Random-storykeeper's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - Tyrant]

Per your request, here are the rough notes I took for your AIM 2024 entry:

That slower beginning section that appears in the middle and end of the track works really well with the art and has a great sense of atmosphere.

I love the use of piano there, but I wish it were more prominent.

The main part of the track with those fast synth lines, for the most part, does not work given the art inspiration and also feels disconnected from the track besides the one part where it's slow and reverbed in the middle section.

I like the sense of playing around with the tempo and the pulsating of the chords.

COMPOSITION: I like the intro and there are nice ideas here like playing around with the tempo and the fast synth line.

PRODUCTION: The panning is fine but the main part of the track is so dry, especially those drums and the loud synths.

EMOTION: The beginning is quite atmospheric but the main synth line doesn't really flow that well from the intro and the lack of reverb makes this a difficult listen.

ART RELEVANCE: I think the long, flowing lines - the slower parts with the piano - feel quite inspired by the art, but that main sort of fast sidechained synth line feels disconnected from the art. Ultimately, the bulk of this track sounds too similar to "Digital Demolition" - which in itself isn't a bad thing necessarily, but I felt like the sounds weren't as strong in conveying this different style of art used as the inspiration here.

Orenge1 responds:

Thank you! This was very helpful. I personally felt the synth was connected with the art as I thought the synth as the dragon approaching aggressively basically. But the lack of reverb and the dry excessive loudness I can well understand is a problem. Can also agree that the piano isn't so prominent and the synth bass sound selection also needed more work and so did the percussion.

All and all, once again thanks for this detailed review! :)

[AIM2024 - To the Skies]

Per your request, here are the rough notes I took for your AIM 2024 entry:

Great seamless shift from the uplifting tone at the beginning to the more intense sections in a short amount of time.

I love the use of the guitar for added intensity and...it sounds more epic like that.

Drums could definitely use a touchup. I missed a lot of their presence here.

Could have used another hook somewhere in the middle that is not like the beginning or ending's main melodic ideas, but also something different as a touch point. Most of the track is quite good, but it feels mostly background.

COMPOSITION: I really like the transition from the happier string section at the beginning to the intensive parts with the guitar and strings. I just feel like there was a lot of "waiting" to get back to the main hooks.

PRODUCTION: I think the guitar was mixed quite well with the strings, but I wish there were more presence of the drums - the cymbal was really the only thing prevalent.

EMOTION: The punches and shifts of emotion and atmosphere work quite well with the sound design and hits in the composition. There is that sense of having an epic battle adventure.

ART RELEVANCE: There's definitely a video game feeling to this, which seems inspired by the art. I think it also reflects the environment and the idea around the narrative is quite well done.

NahuPyrope responds:

Thank you!, I agree that I dragged out some bits a tad too long, I wasn't confident about that, to be 100% fair I wasn't super confident in this track, but I'm happy there were some good things in it.

Thank you again RSK, you're wonderful!

[AIM2024 - Arrhythmia]

Per your request, here are the rough notes I took for your AIM 2024 entry:

Guitar sound is incorporated in a way that works and still follows your signature style

Fantastic, lovely melody recurring throughout. Great sound choices to complement the guitar (piano and strings, etc.)

The vocal section - I like the idea but not the execution. The melody line I would like to hear if it sounds better an octave lower? Also the use of the vocaloid here hampers the emotional weight for me. The way the vocaloid pronounces the words is very unnatural sounding. It's almost there but not quite.

COMPOSITION: The melody is fantastic, but I feel like the vocals section is a bit of a miss. The way the metre changes feels very natural and not something I'm consciously thinking about, which is one of the piece's greatest strengths.

PRODUCTION: I feel like the production could be just a bit lighter, feels a bit heavy-loaded in the lower end.

EMOTION: The melody of the guitars just hits that right level of cuteness and comfort, but I felt like the heavier production and vocals detracted from this feeling a bit.

ART RELEVANCE: Does a great job at making you feel small and the sky feel big, with feelings of comfort and uncertainty wrapped up into one cute little package.

(Sorry I went ham on the vocals. I'm just personally not a huge fan of vocaloids/synthesizers unless it's in very specific contexts. For me, having this lovely sort of piece culminate into sudden vocals where they feel unnatural affected the emotional impact, especially since the piece builds up to the vocals. I still enjoyed it overall, but it was definitely the one thing I didn't really connect with.)

NahuPyrope responds:

I also don't 100% feel good about using a voice synthesizer, of course I'd much prefer having actual vocals, been practicing my singing a lot but I'm still a few ways away.

Thank you so much for the notes RSK♡

[AIM24 - Hypertrain]

Per your request, here are the rough notes I took for your AIM 2024 entry:

Lots of fun little musical ideas here, like the slight ascension of the melody at 0:12 to 0:17 in the lower voice.

The counterpoint at 0:57 to 1:31 with the jumping lead is great.

Wish we had more sense of the bass rhythms to really get a sense of the train travelling. I think there were faster moving bass notes, but the instrument used is so soft and low that none of this is felt at all.

The slower-moving section at 0:40 is uninteresting compared to the rest of the track when the bass, high note and drums all hit at the same beat and play the same notes.

The ending is very abrupt and doesn't sound like a train hitting its "last stop".

COMPOSITION: I think there are a lot of very good musical ideas and counterpoint here, but there are also some sections where it feels like the track grinds to a halt in an uninteresting way. Also the ending is so abrupt in a way that makes the track feel truncated.

PRODUCTION: The lower end is so soft that the sense of bass is lost and I think that causes the track to lose energy and sense of motion.

EMOTION: There are some moments where the track stops and starts, generally, where it does feel like a train travelling on the rails and stopping at the stations.

ART RELEVANCE: I think the synths complement the art style, and I love the idea of the motion in the bass and counterpoint to convey this train moving along the tracks. With tighter execution, I think this would have scored a bit higher.

Dynamic0 responds:

Thanks for feedback!

[AIM - Blinded w/samuraiowl]

Per your request, here are the rough notes I took for your AIM 2024 entry:

I wish the guitar section at 0:29-0:42 were repeated/extended to at least double its length.

Lots of great moments, love the idea of the metal screams juxtaposed with the beautiful sung parts.

The vocals during the normal sung parts are off-key in a way that is quite distracting. They also sound like the throat is closed, making it difficult to hear the lyrics that are being sung.

Great flow of sections, especially towards the end. Just wish there was more sense of the bassline there to balance out those square arps.

COMPOSITION: I think the structure works well for the most part, and the incorporation of sung vocals with metal screaming is a good approach to the theme and a great connection between sections. Again, I think I got similar feelings to your entry from last year in that the melodic ideas feel underexplored here - there's a lot of great sections and transitions between them, but I feel like we don't really spend a lot of time hearing the sections develop to their full potential, which makes the entire track feel very rushed - especially given that the track is not even 3 minutes long but there's so many ideas packed into it.

PRODUCTION: The vocals are quite loud and I wish we heard more of the bass in the last section to balance out the square arps. I also think there should have been some pitch correction for the sung parts - it sounds awkward when the notes are off-key and the enunciation isn't that well-performed.

EMOTION: The song has a dark, cathartic feeling to it that I do get a sense of.

ART RELEVANCE: I think this song does a great job at conveying the tone and expression from the character and their inner turmoil, especially the switching between normally sung vocals and the metal screaming.

veryfakeguest responds:

Thank you so much for the review! And yeah... it seems like there's still issues in this that were present in my previous AIM submission. We kinda had to rush it but I'll be sure to rectify these mistakes next time.

[AIM - The Good Times]

Per your request, here are the rough notes I took for your AIM 2024 entry:

Beautiful flowing composition with a great resolution to its section.

Piano noise didn't work for me; the constant "beat" sound wears out on multiple listens.

Lots of emotion wrapped up in the melody and how it develops. Distance, melancholy, longing for good times past.

COMPOSITION: It's a well-done melody that you really know how to carry and make flow in a way that is lovely and packs everything you're trying to convey into it

PRODUCTION: I don't love the noise that much in the higher notes. I think this might have been an intentional choice, but I think it detracts for me more than it adds, particularly in the emotional impact.

EMOTION: This works so well for me in the composition, capturing those- feelings of distance and longing. The score was just brought down a bit by the piano sound and the very even beat.

ART RELEVANCE: I thought the interpretation worked well for the piece, focusing on the character from a distance and the character's reflection of a distant past. I feel like it was hard to make a connection to the art inspiration palette-wise; the piano felt more suited for an art that has a more sepia or black-and-white style, or more muted tones rather than vibrant pixel art and so that was what impacted my scoring in this category.

[AIM - North Morithria]

Per your request, here are the rough notes I took for your AIM 2024 entry:

Absolutely in love with the choir and the phrasing of the long held instruments in general. Your execution of the choir was my favourite for this AIM.

Feels like a moment captured in time rather than a cinematic journey, especially with the ending that doesn't really feel like a conclusion - it's left open for the journey to continue.

There's a lot of work and craftsmanship that goes into putting something together like this. The composition sounds simple, but I know a lot of the details are packed into the other elements of the track. I think you chose a good piece of art to go with what you had in mind.

COMPOSITION: The choir and phrasing are wonderful (especially the choir) and I really liked the idea of having these little phrases where all the instruments work in tandem to "colour" the scene.

PRODUCTION: I felt like the production was a little quiet, had to turn my volume up compared to other tracks. Not really sure I like the way the higher strings sit (I think this was around when the choir first shows up at around 1:06.) But aside from that, I really love the blend around the lower end of the mix.

EMOTION: It feels like music for a picture where the heroes are trudging through a vast landscape that is desolate and cold.

ART RELEVANCE: This goes to great lengths to capture the scene and I think it does work when approaching it as a moment in time like a photo rather than a moving journey. I feel like the production lends itself to a more hazy atmosphere than what is presented in the art, but it's pretty solid otherwise.

[Snikio - Sound of Death (AIM 2024)]

Per your request, here are the rough notes I took for your AIM 2024 entry:

The mixing in this is fantastic - love the drums and the clean breaks for impact

I love the development of that main sort of melody and the elements that flow around it and get stacked up in the texture.

Satisfying and engaging listen, and a great take on the art.

COMPOSITION: The best example of a track that develops a couple of repeating ideas in a way that is dynamic and engaging.

PRODUCTION: Honestly the best produced track in AIM 2024. The drums are so crisp in this and the breaks of silence are clean and impactful. Even the harsher elements add so much to the texture and are used for developing the main hook.

EMOTION: It is unsettling, especially in the sound design, but it's also unsettling in a way that manages to be intriguing because of the structure and the production.

ART RELEVANCE: (Okay I didn't really elaborate in my notes on why I felt like this was an interesting take so I'm adding this in post. What I got most out of this track was a sense of imminence. Your main theme sets an idea with that disturbing sort of undertone - that string-like instrument sliding down and slowly bending back up. By having this idea repeat at key points throughout the track with more intensity, it reinforces this death figure getting even closer. What I got out of this track was the inevitability of dying, and that's the connection I got out of this entry.)

Snikio responds:

To reply to this, I'm going to use the translator unusually. This is because my English is at the level of a toddler (I imagine my usual chatting demeanor is ridiculous to others). This time I want to express more precisely what I want to say.

You caught the points I was trying to emphasize and that I was very careful to make. For me, it's a confirmation that my musical attempt was somewhat successful. Thank you. Critical reviews are nice, but this is actually my favorite. To be recognized for what I focus on.

I honestly wasn't very confident in this song and my abilities after the fan vote, but this review of yours encourages me.

By the way, I thought you wouldn't write more than a few words, but it's pretty long haha. And thank you for hosting AIM again. I want to do it again but unfortunately won't be able to participate next year due to my military enlistment. Keep up tho!

[Lost Experiences (AIM 2024)]

Per your request, here are the rough notes I took for your AIM 2024 entry:

Lovely counterpoint and melodic lines. Simple, but it works.

Could have played a lot more with the texture towards the end to up the replay value.

The production is difficult to listen to - a lot of instruments choke up the mix and leave little room to play around with the texture or make it enjoyable to listen to the way the composition is presented.

COMPOSITION: The counterpoint and melodic lines are nice in of themself. I can imagine this piece working a lot better with a polished sound design and production. Could have played more with the counterpoint and various layers towards the end.

PRODUCTION: The sawtooth chords are overbearing, as are the repeating notes in the quieter section. The mix is overloaded with very thick instruments that choke out the soundscape and leave little room to play around with texture. It becomes painful to listen to after the first minute.

EMOTION: The melodies and chord progression have a nice pleasant feeling as does the sine wave line, but most of the track's production brings any sort of emotional value down.

ART RELEVANCE: I think the composition works for the art inspiration generally, but the sound design and production work against the inspiration thus the lowered score.

Urielthepro responds:

No wonder I got bottom 10 lol

Hopefully I'll get out of the bottom quarter next year.

Thanks for the feedback tho! I really appreciate it.

[3manon - Nomad (AIMC2024)]

Per your request, here are the rough notes I took for your AIM 2024 entry:

Feels like a trailer theme leading up to the moment in the image.

Production could be a little darker sounding for that quiet, desolate feeling. The buzzy synths are just a bit too bright. Choir is buried towards the end.

Great harmonies and chords setting the tone, especially with the vocals near the beginning.

Love the culmination towards the climactic conclusion.

COMPOSITION: I really like the way the chords set the tone and the build to the conclusion makes this track quite intriguing.

PRODUCTION: There's a pretty good sense of atmosphere here, but I think some of the layers could be a little darker, more subdued sounding, especially the brighter, buzzier sounds. Wish some of those higher strings were stereo panned more.

EMOTION: I think the composition and sound design really work to culminate and bring forth the strength of the atmosphere, especially the use of the distortion towards the end.

ART RELEVANCE: The sound design and the buildup really feel like it's leading up to that moment in the art quite strongly.