ObsidianSnow's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Crystal Voices]

Mastering.

And additions. Right now, you've got a melody... and that's about it. with the exception of some background effects, which are fairly minimal.

What you need is to add at least 2 - 3 more instruments, a recognisable chord progression (that has at least one variation), harmonies, counter-melodies, and shifts to other effects on occasion.

Let me explain.

Your melody almost sounds randomised. The reason isn't necessarily because it IS randomised, but because there's nothing to back it up and provide any structure.
What you need to do is figure out what chords you're cycling through, and use those to add new parts underneath or on top of what you already have. What you have already sounds a little more like a supporting part than a melody, so I would suggest making at least 2 other instruments that also support, and at least 2 other instruments that carry melody (which HAS to change throughout the song!).
Some drums might be nice, too - I mean a real beat, not just background effects.

One note - mastering is possibly THE determining factor in what people think of your music. You can write good music, but what makes it awesome is how well the music has been mastered to sound "professional". But that just comes with practice (and looking up tutorials online - which is how I've learned a lot of my mastering skills).

There's a lot more you can do, too... but I think that you'll learn with experience.

This reminds me a lot of my earlier stuff, which is why I'll make you the following offer: I'll take this song and transform it completely just to show you what I mean, and to give you some building blocks to help you make your music better. But I have to get a response from you to know that you would be cool with me doing that.

btw, if you take me up on my offer and you happen to be using Reason 4.0, let me know (it would make it a lot easier for me).

Don't take the 7 too harshly. I don't give high grades easily (don't be fooled if you check my other reviews - I usually don't spend the time writing reviews for things I think don't deserve commendation). You've taken a critical step just to get this far, and I do see a lot of solid potential in your work. As just one example of that, you have a great sense of the flow of the music. And that's one thing that I had a lot of trouble with personally.

But I think that's enough for one review. Let me know if you're interested in my offer.

Power to you, StarScythe!

StarScythe responds:

Ya know, truth be told, I pretty much did randomize the melody. but I thought the tune turned out nice so I used it. I admittedly am a total n00b at music. Idc if you use this tune as a base. But i use FL Studio 8.

PS. Sorry for the reallllly late reply

[A Heartbeat of Thousands]

Aptly named...

...and aptly presented. This is really great. I love the strings, good job with those. I'm impressed that you did this well with garageband, too. It's not exactly the most professional program out there (lol and I used to hate Reason for being complicated XD ). Has an awesome flow and theme, clearly demonstrating your gleaming musical talent. It has a really unique melody, too ( I'm not sure how much of that comes from Second Heartbeat, I've never heard it - but all the same).

I don't mean to taint the moment at all, but I feel that I have to adress one issue - I can tell (to some extent) that this was done with garageband. Just a couple of the mastering quirks that seem to come with that territory show through here. That's not your fault at all (hell, you've done spectacularly considering the situation), but I figured I'd point it out anyways.

Overall, this is an outstanding piece, and it shows that you clearly need to get more attention as an artist than you seem to be getting.

10/10, 5/5, favs. Nice work.

Power to you, OMGL33TH4X0R!

OMGL33TH4X0R responds:

Wow thanks a lot! I have recently acquired Logic Express, so I'm going to take all the songs that are going on my album and remaster them in Logic. Thanks so much for the review :)

[The Storm Has Come]

Fuck yes.

This is really freaking epic. Your chords and melodies are slick as hell. This easily sounds like a high-budget movie score.

I would also disagree on the offbeat snare issue (unless I'm not hearing it because it's been fixed? The offbeat snare I'm hearing sounds fine). What I'm hearing right now in the drums is just great, I love the weight and texture in there. The panning is extremely well used as well.

Your strings are sexy. 'Nuff said on that.

The only thing I feel like this is lacking is a section where the very soul of the piece screams its heart out in a massive, thunderous climax. It seems like you never really use all the tension you build up throughout the song, and I'd really like to hear a section where the big one explodes. There's a lot of tension and intensity to this, but without that massive screaming/wailing fanfare the song feels a bit empty.

In any case, I loved this piece. If you make any changes to it, let me know.
10/10, 5/5, favs.

Power to you, OMGL33TH4X0R!

OMGL33TH4X0R responds:

Hey man thanks a lot for the review! No I didn't change the song yet, the offbeat snare is still in it! Yeah I undestand what you mean about this song having a distinct climax. I'll probably work on this song some more before I release my album. I'll keep you updated on that! If you liked this song check out my song A Heartbeat of Thousands. I bet you'll love it even more than this song! :)
Cheers for the review
- Hendo

[Waltz of the Slain]

Yes.

This reminds me so much of those really epic boss fights in FF. I love it. I do have a question though: You have that nice BAM sound that comes in multiple times (the first time is at 0:14). I have been trying to make one of those sounds for a while, but I'm starting to think that this is a generic sound that lots of people have found and use frequently. If you don't mind my asking, how did you get that sound?

Anyways, one suggestion for you: Make a massive Joe Satriani-esque guitar solo in there (don't know Satch? Look him up). Not only would it work, it would blow everyone's FUCKING MIND!!! No joke my friend, this piece is destined to have potentially one of the most epic guitar solos of all time.

...I lied, I have one more thing to say. You're guitar phrases are fine, but they always seem to come back to pretty much the same place and they never break the (fairly) rigid pattern you've set up. Try making your guitar phrases occasionally just break the rules and do something a little different (or a lot different... but it's harder to get it to sound good if it's a huge pattern break). By that I mean just vary your phrases with some jumps to higher or lower octaves, change the general motion of the phrase, etc.

This is epic. If you decide you don't feel like changing this one at all, maybe I'll come back to it in a month or two and make a remix (lol if I ever find the time). There's too much awesome stuff here for me to just move on. Love the harpsichord, btw.

... you might hear from me again. I like what you're doing.

Power to you, Surtur!

surtur responds:

Thanks a bunch, glad you like it.

That sound you're talking about is referred to as a "hit." In FL Studio, which is what I used, it has its own little sub-category. I used the orchestral one, I think.

Thank you for the suggestions--unfortunately, my computer crashed and this piece was lost, but if I decide to reconstruct this piece I'll keep them in mind.

[.Next to you]

Love it.

It's got a lot of really great stuff happening in there. I'm at a loss when I try to think of any kind of constructive criticism for this - there's nothing I find I can criticise. (Maybe potentially that the floor tom on the drums doesn't quite blend perfectly, but that's not only personal opinion but a stylistic thing that would be useless to criticise)

I think this is just fantastic. 10/10, 5/5, favs. I can see this in a movie or as a theme in a game very, very easily. Damn, this is good.

Power to you, Manhart!

Manhart responds:

Thanks a lot for the review. I am very glad you liked it.
Power to you too ObsidianSnow ! :D

[Baby grand piano.]

Brilliance on a stick.

...And of course, by "a stick" I mean "the audio portal". Not sure what the connection there is, but I'm staying with it.

Anyways, some great stuff happening here. Sounds like you actually played it, too. Which to me makes it that much more impressive. Love the slower section right around the 2:00 mark. Some really great progressions in there, and I really like how each section flows (the transitions aren't bad from one section to the next, but they do really seem to be separate in their own way). And you deserved that music award of 100$, too. Great stuff. I'm really looking forward to what this might turn into in the future. Personally, I can see so many things that could come out of this, so many cool ideas...

10/10, 5/5, favs.

Power to you, Stalagmite!

Stalagmite responds:

LOL it was played live. i only have a Baby grand keyboard and recording program. my other musics where made about a year ago... but the majority are from the live keyboard.
My favourite most creative bit about 1.40 in. i love that bit so much. thanks man! and i am glad it seems digital to you! i can hear loads of mistakes! haha...
thanks man for this. i am LURVin your style in musix YO!
power rite back atya!

[Collosal Collaboration Up]

Listing as I listen...

- Intro is really diverse, I'm enjoying the range of sound and the flexibility.
- Effects are well done - everything fits nicely with everything else.
- Loving the 8-bit stuff. That's art, that is.
- Drums are great, they fit the feel really nicely... they blend well, too.
- The pitch bends are awesome, I can only assume they're intentional.
- Atmosphere is really well developed.
- All your rhythms are slick - unpredictable but fitting nonetheless.

The only thing I might suggest is making the bass drum at the end sound a little subsonic - MEGABASS!!!... but at the same volume. Just to give it that vibration in your chest when you listen to it with a subwoofer in the room. Or even without the subwoofer ;P

Overall, great stuff. 10/10, 5/5, favs. Really cool style - really fresh. You might hear from me again. In the meantime, check out some of my stuff. I have no doubt that you would have some useful input, musically inclined as you are.

Power to you, Jewelz!

Aydin-Jewelz123 responds:

Thanks for the feedback :D

[Valley]

It's great...

but I do have one issue with it (hence the 9/10)... It's repetitive.

You can make it sound a lot better with really minimal effort, actually. There's a lot of great things happening in here, including effects, balance, mastering, and atmosphere. It would flow really nicely, too - if it wasn't quite as repetitive. But as I said, that can be fixed very easily.

Here's how:
You only seem to have one chord going right now. Thus nothing ever moves around. So all you have to do is add an occasional chord change. I would recommend that you try moving it up on the first bar of a set of four bars during the section with the guitar. But don't feel restricted by that: experiment and see what sounds good to you.

The only other thing is the fact that there's a bit of a bump in the loop. It would help if you faded the instruments so they don't cut out so abruptly at the end.

All the same, nice work. Love the atmosphere of this one. 5/5, 9/10.

Power to you, TWojnar!

TWojnar responds:

Great!
Thnx for advise:D
The "Valley" was my first thing i made using just comp... I changed it a bit & used in my 4th project which is still in garage.

[Wasted Souls - Mjattie]

Yeah.

You've got the high frequency blips down to a really comfortable level now, nice work with that. I guess you decided against putting in the fast background synth in this one - that's fine. I was experimenting with writing a part for that when you first showed me this one, but I wasn't having very much success. So maybe it's better with it left out.

Still loving the whole atmosphere of it, too. You do some great work.

Other than that, it's all things I've already told you. A hearty 10/10, 5/5, favs, DL to you, sir.

Power to you, Mjattie!

mjattie responds:

aah lol, thanks man :)

[Silent Tears [Orch]]

Insightful and Beautiful.

What more can I say? You have done a spectacular job with this, and it's clear just how much you cared for her. I've done the same thing too, but what I've done doesn't really compare to this. You're right though, that emotions are a powerful force in music. Extremes will bring your music to entirely new levels. And that's obviously what's happened here.

I can feel it clearly, and I know exactly how much writing a song to express your feelings can help pull you through - especially something this beautiful.

A song written with the most hearfelt feelings, with a story to tell - of loss... and more than that. This is a true expression of emotion, in it's purest form. With something so meaningful, it truly is impossible to award this any less than a 10 and a 5. Numbers are nothing to you right now, I know. But it's the least I can do to help you along your way, wherever it leads.

I feel for you, Calvin. And I wish you the best.

Power to you, Dj Flux.

Dj-Flux responds:

Such an insightful and meaningful review. I'm glad you took the time to express that.

It means a lot to hear such words, I'm glad people can connect and relate so well.

Thanks much for the review.