ForgottenDawn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[12]

Huh, it's tolerable. Who'd a-thought.
I guess it almost sounds melodic to me compared to works like Schoenberg's.
I'm curious about your formula. I think it's fascinating sometimes how math can shape the way notes are arranged. I remember I once tried to apply fractal geometry to a track using a software.
It's cool stuff

LexRodent responds:

Thanks for listening man.
I kept notes at minimum on every line to avoid the inherent atonal mess dodecaphonic compositions tend to be. I did the matrix as some sort of "sudoku". I took a note as root and then assigned the grid random set of numbers from 1 to 11 (negative for horizontal, positive for vertical to get the inversions right) avoiding continuous values to calculate the amount of semitones on each interval. Math indeed can throw some interesting results on music. I'm not familiar with fractal math (just with the awesome figures it's graphic can show), I'm sure that sort of thing translated to music must be interesting.
I'm currently working on another math based track too. But this one is completely tonal, and it is based on ostinatos.

[IV]

This is quite lighthearted for being a Metroid tribute, surely wasn't expecting the bubbly vibes :)
01:35, oh I see you're also a fan of movie-like brass rises, I see. Honestly, what else can I say, after all these detailed reviews down below.
It sounds sharp, as expected, no complaints about the mastering. It's very melodic, I gotta say, I was expecting something more atmospheric and dark, but you ultimately went for a more "standard" I guess cinematic/electronic sort of style, which I guess is still fine within the context, but how about a little more oomph next time? Just a bit more punch, something that goes straight into your guts and catches you off guard. I've been listening to many tracks with a similar style, honestly, and my general impression is that authors sometimes sound like they're afraid to go full throttle, preferring to settle for a sound that is already well-established and known, but it's still too clean, a little too sterile. It's undoubtedly good, but I think it lacks that spark that makes you say "Oh yeah, it's that guy right? Oh man, I love that feeling!" as if it's too "politically correct", too polished. It sounds weird, right? How can an audio track be too polished?
At the end of the day, perhaps I'm rambling, but I guess my only real advice here is to follow your guts more. Strive for your own individual style and perfect it, bring the best out of your own imaginary because it's YOUR imagination. Experiment, expand, explore. Don't be afraid to leap in the dark sometimes, it's always good to try new things and bring new feelings, new emotions, sounds that you wouldn't probably dare imagine, let alone utilize. :)

[...and the Rain couldn´t save her]

I'm a sucker for Ambient tracks, I just love how the intro feels so cinematic and booming. I hear explosions in the background, as if a full-scale war is being fought between God knows what factions, with what ideologies and lives at stake. The strings are nice, maybe with a little bit of extra reverb they would have worked just fine for this track, though I understand if you probably didn't want to abuse it.
Pretty swell composition, I like it

Azhthar responds:

Hey! Thanks a lot!! It´s good to hear that the music can generate some pictures ;) I thought about more reverb, on the strings, too, but I was afraid to drown them.... I liked your submission, too! Good idea to include the vocals ;)

[Force of Life]

Pretty swell use of that Maverick piano. It's a pity the percussion sounds a little bit over the place and it generally feels like it should have been polished some more. However, given the circumstances, it's nice you've even managed to land a full track. I like the concept of choices, I think it's a fascinating theme that can be further expanded on.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks, man! This is actually the Grandeur, and for various reasons, in the later parts, it's mixed with Piano One. I had to stereo-widen the piano, as well as EQ it to fit in the mix. But even so, some important frequencies were missing. In the project, I used the wav file of the exported solo grandeur, and I didn't want to add The Maverick, as it's quite demanding on the laptop, and I couldn't afford potential technical difficulties considering the amount of time I could use to work. So I added Piano One to fill out the frequency stuff I wanted instead, which ended up creating a bit of a honky tonk-ish sound, haha. But I didn't have time to fix that, so I rolled with it xD

I agree 100% about the percussion. But once again, it's indeed limited because of the time I had to work on it (maybe 10 minutes, heh)... It sounded empty without them, so even if they sound sub-par, I decided to leave them in and move on.

I like that concept too! It's a very direct approach, and creates a rather free feel. I literally just went with whatever idea first came to mind, with no regrets, and no taksies backsies xD

Thanks for the review! I'll check your stuff out once I get back home, in approc a week ^ ^

[Coming of Age]

A little late for the bus, but I'm glad I listened to this medley now.
Very enjoyable, classic Step quality so why I am even commenting, and a great tribute to the Zelda series... which is... in my games I have yet to play list. Particularly OoT and MM. Yeah, don't judge.
So, the thing I like the most out of this piece isn't just how organic it sounds, it's how it progresses. It's very dynamic, which is kind of expected given Zelda's celtic-like vibes, but I think you two have hit the nail compared to the concept behind this piece.
What else can I say other than great job? Oh yeah, great job guys. :)
//FD

Step responds:

You call that late? My response is nearly two months late @_@. Sorry about that!

Hey I haven't played OoT and MM either. I played Twilight Princess and had a blast, and I also have Wind Waker HD that I haven't gotten around to playing yet. Definitely a great franchise with an amazing soundtrack.

The biggest relief is that you enjoy its progression. It's always hard to nail that balance between telling a story and having it musically "sensible", if you get what I mean.

Anyhow, thank you for dropping by mate, and thanks for the review!

[Cinnamon (E.I.T.B)]

Jazzy house, that's some pretty neat combo. ;o
I think that hi-hat sound gets a little tiring after a while, but I definitely dig that chord progression and acoustic bass line, that's some classy sound right there. When it transitions to a more trap-like sound, it's still classy enough to maintain a cool atmosphere throughout.
Overall, I think it's a nice addition to the Underground roster of tracks. ;)

DeadlyAlchemy responds:

My combos are 1hunna all the time :P
I'm thinking of changing that hi hat sound too, so I'll probably make amendments to it before the final one is submitted.
It means a lot to hear that from a representative of the better Underground society :D

[The Tongue Is A Fire]

I like the chill ambiance you've created along with the breathy vocals.
Your previous entry wasn't too shabby, but I'm glad you've decided to submit this track instead.
It's a nice addition to the Underground roster, well done. ;)

SoulSecure responds:

If I'm honest, I don't really like that other song. Couldn't figure out what to do with it.

[Thrash Can]

Good old thrash, it's quite uncommon here. I like the riffing, pretty old school, but that's what makes it charming in my opinion. It would be nice if we could collab sometimes :)
I have a lot of Metal ideas and a live guitarist would make it even better!
This however was enjoyable, keep it up

TSRBand responds:

Thanks for the review, glad you liked it! I might be open to collaboration, it depends on how complicated your ideas are and if I can find the time. Feel free to send me a PM with more details :)

[Gröne Lunden]

As soon as I hit the play button, I knew I was gonna be sitting in a deep forest next to a river with peaceful creatures lurking on the meadow. Seriously, what can I say? It's just great. It's right there with Celtic Woman, good old Simon and Garfunkel, and all of that folk-laced beauty. That's why I love folk music from all the corners of the world. It's inspiring and full of spirituality - all these stories that still walk the centuries.
Let's keep them alive. Great job, the both of you.

etherealwinds responds:

That's a huge compliment - waaah thank you :)

[A Dance With a Shadow]

We've talked about it last time. It's a beautiful piece, well composed and dynamic.
It does remind me of many things, past and current influences, composers whose music have inevitably left the mark on the way I approach composition, probably even the way I listen to and assimilate the sounds I hear. The Ending Theme from Final Fantasy X comes to mind in terms of sheer emotion and pace. Wonderful sound and blend of different themes. This is, furthermore, possibly one of the best piano pieces I've ever heard on Newgrounds, able to encapsulate complex feelings and accompany such hopefully influential stories.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Oh wow, those are some really nice words you are giving to me here!
It's good if it reminds you of other things. I like when people have ready associations, as long as my piece isn't accidentally parly stolen. But it's complex enough that I strongly doubt it :D
I have many influences behind my work myself. And omg yes, I love the FFX Ending Theme! People tell me that my style often reminds then of Nobuo Uematsu, which is a great compliment in itself.

"This is, furthermore, possibly one of the best piano pieces I've ever heard on Newgrounds..."

=> Now that, is pretty extreme! Thank you so much for those words o.O

I always do my very best to both compose and play with feeling.