shizeet's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[BN] - Ambient]

Excellent Loop

It expresses only a few ideas, but manages to effectively get them through, at least in my opinion. Very nicely done. One possible way to improve the effect, though, is to try to add a bit more of a pause, as if in hesistation, in between the chords, maybe even use slightly different velocity levels. You know, just some humanization stuff.

blacknote responds:

Hey there thanks for reviewing, I can see where you're coming from, however I wanted to keep a nice flowing loop rather than a dramatic one, as for the velocity, I presume you mean the celeste, they are actually different, but quite high making it inaudible, though I think some larger nuances in the volume would be a nice addition. Thanks again!

[Sudden Error]

Wonky

At first I came in not liking this much at all, but then as I listened to it more and more I started finding a certain appea; this sense of quirkinessand "error" is very fitting for your description. My favorite part is when that arrpegiated synth thing came in - a small, but very effective touch in adding some intensity in my opinion. Good selection of samples/synths too - just about all of them have either off-kilter and/or computery feel (the drum set could probably use some more electronic samples though). Interesting stuff, yeah.

Eyelids-pie responds:

Wow, thanks! :D
I agree its not perfect but im glad that you liked it!
Your right about the percussion though, thanks!

[Fallout (Count+Step)]

Engaging intro - then kinda disappoints.

Those choral parts in the beginning were really nice and smooth, and the chords they projected have a certain emotional impact (though I kept waiting for that suspension/dissonance to fall, which never happened :P).

The next parts were really drab by comparison, especially the piano - having it repeat the drum rhythm felt unnecessary and rather stiff and awkward (due to the lack of velocity variation). As for "dominat[ing]" 5/4, it does sound fairly smooth melodically, but the actual rhythmic pattern itself is pretty dry and boring (ie, try throwing in some "kinks", such as 2/4 + 3/4 rhythms and 4/4 + 1/4 and such, as well as adding some more complexity to the drum parts itself).

The ending was unexpectely neat though - those sirens were a really nice touch for sure. But I'd hold that last chord a bit longer and let it simmer down slowly in silence for added effect, while the siren repeats again fading out moreso.

CountStep responds:

I have a tendency to like dissonance too much, so if I include it, it usually doesn't resolve. I admit, it's very bland, in a way; the piano isn't meant to change, and neither are the drums. I guess it comes down to a personal tolerance of minimalism/vamp. It doesn't bother me, so I apologise for that. The siren was supposed to be an air raid siren, which was hard to replicate in MIDI. Thank you for the pointers, though: I'll try and get my songs more interesting, especially rhythmically.

[Black Jack-Twinkle]

Neat take

This is actually kind of fitting, though you need to bring the theme more into the foreground. It's really being overpower by the guitar loops. I'd also change the Twinkle-Twinkle theme to make it minor so that I'd fit with the guitar harmony. But yeah, fun stuff.

ChineseBoar1995 responds:

Okay, thanks for the advice! :)

And have a Merry Christmas!

[..::Messiah::..]

Tricky beat

Interesting beat you've got - kind of have that shuffled feel to it with all the off-beat hits. I'd be really interested to see what kind of verse one can throw down at this. The samples are somewhat less interesting, or at least they don't really project to me - and they don't mix very well with drums in my opinion. I'd try either try to put some of them more into the foreground, or tone down the drums a bit to shift it into the background some more. Also, the ending was really abrupt - try smoothen the transition somemore.

jesseman1 responds:

thanks man, yeah, it was a beat i made in a rush, i started, and 2 hours later it was finished. i should work this out more but the problem is that my hard drive got corrupt and i lost the .flp (fruity loops) file, so i have to remake it...

[Wrong Actions]

Sounds test piece-ish

You've got some decent ideas going about, and it does have a cheery pop feel, but it's kind of rough around the edges. The intro part felt kind of weird since it's in a different tempo/rhythm, and the transition into the first part is kind of abrupt - as are some of the transitions from section to the section. They feel somewhat connected due to having same chord progression, but other aspects such as melody and rhythm make it feel discontinuous.

kevindurante responds:

Thank you for the advice

[Tilkanuts - Reggae Morning]

Well hey

Some interesting ideas throughout, but the music doesn't really feel like it goes anywhere without a clear melody or multiple riffs. The mixing could use some more work - I'd definitely bring out those syncopated horns some more if you want a more Reggae feel (maybe even throw in some extra reverb for them). Also, I'd try panning stuff more so the instruments sound more transparent.

Tilkanuts responds:

Thank you for your advice and for the review.

[Through Adversity of Night]

Nicely done

Definitely has that determined sort of pathos going about it. I really like the orchestration you've done - especially neat were those low bass-drum hits, which really gave the sensation of explosions in the horizon - and just overall how you've managed to relate closely to the story. Samples were pretty decent overall too considering that they're soundfonts. The only thing off the top of my head that you might be able to improve is to greater emphasize the "with new resolve" part - the ending section sounds a bit too similar to the one near the beginning in my opinion. Other than that though, great job!

Tamadrum responds:

Thanks man, I'm glad that you were able to hear the story going there. And listening again, it could have used some more variation at the end.

[Optic Revitalization Project]

Intriguing

I'm really enjoying this ambient guitar soloing - really projects a sort of dark, contemplative mood. You don't too much effects (for an ambient piece, at least) going on, so the guitar has a really transparent texture, which I felt worked quite well in this piece. My favorite part is probably that gorgeous chord at about 1:40 - I actually felt that place was actually quite a good place to end the piece. The parts after that felt a bit tacked on, since it doesn't really go anywhere - probably would've worked better if you added another minute or so to balance it out. Still, very enjoyable piece, and really nice guitar playing overall. Great job.

Kor-Rune responds:

Funny thing is, it did actually end on that chord for the first run through, but I decided I didn't want to end on a root note as I was recording, as that gives a feeling that the piece is complete. So as the ambiance of the pad's bassy A was ringing out, I recorded a few odd broken chords being thrown out of tune with my whammy bar to give a feeling that there's more to it, but it's halted on a darker, unsatisfying measure.

Or something. Hahaha. Thanks for the review man!

[Xyirx - Voice over the Hi]

Nice short little song

Interesting portrayal. I thought the beginning parts sounded a bit too joyful for your description, but it does take a somewhat darker turn near the middle. Main thing is probably the length - though there are some good ideas, it's a bit too short for me to get emotionally invested to the theme.

Xyirx responds:

I'm having problems with the length sometimes. It's like I couldn't get it any longer. But thanks for the comment, I'll definitely take it seriously. :)