Neon-Bard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[There]

This is a NGADM review.

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This is AMAZING, garlagan! Introstalge said it best I think: this sounds like Madeon! The very moment that things kicked in at 0:18, I was hooked! Right away we have quality sound production, effects, and a smooth beat – and if a song can grab the attention of its listener quickly like this track does, that's just icing on the cake. There's quite a bit of variety in this track. Something that hurts a lot of house-based songs is the lack of variety, which this track does not suffer at all. You change things up often with new patterns and sounds, so things never grow stale. By the way, the singing is wicked! Really impressive vocal work on your part man.

As others have said, the glitching gets out of hand at times. I liked it for the first half of the track, but then it gets a bit old...not too old that it gets annoying though. The outro is a little generic sounding, but sounds great regardless. Other than those small nitpicks, I have nothing else to say. This is just plain fun to listen to, and it really fills me with energy while listening!

Much like MetalRenard, I had to change my scoring method up for this round. Be proud of this track, it's awesome! A favourite of mine. Keep it up garlagan! :D

Score: 9.6/10

garlagan responds:

Thanks a lot Neon-Bard!
Sounds like Madeon?! NOICE. Regarding production value he's just too ahead of everyone though. But yes some chords and especially in the chorus there are similarities to his style. Glad you and Introstalge noticed it!
Agreed on the glitching getting kind of boring. Got like carried away with it. And agreed on the outro too. Wanted to have something that falls perfectly into the genre, that typical repetitive bars thing. Didn't have time to make it interesting, unfortunately.
Thanks again! Glad you liked the singing by the way!

[Baby Mario Medley]

Beautiful work Ryan! The introduction is just magical - it really brings me back to my childhood. Speaking of which, the entire track has that feeling of childhood innocence and rambunctiousness. This is really indicative of all of those great Yoshi's Island tracks that are captured in this piece. Your transitions are quite seamless! They flow with a great pace that keeps things interesting. The percussion is exciting, the strings and brass are heartwarming, and the piano really does the job.

The drums are a tad dry starting at 1:09, but in some ways that's very fitting and it's hardly noticeable because of the tight mixing job. The strings, as a whole, are quite digital sounding (mostly the solo violin)...but that's on Symphonic Orchestra; the execution is wonderful. Other than those small nitpicks, this is great.

Really, really, really good job man! :)

stunkel responds:

Thanks man! I never really thought about how the entire track is child-like innocence, rowdyness... I'll have to keep that in mind because it definitely fits! And the drums being too dry I realized that only recently... The drums were actually too wet before... and to the point where so I took off a bunch of the reverb from it, I guess I did a little too much! I think where you mentioned it starts it shows the most, it started to sound really muddy in the entire mix so I took it off of everything. And yeah the solo violin can sound a bit digital at times... There are certain aspects where I think I made it sound like it was bowing which i was quite happy with, but other times I definitely agree with you.

Thanks for the review man :D

[Brawnzer's Brawl]

DMO, this is really impressive! I love the melody work that you have going on here. Really catchy! The guitar sets the perfect flow for the rest of the instruments, while the synth that comes in at 0:30, and onward is a nice touch. The synth does sound a bit too much like a preset, though that's not really an issue and more of a preference deal.

Your percussion is well implemented, though I think the orchestra chimes could be brought out in the mix a bit more (as they seem slightly buried behind the drums and guitar). The same could be said about the piano towards the end of the song (2:18). Speaking of the climax, well done (I like how it loops)! The overall mix is great, though some instruments, such as the strings, seem a bit muddy at times.

Really enjoyed listening to this track, keep it up! :D

Deemo-R responds:

Hey Neon, thanks for the review in the midst of the whole NGADM business going on! Much appreciated!

You're right about the synth being a preset... I actually rarely ever toy with my synth libraries, haha. I tend to always just leaf through my list until one comes up that I like in the mix. I'll actually take your word and start fiddling about with them, though. It's certainly one of the things that makes them so versatile. :P

I'm actually surprised to hear that the overall mix is at least distinguishable. This was hopefully the last song that I'll do without proper studio monitors, so I mainly stuck to careful panning and volume (with some cookie-cutter EQ on the guitars to create some distinction). I tried to keep the instrumentation low enough to avoid a mixing nightmare, but the chimes were definitely still a testament to my inexperience. I actually had them louder before, but they were kind of harsh, thin, and rather unpleasant. I ended up drowning them in reverb and just taking back the volume. It wasn't an educated decision, by any means. I kind of just gave up. xP

Thanks so much for the insight, I'll keep working to make my tracks cleaner and even more entertaining! :D

[A Night in the Attic]

This is an NGADM Round 2 Review

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Well, Trois, this was one of my favourites of the round. The atmosphere is rich, yet perfectly simple and quite creepy in a wonderful way. The glockenspiel is the star of this track, in my opinion. The way it bounces around in that toy-like fashion is marvellous (especially towards the end of the song). Your vocals are both haunting and enchanting, great work creating that two-fold feeling. Due to your voice, I can honestly say that I felt completely immersed in that dark attic with stitched-up teddy bears, and bent, broken action figures watching me from the corner of an old toy box. If there was any one thing about this track that I appreciated above all else, it was how you transitioned the song from a feeling of eeriness to that of wonder and awe starting at 3:56. I felt the execution was just right! It gave me a feeling of relief and nostalgia, like the toys were angry and upset at first, but then they became benevolent through a spark of life.

The piano sounded a little cliché at times, but I thought it made a great fit into the song at the same time. The mix could use work, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Certain instruments sounded quite muddled, the piano being the biggest offender. I also feel like your voice needed a bigger spotlight! Trois, you have a great voice, and it would have shined a lot brighter if it was brought up in volume and into the foreground, so to speak. Also, as much as I loved the glock, it was a tad loud at times. Nothing too serious, but something to be mindful of since it can become too sharp if played too hard.

Loved this song, you did an excellent job. I'm really looking forward to your next piece! :)

Score: 8.75/10

Troisnyx responds:

I wish you had a next piece to look forward to considering the context of this one... I am revisiting it one year on and it still pains me that I cannot give any better.

[Aurora Dawn]

This is an NGADM Round 2 Review.

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Let me just preface this review with the following: there's no doubt in my mind that you have an overabundance of talent. Mind sharing?

The introduction is wonderful. Just a pleasure to listen to. Your voice remains as the anchor to the song, giving it a soft, melancholic nature. Speaking of melancholy, it seems that this song mostly lies in the 'sad' zone. The translation of the lyrics reflect this I think. The lyrics are beautiful in a subtle way, might I add. Going back to your voice: the control you have over your voice, and your ability to sing in many different languages is impressive. Coupled with your voice, your instrumentation is outstanding. The piano blends well with the strings to create an atmosphere that is undeniably rich. Speaking of the piano, I loved the way you wrote the outro (particularly from 2:30 and on).

For the most part, the mix is spot-on. Though I have to agree with Step about the vocals and overall balance of the instruments! Just be mindful of how your other instruments play out in relation to your voice. For instance, I would have liked to hear a greater focus on the piano and strings, perhaps with extra piano passages thrown in to give the song some extra flavour and emotion.

I'll say it again, you're full of talent. I am eagerly awaiting your next track! :)

Score: 9.5/10

[Survival of the Hungriest]

This is an NGADM Round 2 Review

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What a hypnotic introduction! With your rather vague, but imaginative description, the first thing I picture is the couple slowly coming to a disturbing realization that something isn't quite right. Maybe, one of them is unpacking a box on the upper floor after having a small fight with their SO (0:18). They see slight movement out of the corner of their eye out of the bedroom window (0:22). What is it? It's just Frank, the next door neighbour. But, what is he doing in his backyard, carrying a large, stretched garbage bag with branches in it? Certainly that's not a bag of twigs and branches. Looks too heavy. Wait, is that a white branch that just fell out of the bag? No. He pick its up, revealing it to be a bone. He looks around only to see you peering down at him. And then BAM! Creepy! (1:02)

Just a taste of what I imagined was happening. Hmm, there's not much left to say that hasn't already been said. The level of tension in this track is amazing. The fear that oozes out of the strings and piano is great, supplemented by the overall feeling of adrenaline from the guitar and drums. As the song carries on, and the choir is introduced at 2:59...man that's fantastic. Especially when all of the instruments swell at 3:13 into a heap of panic (gave me goosebumps). Perhaps a chase scene. Oh, it has to be! Goosebumps again at 3:43. I think it can be safe to say that if a song gives you goosebumps, that means it's something special. The conclusion is so calm and full of relief – the woodwinds, warm strings and the choir help accentuate this feeling.

Again, I'll reiterate what others have stated: there's not much of a motif here. Although you do a fantastic job of creating an exciting and mood-filled piece, I have a hard time recalling any pattern throughout the track. Other than that, I feel as if towards the end (~5:00), some of the instruments are buried just slightly beneath the strings. Particularly the woodwinds! After 5:22, this isn't an issue.

Well done, well done, well done (though I prefer my steak rare mwahahaha)! Looking forward to more! :)

Score: 9.5/10

[Memoirs of an Old Dreamer]

This is an NGADM Round 2 Review.

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This is a really captivating piece Jay. I think you did an excellent job with the execution of the theme, especially when you consider your wise choice of instruments. The harp/brass combo was a nice way to introduce the track, while the strings provide that foundation of emotion that sits at the heart of the song. There's definitely a memorable quality to your theme; I found myself humming the portion from 1:23 – 1:36 after I had listened to the song. The transition at 1:51 is well placed, but the cymbal here could be a little louder as it sits just below most of the other instruments. By the way, I enjoyed how you implemented the woodwinds to give off that enchanting story-like quality. Well done!

The overall mix could use some work. The strings, I found, were not as warm and pronounced as they could have been. The brass suffers from this as well as the choirs. The conclusion of the song was a little bland, and I feel it could have gone in a very different direction. It simply fades and then cuts out immediately. I understand that this fits well with the idea of the man passing away, but musically it doesn't quite work...mostly because it trails off from such a wonderful section to abruptness.

I appreciate the description you wrote for the song, it definitely added a great deal of depth to the overall theme of the song. Keep it up my friend! :)

Score: 8.25/10

Jay-Turner responds:

Thank you! It is flattering that you remembered my theme. I see what you mean about the cymbal. I generally feel that it is quite poorly mixed overall.

I agree very much with the sound of the instruments. I was really trying to push a sound that my VSTs weren't really capable of and I think that was a poor decision on my part (When I could have stuck to what I know sounds good in my library, I guess a contest isn't the best time to experiment, d'oh!).

Thank you for the encouragement and an honest review!

[~SW~ Magnet Subway]

Fantastic work, Skye. The introduction starts out in a beautiful ambient way, with the subway background sounds adding a lot of depth to the synth you bring in at 0:08. I just have to say that coming out of the gate, your transitions are brilliant. Also, due to your inhuman attention to detail, they are even more impressive. The best transition, in my opinion, is the one at 1:44. Man, I think I had to go back and listen to that (at least) a half dozen times. You really have a knack for creating really relaxing, rich atmospheres. Again, like your last track, the atmosphere here is awesome. I can definitely hear the johnfn inspiration. Continuing on, I thought the guitar at 1:09 (and then again at 3:29) was a great touch. In fact, I would have liked to hear more of it! The main synth you use, has an almost jazzy quality about it – very catchy! Those pad swells near the end that you use occasionally use are quite something, too (2:36, 2:42 and 2:49 as examples). I liked how you phased everything back during the outro (while keeping the detail heavy), very fitting in my opinion.

I'm not going to bother talking too much about the 'clutter' towards the end, you've heard all about it. Those drums need to be tamed haha! Anyway, I will reiterate what Step said though, going from such a crisp sound to something that sounds blurred was a bit disappointing. The plucked synth sounded odd (yet fitting) during the portion between 2:23 – 2:36. As strange as it sounds, they worked, but there was something about how it sounded that threw off the main synth. I would have left the plucks out...but that's purely a subjective thought on my part, of course.

Once again, you've created a great track. Let's see what you cook up for next round. :)

Score: 8.75/10

SkyeWint responds:

Hi!

Transitions are one of my biggest pet peeves, it'd be a bit odd if I didn't give way too much attention to detail in them. ;)

The guitar was an idea I had while writing the keyboard solo at 1:09, and it ended up turning into one of the main themes, lol. Go figure.

The impact of each new chord wouldn't have really worked without that pluck sound, unfortunately. :( It was a bitch to mix though, and that probably was what threw off the mix the most. The drums at 2:10-2:36 were actually intended to sound overcompressed - there's something about the overcompression of the high-hat when you make it choppy from the kick which sounds really cool IMO - it appears in a lot of metal music. Can definitely see why you'd want the drums to be tamed.

The plucks at 2:23 were an idea I had to keep the energy going in that section - I guess I can see why it might have thrown you off, though.

I made the main synth from scratch! :D That one doing all the arps and a solo right before 1:44! Yay, yay.

Got something from the other side of the field for this next round. <3 Get ready!