RosesWolf's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Manvineo's Decadance]

Oh Decadance is clever. And accurate! I can absolutely picture this being the boss music for some rich noble that I'd absolutely love to hate. Really nice use of string runs and staccato strings, and the harpsichord is also a very nice touch.

All round very nice work! Really fun to listen to.

Manvineo responds:

Thank you so much! From the very beginning, I wanted to create a boss battle theme that showcases my orchestral style of music. I tried to add some vibes that scream 'evil medieval dude,' haha. I'm so glad you enjoyed it – really appreciate you listening!

[Amidias, Pride of Ilmeris]

Between this one and your first entry, you've certainly got anime boss fight music down to a science, haven't you? Again, stellar drum work, and clever use of synths!

This one does suffer from the same problem as your first entry, namely volume management. The bass, funnily enough, isn't really that audible in this one, whilst the synths (especially the sine wave arpeggio you bring in at 0:48) are a touch too loud throughout the whole thing.

But in terms of composition and form, this is some great stuff, again! Well bloody done!

crispybatteryacid responds:

I need to edit this a bit before the deadline so I’ll take this into account. Thanks for the feedback, mate!

[introspection]

You started in August?! Holy crap that's some fast skill progression! This is some seriously impressive stuff. You've definitely got the drum work down, and the rhythmic choir stabs add a very nice sense of flow to the whole thing. And my god, the way the drums and brass open up in the intro! If that isn't heroic, I don't know what is.
Volume management could use some work, as the bass kinda overpowered everything else, and the melodic elements weren't always front and centre as they should be.
But as far as boss fight music goes, I could easily see this playing at the end of an Indie RPG. Super great work here!

crispybatteryacid responds:

Thank you very much! Yeah you’re totally right I gotta learn how to EQ and master, in completely ass at that.

[Final Breath]

Yeah, this is a boss track, all right! The blending of chiptune and sampled orchestra was an inspired choice! I'm not too familiar with Touhou music, so I'll just assume that you made that brilliant decision, haha. Great work on the melodies too! And that bass is juicy!

The fake-out into a key change is a classic for a reason, and that's because it works! Good job tackling the 5/4 as well. Doing that for the first time always takes some getting used to, but I think you made it sound completely natural, and not just as something added in to score some extra points, so kudos on that!

My *only* piece of critique, and mind it is a really small thing, is that the silence right before the key change (so starting at 1:56), while a fun idea, could have been executed a tad better. I like the idea of a heartbeat kick drum, especially since it ties in nicely with the title. My main problem with it is the space, and let me explain what I mean by that.
When you use certain types of instruments, especially sampled ones, their blend creates a sense of space between the sounds, like you could imagine where in the room each instrument is being played from. The staccato strings especially contribute a lot to this sense of space, since the samples have so much reverb. When you then fade those strings away, the reverb dies down exactly the same, which kinda kills the sense of space, since that's not how reverb works, and it makes the lonely kick drum sound very dry and in your face.
Let me restate though, this is a very minor complaint! And it is the only part of this entire track that I have any fault with.

Absolutely fantastic submission, and well deserved of the high scores it's seemingly already gotten. I tip my hat to you, sir Phrog!

ThePhreshPhrog responds:

Thanks for the feedback, I'll try to keep that in mind but I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[Forged in battle]

Gotta love those hyper specific anime fight scenes you get in your head with music like this. Bang on guitar and drum work, my guy! Super solid entry.

Arponax responds:

Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed :D

[AIM 2020 - For You, My Princess]

Neat piece! I can totally see the toad playing his violin there. There are a few points of criticism that I have:

The piano sounds pretty artificial, not so much in the timing, but in the velocity of the notes; it sounds like every note is hit with the exact same amount of power.
Other people have already mentioned this, but until 2:05, there isn't enough variation in the piece to warrant it being as long as it is.
Speaking of the finale, I think the instruments could have fitted together a bit better. The piano and the violin don't change (much) to accommodate the inclusion of the gritty bass and the beat. Some reverb to give the section some more space and grandeur would've served nicely to capitalize off of the tension. I also think something like a choir would've fit nicely here, though that may simply be personal preference.
Not a real big fan of how you handled the kick snare pattern. It's nice to different things, but this feels like it's being different for the sake of being different; it comes across as a bit chaotic, and, in my experience, makes the rhythm a bit more difficult to listen to.
My last piece of criticism is that the silence right after the drums cut out and the piano resumes, at 2:56, could have stood to be a bit longer, actually. That would've nicely drawn out some lasting tension, and given the closing piano a bit more depth and impact.

All in all, I think it's a nice rendition of the image as music, and I can see where the inspiration came from. It could use some work, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good piece. Well done!

TrandafirTeodora responds:

Thanks.

[Unbalance]

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude, I cannot get over that fucking Drum & Bass switchup at 3:38! That blew my fucking mind. Really fucking cool man.

I do have a few teeny nitpicks in that certain sections, like at 1:10, the growls are just a bit too quick in succession, making it somewhat difficult to listen to. And at the aforementioned DnB section at 3:38, there's so much happening at once that it's kinda overwhelming.

All that said, fucking fantastic production, my man!

Spadezer responds:

I'm really glad you dug that part :3

Lol yeah 3:38. I'm always battling myself because I keep thinking "it's not full enough" and then I end up having to mix and EQ 25 different things it feels like lol. One of these days I'll get a real good grasp on how to be more minimalistic like what KOAN sound is like and it should help my climactic sections a bit more.

I can definitely hear what you're talking about at 1:10. That's a sound I designed from scratch and as much as I like the quick rhythmic styles, it doesn't compliment that bass. Or, conversely, that bass doesn't work with that quick rhythmic style.

As usual I very much appreciate comments on my songs :)

[Astral Garden]

I like what you've got going here, but a few tips from me (note that I write this without the context of the game you've written this for):

The composition, especially in terms of the chords, is pretty random. I don't know if that was the intention, or not, but I could;dn't find much direction in it. Maybe study some music theory to help yourself keep it a bit more cohesive. I'd be willing to help you out if you like.
It's also pretty empty. The piece lacks bass and sub bass frequencies, which kinda leave this piece without a foundation.
The periods of silence you have after the climaxes are pretty jarring, and don't really help the flow of the piece.

That said, I can tell that you've got ideas and potential. As I mentioned earlier, I'd be more than willing to help you out a bit, if you'd like. Fell free to just message me questions, and I'll do my best to answer! I look forward to what you'll be making in the future

Doppelbrando responds:

Thank you for de feedback. There's always things that i overlook of self compositions. And... well, i know this is a big journey so im open to critics to improve :)

[-Solis-]

Well, this is certainly better than what I made. Competition's gonna be tough. May the best producer win, eh?

Sylux03 responds:

Thanks bro. :>