Gravey's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[halloweenzombie]

HEY NOW!

How could you be posting stuff without telling me! :-P

As always, this has that very nifty touch and feel that you are so wonderful at creating in your music. The biggest difference in this loop is how creepy you made it. Like it isn't just a real creepy loop, but it has that aspect to it.

I really like the percussion. Man, you really have a way of coming up with the most awesome beats and rhythms. And when you combine them with your playing style on the guitars, wow man. Just wow. What an atmosphere you can create. And this song is even unique from everything else you write. So I really like this, a lot. A lot a lot. ;-)

And it is soooooooooooooooooooo cool how you made it loop. It really creates a nifty feeling when it loops.

Amazing job here my friend!

5/5 and 10/10 overall. I'm REALLY diggin' this.

This has been favorited!

-Gravey-

Tokolos responds:

thanks Gravey!
a bit of a ghost song hehe

[Eclipse (WithVocals) [Final??]]

Hmmmm...

You've gotten a lot of hate here for the vocals. Granted they aren't anything original you came up with yourself. But you gave credit to the vocalist in your author comments. So people should really get over themselves. It isn't a remix, you just used someone else's vocals in a song you had already created. Nothing wrong with that.

I think the vocals fit fine. Although, I wasn't really paying attention to the lyrics. So that might make them a bit inappropriate. But just as they are, the vocals seem fine to me.

I'm not sure why everyone is hating on this. Trance music is see through as it is. And everyone is down voting because (OMG! ITZ NOOT TEH BESSSTSSESSSTS!!!!) Fuck 'em. They are probably all a bunch of video game loving fan boys.

But for me, this is mediocre. Mainly because, well, I hate trance. ;-) But you know this already, and it has never kept me from making an honest and objective review.

The beat is pretty typical. Nothing really that special, but it really does the trick. Especially for this type of music. I agree the kick could come out a little more. But other than that, the drums are really good.

As for the lead arp, or whatever it is, I like it for this type of song. Really fits the timbre and mood well. And it really has a nifty melody line all the way through. Nothing really catchy, but just nifty really. Nice job on that little bit.

As for the mixing and mastering, it sounds alright to me. Everything is present in the mix, although the high ends are a little dominant. Raise the kick a little, and maybe EQ the low ends down just a smidge. Not a lot, just a smidge.

Overall this isn't that bad. So screw the little fan boys below me who hated on it. And this is especially good considering you are still stuck using the shitty demo.

4/5 and 8/10 overall. Nice work here.

-Gravey-

jbarnett responds:

you really love the word nifty dont you? lol. I cant think of 1 review that you have done for me that you didnt use it in lol. As always, thank you for the review and I really do try to get better from these reviews, but I dont get many...

I really tried to use less bass EQ-ing in this song because I kinda wanted a happier feel than my others.

[No Cover Song (Aeris Remix)]

Interesting...

This is really amazing. But it sounds like something I'd hear on the radio. Sadly, the whole purpose to Newgrounds to me is to not sound like radio music. X-D Me gets enough of the pro stuff on my own. But you know me, I won't hold that against you in the least.

I'm guessing the vocals are from the original song. So you get no boost to score for them! :-P

As for everything else though, wowzers! I really like it man! I like it all a lot. The harmonies are very wonderful. The strings are simply rich and fatty, to the fullest extent.

As as always, there are those rolling chords in the piano. (WHY CAN'T I FUCKING DO THAT?!?!?!) I've only been playing since I was three, I mean for real. WHY CAN'T I EVER GET ROLLED CHORDS TO SOUND LIKE THAT?!?! Can you tell I'm jealous? *Tear*

The percussion as always is nifty and original. Very nice beats. And if I'm wrong, there is some industrial type thing hitting in the background. Very low in the mix, and it almost sounds as if it is rolling along on its own. Very nice addition there indeed!

Your mix is simply spot on as always. Your mixing skills are superb bud. No doubt superb.

5/5 and 10/10 again. I'm guessing you are getting bored with my "YOO R TEH BESTSSSESTS" reviews I leave ya. But really, what else can I say when you come up with great stuff like this?

Great work bud!

-Gravey-

Aeris responds:

lol if you've got nothing to say, then say it anyways, cuz then i know it's good xD

I'm glad you like my rolled chords lol, they're just arppegiated really.

That industrial sound are pizzicato contrabasses and timpanis with some Blood Overdrive slapped on em.

I could put this into sheet music too.... i might do that, with spring break and all.

[Paper Flower]

Me Likes...

Very intriguing sound you have created here bud. It is very innocent, yet dark at the same time. It feels like it could almost be a childs song, except for the fact that people could kill themselves to it. Really, it is so light and airy, but still it has an angry edge to it. Like it is brooding over something.

Everything really fits so well together in this. Your voice really fits this well, despite the fact it is so hard to hear. :-P

All the harmonies are so rich an juicy in this song. Really man. There is so many things going on, yet it still seems so simple. That is something I really like when I listen to music, and you are really good at creating such a sound.

The atmosphere you created is really awesome. It feels as if I'm in some sort of snow-globe world in the beginning. I don't know why, but the lead instrument really gives me that impression in the beginning.

I like the percussion you used. There seems to be a mix of a drum kit, plus other extra random goodies thrown in. Very cool beats you have created with the percussion. And it is all mixed so wonderfully well within the song.

The rolling chords around the 2:35 mark is simply epic. I hear those a lot in your music. That is one thing I wish I could do myself. I know how to roll chords, but you do it in a very unique way.

By the way, is that a french horn I hear in the ending? If so, that is cool as fuck! If not, well it still sounds cool! ;-)

I really like this man! Like a lot! A lot a lot!

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

-Gravey-

Aeris responds:

thank you kindly xD

I'm not sure what you mean by a french horn.... but either way i didn't use one at all throughout the whole piece lol

Thanks for the comment about the rolling chords, another little bit of that "vaudeville" touch you seem to like so much, just for you :P

This was a really hard song to master... everything ended up hitting that "velocity limit" when things that you want to bring out can't be brought out because everything else was too loud. Even so, I'm uncomfortable with my voice :P so i didn't mind too much.

Thanks for the kind words :D

EDIT: I just realized what you thought was a french horn haha. Nah that's actually a vocal synth, the one that comes with FL.

[MH16: Bedtime]

I Like It...

Very relaxing, and charming. It has an innocent quality to it, which is very nice.

I like the transition to where the full ensemble kicks in. It is so full and robust sounding. Everything really fits well together, very well indeed.

I love the lead instrument, a bell or chime perhaps? Very nice sound for a lead part. It really slices through the rest of the ensemble well, yet still manages to fit within the song as a whole.

I love the atmosphere you create man. Very rich and airy, which is what you were going for I do believe.

The percussion is pretty tasteful in all aspects. Just punchy enough, and yet not overbearing in any way. You really mixed them into the song well.

I'm not sure what it is, but I feel something is missing. Just....Something. But I really do like this song a lot. :-)

5/5 and 9/10 overall. Great work here bud!

-Gravey-

FairSquare responds:

Hmm, yeah, i already thought that. There is something missing, but... what? It's so hard to tell :P
Anyway, thanks for the review!

[MH16: The Big Change]

Very Cool...

This is so cool sounding. I mean really, it is such a general thing to say in a review. But this just sounds...Well...COOL! :-D

I really like the piano part. It really has a nice feel to it.

You are one of the few artists on here that I like, who uses so many effects in their music. Normally the effects get in the way of the song. But you sir, you really enhance the piece with effects and different sounds. And this song is no different. So bravo to you!

I really like the mix of instruments you used. It all flows so well together, and every instrument really lives and breathes off of the rest of the ensemble. Terrific job in the instrumentation and mix bud!

Overall, there really isn't anything bad to say about this.

5/5 and 10/10 overall.

This has been favorited!

-Gravey-

FairSquare responds:

Well thank you sir! :D
I really appreciate it :-)

[Fairy Fountain Redux]

Awesome!

Well, what do I need to say? I think I said it all on the other version. This is just cleaner and clearer.

5/5 and 10/10 overall.

Nice work here my friend!

-Gravey-

Theledge93 responds:

If you listen closely, the beginning vocals have a slight phase on them. but once the other instruments come in, i turned it off.

I changed the ending a little bit, and made it end in stages. first the vocals fade out , then the piano. I really like this version. but the review below me is concerning. is the song really that muddy? i don't hear it at all. maybe a trained ear could catch it.

[Eclipse (No Vocals) [Demo]]

Sorry...

...that it took me so long to get here to review. But I'm here now my friend! :-)

I love the intro. The effects with the strings really are nice. And how they take over the song is fucking awesome.

When the percussion comes in, wow. Just fucking wow. A really great beat, with a very cool melody line. The percussion is mixed VERY well into the song, and really drives the entire piece along.

I really like it when it dies down a little. And that effect atm 1:13 is really effing cool man. Very VERY cool indeed.

Really man, I'm not a trance guy at all. But this is really cool. It actually has dynamics and a chord structure in it!!! I mean who knew you could do that in trance music?!?! Well, I've been asking for it from people for a long time now. But finally someone actually did it. WONDERFUL job here man.

I'll be back to five bomb this baby the next few days to help out that score. It really deserves better than 3.90.

5/5 and 10/10 overall.

This has been favorited!

jbarnett responds:

well... funny thing is, I actually finished the song a while ago and there are 2 versions. lol. ill pm you the links. thank you for the review my friend :D

---Psychron---

[Imperfection 1.1]

Interesting...

Hmmm....I can't lie. I don't hear a whole of different in this than the original posting. Sorry to be a buzzkill. :-/

Most of what I said in the original version holds true still with this one.

Although, the solo is really cool. I like it, but it could be improved a little. And by this I mean add a little more life to it. Right now the whole song just seems to be riff after riff of just straight hitting chords. And the solo is just a bunch of notes thrown together.

You need to put some love in your guitar. (Love as in Jimi Hendrix love, not NSYNC love.) By that I mean squeals, long rises, and long falls on the guitars. Stuff like that. When I listen to this, it seems just to be a little to straightforward. Think along these lines. Sometimes less note are better if you can make them sound unique.

Now during the riffs, I get the syncopation. But some squeals in areas would really help this a lot. The guitar is so straight chord driven, it almost has a VST effect to it. (I'm not saying you can't play well. I'm just saying you need to incorporate some new ideas into this in order to have it rise to the next level.)

Like I said, the solo could really use some nice squeals and the such. It is just missing that added dimension, or that little bit of flavor. Also, it is a little loud in the mix in my opinion. I would lower it slightly.

This is a cool song, so don't take this the wrong way. I like it, but I'm trying to give you some ideas to take it to that next level. :-)

4/5 and 8/10 overall.

-Gravey-

masterjiji responds:

right. the only change i made whatsoever was the addition of the solo. if i do another version, there will be more than that (aka that annoying-ass guitar synth)

[Winds of Lemuria_]

Me Likes...

...your style. It is very soothing and relaxing. It is easy to appreciate beauty in music, when it is so elegantly written.

The bass really goes well with the rhythm and lead guitars. Wonderful mix between the two.

I love the distortion you added halfway though man. God it is so beautiful and relaxing. I normally leave really long reviews and the such. But really, nothing I say could really do this justice. Beautiful stuff my friend.

5/5 and 10/10 overall.

This has been favorited.

-Gravey-

Boux responds:

Allright! Glad you appreciate the guitar, i dont mind i like short reviews, the only thing i can say is to thanks you to take the time to listen.
cheers.