ForgottenDawn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Breaking Crystals]

I'm going to be honest about this: I wasn't quite expecting the "turning point" that ultimately quite ruined the intro ambiance. I like the fact that you tried experimenting with something unusual and collage'd different pieces together, but it's also the same reason why it doesn't sound a cohesive effort to my ears.

The reason is simple: there are shards that can go well together because they enhance the experience while still maintaining a certain degree of experimentation, like the intro ambiance, the dubsteppy drums and the last progression after the second minute. Those alone could have, in my opinion, already made the song. I don't think the guitars could have had any positive contribution in this context at all at this point.

Overall it's an interesting track, with some ideas that can work together and some other ones that I advise you should keep for other efforts.
//FD

aCreator responds:

I think it's always "risky" to try doing experimental stuff because the idea comes from you alone and when you listen to it you get used to it and finally (even if it's completely wrong) you feel that there is some sort of "right" in there. And as you said... Sometime you're lucky and it sounds really good for some people or other times it won't sound as good as you wanted it to sound...
So thank you for this review (not only yours :) ) because you showed me what could sound good and what sounded "bad" from another's perspective than mine. And I will use your advices in the future to make better music!

[Forgotten Secrets]

It's quite an average effort, and it needs in my opinion further exploration and elaboration. You definitely have the vision backing up, but you need to work on its execution. The new theme introduced after the first minute feels a bit out of place in a relatively slow-paced and spacey context, especially considering you're trying to portray the depths of a ruined city. I like the ambiance during the last part, and I honestly don't think you should have repeated the first two sections of the song again for other two minutes before the outro. The last part alone is what keeps the song varied enough without resorting to pattern recycling again. Speaking of epilogues, I can probably see where you were going to and it's a nice change of plans considering what you wrote about it and also considering it doesn't really drifts away much from the darker ambiance preceding the last section.
//FD

Spadezer responds:

Thanks for the review. I'll agree with the criticism you gave and I'm glad you could see where I was going with this. I wish I could give you more of a response other than that, but it sounds like you enjoyed it and I'm glad. (I suggest you look at Tron Shredder. You might enjoy that a bit more if you haven't heard it yet)

-Spadezer-

[Winter Weary]

It is by no means a bad piece and I like the atmosphere you've attempted to offer. It does however quite reflect your own description: it's nothing groundbreaking, and I might add that it had plenty of potential if you just pushed a little beyond that vision, perhaps by adding more variations and themes, more stories to tell. More chances for your instruments to breathe a life of their own. It is a simple piece, I advise you to keep this simplicity. But simplicity doesn't mean easy, nor poor of content. It means that you have a few elements that work in symbiosis to achieve complexity, and those elements serve the exact purpose of providing a wealth of possibilities in the realm of human inventive.
//FD

[Poems for Darkness]

I appreciate your effort in both composing this piece and performing it live in one final take. I deeply respect fellow musicians that are able to perform their own works and this makes no exception. I wasn't expecting originality and in fact it reminds of plenty of classical repertoire, mostly from the Romantic era, but be proud of what you have accomplished here for it ultimately defines your dedication. I am not exactly a fan of your left hand work for at some points it sounds a bit overpowering and it doesn't really balance the "weight" of your right hand, but I praise the composition and the immeasurable element known as feeling.
//FD

MetroPiano responds:

Thanks for your response, ya I have had problems with balancing my right and left hand, that is because I was never taught how to play piano by an instructor (a.k.a. I was self-taught) so I never learned any of the proper methods for playing piano, including weighting and fingering techniques, also I'm unsure what you meant by the originality bit, (by that I mean if you thought it was orginal or not?) Cause from reading it I get confused if you mean you weren't expecting originality meaning you didn't think it was original, or by the same words meaning you didn't expect to hear something original but did with this piece? I'm just a bit confused on that one comment, so if you could clear that up it would be helpful to improve on the things I did wrong on this piece.
Thanks again!

[Light in the Darkness]

I think it's definitely one of the most interesting pieces I've heard from the contest so far. There's a lot of content and narrative bursting throughout the three different sections of this piece, and each of them shines of a different light as well.

The evocative and slow-paced intro, setting the world you've painted through the medium of your lush orchestra. The lonely sound of a harp slowly descending in the fiery depths shyly accompanied by a violin and cello, and finally, the climax of this piece.

It is by no means a weak song in terms of power and emotional response, although I would have loved the second part to be a little more intense soon joined by the erupting climax. Speaking of which, the horns and strings could have been a little more powerful in order to justify the relatively loud snare and the "Darkness" you've been inspired by. All minor aspects of the song that don't really detract from the experience, and I stand by my praise for it's well deserving indeed.

//FD

Emid responds:

Thank you very much for you kind response and suggestions. I will take into account when I will do something in future. Many thanks again.

[A last Cigarette]

While the atmosphere can be enjoying for a while, I wished the climax would have actually come some bars earlier allowing the introduction of more instruments and themes that could have kept the piece more "alive" in a way. It is by no means a bad song and I think the ambiance is performed nicely, but it doesn't really offer much until the real substance kicks in after the second minute. It is a decent effort with a good atmosphere and plenty of potential at hand that didn't quite found a way to sprout.
//FD

[Creeping Malice]

Well, I can't base my verdict on the quality of the samples themselves, but it does at least get much better after 00:30 when the rest of the orchestra is introduced. I'm honestly not a fan of the overly long intro, but I do find the whole song overall quite interesting in terms of composition. It probably could have been a little more intense, especially after 1:15 or so, when the horns are given a chance to speak. Don't be afraid to turn up the volume a tad bit and give that orchestra some more presence in the mix. There isn't ultimately much to consider in terms of substance, and this should be in fact an incitement to keep improving this way.
//FD

[Diskovr - Flight]

It's a relatively sparse effort that welcomes plenty of interesting ideas with a varying degree of coherence between the different sections of this piece. I didn't quite understand the introduction of that obsessive snare at 1:17 and then again at around 03:55 and 04:20, as I think it sounds rather chaotic and doesn't contribute much in terms of smoothing each transition.

I like the relatively minimalist synth work that keeps things going, even though I might have appreciated some variation better before repeating the same stanza for other two minutes. The other instruments on the other hand help complementing each other, although the mastering suffers from over compression a little too much throughout the whole piece.

It is still quite a good effort and I suggest you to keep pursuing and improving this style
//FD

ksthultz15 responds:

Thanks for your review! :D Looking back, I probably compressed that snare sample a bit too much. It was actually a loop in a sample pack. I'll be sure to keep improving on my electro house and progressive house keeping all these reviews in mind.

[Deep]

An interesting idea that delivers a mildly engaging atmosphere, but ultimately doesn't offer much behind the reverb. While the piece has a solid structure, it seems like it drags the same riff for three minutes. In fact, I would have loved some variation at around 2:30 and it could have been a good chance to enhance and intensify that breakdown, possibly by adding more background ambiances and sounds.

The mastering is quite well performed, though some sounds may be a little too overpowering - namely the screeching sound reminiscent of whale songs - I find the rest to be rather coherent. The bass is probably the highlight of this song and I really enjoy how you automated it, giving it plenty of life and expression.

//FD

Stapless responds:

Thank you for your review :)