Neon-Bard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Blind Maiden]

NGADM Round 1 review.

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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 :)

[- MB - Standard Behavior]

NGADM Round 1 review.

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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

[-La Pura Vida-Salsa NGADM]

NGADM Round 1 review.

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Very impressive track, my friend. This is so different from everything else, so it was quite refreshing to listen to! The mixing, choice and quality of the instruments, and the energy this song gives off is just fantastic. I love the smooth, rhythmic piano lines and the clean, cutting edge of those guitar notes that you have sprinkled throughout the track, they truly add vibrancy and cheer to the song. The brass (trumpets in particular) simply furthers the tremendous energy that this track gives off. Outstanding!Speaking of energy and vibrancy (...to beat a dead horse), I really like how you have added that effect from the crowd to the background. You were definitely right in saying that it adds realism to this track because I can easily picture the atmosphere you're going for. On top of all that, everything seems to blend seamlessly which makes the song...well...fun!

I would suggest lowering the cymbal levels between tempo transitions. They are well-placed and trail perfectly, but they are loud. The brass could come down quite a bit as well, so that it allows the other instruments to stand out in certain parts of the track (1:20 – 1:32 for instance). I would have liked to hear a little more substance in the conclusion, perhaps by drawing it out just a little longer with more percussion. Other than those nuances, you had a very strong conclusion which was really the icing on the cake.

This was such a fun track to listen to, and I was really impressed with the level of detail. Great job!

Score: 9/10

SoundChris responds:

Thanks a lot Neon-Bard for your kind review!

I am really glad you liked it - i wasnt sure if i would be able to write a latin piece but decided to give it a try and omg this has been much fun. But it took me quite a long time to get the track into the actual form. One of the most important things for me was to bring in lots of changes (because i couldnt find any real singer out there ;D) to prevent anyone gets bored. The other focus for me was to create a little live-feeling. I thought the track would fit really good to the summer-season right now.

I am not sure if the brass is so well written - after having listened to the track again 2 weeks after the judgement and with a little bit distance and more objectivity now i think i have overdone it a little bit with all those falls :D

So thanks a lot for your review and judging and all the best for you!

Chris

[~SW~ Winter]

NGADM Round 1 review.

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This is a detailed track. I mean really detailed. It is obvious that you poured your heart into this song. From the imaginative and personalized lyrics, to the progression of the song, to the quality. Everything was carefully thought through and masterfully executed. I have to give you major props on the vast level of creativity in this piece. Just out of curiosity, have you ever listened to 'The Main Drag'? This song sounds reminiscent of their work. Ultimately, this track still remains remarkably unique.

The introduction is nice and mellow, just right to set the mood for the rest of the song. I loved the crisp percussion (which is insanely varied by the way), such as the stick hits that you have assembled throughout the first portion of the track. The light breaks in percussion help amplify the significance of the airy pad that lurks in the background, which really brings out the theme of the track in a whole new way. Speaking of bringing out the theme, and to further reiterate my above statement, the lyrics are beyond creative. The way you whisper throughout the “Voice of Doubt” portion of the song (1:55 – 2:43) is absolutely chilling. Furthermore, that beautifully melodic synth that begins floating around at the 2:43 mark just blends so well with the rest of the instruments. It sounds quite magical!

There were really only two things that fazed me while listening to the track: the mixing and the vocals. Now don't get me wrong, both of these aspects of the song were rather quite good. However, since there was so much going on in this song, the overall mixing result sounded somewhat swamped at times. Everything sounded clear for the most part, but I think Step said it best when he stated that the vocals sounded “distant” and while it works in favour of the theme and approach, they could have been mixed better. While the vocals are good, they fall flat throughout the song on a few occasions, most notably throughout the “Voice of Mind” portions of the song. A prime example is on the line “Winter is calling me, and I.” The words 'winter', 'me', and 'I' are drawn out into long vocal notes which sound as if they are being sung outside of your vocal register. This happens again on the line “I cannot hear her speak, for I,”. Singing outside of your vocal range would be the reason why the notes sound flat when compared to the others. Perhaps by singing these words at a higher pitch or resonance would help rectify this issue, because to me it sounds like your voice could reach much higher notes. With all that being said, the vibrato on 'voice' is excellent! Other than that, I cannot see any other issues with this song.

Once again, I must say that the detail and hard work that you have put into this song is clearly evident. I would love to hear you write more stuff along this style and approach! Keep it up, my friend! :)

Score: 8.75/10

[Promises - skyood]

NGADM Round 1 review.

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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

[First Flight]

JacobCadmus

NGADM Round 1 review.

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First, I must say that this piece was incredibly impressive! Everything from the mixing, to the quality of the instruments, to the thoughtful, and meaningful spirit of this track is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, superb. Now...let's begin, yes?

Right from the get-go, we have a subtle, yet incredibly powerful introduction with that enchanting choir. When you combine those delightful voices with the emotional, tense strings, it creates a notion of both a soothing nature that happens to enthrall the listener at the same time. Wonderful! This sensation continues up until 0:39 when things become quite interesting. The percussion begins building perfectly with the pacing of the strings and woodwinds to create that sense of grandeur. The woodwinds are majestic. They float just above the other instruments in a fanciful sort of way, as if to give a nod to the title and motif of the song.

When we finally reach the end of the grand buildup and the climax of the song , everything seems far too compressed, you know? Particularly from 1:53 – 1:59. While this only lasts for a few seconds, when you compare it to the soft and delicate conclusion, there is a real imbalance. Regardless, the conclusion fits the song well.

Overall, this track is superb. I am looking forward to your next submission. Well done! :)

Score: 9.5/10

[Slow Motion Lightning]

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

[Calm Map]

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

[Monochromatic As I'll Be]

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.

[Colossal Assault]

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!