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.

[under siege (ngadm)]

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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Because I'm a goddamn psychopath who enjoys it when the authors of songs I review get that awful sinking feeling, le's get straight to the big problems first. I have all the songs from round 1 in a playlist, and every time I get to yours it immediately sounds like a thin mushy soup compared to the last one due to bad mixing and probably bad recording too. The overall loudness is very low, and yet the drums sound like they've been over-compressed and almost distorted. The guitars are weak and lack punch at lower volumes, which can be remedied by turning up the volume - but if I do that I'm assaulted by the snare drum (and occasionally a ride cymbal too). I can't win.

Which is unfortunate, because I'm hearing good ideas and great intentions beneath. The guitar riffs sound like they COULD kick brutal ass. The harmonized guitars sound like they could sound sublimely beautiful - the melodies are all there. The synth sounds sound like they could add a great Dream Theater vibe to the track at times. But they don't. Relatively sloppy playing is also a part of this - I'm hearing audible slip-ups, off timing and notes out of tune (sometimes even off key) in almost every riff and solo.

Amusingly enough, your and Demon-Slayer12's entries are lacking in completely opposite, complementary ways. Your entry is a varied song with good length and many varied ideas, but is cursed with awful mixing and sloppy playing. His entry has great mixing and tight playing, but is far too long and cursed with a stale structure and ideas. Like the Yin and the Yang, or a clouded day and a moonlit night, the two of you complete each other. You should kiss!

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

Overall impression: 6.0

[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

[King Samulis]

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 title and description has changed my perception of this track considerably: rather than being a standard thematic orchestral/soundtrack piece with triumphant horn-filled parts and dramatic battle-scene parts, I'm now almost viewing it as a parody of the style. It certainly does the job well either way. And you and samulis are so cuuuuuuuuuuute together when you do it like this ^__________^

One of the first thing I've noticed is that the mix is a bit harsh, and this seems almost inevitable considering the instrumentation: a loud, blaring brass section dominates throughout, and the percussion is mostly sharp and metallic. Even the choir sings mostly staccato bursts. It fits the description very well, but some polishing to make it sound more pleasant wouldn't hurt. The sounds used are great - the deep brass is rough and detailed, while the smoother string and trumpet parts carry their melodies beautifully. And the huge reverb is gorgeous.

The first 64 seconds are excellent: the transitions from triumph through dissonant drama to silent suspense are all very well done, and show one of the great strengths of orchestral music, which is the use of a huge dynamic range for emotional impact (though as mentioned earlier, emotional impact is weakened quite a bit with a title and description like the one you have provided). I like the really simple bass motif after 16 seconds, three hard Ds and then two softer D#'s: the unnerving semitone step and the straightforward BAM BAM BAM shows the listener that this King Samulis is the real deal and don't fucking play. The horn intro is nice as well, and fits the narrative, and also just about cliché enough to make me smile.

I have a couple of problems with the part after that: first off, the choir is singing random syllables, which is weird and distracts from the other parts (especially since the choir is pretty dominant at that point. The brass section could be kicked up a notch there to create more a more impactful crescendo before 1:18). Also the percussion is wayy dry - it's not a particularly pretty sound, and some reverb would help mask that and perhaps also help make the mix somewhat less harsh as I mentioned earlier. Everything else seems to be playing in a huge hall or arena, so when the metallic percussion sounds like it's being played in front of your face, it's not as easy to get immersed in the track. Apart from those two points, this part is just as great as the one that preceeds it, with strong melodies and great instrumentation.

1:45 is often a bit sparse: you'd usually need around 3 minutes to really flesh out some musical ideas into a song. I find that's not really the case for this song, as I can count 4-5 distinct parts with different musical ideas (that are still connected by the transitions and the shared instrumentation), and you get most of them across before continuing onwards to the next one. I still wouldn't mind if you extended the first 15 seconds and the part after 1:21 to really show some chops when it comes to more complex melody, harmony, composition and so on. Most of the ideas in this song are still pretty simple and straightforward.

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

Overall impression: 8.5

[Insurgent [MSB] (NGADM)]

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 tune is packed with clever and engaging melodies and instruments that complement each other nicely, which is something I'm missing from most songs in this very - cough - mainstream style of dubstep. I have to admit I got pretty hooked as soon as the very Daft Punk-esque synth line at 0:13 started. I also notice how you take advantage of the tools the style gives you access to - very few instruments let you do sustained chords and melodic riffs simultaneously as well as a good bright modulated synth pad like the one at 0:45.

The mix is great! It is OBSCENELY loud, but I almost never hear anything that would hint to overcompression (there might be some involuntary sidechaining, but in that case you wouldn't have a hard time convincing me it's intentional anyway). Somehow moments like 3:04 manage to sound airy and open despite looking just as much as a square wave as the rest of the song in a waveform editor. Perhaps the only symptom of this loudness is that the drums don't have as much punch as one could want from a song like this, simply because there's no space left for a smacking transient. There are almost enough other percussive elements in the song to make up for that, though.

As is required in any song of the genre, there are little soundbites and clips and bips and bops in each bar. The effort is audible and the programmed sequences of earcandy are clearly thought through well enough. The song definitely has its share of cliched elements - the chopped up vocals, the bright simple pads with sustained chords and the bitcrushed wobbling synths (2:41 is almost as groan-inducing as a bad pun at this point in history) are all executed well in this song, but the influences are fairly blatant, possibly annoyingly so if I were to be in a bad mood. Thankfully, I am never in a bad mood when reviewing. ;)

In summary, this is definitely a solid song that shows off a lot of talent, experience and skill, with a satisfying structure and plenty of variety that keeps it an entertaining listen throughout. What more can a guy really ask for?

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

Overall impression: 9.0

[Sonik - Sy's Law (NGADM)]

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 was the track I spent the longest time listening to before getting down to write anything about it, and it even took me a while to figure out why. The nice elements and subtleties are all there, but they're introduced one by one over a freaking long time - it clocks in at 6:15 as the second longest song of this round. This is very obviously a progressive house track, so such a length is expected. You certainly seem to have gotten the general idea of the style down - from 1:00 to 2:00 the main melody slowly becomes bolder and bolder, brighter and brighter, and all sorts of additional percussive and melodic elements get introduced in order to very gradually create a local climax. Then they all promptly dissolve to give room for a more chilled and spaced out part - which eventually turns out to be another buildup. Savvy.

I think anyone reviewing this would mention how incredibly repetitive it is - with the same simple one-bar musical idea being dominant throughout (with some variation, granted). I'm willing to cut this song some slack there due to it being dance music - and due to it being a rather hypnotic piece of music for chilling the hell out. The smooth, pretty synths help a lot with that! Still, it wouldn't hurt to add a couple of melodies that aren't straight 8th note chords, that could get the spotlight once in a while.

And even though drawn out minimalist 6-7 minute tracks like this with extremely long, gradual buildups are common in progressive house, the exciting elements are spread a bit too thin in this track. The ones that are there are good, and everything gets plenty of time and space in the mix to really shine. Unfortunately there's really nothing big and new being introduced after the first two minutes, and towards the latter third of the track the earcandy percussion and synths begin to feel very recycled.

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

Overall impression: 7.5

[Impromptu - Spring]

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 often came up after entries from people like Demon-Slayer12 and MainStreamBeats, and I always think... maan. That's quite a change of pace. You can't really keep doing what you did before when listening to this, because then it fades out into background music and only ends up with you browsing the internet in a really melancholic mood. :c So to properly prepare myself, I went and made myself a nice cup of tea (package claimed it was a "soothing blend of chamomile and lavender with the incredible health benefits of natural herbs" or some shit, and really, who am I to dispute that?) and a couple of pieces of dark chocolate, then got a bit sad because I didn't have a bottle of dark red wine to top it off and properly fucking drown my sorrows and cry myself to sleep in the depths of a huge pillow, with only the soundtrack of a lonely, lonely piano as my companion. But I digress.. a lot.

But no, this piece really has class. It does the "melancholic solo piano piece" format justice, as opposed to a lot of submissions around these parts of the internet. It's got proper rubato, with stops and tiny slowdowns that really emphasize the more emotional notes, then speeds up for the more concise part at 1:07, and so it goes on throughout the piece for a... well if you can call a symphony an emotional roller coaster, let's call this an emotional one-of-those-trips-with-swan-boats-th at-go-slowly-downstream-in-a-river (I have a way with catchy terms, don't I??). It's very lovely.

I love the sequence of 4 notes at 1:15 (and a few other places) for two reasons: 1. I've heard the same sequence of notes a couple of places before (most notably the original One Piece opening, of all things) and it always changes the mood a little and strikes me as very beautiful, especially when surrounded by fitting chords. 2. it means that somewhere, somehow, you've gone outside the original key! You can see this by putting the notes into a piano roll side by side with a major scale - you can't possibly fit all those notes into a major scale or any of its modes. And when someone manages to go outside a standard key without it sounding awkward in some way, that's usually a sign of a certain level of skill in composition - just from those four notes. Just a very small thing I had to make a note of.. another weird note I'd like to make is that I often half expected the tune to break out into Jungleland - there are some similarities to the piano playing there.

I also like how you subtly bring in the string section, at first it just supports the piano and emphasizes some of the harmony, then towards the end it takes a bit of the spotlight itself along with the orchestral percussion to create a beautiful crescendo that rounds off the track very nicely. It's mostly that same thing which got me into Rachmaninoff's piano concertos, for the record (though admittedly incredible virtuoso piano also helped there). The upward runs at 3:14 are really stunningly beautiful.

This is one of those songs that are a bit difficult to score - sure, there are tracks with more content per minute, tracks that are more exciting and tracks that definitely have more effort behind them, but as a song with both feet firmly in the "melancholic solo piano piece" genre, it's a real gem.

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

Overall impression: 9.0