Gravey's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[BH - Start Your Engines]

Nifty...

This is interesting. You have a cool rhythm in the percussion going on in the beginning. And I really like the piano break, although it clips when the vocal audio comes in. You need to fix that.

This is pretty random with the instrumentation, and seems to have an evil clown sort of sound to it. Like something you don't take seriously, until you see the axe in it's hand. Very fun and original feel to it.

I actually like this little song. Not love, but definitely like. :-)

4/5 and 7/10 overall. nice work here my friend.

-Gravey-

mctoast responds:

wow, i didnt know my song haved deep meanings and that :/ thx still for awesome reply, i always love hear the cc ^^ i hate the vocal audio too XD but i lost alot notes so i did to put something to it.

[Anticipating]

:-D

I'm so glad I introduced you to the world of Squidfont Orchestra! This is so awesome man!

Love your style, just loooove your style.

5/5 and 10/10 overall.

-Gravey-

InvisibleObserver responds:

Having some decent orchestral sounds has been a huge boost to my aresenal of peculiar sound creation Gravey.

Can't thank you enough.

[Into The Abyss--Trance/Rock]

Not Bad...

I think this is pretty decent and well written for the most part. I think you could really add a lot of layers to it though. Maybe a piano line wouldn't be too bad, with some effects or distortions on it. Or even a clean piano would probably fit if you EQ'd it right.

I like the guitar work, but without vocals it stands still a little to much. If you were to add vocals to this song, it would be simply great. Because the guitars would not be so in your face and pushing the melody. But without vocals, this is really lacking something. Not all songs need, or even should have vocals. But this one really should.

Despite that though you got a pretty decent mix with the synths and guitar. You should definitely play with the percussion though. Add some glitch affects and maybe bit-crush 'em a bit. For this song, I think that would be very appropriate.

4/5 and 8/10 overall. Good song, but just not great. :-)

-Gravey-

Mushroomhead18nc responds:

well about the vocals part.. Im currently in a band so when I write all of my music now that involves a guitar.. it generally follows the 4bar verse,chorus,verse,chorus solo type deal so its easier for him to write and sing with... I only do that incase he does want to use it and throw his voice on it... writing a non repetidive piece on guitar is not hard at all lol.. with guitar theres a shitload of octaves same way with piano.. you should know that one first hand.. lots of combinations between chords and lead lines can be played..and honestly I got tired of doing the drums on this.. because I had to redo the levels then export it.. then email it to myself to use on my other computer then add it to Adobe Audition 3.. and after already doing that like 5 times... I got really aggravated with it.. lol

[Storm of Consciousness]

Very Cool...

I like the percussion a lot on this. Although I think you could EQ and compress the percussion a lot, the basic rhythms are pretty well written.

That piano at 0:53-ish is pretty cool sounding. Very nice work there.

Your overall mix in this song is fantastic. Really, everything meshes so well together, and every instrument fits in it's place so perfectly. The strings do a great job being background AND pushing the lead line along. Wonderful job with the strings.

I think there is definitely some work to be done here, but you know that already. It sounds great already though, let me know when you post the finished product! :-)

4/5 and 8/10 overall. Nice start here my friend!

-Gravey-

masterjiji responds:

sorry, but upgrade your speakers. it was a harp, not a piano. i also thoroughly appreciate the 8/4 rather than pelting you with bits of furry animals because this is such a rough cut.

and yeh, strings are pretty much my thing.

[Brittle Sight]

Love It!!!

I've already heard this song, and told you what I think on MSN. So I'm not gonna leave a huge review. But I wanna show some love for it anyways.

5/5 and 10/10 overall. This shows so much ingenuity, even if the typical Newgrounder won't be able to comprehend that.

-Gravey-

InvisibleObserver responds:

I'm sure the typical NG-er will be able to fart out some euphoria to this for themselves to take a whiff of, after all, everyone likes their own brand.

[{B.A.B.} The Fall of Eden]

Awesome...

...as always. :-P

I've got a headache, so this will be a short review. To be honest though, what do I say really? You have a great grasp on writing, and really do a great job at creating the perfect atmosphere in your pieces.

The mesh of instruments is really well done. I still can't figure out how you get everything to sound so clear and precise. I can write, but I can't get a professional sound out of my sound fonts for anything. You though my friend, seems to excel at it like no other.

I love the the fluidity of this piece. It really interweaves itself around itself. I'm not sure that makes sense, but this seems to be like smoke and it simply flows around itself. It is solid, yet ethereal, tangible, yet untouchable. Simply wonderful work here.

5/5 and 10/10 overall! This has been favorited!

-Gravey-

blackattackbitch responds:

I usually try to layer my instruments in order to create a more unique sound while also masking any bad sample elements. I also eq everything below and above the main signal to the lowest point possible, while moderating the rest. I EQ every instrument that sounds a bit beneath par.

As for reverb, I keep all instruments under the same reverb settings, so that each instrument sounds like it belongs with the other. All the volume envelopes are edited while the reverb is still active, so that no instruments sounds like it's ending too soon.

I try to make sure that the amount of instruments playing on one side of the stereo field equals the other, or is at least close. As a result, many of the instruments are separated.

I also try to separate the melodies, make sure that an instrument playing one melody isn't on the same octave as another playing a different melody.

That pretty much sums up the ways that I keep everything clear.

The fluidity of this piece is actually a weird effect of the samples I chose for this piece. Since I used a lot of section instruments, which have a slow release time, the piece seemed to swim, adding to the mystery effect that linkcrazy cited below.

Thanks for enjoying, man. That's all I really ask for. Thanks ;)

[F-777 (WF1) - M.O.I Remix]

Hmmm...

Well, where to start? I love the piano, a lot. Or is it a harp? Or a sort of mix of the two maybe? I know I do that a lot with my songs, and it often creates new and nifty sounds.

I really like this, except for the dance rhythms in the percussion. God I hate that part, A LOT! (Not a fan of trance or dance music at all.) Yea, the percussion has a great sound, I just hate that rhythm. Kinda ruined the experience for me.

The piano though, I can't say enough how awesome the piano is. I really like those moments where it is rolling and flowing. Almost like it is cascading down a mountainside, or something to that affect.

The overall mix of instruments is really nice, especially for the sound you are going for. Not a sound I'm typically fond of like I said, but you got exactly what you wanted out of your instruments. And that is the most important thing.

5/5 and 9/10 overall. I just can't give a dance/trance song a 10/10. It kinda goes against my religion I would say. :-P

-Gravey-

wyldfyre1 responds:

haha DAMN YOU AND YOUR ANTI DANCE WAYS ^_~. hahah Its alright though i understand. For me its 8 bit.. I can't stand most types of 8 bit. Like sometimes i'll come across something that blows my mind that is 8 bit but others its just *cringe* LOL. Thanks for the review buddy!

[A Tune for Peace]

Heh...

I just finished a song title "The Hate Patrol" last night. And here I am reviewing a song for peace the very next morning. Quite an ironic thing if you think about it. :-P

I do like this. It is so mellow and relaxing, and really has that indie acoustical rock feel to it. You captured that essence very well with this song.

All it needs is some nice vocals to give it that final touch. :-)

I'm really enjoying this a lot. It is just such good chillaxin music bud. Just put it on repeat and sit back in my new Florida home and take in this beautiful weather from my porch while sipping on a lemonade. Yea, that is exactly what I'm gonna do tonight.

5/5 and 10/10 overall. Beautiful work here my friend.

-Gravey-

Boux responds:

Thats your karma fooling around with you.
Im glad you think it has that indie sound, because thats what i was shooting for.
Vocals yeah maybe, maybe not :D, not yet
Fluorida hey, pretty lucky to have that weather.
Thanks alot again for your thoughts on my songs!

[::Black Mountains::]

Very Cool...

I like the guitar sound a lot. Very cool choice of distortion bud.

Although the mixing seems a little rushed maybe. The drums are a bit hard to hear overall. I would raise them just a tad, especially that off beat high hat you have going on around 1:45. Almost impossible to hear there.

The guitar stuff is awesome though. I love the section around 2:24. That riff is badass in every way shape and form. It really has a cool groove to it as well.

Yea, I love it. But isn't that typical of me when it comes to your music? I do believe so. :-P

5/5 and 10/10 overall. This has been favorited!

-Gravey-

gOrc responds:

dude I sat half an our only to get the right distortion setting on my amp, good to hear that it works!
Yeah, I will look over the mixing again. I have to train my ears to improve my drum equalizing though..^^ Thanks or the hint and your review man, very glad to hear from you.
greetings

[MH16: Get Away]

LAWL!!!

I LOVE IT!!! Geeked me out all the way through! Great stuff man! This would so fit into a side scroller surfing game! (I'm so being serious about that too!)

Just think about your 8-bit dude hitting the waves from left to right on your screen. He is constantly dodging evil little sand crabs when you maneuver to the bottom of the screen. In the middle of the ocean he is surfing on he is dodging everything from swordfish and malevolent clams, to sharks and the occasional misguided starfish. Oh yea, I feeling it now!!!

Then suddenly you are confronted by the evil mermaid king, complete with massive beard and shiny-pointy trident. He tries to blast you with a wave of fury, but your surfer skills are too much for him. You simply ride out the wave and take the stored energy from the blast and send it back towards him. He topples head over heels and you swing in and bash him in the head with your board.

Game over, YOU WIN!!!

Oh yea, you know you love it!

5/5 and 10/10 overall! This is simply awesome my friend!

-Gravey-

FairSquare responds:

Haha, that would be awesome! If i was good with Flash i'd definitley make that game. But i'm not :P It would still be awesome if someone uses it in a game though ^^
Thanks for the review, i really appreciate it :D