Buoy's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-Orr- 4 Brave Champions []

Yeah

I heard the original a couple of years ago and was kind of awestruck by it, it amazed but honestly didn't surprise me much considering who you are. This version was a pleasure to hear. I especially love the new part from like "1:48 to 2:12", I like that kind of "call and response"- type segments in a composition, and that one was especially clever. Anyway, brilliant as always I guess. You're far above the level of almost any audio submitter around here so criticism is kinda pointless, heh.

By the way are you on iTunes? I would like to buy a nicer version of this one but I'd prefer to do it through an iTunes account.

DavidOrr responds:

Thanks SBB! I don't have anything on iTunes yet- Im getting my feet wet with a simple store I'm managing on my site, then I'll probably submit a collection of tracks to iTune, Amazon and other stores.

Thanks so much for the review!

[Midnight Fantasy]

haha

haha I love that wording: play it really loud on speakers, especially BIG ones.

Anyway, it didn't trigger me too much really. Why would you have absolutely EVERYTHING following the chord progression all the time? Bass, all melodies, everything, they're just arpeggios or riffs based on the chord progression, continuously repeated, and there's no clear melody that shines through or sticks in your head. Thus, it is percieved by me as quite boring and empty, almost like a backing track or something.

That's my main problem with the track. The production is good; loud, quite clear and not too compressed, but I feel there's a bit much high frequency content, so it's just too harsh to listen to at high volumes.

syphonmax responds:

I did have a melody I wanted to use, but thing is when I used it the song was 11MB on 160kbps and 8 mins long...Which Newgrounds just doesn't accept.

So I'll try and upload it somewhere else and link it

[(::Ride The Wind::)]

hello

The intro with the super-mellow pad is very beautiful, I like how it kinda morphs from low-frequent hum into tonalty, if you get what I mean. I feel the bright pad kinda disturbs that feeling. You could probably have made a more smooth transition by automating the filter (then again, last time I checked, you can only automate the level and panning in Garageband so it may not be an option. Is that correct?). The drums are a little up front and imo really don't fit. For this song, I think the drums would sound both more relaxing and more powerful if they were played at half speed.

I'm having a bit of a problem with the track after about the first minute... it doesn't feel like the different tracks really play that well together, it's a bit like they wander off and do their own little thing. I think what would really make this track feel tighter and more "complete" it a good, solid bassline and a distinct melody. At the moment, I'm not really feeling it. That may just be me though, since it seems like almost everybody else loves it.

(By the way I could help you out with the drums if you'd like... send me a pm with the .band file or something I guess.)

FatKidWitAJetPak responds:

That drum offer sounds awesome, and perhaps playing drums at a 60 tempo would sound awesome thats a good idea. Thanks for the honest review. I am really proud about the buildup. :)

[Violin_Liberation [Box-Killa]]

very cool

The composition is really cool, it's really got attitude. I think the strongest part of the entire song is 0:30 to 0:55 (and any other similar parts). The staccato quarter notes resemble a military march, right. Very clever. Fits very well with the "evil king" concept, maybe not for a dead serious movie though. Perhaps if the evil king in reality is manic depressive with a low self esteem.

The instruments are a bit harsh sounding for my taste. It would be more pleasant is the string instruments were softer, but then again you might've made them harsh like that to fit the theme. I think the piano is the weak link in the song. It's got a very plain sound, and it's obvious that it's programmed or at least strictly quantized. It sounds good in the mix, but kinda dull when playing solo. I'd have a look at that and try to "humanize" the solo melodies a bit if I were you.

Really enjoyed the song though, great base idea and a good execution.

(lol at penguin sam and his bass)

Box-Killa responds:

Yeah I actually quantized and changed the length of the notes by a small amount, I suppose It is just not noticeable enough.

Yeah the violin was trouble, I ended up just using nexus because I couldn't find anything which sounded nice but still had a military sort of feel.

XD Thanks for the review!

[The_Jazz_Lab [Box-Killa]]

nice backing

The background is very nice, lovely chords and, as far as I know, great sounds, but it's overshadowed by the rather cheap sounding lead synth. Put a lowpass filter on it or something, it think this piece would sound much better (and more flash friendly!) if the lead synth wasn't as prominent. Not much more to say about this loop, please take my suggestion into consideration though.

Box-Killa responds:

Lol, you are perfectly correct, I worked hard on getting a nice chord progression, with those pesky 9ths and the flat 5. Yeah the lead definitely does not go with jazz, I was kinda just looking for something really annoying. Perhaps I could replace it with a jazz guitar, or sax, or some other instrument commonly used in jazz lead. I suppose I will just make an entire other song, better than this one. Perhaps I could turn the lead around and still have that sorta electronica effect with the jazz. Thanks for the review and I will definately take your suggestions into consideration :D

[Dark_Awakeining [Box-Killa]]

don't know about this one, sorry man

Sounds like it has been compressed by a ridiculous amount... it's like you entered the loudness war with nukes. If you look at it in a waveform editor the track generally looks like a solid block. Careful with that compression, it severely damages the sound quality.

A note about the composition- it's all straight 16th/8th/4th notes: the piano plays a little awkward straight 4th note sequence in the beginning, then a melody of 8th notes. The drums also have this robotic preciseness, it all ends up sounding quite lifeless. You may want to experiment a bit with the phrasing (i.e placement of notes and pauses in the piece), to make the piece sound more expressive, lively and interesting.

I'm not so sure man, it's a decent piece of music, but I believe the things mentioned above are quite important, and thus didn't find myself enjoying it much.

Box-Killa responds:

HAHAH! Mutliband compressor FTW! I always seem to have trouble with the bass drum and the bass. The bassdrum is never loud enough and when I them in with the rest of the song, the sound goes all stuttery and the lead goes all stuttery and it misses bits out. I can fix it by turning the basedrum/bass down, but then its not loud enough. Maybe I need better drums samples! If you have a solution, please pm me :D

Yep my timing is pretty basic lol! Hmm maybe I will make some swing :D Yes about the phrasing, I should have done that.

Thanks for the review, it was very helpful. I think I'm going to be a lot better musician now :D Peace!

[Espantos (K)]

quite sweet

I love the concept, it's a very interesting fusion of a hip hoppy beat and brass instrumentation on top. The samples sound quite lo-fi and harsh, so unless that's the intention, this song could benefit from higher quality samples (most of it is fine, really, the trumpet first heard at 0:09 just makes a bad impression).

The arrangement is nice, very different from most compositions heard at NG, the instruments complement each other nicely. Most of the instruments tend have very repetitive themes though, after a while it all sounds like one big rhythm section. Something like an acoustic guitar solo would be a welcome melodic addition, which would probably fit perfectly with the style of this track as well.

Looking forward to a finished version of this, please pm me if you finish it because I love the idea

krssvr responds:

yeah about the samples i have to use soundfonts because i have a lack of quality samples (can't wait till i get komplete 6).. so i make due with my huge soundfont library, i added to too much treble to the trombones on accident and they kind of rip through the song. i made the snares lo-fi on purpose to get that reggaeton feel to it. i left out the main melody because unfortunately FL Studio demo doesn't allow for saving, but i still plan on finishing this song. the guitar is what i was planning on adding but i hate virtual guitars becasue they sound too fake and I'm only a rookie at real guitar. thanks for the awesome review, maybe we can collab when i get that Komplete 6 if you want

[§Arbiter§ - Glory, Sacrif]

righto

I admit I haven't listened to any of the other entries, so I can compare it to anything, but you certainly put the theme to good use. The main theme is very strong, the rest of the orchestra complements it very well (the piccolo flute in particular did a good job, the variation on the main theme is great). Overall it sounds like the was made to be this way, and the theme doesn't ever sound 'forced'. The mix is nice and thick, but also clear as glass for the most part, the flute seems to get drowned a bit in the very middle, but you know that's a nitpick.

Love it! Fantastic work, you go win a contest with it or something. No constructive review for you :)

Arbiter responds:

Thank you for an indepth and well balanced review - I'm honored by your praise!

[iKONiC Instrumental]

Sick as fuck

Man. Right from the beginning, you've got that dark, deep, bassy atmosphere. It's seriously fat as hell, especially when that distorted bass is introduced. The drums (as well as the other percussion) turn me off a bit. I think they'd fit much more into the atmosphere if they were more gritty or distorted. At least change the open hat, give it some flange or something, it sounds distractingly much like a stock sample right now. I think I hear a distant kind of piano sample in the beginning?

I think the atmosphere would be improved generally if you allowed a couple of elements more reverb (I guess the shaker or open hat, vocals perhaps, could use some). I realize it might fuck things up since the mix is so chock full already, so take my tip with care.

Anyway. This is some incredibly sick shit, darkest thing I've heard in a loooong while, I love it.

Mid-Night responds:

Oh thanks! :)