Step's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[~SW~ Memories of Better Times]

YES. This is absolutely wonderful. The ambience you created here is really lush, warm and soothing, but it's supported by really good soloing and composition so it remained interesting throughout. Really nice work man - as usual I've got the odd complaint here and there, but I'm honestly very impressed. I will make ambient like this some day. MARK MY WORDS.

So uh, first off, intro's from Buoy's "Solace". That's an easy one. *snatches cookie you unjustly gave to Soapbubble and noms it*. Speaking of which, the intro is wonderful. Very reminiscent of Solace's intro, but not as slow and melancholy. It also has some awesome effects with a lot of echo on them to really set the atmosphere. Progression from then on was nailed nicely!

Composition is fantastic, as usual. There's a certain depth to the composition which makes it just so interesting and enjoyable to listen to. I absolutely love all the pad's chords and the massive and deep layers of harmony. What I thought was a very nice touch in the composition was how you did that effect at 0:30 and then at 0:35 you sort of "answered" the effect with that lower instrument. That was a small subtle touch, but nevertheless a stroke of genius.

Now I'll talk about all the sounds, and to start off your sounds, while not being realistic, are very pleasant and mellow. That pan flute (?) was wonderfully fitting and I can't say less about the instrument that first comes in at 0:26. I love your use of the piano too - as Coop said, it was a great way to keep the track's progression going smoothly, while still not standing out.

And yeah, you guessed it, I have a few complaints about the mixing :P. The track, again, feels too muddy. You talked about how you want to achieve that fluffy texture with a tonne of reverb, which I agree with, although all this reverb is muddling the instruments with each other.

I think you should do some sort of filter to edge out the low/mid frequencies of the reverb (just increase the low cut knob of Fruity Reeverb). Having high-end reverb still gives the song the texture/atmosphere you're going for while still spacing out the mix a bit more and making it easier to pick out what's going on. I think it's especially important that you do it on the pan flute and the 0:26 instrument.

I think the general EQing needs some work too since the song is kinda heavy in the mid frequencies and it gets a bit tiring eventually. A tip I've got is, when EQing, to cut out or at least tone down the frequency ranges of an instrument which aren't "important".

For example, if you're using a bass guitar, it's there to provide bass to the track (no kiddin') so you can tone down the upper mid and high frequencies a fair amount. Sure it might make the string pluck sound of the guitar much less heard and it might sound bad on its own, but in the context of the whole song it will sound fine. For instance, I generally tone down a lot of the lower frequencies of my pianos, to the point that on their own they sound weird, but then in the song they sound perfectly OK and at the same time they won't mud up the mix.

Oh and on a smaller note - I think the wind effects at around 0:46 stand out a tad bit too much. I think you should tone them down a little. Anyway, that ends my bigass lecture on mixing. I don't know much about it - just sharing what I know from the little experience I have. Basically your mixing is good but it has room for improvement.

Last point I want to mention which I haven't mentioned is about transitions. Just wished to say that they are so smooth. I honestly have no complaints at all on them - the introduction of the new instrument at 1:18 was amazing, as was the transition at 2:06. You REALLY have a knack for transitions, I swear :3.

That's pretty much it - I love this track. The composition is terrific, the sounds/atmosphere are soothing, the transitions are out of this world and the progression is great. As usual I'm being nitpicky on the mixing but other than that I really can't find anything else to complain about. Brilliant work on this, and keep it up!
9/10
5/5

SkyeWint responds:

Pff. And you say you don't radiate awesome.

"MARK MY WORDS."

Words marked. Awaiting fulfillment of those words with much excitement. :D

"So uh, first off, intro's from Buoy's "Solace". That's an easy one. *snatches cookie you unjustly gave to Soapbubble and noms it*"

Yep, ye got it. But hey, don't steal Soap's cookie. D: He deserved one for being awesome. Speaking of which, you deserve one for being awesome and one for getting the intro. *gives Soap and you another cookie each* Also, the one effect on the intro was a water drop with full reverb on it, normal and reversed.

"Progression from then on was nailed nicely!"

I loved the chord progression, it was actually the inspiration for this. :P I can play the piano chords myself at any time. Speaking of which, progression: mC9 (without the 3), mF7, mG7, C minor - repeat.

"Composition is fantastic, as usual."

Why thank you.

"how you did that effect at 0:30 and then at 0:35 you sort of "answered" the effect"

I'm not sure what you mean. I know I did something like that with the flute and the guitar, but that was at 1:23 to 1:28. Hmm. Well, guess I did good, with whatever it was. xD

"your sounds, while not being realistic"

Huh, and I thought some of them were really realistic. xD Like, the pan flute, violin (though I reverbed that a bit much, *maybe*), and piano. The majority of the more orchestral instruments were from Edirol, which, while good, isn't REALLY realistic. I really need to put my plan of adf.ly download links in the description to work so I can get some EWQL instruments.

"yeah, you guessed it, I have a few complaints about the mixing"

...*sweatdrop* Here it comes...

"The track, again, feels too muddy."

D: Nooooooooooooooooooooo- Ok, I get what you're saying here. I tried to make it so that all the instruments could be heard, without cutting out on TOO much. Thought I did pretty well. Guess not though.

"the song is kinda heavy in the mid frequencies"

Ok, I get this on a lot of my songs, it seems. :P I don't like the higher or lower frequencies as much, though I'm trying to fix the way I'm approaching this.

"edge out the low/mid frequencies of the reverb"

Understood. Can-do.

"A tip I've got is, when EQing, to cut out or at least tone down the frequency ranges of an instrument which aren't "important"."

Ok, that helps a lot. I will be sure to attempt to do so in the future and see what I can do. :)

"that ends my bigass lecture on mixing"

THANK GOODNESS. Dx Honestly though, thanks a lot for your bigass lecture on mixing. I really did need one. :P Oh, and I agree on the wind, it could probably be toned down a bit.

"You REALLY have a knack for transitions, I swear :3."

TRANSITIONS. OH, THE HORROR. x.x Any knack I have on transitions is only due to the amount of effort I put into them. I think that transitions are one of the most important parts of a song (including intro/outro), so I work really hard on them.

"That's pretty much it - I love this track. 9/10 5/5"

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D And I love this review! Helped much!

P.S. I am tempted to export tracks of each instrument unEQed, put them all in a project, and throw them at you to see how you'd mix it. Ye have been warned. >:D

P.P.S. ...ok, actually, since I'm still here, I might as well say one thing that I'm a bit unhappy about. :< Nobody's seemed to have noticed the panning. I worked megahard on panning all the instruments. Almost half of my automations are devoted entirely to that. And my automations are generally the length of the entire song. :P

In any case. Thanks again! Bye!

[An End To The Universe]

This is just brilliant. Honestly, you're great at emotional piano-oriented tracks and they seem to be your forte, but you've got a great talent for techno/trance like this too. It may not be your typical trance song, and the production/mixing isn't particularly good, but the composition is so good and the structure is so well-thought-out that I couldn't help but give this a full score.

First off, brilliant atmosphere. Right from the beginning the spacey feeling hit me right in the face with the soft trance pluck. The pad entrance around half a minute in was absolutely incredible. The chords were spot-on, and they really created an atmosphere that pulls you in and clutches you in its grasp until the end of these six-and-a-half minutes of ear-candy. Also, that... thing at 1:13. Yeah, that portamento/pitch-bend right there. Wow. Excellent touch.

However, truth be told, what really grabbed my attention in this song would be the intro. It's so long and stretched out that by the end of nearly 2 and a half minutes of an intro, the transition at 2:17 was IMMENSELY satisfying.

Seriously, you executed it wonderfully - you kept on building up intensity with deep pad chords and the hat-line towards the end, and then you let it all out at 2:17 making for one of my favourite transitions from all the songs I've ever listened to. I like how you took out the pads at 2:17 as well and changed the mood to a more jumpy/lively feel rather than all ambient and serious with those bigass pads.

The rest of the song was all good. You kept up the spacey feeling and moreover you kept the song energetic and lively with a healthy dosage of trance drums and upbeat melodies. I would've liked to hear a few more spacey effects throughout the song though. I mean you achieved an awesome atmosphere already but some more spacey effects would really give this song an edge and make it sound more interesting sound-wise (because composition-wise it doesn't get more interesting than this).

Speaking of that... yeah the composition was out of this world, just like in your other tracks. The melodies were harmonised beautifully and sounded catchy as well. 2:32 is a prime example of a catchy, likeable tune that still fits fantastically in the theme. The notes themselves were in a pretty high octave but they didn't really sound annoying. In fact, at around 4:25, the fact that the melodies are so high-pitched really helped intensify that climax.

...Which brings me to my next point. The climax is amazing. The transition towards the climax was great; definitely my second favourite transition in this track. I'm always one for adding climaxes towards the outros of songs since they just make the ending sound so much more satisfying, and here is no exception. That climax was just great.

And then the part afterwards leading to the ending was also great. After a smooth transition at 5:25 I could tell the song was getting ready to end because you started building down, and this is more proof of how good the structure in this song is. It's not predictable, but not random. Very solid, satisfying and is only supported by excellent transitions. By the way, I love the ending. The pads playing that final chord ended the song flawlessly.

Lastly, we've got the drums. Overall they aren't really that impressive. They're fitting and they don't exactly sound bad but if you actually listen to the drums on their own you'll hear that they really don't have much variety at all. That, and the drum sounds themselves aren't that revolutionary either - just typical trance drums playing typical, repetitive trance beats. I'm not saying they don't fit, but I do think you could've done a little more with them.

I know this track is old and I've had it in my music library for a considerably long time now, but I thought it was about time to get around to reviewing it. All in all I think you did a great job at this. Goes to show how good composition and transitions/structure can make anything sound fantastic, even if it's just a typical arrangement of trance sounds. Keep it up!

10/10
5/5
Download.

[==(anywhere you want)==]

Alright, what can I say? You've got yet another winner on your hands. Yet again you perfectly combine different rhythmic and melodic leitmotifs into one hell of a good song. I do have SOME nitpicks this time round but they're very minor, and you still get a 10. Also, yes I realise I started a review with the phrase "what can I say?" and then wrote a massive wall of text but MEH.

First and foremost, you just so happened to post this track around the time I'm starting to enjoy ambient more, so bonus points for timing skills. I'm really loving the trippy stuff as usual, and the great guitar work. Everything is introduced gradually but works so well together, something which is important in an ambient song IMO. By the way, have you heard of Solar Fields? He's one of the reasons I'm so hyped up about ambient at the moment. If you haven't, hear his tracks ("Sol" is my favourite so far). That was an order, not a suggestion :3.

Melodically, the song doesn't stand out as much as Buoyant, I think. The chords are sweet and the guitars play some pretty catchy stuff, all accompanied by a ridiculously catchy bassline, but I do feel the melodies were a little rushed. Not that it's a problem - I guess you just focused more on the overall sound/structure of the track than you did on the melodies themselves.

Instrumentation is just SO relaxing. The pad's awesome - I wish I had such good pads. And of course, the guitar fits perfectly. The bass sounds great too (I especially like that bass part at 1:03), and you've got a crapload of nice sounds here and there like that sound that comes in at 0:26 and the very cool drum samples.

Speaking of the drums... yeah they were fantastic. You really nailed them this time round. They just sound so real; you also took the time to vary the velocity of the drum hits a little (which worked out very well on the snare especially) and that helped it sound a lot more human. My favourite part about the drums would have to be that ride cymbal pattern. I think you overused it a little, but that being said it's just so good. It's a perfect little rhythmic pattern to keep the song's structure solid, and it made the ending sound a whole lot cooler too.

Transitions are all cool, but my favourite's got to be that one at 1:41. The way you set it up was very good, with the quick crescendo and the change of mood. Structure's good, but I have an aesthetic complaint here. From 1:14 to 2:57 felt a bit like it was trying to go somewhere but it never did. I would've personally made that part get a bit more climatic towards the end so that at 2:57 the contrast's a bit stronger. It's pretty good as it is now though.

Tiny nitpick. There are a few wack notes at 2:07. They felt kinda out of place. It might just be me and they're probably intentional but they kinda stand out too much as being dissonant. I showed this to Echo and he liked it (also praising your diminished cadence WHATEVER THAT MEANS), so it's probably only me who doesn't really like those notes. Whatever, thought it should be mentioned.

Pretty short review this time round. Overall, this is REALLY cool. You're awesome at progressive rock and funk and all that stuff, but when it comes to ambient you always nail it. Keep up the good work, nice job, good luck in future tracks, review request club, etc etc etc :D.

10/10
5/5
Download.

[==(Buoyant)==]

Oh MAN this sounds so SBB. Yes, your username is now an adjective.

I love it. It's so simple yet its simplicity is what gives it its charm. As usual you manage to combine atmospheric and funky really well and you've got one hell of a catchy main melody going on.

You know, I mentioned this before when I reviewed Glass Tree in the Sky I think, but anyway, some of yours songs, like this one, remind me strongly of the old Spyro games (i.e. the only ones which were good).

Call me weird but the vibes those tracks gave me seem present in some of your tracks too, even though the Spyro tracks are usually more upbeat. You should check the soundtrack out regardless if you never played Spyro 1 before. The tracks have kinda iffy mixing but they're still awesome. Also I love how your songs are always compared to porn soundtrack :3.

So, review time. First off, the intro is so good. It's so spaced out and trippy but then the drum beat comes in and everything comes together wonderfully. Also, the introduction of the main melody at 0:12 is just brilliant. That part right there is probably one of my favourite parts in the song. That's not to say that the other parts of the song aren't good. No. Far from it.

The drums are also really cool. You've got a drum machine-like sound which may not sound realistic but it totally works out. Those high tom things are very fitting too. I love the kick as well - it's easy to hear, fits very nicely in the mix but doesn't stand out. Variety and drum fills are all sublime, as always. I'd imagine that if I ever were to try making a beat like this it'll certainly come out robotic and drab so I'm really impressed with how you managed to pull this off so well.

Mixing-wise, I don't have much to say since I know just as much about mixing as I do about Maltese culture *cough*. But yeah, mixing was excellent and everything was clear. There's a hat which sounds a little annoying (it plays nearly every other half beat I think). I would've personally toned down the higher frequencies on that sample a little but that's just me.

Atmosphere and composition are, as previously mentioned, awesome. The song's constantly riding the line between trippy and poppy, never swaying too far into each mood and achieving a perfect balance. Instrumentation's pretty guitar-oriented but as always it shows how fantastic you are with your guitar work. The organ thing was a nice, euphoric addition which worked well.

And even though in essence it's got pretty simple instrumentation and the melody isn't ground-breaking in complexity, the amount of detail you put into this was just right. I loved the delayed clap-thing that first plays at 0:17, the heavily reverbed guitar sliding in the background, the awesome guitar riffs 2:23, the little changes in the beat here and there, the way the drums stop a little later than the beginning of the new section at 1:17, and so on and so forth. It's all good.

The outro didn't impress me much. I guess it isn't really as satisfying as I would've hoped it to be, since I would've rather heard the outro end like the intro started, but it's nothing big - I never was a fan of drum outros anyway. Also the song has little silence at the end making it a pretty decent loop, perfect for when I'm doing maths homework till early hours of the morning, I'm getting sleepy and I can just keep this on loop to avoid going into a mathematically induced sleep.

Well, that's all I've got to say! Guess I won't be reaching the character limit this time. Shame. Anyhow, overall this is a catchy, euphoric but trippy track and while it's not my favourite from you, it's nicely done and I'm definitely going to be listening to this for a while. Super awesome work, keep it up!

10/10
5/5
Download.

-CLUB IN WHICH YOU REQUEST REVIEWS-

Kiddin' :3.

[Festivity and Feathers]

You know, this isn't that bad. The instruments you're using aren't very realistic, but surprisingly that doesn't take that much from the song, probably thanks to great composition, a nice airy flow and good use of dynamics. It is a little short, but I enjoyed it for the minute and a half that it plays! You know, this reminds me a little of the Super Mario Galaxy score.

So, I'll start of with the melodic aspect of this piece. The melody itself is wonderful. It easily reminded me of some sort of festival. While the melody was repeated twice in the song (which was a bit of an uncreative move I thought) it's such a nice melody that I don't mind hearing it twice. Although in all honesty you could've expanded a little on the melody since this loop is just twice of pretty much the same thing.

What I'd suggest to vary this a little, and perhaps expand on it, is adding noticeable dynamic changes and new entrances of instruments in the second repetition. For example, I think that it would be awesome if you could add a little crescendo with a string entrance at 0:48 which reaches its peak at about 0:50 and then dies down. Then, you can start adding some melodic changes here and there and try to transition to a new melody instead of just stopping. Anyway, that's just what I think you can do to make this longer. As it is right now, the melody's really nice.

The instrumentation isn't anything special; you used the instruments well (I especially like your use of woodwinds and the strings sounded very warm) but they're just orchestral instruments and there wasn't anything revolutionary in terms of instrumentation. Perhaps a glockenspiel would fit here, I dunno. Still, the instrumentation was fitting and worked nicely.

The transitions are brilliant - other than the composition that's one of my favourite aspects of the piece. The flow is fantastically smooth; something which I myself have a bit of trouble executing properly. The transition at 0:42 is so good, and the entrances of the different instruments like the strings and brass were not abrupt at all. You must have a decent amount of experience composing pieces like this.

The only quirk I noticed with the transitions was that at times, instruments exited a little too suddenly (such as at 0:42 when the woodwind note just stops out of nowhere). This feels a little unrealistic and synthesized. What I'd suggest is to make the notes fade out with some volume automation, rather than stop the instruments. The problem could also lie in the fact that the instruments sound quite dry, but more on that later on...

The intro is alright. I like how it gets to the point straight away, although I would've preferred a more gradual intro. That's just me though. The ending is a little generic with the string staccato doing a rising arpeggio, but it fit very nicely with the theme. Not much to talk about over here; the intro and outro were both fairly well done.

Now, for the main problem here. This is probably not your fault since Sibelius isn't very good for production-related things like mixing and mastering. Unfortunately, the production isn't very good. There's some painfully obvious clipping at certain parts in the track, mainly around the brass parts (heard most clearly at 0:28 and 1:11), which is sad because I'm hearing a lot of very well-executed dynamics and a great flow, and then it's ruined by clipping. Some EQing will fix this, or simply turning down the volume (although that's not very ideal).

Also, the instruments sound very dry. Dose them a little with some reverb (especially the woodwinds which sound especially in need of a bit of echo). As long as you don't go overboard, it'll do wonders, trust me!

Anyway, all in all, I've got a few complaints with the track and it is quite short, but the melody is sublime and the flow is so good. You're a talented composer, but you just need that little edge in mixing and production to really bring out the potential. Keep up the good work, sir!

7/10
5/5

Also, if you've got the time, mind reviewing my MAC submission? Don't feel obliged, though!

CheckeredZebra responds:

Of course I'll review your submission =P

It's actually the same song with a repeat sign, because newgrounds HATES LOOPING anything from sibelius for some reason. (there is always a 1.5 second delay from the exort for some reason.) I need to start adding that explanation to pieces; song was supposed to loop but it didn't want to so I had to be cheap D:

I've noticed the clipping, and all I can actually do about that is lower the volume. Anyhow, I'll play around with the reverb like you suggested and go from there =P
Thanks so much for your time, I love detailed comments as I learn so much from them.

[Apocalypse 2012]

SO GOOD.

Seriously man, WOW. You've definitely got this MAC in the bag, just like last year! This just sounds so good; so professional. I was honestly left with my jaw dropping at the end of this. And even though last year's insect oriented track was absolutely brilliant, I think this one is even better. Excellent work.

Right then, to start off... in terms of experience, this track certainly delivers. I've probably had the best experience listening to this track than I did when listening to other MAC tracks. This just sounds so moving and so powerful. You painted a picture of a world-ending apocalypse so vibrantly into my head that I'm pretty sure I felt my heart-rate increase to twice the BPM of this song.

And the percussion... wow. In last year's track I think I complained about the percussion lacking in low-end power. That certainly isn't present here. The percussion made the piece so much more dramatic and it makes earthquakes petty in comparison. I particularly liked the little cymbal (or shaker, not sure) pattern at 2:40 and 4:09. They may have been a subtle addition but they somehow really increased the intensity of the parts they play in.

Composition-wise, I feel that you didn't focus as much on the composition as you did on the atmosphere. While you've got a brilliant atmosphere featuring, among others, heroic, apocalyptic and tension-filled moods, the composition felt a tad bit uninspired. It's not as much of a problem as it sounds though because this doesn't feel as much of a composition-oriented track as it does an epic representation of the apocalypse.

Instrumentation was absolutely brilliant. I'm hearing a full use of orchestra, except woodwinds which were a bit lacking in this, although I don't think it'll be that easy to add that many woodwinds. Perhaps you can add a few flute glissandos and trills to increase intensity a little, but other than that there's not much you can do with woodwinds I think.

I really love the orchestral effects you put all over the place, such as at 3:27. The grating noise of the rising violin scratches, choir effects and cymbal rolls really brought out the desperation in this track. Also, I love the part at around 1:19 - 1:52. You're really good at those dramatic tension-filled cues, and just hearing it takes me back to those moments in a film where the sound effects and voices are entirely muted while the camera pans around in slow motion at a scene of destruction. You know, thinking about it, you'll probably make a very good film scorer :P.

The transitions are sublime, and I really don't have any complaints at all here. You glide so effortlessly from one song section to another that it's unreal. The transition to softer part towards the beginning of the track was absolutely excellent, and transitions like those are hard to pull off so I commend you on that. However, the best transition in my opinion would most likely be the one at 2:40. Adding that little break at 2:38 was a great idea and it really made for an epic transition. Just hearing the cool drum line and the brass and strings playing that heroic melody just made me feel awesome inside for no reason at all...

The intro was excellent. You started off with an engaging dissonant string/brass buildup, and then got straight to the point by adding a fast-paced cue with strings and spine-tingling brass hits. You slowly added more instruments and set the mood brilliantly. The ending was a little abrupt, but I understand the effect you were going for, and anyway the cool vocal effect and double bass note gave a nice, satisfying ending.

Overall, this is a hell of a good track. I was going to add another paragraph talking about the mood-changes because I felt that there was a little too much epic and not enough of other moods, but it's not that much of a problem anyway. You've really outdone yourself this time, and I'll be very surprised if you don't get first place. And if you don't make it into the top 8, I will start a lawsuit the judges :3. In all seriousness, brilliant job and keep it up!

10/10
5/5
Download.
Fav'd.

[The Crown of Arlidor]

Wow, this is great. I was really impressed with mostly the composition, but many other aspects of the song are worthy to be praised. This piece really tells a story, and while the whole "kingdom in distress" setting is a bit generic for orchestral songs like this, you executed in nearly flawlessly. I've seen you post around on the forums a little but I can't believe I haven't heard any of your other songs before :(. Nice work!

So, I'll start with the composition, since that seems to be the song's strongest point. I absolutely love the progression of the melody. The song starts off perfectly with some AWESOME brass chords (especially 0:32), and 0:44 was an absolutely fantastic way of presenting the main melody. The atmosphere is just brilliant, and capitalised wonderfully by the harp entrance that came in later on.

The melody itself is very nice, reminiscent of kingdoms and medieval times and whatnot. Loved the occasional change in time signature such as at around 1:15. Honestly that time signature change was so well executed. The tempo changes made this sound a lot more real and dynamic at the same time, so they were a good call :D.

The instrumentation is also quite nice. The use of all of that brass made for a very regal and knightly sound, very similar to that of my old song "Land of Kings". You know, actually this and Land of Kings have a very similar atmosphere and arrangement, for some reason :P. This one is leagues better though. Anyway, overall, the instrumentation was very fitting for the theme you were going for. I also like the mood change at 1:36 although I feel that you could've given that part a little more work. The mood was that of danger and peril, and I think some high violin trills would help give that section a bit more of a "dangerous" feel to it.

The mixing is quite good. I have a big problem with brass chords because frequency-wise they often end up coming out too heavy in the mid section, causing a lot of clipping and giving me a headache to EQ them right. Here you've got brass chords all over the place and they're playing without any discernible clipping, so great job in that department. The song's mastering is also good.

My complaint here is a mixing problem - I feel that the low end was a little neglected. As the1azn8 said, it feels as though the timpani was the only bassy sound. While the timpanis and timpani rolls certainly gave this song some low end power, I feel that this song is lacking some much needed warmth. Try using more double basses/cellos perhaps, I dunno.

The percussion wasn't very revolutionary but it fit very well with the theme. I like the parts in the intro and outro where the majestic brass plays and then stops to leave some room for timpani rolls. That was an interesting contrast. However, I think snares would fit so well here. East/West Symphonic Orchestra has really nice snares in my opinion and I think they'll do wonders in this song if done correctly!

Regarding the intro, it was great. Starting it with that little chime really helped set the mood and then, as I mentioned before, the contrast between the brass chords and timpani rolls was interesting. From then on the progression was spot on. The ending felt a little too dragged out, perhaps, but other than that I don't really have any complaints with it.

Transitions are smooth and just assist in creating that great progression you've got going. My favourite transitions would probably be the one to the flute solo at 0:44 and the one with the change in time signature at 1:15 - 1:20. Personally I don't really have any gripes with the transitions, and usually I'm fussy with transitions so that's certainly a good sign :3.

All in all, this is a great piece. The theme, instrumentation, composition, atmosphere, transitions, progression, mastering and percussion were all great. A few problems here and there, such as the mixing quirk and the lack of violin trills/snares, but in general I'm really impressed with what you've got here. Good luck in the competition, great work on this song and keep up the good work.

9/10
5/5

samulis responds:

Wow! Thanks for returning the "big-freakin-review" spirit!

I'll certainly take some of your advice on the piece... I'll see about some of that strings work you suggested (sadly, I generally neglect strings since I am unfamiliar with them, as I have only played in bands and never in orchestras, although I have heard countless pieces with them). I may try using the double-bass to bridge the different ideas between the brass and the timpani by doubling both at various points and maybe even some slight chording work. The violin idea is good, I'll look into it!

As a side note, I generally write the song first and then work out story later. It's easier that way and is great fun to interpret my own pieces. I do the same for song names, and most of my folder of .mus (finale score files) have names that are in no way related to the song here. XD

I might try to bring in snare... I used to use snare drums all the time, but haven't lately. I will try some sections and see where they would be fitting thematically.

Thanks again for the AWESOME review!
-Samulis

[KKS - Impulse]

I should totally be studying right now.

This is just great. It's got a nice funky feel to it which is supported excellently by a cool Ambient structure, a crapload of neat effects/synths, gradual progressions and superb transitions. I'm seriously impressed, and it's sad that you're not more popular. Also, I haven't reviewed audio in a while so sorry if I come off as a little rusty :3.

Starting with the sounds, I was very impressed with the different sounds you used. There are some heavy funk influences from guitars and the bass, but then you go and use those awesome pads and effects, giving this a unique arrangement. I would've liked the addition of a flute solo somewhere in the middle, but it's just personal preference. Overall, you've done an excellent job with your choice of instruments and sounds.

The melodies don't stand out too much since they're not really the focus of the track, but there's an array of various cool melodies and rhythms to keep me interested. I especially liked the composition of the bass, and the bass pattern at 3:07 is sweet. By the way, there's some guitar note at around 1:11 that seems to be a wrong note. It might have been intentional, but I don't really like it much.

The percussion leaves no room at all for improvement. Seriously, it's flawless. Not only were the samples so fitting, but the rhythms were so cool. I especially like the change from a swing-like rhythm for the first half of the song to a straight rhythm for the second half. It kept the percussion interesting. Also, unlike in Contact, you've nailed the volume of the percussion. It sounded very clear and easy to hear, but didn't overcome any of the more important instruments. By the way, the bongo rhythm heard mostly at the very beginning was *so* cool. Honestly, I love it.

The transitions are also great. My favourite transition would, by far, be the one at 0:19 where you introduced that awesome bassline. The 0:41 transition was also one of my favourites since it was so smooth, particularly the entrance of the guitar. 3:07 was a cool transition too.

My only complaint here is stylistic. I think you may have overused the cymbal rolls, just a little bit. I'm not really one to talk, since I have that habit too and I'm a lot worse, but, while trying not to sound like a hypocrite, I do think you should use the cymbal rolls a little less. You used them so much that they started to lose their effect. For example, using a cymbal roll at 3:07 was a bit unimaginative when there are so many other ways to transition to that bassline, like some sweeping effect or a bass slide. The cymbal roll at 4:30 feels a bit unnecessary too.

Now for my main gripe with the song, and while it's not that much of a big problem, I still think it's worth mentioning. Somehow I feel as though this song has two different styles, and they don't match with each other that much. First, there's the funky, trippy feel with cool rhythms, guitars, etc... (heard very prominently for the first minute and a half or so of the song) and then there's the more serious ambient tone, heard mostly in the last section.

It feels as though you want to get the best of both worlds but you're not trying hard enough to. I'm not saying to scrap all the ambient influences or all the funk influences. Far from it actually - I enjoyed both sides of the spectrum. However, I feel as though you still need to integrate them more with each other. It's not that much of a crisis and I doubt it's worth fixing, but it's just something to keep in mind in the future.

Intro was a perfect compromise between being progressive and getting into the action. You added the right amount of progression but didn't make me think 'get on with it already' while it was playing, if you get what I mean. Outro was good. Nothing revolutionary, but still a satisfactory ending.

All in all, this is a really cool song. Even though I have a number of complaints, the problems are all really minor. I really enjoyed this! Keep it up. Also, mind returning a review if you get the time? :3
http://goo.gl/w9Yiq

9/10
5/5
Download.
Favourited.
Favourited as an artist.

KKSlider60 responds:

My, what a detailed insight! *-*
I will respond directly to the complaints since I really have nothing else to say than a basic "thank you" for the shitloads of kind compliments you wrote me. ^^ I actually cannot disagree either, because sometimes I do overuse some transition samples like reverse cymbals without even noticing, and it's basically the lack of diverse sound effects that sends you a step back to really imagine a whole new world in your head. What you might perceive this effort as a blend of two distinct styles is something I'd concur, because I'm still experimenting and trying to define my own sound, while drawing influences that are indeed very different to each other. The tracks I'm making right now mark a very important transition for me, from the suffocated poorly-executed minimalism to the vast palette of atmospheric electronic music. All the flaws you've pointed out in great detail will indeed be a reminder for future tracks.
I will definitely check your track ;3
Many thanks again
KKS

[-Summ3rtime-]

SO. FUNKY.

Dude this is one of the first times I've heard one of your tracks (or at least one of the first), and dude, you instantly got me hooked. I don't usually write long reviews to people who have enough reviews and don't seem to respond to their reviews, but whether you respond or not won't stop me from writing this review. If this is a new style, I can't wait to see how much better you'll get when you make more of it.

You are making more, right?

...Right?

Now, onto the review. The euphoric and funky mood of the song really drove me to listening to it till the end, despite it having a decently long play time. You threw in the occasional vocal sample (and bitcrushed some of them I think, which was a nice touch) and gave the spotlight to loads of different instruments, including but not limited to guitars, a piano, brass and some sort of glockenspiel sound. Not only that, but each solo was done so well. So yeah basically you kept me interested till the end, which is great.

The percussion was extremely fitting and kept a consistent rhythm which helped tie the whole song together. Even the riff at the beginning which was repeated a few times helped give this a solid structure but I think that riff sounds a little too much like Garageband loops, or at least like you used some sort of loop. Perhaps you did, I dunno, but anyway my point is that somehow it sounds artificial.

The song's really catchy and has a great groove to it. Like I said it kept me interested till the end. There were so many different elements scattered around the song. I like the bongos too. My only complaint here would be the piano part at 1:53. It's good but, specifically at 2:07, the notes could have a bit more rhythm and flow to them. They sound a little robotic and the rhythm's a bit bland. If I were you I'd add more trills, shuffle the notes around a little, maybe add a glissando or two, etc...

The transitions were superb. No complaints at all. The song's sections were glued together with some brilliantly smooth transitions, and the disk scratching and drum fills just helped make them even smoother and better. Loved the transition at 0:28. The introductions of new instruments were smooth too. Well done.

The intro is simple but fitting. It achieves a good balance of being progressive and getting on with it. You instantly started the song with a catchy riff but still made it progress well by adding different elements to the song gradually. The ending, however, isn't really to my liking. It sounds too abrupt. It's as if you were finishing your final solo, you were like 'alright I'm done here' and then you just ended the song. It shouldn't be to hard to give a decent ending to a track like this - I'm already thinking of some good ways to end it. So yeah that ending needs improvement.

Right then, I've said enough. Your whole season's work certainly paid off. You made a great track, got a Top 5 and kept a 10/10 rate for a whole 30 reviews. I'd give you a 9 because of my three points of criticism (piano notes have bland rhythm, guitar riff sounds loopy and artificial, ending is abrupt) but I wouldn't want to ruin said 10/10 rating and anyway, the effort in it is clear, I downloaded the track and listen to it regularly so it deserves all the stars I can give it. Keep up the great work.
10/10
5/5
Download.

[==(Solace)==]

Gives me the chills.

Dude, the quality of this track goes beyond that of nearly every other song I've heard on Newgrounds. Saying "7 minutes of mellow soloing" is an understatement. More like "7 minutes of mellow brilliance which sexes everyone who listens to it". Yeah.

Right then, as usual I'll start by praising the atmosphere, like I usually do in well-made atmospheric songs like this. The atmosphere is just amazing. I really enjoyed keeping this on loop in the background and I bet that by now I've listened to it at least 10 times, which is over an hour's worth of mellow brilliance.

Sure, it's not as atmospheric as Deep Man, which is so atmospheric it spaces me out now and again, but it's still got such a wonderful atmosphere. Despite being so atmospheric and chill, it still maintains a very good pace with the guitar strumming and the beat.

You know, this seems to me that it makes a great winter-themed song. The atmosphere is very cold and distant, and especially in the piano parts I can easily imagine this is some icy tundra of sorts, which brings me to my opinion that Solace isn't the best name for this I think. Something like Solitude would work a lot more nicely I think. But a name's just a name I guess.

The melodies are excellent. Loved the chord progressions and dynamics - I especially like the melody over at 5:29. Over here my only complaint is that some sort of leitmotif might tie this song together a little better, but that's just me. This keeps a similar mood throughout anyway so it's not that it sounds too random just because there's no consistent melodic phrase throughout.

Instrumentation is fantastic as well. I love all of your choices of instruments. The piano fits especially well too and is played nicely. Props to EoD696 for that. There are some really cool pads in the background as well which give everything an awesome layer of depth.

Transitions are on the whole smooth. Some introductions of instruments were very well executed, like the introduction of the drum beat at 2:05 and piano at 2:32. The transition at 5:42 is probably one of my favourites. They all sound so smooth, and there's an array of various drum fills here and there which certainly make for great transitions.

There's just one transition which annoys me and it's the one at 1:35-ish where you introduce the lead guitar right after the piano intro ended. All the other introductions of new instruments from then on were great, but the transition at 1:35 could have been a lot smoother and since it felt quite abrupt, the piano intro feels tacked on rather than integrated smoothly with the rest of the track.

The mixing is sublime as always. You filled the mix perfectly. There's a lot of reverb, but it doesn't sound the least bit blurry, and the reverb sounded great along with the background pad to create a nice deep mix. I especially like how you mixed the cymbals in. Clear, but not tinny or annoying. TEACH ME.

Intro and outro are both great. The intro started very smoothly and the piano intro started the song beautifully. The ending was also nearly flawless. If I had to change anything, I'd make the rising scale at 6:37 play three times, and on the third time it plays an octave higher. I'd also make the ending note last a little longer since there seems to be a bit of unnecessary silence at the end. But whatever, I nitpick far too much.

The drums are probably some of the best drums I've heard from you in a long while. The beat is really catchy and sounds right at home along with the melodies in the foreground. What I liked the most about the drums would be how real they sound. It's not only the samples themselves which sound real but they were mixed and humanised so well. I especially like the snare/symbal rolls around the 6 minute mark.

Honestly I'm finding it very hard to dislike anything you do :P. Brilliant work, there really isn't much that I think needs improving, and even then the criticism I've presented is mostly very minor. Keep up the great work man, and hit me up next time you submit something!
10/10
5/5
Download.
Fav'd.

-Review Request Club-