little too far in a good number of places. I've come to the conclusion that any non-repeat slider with an SV above 2.60x has to have standard comfortable flow and a pretty low distance between the slider's tail and the proceeding object in order to be an enjoyable experience. Right now there are some really big outliers that cause some very unavoidable and harsh slider breaks. The contrast is nice but I think you've gone a little overboard this time. I don't think stuff like 01:12:934 (3,1) - 01:25:442 (3,1) - 01:34:530 (2,1) - 01:36:484 (1,2) - 01:37:168 (1) - 01:37:950 (3,1) - 01:40:882 (1,2) - can stand without the major setup that would require way more song time than you have available.
- 00:00:818 - This sound is pretty abrupt. If you added the sound 00:00:623 - here you could just make a large jump to a circle instead of going out of your way to make a pretty punishing sightread. This is multiplayer lobby killing material
- 00:01:208 - Just like the Insane, if you're going for the piano here, the rhythms aren't entirely in 1/4 divisions.
- 00:10:589 (1) - This slidershape is vastly different to the other anchored slidershapes and there isn't any symmetry or rhythmic reason for the anchor being in that position.
- 00:34:970 (1) - why not a 1/8th slider or another circle?
- 01:03:358 (2) - This shape for the clap into the next kiai is way more forgiving than the straight sliders. I think you should show this shape more often since it's easily identifiable as it isn't used anywhere else. That way you can give it higher speeds and still make it fair.
To be honest this is a really clean extra, I just think the ideas have gone a little off course in the kiai.
Sorry I had so little to say. I'm too forgiving.