Step's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Breathe With Me]

I can see why you're proud of this!

I won't lie that drone music really isn't my thing, so I won't be able to give this much critique, although I also won't lie that I really think this has a wonderful atmosphere. I've literally kept it on loop for hours while doing all sorts of other things and at times I'd almost forget that it was playing because I was simply pulled in to its atmosphere so much, if you get what I mean. Even with a fan droning behind me, my lights on, my eyes open and my volume pretty low, I still felt the atmosphere this conveys. Now to move on to the review.

I like its overall sound. With the pads and slight sound variation you've incorporated throughout the whole track you've managed to create a very mystical, spacey but peaceful atmosphere. Admittedly this does get quite repetitive while I'm trying to review it but I've noticed that you did work on variation. One little variation I liked about this track was when the song did that brief pause at around 4:20-4:31-ish, and the long outro which had a different sound than the rest of the track. You've added a few effects here and there which also add to this variation which makes this sound new every time it's listened to.

The song transitions from one section to another incredibly smoothly too. You've taken extra care to make sure that no sound comes in as abrupt and interrupts the meditative state the listener might be in when hearing this. Regarding the intro and ending, they were both fitting. The intro was a simple fade in which worked very well and the outro has a long, satisfying ending note which makes the listener feel at peace when at the end of the whole 8 minute track. A very nice way to end it.

Now for the complaints. Firstly, this song has nothing which can define it other than spacey pads and effects. I would like something to remember this song by, whether it's a unique and prominent sound effect, or a particular melodic phrase. Perhaps this is just personal preference because I'm not used to drone music much but I found this quite hard to analyse because it's sole purpose is to convey an atmosphere and state of mind to a listener, and not to be listened like any other song. I do think you could add that little defining piece to the track to make it have a more solid, definable structure, but this is entirely personal preference.

One more thing - the overall sound is a bit metallic and penetrating (for lack of better word). I think that this may lack a bit in the bass department. I think if you added a noticeable bassy sound to the mix you can make the atmosphere more encompassing. And as Kazmo said, some parts could do with more sound layers, especially around 5:30-ish. I was dying for the high shrill chords to play and then build up and repeat with a prominent bassey sound layer playing right along with those chords. Something which doesn't interrupt the atmosphere but gives the song an interesting and definable touch to it.

Anyway, that's my opinion on the song. I'm quite sure that if this had to take part in the NGADM Auditions then I'd choose it along my Top 32 list to take part in the competition (I don't know about the other judges though) because it has such a wonderful atmosphere which pulls you in and it works as great ambiance. I've got a few complaints here and there but those are either because of my lack of experience with this genre or because I'm a nitpicking bastard :3. Keep it up!
8/10
4/5

-Review Request Club-

FatKidWitAJetPak responds:

Awesome stuff there man, thanks a bunches.

I do agree that this track needs some sort of bass added to the equalizing, but I found it very difficult to add any more layers and still pertain to my overall structure and goal, which is to make something that is extremely atmospherical and deep. I wanted to make a track tht doesn't nescesarilly have a main melody, but has a main theme with an array of moods that differ depending on the listener.

The melody, as you are craving, can be found inside yourself when listening to the track. As corny as it might sound, this song can speak to your heart and play a melody in the form of memories or thoughts sparked from the imagination. I wanted to really get people in a trance, and I felt that creating a certain lead melody or bass line would be far to distracting and start to make people think in technical terms about this song.

I also didn't want to include anything else after I played this because I plate it all in one recording. What you hear is what I felt atthe time of the recording. I thought about how I was going to play it for quite a while, and then inspect careful time on programming the pad, but the song itself was played in one sittig after I did a bit of meditation.

I consider this a piano piece. One instrument, conveying a series of moods that are solely dependent on the listener. Everyone feels different things from this. Thanks again for the review! It certainly satisfies my craving ;)

[Medieval Cowboys]

Love it

Wow. You've got such a massive range of styles. I've honestly never heard anything like this from you before, and I can really tell you had a blast making it. The only problem with it is that there's not enough of it. Really nice work! Also sorry if this review comes out as a little half-arsed. It's pretty late here.

To begin with, this sounds incredibly realistic. I guess you can't expect a lot less from East/West instruments, but I have the exact same plugin as you and yet my songs don't come anywhere close to as realistic as this. You've added plenty of dynamic variation to brighten up the piece and give it that touch of realism and authenticity which makes all the difference.

When listening to this track, I've noticed that you really know your way around the orchestra. You effortlessly glide from one song section to another, carry the melody by a variety of different instruments, and if I had to attempt something like this I'd make a total mess of it, but you do an amazing job of keeping such a wonderful, flowing sound which isn't too cluttered but isn't too simple either.

Regarding composition, there isn't much to be desired. The melody screams the word 'cowboy' to me and the instrumentation/structure give this song a nice medieval feel to it, so I can't say the title doesn't do this song justice. This honestly sounds like it came straight out of a fantasy movie because of such high production value.

The transitions were so smooth. You had instances when the song is soft, and suddenly it gains a burst of energy (0:36), yet the transitions between each section were great. The transitions are among the best I've heard in a very very long while, and the intro and outro are superb too. Awesome work.

Lastly, I'll comment about the percussion, even though there isn't that much to say about it. I'll just say that it was really fitting. The crash cymbals were used sparingly but effectively, and the tambourine and snare both kept up a great rhythm. No issues with the percussion either.

All in all, I have no suggestions to improve this, other than to extend it. It just sounds so fun to listen to as it is now, and I really wish there was more of it. Still, I enjoyed this a lot - keep up the great work, and keep on pumping out them awesome songs plz.
10/10
5/5
Download.
Fav'd.

-Review Request Club-

[Sordid Avenue]

Enjoyed it - could've enjoyed it more

Alright, first things first - it's really refreshing to hear a song played live by a band on Newgrounds. When you sequence your instruments, you can never get that realism that you get from recorded instruments, and the vocals here are a big plus because you rarely see songs with vocals on NG. Well-written lyrics are just icing on the cake. Unfortunately I haven't ever sung, played guitars and have only dabbled a little in an electronic drum kit, so I can't give you any technical tips in that department. Hopefully my experience reviewing music will make up for it :3.

SO, onto the review. I'll start by commenting on how each of you played/sung - it doesn't take a genius to tell that you guys have a good amount of experience playing in a band. The guitars were all well-played (apart from a few tiny mistakes like the one at 0:13 which sounds a bit off :P) and your drummer's great at keeping his rhythm. The singing wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darn close. Just a few slightly out-of-tune notes (3:03, for instance), but all in all the singing is really great. Is it you singing? If so you've got a pretty soft voice, which works well in this song.

So, now that that's over I'll talk about the composition - the lyrics melody is somewhat of a standard/generic melody for a song of this type, but it works well. I love the guitar riff you played at the beginning and repeated a few other times later on in the song. My only complaint regarding composition is throughout the song, when you sing the chorus you repeat it more than once. I would've preferred it if each repetition had a slightly different melody - for example the first repetition's melody can be used as a question and the second melody can be used as an answer, rather than the same melody for each repetition.

Rhythm-wise, there's not much to improve. The only thing here which I'll complain about is the rhythm of the melody when you sing the phrase 'The pratfalls'. The word 'pratfalls' sounds a little, I don't know, abrupt? I would've much preferred it if 'The pratfalls' was sung with a straight rhythm (i.e. a syllable sung every beat) since it sounds odd as it is. This is just me nitpicking though...

Now for the mixing/production, and I have a bit more to talk about this time. To begin with; volume levels. I don't know if this is a recurring problem for you guys or it's just apparent in this song, but the vocals are far too quiet and completely drowned out by the guitars and drums.

If you hadn't posted the lyrics then I would've just managed to make out a few words here and there rather than understood what the lyrics are talking about. It's a shame because I was trying to figure out what the lyrics are saying (when I wasn't following them from the Author's Comments) and didn't get to focus on the other elements of the song as much. Turn the vocals up plz.

More about the volume levels - the cymbals seem a bit too loud at times, and I wish I could've heard the snare/kick more. I really can't hear the kick at all, which is a bit of a bummer. Lastly the song is a bit too loud.

The recording quality isn't so good, which is why in the summary I said that I enjoyed it but I could've enjoyed it more. This is out of your control, but if you ever get the opportunity, I really would suggest getting better recording equipment. The instant the song started I heard the dull hum of the bad recording equipment and the track would get a much cleaner and more enjoyable overall sound with better equipment.

The song has a very solid structure, and the transitions are fantastic. The only transition I didn't like was one at 3:03 which sounds a bit anti-climatic. Other than that, transitions were great. Intro was brilliant, ending was satisfying.

So, all in all I enjoyed this a lot. The only reasons why I gave this an 8/10 are the mixing/production flaws and a few very minor issues here and there, but all in all this is really awesome and I hope you guys keep up the good work. Enjoyed the song, and I enjoyed writing this review. Dissection complete :D.
8/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

Sawdust responds:

Haha wow, what a lengthy dissection :P

First, thanks for the compliments on our technical ability! Haha, we're relatively new when it comes to this type of thing. The group only formed in February. Also yeah lol, I'm the one who's singing.

On topic about the composition of the lyrics melody... well... it's pretty much improvised most of the time. I rarely think of how the lyrics will be sung when writing songs so I guess that explains a lot. That explains how the intervals tend to monotonous.

Also, as for the recording/mixing aspect; well, the studio is just a rehearsal studio so this is pretty much just a demo :P And Newgrounds is a great place to get feedback on demos. When they give me the tracks, what I do is either put filters and overdub or put compressors and overdub. I wish I could do something to pump up the vocals, however.

Anyway, thanks a lot for the review! It's very helpful and it'll give me things to think about while recording the polished version of this. Hope you'd check out a bit more of our tracks! I'll definitely keep following your stuff!

[Stargenx - CardiacDistillation]

Totally not deserving of its score.

Dude, your songs are literally 0-bomber magnets. I've never seen such low and undeserving scores in my life. If I remember I'll spend every day 5-bombing your recent songs for a good few weeks. 0-bombers can go die in a hole >.>.

SO, rant aside. The song itself is wonderful. I gave it a 10 because even though it isn't my thing, it just sounds so pleasant and I really can't find anything at all wrong with it. Maybe it sounds ever so slightly cheesy in certain parts, but that's hardly worth mentioning.

The song is just so flowing. You have very simple but effective instrumentation. A piano, plucked instrument, background pad and a very straightforward drum beat, and keep to these for the whole piece. It comes together fantastically and I honestly don't see where you can improve in the instrumentation, except that I would've liked a new instrument to be introduced later on (like high strings), to maybe strengthen some buildups/transitions, but that is solely my personal opinion.

The composition is great, and one of the stronger points of this piece. The plucked instrument and the piano complimented each other excellently, and I do particularly like the background pad's chords. You always had a knack for making awesome melodies, and this song is just easy proof of this fact. Nice job!

When it comes to production, I don't have much to say. Maybe you can turn the song's volume up a little because I had to turn my speakers' volume up to enjoy the track. In terms of the mix you've got a nice clear mix, definitely due to the fact that you don't have that many instruments to clutter it up. The song isn't that bassey but to be honest I prefer it this way. The pad provided just about the right amount of depth for a track like this.

So to conclude, I'll just say that I'm giving this a 10 because I can't find anything wrong with it, despite my efforts. Keep up the great work dude.
10/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

Stargenx responds:

Thanks for the review, and also for voting this up, haha.
0-bombers gonna bomb I guess.

[<EagleGuard> Last Stand]

That title is so generic :3

Really nice stuff man. It's got a pretty generic 'dramatic epic' sound to it with the choirs, strings, guitar and rock drum kit, but to be honest it all works out very well. I enjoyed it throughout. It'll definitely make a great background for a boss battle in a game. Nicely done!

Instrumentation is great. I like the sound of each instrument you used, especially the guitar which sounds pretty realistic. The sounds are all well-chosen and I love the choir too. What VST did you use for it? East/West Symphonic Choirs? But yeah instruments are great.

Production-wise, there's not much room for improvement. This time I think the song is just the right volume, thankfully. Your mix is also quite clear, although I would've liked a bit more bass, especially in the drums. The kick is wimpy, for lack of better word. To be honest all the percussion (except maybe the crash cymbals) could do with a boost in power. That being said, this song has nice production quality, and there isn't much I can nitpick about.

The composition is good, albeit a bit cheesy. The foreground melodies are memorable, well-written and supported well by the background that you made. One thing about the submission is that I can't really find a part of it which I can call my favourite. While this isn't necessarily a good thing because it may make the submission a bit monotonous, it makes it great for background music, because every section compliments the next but doesn't stand out.

Having said all that, I agree completely with Sawdust that after the epic orchestral intro I expected a bit more. It was a bit anti-climatic.

So, as a recap, other than the minor nitpicks, this is an enjoyable track. Smooth transitions, nice instrumentation/composition, and it'll make great background music for a battle. Nice work!
9/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

EagleGuard responds:

Choosing the right instruments and tweaking them (equalizing, reverb) took me about two hours alone, so I'm glad you like the sound of them xD I used Tonehammer's Requiem Light for the choirs. Instead of a wordbuilder, like EW/QL's Symphonic Choirs, you get pre-selected wordphrases you can mix and match to make them sing gibberish like in this song, which is pretty cool.

I made the kick/bass drum a bit softer on purpose, because it would've been to noticeable had I not done so. This is of course my opinion and I'm still rather noob when it comes to EQ'ing, so I'll try to improve on that in the future.

About the 'no part standing out'... Yeah... I've been having trouble with that for a long time now. I just can't seem to think of proper climaxes for my songs. Hopefully I'll get better at that soon, because people have mentioned it before.

Sorry about the anti-climax at the start, I just didn't want to go with the whole epic-orchestral thing again x)

Thanks again for the review!

[Pseudo-Insanity]

*Twitch*

This is really awesome :D. I can easily feel the atmosphere that you wrote in the Author's Comments and the sounds you chose/melodies you created really fit well with the overall feel of the track. There are some transitional issues between the sections, but that's not too much of a problem. Overall, this is well-made!

There's not much I can add to DonCarrera's review (so this is how the other RRC members must feel after reviewing a track after I reviewed it with a large review...). The first thing I noticed was the way you incorporated cheesy/generic elements such as the typical suspense strings you hear in a movie score, or the typical pleasant sound you get from a piano solo, but yet you add your own unique sounds such as the weird effects and pitch-bending. It really does make for a unique, cool track.

I'll also comment on how good the intro and outro were. Well, maybe the intro was quite generic, but I do think that the part at 0:30 was a great way to get things going. The ending was great too. Nice work there :D.

Additionally I love the effects you did, especially the pitch bending effects. That pitch bending you did on the background strings just sounds so odd and unnatural, making it fit perfectly with the theme. The pitch bending on the synth at 2:19 was equally weird and fitting.

Quick note about the drums: they actually flow really well. They sound so perfect in this track that at times I didn't even notice they were there. So yeah, great job there too.

Now for my one complaint. Some of the transitions were good, but others have quite a bit of room for improvement, especially the ones at 2:32 and 3:10. They sound like you ended one song and started another. Most of the time the transitions were smooth, but some other times they could use work, which is the main reason why I gave you a 9.

Other than the transitions issue, this track is really cool. You mixed generic horror and suspense perfectly with odd and disturbing effects to create an atmosphere of insanity. Keep up the good work.
9/10
5/5
*Twitch*

-Review Request Club-

Birdinator99 responds:

Looking back on this track, I really don't like the transitions -- and being cheesy isn't always a good thing!

lol

It seems the pitch bending was a success -- yay!

Bad intros are bad D:

I'm quite pleased with the drums -- a little echo here, a little echo there, etc... seemed to work well in a "frantic" atmosphere. If I can get the overall theme of the piece working for me, then all is well.

Except all those bad things!

I wasn't trying to be generic, but it does totally come off that way. Uh-oh.

Ahem.

I love the huge reviews you do, dude. Thanks for stopping by again!

[MoL- Shadow Conflict]

Nice composition, drums don't fit

Not bad at all. This sounds like it came straight out of a Video Game, and the melodies you incorporated were really nice.

So yeah, I'll start by saying that I do like the melodies. They give a sense of desperation and I can easily associate this to a boss battle in a Video Game. I agree with Sawdust that you've done a good job of building a well composed song over a simplistic melodic line. Nicely done!

The atmosphere is great. Like I said, the song reminds the listener of despair and conflict, with the strings evoking a sort of ominous/suspenseful feeling, and with the bass adding a unique touch. Somehow the song, mainly the bass's melody and sound, is a bit reminiscent of some BGM in Ratchet and Clank 3, or at least for me.

The sounds you chose, unfortunately, weren't excellent. I do like the bass, it gave the piece a bit of originality, and the strings were nice too, but as I said in the review summary, the drums don't seem to mesh together with the track as well as I would've hoped and this seems to be because of the sounds you chose for them. The beats were good, but the sound of the samples themselves just didn't compliment the song well. Also, I don't like your use of the organ (probably personal preference). It made the song pretty tiring to listen to after a few play-throughs.

Also, the track is a bit short, which is one of the reasons why I gave you an 8. Because of this, I feel the song is a bit underdeveloped. That said, it works great as a background loop, especially due to the fact that the loop was seamless.

In conclusion, this is a nice track. The melodies are fantastic, the atmosphere you created was good, and it looped perfectly making it excellent for background music. The only issue I have with it is that I don't agree with some of the sounds you chose, especially the drums. Keep it up.
8/10
4/5

-Review Request Club-

MeteorManMike responds:

LOL, drums have always been my weakness. I will agree that it's a bit repetitive, I got kind of lazy composing this (as often happens with my remixes :P) The organ was just a way to lengthen it... I could possibly throw in some variation in the main melody, as well as change the percussion samples. But thanks a lot for that detailed review, I'm glad someone takes the time to listen so carefully to my music.

[[dB] Menu Loop]

Sweeeeeeet

Won't be able to make a large review because this is only 17 seconds long, but maybe you'll find my review to be slightly useful.

Anyhow, even though this isn't really jazz, it's still awesome. The drums are minimal but fit nicely, the sounds are well chosen and the composition is good. Nice work on this!

What I like about it is that despite it being so short, you still put detail in it. I particularly liked the effect you did on the open hat where it sort of fades out for 2 bars before going back to full volume again. The reverb is also used nicely here.

The sounds are nice too. The brass doesn't sound much like brass with all the effects you put on it, but it still sounds pleasant. That cool pad thing you had in the background is really fitting and the piano (?) was a nice addition too.

To be honest for the 17 seconds that it plays this is a pleasant little track. It's really a shame that it doesn't loop. I'd probably extend it to around half a minute and then loop it. This shouldn't be too hard to loop.

So overall, keep up the good work. Relaxing, well mixed and would be a great menu loop... if it looped.
7/10
5/5 because this got 0-bombed.

-Review Request Club-

Decibel responds:

Thanks for the review :D

Why You no log on msn anymore? Bitch.