00:00
00:00
Neon-Bard

255 Audio Reviews

158 w/ Responses

NGADM Round 1 review.

---

Wow, what an amazing track. Loved the story, loved the vocals, loved the instruments. The quality is brilliant. As others have said, your voice is soft, yet compelling. Such a combination really creates an ethereal listening experience. Ho ho ho ho (...yeah that was terrible...)! The vocals were certainly the highlight of the track, and I really enjoyed the fact that you used various singing techniques to showcase your incredible talent. The story and lyrics are so captivating, and I could really picture this 'Blind Maiden' you sing of. The oriental instruments are integrated in such a wonderful way, they add remarkable depth to this track. The woodwinds in particular (Shakuhachi, Dizi, Bansuri?) are amazing; the trills of these instruments are abundant and perfectly incorporated!

As much as I enjoyed listening to the vocals, they overpowered the instrumental side of the song. The quality of the instruments and their use is great, but they are hard to hear through your voice! By turning down the vocals a notch, this song would truly shine! Also, there seems to be too much reverb associated with certain instruments, namely the piano and the percussion. Finally, the cymbal at the end of the track sounded a little out of place. Nudging it to sound a second later might do the trick! Of course, it might just be me who thinks this!

This song is beautiful! I hope you realize that you have made something quite special. :)

Score: 8.75/10

etherealwinds responds:

I almost forgot that I'd be getting a second review! Those are some very kind words so thank you a lot, I really appreciate it. Primarily I've always been a vocalist, singing on YouTube since I was 13, so I guess rather than creating instrumentals to surround my voice, I've gotten into a habit of creating instrumentals to support or accompany my voice! Actually, upon receiving Step's review about how he'd like to have heard more of the instruments, I focused more on the instrumental on Round 2.

You are so kind, all the very best :)

NGADM Round 1 review.

---

I think Step summed up this track extremely well, so my review might seem like an echo. The introduction is so mesmerizing; I was drawn in immediately. To repeat Step's words, the guitar and the orchestral instruments just blend so well together. When you bring in the heavier orchestra instruments such as the brass, I knew I was in for a treat! 2:11 gave this track such an expansive atmosphere. It sounds so disturbing, yet at the same time it also sounds triumphant, too. Man, that is one crazy mixture. It's as if evil has conquered the good in the world. Heavy stuff!

Repetition seems to be this track's Achilles’ heel. The introductory guitar notes repeat a little too often and so they become rather commonplace. Variation would do well! However, this makes these notes much more memorable. A double-edged sword really, you know? The percussion seemed a tad loud at 1:11, and continuing on until 1:31. Past this point, it seems to level off with the other instruments. Finally, I was hoping for a more climactic conclusion instead of a fade-out. I can imagine the suspense you might have created if you had transformed the explosion of 2:11 to the ending.

This is an impressive track. The quality is outstanding, and everything just 'fits'. Great job! :D

Score: 8.25/10

NGADM Round 1 review.

---

What a beautiful, serene track. You have truly captured the notion of peace within this production of yours. The atmosphere is just astonishing. The piano blends into the soft pad with such grace; it is absolutely mystifying. Speaking of the piano, the notes seem to flow seamlessly from one point to the next throughout the song, great job! The mixing, quality, flow, and balance of the track are all splendid, though at times the piano seems to rely just a tad too much on reverb (I am guilty of the same thing sometimes, too).

It is quite obvious that this track is all about simplicity. However, the simplicity of this track represents itself as a double-edged sword. While you have done a phenomenal job at creating an atmosphere of such a grand scale, it also leaves the song with emptiness where it begs to be wholesome and full. There were a number of places where just a few notes could make a world of difference, 1:50 'till 2:02 being a prime example. Now, I understand that periods like this are meant to allow the listener to quickly reflect on what they just heard, but some subtle notes may help, you know?! :)

The conclusion was a little generic, but at the same time, I think it was a perfect fit for the type of song.

I really enjoyed listening to this track. Keep up the fantastic work! :D

Score: 9/10

Wow, what an introduction. This is an incredibly calm, reflective piece for sure. I love how you build the song from the introduction gradually up until 1:32 where the percussion changes the atmosphere aptly. Again, I have to reiterate that I think that this song is quite reflective and methodical in its structure.

Genres need not matter when the song is fun to listen to, which this certainly is. However, I wonder how it would sound as a 'World' piece? It would be interesting to hear the instruments in a more 'oriental' style...Forgive me, I ramble! In any case, I think that there could have been more variation, just to spice things up a little. Perhaps another change or shift in percussion, or even an added pad or synth that cuts higher than the rest! All the same, this is a great song that was structured fantastically. Well done! :D

VideoGameManiac responds:

thank you, I feel like a lot more experienced everytime I read one of your reviews xd
You might be right with more variation in terms of pads and different percussion. Just need to work a little on this one, just sometimes its hard to tell when a song is finished or not cause in this case I.... you could say ran out of variation which makes me think the song is finished xd

Well done! I like the soft and joyful nature of the song, it's really uplifting. I like those brighter synths that you've used, though at times they are just a tad sharp. The percussion seems well-balanced in terms of volume and I like how it has that break-beat nature to it. The little portions of those higher piano notes that you have sprinkled throughout the song are quite refreshing! I would love to hear this song in its fully developed state, though I understand that the file is no longer accessible. Such a shame! :(

This is a nice little loop that you've done up here DMO. Excellent job! :)

Deemo-R responds:

It's always a shame to lose the little things, but I'm fine with it since these were never bound to be used for something anyhow. I'm glad you liked it! Thanks so much for the review! :D

After listening to this piece again after a number of days, I still think that it has an incredible way of portraying a vintage, yet unique sound. It's quite the catchy song too!

Those lyrics are quite something btw, well thought-out for sure! :)

SourJovis responds:

Thank you. Took me forever to write the lyrics. It's a difficult rhythm to spread the vowels over. Recording them wasn't easy either. I just took the best takes out of an hour of recording. And still I wouldn't let anyone hear them without the vocoder.

Very thrilling piece Mattashi my friend! Imaginative, fantastic production quality, and above all else it's a pleasure to listen to. I could see the illustration by Arvalis come to life! :)

Mattashi responds:

Thanks allot buddy!

Hey there, my name's Brandon. I'm a composer, producer, and audio engineer. If you happen to like anything I have made, or have any questions about using my music in a project, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I hope you have a good day!

Age 33, Male

Canada

Joined on 8/3/11

Level:
9
Exp Points:
740 / 900
Exp Rank:
92,751
Vote Power:
5.09 votes
Rank:
Scout
Global Rank:
38,360
Blams:
20
Saves:
222
B/P Bonus:
4%
Whistle:
Normal
Medals:
258