Animith's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Shattered Reflections]

Almost can't believe this wasn't live.

First and foremost; serious kudos for the remastering. I would have definitely thought you'd played this live, given the dimension of feeling that you seldom get from things on here that use a computerised piano sound. This doesn't sound computerised, which is a serious plus. However, I think the piano feels a little too distant. In a way it kind of adds to the ambience, but I think the main sound does need to be in the foreground a little more as sometimes the reverb overpowers the actual notes. Which is a shame, because this is a beautiful piece. Seriously beautiful piece.

The harmony and choice of chords works really well, I love the little pauses throughout like the one at 0:13, and the transitions between the different sections in general. The change at 0:41 to the higher notes was cool, although the right hand probably could have done something other than straight quavers just to give the melody line more of a lyrical feel. But the way it transitions between the higher and lower parts around 0:41 onwards is really well done, the subtle harmony change at 0:59 is pretty cool. At 1:09 the higher notes are a little hard to hear, but what they're playing is nice. 1:16-1:21 sounds especially nice, the little change to the higher notes works really well.

It starts sounding a little muddy in the little area around 1:49, I think lessening the sustain there could have helped. The transition into the new section is cool, but I think the left hand in the new section could have been a lot more invested than it was just doing open 5ths, because the right hand sounded really awesome but it wasn't really accompanied with the same coolness.

The definite highlight of this piece for me was the section that started at 2:36. The change in pace, the new harmonies, the movement in the left hand all just gave it an entire new feel, and the melody felt like it had settled in a lot more. The kind of melodic left hand at 2:36 to 2:49 is cool, but the reverb is too much to be able to hear what's going on from 2:58-2:04 or so, which is a SHAME, because it sounded like it might have sounded pretty awesome.

The return to the kind of structure it had at the beginning at 3:09 was a little unexpected, but the new right hand melody sounded really nice. In general, the ending is just as good as all that precedes it, though the left hand from 3:30 onwards needed to be a little quieter, and I think it was definitely a little too strong at the end.

In general, this piece has a seriously beautiful melancholy to it. I think the reverb needs checking at some points, but in all this was awesome to listen to. Very nicely done.

-Review Request Club

Cimba responds:

I wasn't really able to do anything special with the left hand because i wrote this on an actual piano, and being a 14 year old that has never taken a piano lesson I can't really do much with my left hand.

[[G] - We Ride (Snippet)]

Unique intro

The static introduction was a little unorthodox, but it's pretty cool and unique, and goes into the main beat pretty smoothly. I think the voice could use being turned down a little or the synths/beat could use being turned up, because the levels in general just seem a little off. Though once you get to around 00:39, the levels are (almost) fine, so it's just really the intro that maybe needs a second look.

Nice beat in general, the violin is an especially nice touch. However, it's a little distant, and for sure, the synth beneath it though is too quiet throughout, especially when the vocals are there as well, you can't really hear the instruments as much as you'd want to. The drums are playing pretty cool things, but the snare's a little overpowering and could do with not being so bright.

The vocals while in general are pretty spot on, could probably do with a little more variety in tone just so the piece doesn't run the risk of dragging any. Also, the kind of...second voice? The one which does the little interjections like "they are" at 2:14 is used a little too much, and sometimes isn't clear enough to understand what it's actually saying.

All in all, it's a nice listenable piece, but I think there's a few things you could to to just polish it up a little more. Nice work, overall.

-Review Request Club

[_Revolution_]

Nice EQ work.

Starts off well, the synths work together and the levels are good. I especially like the little change at 0:16 and the suspension around 0:20; the melody/harmony in general being nice and precise. The subtle way the drum kit came in was a really nice touch as well; great work on the levels, there. Though at around 0:38 it felt a little muddy as the reverb on the drums started getting as loud as the synth, etc., but apart from that the start in general was good.

Taking a bit if a guess, I'm thinking you split the cymbals so the crash/ride were on the left hand side and the hi-hat was on the right. Which would have worked a little better if the cymbal had more of a role to play during that section, I'm pretty sure. But as it stands it does sound a little odd to have it all on one side.

I'm not entirely sure about the choice of synth at 1:22, it sounds a little odd. ut that besides, the melody it's playing is pretty cool. At 1:42 I think there's a few too many notes and it sounds a little muddy and rushed, but only for a second. But the section it leads into is very nicely done. I like the change of rhythm in the hi-hat straight off, the synth that comes in at 2:13 and the way it keeps evolving in sounds. The entire buildup of this minute just sounds very well put-together, and works well.

The way the drums cut out at 2:42 just leaving the synth is good, but the harmony changes at 2:49 feel a little forced. The chromaticism is cool, but it feels like you just put the notes in without much thought as to how jerky it could sound. Though that being said, again you have a very cool bit come in straight after, so the chromatic bit is all but forgotten. Again, you've got a really nice buildup, and then the drums come back in well at 3:42ish and there's a good 30 seconds of awesomeness. The cymbal was perhaps a little excessive near the end, though that might be just because of the part where the same cymbal sound is being used three times quickly in a row. The fadeout's a little long, but it works well. In general, apart from a few issues, this sounds really cool.

-Review Request Club

Birdinator99 responds:

Thanks for the detailed review!

Ya, there are definitely issues with the drums, but I'm glad you enjoyed it for the most part.

"30 seconds of awesomeness", huh? I like the sound of that.

[rooms are her travesty]

Pretty cool

As a whole, I like this piece. There's a great sense of melancholy that's upheld through most of the piece, but yet with a few touches of major keys and slightly brighter areas. I like the title/the way you describe the piece in the comments as well, it really helps set the scene in a pretty accurate way.

Though that being said, some of your progressions are a little too much for me. Some of them sound totally brilliant, but some sound a little like the same chord was being held for too long under the constantly-morphing melody line. Like, 0:16-0:22 feels like there's a note or two out of place for whichever chord you were leaning towards, but 0:40 to 0:54 sounds totally superb. And it kind of follows that pattern; there's nice long bits of awesomeness sandwiching a few seconds of what seem like slightly awkward harmonies. 0:54-:58 sounds awkward, 1:40-2:10 sounds cool; 2:10-2:16 sounds awkward, 2:40 to the end is really beautiful. I'm almost tempted to say "Disregard this, it's probably just me", because even though there were a few parts I didn't really get musically, the majority of the piece flowed really well and progressed in unexpected, ye awesome ways.

And I think in general the recording could have been turned up a little and some of the notes could have been more sustained than they were. But all in all, the melody was really clear and unique, the progressions-while some were lost on me-were also unique and often pretty awesome, and this piece was well worth listening to a few times over. 10'd, 5'd.

-Review Request Club

Calamaistr responds:

I started the chord in 16-22 early, i do that often in my music :)
54-58 is a good example of the simple melody going into complex melody on 1:10
2:10 to 2:16 is just a kind of alternate transition i like to make when i reach a point asking for one, i hate going for the conventional options. I think its what makes (atleast for my own ears) the music stay fresh, suprising.

I thank you for your elaborate review, ive also listened to your work a bit and you being in the classical scene yourself makes your review the kinder.
So thanks again and check back sometime, i have plenty of piano works similar to this one's style and some orchestral works aswell.

Greets. -Cal

[Vomir]

Catchy

I don't know any French, so I'll just assume the lyrics make sense. The rhythm of the vocals in general are pretty on-point and you manage to keep a really smooth tone and level throughout, which is a big plus.

The beat is nice and smooth, though if I was to critique something I'd say the levels of some parts of the accompaniment were perhaps a little too low; the percussion and the piano (I think?) could do with turning up just a little. But in general, the song develops well. Even though I have no idea what the words are the song is enough for it not to become boring as the accompaniment and the vocals develop enough so as to maintain enough variety.

At 3:00, while the brass slides are AWESOME, I think they overpower the voice a tiny bit. But in general, the brass is a highlight of the entire track; it adds a perfect amount of colour and again, you give it enough variety so that it keeps bringing a few unique sounds to the accompaniment.

The section from 4:15ish to 4:55 feels a little repetitive, but I'm sure that'd be slightly less so if I knew what the lyrics were and could focus on them. 4:55-5:00, the layers of vocals seem SLIGHTLY out of sync with one another, but that's the only point at which I could find a place where the beat isn't seemingly maintained perfectly.

So in general, it's a pretty awesome track. The instrument choices work well, the beat's nice and clear and the accompaniment is well-written, the vocals stay rhythmic and in time, and while I wish the ending perhaps wasn't so abrupt I think in general there's not much at all to fault about this. Nicely done.

-Review Request Club

Loki responds:

Wow thanks for the review :]

Yeah, around the end the singing goes down a bit, apologizes for that >_<

[Joker Tape 1]

Pretty good

To be a pedant for a second, throughout the recording there's this kind of medium-pitched buzzing sound which gets a little distracting, I don't know whether it's just because of the recording itself or whether it was deliberate, but whatever it was, it got a little grating.

The story was fairly imaginative, but perhaps a little too much so. The stories in The Dark Knight, while far-fetched, both simply involved someone taking a knife and cutting the smile in themselves. To think an ill-placed knife in the middle of a carnival show would create the same effect takes one leap of the imagination too many, in my mind. But who knows, maybe they were sharp knives. Or maybe the Joker's just making things up as he goes along, as per the usual.

As far as the actual voice goes, you do a pretty good imitation. The intonation of the voice you got down pretty well, and you definitely had the psychotic demeanour down, but perhaps not the pitchy variation that Ledger's Joker does; going from the kind of maniacal highs to the more ominous low rumbles. And I was half-expecting at least one maniacal laugh in this track, but perhaps that would have been too obvious a thing to put in. I can't quite tell how well the "Why so serious?" line was delivered because the victim's interjections kind of overpowered them a little, but as far as I could tell it was done pretty well, if a little more aggressively than Ledger's; I think you both did the same thing, but that he did it at a much lower level so instead of a more aggressive shout, it was more of an incredibly threatening growl. But in general, I think the impression's pretty good, and with a few more tweaks it'll be pretty damn convincing.

As has been mentioned, the ending is a little abrupt, you could probably think about how to dress the death of the victim up a little more if you do any more tapes. And in the same way, the victim's breathing were the only real indication that things were getting progressively worse for him, ie the Joker getting his knife out/advancing on him, so a few more sound effects wouldn't go amiss there. In general though, it's a nice impression; good work.

-Review Request Club

[The Voices in my Head [Jxl180]]

Pretty good

I like the effect of the echoed vocals, even though they seemed a little random in what they were saying, it fits pretty well with the title; lots of different vaguely incoherent voices at once. And in general, I liked the choice of synths and the levels of the different tracks in general.

However, some of the transitions are a little suspect. The ones at 00:49 and 1:18, for instance, are way too abrupt. If it felt a little more deliberate, it would probably work massively in your favour as it'd add to the generally manic mood of the piece. But at the moment it just feels like you randomly decided to go in another direction without much thought as to why. I think if you're going to do that you should make it a lot more deliberate or build up to it a little more, just so it's more obvious that you're definitely going for the slightly-jerky sound.

The highlight of this would probably be from 1:41 onwards, where the drums and the synth change up a little and turn it into a subtle build-up to the end. By then the random voices even seem to have a bit of a rhythmic order to them and it feels like the instruments have settled in a little more and feel a little less out of place. That being said, I think the fadeout's perhaps a little too long; 12 seconds is a little excessive.

In general I think it's a pretty good piece, but it could use a few tweaks here and there with regards to some of the transitions.

-Review Request Club

jxl180 responds:

I will give it a shot when I have the chance.

Thank you!

[4x4 Tea Party]

Awesome synths.

In general, I love how you've manipulated the beats into something different. It's not your basic drum or synth beats; with the exception of the hi-hit, really, everything's had something specific changed in it to give it that extra variety, which I think does you a real credit.
I was a little skeptical of the bass drum right at the start, but that disappears when the first synth comes in at 0:08. Again, I was starting to think it was getting repetitive until I heard the synth start to morph at 0:25-0:28, which just manages to peak the interest enough for it not to feel overdone. The part at 0:49 was also very nicely done; the way you introduce new synths and sounds is always pretty smooth.

One peeve I had was the hi-hat beat at 0:51/0:55 and going forwards from there. Just the beats where there's the two hits in quicker succession, seems a little excessive and ever-so-slightly out of time. I think either the quantisation of that needs to be looked at again or another drum sound needs to come in to make that beat seem less cluttered.

I think some of the synths could also benefit from being a little bassier, as well. Or just in general having a nice low bass synth coming in at points. You've got the higher frequencies covered to a tee, it just seems like the lower frequencies aren't really accounted for as much as they could be. And while all the synths are really well-put-together, I think the piece kind of started dragging a little in terms of repetitiveness by the third minute or so. Though that being said, I've been content to listen to this on a loop for the time it's taken me to write this, so I guess the length doesn't bug my subconscious at all. :P Nicely done.

-Review Request Club

KieranNG responds:

Thanks!
I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[Lamp + LB - Interlude]

Nicely done.

I like the start, it's got a quiet, but epic feel to it. I think the feeling of distance you get with the choir sound is pretty cool, but that it needs to be a touch louder in general just so it's a little easier to pick the notes up.
The drums at 0:50 are pretty cool, I like the subtle change of pace there, as well.
The piano in general is easily the best part of the first half; the melody's pretty melancholy, but you get the odd glimpse of major chords which just lift the mood of the piece up a little, in a pretty awesome way.
The change of timing at 1:24 vaguely confused me the first time, as with no reference other than the piano chords it was a little hard to guess when the next notes were coming. I can't tell whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I guess you'll have to judge for yourself. :P
1:38, I think the bass could definitely use being turned up a little louder. When the guitar comes in, the feedback at 1:49-1:52 made me think it would come in a lot stronger than it did, so it felt a little anticlimactic. Though that being said, I think the guitar overpowers the piano a little too much. What both parts are playing is certifiably awesome, I hasten to add, but I think it could be a little more equal, level-wise.
The transition at 2:26, while a little abrupt, is pretty cool and ends the piece in a nice way. My one peeve about the end is the final chord of the chimes, I think it's a little heavy handed for an ending; even if you arpeggiated it a little I think it'd be noticeably better. But in general, this is a pretty awesome piece. Definitely think about collaborating more, eh?

-Review Request Club

Lamplighter responds:

Hey, thanks for the review! I'm just speaking for myself right now, hopefully I can represent Lublub as well.

The reason I had the choir turned down is that, along with the rest of the instruments, there was very little else going on other than whole notes. I didn't want to increase the volume of something that I felt was interesting enough to stand out to the ears. I do see your point, though.

At 1:24, I guess that would be confusing, dropping everything except the bare piano chords. That was where Lublub started the breakdown / buildup for the orchestral rock deal, and I felt it was a good idea to leave a change there to keep people on their feet. I guess there could have been some rhythm instruments playing, but I personally have grown too used to that to change.

Then at 1:38... that's something I never thought about. The bass was at that volume so it could have a good deal of space to crescendo into the guitar part, but now that I look back we could have had it turned up, then done a forte-piano there. Good point. Then when the guitar came in... it does cover up the piano, but by the time that part was written, I assumed the listener would think the piano part was old news. Thus not minding it being overshadowed by the guitar, which was what we were set of featuring there.

I also agree about the chimes, I originally had them arpeggiated, but after experimenting I felt that a chord would give an extra punch at the end and never turned down the velocity. It might sound just as good arp-ed, as you said.

Glad you liked the song, though! I've taken away that in the future, I should pay more attention to balancing out tempo changes, and volumes between instruments. I'll try to keep a closer eye on these things the next time we collab. Thanks for the review!

[O.H.35 - Child of Liberty]

Pretty cool

In general, the instruments/pads/synths are nicely put together, there's not many flaws with the sound choices you made which is good, given the kind of ambient feel most of the synths are needed for here. And in general, the transitions and the introductions of each guitar/synth is really smooth. The sound of the synth at 0:13 I wasn't totally sure about, but it resolved itself a few seconds later.

The first minute is really nice and solid; good layering between the lines, nice deep texture going on. Though I think the section from around 0:30-0:50 could maybe have used a bit more synth just to flesh the sound out a bit, as you had a lot of nice warm pads before that. In much the same way, the transition at 0:57 was cool, but I think you could have maybe made a bit more of it than you did. It's fine as it is, but I think there was room there for a bigger climax.

The levels of the percussion at 1:41 feels a little low and I think you probably need a bit more bass at 1:55 (Though that could just be my headphones giving out on me). LOVE the transition and the guitar at 2:08, there's some nice new harmonies and melody added there to give it a little more variation. And again, the harmony change at 3:14 is cool, but I think the synths could have done more in the half-minute preceding that.

I think in general, just maybe look over your levels a little, because the synths seem to quiet in the aforementioned part, the melody seems a little quiet at 3:37, and when the guitar comes in with the melodies at 2:08 and 5:27, while what's being played is awesome, it feels a little distant? Especially seeming as the synths are still pretty much in the foreground at both those places.

As a whole, it's a pretty cool piece. The guitar playing is spot-on, the synths do everything they're supposed to and compliment eachother in a great way, the percussion never gets too heavy, which is often an irritation you get with some AP submissions. I think some of the levels could use a second look, and that maybe it's a touch too long for what's going on, but in general this is pretty solid. 9'd, 5'd.

OH35 responds:

Hey, thanks for the great review! I agree that in some places it could have used a little more tweaking in the volumes. However we were short on time and needed this finished quickly because it was taking hella LOT of time to make. Perhaps we will consider tweaking with volumes a bit more before the release.

There's a lot of room for improvements that we will surely apply in the future tracks we will make. Your feedback was of great help and is truly appreciated. Thanks again!!