Animith's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AF - Forever (Original)]

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Play-by-play review:

0:00-Nice intro, the sharpness of the piano is nicely done, just adds to the atmosphere you set up
0:28-GREAT bass drum, very boomy and led into the more rhythmic synth nicely while still maintaining that depth, would have liked to perhaps have seen more of them throughout. However, I think the piano gets a little muddied up when this synth does come in, so tis a mixed blessing.
By 0:54 you realise how slow-building the song is, but at the same time how well it works for it. The melody comes back again, but has its little variations such as at 1:02 which is a good touch just to make the melody all that more interesting to listen to again.
1:16-Nice drum beat, but generally the drum beat seems to be just the kick drum? If you were looking to change this later I'd say look into perhaps having a more complex drum beat, because it's the kind of instrument that can add a lot of colour and variation just on its own.
1:36-Nice subtle transition, like the new airy pulsing synth that comes in; these transitions and changes in synths that you have pretty much throughout let you use the melody for as long as you do, because they keep the sound new and interesting.
2:47-Light buildup here was cool, could have maybe started earlier in the track just to add to that variation and let you build it up even more than you did.
Change in drum beat good, but again could have possibly done with a more complex beat, or even just a few glitches to add to the non-melodic instruments in the track.
4:00-I like how it's mainly in the higher frequencies, but you still have that bass lightly there covering the lower frequency as well, so it levels out just enough to work. Good thinking, there.
4:45-Ending was good; fadeout perhaps a little overdone, but not extremely so.

In general, you have a nice set of subtle transitions which keep it from sounding repeptitive even though the melodic material stays essentially the same. Love all the really tiny automations on the synths, just changing them that little bit and making the difference almost imperceptible. The transitions on the whole work well, I think just having another look at the drum and another look at maybe having a few more breaks and buildups in the track would do you credit, because while it's executed well you do generally stay on the same ground throughout. However, it's a nicely crafted track, so kudos to you, and keep it up. :)

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[Cobalt [DEMO]]

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Long story short, you're still on the right track. This does need more work still, but there's a few good points to it which you could carry through as you keep improving.

The main melody for me was a little hit and miss. 0:15-0:22, for example, I thought worked in itself. But the next five seconds of it felt quite weird, as if it was going onto a completely different set of chords. That being perhaps the main problem with the first half of the melody; the synth itself sounds pretty cool, but definitely needs more support to make it fit better. Whether that's a few ambient synths in the background or a more vibrant bass line or more harmony...just something more to thicken it out more, because the texture here leaves a little to be desired. The melody's almost there, you just need something else now to keep it up there.

The pitch bends were generally nicely done, and the synth had a good sound to it...it's the rest where you run into the most problems, just because it's quite sparse. You've just got the simple drum beat and the bass on the offbeats, and there definitely could be more done to them. It was a try and gliding between notes, and in that you passed well, as the pitchbends sound good. The rest is what you fall back on, but now you know you CAN do pitchbends with a lead synth, you can implement it into your later tracks as you keep improving and learning how to incorporate a melody better into a track itself.

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[Our Nova Pt. 2]

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I think the bass at the start is a touch too aggressive, I think you could have maintained the pace it sets without having it at such a high velocity; also giving the track more chance to build up.
The high notes at 0:42 ish were really nice and came out of the texture really nicely by the start of the first minute. These light automations and stuff made the first minute a pretty nice buildup. The lead melody is really nice; obviously very happy and major, but works well for it. The random higher notes were sort of a hitandmiss for me, in that sometimes I thought they really worked and others I thought it was a little too up-in-the-air.

The higher countermelody was also really nice; the way it was a little quieter added to that atmosphere all that much more, because you avoided it cutting through everything else. Those two lead synths really do well to carry the rest of the texture up til about 2:30, just because it kept changing up enough to support the accompaniment which theretofor stayed pretty similar. When things changed up at 2:30 it was really nicely done; again, quite a subtle transition but differs enough to keep the sound fresh and interesting. The depth of atmosphere is really stellar throughout, which is definitely commendable.

As a track, it's pretty faultless and you tick all the boxes. Could definitely see this in a flash, either at the start and the finish...or any place in between, really. Great mood, great sounds and atmosphere...if you were looking for points of improvement, you could consider extending it and putting in a few more sections, perhaps some a few slower or more airy, ambient sections, or just adding more of the same into a longer track, but in general I'd say it isn't broke, so don't put too much effort into fixing it if you're fine as it is. Really nicely done.

-Review Request Club

DJ-Chilvan responds:

Thanks man! I really like your opening advice. That will come REALLY handy in my future songs. Hmm, thanks for pointing out the high notes! If I'm sure of what you mean, that's just the resonance from the main synth. I'm glad you like its sound. It's always good to know the kinds of sounds your listeners like.

About making it longer, I can't really do that, because actually, my songs tend to be too long actually. Yes, I see where you're coming from, but length is usually best suited for trance, you know?

I'm glad you really liked my song, thanks for the review!

[Interplanetary Medium]

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You've got a nice melody and chord progression, though I think the lead synth for the first 26 seconds is a little muffled, and could have done with being sharper just to give it more focus. The synth at 0:28 has a really nice sound to it...again, a little muffled at times, but generally adds a nice depth to the track.

The incidental synths you have at around the 1 minute mark are nicely done; generally you've got a good set of transitions throughout and enough texture to carry the main melody. One weakness I'd say would be your drums, because they don't vary all that much throughout. The other synths however work well together and the melody changes a fair bit.

The break at 1:59 is nice, and excluding the muffled synth you've got a nice airy atmosphere set up with the other synths which makes for a nice change of pace. However, by 2:25 I think it's a little too up-in-the-air, and could use more of a beat or a more prominent lead just to tie it back to the beat just a little bit, and at 2:26 another synth comes in with a different chord and it clashes a little to start with.

The ending in general is alright, but I think you would have been better transitioning back into the heavier section we saw before 1:59, just so you don't have 80 seconds of ambience; heavy is good, ambient is good, but you need to strike the balance between them and transition between them well. As it stands for the 2nd and 3rd minute you've just got this ambience which doesn't really head anywhere and eventually peters out, I think the track would have benefitted a lot from a transition back into a heavier section.

Good melody, interesting choice of chords, the one main transition you have is nicely done...has definite potential, just that first lead synth needs another look and maybe the consideration of another transition and you'll be fine. Keep it up.

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jxl180 responds:

Thanks for the review! I appreciate your helpful comments!

Jxl180

[<EagleGuard> Never give up!]

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Nice introduction, the harp adds a great sense of pace to the relatively slow-feeling strings without weighing them down too much. You've got something of a heaviness from the drums, but a more hopeful feel from the harp, strings and brass, so you've got that aspirational kind of feel that the title would suggest, but I think it maybe could have done with having a slightly heavier counterpoint to work on, to illustrate what it is that someone needs to not give up on; what conflict that happens either before or after this event to require such an uplifting theme.

Although you've been relatively minimalistic in what each of your instruments does, the arrangement of them leaves them to not sound repetitive, which is always a good thing. The guitar, while unexpected, works very well and acts nicely as a break between the more orchestral instruments and the piano/harp ending. The piano could have maybe done with a little more sustain, but it's not that much of a problem. The harp itself is probably the highlight of the piece as it ties everything together nicely and with the snare gives the string that much needed pace; I think without the harp, especially, this piece could have dragged a whole lot, but it didn't here because you worked with the different instruments well and created something pretty damn cool. Keep it up, definitely.

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EagleGuard responds:

Thanks for taking your time to write that review, much appreciated :)

About the counterpoint, I'll think about it. I'll try to think about it next time I write a new piece.

About the sustain, oh well, I thought it was fine the way it was. Everyone has their own opinion though, perhaps it would be slightly better with a bit more sustain, but I'm lazy xD

Yeah, you're right, the harp is probably what keeps the song alive, it was also the first thing I added xD

Thanks for the review, will try to keep it up! ;)

[Power of DnB(final version)]

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Nice intro, the fact you've already got a break by 0:07 is a pretty cool sign, and leads into the main first section well. You've got a goot bass and drum beat established, and then you start speeding it up to a crazy pace and I was almost worried that it was going to stay that frantic throughout until the main theme came out. Nice to see this is still in it, because I keep remembering the melody from the previous version's you've done. The drums again have picked up a really interesting beat which compliments the lead synth well.

I can't quite remember the structure of the previous two versions, but the transitions here really pop out; you go straight from the main theme to a slightly more muted buildup at 1:01, before going back into the main theme. That kind of thing works perfectly, because those little breaks give you some variety between the repetitions of the theme, but are long enough in themselves to not seem rushed, even though the pace of this is still very high.

By 2:00 I have no real complaints; love the contrasting section again with the strings and guitar; the drums are still present, but quite in the background, keeping the pace but by no means being a point of focus. That also allows you to smoothly bring it back out of the texture as the main synth comes back in, giving it the heavy characteristic again.

The new section at 3:00 is possibly my favourite part, because it still has the hints of the chords from before, but the feel is totally different, so the variety is definitely a massive plus throughout, no more so than in that last minute and gives you yet another thing to mix with the main melodies. Loved the reversed sound at the end, love even more so that you didn't have the robotic voice that we heard in the previous versions; this track shows you the power of DnB without that voice needing to tell you that, and so it's good that you took it out. I think I'd have to agree with you in saying this is the best version out of the three. Kudos for sticking with it and getting it to this level.

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jpgregorio responds:

wow thanks, paying attention to peoples' reviews sure pays of. lol.
i think i made the right choice with that effect at the end. xD

[p4c-Existentialism]

Review Request Club

Really aggressive drum beat to start, works really well and hits you head on, which is really cool; nothing more annoying than a good track with a weak beat to it. It's so agressive that even though by 0:40 not much else has happened, it doesn't feel repetitive. I also hear you've got a bit of lighter percussion at places, which is cool.

The bass, equally as aggressive and present, so already you've hit two out of the three boxes you need. And then right after, the synths come in. You've got a lot of mini-transitions between the new synths which all work really well. production values of the first 100 seconds are really nice. The break at 1:47 was a little too piercing for what came before, but that might just be me.
The buildup at 1:58 is really cool; it's simple, but very effective. The anticipation hits pretty much right away, and because it's quite a slow buildup it allows you to put in all these new synths and the like, as well as bringing in the pretty heavy drum beat very very slowly. When first saw the length of the track, I was worried it'd end up being quite repetitive, but thus far you've kept it very interesting.

I like how the drums have a kind of mini climax, but then it keeps building up a little further past that before kind of disappating into the air before the main theme comes back in again. The melody itself, though simple, is interesting enough to carry itself through the entire track, which is interesting. From about 3:45-4:45 you kind of have the same thing playing throughout, but because it's very well structured to start with, it doesn't drag at all, which is very nice to see in a track of this length. And the outro is again, quite heavy, but fittingly so, giving you a pretty powerful ending.

In general, you've got good production values and transitions, the buildups work well...I think it could still not be harmed by a little condensing, but as it is it works well, even when you had to compress it to get it onto Newgrounds in one piece. Nice solid work, overall.

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p4c responds:

thanks! the line of the lead synth sounds fairly simple, but it actually relies on chords that have built in discordance - notes right next to each other, sevenths, the like. so it gives a simple sound while making a pretty memorable line. all the iterations of it throughout the entire song follow the same pattern but are transposed up and down. the most clever bit, i think, is that the pattern of the lead is the same in the build up and the climax of the second chorus of the song, but because the bassline and triplet support follows different chord progressions, it gives the same melody a different feel--and thus keeps you interested :)

i try to push for making the most tension i could, and i like to use relatively subdued lines that nonetheless make fairly strong emotional resonance. im glad to see it worked out for you :)

[Prelude #1 - Lost Serenade]

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Ahh, I remember your serenade piece, that was pretty cool. Let's see if this one lives up to its predecessor :P

For an improvised piece the pace is very steady and the flow very smooth; there's not a moment's hesistation, it sounds like you're just performing a prewritten piece, so kudos for that. The sound quality also seems a lot cleaner than your last track, but still has that nice reverberant atmosphere which places it in a very moody kind of setting; again the kind of thing you wouldn't mind seeing in a flash on here, or even performed in some kind of venue.

It's got a relatively simple harmonic structure (circle of 5ths, ftw) but you use it well; the melody keeps changing over the bassline and you make it sound interesting to listen to for such a simple piece, yet again. Simple, but effective. If you had a change to extend this past a simple prelude, you could of course have the opportunity to develop the harmonic progression, or indeed, keep it the same and just develop the melody a lot more; you've got the harmony down, so you could just play over the top of that til kingdom come if you had the inclination.

The playing itself also seems a little cleaner than last time; some of the bass notes at 0:28-0:32 seemed a little quieter/muffled than the ones surrounding it, but it's not all that noticeable and a marked improvement on the other track. What can I say, you sound cool on a guitar. Keep them coming!

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Darkmaster603 responds:

I'm working on extending this as a movement in my moonlight suite, so it will get more interesting ;)

The order the parts went in was imrovised, I actually had some stuff I knew I wanted to do. Plus, it's a chord progression I've been playing and using for a long time. I don't know why, but until recently I just wanted to limit myself to short pieces.

Thanks for the review, all the feedback is appreciated

[Anesthesia (Sonic Numbing)]

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Liked the introduction; the staccato strings have a lot of character to them and the harmonies work well together. I think you maybe could have extended it even more, given the range you can get from a string quartet. That being said, I liked the entrance of the violin and how it added to the note clusters, again I think it could have had an even more complex line instead of following the emphasis of the lower strings, but that's neither here nor there. Highlight would probably the the pizzicato near the end just because it's very crisp and adds a nice bit of texture.

In general, I think this could do with a little more harmonic variety, as you do use the same kind of motif throughout; the piece is only a minute long, though, so I'm tempted to give the benefit of the doubt on that because it does work well as a relatively minimalist piece. You say in the AC that this was an attempt to mix different genres; what mix of genres would this be? :P

Generally though, it's a nice short piece, the sounds work well together (Can't really go wrong with string quartet), and you've got a good set of harmonies. Has to potential to be extended into a much vaster piece, at some point.

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WizMystery responds:

Well that's a good question, it's more like a mix of composer styles or time periods, but I consider certain syles to be their own genre so its easy to identify things. This isn't the typical string quartet piece, I'm not quite sure on what genres to pinpoint as this is probably a subconscious mix of influences.

[Stargenx - Epic Jam]

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Nice drum sounds; they kind of have a mix between kind of background support and the toms and such in the foreground that act more as a point of focus to give more colour to the track. There was a point at which I thought the cymbals were a little overkilled, but didn't get the timestamp of it.

The synths as well were pretty cool; you were kind of lacking a main melody synth (As a few other people have said), but what you have already works relatively well, and you have a few changes in structure which allow you to bring different synths in and so it isn't as repetitive as it could have been. It was, however, a little repetitive, but so would most songs be without a clear melody to focus on. The arpeggiated synth was a good start, but after 30 seconds or do starts dragging itself.

I like the transition at 0:47ish; while abrupt, it pretty much worked well. The one at 1:05 though, I think does the opposite. It sort of sounds like one synth that was meant to play there cut out when you were exporting it and just doesn't quite fit. So maybe that section could do with a little extension so the transition out of it doesn't feel quite as forced.

In general, you've got the makings of a good track, you just need to maybe take another look at the transitions, maybe even extending it so you have more room to put some variety in, and definitely think about adding in a melody. All in all though, it's yet another cool work from you, so nicely done.

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Stargenx responds:

Thanks for the review! I've already addressed most of the issues right now. Thanks for reviewing when you did! XD You just reminded me to start working on it again.