Random-storykeeper's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Median Way (AIM 2023)]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

I was surprised to see someone using Solarvagrant's art for this compo. I'm a big fan of the BackDoor games and the inspiration used appears to be concept art for the first game, so I was interested to hear how this would be interpreted from the get-go.

The things I like about this entry are the rising arps and the repeating chords that fill the space between the breaks in the arps. As the chords echo, they become almost vocal-like and whether intentional or not, I think it adds that sense of wonder you intended to incorporate. The rising arps help to give the piece some range - I like how there is always a feeling of their presence by having their echoes filtered. In general, the chords and arps combination was quite pleasant to listen to.

The art inspiration has a mysterious and otherworldly concept - the world between worlds - that I think there was more opportunity to explore musically. This entry is almost entirely based around an even-metred groove and while it is pretty, it doesn't quite feel like it explores the idea of a world between worlds thoroughly. What if the "worlds", in the composition, were two different melodies or metres that shift in and out of one or the other and/or play simultaneously? What if instruments carried the same lines, but morphed into other instruments or slowly started going into microtones and back to their initial pitch? These are just a few suggestions to consider, but I believe for an art inspiration like this, you could go wild and stray away from a more straightforward composition.

I also feel like the track could use some refining in the production. The piece is considerably quiet and every layer feels very flat. I'm not sure if panning was used - I think I hear a bit of it, but I do think there could have been a lot more playing around with it, especially when dealing with a more repetitious composition.

Overall, this entry manages to convey emotions of wonder effectively with pleasing sounds and a simpler groove. I think it does have a spacey, kind of mysterious feel that's a bit on the lighter side, which complements the loose, lighter style of the art.

bottledf0x responds:

Thank you for the feedback! I agree with the points made in your review. I'll be back for next year's contest, with a more polished piece production-wise.

[AIM 2023 - Armageddon (Old Mix)]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

The one important aspect that this entry nails is the sense of impending doom. I really like the way you musically portray the image of falling projectiles tearing apart a city by playing around with rhythms and pitch bends. Even at the start with the calming intro, you manage to maintain that off-putting feeling by progressing further away from melodic tones to full-on relentless rhythms with lots of high slides. The structure, I would say, is this piece's strength.

I'm curious if you took any inspiration from the character in the image. While this entry captures the doom and gloom amidst the city in the background, I wasn't really sure if there was any attempt to incorporate the Death character musically at all. Since this character is so prominent in the image, I think hearing more of a musical interpretation from that character's perspective would have made the piece feel more relevant to this particular artwork. For instance, what if Death was interpreted as the one not causing the catastrophe, but merely a scout waiting to collect the souls of those who have fallen?

The only issue I have in regards to this entry is that I felt like it didn't really have a lot of lower end, and I think that causes it to lose some of that intensity and sense of being grounded that would have helped the scene in the art to be more fully realized. It might have just been that the higher notes were too prominent and drowning out the lower ends, but this piece came across as thin even in its lowest ends.

That aside, the progression of the track is solid, especially the intro shifting from a quieter, somewhat ambient intro into the first percussive section. I enjoy the use of the rising sound at 0:37 that connects these two sections - it reminded me a lot of an alarm sound for natural disasters, which is a great fit for the concept.

AceTAD responds:

yea i eventually realised the lack of low end (mainly cuz my low end sounds really bad) but i can see what you mean by death... an interesting idea. i might remaster this when i have the time

[Lunar Deity (AIM 2023)]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

As far as incorporating space-themed and mystical elements go, I feel like this track was able to hit the mark. There's definitely mysteriously ethereal vibe I get from the longer held chords in the background - that chord progression especially, but there's also a bit of a groovy sensation. It makes the track ethereal and strange with an undertone of fun, which reflects the art inspiration's ethereal moon being holding up a peace sign and cuddling a cat. You do a great job of capturing a blend of different atmospheres and emotions to make something that feels specifically inspired by the artwork.

There were a couple of issues I noticed in the production, though nothing super egregious. The intro-buildup to the first chords at 0:19 doesn't feel all that cohesive, as if the cut in the sound effects is too clean and abrupt. I also feel like the pads in the later portion of the track were too soft in the background and could have definitely been a little louder. The track as a whole is also on the short side and given that this is still in the 3-4 minute range, there was definitely room to expand more on the compositional ideas being explored here for a couple more minutes. I understand that it was done last minute though, so take this to be that I like what I hear a lot and I think there's so much more potential for further development.

Overall, I like this entry a lot. It feels majestic and grand but it also bops. The use of pulsating synths and heavy drums give the track a dark sort of tone that's both intriguing and transcendent.

Jatmoz responds:

Thank you so much for the detailed review, you're an awesome person!

[Necroswamp Abomination]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

The most exciting part about this entry was the hype leading up to it. After reading about the large amounts of computing power and large amount of notes along with the nightmare it took to even export the project successfully, I was definitely anticipating what this composition would sound like. For the most part, it really wasn't what I was expecting, and I don't mean that in either a good or bad way. I just had a completely different vision of what this track was going to be versus what it ended up being while also still feeling like it couldn't have been made by anyone but you.

One thing I love about the track was how it immediately gets into the intensive stuff. There's not really a gradual build; it just sets the scene of the battle with this confusing, terrifying monster right away. The tempo changes and layers on top of the running notes add a sense of structure and flow. I think everything here does a great job at capturing the tension and terror from battling the creature in the image.

When I first heard about the huge note count, my mind pictured stacked, super dense textures and a lot of playing around with tons of instruments with different effects shifting in and out through multiple thick layers. I think the fast rhythms work well for the battle part of the image, however, I feel like I wasn't really getting a sense of the creature itself being portrayed.

Perhaps there were lots of stacked textures going on in this entry, but the faster tempo feels like it might detract from being able to really hear that. I guess I was expecting to hear something more twisted and horrific, and I felt tension and chaos in this entry without the horror. There was a class I once took in uni where we learned to use a tool that morphed the sound of an instrument or sound effect into another in a seamless manner and I think playing around with something like that to an extreme would have worked more effectively to musically convey the amalgamation.

Overall, I still do really enjoy this piece - it certainly stands out and feels unique to your craft. It would be wild to hear this as a performance live - who or how would they do the demon choir? And would the audience be able to withstand their force by the time the piece ends?

(also please judge aim 2024 judging panel next year k thx bruh)

LD-W responds:

Ayy all good, yeah throw me a DM on Discord about judging for AIM2024 ;)

At the very beginning, I did think about how I'd like to approach this project, whether I wanted to do something a tad more avant-garde with some Sonorism influences (like 'Screaming Shadows' which I did for last year's AIM), or if I wanted to lean a tad more towards the 'soulsborne' sound for this one. Ultimately, I decided to do the latter (albeit with my own twist), since I've got confirmed plans for this template to go directly towards my gigantic Symphonic Black Metal project that I'm getting into the swing of things with, late-2023 to early-2024 (just need some more bongbux to drop on a new Guitar & Bass and I'm all good haha). My general mindset is to leave the most potent of horror soundscapes to get dedicated towards abstract topics such as the human mind & illness, dark magics, or entities at a cosmic (or beyond scale) which would get more into 'Sonorism For Elder Gods' kind of territory, hence why this might seem a tad more controlled than some might expect from me.

Stacking side-effects are also a factor of course. With everything stacked up together, it's emulating (on-paper) a 600-person Orchestra + Choir combination, which is a technical nightmare in it's own right to get working, especially when mix&matching libs from different vendors (but at the benefit of getting a very thick wall which sounds like an earthquake going off when untamed!). What would be powerful aleatoric ensemble walls under usual circumstances suddenly become a tad quieter in the face of dealing with almost 166 Brass Players going at it at once etc. So I had to improvise somewhat with some processing tricks and leaning towards certain compositional intentions: like having the massive timpani stack banging away to represent the footsteps of the amalgamation crashing into any solid ground it stomps on, the subtle choir-texturing layers emulating the painful hums and moans of the unfortonate souls conjoined together, the snare ensemble being a tad more 'martial' in it's pattern to emulate a warrior/soldier moving and dodging around it in precise patterns in the more intensive sections etc.

FL reported 175GB RAM usage in the end, with my system only having 128GB Physical, plus with like 4 hours left before the deadline, I just added in the final aleatoric FX I was able to slot in which 'sounded good' and go "aight, this'll do!" (and then only getting an export via Edison after multiple attempts, since it liked to crash alot around the 2:18 to 2:56 region for some unknown reason I still can't figure out lol). Abit of a pattern I go through with entries into contests every time haha. 2nd Hardware-Rack is planned for the end of the year, so a 256GB RAM Pool will get some of the most serious issues instantly sorted.

Ahh yeah the 'Demon/Hell Choir' was myself, recording latin passages in a mixture of power fry & semi-gutteral. Quad-stacked the recordings up, then doubled each side up with some processing trickery to make it seem like 8 voices per side of the hall (or 16 total).

I'm still pretty glad that I did this entry in the end regardless of results, due to a heap of valuable technical knowledge obtained along the way through trial&error, and the template in it's post-contest state being a valuable toolset in it's own right for even bigger projects!

[AIM - Moments In Life]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

I enjoy compositions that make you appreciate little moments in life, and I think this aptly named track does that wonderfully. The simpler composition and sound design definitely give strong RPG vibes. If it stayed in the same key, it would probably slot nicely into a village or grassy area. Even the art inspiration feels like a preview for an RPG - the instruments chosen for this entry feel like they complement the colours and hues super well.

The simplicity of the composition works well for the title and helps to maintain that sense of comfort throughout. It feels like everything is built around the piano and I love how the strings and winds intertwine with it, shifting in and out with their own parts. Those moments of harmonization and counterpoint did a great job in maintaining that comfort and coziness that I get from looking at the art inspiration. Towards the end, it does seem as though there is a little too much playing in unison with the higher strings against the piano going on from 2:03 onward and it made the conclusion come across a little less emotionally effective compared to the various harmonies and counterpoint melodies that these instruments shared with the piano. I like the harmonies in the bass - the unison rhythms do feel a bit choral - I just kind of missed that from the upper non-piano instruments.

Overall, I'm always glad to hear these nice, calming entries that make you feel like everything's going to be okay. I love that this entry was able to achieve that with a gentle piano, along with strings and winds for a pleasant timbral palette.

AceMantra responds:

Thank you for the in-depth review, and all of your hard work! I appreciate it.

[Cityelectrojam (AIM 2023)]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

The instrument used for the chords has this carnival-esque feeling to it. As soon as the bassline enters, the composition manages to balance a jovial liveliness with a sense of being grounded and down-to-earth. I think that combination works most effectively at the start, especially with that repeating idea from 0:08 to 0:24. This balance seems like a tricky feat to achieve, but I think that particular chord progression and sound design is what feels the most like it conveys the liveliness of the cityscape with an undertone of the machine-work.

Once the section at 1:41 begins, it feels like the track veers too much into the carnival side of its tone and I think that throws the balance of how the image is being reflected. This is especially evident in at 2:40, where it feels like the ideas become more chaotic with the extra vocal sounds of laughter and the super echoey conclusion. I wasn't really convinced that the second half connects that well with the art or even the sections leading up to this entire part.

Overall, I think the approach to the composition and sound design were very interesting and not what I would expect in drawing inspiration from the art. However, I think the melodic ideas at the start with the chords and bassline do a great job at capturing the city as an upbeat and energetic unit.

[(AIM 2023) Harvest Moon]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

If I had to make a most improved list from participants in this compo, I would put you somewhere near the top of that list. This entry surprised me in how good the composition is, particularly in that transition into the groove at 0:34. Once the track enters the groove, the bass and the chord progressions complement the atmosphere from the art so well. There's definitely a dusk/not completely nighttime sort of vibe paired with an undertone of uncertainty and it comes through well with the setup of the composition.

While I do love what I'm hearing, I think the mixing could use some tweaks. There's a bit of a choked-up sensation in the groovy part but some parts, like the drums, feel like they sit too confidently on top of the mix. The leads like at 1:02 seem quite loud compared to the accompaniment, though it oddly sounds like it starts fading in volume at 1:22 with the lower counterpoint.

I was also surprised at the intro and conclusion, as they seem so different and unexpected given how the main groove is so smooth. The chiptune intro almost seemed like it was going to lean fully into 8bit and it certainly caught me off-guard when the track went in a different direction. I do, however, think the gradual buildup into the main grooving section worked well enough that I didn't feel like these were two completely different parts of two different songs. The ending was also not what was expected, but I do think this part came across more like you running out of ideas and concluded the track abruptly. I'm not sure if that was the intention - maybe the blood moon came down and truly brought the bad omen with it.

Overall, I like that your interpretation of the art inspiration was not entirely negative and I think that comes across effectively in the music. You've created something that really captures that specific time of day as portrayed in the art with the main part of your track. Great job!

[babait // home - AIM2023]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

I don't know if there's extra meaning lost in the English translation of the lyrics, but when I listen to this track, I feel like there is. That's the beauty of what music (and art in general) can do sometimes - taking a mundane concept like days passing and being at home and add so much weight behind it. And I think this entry's strength lies in that.

What I really like about this entry is that a lot of the emotion comes from the imperfections in the performance of the track. While there's a lot of emotion from the chord choices (it feels like there are seventh chords being emphasized when the piano enters), the weight of the emotion would have not been as impactful, imo, if everything were perfectly even in rhythm and tuned perfectly. The unevenness of the guitar playing and the way the unison vocals sound like multiple takes being overlayed on top of each other give the piece this sort of unstable feeling, as if it's barely trying to hold together just to seem okay on the surface. I get that sense from the art (and how the artist describes the context behind the art), and it sounds like you were definitely inspired by the emotions by viewing the inspiration.

The one part I wasn't really sure worked was the hard cut at 4:32. I think something about it just sounds a bit too clean and goes against the looser nature of the sections leading up to it. The guitar does have that little squeak that sounds like you put your hands on the strings to silence them, but I feel like we could have heard a little more of the effects of acoustics in the room rather than complete silence for a moment.

However, I do really like how the vocals are more strained and at times, a bit competitive as they overwhelm the track towards the end in a very dynamic sort of manner. Overall, I love the emotion from this entry, especially the downwards contour of the piano line. The way it goes from slurring to detached notes was just executed beautifully into the mix.

[The Mummy's Wrath (AIM 2023)]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

The atmosphere of this track is crafted wonderfully. You get a lot of out of the production and the drums, which I especially love throughout. There's just this sort of dreadful feeling that puts me as the listener inside this setting that I assume to be inside a temple, cave or pyramid (which I assume is the case given the art inspiration). To me, the first half of this track is just setting up the atmosphere and the second half really brings it to life with the interwoven melodic ideas.

While a cartoon art style is generally associated with more fun and/or cute melodies, I think the atmosphere allows this entry to slot in perfectly as a background score. Personally, I see the connection from the approach of the art inspiration being like the cover art for an adventure video game and this track would play as you venture into the pyramid and have to avoid waking up a mummy. This entry just calls to be played against dim lighting with an otherwise pitch black setting.

Do I find this track particularly catchy? No, but that's not really what super atmospheric tracks are expected to do. However, this entry's strength is that it puts me exactly where it wants me to be while listening to it and that is exactly what a super atmospheric track should do, and it does that job wonderfully.

[AIM - Sunny Patch]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

When that guitar first started strumming those chords, I almost thought we were going to get vocals and an acoustic-pop song. It was a bit of a surprise to hear the bells at 0:27, which immediately set it in the RPG village theme style for me. The composition and sound design evoke many emotions associated with returning home, to your hometown or village, which ties in wonderfully with the art inspiration and your interpretation of it. I can absolutely imagine this playing during an ending cutscene of an RPG with this art as the background and the credits rolling up. The hero and begins the journey home to a quaint country life.

If I had to point out one issue, I think the drums at the start of the phrases sound a bit like they're clipping. It might be the bass sounding like it comes in a little too strongly (imo) but it wasn't bad enough to detract, especially with this entry being as well-put-together as it is. The harmonica and flute play off each other so well and I really like the folksy section with the flute melody and the metre change-up. Even though there's a lot of changes, every section flows nicely into one another. It definitely helps that the melody really gets a chance to emote a lot in both the more upbeat and quieter sections.

Overall, I think this track nails the RPG vibe once more than instrument is playing. When listening, I can clearly hear that this track drew upon the emotional resonation of the artwork and I love how that was captured in the development of the melody.

Manvineo responds:

Hey, I just wanted to say a big thank you for your awesome feedback! Seriously, it made my day! I'm so stoked that you enjoyed the surprise of the guitar and got those RPG village vibes from my work. Your description of how the music made you feel like coming home is spot on, and it really means a lot to me that my interpretation connected with you.

I gotta admit, your thoughtful review just blew me away. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to write it. And hey, I'm super grateful for getting the chance to be a part of this contest. It's been a great experience, and I'm just glad my music could bring some joy to your ears. Thanks again!