Step's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Everything is Floating Up]

Good thing you joined the NGADM..

...because you're having to pump out a song every two weeks which means more awesome songs for me to download. But jokes aside, this is another brilliant track. A bit more trippy than your usual submissions, but still as enjoyable as ever.

I'll start with the composition and atmosphere. As usual, you've nailed them flawlessly. The melodies were memorable and quirky, especially that high sine-like synth which played a very catchy melody (and the new melody at 2:09 which was introduced very well). The melodies were all very unique and pleasing to the ears, as is the background accompaniment such as the drums and the ambiance. The guitar melodies were especially nice, and the whole song had a trippy feeling to it. I mean I could've sworn I saw my mouse slowly floating upwards as I was listening to the song, but that might have to do with me waking up at 1:00 PM today... BUT I DIGRESS.

I have one complaint over here, and that's the fact that the song has two different atmospheres, as weird as that sounds. One is spacey and has a certain amount of tension to it with that distorted sound and FX, while the other is a funky, rhythmic atmosphere with drums, guitar and catchy melodies. This clash of atmospheres was pretty noticeable in a few of your other songs, such as 'Let's Get Meditational' but it's even more apparent over here and didn't work out as much in my opinion. While most of the transitions from funky to spacey and vice versa were made very well, I think that these two atmosphere were too different to be in the same song. Maybe you can add some guitar melodies or drum beats in the spacey parts to fit them in the song a bit more while still keeping a trippy feel in some parts of the song.

One thing that particularly impressed me would be the transitions. You had a number of drum fills and quirky effects to move from one section of the song to another. The subtle entrance of the drums at the beginning, the drum fill at 1:24, the transition to the rhythmic part at 2:06... they're all great transitions. Maybe the transition at 1:45 was a bit too abrupt, but other than that you've got some really good transitions which definitely help the song's structure.

What probably got me the most would be the astounding amount of detail you put into this submission. I'm hearing all sorts of effects in the background, and despite the fact that they sound pretty weird, they still fit perfectly in the song. The background is full of detail and variety and even though you had a good number of things playing at the same time, you still didn't fill the mix with all of those sounds making it sound cluttered. Everything from the variety of sounds and melodies to the occasional small details such as the slightly off-tune note at 2:26 and the sound effects towards the end of the song all worked out flawlessly. So yes, production-wise, there's nothing I can complain about.

I'll talk about the instrumentation and percussion now, and naturally they were incredibly well-done as usual. All of the sounds you used fit very well, especially the piano and the trippy-sounding guitar. The frequent pitch sliding on the high synth was a nice touch, adding to the very trippy feeling of the song. The drums had a brilliant beat and plenty of variety. Not only that, but it fit perfectly in the song. At some times the full beat was playing, at other times only hat lines were playing, and at other times only the kick/snare pattern was playing. While, like I already said, I think that adding a beat to the spacey parts might make them fit in a bit more, the drums were used perfectly and fit with the song. Not only that, but the samples you used were awesome, especially that snare.

Cheesy overall paragraph time. So overall, this song is extremely enjoyable. The production/mixing, all the different sounds and the trippy atmosphere definitely gave this a unique touch among the dance/trance you see all over Newgrounds nowadays.
10/10
5/5
Download.

-Review Request Club-

Note: This is your NGADM competition Round 5 review, which I procrastinated like hell to do.

[Muirin's Dream]

Reminds me of Okami music...

I've got to say, this sounds very pleasant, and sounds a lot like something I'd hear in a game. This also has a nice amount of different instruments, and I especially like the sound of the harp. Also, the intro reminds me a LOT of the soundtrack of Okami, and I absolutely love that soundtrack, so you get extra points from me :P. Anyway, onto the review.

The intro isn't that bad. I agree with Sequenced that the harp could have a bit more of a definable melody, but it isn't all that bad and sounds very pleasant. It gave the intro a very nice overall sound. I think the harp could be brought out a bit more since it seems to be a bit overpowered by the strings. That being said, the strings sound very good, and I like that their rhythm isn't a fixed rhythm but changes around.

The instrumentation is quite unique. As you said, there's a strong Celtic theme in this song, enforced by the flute and the bagpipes which you used at 0:27 (those are bagpipes, right?). They sounded quite good, and they're definitely not usually used on NG. They give the song some originality, which is nice. You had a number of different instruments too, so I'm sure you'll get a lot of marks for the instrumentation in the competition.

The atmosphere is what stands out in this song. Like I already said, the harp gives the song a nice sound, and the various different instruments gave this a wonderfully cinematic atmosphere. It fits pretty well with the story, but I do think you could make the story a bit longer and not so vague. It might strengthen the song's atmosphere a bit more. But I'm here to comment on your song not the story so I'll shut up now. Anyway, basically the atmosphere is probably one of my favourite aspects of the submission.

The composition was nice. While I don't think the composition isn't as artistic as the amazing atmosphere you've created in the track, it was still nice. I especially liked the melodies at 2:11, that part would probably be one of my favourite parts of the song. The climax was good, but as you said the instruments do overpower each other. I understand it's because of your computer though. I know EXACTLY how it feels.

Now for my one problem which I have with the track. In my opinion it really lacks bass. The song sounds good, but I feel as though this could do with a double bass or something to fill up the background. The horns towards the end of the song also sound a bit too extreme in the high end. All of these high frequencies sound a bit tiring to listen to after a while, and because of this I don't feel like listening to the song again after around 2 to 3 play-through's. Another problem with the mixing is that I think the harp could have some more reverb. Could be just me though, I really, really don't know how to mix properly.

Transitions-wise, I can't complain much. The transition at 0:27 where you introduced the bagpipes is without doubt my favourite transition from the whole song. There were some other nice transitions such as the one at 0:56, and even though at times the song would go quiet for a brief moment before continuing, the subtle seaside sound effect (alliteration unintended...) in the background sort of kept up a constant atmosphere. The transition to the climax at 2:44 was a tad bit abrupt but still well done. The only transition which I didn't like would be the one at 3:13, which sounds too abrupt in my opinion.

Lastly, I'll comment about the ending. I don't have much to say about it. It's a very soft ending, which fits with the intro and ended the song flawlessly. Nice job.

As a recap, I enjoyed the song. It's quite fantasy-themed and cinematic, but still has a soft atmosphere which I enjoyed a lot. The instrumentation was also great, as is the composition, and most of the transitions. It's the mixing which you could improve in mostly. Ah well, I thoroughly enjoyed the submission all in all; keep up the great work, and best of luck in the competition!
8/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

By the way, do you think you could check out my contest track?
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/liste n/389611

Jessismith responds:

I believe this is one of the longest, and most in-depth reviews I've gotten. I think you've pretty much summed it all up. :) Thanks so much for taking the time to make this review! (Now, I'll definitely have to take some time to review yours after I get back from work. ) Can't say I've played the game, Okami, but I've always wanted to. Curious to hear the soundtrack now. :)

Yeah, most of my stuff is free-flow type music. I just kind of play whatever. It's hard for me to make a decent melody in a structured piece for sure. I'll try to find a way to turn the harp up, without sounding choppy...somehow.

Hmm, well the pipes I used are actually the uilleann pipes, they are similar to bagpipes, but native to Ireland. Hey thanks! I do try to be original.

Indeed. The harp is my favorite instrument. I figured not many would use harps in this competition too, so it all worked out. Hmm, maybe like adding some more details to the story? I'll try to make it a bit more lengthy and more flowing with the song. Lol, thanks. :)

That makes sense. Hmm, and I thought about changing that part....well, adding some vocal to it anyway. It's good to hear that someone likes that part. I won't have to change it as much now. :) Yeah. I've tried to find ways around it. I may even end up mixing this whole song online. Glad to know I'm not alone.

Hmm, I suppose I can add a nice bass line throughout. Truthfully, I am wearing really bassy headphones, so it's hard to tell, as well as being hard to tell of really high frequencies. :P Okay. I'll do that too, and don't worry, you're really not bad at mixing. xD Folks like me don't even know where to start, lol.

Okay, wonderful. I intended that one transition to scare folks half to death, lol. :)

Thank you!

That's awesome. Really, thanks again for all of the advice, and taking the time to review it all. I've been altering it around somewhat as I've been typing. I think it's on its way there....hopefully. :)

And I'll definitely take the time to review your track...and everyone else's while I'm at it, after I get back from work.(leaving in two minutes)

Cheers!
And much thanks!
~S

[.:The Turkish Tango:.]

I've been listening to some of your songs...

...and I'm liking them. You go for a different approach from the other Newgrounds artists which is a welcome change to the usual house/trance songs that dominate the audio portal. Still, however, this isn't one of my favourites, I'm afraid. It sounds very bland, and precisely as you described it; hard for the ears. If you achieved what your friend asked you to do, then congrats there, but in all honesty, as a standalone submission, I don't think this is as good as your other stuff.

Like I said in the above paragraph, one of the things which irked me in this track would be that it sounds very bland. The computerized drums, low-quality sounds and somewhat dull instrumentation didn't give this the intricacy and the detail that one would look for in a song. I mean, my point is, I'm only hearing piano and the occasional guitar as melodic instruments, and the background didn't have that much depth, so I'd suggest working on that.

Dissonance didn't fit too well (I'd suggest taking a look at Kirbyfemur's work; his songs use dissonance in a more pleasant way) although since you said you were specifically asked to use dissonance by your friend, I won't complain about it.

One noticeable problem would be that the percussion isn't that good. It sounds very computerized, since all of the drum hits are the exact same velocity and in the exact right rhythm. I think humanizing the percussion a bit more will help to give this song a more natural sound. The percussion samples themselves weren't too interesting either - maybe you could take a shot at bongos and more jazz-type kits? Just a thought.

Having said all that, this has a rather unique sound to it. Some of the composition was admittedly interesting, and the song itself sounds quite original, especially compared to some other songs on NG. Not only that, but the rhythm change at 0:42 was quite enjoyable and even though it was quite different from the rest of the song, it was decently transitioned from the part prior to it.

As for a small comments, I'll say that the song looped very, well, to the point that if I don't look at the song time slider I wouldn't notice that it looped.

So, now for an overall recap. It's not that bad, although your other submissions are better in my opinion. This one is pretty simple and bland, not to mention some computerized sounds and rhythms too, which could be worked on to give a more natural feel. That's my opinion anyway. Good luck in your future submissions!
6/10
5/5 because 0-bombers suck.

-Review Request Club-

camoshark responds:

Thanks for the nice review, Steph!

Even thought I know it was partly done as the treat to preceed bad news, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing you appreciate my work and distinguish me from other fellow newgrounders, especially comming from you!

As for this piece, I don't mind people not likeing it. I honestly find it empty myself... I could maybe make a fuller version one day, but I'm not ready to engage to this piece more time than the others. I'm in constant evolution and am currently working on over three different pieces, each better than the other, so I leave the song here as a reminder of wich road not to take, or what errors not to re-do.

As for the drums and VI's, I'm going to have to repeat myself (I don't mind, just so you know) : I use a notation software, and not a sequencer, wich means the sounds you hear is the CPU playing the charts I told it to play. I write sheet music, and the CPU simply simulates what I would like real people to play one day. So all you hear on this site that is done by me is a preview, demo form of the actual thing.

Anyways, I'm writing this from my Wii, and I'm really sick of writing, so thanks againg for the great review, and glad to here you love my other work!

Cheers,
Samuel Hébert

[{dj-N} Regret]

So catchy!

Orchestral, piano trance, dance, dubstep... This is just a whole mix up of different genres, and to most other songs this would end up with a cluttered and weird song, but you've perfectly executed a mix of different genres. This has seriously left me speechless, and it's one of my favourite songs submitted to the whole NGADM. Fantastic job!

The piano would probably be my favourite thing about this submission. The melody was superb, and the rhythms, as always, were very nice and varied. The intro and outro were extraordinary, especially the outro, and the dubstep influences were great too. I think the dubstep bass could've had a bit more power to it, but it was still great. The drums were great, and so was the production, although I've learnt to expect that from you now :P.

I only have one tiny nitpick, which is the mix. Sure, this is mixed really well, although I can't help but think that this lacks a bit in the bass department. A few bassey pads and maybe a bassier dubstep bass would work out (that being said, I loved the sub-bass). Oh, and at times the song does get a bit boring, and you could've introduced a few additional sounds to it here and there, but what the heck, I need to stop this bad habit of nitpicking.

Alright, that's about it. Sorry for such a tiny review, but as I said, this seriously left me speechless. Excellent job overall, and keep up the superb work man.
10/10
5/5
Download.
Fav'd.

-Review Request Club-

Note: This is your Round 3 review of the NGADM competition.

[{dj-N} Electrodynamix]

Really cool.

You've got to love this song. Rhythmically, it's excellent, and it has some cool melodies too, something that's quite rare to find in this type of genre. As usual, great mixing/production as well, so I can without doubt call this an all-around enjoyable song. Great work!

What really stood out for me would be those fantastic rhythms. The hat line was awesome and the melodies had many different rhythms to keep the listener interested. The new section at 1:23 is quite a good relief from the main melody, and the sidechaining that you introduced soon afterwards was a nice touch. The transitions were pristine (I especially liked the one at 0:05-ish), except the one at 1:20 which in my opinion could be a bit less abrupt. I particularly liked the piano in this song, and therefore I think it could have been incorporated a bit more in the track. The supersaw arps sounded great and gave this track a nice space feel :D.

My main gripe with this would be that it can get a bit repetitive. Don't get me wrong, the structure is excellent, but unfortunately I found the song to be a bit repetitive since you repeated some patterns a bit too much, the way I see it.

As you can see, I don't have that many complaints with this song. It's a really awesome song. Has cool sounds, good melodies, good transitions and fantastic production. Just work a bit on the tiny flaws I mentioned in the second paragraph and the problem with variety, and it's perfect in my eyes, or rather, ears.
9/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

Note: This is your Round 2 review of the NGADM competition.

[{dj-N} Ambientronica]

Impressive.

A dubstep and ambient hybrid? Well, it's quite an original idea. I'm hearing a lot of dubstep elements throughout the song, but some ambient influences as well. Good stuff.

One thing I particularly liked would be the drums. Despite them being dubstep drums, they fit really nicely with some of the more ambient-like elements. The kick was nice and deep and the snare was superb. A good variety of different drum rhythms too. The mix was sublime and the melodies were pretty decent as well. The only thing which I didn't like about this submission would be that it can get quite repetitive. Some patterns were repeated quite a few times and while the background was nicely varied, I think the foreground has a lot of room for more variety.

In all, this is quite an enjoyable song. All I think this could improve in would be variety, but this is still a great submission.
9/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

Note: This is your Round 1 review of the NGADM competition.

[==(Let's Get Meditational]

Absolutely brilliant!

I knew I didn't have to worry about you making a boring track for this round. Yet again you haven't ceased to amaze me. As usual, you've got that progressive ambient feel down perfectly. I'm struggling to find some criticism to say about this. I mean, I'm tempted to learn how to mediate, JUST to mediate to this song!

What struck me the most was how relaxing and laid-back this is. Easily something I'd hear in a lounge of some sort. The rhythms that are introduced later in the song were really cool and catchy, and the melodies were all excellent. While I'm not such a fan of the effect you did at the beginning and end, I suppose it fits well with your description in the Author's Comments, so I can't complain. The song was also very well-structured, the background pads were perfect for this submission and the drums were all great, and they had a wonderfully progressive beat.

Now, unlike last time, thankfully I do have some criticism to say about this song. That would have to do with the really lengthy ambient intro. Sure, the ambient effects were awesome and they did remind me somewhat of meditation, but I only felt like the song actually started at 1:20. By 1:32 I started to get into the song, and then I felt that it ended too early because of the slow ambient intro taking over a large chunk of the song. The way I see it, the first minute and a half pass really slowly since the pads drag on so much, and then the remainder passed very quickly, leaving a pretty unsatisfying ending. I think you should lengthen the part from 1:18 onwards, start the part at 1:18 earlier in the song or add some more elements to the intro. Yeah, I know you were going for a trippy and relaxing feel at the beginning, but the intro took almost half the song and nearly felt like a completely different song, in my opinion :(. The transition from the ambient intro to the rest of the song was extraordinarily well done though.

Hah, looks like I had more to say than I expected. Ah well, other than the intro which didn't really stick out to me, this song is amazing and I loved it. You are now one rank upwards in my favourite artists list :D.
10/10
5/5
Download.
Mov'd one rank up in my favourites list.

-Review Request Club-

Note: I posted your NGADM Round 2 review because you like reviews so much :P.

[==(Marine Debris)==]

Easily one of the best submissions this round.

Can't deny it, you haven't ceased to amaze me. I was really impressed by this track and after hearing it more than three times, I have but one thing to say: please, spit in the face of music theory more often... OK I lied, that's not all I have to say. Here comes the review.

What strikes me so much about this song is that it's so atmospheric. The imagery this track provokes is truly extraordinary. I can easily imagine an underwater landscape with all sorts of debris floating around. Not only that, but the detail you put into this track is just out of this world. No matter how many times I listen to this, I always hear some superb ambiance effect going on in the background, or some new sound.

I'm going to be honest with you, you're one of the most talented artists on Newgrounds in my opinion. I hate to put so much praise into a review and no criticism but I simply can't see anything wrong with this. Outstanding work!
10/10
5/5
Download.

-Review Request Club-

Note: I posted your NGADM Round 1 review because you like reviews so much :P.

[==(Savage Sea)==]

Ridiculously atmospheric!

As usual, the imagery you evoke is just amazing. I very easily imagine a violent and rough sea pounding its waves onto some poor ship lost in the middle of an ocean. Despite your usual length of four to five minutes, it still kept my interest for a number of play-throughs. Excellent job.

Obviously, the most amazing aspect of this would be its incredible atmosphere. The constant ambiance and pads in the background contrasted greatly with the booming and echoing drums in the background, creating a deep yet powerful atmosphere. I've got to say, that's just brilliant. I particularly liked the reverb you put on the drums. It was just right; not too wet but not too dry, and this further helped that superb atmosphere. That synth you used to play the melody in the second portion of the song was just... wow. So unique, and still an amazing sound. Seriously, that thing gave me the goosebumps. Percussion on the whole was sublime, and the beat was fantastic (but as a minor nitpick I'll say that I think that the open hat gets annoying after a while - maybe using a few different samples which vary slightly in sound, and possibly turning its volume down too). Lastly, the transitions were extraordinary, especially the one at 3:52.

Now that I've complimented you enough, I'll say what my one main problem with this track is. The first half of the song was entirely devoted to building up a booming atmosphere, and then the drums become very minimal and soft all of a sudden and you have a very long and draggy melody which sounds as if it's building up to something amazing which never comes. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that melody, and the synth just makes it all the better, but the second half sounded pretty anti-climatic. This led to a pretty weird structure, in my opinion. My suggestion is to add the main pounding drum beat to the melody at 2:41 or so, and build up by adding new sounds from there. Also, try to keep the melody from sounding too anti-climatic, since there were a number of instances where the melody sounds like it's ended, but continues and sounds very anti-climatic.

As you can see, my only problem with this would be its structure. To be honest the structure didn't really appeal to me that much, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this song. Excellent work!
10/10
5/5
Download.

-Review Request Club-

Note: I'm posting this NGADM review here for your convenience :D.

[SSJ3 - Still Going Strong]

Catchy!

I've listened to a number of your submissions till now, and I must say that they all sound great, especially since you're only using soundfonts. I have the SGM-V2.01 soundfont, and even though it's a cool soundfont, I never knew you could make something as superb as this with a soundfont. This has such an 'RPG Final Boss' sound to it, and despite its simple melody, it's still catchy and well-made. Great job!

I'll review as I go along...

0:00 (Intro) - To be honest the intro didn't really catch my interest. That bass sounds very MIDI-ish (the soundfont is there to blame I guess) and I didn't think this song was going to be so interesting while hearing the intro. Maybe you could make the intro a bit quieter and give a more powerful buildup to the guitar that comes in later on. But it's not a bad intro.

0:11 - A guitar comes in, and the quick ride cymbal roll works out very well over here. Loved the transition, too.

0:23 - You slowly introduce more elements, with another fantastic transition. At this point I'm changing my mind about what I thought when hearing the intro. That new sound you introduced in the background fit really well.

0:47 - Just when the song's rhythm and melody gets repetitive, you introduce a key change. Nice touch, although right now I'm hoping the melody changes around a bit, or at least a different rhythm.

0:59 - You go back to the original key, with another good transition. Still, like I said, you could evolve the melody a bit more and give it some more variety. Also over here I'm starting to notice the drums. They sound very fitting, and the occasional drum fills are great. Kick sounds very weak though, you might want to bring it out a bit more.

1:23 - Loving the choirs you have going over here. The transition was a tad bit abrupt though, maybe you can start fading in the choirs at around 1:20 to give a smoother transition? I don't know, just a suggestion.

1:47 - Now this transition is good. You've got a single note of the choirs playing in the background for a very long time (wow, those choirs sure have a lot of breath don't they? :P). You repeated the main melody, and while I'm starting to get tired of it, the choirs in the background fit beautifully. I also REALLY like the drum beats.

2:47 - You introduce a very typical VG-ish synth. It's great, very fitting.

2:59 - Damn that's one cool synth.

3:11 - Another great transition, and you repeat the counter-melody you first played at 1:23.

3:47 - A little break, and then you introduce the guitar again. Here it's becoming pretty obvious that the song is getting to an end. Eventually you introduce that cool synth again, which was a nice touch.

4:11 - By far my favourite transition of the whole track. The synth playing a long note and the main melody in the background... excellent.

4:35 (Ending) - You finally end the song after 4 and a half minutes of awesomeness :D. The ending is brilliant, but it has a bit of room for improvement. Maybe the ending note could have been a bit more powerful, like maybe some long reverse cymbal plays before it and then a more powerful crash plays.

Perhaps while the ending note is playing you can make a long ride cymbal roll similar to what you had at the beginning except a bit longer, before you end the song at 4:41. Still, just some nitpicks, TBH I love the ending.

-GENERAL COMMENTS-

Overall this is one hell of a submission. I'd say that this belongs under the Video Game genre. It has a very prominent VG Boss Battle theme to it with the guitar, synth and all. The drums are well varied, with beats that fit flawlessly in the song, and the melodies are catchy. That, coupled with some really amazing transitions and a solid song structure make this a great song.

Having said that, the sound quality could be better, although that's out of your control I guess so I won't complain too much. Just work on making the kick of the drum kit a bit more powerful, varying the song a bit more and fixing some of the minor nitpicks I mentioned around the review. In all, keep up the great work!
8/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

Shiverwar responds:

I forgot to put on there that I used a different soundfont for the bass. The ones on the SGM sound too MIDI, but the bass soundfont I have worked just fine for me. :D

Wow. I never expect these kinds of reviews. Long ones at that. Lol. You are right, there is room for improvement. This was kind of made on the spur of the moment, so yeah, it's understandable that you might say that.

On another note, I really must thank you for your words. The SGM soundfont really has the basic essentials I need for these kinds of songs, though I wish I could use that VST you have, the East/West thing. That would REALLY help me out here.

You might want to look at some more of my other subs, such as my Endless Confrontation submissions (both the original AND the redux I did), Fearless, the original Facing the Storm I made, and perhaps some others. :D

Thanks again for your wonderful and long review! I eagerly await another!