Step's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[MH16: It's Time]

Love it!

I think this is one of your best songs, or at least just as good as 'Nowhere to Hide'. I really enjoyed this song, and I'm also impressed as to how well it fits with the name. I definitely wouldn't have thought of a better name for this. Man, the more I hear it, the more I like it ^^. Keep up the awesome work man, one or two more songs as good as this and you're definitely going straight to my favourite artists list! Nice job!

The melodies, wow. They are so catchy. That's what I like about your melodies. They're so simple and easy to listen to yet they do their job really well in your songs, and are always catchy and have a great hook to them. The melodies in this song are no exception. Piano melody at the beginning was very catchy, and the melody at 1:02 was by far one of the best melodies I've ever heard for a long while. I was also quite impressed by your amount of different alternate melodies. The song never even got slightly repetitive, with new melodies coming in, and each one matching so well with the next. Harmonization was also great, and it's a mystery how you harmonize so well without ever having any experience in music theory :S.

Still, I'll have to agree with alternativesolution about those chords. They sound too 'robotic', despite the fact that this is played by instruments that can be played in real life. In other words, try and humanize your songs a little. Make the notes in the chord not all starting at EXACTLY the same time, maybe configure the velocities a little too. If you use FL Studio, to do this, go to the piano roll where your notes/chords and hit Alt+S to open the strumizer. Then, configure the knobs slightly to change when the notes start, when they end, how long they are, the velocities, etc. Here's an example:
http://www.mediafire.com/?dyjwhimq2kz
Also, you can even quantize and randomize by hitting Alt+Q or Alt+R respectively, and playing around with the knobs to humanize the song a little and not make it sound robotic...

The instruments are fantastic quality, especially that piano. As for your instrument choice, I really liked it. I liked that bassoon, or tuba, or bass flute, or whatever it was, at 0:28, it was a nice touch, and I liked the flute, too. That xylophone or whatever it was at 1:17 was also really cool, and added a lot to that part. The background depth in this song is also very good, with the strings providing a nice amount of depth to keep the song with just the right fullness. Maybe at 1:02 you could add some piano playing some arpeggios or something in the background, but that's probably just a matter of taste. Nothing to complain about when it comes to the instruments/instrument choice, awesome job!

As usual, your transitions are brilliant. Every instrument came in very smoothly, and all of your transitions were smooth and epic, especially the one at 0:59. The song flowed extremely smoothly, and I especially liked your buildups. The song built up smoothly, since you introduced new things gradually and one by one, and then built down pretty smoothly too. Good job with the transitions, they were extraordinary, and IMO a song with transitions as great as these is always an awesome song.

The structure is very, very good. The only thing I'd complain about when it comes to the structure would be the same as plasticmanticor's complaint, that I think it's a bit of a bummer that you faded the instruments out and let the piano come in without adding some sort of climax. The fact that the instruments faded out when the listener would be expecting some sort of climax was quite anticlimatic, so maybe some grand finale with all the instruments before it gets to the piano part at the end would make the song a bit more epic, in my opinion. Other than that, the structure was extremely good. Variety was great as well, because as I said above, you had many alternate melodies, keeping the song varied very well.

Hmm... running out of characters. I'll continue reviewing with my alt, DarkShadow166. But come on, 4000 characters is nowhere close to enough for a decent review xP.

FairSquare responds:

It's time.. to finally respond to this nice review. I waited way too long with responding, but eh, i'm a procrastinator.
I'm so happy you like this song so much :)
And about my harmonies and melodies.. i have no idea how i come up with those all the the time. I mean, i just start a song and when i like the beginning i get into a sort of.. trance. And then everything i do goes almost automatically. Often, when i revisit an old projectfile i think.. 'Wow, did I do that? How did i come up with that?!' xD
And about the Mediafire link.. it's not working :(
Thanks for the tips about humanizing my songs :)
Seriously, reviews like this are so nice to get, thank you!
On to the next review...

[The Great Edenia]

Calming...

This is a nice song, which is really calming to listen to. Still, in my opinion, it has a few defects here and there.

Firstly, I think the flute occasionally had notes which were too high. Maybe you could add some lower instrument in the background to stop the high notes from becoming too ear-piercing or annoying. Or you could simply move those notes an octave lower or change them. Also, I don't think a flute can go that high, unless it's a piccolo, but even then there are some notes in this song which go too low for a piccolo, I believe. I could be wrong though.

Also, the song is a tad bit on the short side. I understand that this is an intro to a song, but it feels unjust to give this song a higher score than now when it's only just over 1 minute long. By the way, I don't know how you're going to transit from this intro to a metal song, so good luck with that xP.

In addition, this song lacks depth. There's only some slight ambience in the background. I really liked the bird chirping and nature sounds that you added, since they greatly added to the calmness of this submission, but unfortunately it's not enough depth. Add some string ambience or something, maybe a bassoon, or a harp. Just something to add to the background depth a little, since IMO it sounds a bit empty.

Finally, I don't agree with some of the sounds you've chosen. I liked the sound of the flute, and as I said, the nature sounds were awesome, but I don't like some of the other sounds. Am I hearing a helicopter at the beginning? :S Whatever sound it is, I really don't think it fits well with the theme of the submission. There are some other sounds like windmill (?) sounds which are also slightly out of place...

Still, on the bright side, you managed to evoke a brilliant atmosphere with the flute, and although at times I think some notes were held to long and started to get a bit rough on the ears, the melody was very good, and the ending was perfect. It's a nice and soothing way to end this small song ^^.

Now for the scene you asked for in that thread ages ago. Sorry that I'm not GAT-X300, he's on holiday right now and asked me to take his place. I'm obviously not as good as him, but here goes...

----------------------

The lone traveler reaches a place to rest, on top of a hill. Around him, he is surrounded by a natural wonder. A serene landscape where nothing ever disturbs the tranquility and pleasing sounds of nature. A waterfall is heard, the water hitting its bodies onto the rocks below, birds are chirping as the sun starts to rise, the wind sings its way through the leaves, leaving a relaxing rustling sound, the trees seem to dance to the wind's tunes by swaying left and right in a majestic manner.

The traveler covers his eyes as the illuminating sun dominates the forest with its bright and powerful light. He looks up to the sky and sees a flock of birds innocently flying over the small yet picturesque waterfall. He lets out a deep sigh of relaxation, and lies down, letting his problems disappear and his thoughts drift away, carried by the stunning glow of the morning horizon.

----------------------

I hope you enjoyed the scene, and I hope it fits well with this song. Keep up the good work!
7/10
4/5

-Review Request Club-

[[dB] End of the World]

Wow!

Seriously, for someone who uploaded such little songs to NG, this is really impressive. If I had to hear it without knowing how many songs you uploaded to NG, I would've guessed you uploaded like 50 :P. Boss job, man, sounds awesome! However, it still has a few issues, which is why I shall proceed to act like an assy critic...

The melodies here are fantastic. As Haggard said, the fast-paced piano and slow pan flute provide an interesting contrast, leaving a powerful effect. The fast piano seems to represent you 'running for your life', while the pan flute seems to represent a 'hopeless' feel, as if the world is going to end, and running is useless. I'd say the pan flute melodies were the coolest, but the piano was well done too. I also liked those four bass notes you added in the four bar piano loop, they're a small thing but they seem to make a huge difference on the amount of tension that this song evokes.

Harmonization was very good, and considering you never took any music lessons, either you made a lucky guess and managed to harmonize well or you're a born natural at harmonization :P. The only thing I'll complain about is the lack of alternate melodies. There were only 2 piano loops, 1 pan flute loop with a few changes, and then on the other hand you added many different things like pizzicatos, varied drums and changes in structure, so although this is quite well varied, the fact that you lack different melodies does make it slightly monotonous to listen to.

The instruments are all great quality, except maybe the piano, which I would agree with Shoephly in. The piano sounds a little rough, maybe you can EQ it a little to get a smoother, less 'broken' sound, or maybe change the piano sample altogether. Other than the piano, instruments were awesome, and I'm also extremely impressed by your instrument choice. Pizzicato strings, pan flute, piano, choir, drums, wow... They all seem to contribute to the story and emotion that this song tries to depict. I can easily imagine myself running from some huge thing that's about to destroy the world with this song. The choir was a very nice addition, as well. Pizzicato strings were extraordinary, I think you could add a little more of them around the song.

By the way, this song needs mastering. Are you using a limiter on your master? If so, take it off and master the song, since the pan flute is way too quiet, the piano is too loud, and the drums sidechain everything making the song on the whole sound cluttered and weird...

Transitions on the whole were very good. The only transition I didn't like was the one at 2:43-ish. The drums switched beat out of nowhere - almost randomly. Other than that, the transitions are very good, and the crash cymbal that you added was awesome and made great transitions. The transition at 1:51-ish was awesome; the way it suddenly stopped and then reached an epic climax was perfectly executed and IMO fit with the song really well. New instruments were introduced well on the whole, and the buildup at the beginning was cool.

The song structure at times seems a little messy, as if new things come in when they're not expected to, and at times the variety needed some work, but overall the song is pretty well structured. Intro was awesome, especially since you started it with the fast piano and the reverse cymbal was a nice touch, but maybe you should add more reverb to that reverse cymbal, you know, give it more of a ring to it. The ending, wow, I loved it. Since the song name is '*End* of the World', it's important that this has a good ending, and the powerful final note sort of depicted the world falling and exploding in a giant ball of flame xD.

The drums are out of this world. When the beat came in, I was like *wow* O.O. It fits well with the song, and it was well varied too. I liked your kick, it was very powerful, and the sticks that you added were a nice addition too. Good job!

It has quite a few defects, but has such an original style I had to give it a 10/10. Keep it up, man!
10/10
5/5
Download.

-Review Request Club-

Decibel responds:

Woah, yet another hell of a review from the review master himself ;-)
I dont know how im going to write as much as u but ill try dammit.!

Yes i do submit little songs on newgrounds but thats because i get writers block and i work very slowly, not to mention school in the damn way, it my dream to make 50 songs, and i would like it if u review every single one of them. ;-)

Its true, I also agree with haggard about the piano and the melodies in my opinion are some of my best work, i fiddled for hours to make that but it finnally came out correctly.The pan flute and pizzicato strings were added in order to make the song good and non repetetive, not to mention the choir whih was very well done. lol im modest XD

The alternization sucked, yeah, but hey gimme a break im just startin to make good musik, ps, a DnB song Comin soo ::P

My Fave part was teh drum solo which i love doing...

Thanks for tha review
<Deejay>

[[KgZ] Jurs OP 4]

Nice!

I can't really find anything wrong with this, except for maybe a slightly short length. It sounds really well done!

The melody is catchy, and if you close your eyes you're instantly taken to a tropical beach with music going on and people basking in the hot sun. The piano also compliments the song very well, and has that sort of 'relaxed' feel. The piano solo in the middle was excellent. The drums were also really good. Woodblock was a great addition, and the beats were catchy. I liked how you managed to find a cross between Hip Hop and tribal. Still, I'll have to agree with PoyzenJam that I think this needs some congas to it. Intro was great though, it's as if you were hearing the song from far away.

Anyway, here's the scene. I'm taking GX3's place while he's on holiday, I hope you like my first ever scene...

----------------------

'I have to get away from the busy city life' John thought to himself as he accelerated through the motorway. As he left the city, he smiled to himself when he heard the familiar noises of car horns and people chattering starting to fade away. After a half an hour drive, he finally made it to his destination. It was a late July morning, and the sun was at its brightest. He passed through a few trees and bushes, and it wasn't long before he heard some muffled music. He passed through a large leaf, he heard the music clearly, and he saw a large and resplendent tropical beach.

The beach was beautiful. Children were playing along the seashore, and everyone was getting the most of the warm and welcoming sun. The music immediately put John at ease. He touched the sea, and the temperature was just right. Everything seemed perfect in this tropical paradise.

He found a spot under a leaning tree, put his suncream on, laid his towel, sighed, lied down and forgot about all of his problems. The sound of the waves gently crawling onto the seashore relaxed him. He stretched, and knew that he had a relaxing day ahead of him. He slowly closed his eyes, letting the calm and relaxing soundscape drift him off into a light sleep. No more city. No more problems. Paradise.

----------------------

Sorry for such a short scene, it's my first :(. Hope you liked it; if you didn't GX3'll make one for you when he gets back from his holiday I suppose. Anyway, I hope my scene isn't too bad, and great job with the song!
10/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

[MH16: Lonely Plains]

Not your best...

...But the fact that it's not one of your best doesn't make it a bad song at all. This sounds really awesome. Still, I know you could do a little better than this, so what I'm trying to say is, this is an awesome song, but not so much of an awesome MH16 song :P.

The melodies are really nice. There are some parts in the melody where I expected the notes to go higher in pitch but they didn't, although that may just be personal taste. The melodies are extremely well done, and very majestic indeed. Piano provided some good depth to the song, although some small piano solo somewhere instead of keeping the piano mostly in the background would be cool. Maybe somewhere towards the end you add a piano part with some strings in the background before getting to some epic climax. I liked the string part at 0:58-ish. It's good to not always keep to brass as the main instrument but vary a little, since it gives the song that little extra variety to keep the listener enjoying it to its fullest.

As for the instruments, obviously great quality, that's what's expected from Edirol I suppose :D. What I'd ask for would be a flute. I don't know if you did add a flute somewhere in the song (I'm deaf from one ear so I can never be too sure...) but I'm not hearing any flute... I was practically begging for a flute to come in somewhere :P. I think that if done correctly, it'll make the song even more majestic and flow even more smoothly than it is now. I think a pan flute might be even better at this case, to give that sort of 'natural' or 'primitive' sound, if you get what I mean. If Edirol doesn't have a pan flute sample, I can send you one if you want. Anyway, other than the fact that I think this song needs some more woodwind, I think the instrument choice is very good. I didn't expect choirs in a song like this, but I was surprised how well they fit. By the way, I think the instruments need some more EQ-ing (unless it's my speakers).

The transitions are all really smooth. The only thing I would complain about when it comes to the transitions is that I think the reverse cymbal that you used in this song cut off a bit too quickly. Give it a little more reverb to it, since it sort of ends out of nowhere almost, and I think some more reverb would do wonders to some of the transitions in this song. New instruments were introduced very well, although maybe a buildup at the beginning would be better. Maybe start with brass only, and then introduce the piano, then the strings and finally the drums, instead of starting with the brass, piano and strings altogether and then introducing the drums after. I think by gradually introducing new instruments at the beginning, you'll make the intro a bit more interesting.

The structure, as always, is flawless. The song was very well structured, and the variety is also excellent. There were many different melodies, and the song never got repetitive. The intro was also awesome, except for two things. Firstly, as I said above, I think the intro could do with a more gradual intro, and secondly, maybe starting it with a bit more ambience and then moving on to the part at 0:06-ish later would be better (for ambience, you could do stuff like birds chirping, leaves rustling, some wind effects, maybe a river splashing in the background, some subtle ambience with the strings, maybe, etc...). The outro is perfect, except that I think the final note could use a crash cymbal to accompany it and give it a bit more importance than any of the other notes.

Gah, running out of characters... Anyway, onto the drums: I don't really have much criticism for them. They were nice and laid back, complimenting the majestic and calm melodies, plus the beat was nice, they were just the right volume and they never got repetitive. Samples weren't really anything too special, but it's not much of a problem when the beats and variety are so good.

This is an awesome submission, with great melodies, excellent structure/variety, etc, and although it's not your best, it still rocks. Keep it up!
9/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

FairSquare responds:

:O <-- that was my face when i saw this review, because it's incredibly long :p
Also, i find it hard to respond to long reviews like this. I don't really know why. Anyway, there's a lot of useful advice in your review that i'm going store in my brain and i'm sure i will use it in other songs. Heck, i might even edit this song, if i'm not too lazy :p
But seriously, thanks for this review. Btw, i didn't use any Edirol in this :p Oh, and your speaker is fine, i just suck at EQ'ing and mastering.
Once again, thanks!

[O' (Finished)]

Nice!

I knew I was going to have some good competition for the contest. This sounds really cool, keep up the good work.

Yeah, the melodies are very catchy. You're really talented when it comes to melodies, and here is no exception. The main melody is catchy, and when the beat comes in, I was like 'wow, those match perfectly'. Also, towards the end, the song really picked up, and was really fun to listen to.

Unfortunately, I don't agree with a lot of the 'notes that are held out longer than what they probably should' in this. They feel as if they're 'forced' into playing for longer than they should be, instead of having that 'natural' held back feel, if you know what I mean, and at times the piano lingered behind the beat which was a little weird. I'd suggest making some parts where the piano plays some high notes on its own, and THEN adding some notes which are longer than they should be, since those notes sound weird when played with the beat, making the listener lose track of the song.

Still, on the bright side, the offbeat notes were fun to listen to, and the chords you used are really well done. By the way, I'll have to agree with RiotProof that this song needs some EQing. By the way, the synth (?) that you added sounded a bit weird, and sort of ruined the feel you originally set with the piano. Replace it with some strings, or possibly a woodwind instrument such as a pan flute.

The transitions overall were decent, even though there were a few transitions which made me lose the song's rhythm. Also, the transition at 3:13 doesn't sit well with me, I think maybe it's because you took away the piano and drums a bit too suddenly. Still, a lot of the other transitions were cool, such as the way you introduced the piano and beat at 3:30. The song structure is very good - perhaps at times a little random, but a good song structure in general.The intro was great, I can't find anything to complain about, and so was the ending, so great job ^^.

The drums had good samples, and the beats were very cool, and fit extremely well with the piano. The drums in general were well varied. The only thing I would ask for would be some more cymbals. You mostly had tomtom drums, a kick and a snare. Some parts in the song could do with some ride cymbals and maybe some hihats, and I think this definitely needs some crash cymbals too, namely when you took away the drums from the song, since most of the time they exited from the song quite abruptly and suddenly, so by adding a crash cymbal right after they exit the song, I think it would provide a smoother exit.

Overall, this is a really cools submission, and Darklight and I sure have to work if we want to beat this :P. Keep up the great work, you're an excellent piano artist, and you have quite a large chance of being $50 richer towards mid-April xP. Keep it up! Also, I'd appreciate it if you check out my latest WiP, I'm about to post it on the WiP advice thread ;).
8/10
4/5

-Review Request Club-

Kirbyfemur responds:

A lot of those extra held out note where by accident, and where mostly me just being lazy and not wanting to fix it, but it ended up making it hard to put the beats and melodys/harmonies together lol I'll try to fix some of the more forced sounds here and there. Though luckily we have a few months to work on this. The Synth i used was mainly because i like that sound, and it was just an easy go to for me, i'll figure out a better sound for that part. As far as the drums go, i'll try to add more toms and other cymbols, but my main problem its the evenness when i do, i'll figure it out those. Thanks for your rather kind words and good luck to you as well sir, i'll be looking forward to yours and the other's sumbissions =3

[Electric Pulse [PDM]]

...What's with all the spaceships?

I don't think of being in a spaceship when I hear this :S. Oh well, what the heck. Spaceships or no spaceships, this rocks, and although some issues stop me from giving you a 10, you almost got a 10, and I hope you keep developing your awesome talent.

Melodies, like in Blinder, the other song I reviewed, are very catchy and awesome. I liked that egyptian-ish guitar you used, and the rhythms and melodies of the main guitar rocked. Overall, the melodies were well done, and like Korgazoid, I liked that sound you used at 0:58-ish. 2:05 was a pretty cool part too. I don't really think there's anything wrong with your melodies, they sound awesome. Still, I think that in the middle of the song you should introduce a style change, since the song gets a little boring. You could try a rhythm change, or an ambient part. That's just a small nitpick though, not much of a problem. Good job with the melodies!

The instrument choice, like in Blinder, is very creative and original. I still don't know how you manage to make a guitar sound so good with the electronic synths that you had over here. I mean, I don't even know what genre to call your songs. They sound pretty industrial, yeah, but they are so original and creative that you can never be too sure. Again, the guitar sounded fantastic, and the other instruments you used such as that heavy saw synth (?) at 2:05, and the desert-ish guitar. I liked the 8-bit sounds you incorporated which can be heard most clearly at the beginning of the song. I liked your guitar effects as well, they added a lot to the submission and were a nice touch.

Now, the transitions are probably my largest complaint in this. Some transitions were decent, but the majority of the transitions were abrupt and weird. 0:51 felt really off, and was a weird and abrupt transition, and so was 1:07 where the guitar switched from those long notes to the short notes so suddenly. The drum transition at 1:31 didn't quite fit either, and the transitions at 2:05 and 3:09 switched from loud to soft much too abruptly, IMO. Even though this may be small nitpicks, altogether I think they ruin the song quite a bit. Also, I think the transition at 2:37 needs a crash cymbal to indicate the beginning of the chorus, since after hearing the drum roll before it, I expected something a little more powerful, so I think a crash would do the job well.

New instruments on the whole were introduced pretty well, even though some instruments sort of came out of nowhere, but on the other hand, there were a few small buildups which were well executed. When it comes to the structure, it's pretty well done. Aside from the fact that the song was transitting from one melody to another almost randomly, in my opinion the structure was decent. However, the variety wasn't too good IMO. The main melody was repeated a bit too much, so in some parts you should substitute the main melody for an alternate melody instead, and by adding some style change inbetween the song, you'd be adding some more variety.

The intro was awesome. The guitar smoothly came in along with the powerful drums and provided a great intro. Unfortunately, the ending was weird. Apart from the fact that the transition was rough, It was a really weird way to end the song. I think a powerful final guitar chord would do the trick, instead of ending it like that. Maybe you could consider a fade out, but I think a proper ending would be better...

The drums were rock-style drums which fit very well with the theme of the submission, and their volume level was just right, plus the beat you used was catchy and well executed and the drum samples were great. At times the drums fit pretty well with the submission too, although as I said, you should add a crash cymbal at 2:37, and even some other parts in the song could use a crash cymbal. Also, the drums badly need variety, since it was the same 2 bar drum beat for almost the whole song...

It has a few issues, but overall it's a decent song. Keep up the great work, and thanks for reviewing my song!
9/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

Elfire responds:

Thanks dude, yeh basically this was one of the first things i ever made when i started out and looking back its pretty shit, if i had cubase still i reckon i would be able to make this into something decent I.E produce it better/compression and add the sparkle like the crashes you mentioned. Had vocals in mind for it but never found anyone willing to do it in the end *sigh*

and yes, transitions are my bane =(

Thanks again for the epic review dude!

[Hyperactive (WIP)]

Cheesy...

...But overall a pretty good job. This is a nice submission that overall fits pretty well with the name, and although sounds a little generic and at times rather repetitive, it's quite fun to listen to. For your first submission to NG, this sounds great, and I hope you keep up your good work, since you clearly have talent when it comes to producing ;). By the way, this is R4R, since you reviewed my song, so as I said, I'll return it.

The melodies sound nice. Not all of them are too catchy but some stick in your head, and go with the whole 'Hyperactive' vibe. Piano could use a little more than 3 notes played by some simple chords, though. I think this song could really benefit if you added some epic fast-paced piano solo or something. The saw lead melodies were pretty good. First one sounded a little off-tune or something (could be my not-so-musically-experienced ears, or my poor excuses for 'speakers') but overall the melodies were nicely done. I liked the melody at 3:27-ish, that was probably the catchiest. Also, the portamento you put on the saw waves was a nice addition, since it furthermore added to the cheerful, upbeat and fast-paced rhythm that this song has. Overall, decent melodies. Some melodies could be a little more complicated or have a bit more of a hook to them, but in general, melody-work was fine ^^.

As for the instruments, I don't really have much to compliment you about them. The piano was good quality I suppose, but other than that, the synths were nothing new or special. Just the same generic saw lead, and maybe you get some originality points for not using an offbeat saw bass, but even then the bass you have now is pretty uninteresting. Did you try an acid bass? Maybe that'd work, or possible some arp or bass pad. You have to find a bass which isn't generic but at the same time is interesting to listen to and fits with the overall theme of the song.

The effects, well, it's probably one of the main things which pulled your score down to a 7. There were none or almost no effects at all. No filter automations, little or no reverb, no delay, etc, and you also didn't use any sound effects like sweeps or something. In my opinion, this song could do with some more effects here and there, possibly instead of fading parts in, you can automate them in with filters or something. Use your imagination: you have the talent, now you just need the imagination to execute it well :). Also, some well-timed vocal sample in this song would be awesome (for example at about 0:26 or so).

The transitions weren't really too special. There were no sudden transitions or anything, but for most of the transitions you simply faded a new introduction to synth in, which although provided a smooth transition, wasn't really too special. It's OK to fade a few things in here and there, but many transitions in your song were simple volume fade-ins. Buildup at the beginning was good, though.

The structure is very simple, and I wouldn't complained about it if you didn't have that name. The fact that the song is called 'Hyperactive' makes me imagine some hyperactive person running around all over the place, first doing one thing, then quickly getting tired of that, and moving on to another thing, which sort of matched the song, where when one melody was tired of playing, it simply faded in onto the next. So yeah, it shows pretty clearly that the name and the song are a perfect match ^^.

On the other hand, the variety didn't impress me much, TBH. I mean, you said yourself. 22 patterns, and you spread them into 4:30. Usually, in any songs I make which are around that length, I'd have around 50 to 60 patterns, normally 4 bars or 8 bars long. So yeah, what I'm saying is, you need to introduce some more variety in this. There are some parts where I think the melody gets repeated too much, and gets boring to listen to. Either you add some more counter-melodies, or take out some repetitive parts, therefore shortening the song.

Hmm... almost out of characters already, lol xD. I'll continue the review on my alt, DarkShadow166...

Dj-GST responds:

Haha, thanks for the review man! First of all, this isn't my first submissions to NG, It's just my first sumbission to this profile (I have another one on here with older songs, PM me if you want the link).

I respect your honesty and eye for details, I'll be looking at this review quite a bit for my changes, there's a lot of good suggestions.

The reason that this song is very simple and has hardly any effects is because, mainly, I was lazy and threw this together quick, as well as I don't know how to do sweeps or any of those kinds of effects (If you know how, can you PM me and tell me how?).

I'll work on the complexity and pitch of the melodies, as well as make a couple more to make it less repetitive.

I was actually thinking of doing a fast piano melody but didn't because I was being lazy...I'll make sure to make one or two for the full version.

I'll try your ideas for the bass, I just found a happy sounding one and put it in.

Long review, but very helpful. I appreciate it man.

[<EagleGuard> Frozen Forests]

Wow!

This seriously sounds really good, and I definitely enjoyed listening to it. What I liked was how you managed combine a forest feeling to a cold and snowy feeling. Good stuff.

The melodies are amazing, especially the harp's melodies, and the flute was out of this world. I think the flute gave a sort of 'nature' feeling to this, and sounded very eerie, in a good way :D. 0:56 was a cool harp part, and when it got to the end, the song really picked up and I enjoyed listening to it even more. Perhaps you could add some more background depth to this, such as more strings, and maybe even some louder/more brass or choirs. Right now, a few parts feel slightly empty for some reason and I think this could really do with some more depth.

Also, I noticed a few discordant parts in this. It could just be me, since I'm unexperienced in music, but I noticed some parts which sounded a little off and discordant, such as the part at 0:35 where I think the harp didn't fit too well with the flute. Again, it could just be me and my non-musical ears, so I won't reduce any points for that. Also, this has a very good amount of alternate melodies, giving the song more variety and making it more fun to listen to, so great job!\

As for the instruments, they were awesome quality. As I said above though, this needs a few more instruments, such as some women choirs to give more of a cold, winter feel (PM me if you want an excellent choir VST). Other than that, the instruments' quality was superb. Just one issue I'm having with your instruments, that could just be my horrible speakers, but I think that some of the instruments need EQing, mainly the harp, which had some higher notes clipping a little. To pinpoint an example, take the third harp note from the song. There are many more examples, but that's the first to come up in the song. Could just be your harp sample though. Anyway, instrument choice was awesome. The strings gave the song some cool suspense, and the flute was a very nice addition, plus the harp evoked an excellent atmosphere. I think your strings need to be a bit louder, though. Also, some forest sound effects would do wonders in this submission ;).

The transitions are really smooth and perfectly executed, IMO. No transition felt abrupt, and the song flowed smoothly ^^. All instruments were introduced very well, and there were some nice buildups in the song, although a more gradual buildup at the beginning would've been cool, such as maybe first making the harp only play, then add the strings, then add some other instrument, and then add the flute, or something like that, instead of starting with the harp and strings and then introduce the flute a few seconds after.

The song structure is superb, and among one of the best classical song structures I've heard in a while. As for the variety, it's also out of this world, which is why I never get tired listening to this song. Awesome job. Intro, as I said above, needs a better buildup, but other than that, using the harp was a nice way to start the song. As for the ending, you had a good idea on how to end it, but I'll have to agree with Joshsouza that you should expand the ending a little more. Maybe keep the final arpeggio at 2:10 keep going higher for another four notes, and then, with a ritardando, the song ends on the final harp note you did at 2:15. Also, the ending needs a bit more silence, IMO.

As for the drums, there aren't many drums, but what there was really impressed me. Very nice tambourine work, it was so fitting in this song, and the timpani gave the song some nice depth. The cymbal was also good for some transitions, and the samples sound very good. The drums were also just the right volume too, and were well varied. Good job with the percussion! :)

Other than a few nitpicks, I think this is a very good song, which has loads and loads of potential. I hope you keep up your good work, you're an excellent composer, and sorry if some parts in my review didn't make sense. I'm in a bit of a hurry =/. Great job, keep it up!
9/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

EagleGuard responds:

That's gotta be the longest review I've ever seen on Newgrounds. Thanks for taking your time to write it!

I was thinking about putting instruments like choirs in in the first place, but in the end I thought it would be a bit too much if I did that. I can't use VST's, by the way, as I'm using Reason 4 to make my music (I have cubase though, although I don't like using it that much)

The part at 0:35 sounds right in my ears :) It could be your speakers (I use headphones by the way)

I'll think about the ending, the instruments and the sound effects. Perhaps I'll make an extended edition in the future.

Thanks for the awesome review, it's much appreciated!

[Plan of Battle]

Wow!

Man, that sound awesome. It really fits with the name, and I can barely find any faults in it. I love it!

The melodies are fantastic, especially the brass melodies. They evoke that epic 'war' theme, and give out a feeling of tension and despair. I also imagine a map being laid out and instructions/strategic tactics being thought out and discussed with solemn voices. The background depth is excellent, with flawless harmonization. I really liked the strings' melody that came in towards the end, when the song changes mood from a march rhythm to a fast rhythm. There was also a very good number of different melodies. I mean, you have enough melodies to fill in a 2:30 song nicely, and yet you manage to fit them all in just over one minute perfectly ^^.

Instruments here sound awesome. I'm guessing you use East/West? Your instrument choice here is also very good: brass, strings, choirs; you can never go wrong with them :D. I particularly liked the pizzicato strings you added, since they furthermore added to the tension and power that this song has. I also liked your hits in the song, they were powerful, rich, and were a nice touch to the song. I don't think there are any more instruments that would add to this submission, so nice job!

The transitions are great, and the song flowed very smoothly throughout, except maybe the transition at 0:50 which I'm not really too sure about. I think it goes from the march rhythm to the fast-paced/action packed rhythm a bit too suddenly. Perhaps by making the song go quiet for a bar and in that bar, bass drums and a cymbal roll build up and then you start the part at 0:50. I'm not too sure about it, but maybe it'll fix the slightly rough and abrupt transition that you have. Other than that nitpick, the transitions were epic ^^. Very nice buildup at the beginning, where you gradually introduced new instruments.

When it comes to the structure, I don't really think it's too good. It starts on a really good structure, and then it continues at 0:50 where the song changes mood. It stays like that for 4 bars and the song's ending hit sort of comes out of nowhere. At 0:50, it feels as if you started a new song, and then you end it out of the blue at 0:57. Maybe you should lengthen the song to keep the song going for at least 12 more bars, playing in the mood you set out at 0:50, and then you end it, or you could just remove the part at 0:50 and end it somewhere around there, but it'd be a bummer since the part at 0:50 is awesome :C. The variety, on the other hand, is top-notch, and I didn't get tired of the song for even a second.

The intro is brilliant. I liked that you started it with those hits, you hear a double bass playing in the background, and then the song starts. Quite an effective intro IMO. As for the ending, as I said above, the fact that you ended it a bit too early and out of nowhere sort of ruined the ending. You could try and loop it by removing the hit at 0:57 and all of the silence afterwards, or you could try and end it by lengthening the part at 0:50 for another 12 bars and then ending it with a powerful final hit or something. Yes, I'm nitpicky :(.

The drums are top notch. Loved the snare beats, they were very well varied, and fit with the song perfectly. There was an excellent variety of drum samples, and each sample sounded superb. What did you use to make the percussion? It sounds amazing. If there was anything I would do to the drums, is turn that snare up a little, since it feels sort of drowned out by the rest of the instruments.

Well, overall it sounds really cool, and the only defects I can find in it are pure nitpicks. If you would fix the ending a little, maybe lengthening the part at 0:50 for another 12 bars or so, fixing the transition at 0:50, and turning the snare's volume up a little, I think this song would be perfect. Keep up the awesome work, you're an excellent classical composer, and if your game is as good as this song, then I have a hunch that it'll be awesome. Thanks for reviewing my loop!
10/10
5/5
Download.

-Review Request Club-

Joerao responds:

Woah, thanks for the novel! :D I agree that the end came out of nowhere- I'll try to fix that. And you're right- I mainly used some Eastwest instruments with some free VSTs thrown in. I probably should elongate that part at 0:50- it does sound kind of hurried and is too short.

Thanks again for your input!