ObsidianSnow's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[theme for robots in space]

That felt nice.

I absolutely loved the atmosphere in this. And actually, contrary to what BlueOceans said, I really liked the sound of the lead synth - and the levels of the bass synth are only MAYBE a little too high until you crescendo the lead. Personally I think the way the lead comes out from just under the bass gives that transition a nice contrast, and that the sound of the bass synth is still round enough that it manages to feel subtle despite being a little louder than the melody at the start. But hey, opinions opinions, they're like tomatoes around here.

In a weird way it reminded me a bit of Donkey Kong Country, but I have no idea why because as far as I can remember this doesn't really sound anything like those games. STRANGE.

Really enjoyed your panning work, worth putting headphones on for.

That was a lot of talk just to say I liked it, but hey. I did.

If there's one thing I might suggest, it's to look at the drums. The sounds you used for those were the only thing that seemed to stick out to me - they worked, but they felt a little out of place, a little too bright and pointy, if that makes sense to you. That, and the individual drum sounds were very static - for example the kick sound was exactly the same sound every time it was triggered, as far as I heard. It would be nice if those sounds were a little more varied, because drums get triggered so often that the sounds get redundant. That said, I understand that this is picky and that this is something that gets skipped very easily on a deadline - I have often skipped this myself, only to regret it later.

But who knows, I might be the only one bothered by that. ANYWAYS, nice work, and merry christmas!

johnfn responds:

Thanks! I see the comparison to DKC, I think they both have a nostalgic sort of vibe to them. I actually haven't listened to DKC all too much, getting on that right now. I like it a lot. Maybe it's also the vibrato lead :D

I WAS pretty lazy on the drums. I had trouble because it's a pretty laid back song, so I thought I couldn't do anything too special or complex. You're right though, I could have done better there.

Thank you for the extensive review and merry christmas to you too!

[Shiny Metal Blues (WIP)]

This is an interesting entry. I really don't know where to place it...

Anyway, here's some constructive criticism for you!

Right off the top, I'll tell you that you're putting a little too much distortion on that guitar, imo. If you're doing it that way because you're going for a more metal kind of sound, you'll be better off changing the distortion itself than increasing the damage output on it.

Your piece sounds really dry - some reverb and delay would be good things to add, to give the song some "space" in the sound.

You could stand to bring the piano down a notch.

Play with some EQ (equalization) - right now things sound a little muddy. Part of that can be solved by using some effective equalization techniques. There are some great tutorials on EQ methods out there, I recommend spending some time looking at those and experimenting.

There seems to be a blip at the end of your guitar riff, which makes it sound a little non-contiguous. Not sure if that's a recording thing, or a release setting, or what. Not a big thing, but you'll definitely want to look into little things like that if you want to present a polished product.

Lastly, don't be discouraged if it sounds like I'm nailing you with a bunch of things I don't like - I'm telling you these things because I want to help you, and you sound like you want to get better. We've all been there, and I know how that can feel.

Keep pushing, OfficeGalactic.

[Winter Flakes]

You certainly did a better job of getting the theme down than I did, methinks. Has a nice feel to it, for sure. Nicely done!

[Streets of Whiterun Vocal]

Excellent, I really enjoyed this.

If I could, however, provide one piece of constructive criticism, I might suggest tweaking the reverb on the vocals a little bit. The spacial aspect of the sound just feels a touch awkward at the moment, and so doesn't quite click with everything else that's going on.

The vocals themselves are very nice, though, and I'm glad I stumbled across this.

headphoamz responds:

Thanks! I'll make a note of it. It was a little hard to perfect with only laptop speakers as my headphones are a little broken right now (haha) but I'm happy you like it! ^___^

[Faraway Paradise]

Actually.

I didn't find this repetitive at all. If it had continued for much longer, perhaps I might have thought it needed some more variation. For a two minute piece, though, what you've got fits just right.

I enjoyed all 120 seconds of this - you've done a good job mastering, the piece has a nice flow, things generally sound very natural... and your melody is wonderful. Musically, I think everything sits very well.

The only thing that bothered me in the slightest was the way it ended - it was a little bit on the abrupt side. I'd either have added a definitive end (some sort of resolving cadence, if you're a theory guy), or added a bridge before finishing the piece off.

What you've got here is really easy listening, and I liked it very much. Thanks for sharing!

[ 5 / 5 ]
[ 9.85 / 10.00 ]

- Ian

P.s. Out of curiosity, what software do you happen to be using? The character of the audio sounds mildly familiar, but I can't place it.

digital-musician responds:

Thank you very much for the helpful review, I'm glad to hear you liked it :) My.. song writing skills aren't that good, so I tend to not construct the overall song that well, but I see what your getting at. I might try and make a revised version sometime & work on those things.
I used FL Studio 10 & NI Komplete 8 instruments to make this piece.
Thanks again :)

[The Noble Cause]

Always good to hear more of your stuff, samulis.

You did an excellent job with this theme. It stays true to itself, while still providing enough variation to be interesting - and the melody is memorable. The loop is also really clean, you can't tell it's there at all.

By the way, I was wondering what software/samples you're using? The quality is pretty decent, and I don't immediately recognise anything familiar...

Anyways - I like it. Keep that stuff flowing, bud!

- Ian

samulis responds:

Hey, thanks for the review!

I'm using Finale 2009c with the EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Gold, really the best instruments I have heard short of real life and Vienna.

-Samulis

[Solstice]

vi-IV-V-vi.

That is the chord progression you used. I like this progression. Unfortunately, you spent 7 minutes without ever changing it. This is a pet peeve of mine. Please, for the love of all that is right in the world - I don't care what genre you're writing - don't go that long without changing something.

Overall, the piece sounds pretty good - personally I'd have taken out the drums and either left it without them or replaced them with some other rhythmical voice, but they're not entirely out of place here. They just sound a little dry, unbalanced, and mechanical. It doesn't quite blend, if you know what I mean. At the very least, I would have brought the levels on the drums down so they didn't stick out quite as much. But like I said, it doesn't sound bad, which is more than I can say for a lot of things that end up on NG.

As far as ambient goes, I like it. It's just longer than it needs to be.

I give you a 7.8/10. -1 for 7 minutes of the same chord progression, -1 for imbalance in the mastering (i.e. the drums not blending). The last 0.2 are bonus points that I rarely award. Not a bad score.

Power to you, TwentySixHundred.

TwentySixHundred responds:

I see exactly what you're saying.

[<V>you are my sunshine<V>]

Where. The. Hell...

...IS THE BASS, BOY!?

I just spent 3 minutes of my life wondering when this shit was going to get real... and then it didn't. :(

I like the idea, though.

Cheers.

[[RF] Chaoz Fantazy REMIX]

Short review time.

I often write crazy long reviews, but this time I'm going to keep it relatively short.

I like a couple of your additions and ideas, like at 1:20 with the piano. However, your mastering tore out my jugular. You've replaced good mastering and balance with heavy, obnoxious bass and noise - way too much is going on, all at the same time. It's muddy and hard to hear - its lost its cleanliness, if you will.

The solution to this is pretty simple, actually. Take an EQ or seven, and use them wisely. You don't necessarily have to take anything out, just make sure that the frequencies don't conflict too much, and balance things out a little. Don't put everything in the spotlight at once, it confuses people. If you don't know how to use EQ and other mastering effectively (Stereo imaging, Compression, Panning, etc.), I suggest you look up some tutorials.

Perhaps I sounded a bit harsh, so I'm sorry if I did. I do respect your creativity. I just get a little biased when it comes to people remixing someone else's work - I'm a stickler for pure originality.

I don't love it, I don't hate it. It's an acceptable submission. Take that as you will, I give this a 6.5/10. Review score: 7/10. Vote score: 3/5.

Power to you, RaveFantazy!
- OS

[(KgZ)- Black Snow]

"Black Snow"

I saw the title and couldn't resist, given my name here on NG. It's 3am where I am now, so I'm in no state to write one of my typical crazy-ass hits-the-character-limit reviews for you, but in my half dead state this sounds pretty nifty. I do love 8 bit music in all its forms and variations.

I don't know if you portrayed your theme extremely well, though... To me it sounds more like, to relate this to a gaming or movie experience, the feelings of someone who has nothing left to lose and takes whatever final step in their journey knowing full well that they will die in the process or some such. I can hear some of the "betrayal and deception" you said you were aiming for, but it seems to be hidden under a couple layers of other emotions.

Nonetheless, it is a solid and powerful piece. If you'd like a "real" review from me, send me a PM and I'll get around to it when I can.

Power to you, KgZ.