Step's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[S:C] Avoider 2.0]

Nice! :)

This is really well done, with a lot of variety even for a loop. I just wish it was less quiet, because to review this I had to turn the volume up really high, and it was fine until someone contacted me on MSN and the sound blasted through my speakers. :C

The melodies are really really well done, especially the beginning one. The one that starts playing towards the end was great too, and there were enough alternate melodies to stop the song from getting boring. Just turn up the volume of the song. It'd have more of a chance of getting in a flash game. If for some strange reason your DAW doesn't let you turn the volume up, just use a sound editing software like WavePad, CoolRecordEditPro or the more popular Audacity to amplify it.

Instruments were nice and 16-bitish at the beginning, and I think it kept the 16-bitish feel going on throughout the song; I mean, by saying that it strayed SEVERELY in the Author's Comments, I expected this to shift to action-packed Techno or something :P. Loved that effect you used in the song at 0:18 and 0:31 too, it was very Video-Game-ish.

Transitions were very nicely done, especially the one with the effect. Nothing felt off, with all the melodies fitting well with each other. Really good structure, and the variety is great, especially since this a small loop, and usually loops this size are just the same thing repeated about 5-10 times... I liked the intro too, and this was perfectly looped. No problem there ;).

The drums are rather simple, and not really that special. They had good samples, especially the cymbal, but the drum beats are too simple and rather repetitive. Maybe at around 0:33 you introduce some snares and shakers? By the way, at 0:18, along with the effect, I think you should've done a kick drum roll to show that the drums are about to start.

A very good and useful loop, that deserves to play in a decent number of flash submissions. Just fix the drums a little and the loudness of the submission. Other than those, I can't really find any big problems in this loop. Good job, keep it up!
9/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

SymbolCymbal responds:

Yikes! sorry for the long response time and scaring the shit out of you with the low volume track. i only had logic pro for a short time when i made this and i was not experienced at it all. Hence why the volume is so low.

You stated everything good and bad about this track. I really just threw this thing together only thinging about composition and effects. song structure and loop-ability were not things i was thinking of when i made this.

I lost the original file for this so i dont think ill be fixing this unless i recompose it. but why dwell in the past tracks. ONTO NEWER MORE INSANE SHIT.. lololololol

Thanks for the well thought out review dude. i really appreciate it

[~-Chrono Trigger-~]

A 10 from Wildfire?!...

...Man, now you seriously don't have any reason to continue composing :P. Lol, lame jokes aside, this was awesome. Never played Chrono Trigger; I live in a cave I guess... anyway, I can't compare this one to that one, but this really rocks, and I'd be impressed to see the original beat this.

Instruments were beautifully done, where did you get such amazing samples? I absolutely love the background instrument, and the one which sounds like a piano (maybe it is...) has a strange uniqueness to it which gives it such a nice sound. Flute was purely amazing as well. Excellent harmonizing too. My favourite part was 0:51.

The transitions are superb, and there was such a nice blend of instruments over here leaving no instrument introduced suddenly. The song structure here makes the song never get boring, but I think it's too varied, and towards the second half of the song, you get sort of lost in the song. I don't know if it's like that in the original, but maybe you could repeat the chorus here a few more times to give less randomness. Loved the intro, started the song up really well, along with the fantastic delayed piano. The ending was really nice too, good job.

You really have talent, and it shows when you create songs as amazing as this. Honestly, a few more songs like this and you're going straight to my favourite artists list, and trust me, you've got to be really good to make it in there ;). Keep up the great work, and sorry for the rather short and slightly useless review :\. Looking forward to reviewing more of your masterpieces :D.
10/10
5/5
Download.

-Review Request Club-

Cosmos8942 responds:

-cracks knuckles- Geez you guys are hard to keep up with o-o. Well, down to the nitty-gritty then.

First off hello again SS54, your reviews are always long and semi-complicated to the point that I get tired just answering them, but alas answer I shall, SO MOTE IT BE X3.

I'll answer this in order (or try to...I get off track sometimes)~

Regarding Wyldfyre1, I stated that because he NEVER gives out tens...EVEEERRR. So to get one from him means I actually managed to accomplish something...hoho GOOOOO ME! Jk jk. He is also a buddy of mine...or was, haven't spoken to him in quite sometime x.x. <-hows that for a broken paragraph(?). rofl

The instruments have to be done well, I actually use Anvil Studio and FL Studio. Anvil for simplifying certain processes (and the ability to move an entire track without the need of getting frustrated) and FL Studio for the basic (very basic in my case..static anybody? Anybody?? QQ) mastering and use of different samples with VST's or whatever I happen to find and use. Anvil Studio is also nice because you can use old-style note progression. That is sometimes easier to use then the bar notes of FL as I am not quite as proficient as using them as I would prefer. I have no idea what you are talking about with the piano to tell the truth, I just thought it sounded good =\.

I've always been good with transitions (wish I could say the same for EVERY FKN THING ELSE RAWR) I believe they add a certain uniqueness to any song, professional or not. The less you realize one instrument switched to another the better in my book (unless, of course, it should be sudden). For the most part it is not that difficult to do, just take one instrument, match up note length and pitch, take second instrument, match up note length and varying pitch and (cheating) build the second instrument up to the level of the first or (not cheating) find an area where adding that second instrument just complements the piece so well it just feels perfect. ~cont. below~

~C~ The intro strings actually felt a slight bit too long for me...perhaps that helped, don't really think so though. The piano, once again, just felt right. Its sitting at a higher pitch then in the original and has some double notes with variance added to certain areas to give it more of a beat <- using that loosely here I know. The varied way the song progresses is actually in the original and I felt that it kept the person listening to it and, frankly, I couldn't change it for the life of me...I just liked it far too much x.x. Close your eyes when you listen to this one, concentrate on the song and you'll realize its not as random as it seems ^^.

On that talent thing...I know I have talent, I just don't have any ambition what-so-ever. But anywho thanks alot for the review yet again, however short and useless you think it may have been :].

-Tony-

Excellent. Getting pinned up on your favorite artists list, I am honored my friend, a bit humbled (I'm sitting next to those freaks...great, now nobody will notice me XD) being on there, but honored nonetheless. .................Woot downloaded!

EDIT: Oh, and eat this response hehe.

[We Believe Ep.5 - F-777]

No wonder you're the most popular NG artist.

This is just so awesome. This series never gets boring, even after hearing all 7 episodes. It's just impossible for you to create a song not worth downloading.

The melodies here are the second favourite melodies of mine from the whole series (first being of Ep. 6 :D). They're just amazing, and I've got to admit, I spent half my science lesson humming it :P. Now, even though the melodies are exceptionally catchy, I still think this needs some alternate melodies played by the pan flute, and knowing how well your melodies turn out, it'd surely be great if you add them.

Instruments are fantastic. I've never heard of someone who had such control over pan flutes as well as you, and the way you harmonized it with all the other electronic instruments was superb. Loved the instrument at the beginning that starts playing after the first four bars or so of the song. I just don't like the breath sound on the pan flute. It sounds a lot like a click more than a breath effect. Other than that, the pan flutes sound excellent. Amazing effects as well.

Transitions, like the one at 1:17, were made just so well. Nothing felt off, all the melodies flowed very smoothly together, and instruments were all introduced with a smooth transition. There weren't really many buildups in this song, but there aren't many instruments anyway so it'd be rather hard to do a buildup.

The structure of this song is godly, and even though as I said, there aren't many alternate melodies, this didn't get repetitive bacause of the variety of background effects, drums and melodies to accompany the main melody. Loved the intro, had a really cool effect, and the ending was awesome as well. Seriously, do you ever do anything wrong?? O_o.

The drums, as usual, were purely amazing. Great samples, great variety and great beats which fit really well with the song. They were just the right loudness too, loud enough to be heard well but not loud enough to interfere with the song. I would've liked to see more drum buildups around the song, though, but other than that, drums were brilliant.

Definitely one of the best melodies I've ever heard. Melodies are always a win with you. I just can't find any big problems in this song, so awesome job! Keep up the amazing work, you really rock at producing.
10/10
5/5
Download.

-Review Request Club-

[[dj-Jo] Conundrum {AP}]

Whoa!

Dj-Jo made a bad song... the very five words which can never happen. Honestly, this is just so awesome. Pleeaasseee release that album for free! :P.

Melodies are amazing, but the main attraction of this song was definitely those amazing basslines. They are just so well done, after just hearing a few seconds of them, I already knew that these are one of the best basslines I've heard of on NG. Loved the bassline at the beginning, and at 1:08, the bass was just so catchy. That was probably my favourite part of the song.

Instruments are amazing as well. The bass instrument was clearly flawless, and the instrument that came in at 0:28 was really cool. Saw synth was nice as well. Good job on the effects too, the effect at 1:46, the one at 0:38 and the one at 0:28 were all fantastic.

Transitions, like the one at 2:00, and especially the ones with the effects, were done very well. Drum transitions were nicely done as well. I just didn't like how you introduced the saw synth. It sort of came in slightly suddenly, so if there was anything I'd change in this song, it'd be that. Just give it a very slight maybe 1-2 second buildup from soft to loud before introducing it. Other than that, instruments were introduced really well.

Very good song structure and variety, plus the buildups were spot on. Excellent kick intro, as SessileNomad said, you don't usually hear intros done as well as that. Ending was very abrupt, but that's naturally because this is just a preview of the song, so I can't reduce points for that ^^.

The drums weren't anything too complimated, but they did the job perfectly over here. Excellent samples (kick and snare were amazing) that matched with the feel of the song and really good variety. Drum beats were very good as well.

So here's another 10/10 review from me. Keep up the superb work, I already know by the preview how the album's going to be, and I'm definite it'll be epic. Awesome job!!
10/10
5/5
Download.

-Review Request Club-

[We Believe Ep.4 - F-777]

Definitely crazy, but in a good way. ^^

This is really cool, I can't help but smile every time I hear that awesome guitar. Good job!

Melodies are just flawless, especially the main melody, which starts at around 0:42. The guitar's melody was great too. Loved the ambient part at about 1:10, it had a great pad playing it. Man, I wish I had samples like that :(. Instruments were amazing as well. You just have to love that sound of the guitar, and the one playing the main melody had such an awesome feel to it. Some bells would work well with the ambient part, IMO, but it's fine as it is. Nice pluck sound at the beginning. Good job on the effects as well.

Very nice transitions as well, the effects moved from one melody to another really well, like at 0:26. Excellent introductions of new instruments too. I loved the song structure over here as well, one of my favourites from the whole series. Variety is amazing as well, and although there aren't many alternate melodies, this still never got repetitive, and I really don't know how you do it. Great intro, but I think the ending was a little abrupt. Still, it fits really well if you combine it with the next episode, so I guess that was intentional.

Purely flawless drums, they did get slightly, but very slightly repetitive throughout the song since there weren't many alternate drum beats, but it's not much of a problem when there's such an amazing song structure and variety. I liked the reverbed kicks, by the way.

Yet again, you get another 10/10 review from me. Actually, I don't recall ever giving you a 9 before O_o. Oh well, I'm not surprised. All your songs are awesome, keep it up! Only 3 more episodes left to review! :D.
10/10
5/5
Download.

-Review Request Club-

[~BH~ Cell Potential]

Yay! Now I downloaded 33 of your songs :P.

I'm still on my everlasting quest to find a song of yours which doesn't deserve 5/5. So far, no luck :(.

As usual, melodies are great. Loved the melody at 0:12, and 1:11 was really cool. Still, 2:00 was by far my favourite part of the song: it was the main reason why I reviewed this :P. The rythm change was so awesome, and it had a very catchy melody with a very awesome synth playing it. Speaking of synths, my god, these must be one of the best Sytrus synths you ever made so far. Such a huge variety of synths, and they fit really well in a boss situation. It's really hard making a boss theme without it being a rock song, IMO, but you pulled it off very well.

I don't know why you say you're not usually that good with transitions; these are perfect, as usual. New instruments were introduced greatly, and there were superb gradual buildups around here, especially the one at the beginning. The variety and structure is what's bothering me a tad bit over here. This is just SO varied, it gets a little random. You should pick a chorus where the song plays all the instruments and melodies together, and repeat it a few times during the song after some alternate melodies play. This seemed to start introducing new melodies really randomly, especially around the second half of the song.

The intro was fantastic, I don't see what sirtom didn't like about it. Really good way to start the song, and I liked that plucked synth you used over there too. The ending was almost perfect (you've probably gotten used to how picky I am with endings...). I think you should repeat that choir melody 4 times at the end instead of two times, and start a reverse cymbal right before the last note, and the reverse cymbal ends as the last note is played, since I think the last note needs more importance. Maybe a reverbed kick in the background when the last note is played too.

Drums were really nice and varied, with great samples. I just think that they were much too soft for a boss theme. They need to be much louder and mightier than right now.

Another great song of yours. This does have a few problems, namely the ending, the drums and the structure, but that won't stop me from giving you a 10/10. Awesome job!!
10/10
5/5
Download.

-Review Request Club-

ErikMcClure responds:

Back when I made this song i had no idea how to make powerful punchy drums. I should really try something like that. Thanks for the review :D

[Dr. M Fever]

A lot like the original, but great nonetheless! ^^

This is really like the original, with all of the 8-bit sounds (it would've been cool if you took a totally different approach and made a techno/rock/classical remix of the song instead :P) but it gives me some really nice memories, and it's done really well too. Good job!

The instruments were 8-bit wonders, and although, like I said, sounded a lot like in the original, were done really well, and there was a nice variety to stop the song from getting boring. Obviously, I can't credit you for the melodies, but what I don't agree with you in is leaving them exactly the same as the original. It's not obligatory, but adding your own personal touch to the remix's melodies would certainly sound awesome, maybe just a little different notes in the background, transitions made with your own notes or a few notes to answer to the original melodies. Still, you don't really need new melodies when this remix sounds so awesome without them.

Good job with the transitions, there were loads of drum rolls to transit from one melody to another smoothly, and I liked how you introduced the drums at the beginning, with that brief drum roll; it stopped them from coming in suddenly or anything and sounded great. The structure and variety here are practically the same as in the original, so I can't comment about them :\.

I didn't like the fade you used to end the song. I'd rather you had the song loop instead, or at least made the fade last longer, since this was just sort of an abrupt fade. Maybe you can even add your own ending to it and make it a proper song.

The drums were out of this world. I forgot if that was how they were in the original, since I haven't heard it for ages, so I don't know if you made them or if you used the ones from the original, but if you made them yourself, I'm extremely impressed. They fit so well with the song, had excellent samples, awesome beats, and were varied amazingly. Excellent job on the drums, if you made them.

It's a really good remix, and I enjoyed it quite a lot. You should take away that fade ending though, and either make it loop, turn it into a song with a proper ending, or implement a longer fade. Another thing which put the score down to 9 was that the instruments and structure were almost exactly the same as in the original, and although it did give out a nostalgic feel, a remix is a remix, so by giving it a completely different instrument choice and maybe a few changes in the structure, I think this remix would be better off. Still, everything else was great, so awesome job, keep up the great work!
9/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

Cosmos8942 responds:

-Just got back from a bad and boring day at work-

So I sit down, log on, check my messages quickly, jump on here for expected reviews (since I didn't know how long it might take) and behold that nicely detailed review. Now then, let me see...

Actually I was working on a rock/techno remix of this one but no matter where I went with it it just didn't feel right to me so I stopped with that one and flowed on over to what you hear now. It took me a little bit to get it all said and done but I think I passed ^^.

On the 8-bit "wonders", yep, it took a little while (and some minor help from an old friend of mine) but I eventually got most of the instruments boxed in just right so that they sounded more or less as the original did. Which was, of course, pretty much the point as I like to keep the original feeling of a piece rather then remix it into an abrupt mess. Unless of course that abrupt mess can be formed into feelings like the original, then by all means I'll do just that lol.

Crediting me on the melodies is a nono so I fully agree there but I am really quite happy that you noticed the percussion here. There was some 'drums' in the game itself but it wasn't incredibly complicated...so I...um...complicated them >:]. I still have a long ways to go with the other instruments but for some reason I am always able to hear what percussion to place into a piece and where to put it in. Just sort of plays through my head ya' know?

Finally that ending I felt, at the time, to be fairly good, not a loop persay but, as you said, also not a 'complete piece'. Looking back perhaps a longer fade was actually in order but since it sounded right I left it in there. Good thing about the fade is that since it is so short the song restarts without you really noticing XD.

But most of my pieces are remixes of one type or another (minus Fleeting Times and a couple others). I do attempt to hold true to the original but I understand what you are trying to say. I will work on making pieces more complicated and remixmasterful (hoho) which keeping the base feeling out front and felt. Its not an easy thing to do I think but I find no real reasoning to remix something and have it feel completely different from intended. A remix is there to compliment a piece with somebody elses ideas, not take the piece, rip it to shreds, and feed it steriods till its soul is gone.

-Tony-

What can I say =\. But thanks for the incredibly long review, its the longest and most enjoyable one I've had in quite some time. Nothing quite like coming back from a hard day on the job and getting cheered up because you [me] found something worth doing. Excellent :3. Oh, and I hope this answer is long enough. Not really really detailed as I am somewhat tired and dropped my brain out the window on the way back home, but I do hope its enough :).

[Midnight Illusion (DP&KP)]

Slightly repetitive.

It's definitely a cool-sounding song, but it didn't go through many changes and was the same thing for almost the whole song with some changes in the background.

The main melody was really awesome, ambient-ish but full of action at the same time. From 1:37 onwards, there was a rather good buildup, so nice job over there. I just wish there were just a few more alternate melodies, since it would fix that variety problem. Although I loved the part at 3:28, by the way. The piano and ambient-ish melody played by the pad in the background had contrasted so much with each other since they were each in a different rythm, and it took me a little while to get the rythm back again, but it still sounds cool and fit a lot with the 'Illusion' feel you were going for. Loved how the piano got faster after, too and eventually went back into rythm with the pads again.

Really amazing instruments. They fit a lot with the name, and sounded excellent. The one playing the ambientish melodies for the whole song sounded extremely good, and the quality of the piano was nice too. I really enjoyed the high-bell-ish instrument towards the end of the song, it was really cool, and played a nice melody as well. Wish I saw it in other parts of the song though, it felt sort of like it came out of nowhere as it is now; just suddenly appearing at the end of the song without a trace of it in any other parts of the song.

Very good job on the transitions in the song. There was a nice number of effects around to transit from one melody to another, and new instruments were introduced really well. Good buildups, and nice song structure. It's the variety that needs a little fixing over here. The ambient-ish melody that first played at 1:37 kept playing and stayed the same for almost the whole song, and it would be better if you changed its notes a little around some parts of the song.

Also, as for the length, this does need to be shorter. I mean, heck, this is probably the longest WIP there is on Newgrounds XP. You should remove some repetitive parts to not only make this song shorter, but also take away the reptitiveness that this song has. The intro was good, with an awesome beat, but it was very repetitive. You could either remove a lot of that drum beat at the beginning, or give some more variety to the drum beat.

The ending is OK so far, but very abrupt. I'd say you should firstly repeat the last melody with the bells 4 times instead of 2 times, and after the fourth repetition, end it with a proper ending note (depending on what scale you played the song with; E.g. if it's in G Major, end it with G).

The drums were awesome with really, really good samples, and they were just the right loudness. I liked the reverse kick around the beginning, too, you don't usually hear many reverse kicks in songs, and it fit brilliantly in this song. The drum beat was superb as well, and fit excellently with the song. The only thing I'd complain about in the drums is that they were very, very repetitive. Practically almost the same for the whole song, almost. This definitely needs some more alternate drum beats here and there.

Well, it's a good song, and it fits a lot with the name. Excellent melodies, fantastic instruments, cool drum beats, awesome effects, and nice song structure, but what really concerns me is the intro, ending and variety. Fix those, and you would've gotten a 10 from me (although it's too late now :P). Still, keep up the good work, this was a brilliant collab. Awesome job! Oh man, this must be my longest review yet! O_o.
8/10
4/5

-Review Request Club-

Kalapsia responds:

Thanks for the long review, and thanks for the nice compliments. The only reason this is a WIP is because I REALLY REALLY want to make some alternate melodies so it doesn't sound repetitive. I do agree that the ending is abrupt because I barely worked on it. My transitions aren't that great since I don't have a decent breakdown to make it sound less repetitive, which I'm trying my best to work on. So yeah I agree this song needs variety!

[*- Dreams and Nightmares]

Nice!

This impressed me quite bit. I expected a sort of mystical and magical song with bells and pads after I read the name of the song, but this is fine with me too :).

The melodies are nice and catchy, with quite a few alternate melodies here and there. The vocals were recorded really well, and although I think they do need to be a little louder and clearer, they sound a much better than a lot of songs with vocals in them on NG. The instrument choice here was very simple - just a guitar, with accompanying vocals, but they did the job greatly.

Good and smooth transitions. Nothing felt off, and all the melodies fit together smoothly. Fantastic song structure, one of the best I've heard in a long time, and this had very good variety. The vocals were varied and really well written, which stopped the song from getting repetitive, so good job over there. Perfect intro, started the song up very well, and the ending was really cool too.

A suggestion is going on a DAW or something and adding some drum beats here and there, I think it would fit quite well with this song; maybe some ride cymbals, brushed snares, soft kicks and clavs or something. Still, that's just a suggestion, this sounds great even without drums :).

I can't really find any defects in this song, except that I think the voice could've been slightly louder. Other than that, this really impressed me, and it sounds great. Excellent job!
10/10
5/5
No Download, sorry. I don't like songs with lyrics much. :(

-Review Request Club-

[Race On (WIP) [SFPL]]

Rather generic...

...but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad song. Good job!

The melodies are the most generic parts of the song, for example the one at 0:20, but they're still nice melodies, I just heard similar ones like 5 times before :P. I think that for this song, the melodies need to be more fast paced, though. You could increase the tempo some more, or use shorter notes. As for the instruments, they're perfect, and there was a nice amount of instruments. I think this needs some effects hear and there though, like an engine revving, tires screeching, audience cheering, you know, that kind of stuff :). Loved the effect at 1:55, by the way.

The transitions were very well done. I noticed a lot of effects like reverse cymbals and stuff which moved from one melody to another really well. Wish there were more buildups around the song though, like maybe some huge reverbed kick plays as the melodies stop, then in the background you hear the main melody fading in, and then, after an engine revving sound effect, the melodies play to their fullest again. Buildups like that usually work well in race songs like this.

The structure of the song is well done, and this never felt random, but as you said, around the middle it did get rather reptitive. You could introduce an alternate melody over there playing instead of the repetitive melody after that melody repeats a few times, or you could add some background accompaniment and effects to remove the repetition.

Good intro, it did feel like a countdown, but I think you should add a '3... 2... 1... GO' vocal sample playing in the intro too, to give added 'raciness', as Coop83 put it :P. The ending, as you said, was abrupt. It ended with a cool effect, but you should make the main melody start playing by itself at 2:44 without any drums or background accompaniment, you repeat it like 2 or 4 times, and then you end the song with a final reverbed and delayed ending note, along with the effect you did and maybe a slightly reverbed kick/crash cymbal in the background.

The drums had good samples, and good beats, but they weren't varied at all. It was the same thing from beginning to end, with maybe a few parts in the song when the drum weren't playing. Introduce some counter drum beats in some places. Also, I think the drums need to be more fast-paced and action-packed, to give the song a more race-ish feel.

To summarize, it's a great song, but has quite a few problems which need fixing in the final version. This needs more racing-car effects, needs to be more fast-paced, could do with a '3... 2... 1... GO' vocal sample at the beginning, needs variety around the middle, needs a less abrupt ending and more variety of drums. Still, the melodies, although a little generic, were catchy, this had great instruments, awesome transitions, good effects, and nice drum samples, so in general, not a bad job. I'll be waiting for the final version ;).
8/10
5/5 - because this song got rather 0-bombed.

-Review Request Club-

SFaPiL2 responds:

God bless you man ^0^. AWESOME REVIEW!

Yes, the melody is rather generic U__U (even though it wasn't influenced by anyone), but I'm not creative enough for now. I must say that I focused more on the effects and transitions rather than the actual melody + structure.

The sound effects part is a tough one to do since I'm not supposed to place copyrighted samples in my songs (damn, I got banned from the AP because of that, hence my new account SFaPiL2 =__=). However, I'll surely add a voice sample of me with the "3...2...1...GO" thing... let's give it a shot ^__^.

Anyway, I'll be following your tips like a cook book.

Thank you loads!!