Neon-Bard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Adventurers Sonata]

I really like the story you tell with this song. It sort of reminds me of my childhood in some ways. The piano work is nothing short of elegant. I am not classically trained, nor do I play the piano (though I would love to learn), so I am not quite sure how to gauge your composition.

It would be nice to hear the song flow a little more smoothly in accordance with the story and theme, in terms of timing and the rising and falling of certain notes..but that's more of a preference on my part and I think the song as a whole works best as you have structured it. Besides that though, I believe you've created a beautiful story through music which is not an easy feat. I hope you realize that you've achieved what you set out to do with this piece, fantastic job! :)

FooRight responds:

I think the most important thing when composing is to achieve the goal you set for a specific piece; it's how you can be the proudest of what you've done. So, indeed I mean it when I say thank you for noticing that aspect!

I'm also glad this connected with you in a certain way. I had hoped this would happen, especially because this piece is gender neutral (anyone sex can appreciate visualizing themselves in it), and things were made purposefully to be general and broad in their statements about adventure.

This was the first piece I ever completed that I was proud of, and yet since it's really only one of so few I have ever actually fully completed, I do have some story-telling skills that need practice and refining! Good point!

[Gliding Through Time]

Very interesting song you've got here. It's arranged well and the kicks in particular are perfectly balanced, both in volume, depth and timing. The only thing that I didn't quite like was the guitar plugin you used...perhaps Slayer? Anyway, try adding some light reverb to it and adjusting the volume just slightly.

I really got a 'Turok' vibe from this song, not sure if you've played any of those games before, but I assure you that's a good vibe to be getting. Great stuff, keep it up! :)

mistarogerz responds:

Yes, good review and yes, the plugin was Slayer. Every time I use Slayer in songs people call it out. Not surprising because everyone knows what Slayer sounds like. I'm putting Slayer to rest after this. Thanks for the review!

[Edge of Time]

Inspiring, grand, and your best work to date for sure. It's clear that you worked very hard on this piece. Loved all of the instruments you have used, you have made excellent use of SO! Best of luck in the contest, I'm rooting for you! :)

stunkel responds:

Thanks man! Glad that you think so :P And I did work hard! I'm glad that it showed. And if you were entering, I would be rooting for ya too :P

[Double Trouble!]

Before I had a chance to even read the description, I immediately thought of Banjo-Kazooie. The inspiration from Kirby games is evident too. This is really something if you ask me. It really captures that hectic sensation that you get when playing those games! Great choice of instruments, everything flows smoothly.

I agree with EagleGuard though. The main melody is a little repetitious. However, that's only after listening to the loop several times over. Anyway, keep up the great work! :)

[LOZ Outset Island Remix]

Awesome rendition of the Outset Island song! As others have said, the looping is a little off, but it's really not a big deal. The instruments you used really helped bring back some nostalgia for me, which is great. You should really play Wind Waker! :)

stunkel responds:

Thanks! :D And yeah I will try to work on the looping. ANd I really really need to play wind waker! It looks amazing!

[Where Angels Live pt. 4]

Solid intro, very interesting too. The first thing I would suggest is perhaps connecting those notes so that it makes the introduction have a more wholesome feel to it. Other than that, I think the song has a really unique vibe to it. Very cyberpunkish yet somehow mystifying. The song itself has a fusion of many different elements, and I think you did a great job linking them all together. Keep it up! :)

JQiscool responds:

Thank you! like the cyberpunkish thing hahahaha

[Pathe The Way (Contest)]

Wow. This is absolutely fantastic man! Everything blends so well, it's actually quite ridiculous (in a good way of course). The classical elements alongside the metal is genius. Not unique, but regardless, very well arranged. I really liked the guitar and bass work, every note sounded very clear so obviously you paid careful attention to the mixing and mastering. I should also add that the intro really set up the remainder of the song in such a way that is makes the listener eager to hear the rest of the song.

The only thing that I felt that was slightly lacking was the conclusion of the song. I think it could have been a little more epic than it was, but that isn't to say that it was not. Just out of curiosity, what kind of guitar and bass did you use for this?

Great stuff, thanks for submitting! :)

MetalRenard responds:

Funny you feel it's not "epic enough", to me it sounds all kinds of epic rolled into one, but that's the beauty of personal interpretation. :)
Thanks!

[The Feels]

Great song! I must have listened through this at least ten times and I never got tired of it. The best part of the song is undoubtedly when the the other bit sound kicks in around 0:33, it's very catchy and I'll likely have it stuck in my head for a while. The only criticism I have for this song is that the intro is a little too bland. Perhaps adding some extra notes here and there would work nicely. Anyway, excellent job, keep it up! :)

CANDYdisturber responds:

I was pretty lazy with the intro haha; just wanted to rush to the meat of it :P Thanks a bunch

[Into the Night Sky]

I completely agree with Fubaka. If you can find a way to blend the intro along with the remainder of the song, I think you would have something great going on here. Another thing that I think you could improve is the piano. If you turn it up just slightly and perhaps add a small amount of reverb, it would make the piano much more profound. Besides that, I found this to be really easy to listen to. Great job! :)

[Transformation]

Awesome stuff going on here! To be honest, I'm really impressed with what you have done with Slayer and FPC, I can't seem to make them work for my own pieces so I avoid them entirely. Seeing as you were able to use them in a very effective manner, I might give them a shot again some time!

As for the song itself, the mixing was superb and the entire song was quite catchy. I didn't even realize it was a loop until I had listened to it a number of times. Great job! :)

Troisnyx responds:

Admittedly: Slayer was a background instrument. The backing guitars come in whenever the melody is playing, and they were very soft. But generally, what I do with any guitar track, even with Slayer, is add Parametric EQ 2, Reeverb (The Venue) and Fast Dist (Some Oomph). For FPC, this wasn't the standard drum kit -- you know FL allows you to download some content for free if you have the full version of FL? This was HipScratch for FPC, and considering I've used drums to this effect before, I decided to do it again.

The sad thing about Slayer is that you can't add presets, you have to make do with the sounds that already exist. But at least FPC gives you that freedom...

Glad you liked it. Thanks for listening! ^_^