ForgottenDawn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Cthulhu]

Cthulhu's elevator could probably use this track as a background while planning world domination. Jokes aside, I like the general groove you gave with your guitars that sound pretty retro and if you wish mildly psychedelic. I didn't like how transitions between the main groove and the middle section of the song were handled here, as the different chords overlapped creating an unpleasant sound. It's quite a pity because the song itself had an interesting flow which also had enough potential to become a more elaborated, layered track even Cthulhu would love chilling to. Adding more guitar patterns, mixing acoustic and electric, guitar pads, the possibilities are endless.
But no matter, keep it up and good playing.
//FD

[Glitch,Blues.Baby!]

It's an interesting track, I'll give you that. Jazzy, lounge-like vibes meet modern electronic music. I absolutely love the glitched drums throughout the whole track with those rare dubstep bass wobbles here and there, and I think the fusion-oriented sound overall seems to work in this context.

I must however point out a couple of flaws, such as the general mix being a little too over compressed and loud that doesn't give much rest to your ears, and I definitely would have loved a more dynamic track speaking of mastering. The vocal samples while fitting, they suffer from the aforementioned problem and they sound a little too prominent compared to even the drums. The piano does its job quite decently although it doesn't really offer much in terms of composition and atmosphere. Smoothing the transitions could have also helped making this song more flowing and organic, perhaps by adding some sound effects and glitching them out, playing with stereo panning and bitcrushing. Just suggestions for the future.

Keep on experimenting with this idea, as I'm looking forward to hearing more.
//FD

YouriX responds:

Thank you very for the indepth review. You gave some very usefull information. Mixing was always a weak point of mine. But i am working on it. Thanks again for the wonderfull review and hope to see you review my work again in the future!

[Starchasers AIM 2014]

I think that the fundamental problem with this piece is the lack of a solid atmosphere and depth. While it has a very basic structure with the intro setting a somewhat interesting sound despite being very stripped down, it also sounds as if you diluted the same few riffs for minutes and minutes, droning into an abyss of repetition that fails to deliver an engaging experience. It's not even about dissonance: it's lack of substance.

If you elaborated the track by adding more instruments, possibly rhythmic synths, textures and sounds that could have enhanced your storytelling, it might have been an interesting space ambiance. Repetition should be avoided if it can't sustain itself enough to be considered immersive, and it's a shame because I liked the "analog" feel of the track, but it sounds like an idea that needs further revision and polish.

//FD

[Real Life Absurdities]

Fact is, I really enjoyed this. It evokes many childhood memories and it's something this track is able to convey quite remarkably, in my opinion. While the structure seems sort of minimalist with a few variations on the same theme, it is indeed a solid piece where its minor problems would only be related to a coherency of sound compared to the overall mastering of the track (too much reverb on the brass instruments compared to the percussion?) which is at a professional level. So well done, good luck in this round and I'm glad to have a worthy opponent.

steampianist responds:

its always heart warming (if i had one) to know that people are reminded of their childhood!
and i love minimalism (erik satie)

ah it seems you are not sure? if the brass reverb is too much? hehe kidding anyways thanks for listening and im glad you enjoyed it, that was unexpected considering the kind of music you make and im looking forward to your track

[Ling Kano's Fighting Show]

I can see an improvement from your first round entry, as I think this track feels more coherent and solid as a whole, with a jungle-like atmosphere that is definitely spot on - nostalgic, if you'd like, sending me back to the '90s speaking of video games and why not, TV shows. I've never seen the series you took inspiration from, but overall I think this track is pretty well made with some minor problems related to EQ and transitioning which may feel a bit jarring/sudden to the ear.

SourJovis responds:

Not sure if it's improvement. I'm still on the same level. It's just a coincidence I did something different this time. The style is more continuous but that's one of the reasons why this song is shorter. The production of this was much harder than that of the first round. Hopefully people like this better. I'm not at all sure myself. The transitions were a problem from the start. I think I fixed them quite well compared to how they were, but it's still not perfect. The panning volumes and EQing were also difficult. You can work for days on a song without hearing anything wrong with it only to discover some settings should've been very different all along. When you change one thing, you have to change a cascade of other things. Creating music made me stop believing in perfection. I hope I can later fix some of the flaws.