Buoy's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[LO - Rush Hour (NGADM'12)]

First off (I'm posting this to everyone): Note that the scores might be a bit lower than what's typical for NG reviews - no one should expect a 10/10 unless their entry was absolutely incredible.

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Man that first synth really does not sound good on its own. That alone could be enough for me to skip ahead to the next song if I were to be casually listening to music. So the tune is unfortunately off to a weak start that is somewhat remedied when the rest of the lineup is introduced at 0:15 - the synth feels so much more in the right place when there's a kick around to beat it into submission and put it in sidechains. :) The other synths fill the soundstage surprisingly well during the part that follows.

I enjoyed the more classic electro style part from 0:42 very much, especially the subtle timbre variations in the (unusually bright, but not annoyingly so) bass synth. The part is extremely simple, and consequently very repetitive since it lasts for an entire minute - this of course makes it very danceable, but some surprising or creative antics wouldn't hurt at all. The pretty bell synth is appreciated but is a small contribution. Why do we never get to hear that again, though?

When the synths play solo once again at 1:45 they mask each other somewhat, but the criticism about the intro still applies. Also, the square wave-like synth that gets introduced along with the drums only serves to add mud, since it's playing in the same range as the other synths, with a very similar sound to boot. The highpassed transition into 2:28 is great, the synth toms (or something to that effect) really do the trick. There is also some cool variation at 2:56 as well with the sub bass and the synth playing together, and that finishes the track. Sadly. This is a very plain EDM song with most of the standard elements, but leaves little else to be impressed about or even talk about.

I can pick out two things about this song that are done particularly well: the first is the mixing. Apart from what I mentioned previously, every instrument gets to shine through the mix, and the sound in general is wide, fat and well rounded. The other is drums. As with the synths, they are nothing new or original, but the sounds and the programming of them are good and appropriate for the genre/style.

6 points for sounds and instrumentation.
3 points for composition and melody/harmony.
5 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 5.5

Oakwood responds:

To be honest, I hate the start as well, but I couldn't find a proper build-up within time so I just threw the synth in right away.

The bass synth sounds so bright because I put a lot of emphasis on the highs. This gives the bass a crispy sound and makes it a little fatter. Learned that from Dada Life.
Believe, I wanted to use the bell a lot more too, but because it wasn't part of the basic structure of the song I didn't focus on that.

The squared synths also play in the intro, so I probably accidentally did something with the volume automation clip when the synth kicks in again.

I'm glad you like my mixing, because it's something I've been working on a lot.

Thanks a lot for the review, Buoy! I really appreciate it.

[Focused Noise (NGADM '12)]

First off (I'm posting this to everyone): Note that the scores might be a bit lower than what's typical for NG reviews - no one should expect a 10/10 unless their entry was absolutely incredible.

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These guitars, they are solid. If there's anything to be said about the song, it's that. Tight, clear playing, yet with a huge stereo width throughout. The intro riff and the bassline that follows along make for a very good first impression and wow-factor. I'm assuming there IS a bass guitar since there's a prominent low end - it blends perfectly with the guitars to create the impression of one single, monstrously badass guitar. The drums are nice too... at a high enough volume. It should be possible to get a meatier kick and a thicker snare and keep the mix as clear as it currently is. The hihats and cymbals sound fine, but as with the other drums, hardly anything exciting is done with them - it's straight eight notes and occasional sixteenth note fills.

And beneath the delicious layer of thick guitars, the song is lacking in many respects. The composition is the most striking one. The song never takes a break, it keeps going with a fixed gear, the intensity plateaus from the first moment - and at 4:00 it makes for an absolutely exhausting listen. Even before a minute has passed I notice a sense of fatigue. Each section is one short riff, repeated some power of two (2, 4, 8 etc) times, with some minor variation at the end at the most predictable places. This riff is backed by a suitably busy drum part, a bassline that copies the riff (and never does anything else ever), and occasionally another track of a wailing guitar on top.

...that's it. Some keyboard sounds would be a nice addition, some sound effects, some clean guitar, some anything! Something that creates some contrast and lets the brutality of the guitars really shine instead of constantly blasting the ears and boring the mind of the listener for 2 and a half minutes. After which a much needed melodic solo is introduced. And yet, it sounds very much like it's put there in the end as an afterthought. It's just there, between two riffs, being played over a riff copypasted from 0:52. It's a positive addition to the song, but not by much.

6 points for sounds and instrumentation.
6 points for composition and melody/harmony.
6 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 6.0

(hey, at least you get the most metal combination of scores)

Demon-Slayer12 responds:

Thanks for the detailed review! And I can agree on pretty much everything you said. The composition is pretty boring, and the solos were pretty much an afterthought. I wanted to make an epic track, but I epically failed haha. I didn't think I'd even get past the first round anyway, so to actually make it surprised me. At least I got a 666 from you haha, and I'll try harder next time to write something a bit more creative!

[King Bosa]

First off (I'm posting this to everyone): Note that the scores might be a bit lower than what's typical for NG reviews - no one should expect a 10/10 unless their entry was absolutely incredible.

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This one was somewhat difficult. There was little that immediately grabbed my attention when I first listened to it while also mindlessly browsing. Careful listening opened my ears to some neat details, though. Of course, the comments about the title and description of Bosa's entry apply to this one as well, though I must admit I found this one less amusing. Those things will not change my score for any of your entries.

I'll tackle the mellow first minute first: I did not enjoy the violin solo as I perhaps wanted to - this particular sound is very shrill and tiring to listen to in that range, I don't know if that's inherent to violin or if it's a problem with the soundfont/instrument you're using. I figure it might sound more pleasant one octave down, or with some kind of flute. The oboe (clarinet?) sometimes complements the string melody (I really enjoyed moments such as around 0:18 where the instruments collaborate with their own different leading tones to put together a nice resolution), sometimes not so much (from 0:45 it sounds dissonant and unfocused, like the instruments are just playing along for themselves). The deep strings play along nicely most of the time. The harp, when introduced, sounds rather meagre, and the reverb tail that ends the first section also disappointed me a bit. So overall there's some nice interplay between the instruments but nothing that leaves me massively impressed.

The shrill violin keeps going in the second section as well. This is where some of the more impressive stuff appears: the shift to 7/8 is done very well (I didn't notice it at all during the aforementioned mindless listen), and the staccato strings and bells give it that certain soundtrack feel too. The chord progression that I can't really figure out but that does contain an awesome tritone jump also adds an unique flavor to the piece. I also found it very clever how you changed the role of the staccato strings from being the main focus (1:06) to supporting the sustained chords (1:23) in a way that I can't really describe accurately with words. That whole transition is really my favourite thing about the song, the whole combination of changed instrumentation, mood and tempo is brilliant. In other words, most of the neat stuff is found in the second half.

The piece ends with a couple of solid minor tonic chords. No real surprises there. A straightforward and acceptable ending. ;) The vibrato of the lead violin rings out nicely, the sustained strings ended maybe a bit more abruptly and synchronised than you would expect from a real string section though. The harp that modestly chimes in at the very end is a nice touch too.

The mixing and the instruments used are a bit too flat and bland. The strings and especially the percussion have little punch and presence, leaving parts like the apparent climax at 1:06 far weaker than it has the potential to be. That is my main gripe with this submission.

7 points for sounds and instrumentation.
8 points for composition and melody/harmony.
7 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 8.0

samulis responds:

Yeah, I should have worked off a more powerful ending to the piece.

One of my major inspirations is a CD of "Gypsy" music from Romania... it has such expressive violin parts, using mainly the upper register... since listening, I have always wanted to create a slow piece that uses the violin's high end in all its glory, although I do greatly enjoy the lowest register of the violin.

Now that I listen back, I do feel that it does need a bit more reverb as well as more percussion. I generally master my percussion quieter than most people... probably because I listen to very little modern forms like rock which use very loud percussion and instead see percussion less as the "keepers of the beat" and more as "embellishers of the structure"- such as in the case of the timpani, which finds itself rotating around the piece both fulfilling chording and giving a deep resonance where needed.

As a composer, my style is generally more in tune with dissonance and minor melodies- dark and sour.

Thanks for the review and the comments, I really enjoy getting comments that are focused on the greater form of the music and the flow etc. like this. :)

-Samulis

[Recalcitrate [WIP]]

First off (I'm posting this to everyone): Note that the scores might be a bit lower than what's typical for NG reviews - no one should expect a 10/10 unless their entry was absolutely incredible.

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All right... techno! Or trance! Or whatever it is! It's been a while since I've heard the style! The kick drum and offbeat percussion that kicks off the track are really reminiscent of the early-mid 00's, when this style seemed to be pretty prominent everywhere ever. Especially things like the detuned square lead at 1:24 remind me of our very own ParagonX9. So I start off with a kind of quaint nostalgic feel - and there's nothing wrong with that.

The sounds here are all good and fitting. Especially the ensemble of classic synths that is used here is very nice sounding. Thick, rich analog sounds with fat filter modulation all around. The phased snares (or whatever they are) that bounce around the stereo field contribute greatly to the rhythm too. They're all very straightforward, which makes for an easy listening experience, but I would love to hear some more depth in many of the instruments, either with modulation, layering or something similar to what you've done with one of the leads (see below). The kick fits well (it's somewhat muffled perhaps), but for me, its pattern becomes midly annoying after one and a half minute, which is not a good thing when it's featured for the majority of a relatively long song.

I'm noticing how well it flows between parts (the ever-present and ever-prominent kick really helps with that of course), from one part focusing on an uplifting G minor synth riff to another part focusing on an uplifting G minor synth riff.

Neither the first ethereal lush part and the first really beautiful, sweet melody that carries a bit of emotion are introduced until 2:37 - which really is a bit late, even in a 6 minute song - but when it comes, it really shines. Everything else in that part seems to be there to support it, since you got rid of all the analog synth sounds that might compete with it during it. Good! The combination of vibrato and subtle timbre changes at the end of each note gives it the same organic singing quality as a solo violin or a guitar ringing out with feedback.

Not surprisingly, the tune picks up right where it left off after that. The same main melody continues, but is assigned to a fatter, brighter synth that jumps up an octave or two for intensity to create a very long and very gradual crescendo that plateaus somewhat disappointingly at about 4:45. Then it kinda keeps going, but with less and less intensity. It ends with a neat little synth run, which is decent I guess but somewhat short of a dedicated ending.

9 points for sounds and instrumentation.
8 points for composition and melody/harmony.
8 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 8.5

ErikMcClure responds:

I apologize for the flat ending, the song was still somewhat unfinished. I also wanted to work more atmosphere into the middle part. I find it interesting that you identify all the sounds as analog, because I only use software synthesizers and know nothing of any analog synths. I don't even know what analog synths sound like compared to digital synths.

[Outside the Atmosphere]

First off (I'm posting this to everyone): Note that the scores might be a bit lower than what's typical for NG reviews - no one should expect a 10/10 unless their entry was absolutely incredible.

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The pretty, but oh so cliched minor key piano intro left me anxious for what I was about to spend my next 6 minutes listening to. Would this be another tiring excercise in the sidechained bass and Fruity Loopy supersaw presets that we're all so familiar with on Newgrounds? Or maybe this one is different? And I have to admit, when you added the rhythmic electro synth in there, I was almost about to let out a sigh.

So you can imagine the relief it was to hear a nicely rounded set of tight, smacking kick and snare (I apologize for how almost sexual that sounded) that did NOT play out a standard 4x4 house beat. A square wave-like lead synth is also introduced at this moment, with some really nice playful portamento. Unfortunately I'm having trouble hanging onto any sort of recurring theme in its melody - for the most part, each bar has its own melodic idea that doesn't have much to do with any of the other ones. This makes it really hard for me as a listener to get engaged, because I never feel "okay, I'm with you: I think I've figured it out now, and I have some sense of what's to come next". For the same reason, you can't really surprise the listener by playing with their expectations either.

That changes quite a bit when the piano gets back in the limelight around 1:48 - where the rhythm and direction of the piano's melody is very clear. The diminished chord arpeggio that occasionally (and very unexpectedly) popped up impressed me. The heavily reverbed piano sound is still pretty, but unfortunately it sounds very little like an actual, played piano. I think whatever piano sound you're using is fine, but the midi sequencing could need some work. There are three things I can think of that would immediately improve the realism: 1. vary the velocity (not just randomly, think "if I was a pianist playing this part, where would I press the keys down hard for impact, and where would I hold back and keep it subtle?"). At the moment it sounds like each note is played at the same (rather high) velocity. 2. Humanize the timing. Straight, quantized notes sound like robot and the best sample library in the world will not help with that. If you can, try to rerecord some of the easier parts, but don't quantize it (or quantize it by 50% or something). 3. Add some playful, faster runs or something that isn't quite confined to the 8th note grid that the arpeggio is playing in. Some 16th/32nd notes or triplets that played their own thing would really freshen the solo piano parts up.

And then the drums and electronic stuff is introduced back again and it sounds great - this is the only point where you might as well keep the rigid quantized piano, because the 4x4 beat and piano line up so perfectly and create a bit of a hypnotic rhythm. Only for a moment though - it's gone when you change the drum rhythm back to what is originally was. At this point it sounds like, well a mildly interesting piano-centric electronic song (the word mediocre comes to mind but it the word would be a bit too harsh). The wild synth arpeggio is kinda pretty, but really doesn't sound at home in this song - it sounds like it would be more effective if the BPM of the song was kicked up considerably, or with a busier mix.

The last minute and a half (which is a LOT of time that can potentially be spent on good stuff in a song) drags on a lot, with very little variation beyond a few extra notes on the piano here and there. The same instrumentation is kept throughout, and almost no bold or creative things are popping up apart from the diminished arpeggio I mentioned earlier. In general, the song doesn't have enough things happening in it to warrant it being 6 minutes long.

6 points for sounds and instrumentation.
5 points for composition and melody/harmony.
5 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 6.0

OpenLight responds:

Thanks for the review! I agree with a lot of what you said, though the reason it may have seemed to drag on is because I almost intended it to. I say "almost" because I wouldn't have realistically have let it drag on, but my mood around that time made it sound good to me, something simple that didn't necessarily have a catchy melody but sounded melodic.

This review obviously took a while and I appreciate it.

[The Storm's Rage (WiP)]

Neat intro, neat snare, guitars sound a lot more okay than the other times you've used it. The rhythm riff wouldn't be too bad played on actual guitars (the guitar solo... yeah it probably would be too bad). And the theme from the title kinda fits even. I like where you're going here. Small steps

Step responds:

This mostly uses soundfonts - this probably begins my 'soundfont abuse' phase. From now on all the songs of mine which aren't techno use soundfonts instead of cheesy FL presets or MIDI.

Hahaha that guitar solo is horrible.

[Windows Wars]

The start is actually pretty good. Drums are usually doing their job properly by now. I imagine you could have made a better song by just replacing everything with actual instruments. After the third one there wasn't really a reason to keep up the gimmick. And hey the instruments don't clash very much at all this time compared to the last one. Your melodies are coming along a bit too.

Step responds:

At this point I started getting some sense of how to write a decent melody. And some of the melodies here aren't bad. I know the whole Windows effects idea was getting way too redundant by the third one, but I really wanted to make a track with sounds from various versions of Windows.

I have no idea how but some of the melodies here are STILL stuck in my head.

[All Hail Windows! 3]

The drums are better than before. Everything is worse and the whole thing sounds more rushed than other attempts. You have a couple of decent melodies but they all clash horribly.

Step responds:

Yup! At least the drums got better lol.

My worst windows song ever. After this, there's Windows Wars and then another tiny part in a song that's all Windows effects. After that, no more Windows songs thankfully haha.

[-Jazzy Song-]

Yup, not jazz yet by a long shot but there's nothing wrong about trying to expands horizons a bit. Some of the influences are there like a shuffle rhythm and a walking bassline, you just kinda didn't know enough to do a good execution of it I guess.

Step responds:

Man, I used to think "if it has a sax, it's jazz". Horrible mentality. The melody here isn't even remotely jazzy :(.

The conga beat isn't bad though.

[-Life Goes On-]

Well despite you telling me to skip it... this is actually a sensible song. Drums aren't just crazy ass shit but an actual beat (not a particularly good one but I'm not expecting that yet). I get kinda what you're going for but yeah, you haven't got down that tight minimalist feel at all. Also did you forget to quantize or something. Idk

Step responds:

The quantizing was because Nessbeatsfox told me that everything sounds computerised so I started shifting notes all over the place in the piano roll to make it sound humanised. I did a horrible job of it though, now it sounds like a retarded 13-year old with no musical sense whatsoever messed it up. Which was kinda what happened :3.

However, I have a lot to thannk Nessbeatsfox though because if it wasn't for him I probably wouldn't have started humanising my songs a little more until much later.