Gravey's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[MH16: A New Era]

MORE MORE MORE!!!

Why so short my friend? This is a badass sound. It seems like it would be perfect for an adventure theme in a movie.

I love the instrument choices you made. Everything is very tasteful. The oboe really makes me happy. One of my favorite instruments ever, and oddly enough one of the few I don't play. Go figure right. -_-

The brass is pulsing. Really makes you want to go out and start an epic quest. Their harmony structure is pretty simple, but still badass.

I really like the percussion. The timpani is a little hard to hear, but I know how hard it is to make a timpani noticeable. And the crashes are perfectly timed. Really man, very well done.

And the strings give this song a color to it. Very rich and full sound all over this one.

4/5 and 8/10 overall. Just to short bud. Lengthen it, and that score will definitely go up!

-Gravey-

FairSquare responds:

Wow, thanks for this awesome review :-)
And the reason it's so short is... well, i don't know actually :P
I'm so inspired to make a new song right now! I'll make it longer and hopefully better than this one.

MH16

[When Sadness Builds Up]

Interesting...

I like the chord structure in the piano. As simple as it is, it gets it's point across. I really like how it carries the descant melody for a couple measures near the end.

Everything grows and fades out. Very cool concept on introducing all of the different lead instruments. Obviously fade in and outs aren't ground breaking, but they are used so little by people here on NG. So it is a nifty change of pace to see them being the focal point of the song.

The percussion is decent. Although the beats are simple, the drum feature halfway through is decent. Kinda gives that touch of randomness to the song. Because they are pretty energetic and lively, whereas the rest of the song is pretty mellow.

This has a somber timbre to it all the way through really. And like I said before it builds and dies throughout the song with the different instruments. So the title is appropriate for this tune.

I like it. It is a nifty little song.

4/5 and 8/10 overall. Because it is good, but not really great. So I think that is about the appropriate score for this song.

Best of luck on future projects.

-Gravey-

GronmonSE responds:

It is :) Perhaps a bit too high even, haha.

Thanks for the thorough review.

I'll review one of your songs sometime this week.

[New Psychology]

Wow...

So simple, yet so rich and deep.

The sound you have is so wonderful sir. I love the guitar work...not like...LOVE! Very original and creative throughout the whole song. It seems like there is two lines of guitar going. Is there? Or am I slightly retarded?

If so you did a great job mixing them together for a great sound. If not, then you got an amazing sound on one audio track. Very intricate, but never too complicated. It stay interesting all the way through, and yet is simple enough to appreciate it one the most primary level.

I like the background ambiance that is going on throughout the song. It really adds a layer that is almost undetected, but still gives it color. Not an easy thing to do by any means, and you did it so well here.

I would say add some minor percussion to it. I'm not sure what, but it seems to need something. Maybe just some stick clicks. Like when a drummer hits the edge of the drum, rather than the head itself. Gives that click noise with a slight hint of the drum itself. Just an idea.

5/5 and 9/10 overall. Amazing work here really man! I'm excited to hear your other tracks!

-Gravey-

Boux responds:

HAHA! no man youre not retarded, youre right on this point, some parts of the song have a second line. For the percussion theres some guitar tapping but very subtle. Thanks man glad you liked it, im working on other tunes to post soon.

[Hostilities Exist]

Damn...

For doing this in FL Studio and Adobe Audition, this sounds really good. Never knew anyone to use FL as their DAW for recording metal. Nicely done though.

I like the riffs a lot, even though I'm not much into doom metal. They are full and very methodical. The drums could be slightly louder in the mix in my opinion. And punchier too. Compress 'em some I say! :-)

Nice little tune here overall.

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

-Gravey-

Rottenbeard responds:

Thanks Gravey, this is pretty old and also the first piece I ever uploaded to newgrounds, i'm surprised you liked it. I was still learning a lot about working in FL Studio which is evidenced by the god awful drumming, I was also still very new to recording in general which is why the mix and everything is pretty bad. I've got a lot of metal stuff on my hard drive which I will, one day, get around to finishing, I hope ;). I'm glad you liked it though, i've always liked the general ryhtm in this piece, I do want to redo it properly with the tools and knowledge I have now, and probably will do so, one of these days.

And yeah, FL Studio actually works pretty good as a DAW, at least, I like using it for that, I find it easy to work in. I've tried other DAW's and find them really clunky in comparison, though they do make working with WAV's easier. I dunno, I know most pro guys look down on FL Studio, but i've always liked it, and it's only getting better with every release. And i've always found adobe audition to be incredibly good for wav editing and recently, with newer versions of it anyways, for general mastering.

Cheers,
Daniel

[Turning Of The Tide]

Nice...

I like it a lot. It is stern, powerful, and mystical in places.

I like the brass sound you used. Very forceful, and it really gives this song an inner strength. Which is obviously created by the harmonies as well.

I love the chord structure. It isn't simply a melody and bassline. There are full chords, and a lot of harmonies going on.

The percussion is a bit limited. I personally think you could expand on the percussion a bit, but that is just my opinion. Take it or leave it as you will.

The strings are very nicely written and portrayed, kudos to you. They really fit well within this song.

Now, my biggest beef is the electric guitar. Either use it, or toss it. Right now it is so out of place it is ridiculous. Now I love metal, and especially orchestral metal. From Blind Guardian to Dimmu Borgir, I listen to it all. But this guitar is extremely out of place.

You either need to choose to make this a metal piece, with the guitar in it the whole time. Or leave it out completely. Because as it is now, it does not fit the song at all. But other than that, everything seems to be in pretty good order.

4/5 and 8/10 overall. Just some minor tweaks in my opinion to work out.

Best of luck on your future projects bud!

-Gravey-

P.S. - If ya get bored, you should stop by and listen to my entry. :-)

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/liste n/215108

Rottenbeard responds:

Hi Gravey, thanks for the in depth review of the piece.
It's unfortunate you're not fond of the guitar as it's my favorite section of the song, the reason it's placed where it is, is because to use it through the entire piece would cause the finale to lose much of its impact, to not use it at all would have left the piece more empty sounding and not as powerful as I intended it to be. I like the guitar placement as it is, I can understand and appreciate different taste so don't think i'm just shrugging off your criticism, I just don't personally agree with it is all.

I do agree on the drumming though, some more variance would help, especially near the end, and truthfully, I did experiment with it (even using taiko drums to change the tonality a bit), but ultimately wasn't happy with the sound so I settled on a minimalistic timpani/cymbal approach, better than nothing at all I guess!

Again, thank you for taking the time to pick the piece apart and provide real criticism, I do appreciate it. Ill check out your piece for sure. I don't need to be bored to check out other peoples stuff, I enjoy listening to all the stuff here on Newgrounds, it's much more interesting and refreshing than the regurgitated crap on the radio these days! :)

Regards,
Daniel

[[LK] Lost]

Very Soothing...

I love the overall tone of this song. The piano is a nice choice for the lead, and meshes well with the harmonies you created. They just go well together.

I like the playing style you are using with the piano. Rolling chords methodically in the right hand is always a nice change of pace. Then when the melody line comes in it really adds to the song. I'm not sure about the overall sound of the melody line though. Kinda odd, and I'm not sure it really fit well with the song. But this is only my opinion, so take it or leave it as you will.

I like the chord structure you are using. It isn't just a melody and bassline. There are real chords being played throughout this piece, and it adds that color that is no needed for a song like this. I could really just sit back and take in the world while listening to this song. Makes me want to lay out in the stars on a beautiful night.

The ending is kinda rough. You should work on that a little bit in my opinion. It just kinda dies, and that isn't really fitting for a song like this. Normally I am completely against fadeouts at the end of songs. But I think if you repeated the section around 1:20 and faded it out, it would have a wonderful effect.

It seems to me you might want to tweak your limiter a bit. It is causing phasing issues with the piano and harmonies in places. But overall really nice job here.

4/5 and 8/10 overall, because it is good. But it isn't quite perfect yet.

Best of luck on your future projects bud!

-Gravey-

P.S. - If ya get bored, go listen to my entry for the contest. ;-)

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/liste n/215108

LK412 responds:

Wow man thanks for the honest review! I know exactly what you meant about the guitar melody. Personally i didnt like it either but this is after i uploaded it and i really didnt know how to change it.

The ending i know. I really didnt want to end the way i did but i was blank at the time and didnt know what to do.

The mixing/mastering are horrible i know because i am horrible at both which really make my songs crappy.

Thanks for the review i really appreciate it.

Unfortunately my memory got erased and i lost the file so i cant carry out or suggestions.

Thanks for the honest review again and i will definitely check out your song.

[<PS> Antarctica]

Wow...

This is superb. I love the intro. You really captured the essence of nature and life in such a desolate and unforgiving land amazingly well.

I love the structure. This is a true classical piece of work, with a storyline and multiple movements in the piece. Wonderful work here.

As I sit and listen, I feel like I'm almost interacting with the music, and Antarctica itself. I feel the chilling winds and snow, and the grandness of the landscape. As well as the individuality and loneliness of being in such an unforgiving area of the world.

The mix you get with your instruments is amazing. It truly sounds like a real orchestra is playing this. Amazing, simply amazing.

I love the chord progressions you used. You have a knack of taking someone on a journey through time. And really do well at creating atmosphere in your music.

There is nothing wrong with this. Very impressive sir.

5/5 and 10/10 overall. Great job man.

-Gravey-

PenguinSam responds:

Ah, yes, the chord progressions! The progressions used are some of the most unusual that I have used (especialy in "Stars Through Southern Lights").

I am simply filled with joy that people are loving this piece so much! It makes me feel all wiggly inside!

Thank You!!!!

<PS>

[Titanium (TSA)]

As Always...

A kickass composition from you. I love the whole flow and structure of the song. It has that industrial touch like you said. Yet it is very contemporary. Very unique sound you got here man, and I like it a lot.

As for the individual mechanisms themselves, the piano is simply badass. I love the sound of it in this piece, both structurally and harmonically. The pulsing chords in the right hand really drive this song forward. And they mesh well with the rest of the instruments, especially the strings.

I love the distortions you used throughout the piece. I think most most striking is the water effect on the gong. It really distorts the reality within the piece itself. A very nice touch there bud.

The choir is awesome! I never would have thought of that in that situation, so kudos to you for the awesome idea! I like the typewriter (?) type sound starting around the 2:43 mark. Ingenious little idea there really. It adds some flavor to that section for sure.

I love the ending. The upward rolling chord in the piano is a very classy way to end this piece. It really gives it that sense of closure you are looking for.

The overall mix you created was spot on. The kit is definitely noticeable in the mix, yet is not overpowering any of the other instruments in the song. The kick is really punchy, but still kinda distant. Not sure how you created that effect, but I like it!

What can I say, I simply love this man!

5/5 and 10/10 overall. Nothing I could really find wrong with it.

It has been favorited!

-Gravey-

Aeris responds:

Thanksums C:

I was debating on the gong distortion, but i think you're right, it should stay. That whole distortion thing after the watery gong was a complete mistake, but i liked how "fucked up" it made the piece, so i kept it. I believe that typewriter noise is a sidestick panned left and right, but it's meant to be an industrial machinelike noise. So a typewriter visualization is perfect.

what kit? lol

Thanks muchly for the (awesome as usual) review.

[*- Solara(AuraCollab.Light) -*]

It's Decent...

For the style you are going for this is pretty good man. It has a pretty full sound and all.

What I wish I would hear more in trance is some harmonic structure. It is always just a melody with a pad and beat. And then the bass always just plays the tonic over and over again.

I like the melody a lot, as simple as it is really. It's fast, but is pretty simple at the same time. Which is a big reason why it is so catchy.

Maybe add some harmonic structure to it. I hear some strings in the background, (I think.) But it really sounds like they are only playing the tonic. And more layers with chord structure would really make this an easier listen for me.

But this is only my opinion. Take it or leave it as you will, because it is not a bad little tune as it is. I just think it could be improved is all. :-)

4/5 and 8/10 overall.

Nice work here, and best of luck on future projects bud.

-Gravey-

Jebbal responds:

Yeah, its pretty standard trance. I see what you're saying, but I think I'm going to keep it this way. :) This is how I like my trance music! Other genres though, like classical, symphonic, movie score, whatever else like that, hellll no. Orchestral music needs more love.

I appreciate the long review! You are truly a man on a mission! You are also very sexy.

Thanks for the review!

[Duel of the Fates Metaliz]

Kickass...

Once again, I don't have anything bad to say about this really.

Normally I spend a lot of time leaving long well thought out reviews. But I think I can simply say what needs to be said in a single phrase.

This kicks serious ass!

5/5 and 10/10 overall.

I'm really enjoying going through your submissions one by one. Quite an impressive portfolio of work you have worked up!

-Gravey-

fire118 responds:

Thank you ~ I glad you enjoyed it.