Suspended-3rd-Chord's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[++ The Journey Begins ++]

I like this...

nice upbeat track, the composition was a bit too poppy for my tastes-but it perfectly fits the mood you're going for and its certainly catchy. Great job putting this track together.

the guitar strings have a great feel, some very happy arpeggiation that flow over the top of everything nicely. The pizzicato strings (I think thats what it is) are a nice addition, and the bassline is simple and great. The flute interlude was my favorite part, thats a very cool, good structured solo.

Great job with the sequencing, as you introduced the guitar tones, then the strings, fused those, had an interlude, and the combined all the instruments playing and added new hand percussion making for a grand last chorus, and then did a simple conclusion. You kept everything pretty basic and easy to follow, which is an an essence for a relaxing, laid back track like this. No real criticism here, although some of your synths;/samples are not the most authentic sounding. But it's suitable for an old school (but not too old-maybe mid late 90ish) RPG game. And you mixed everything quite well, as its pretty clear and the instruments are well defined. maybe you could start off or end with a warm, swelling pad unless if you're going for a looped type.

Excellent job once again!

kelwynshade responds:

It's always a pleasure reading your reviews.

I totally went for the SNES era RPG style music. Nothing too over the top, but something you could listen to over and over and not really get irritated listening to.

I'm never satisfied though. I always feel there are room for improvements. I take the things I've learned and try to slowly enter them into new songs, so, maybe someday you'll hear something REALLY good =)

Thanks again, I appreciate it.

[Surrounded By Darkness]

Sick!

decent intro, but it was kinda slow and overly long IMO. the first 17 seconds werent particularly interesting. You've got a nice melody to work with, but since its solo you should probably intergrate a more developed rhythm. once the toms com in real nice...good job of keeping it unpredictable, I really wasnt expecting that majestic major chord coming in, sounds really good. I would have made a little hook with the guitar and then brought in the main sequence right theyre....Now the spooky melody sounding melody that comes in around 1:45 came in to unexpected, like they're an accompaniment for a section that already happened. So I believe there should be a better transition right there.

Guitars sound really great! Very good job with the mixing, you've got a nice distorted tone, and the choirs dont sound so cheap in combination. Maybe try panning your cymbals to the left or right a little bit more for a more stereo mix. Thats a really kickass heavy riff around 3:15, and I love the blast beats. double bass drums are hella awesome. and I love the tranisitioning back into the original theme, and I love how you mimicked the main choir melodies with another vocal range. No guitar solo? :(

so a real sweet track you got here, I just thought the intro was too long. oh and check your inbox :P

TheRealSam responds:

Wooow thanks a lot for this detailled review! I read all of it! :p
Yeah I know for the longness of the intro, and the lack of variety, and I'm hoping to get, maybe one day, the "revelation" and replace some things which better riffs or better rythms.
Thanks a lot for the PM you sent me, I actually use Magnus Choirs, but I'll go check the ones you gave me out anyway, cuz I'm still searching for "perfection" lol!
And for the mixing, it's kinda surprising cuz I only use 3 programs: CUBASE LE I got with my pedal (Zoom G2.1u, which I can plug in USB), Fruity Loops (for the background sounds, now with Ezdrummer, EWQL Hardcore Bass and GPO) and Magix Music And Video Maker Generation 6 which I use for all the mixing stuff. So it ain't something very "professional" but I'm glad to see that I can dig something very acceptable with it!
So thanks a lot for the review and what you sent to me, you're welcome anytime man!! :)

[Journey of a Kite]

^_______________^

JEEZ THIS IS GOOD (i'm probably give it a 9 because i'm in a harsh reviewing mood hahah-still definetly good enough to go into my favs)

another kickass composition once again. Reallly freaking cool enthralling bass riff, super-joyous piano and great, well varied drum loops! The guitar riff is kickass as well, its the perfect sound to glace off the whole mix. The piano composition is so beautiful, you use the perfect combination of arpeggios to make me super happy ^___^ distorted guitar chords sound nice on the side...I like the section around 2:35ish, with the nice bass riff, interesting tom fills, and its amazing how when the simple snare came in it really had me bobbing my head.

the sound is crisp and great. I love how the bass feels, its got a definable texture and doesnt have a muddy sound that usually sinks beneath the mix. drum samples are mixed quite well and the piano is authentic enough for my tastes. I think the lead guitar could be tweaked better-I personally prefer the tones that you used in "All the things you said" and "I shouldnt fall in love"-a tad more reverb and a delay effect would be the perfect fit for this track, maybe symbolic for a kite blowing high and gracefully in an empty but kind field. I think the tone is quite suitable for the power chords tho :)

I guess I personally would like more lead guitar in here I guess :) and maybe some soft strings during a section where there's not a huge layer of instruments too.

anyways, this is fantastic jnry! It's guaranteed to cheer anybody up. Lots of visual stuff this could represent. It kinda reminds me of the video game Spyro the purple dragon when's he's flying around, and also watching Nickelodeon in the morning as a kid (the best times), this would be perfect for a happy credits scene where everybody returns home alive and well and there's a huge feast! Or even music to wake up to for a ringtone/alarm. I just feel like running through green hills as fast as I can while jumping in the air with glee!

jnry3 responds:

Again, thanks for another golden review. ^_^ And I'm glad I've made that happy effect on people who hear this track.

I'm actually tweaking this song again (too bad I can't edit this page anymore) in preparation for the indie album. I'm actually quite happy with the tone of the guitar here, but I'd prefer adding compression instead of reverb or delay, but I'd put in a dash of reverb.

Hmm... if I'll use strings, it'll be more of a filler. We'll see, we'll see... but I'm already happy with the set of instruments in this track.

Drums and cymbals will be reworked on. I assembled a HUGE set in my sequencer. Right now, it's an 8-piece set (1 snare, 2 toms, 1 kick bass, 2 hi-hats, 1 crash, and 1 ride); it's now in a 16-piece set, with more crash, ride and tom varieties.

Again, thanks for the big, big review! ^_^

[.:|:. Finally Satisfied .:|:.]

pretty sweet man!

I like this track as well, it sounds a lot like your crosses of light, but with a jazzyish hard rock style instead of ballad. I personally enjoy the other one more than this , but you got more instruments and lots of melodical variances here making it a nice rendition, if you can call this that..The strings in here fit real nice, and a pretty slick church organ to compliment the guitar. You should do a solo battle between the guitar and organ at the end. It also wouldnt hurt if you layed down chords on the organ track as well. Drumbeat works well and flows well, nice use of cymbals. But I do agree with jnry below, you're drums are overcompressed, I don't like how the bass and snare comeout, they need a slightly louder, thicker sound.

Everything else is pretty nice man, I really like you're style. I think you would be interested in No1R, another skilled guitarist on NG with a similar style. Keep playing that guitar man!

[Tribal Journeys Fractal Tune]

Very nice man

this one was pretty good man, its more stable than your last fractal. I just think they're could have been better sequencing in some parts. Like the woodwind/brass melody cut off at 0:48 without really resolving. That one long extended that starts around 1:30 it stretched out wayyy to long lol, and needs to change the melody more (or atleast fade out the volume) , as it gets kinda annoying ;) more consistent drums in here would be good to keep in here to establish a good groove to roll with, as there isnt one really as it is. I was really waiting for an epic buildup to happen in the total 5 minutes, but it just really happened, and there wasnt really any chorus section in the song. Maybe try fusing all the instruments playing for a steady 1-2 minutes at one point.

enough with the critiques ;) there of course are some good points in this track. unique melodies and drum rhythms, and a wise selection of instruments (I'm liking the pan flute in combination with the mallet percussion) that were panned quite well. The brass gives this track a diverse touch. It gives off quite a cool feel, like I'm in a Mayan Jungle of some sorts. I would take a few of the main riffs and try to use them more consistenly in the track, and try building on them throughout and keep the drums playing more constantly.

So some cool sounding bits in here that I think would make for quite an interesting piece, just needs better stucturing IMO-but what you got right now is pretty damn original! keep up the good work bro.

gleegleep responds:

Thank you very much for your thoughts. I am still working on how to structure fractal music properly, and I know I'll improve on that. And the Mayan jungle feel is what I was going for; in fact, I was inspired by the movie "Apocalypto". And I'm glad you like the types of instruments and drums I chose.

[Nav - Omega]

w00t

haha this brings back the days from playing Grand Theft Auto Vice City!

cool track man. What I think made this track the most was the vintage drums, I like the reverbed snare and the low tom rolls . looks like you got a cowbell in here too hehe. Bassline is cool and fits the synthpop style. The bells melodies are cool and that synth string pad has a really nice cheesy feel to portray old times. It does seem like there's some element missing in here, although I can't really grasp what it is, maybe it needs a bold synth or pad or something that makes a fuller, stereo sound.

cool stuff again navij. that's a pretty creative idea to use outdated VST's to create an 80s sound.

Nav responds:

Thanks man! Its actually not a novel idea at all! There are a lot of people doing it! Look up the genre "Synthtron" or "Electroclash". The big name artist is "Ladytron." That's all the revival of synthpop, and a lot of it is awesome!

Thanks for reviewing! :)

[.:Out of Time:.]

A mix of styles

Very cool piece, it has lots of classical influences but a popish feel at the same time.

Lovely beautiful chord progression on the piano, melodies are well sequenced and have a nice sound. Drum beats are pretty decent. It would be nice to hear some more realistic samples then the default FPC drums, but it doesnt take much away from the track.

I think you could use different patterns in this track to make a more interesting progression and to break the repetiveness. Like the drum loop in the beginning is well suitable for a buildup, but you could've have included a snare hit on the 3rd beat every few bars or so and gradually create a more complex rhythm. The patterns during the faster parst sound really nice man, although I would like to see some more hi-hat work (with open hats), and make sure to include dynamics next time around as well.

again, piano sounds damn nice, I like the solo work very much, and it flows very gracely. The lower chord sequence could use some more variation, both melody wise and rhythmically (try placing shorter chords and lighter chords between the main chords you have right now).

I also think this could use another instrument or two, some soft, slow strings would add a nice backing (I know you said you failed at this, but maybe just one note progressions to mimic the lower chord tones should work smoothly, it doesnt have to be complex) , and maybe the piano soloing could be switched with a flute or some other wind now and then.

anyways, this a great base to make a more complete track from, keep up the good work! I hope my suggestions help!

GronmonSE responds:

Thanks for the thorough review ^ ^

Aha, FPC indeed. I never bothered downloading sound packs, I don't know why. It's probably because I'm lazy :P But yes, I should probably get some drum packs.

I had considered adding a snare on the 3rd beat every few bars, but I ditched the idea. A bad decision indeed, it could have added more variation as you mentioned. Open hi-hats, I don't think I've ever used them before, except on a couple of techno songs. Another good detail that I always forget to add ^ ^

Dynamics, the eternal problem. Despite the slight mastering job in my tracks, they are never polished enough, and dynamics are something I've never bothered working on for the simple fact that, regardless of how easy they may seem, I have a hard time adding them. It's definitely one of my weak spots.

Thanks for the compliments regarding the piano work, it's the only thing I'm decent at ^ ^; I'll try adding more variation to the chords as well, I have a bad habit of using common chord progressions :P

About the strings, I tried mimicking the lower chord tones (it's the simplest thing to do of course), but my string packs aren't very good, hence why I ditched them. Same goes for my wind instruments, tis truly a shame.

Again, thanks for the thorough review, it's really appreciated.

[(WF1) Moonlight Knight 1.7]

Good job, front page again :)

congrats on getting there once again wyldfyre!

personally, from hearing some of your newer tracks, I can't say I like this one as much. It's too repetive, basic, and "presetish" for my tastes :)

The intro was kinda weak, over time the bassline could have evolved into something more complex. Decent bell melodies over the top, the bells work alright and the strings are probably my favorite part. The keys do have a real good sound tho and the harmonization is quite smooth. Diggin the large phased synth.

I was mainly waiting for something big to happen in this track-but it just never really happened. At one point you could have made the bassline and plucked synth have a more complex rhythm and then pick up a more active (like with a constant hi-hat hit in eighth notes) , interesting beat to make everything flow well and not sound overly simplistic at the same time.

another flaw (which I really don't need to point out since you've got some cool new sounds as presented in your latest tracks) was the overall sound quality. The overall mix seems to quiet (trying adding louder notes as the track buildups) , and of course, just needs some varyin reverb levels to make a deeper sound. and lose those drum samples :)

so a satisfactory work here man, just not my favorite from you ;)

wyldfyre1 responds:

yeah, i totally understand what you mean. Problem was at the time i had no new sounds hah. Now i do thank goodness.. However this is still a work in progress and i'm sure i'm gonna work on it.. I agree with the leadup sound that goes no where.. I've been working on getting some better sounds out of this.. Truthfully i kinda liked how 1.0 sounded better so i may be going back to some of the older stuff on this and add more =). I've always ment to add better drum samples on this. Look for updated versions of this coming in the future and hopefully i'll get the sound that i'm happy with. I nearly didn't use phased synth.

again thanks for the great review =-)

[Metal Acoustic]

Hmm....

This was very cool, in some ways...

First off, I love the way you drum on your guitar base :D

Excellent quality, flawless recording. really damn crispy and no volume spikes or any noticeable noise.

As far as the composition goes, it was a bit too random for me. You enthralled me with your catchy rhythmic schemes, but your melodical chord structure (atleast in the first portion of the song) leaped around too much for me. Like it was in key and all, but I couldn't get enough feeling as each chord connected because you were going too fast, and there was no distinctive melodies. I like when you hit the harmonics, and the little bit you had going around 0:35, that's a really catchy riff. but when you got to the 200 MPH pace there wasn't a stable base and I couldnt really fully enjoy it. That's just my tastes tho, I respect your skill :) maybe try using just single notes or a two-note chord legato riff to move through more steadly, I don't know. I like the chord progression at 1:26. The section at 2:09 probably definetly could been thrown out, it comes in too suddenly and really doesn't have any place there, IMO. I assume you completely improvised this-maybe have a general skeleton of what you want to play beforehand, if you didnt have one in mind already in this case?

I thought the fingerpicked interlude was a tad weak. But I do like the riff around 3:05, thats the stuff that I personally appreciate more :). Nice chord progression in the end.

Lots of variations and very cool licks in here, overall pretty damn tight. Congratulations on reaching top 5! (sorry if I was being too harsh)

CyriltheWolf responds:

Dude, that was the best review I have ever had. You are the bomb.
Yes, it was completely improvised. I barely had a skeleton. I only knew how I wanted to start it and I improvised, then got to an ending I was satisfied with.
This is actually a take two, the first take began similarly but also had vocals... which sucked. So I tried again. It also came from some emotional distress. I felt better afterward.

Very very nice review man, and no you were not being too harsh at all.