Gravey's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Alright?]

Interesting...

It has a very nifty feel to it when the "music" actually kicks in.

The intro gets to be a bit much, but it is not unbearable.

I think that this could definitely be expanded vertically. More instruments should definitely be added. You also would benefit from some harmonies. That would give the song a lot more color, and a rich, fuller sound.

I do like how you brought the "noise" back in halfway through for a section. And the it dropped back out when the one melody line kicked back in. That was actually a pretty good effect.

From your comment above it seems like you weren't really trying to come up with a masterpiece here. But I still think you could have done more with it.

2/5 and 3/10 overall. Not a bad start, but you should definitely keep working on it. I hear potential.

-Gravey-

Kanped responds:

Nah; I totally gave up on this one. I don't like the beat, or the melody. As for the noise; its alright but if you check out 'Purge' and then compare it to this... well, I know which I like better. I'm sure if you flick back a couple of years (I think this one's pretty old), you'll see a slightly chubbier version of me laughing at the dumb noises he's made. Oh, I could turn it into something good, and yeah I've made SO much worse but this is just a 'nothing' song and that's what I'm going to do with it.

[Hero's Destiny v.2]

REVERB!!!

You added reverb, or made it more apparent. Right? Because it seems like you did in this version anyways. It gives it a little richer flavor.

As with the first version, this is structured very nicely. PERCUSSION!!! I just lost my train of thought when the percussion kicked in! GREAT idea sir! I love the percussion all the way through. Very tasteful indeed! And it created a new layer to this song that was truly missing.

Now, that being said, IT STILL NEEDS AN OBOE! I will not back down from my oboe! ;-) Yea, I can so hear an oboe in this piece. Something light and airy. God I think it would be nearly perfect with an oboe. You should put heavy reverb on the oboe if you do. At least that is my opinion. I think it would sound best if it sounded very distant and light.

This has greatly improved from version one. I'm am seriously impressed with this composition now. I really love it!

4/5 and 9/10 overall. It is just missing that something.....what is it.......OH YA! AN OBOE! ;-)

-Gravey-

[Hero's Destiny v.1]

Very Nice...

This is very calming and relaxing. It has a somewhat sad demeanor to it. I feel like this would be very appropriate for a more serious flash.

I like the piano a lot, but that is expected. Me being a pianist and all. lol It is simple, yet very delightful to listen to. I think you could add some slight syncopation. Nothing major, but just a note here and there on the offbeat. It might give it a little more life. Because it is pretty straightforward at the moment. But that is not always a bad thing.

The violin is a nice touch, but I think you should try and find a better violin sound font. I don't have any good solo violin sound fonts, so I can't help recommend anything. But I've heard some good violin VST's other people use. You should ask around and try to find one. It would really help the quality of this song out a lot.

As for the structure, I think this is very well written horizontally. It flows well, and nothing is out of place anywhere. Very nicely done in that regard. As for vertical integrity, I think you could add an oboe to it. Or maybe a pan flute instead. Or god forbid BOTH!

I am of the opinion that every single can be made better with an oboe and french horn. At least in this style. An oboe lightly dancing and interweaving with the piano and violin would give it some more depth. A french horn would as well. But these are just my opinions and ideas. So take them or leave them as you will. The oboe though I more than strongly recommend. I really think it would fit in this piece perfectly.

3/5 and 6/10 overall. This is a good solid start. Now you just have to improve on it. BUT WAIT! Version 2 is already out! I shall have to go see what you improved in that version already! :-)

-Gravey-

[Tribunal]

I Like This One...

I just like the timbre of it so much. It is very cave-like like you said. You really captured the essence of such an atmosphere.

Musically speaking, this is about as simple as it gets. But still, I enjoyed this one a bit. Definitely a unique and cool sound. It would fit in the Mario Bros. underworld levels quite nicely. :-)

I can also see it in a few UT2k4 and UT3 maps. Yea, definitely a few UT2k4 maps.

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

-Gravey-

InvisibleObserver responds:

Musically speaking, it is pretty simple. This one was a quickie but turned out very nicely for what I had intended it to be.

Cool that you think it would fit in UT, I wouldn't have placed it in a shooter myself unless it was some sort of quiet part before lazer-warfare broke out.

Thanks for the review and kind words.

[Pspbeatthing]

Interesting...

Made on a PSP. I didn't realize there was a possibility of even doing that. Very nifty.

The sound is decent. Just straightforward DnB. Typically not a genre I enjoy at all really. But I don't want to be rude just because I don't like the genre.

I do think there is a lot of work to do on it. This needs layers, and layers, and more layers. :-P

Add some more instruments to it. And some harmonies would be great. Something of the sort anyways. Effects are always nice in this genre as well.

I really like it when you distort the kick. Very cool sound there. Very cool indeed.

3/5 and 6/10 overall. Even for a DnB song this is pretty basic. It needs layers. That would definitely boost it's score.

-Gravey-

mcsurge45 responds:

you have to remember that i made it on a PSP though
I dont know how to use it very well
Thanks for the review anyway

[UNKN0WN]

Awwwwwww...

I'm jealous. You were able to record yourself. If only I could do that. I've been playing since I was three, and I've never had the opportunity to record myself on a real grand piano. I am green with envy right now sir to say the least.

This is a beautiful song. It flows very well, and is very well written structurally. I really like the higher chords around 1:30. Very nice sound there man.

This is beautiful, simply beautiful.

5/5 and 10/10 overall. Love it, just simply love it.

-Gravey-

mcsurge45 responds:

Thank You
I didn't know you played the piano
I played since i was like six
I didn't record myself on a "real grand piano" though.
It was electric
Thanks for the review

[Fleshbag - Hellride]

Brutal!

I like it, a lot. Straight death, which is a dying art in the music industry. This is straight up brutality man. Kudos to you for not being a pussy and pussing out like 90% of all the other metal artists on here.

I like the riffs around 1:20 the most. That section is probably the most brutal in the whole song. The guitars are really well done. The riffs are in your face and fucking contagious.

There are a few things to improve though. One, the kick. Or should I say lack of one. It is so hard to hear in the mix in areas. Raise that bad boy a bit I say. I like a lot of kick in my metal songs. Especially ones like this where there is so much double bass.

You should also raise the snare a tid bit. Not a lot, just a smidge. Btw, I fucking love thrash beats. So the rhythm of the drums is not in question here. just the overall sound of them. Well, mainly the mix I guess. But this is all just my opinion. Take it or leave it as you will.

One last thing. Make it longer!!! WAY to short! This should be much longer. And if you find someone to do vocals, definitely add them. There are a few guys on here that record vocals for metal songs on Newgrounds. So you should ask around and find a guy who you like to add some vocals. :-)

4/5 and 8/10 overall. Nicely written and recorded, but still a bit of work to be done.

Every time you write something like this, you are required to let me know. No excuses!!! :-P

-Gravey-

P.S. - I don't know what you think about other forms of metal. But you should listen to Soul Stealer. I recorded it in the studio as a producer for a friend's band. I think it turned out well. :-)

[Troops Assemble!]

Very Cool...

This has a very majestic feel to it. I feel like I should see a king with his most prestigious knights emerge from behind castle walls to fight off some evil monstrous horde.

You really captured the essence of a battle/wartime theme in this little tune.

The brass is simply epic. I like what you did with them. And the percussion really pushes it along as well. Although, I think there could me more percussion instruments, and variation in that section as well.

Overall you did very well here. I like this a lot. It should be longer though. Much longer. :-P

4/5 and 7/10 overall. Nice work bud.

Best of luck on future projects man.

-Gravey-

Tombor911 responds:

Hey thanks for the review! Yeah I have changed many things about this song...not the length unfortunately...but maybe someday I will re-upload it.
Check out my other pieces! =)
-T0M-

[Vaudeville Circus]

YES!!!

First off, I'm so glad you changed the name!!! YAYNESS!!!

Now for the review of the song...

I squealed sir. Squealed like a little school girl who just saw a mouse when I first hear this. Where did you get the sound of the guy walking over and turning on the old record player? I mean that is above and beyond what I even mentioned.

Dude, for real. This is seriously in consideration for knocking Into The Cold out of the "My favorite song on Newgrounds" throne. Because the imagery is so strong, which is why I hold Into The Cold in so high regard. This definitely has the same effect in a completely different way.

First off, the opening makes me wanna jump up and down giddy in glee. I LOVE IT!

As for the song, the structure is superb. Everything fits so well together in every way. The song builds and dies appropriately, and has nice crescendos throughout. And the transitions are not even noticeable. It feels like the song just rides along this track that has no transitions. Just meandering along.

I love the different sounds you got on the instruments man. Just wow. That lead around the 2:30 mark literally sounds like it is screaming. And it gave me chills, and also made me check my pants. I thought I pooped a little the first time I heard it. Yea, fucking AMAZING effect there.

When I hear this, I see a circus. Or rather an old vaudeville style movie based around a circus. It is in black and white, and you see all the visual pops, cracks, and holes in the film back when the technology wasn't that great.

There are elephants on giants balls doing a balancing act. I see a lady on a high wire in front of a crowd, but she is not smiling. She seems slightly evil. Everything in this song seems slightly evil. The animals, people, the whole circus has a dark and demented atmosphere.

There is a bearded lady jumping up on people from behind, scaring them and mocking them profusely. I feel the same atmosphere as the one created in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Although, I don't see cartoon characters, but rather real people in my head. So it creates and even darker and slightly edgier type of feeling. Because these are real people, and that always creates more tension.

This song is amazing in the imagery it creates. Just amazing.

5/5 and 10/10 overall.

This has been favorited!

-Gravey-

Aeris responds:

Sweet, i'm quite proud of this as well lol x3 it sure was fun making.

As for the footsteps, I recorded that from my kitchen, the record noise was off of google.

I love that screaming noise! haha yay violins!

We can do some pretty badass stuff too >3 we're not all vivaldi and beethoven x3 Guitars are way overused in modern music. In my opinion at least.

[(0ne) Vi Et Armis]

Interesting...

You really created a nice atmosphere in this song. But it needs something in the beginning. You have some bad ass sound fonts when used together. But by themselves some of them aren't that great. Which really hurt this song because you keep it extremely simple composition wise.

The last quarter of the song is really good. The although I think that you could do even more with it. Everything just seems to detached and the instruments don't flow together very well.

This is a great start, but there is so much more you can do with it.

3/5 and 7/10 overall. Good solid song here, but there is definitely room for improvement. :-)

-Gravey-

Bahamut0ne responds:

I agree with you on alot of this, thanks for the review! I'm already working on a new piece, so I'll keep your comments in mind.