Random-storykeeper's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sodium]

You chose a good continuum to loop for the entire piece; it didn't wear out immediately, even when I played through the entire piece several times. Personally, I like the second half of the piece more than the first. It felt like there was more content to it that supported the continuum better.

Overall, I wasn't really crazy about the first drop, particularly because where it seemed like the piece was about to deliver the drop, it ended up just going back to basically repeating the previous section that was used to build up to that drop. I'm all for going against the expectations of how a piece should build up, but simply taking the repetition down an octave didn't really make for the "best" kind of rattling of the expectations. At least there could have been a different instrument playing that, perhaps, or some sidechained synths? The piece as a whole could use more sidechaining (if it was already present, it wasn't obvious), especially once it hits the drops.

I can certainly imagine this composition working as an electronic dance piece, what with the catchy repetition. I love the part at 2:03; the smoother, eighth notes loop works satisfyingly against the punchy continuum from the very beginning and the way the drums kind of intensify at that specific timestamp ties it all together. Consider adding a bit more melodic content in some parts of the piece; I think the loop you have playing throughout really allows the potential for leading in to some crazy solo. Not bad!

Walpang responds:

Thank you! Very helpful!

[[ Thunderstruck ]]

This is pretty cool, especially for your first FL track. There's way more content here than what I put into my first FL Studio song, that's for sure. :P As for the track itself, I really get a lot of Classical vibes from it, particularly with the strings when they do that little minor scale dip while repeating each alternating note. I love this combination of strings with more electronic, gritty sounds.

Overall, you pay good enough attention to the structure and have a pretty good buildup from the calmer sections to the more gritty, intense ones. I personally enjoy the intense part at 4:34, though I prefer the transition to the first intense section at 1:42. The second "intense" part's transition felt like the guitar came too early. But overall, it does get a little jumbled and hard to make out the individual parts when EVERYTHING comes in. I like the sound overall, but I would have liked it more if it were cleaner, maybe with less reverb.

Going back to the whole "Classical" vibes point I was talking about earlier, I think it would be interesting to try and borrow more elements from Classical forms, particularly with the idea of modulation and changing keys. It's more of a technical, music theory related thing, and I'm not really sure how much you know about musical theory, but I feel like it's an approach worth exploring here. The piece basically stays in the same minor key for its six minutes, and the melodies themselves aren't particularly engaging enough to remain with that same key throughout. It's a common way to put the listener on a "musical journey" and add a bit more of an arc to a piece.

The beginning of this piece starts out really noisy, and I take it that's supposed to be thunder? It feels superfluous and is distracting from what was, on its own, a fine string solo. I am glad that the thunderous noise does fade out after a while.

As a whole, this was a fine listen. Keep working in FL, and I hope you will complete that EP! :D

[Come On Baby, Let's Go Out Tonight]

I love the laid-back feeling, especially from the melody and the bass. It makes me...want to hang out by a boardwalk at night. :P Sometimes, I feel like there's layers missing between the melody and bass, but the overall composition is great. I've listened to this an embarrassing amount of times on CHIPS; I might as well do it here too, since Newgrounds actually has a looping function as of now.

Anyways, great job. :)

[The 100 Layers of the Underground]

Ah you used only default PxTone sounds for this? It sounds way better than what I could have done with the default sounds alone. :P

Generally, I like the music; it's simple, but there's some nice ideas going around here. The continuum is very pleasant, and I like the power from those toms. There seems to be a strange sounding note before the continuum repeats at 0:29; the note feels as though it should be moved up to the leading tone, fluctuating between a minor second rather than a major second. It seems as though that note is clashing with the chords as well.

That being said, I really like the minor shift that happens around 0:45. It really grabs my attention in a good way.

TangoStar responds:

Thanks! This song was really my first one in PxTone. I didn't knew this one would have a positive rate, mainly from you (I really appreciate your songs!).

From the time I made this until now I improved a lot in PxTone. Most of my pxtone songs are uploaded in my Soundcloud, if you wanna check it out.

Thank you again for the review!

[Our Square Hero™ - Main Theme]

I love the intro; really driving bass works for the game it's used in. The development of the theme as well, although short, is also good. I kind of wish some of the voices were a little more balanced out; particularly towards the end of the loop, it starts to feel like some of the voices might clash a little in volume. Not a huge gripe, just something I sort of notice upon a few more listens. Very catchy overall.

ElectricEyeland responds:

Yeah, this is an older song of mine. It was actually one of the earliest songs I made using PXTone. I wasn't quite as good at mixing back then. Glad you enjoyed it, though! :)

[February Rain]

I'm a fan of the percussion, and the piano carries a very thoughtful tune. I love that "quiet" moment around 2:12; it makes the piano part very evocative. It varied just enough to keep me from thinking the music was too repetitive. Overall, it was a fine listen.

5TanLey responds:

thx for listening :)

[AIM - Staring Down The Barrels]

I love the repeating arps, the progression, the slow buildup. It really worked for me. I think the additions of different voices are fine enough such that it doesn't get boring after the first listen or so.

[Shimmer (WIP)]

There's some nice choice of instruments here. Everything blends quite well, yet still manages to be distinct from each other. The beat is good, though the kicks could be heavier in my opinion.

I think you're on the right track; the buildup is too gradual and too similar to the introduction such that it doesn't feel like a contrast, and causes it to lack the progression it needs to be more engaging. It also feels like some layers are missing that could be added with each repetition, like lighter, higher, faster moving parts maybe. The part around 1:08 onwards was quite good though; I like the bass here and those repeated notes really shine.

Hallow responds:

I'm making sure that everything is in a different frequency range. :P
I'll see what I can do about making the kicks heavier. I was thinking the same thing.

I don't really feel like the buildup is too gradual (it's only 8 measures, though it isn't very distinct yet) - more just nonexistent. I just need to add a bunch more stuff to the second half of this, build and climax alike.
Glad you like the bass and repeated notes. I was really happy with both of them myself. :P

[Into The Rhythm]

Those are some interesting sounds. This really only started getting more musical around the 2:05 mark. I love the way it builds up from thereon. The first bit felt more like a noise experimental or something (after the first 10 seconds). The other thing I quite enjoy are the kicks, because they're not particularly aggressive so they don't wear out on me when they constantly pound each beat.

I'll be honest - this is the type of music that doesn't particularly appeal to me, but I still think there are good parts to this - the buildup which I mentioned earlier. I guess, I feel like it needed to be more focused musically and less dependent on sound effects, which are cool, but felt like they weren't varied enough to be interesting.

MegaSphere responds:

I feel you really need to listen to more Hard Dance music before you can really get an idea of it.

[Blight World]

I can definitely hear the RPG in this - sounds more like a battle theme than anything else. I love that hammering bass and the delicateness of the instrument doing those arps. It seems to be mixed quite well - though it would be nicer to hear that melody brought out a little more. I also would have liked to hear a bit more variation when the theme basically reiterates itself for a second time.

BlueDragonMusic responds:

Thank you very much for the comment, as this is exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for. I'm thinking of making more of these (in the same "gamey" style) so these details are important if I want to improve as I progress.

My goal is to go for a "simplicity in its complexity" kind of thing, so that it's not too annoying if used for a background music (a too noisy lead can totally kill the experience in a game) hence the attempt at a subtle melody and stronger bass.

I still have to work on mixing (I suck at it) and as you mentioned, more variations in my melodies. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it eventually. Thanks again for the feedback, I reaaaally appreciate it.