Gravey's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Evil C Word]

So...

The first song I reviewed you told me to listen to your other stuff to hear something more complicated. I'm still searching man.

This stuff really doesn't have much substance. Some random pads, and badly EQ'd drum/instrument hits in random places.

You should at least make the pads have a melody of some sort. They kinda went on and on in a way of their own. Sometimes that is the effect you want, but it is just boring in this instance.

The drums are weak and wimpy. And I'm thinking that "Gonging" sound is supposed to either be the snare, or the replacement for a snare. It is relaly bad. Really really really bad.

Like the other two songs I heard, this needs to be washed clean and started completely anew. Find a melody, and make some harmonies. At least make something with a thought process to it. This just sounds like you randomly threw sounds together in various patterns.

1/5 and 1/10 overall, because this is simply bad.

Good luck on future projects man.

-Gravey-

Sawdust responds:

WELL NOW I KNOW SOME MUSIC THEORY!!!!

[Fl Slayer Epic]

Interesting...

Couple of ideas to help it maybe...

Lower the low end on the bass a tad. It is completely overpowering. There is no real balance at all in the song with the bass so loud.

The riffs themselves aren't too bad. It might be pretty cool sounding with real guitars. But my only thought about them is that they are so simple. You should really do something a little bit more complicated.

Also, the song seems to repeat a lot, or maybe it just seems to because there is no variation in the sound. Just because it is a FL Studio metal song, does not mean it can't have variation to it. So change up the sound a bit. Add some more instruments for starters, that would really help.

The pads are nifty sounding, but are really out of place. They just kinda jump in and out of the song randomly with no real sense or purpose. You need to work on the transitions so they don't just jump out and bite ya. That is sometimes a good effect to have on the listener, but here it is just kinda obnoxious.

The drums are kinda weak. They sound wimpy overall. EQ and compress them a bit. That should help make them a bit punchier, which is oh so important in metal.

As I sit here towards the end of the song, I realize I felt no true structure to the song at all. I couldn't really tell where the chorus begins and ends, and the same with the verses and bridges as well. If you had any bridges at all, which you might not have.

This is just kinda...well...blah. I think just about everything could be improved here, and with minimal effort too. Because this is like a skeleton of a real song. The main ideas are there, but there is nothing to give it life.

1/5 and 3/10 overall. This really just needs a complete makeover.

Good luck on your future projects bud.

-Gravey-

Sawdust responds:

shit

[Fall Out Boy Can Kiss My Ass]

I Agree Fall Out Boy Sucks...

...but this wasn't really a whole lot better.

Its boring, and really there isn't any musicianship in it. The only thing that really even moves is the drum beat, but that is the same thing over and over.

There needs to be some sort of guitar riff. I know punk is simple, but this is beyond simple. It doesn't move at all.

The vocals are iffy as well. I think you could have done something more than one vocal through the entire song. Harmony is always important. Even in punk there is normally some mild form of harmony.

The piano part was ok. But like everything else, it was rather dull and boring. I like punk music a lot, but this isn't even fun. Just a preachy song against Fall Out Boy. And what is the point of that?

1/5 and 3/10 overall. You should have done a lot more with this song. It doesn't do any good to make a song about someone you hate, if the song isn't any better than what they make themselves.

Good luck on your future projects.

-Gravey-

giftedbuttwisted responds:

It's meant to suck, I don't know how many times I have to tell people that, it was recorded when I was in 7th grade, it's not supposed to be some amazing epic song. It was recorded by 3 seventh graders that just wanted to have a little fun and talk shit about Fall Out Boy lol.

[(<-Hard Trance->)]

Not Bad...

Nifty groove from the start. Very kickass beat.

I like the melody line that comes in soon after. Not sure it is so much catchy, as it is cool. And with dance that is the key. You don't have to remember it, just wannt move to it.

I like the crescendo of the crash into the section starting at 1:20. I should really do that myself in some tunes. Haven't really tried at all. But every time I hear little things like that, I like 'em.

I think this could be a little fuller. A little vertical stretching. That is the only thing really lacking in it really.

5/5 and 9/10 overall. Nice job bud.

-Gravey-

jbarnett responds:

thanks :)

[ecology for the underground]

:-D

I saw this in the top of the miscellaneous charts! And since I know that means you are about to be zero bombed, I decided to come listen and give ya a boost! :-)

As for the song, amazing man. Simply amazing. I love the interweaving of the acoustic guitars in places. Not all to different from some of the things I write, yet a completely different feel to it.

I love the many effects you used. It is obvious you have put a lot of work into the effects you used, and that speaks volumes for a song. I know how hard it is to come up with that one sound that is just right for a song. So I commend you on the instruments and sounds you used/created/tweaked in this song.

Everything meshes so well together. It is a really impressive song. 5/5 and 10/10 overall. One of my favorite songs I've heard on Newgrounds. So original.

This has been favorited!

-Gravey-

Tokolos responds:

Hey, thanks for the awesome vote and review Gravey.
Really appreciate your feedback.

[(LURV THEAM)]

Alright Start...

I do not know of the song you are trying to cover. So I won't be commenting on that at all. But rather strictly on the music itself.

First off, you have wrong notes either in the piano or acoustic. Unless there is supposed to be random dissonance like I'm hearing.

Now, this needs to be expanded both vertically and horizontally. Way too simple in every way. First off, drums would really help a lot. The drums you do have are anemic. You need more stuff happening in them. And not only that but you need to improve their sound. EQ and compress bud. That always helps drums sound better.

Now, you need more instruments on top of more/better drums. More instruments will allow you to have more complex melodies and harmonies. And that is important. You also could create new variations of the same lines, to build complexity and yet still keep the original thought.

Another thing to help you out would be chords. Yes, the evil C-word. CHORDS! Something less than 1/8 of Newgrounders know anything about. Go look at some chord structures and progressions online. That would be a good start to building harmonies.

If you are not sure why this is all important, go listen to some of my acoustic tunes I have up. Mongolian Banjoman, Dancing Banjo Duet, and Acoustic Tune to name a few. Maybe they could help give you an idea as to what all I mean by this.

1/5 and 2/10 overall. There just really isn't anything to this at all.

I hope this review helped you. Good luck on your future projects bud.

-Gravey-

Sawdust responds:

I really intended to have a simple song.

If you want something to critque, look at my two previous works, that's when I try for the complexity.

[Chaos Fantasio]

Not Bad...

Being a pianist, I am attracted to pieces such as this.

I love the rolling chords. One of my favorite tricks to use when playing out of a fakebook. So easy, yet it has such an awesome effect.

The piano seems to be compressed oddly. I don't know if you meant to do that. If so, then good job, but it sounds weird. If you didn't mean to get that sound, then go back and fix it! :-P It might be the overall compression on the ocean sound and the piano combined.

I could be wrong, but something sounds odd about the piano.

I would love to hear when this is finished. Think you could send me a pm when you post the full version? I would like that a lot. :-)

3/5 and 6/10 overall, because of a lot of reasons. Way short, and just not a whole lot going on harmonically. But I am betting that the finished version will be cloer to the 8-9-10 range. ;-)

Good luck on this man. And please let me know when you post the final version!

-Gravey-

Arkz responds:

well im still pretty crap at this and yeah the ocean sound or hell just all of it seems to make other bits go quiet when they get loud.. dunno why tho lol, still.. this is just me messing about.. the final could be nothing like this at all lol.. who knows if i will ever finish it or stick to doing silly 20 second songs lol, i get bored fast in fruity loops.. i cant seem a find a cheap decent usb piano/keyboard to plug in and use either so its just using the mouse to place all the notes or trying to figure out what letter is what note on the pc keyboard and doing that... gah! lol
anyway cheers for the review

[Nocturne Accompagner du Thé...]

I Hart Jew...

...in a non-homo way.

Being a pianist myself, I find myself drawn to tunes like this. I wish I had more of a classical edge to my playing style, but I don't.

So when I hear things like this, it really makes me go green with envy. It sounds like this is you actually playing it, and not a plug-in or midi. Would that be a correct assessment? Or am I just a naive moron?

It sounds beautiful, just simply beautiful. I love how simple, yet how completely elegant of a sound you have here. There is something about your style in this song that really makes it shine.

The chords are all perfectly placed, and undeniably tasteful. There is nothing negative I can say about this piece sir. I love it, and I wish I could do it. Well, I could PLAY it, but I just don't have a good grasp on the classical style when writing. Just doesn't flow out of me for some reason.

As a pianist to another pianist, I salute you sir. 5/5 and 10/10 overall. Wonderful work, just wonderful.

-Gravey-

oddfellowfloyd responds:

Wow... many thanks...! Yes, this is a live (*ahem* bedroom) performance...and I haven't played in months, either...! XD My main instrument (of 14 years) though, is 7-string guitar; piano is a confusing instrument to me still...

My background on piano stems from when I nose-dived into it during my Music Therapy internship a couple years ago, and it was either fudge my way through and swim or sink, so I befuddled my way through and came up with music I never thought I'd play...

My handful of piano influences include Chopin's "Waltz in B minor", Bach's "Prelude No 22 in B-flat minor BWV 867", Nobuo Uematsu's work on the Final Fantasy X Piano Collection, Thelonius Monk, definitely the haunting piano soundtracks to "A Haunting" on Discovery Channel, and especially Unkle's "The Piano Echoes"...to name a few... XD

Thank you again for the encouraging words, and keep making the music that calls to your own soul, and others will listen and hear and appreciate...!

Peace always!
~Justin

[Bambu]

Not Bad...

But not really good either. I understand simplicity is not always a bad thing. but even slow, quiet songs need layers.

I think the melody and harmony lines go well together. But there is no percussion at all. Nor is there anything other than two instruments playing a duet.

Now yea, this isn't terrible by any means. But it could be a whole lot more than what it is. Drums always help, no matter what the sound you are going for.

You should have more chord structure going on. Chords really give a song flavor. And that is something this is lacking terribly.

Not only does this song need a lot of what I said above, but it also needs more instruments/sounds. I talked above about layers. You can add layers to the harmony, or even to the melody. Either way, it really fills up space and gives you the full sound you need.

If you don't know what I mean by layers, you should go listen to a few of my songs. Acoustic Fun and Dancing Banjo Duet come to mind first. They both really have a ton of layers melodically, and harmonically.

2/5 and 4/10 overall, because it is utterly transparent musically.

Best of luck on your future projects man.

-Gravey-

Minoirty95 responds:

lmao, Yeah dude i understand this completely. When i wrote this song it was when I was first writing music. I still have trouble with drums or percussion but i get better. Hope to have something to post pretty soon in the near future

[Bill's Tribute]

Hmmm...

I just got done reviewing the other version you posted of this. I think it pretty much said what needs worked on really. But I will say, this is a better version.

Once again, vary the drums more, vary the melody, and more chord structure.

Now one thing I noticed in this that I didn't in the other version is an issue with the strings. When you have the strings playing the same note/chord over and over, don't make them hit everytime. I noticed them doing that around the 0:10 mark. If I'm wrong then I'm sorry, but it really sounds like they are re-hitting on every downbeat. And that is soooooooooooooooooo obnoxious and annoying.

Other than that though, same things I said in the other version apply here.

3/5 and 5/10 overall.

Good luck on your future projects bud!

-Gravey-

DJFilteredFantasy responds:

I read your other post and i completely agree. Any advice on using fl studio though? that could help me a ton! :) Thanks again.
-DJFF