LunacyEcho's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[the song of the sea]

You're one of the few people I can think of who can make a song that both uses chip tune elements and is still relaxing and trance-like. Bravo.

My favorite part of the song was easily the transition at 3:03. Glitch noises FTW! The synths you used may seem similar to those you've been using recently, but I disagree with BlueOceans. You can use the same instruments over and over again and still come up with interesting tunes. Why else would people keep listening to orchestras or piano concertos? (I do get that there's a bit of a similar feeling between songs recently as well, but if it's not broken...)

Dislikes... hm... Well, it's sorta hard for me to say anything bad about it, as I've been relaxing to it since about yesterday. I guess that the synths at 1:22, when they hit their loudest dynamic, cross the 'too loud' barrier by just a tad (probably because they're being layered). I also think that the claps were a bit too loud to serve their purpose, save spots like 2:32 where they're used every quarter instead of every eighth.

I also found it ironic that you tried not to use white noise and rev cymbals in your buildups, and yet, I think white noise would've made it better in the form of wave-like noises to emulate the sound of the sea even better.

Keep working on new things! I enjoy it when descriptions like that are put up, since you can see the thought processes behind the author's work.

johnfn responds:

Ah, thanks! There is a real temptation to abuse the chippy elements and go all hardcore.

Glitch is the best thing ever actually, I agree. ;-)

> (I do get that there's a bit of a similar feeling between songs recently as well

It's funny you say this because, while I agree that the samey-sound design thing is true, I actually feel that the moods of the songs have been pretty separate, imo. My last undersea song felt a lot more sad, and this one feels a bit more relaxing. I am reusing a lot of similar ideas, most particularly ostinato on all the things.

> white noise waves

I was actually really tempted to do this but BlueOceans told me off last time I did it. Also, the last time I did it was in "undersea world" which was only like 2 months ago. I didn't want to repeat the same idea that soon haha.

> Keep working on new things!

Oh yes. I'm always thinking about new things when I write songs. Usually not EVERYTHING is new, so stuff like sound design can sometimes stay constant while I fiddle with arrangement or melody. But yeah, aside from just buildups, another thing I was thinking in this song was having a more relaxed arrangement that isn't constantly shuttling ideas around or showing the listener something new. This is reflected in the relaxed pace of the song. :)

[The Typhon System]

As you said, this is a great change to some of your current stuff. Both your electronic songs and your orchestral songs have their charms. I think this is better than some of your more recent stuff, actually.

I think the composition and soundwrangling you did here was extremely skilled. With a song of over four minutes, I'd expect tons of repetition, but you didn't do that much (at least, from what I noticed). Basically, even if it didn't, it sounds like tons of work was put into it, which is what really counts.

There is just one thing that kept me from giving you a perfect score. That sound at 0:48. Oh god. It was okay when used sparsely before that, but it just became too overbearing at 0:48. And there was some more. And then some more. AND A WHOLE LOT MORE AFTER THAT. Some might like it, but for me, that sound was just... agh. If I were you, I'd either make it appear less often throughout the song or make it a lot quieter. Sorry, but that's just the way I feel about it. It's like the musical equivalent of that feeling you may get when you rub a wet balloon or scratch a chalkboard.

Anyways, it was a great start to 2014. Really amazing in almost every way, except for one. Keep giving out quality like this and 2014's going to be a great year.

DuttonsaysHi responds:

Hey thanks for the critique man! I really appreciate it! I'm really happy you feel it's some of my better work since I don't dwell on this style much.

About your criticism, I totally get that and I pretty much agree. It's my least favourite part of the song but it was really hard to work around. I wanted to create a series of aggressive basses and synths to keep the sound crunchy and grinding. However that particular synth has such a high tone that it's going to sound screechy no matter how low the note, and when I removed it repetition became the main issue. I tired many substitutes but they just didn't fit as well. I mean that 0.48 section is the only place it's dominant so I hope it isn't too much of an issue, but yeah I probably should have just used it for breaks and transitions.

Anyway, thanks again man! I'll try to avoid stuff like that in the future! :D

[undersea and lost.]

I, for one, completely disagree with BlueOceans. I'm not quite sure why; maybe it's because we play similar games, maybe it's because we think different, but I really think this sound very marine. However, I'm not quite sure where 'lost' comes from. I can easily get that it's undersea, but it feels more mysterious and exploratory, not really lost.

I think you could've explored dynamics more in the intro. I would've enjoyed it a lot more if it weren't so, eh, jarring. You used dynamics very well in other locations, though, such as the background synths in places like 1:14. You ought to use stuff like that in the future. i also loved the return of the glitches from 'The Fight'. Or at least, it sounded like them. :)

I think my biggest problem with this is its repetition. However, I guess if it's supposed to be an underwater level for a game, that's excusable. I just don't think that level of repetition is justified in a piece of music for music's sake.

However, great song. It could use a few tweaks here or there, and maybe be a little shorter, but it's amazing nonetheless.

johnfn responds:

This is a pretty great review, it gives me a lot to think about. Thank you.

I think you're right, I could have started with a fadein in the beginning. Right now having everything being equal volume makes the piece a little flat.

The song IS a little repetitive. I'm constantly working on striking the right balance between repetition and ... non-repetitiveness, I guess. Back when I wrote stuff like "The Fight" I would switch up the piece every 8 bars. While it was successful, I'm now more interested in exploring the idea of songs that sort of linger in the same space for a while. I think with a little more variation and movement on the synths that I currently have I could have cured it of the repetitiveness you mentioned.

Thanks for the great review. I think you raised a lot of valid points.

[Carol of the Bells (Steam Arr)]

Ah, I love songs like this. Vocaloids are for the talentless, say the public? Pish tosh! Listen to this, and you'll hear just how much feeling one can create with a vocaloid.

This was amazing. I'd never heard the Carol of the Bells carol before, but it's a very nice one, and Oliver's voice fits your background spectacularly. It just has that 'homeless, poor, Tiny Tim'-esque vibe to it, and you created that bleak, wintry, alleyway very well. I would suggest making the whooshing of the wind in the intro just a tiny bit louder. At this point, you have to think for about half a second to realize, 'oh, that's the winter wind'. You should probably aim for that point at which people start getting chills up their spine just from listening to it.

I'm not sure if this is possible, but I would also 'dirtify' your instruments. The accordion sounds are nice, but they sound too high-quality to sound enough it's being played by some young, homeless, children in winter. (If that's not what you were portraying, sorry, but that's how it felt to me.) This might be one of the few instances in which higher quality instruments take away from the overall effect of the song.

Anyways, really good job. You have shown, once again, after 'Twaddles', that the skillful can indeed make the most out of vocaloids.

steampianist responds:

yeah i know i wanted the accordion to be dirtier some whizzing sounds maybe but thats the best i can do as im not familiar with Sytrus anyway thanks for listening and im so happy you listened to twaddles of a flue faker and this

and your suggestions are much appreciated

[Prepare for Combat!]

Great work! It's very warlike, due to the insertion of so many violent sound files. From the footsteps in the intro to the gunshots at the end, the effect was great.

Ironically, even though the atmosphere was great, I felt that the chimes you added sounded out of place. To me, they sounded too tinny, having a more music-box-y feel than a let's-epicly-go-to-war feel. Also, the climax at 0:56 sounded a bit out of place. Its dynamics were too loud to fit in well as a transition.

Don't let that get you down, though. This is still a great piece. Better than anything I can create. As OcularNebula said, extend it! Last I checked, military marches lasted longer than a minute.

SoundChris responds:

Hey there, thanks a lot for your kind review! Hm - maybe the chimes should have become a little bit lover volume or i should have added more space. Mixing orchestral pieces definitely is still one of those things i still have to learn a lot, but i will do what i can. This is still some kind of WiP. So when i will expand this track (i wanted a more action style midpart and use some Modwheel effects on the brass instruments once my masterkeyboard will arrive) i will take care for the mixing.

Thanks a lot for leaving your thoughts here! I wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year :D

[Welcome to Barcelona]

It's very well done, with great-sounding instruments. From your past songs, I can see that you spend lots of time working with editing instrument sounds, which normally turn out sounding great.

Your composition, on the other hand, is very interesting. In the beginning, I was very confused as to how the song was supposed to sound, getting a feel of it at about thirty seconds in. If I were you, I'd tone down the bass in the intro and make it a bit less syncopated so that it's easier to get a feel of the beat, then get into the more complicated stuff (which you seem to excel at).

Effect-wise, it's great, as usual. You always have this 'futuristic' vibe about you, and this one definitely didn't disappoint. Good work.

OcularNebula responds:

nice

thank you, that's a very positive sounding review overall!

I've had other people say similar things about the bass, and yes, I do love 'future'

[Circumnavigating the Glob]

Wow! Amazing track! It doesn't sound as similar as some of your other tracks do, and it's very interesting to listen to. I find that the most fun thing about this piece is that it appears to slowly transition through various key signatures (I think) as the song goes on, which really fits in with the 'circumnavigation' theme. I think I saw a song written similarly in a kids show called Phineas and Ferb once. Go figure.

OcularNebula responds:

yeah, glad you noticed that! it's definitely a thing (the key modulation)

[Exciting Summer Day]

This is such a catchy little tune! I love its simplicity, yet its effect is undeniable. I think you do very well in expressing just what it is you say it does: An exciting summer day.

However, I do think that the piano is a bit overbearing. If you were to cut its volume just a little, it'd be great. Since it stays the same throughout the song, I don't really think it should be as loud as it is, as sooner or later, you'd just get tired of the piano, and it's supposed to be a loop, so that's not really a good thing. But please don't mistake that for dislike; I really love this piece.

Rexyrex responds:

Thanks a lot for the review and constructive criticism :) Now that you mention it, the piano seems a bit loud :P

[-Race around the galaxy-]

I hate to say it, but I never really like the Race Around the World songs. This, however, is so much better than the rest! I absolutely love its mixing, sounds, composition, everything. It's extremely progressive, without a major motif that recurs throughout the song, something I enjoy immensely.

The one thing I think would make this a bit better is the fact that in some places, the percussion seems a bit subdued. I don't know if that's an homage to the previous songs in the series or if you just wanted to have different styles throughout the song, but I don't think it worked out very well. There was also that little blurb that I heard after everything had ended and was fading out, but that's more of a quirk than a point of improvement.

5/5. 10/10. Great work.

Waterflame responds:

Thank you! Yeah i tried to layer the drums on and off like that to create a sense of build-up and to make it less repetitive, but maybe i should have made the other parts pop more.
The little sound at the end was intentional :) just a little quirky finisher, haha. Thank you for the feedback, ill keep it in mind!

[Hyper Sonic Camilla]

This is quite an interesting tune. In many parts, it sounds as though it was sped up from a much slower tune, so the main synth sounds somewhat crazed and off-beat. I think that quick songs should have emphases on the beats, not the little notes in between, so aurally, the melody wasn't as good as it could've been.

However, there were still many parts that were great. The instruments harmonized with each other very well, and I thought the vocals fit very well with the song. The alarms at 0:20 or the random cymbals at 0:57 could have been omitted, but otherwise, it was a great song, looking from an instrumental perspective.

The main thing I think would improve this song is slowing it down. It can still be a hardcore remix if it's a bit slower than this, and I think, for this style of music, it's too frantic to have much of an effect. If you choose not to, though, it's still a great song, and I hope you make more in the future.

viewtifulday responds:

You're right, the melody was written at a much slower BPM, haha. I sort of bastardized it with my special flavor of viewtifulday craziness, but that was just an stylistic choice. As for the airhorn and the triplet kick/cymbal rhythms, I kinda just threw those in there for fun.

Thanks for the review! You had a lot of good points