cyan11's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Game of House]

Not bad for a video game. I kind of like the spooky tone, a little repetitive, but not bad. This reminds me a little of something out of Ninja Gaiden for the NES. I’d say keep making music, you’re on the right track.

ArbolitoGD responds:

Thanks,
!!! the opinions help me a lot to improve :D

[Stribog]

Hey you said “difficult listen”??? I f’ing love this. The drum pattern kicks a$$. I am very into intricate electronic music. You should check out The Algorithm. Anyways, this track seems to be drum-focused, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, I was expecting a little more. OK we’re at the midway point, there’s some ambient noises, it’s kinda spooky, I like it. There’s ambient risers, tension increases…..then it slows down, then the last section comes in, back to drum beats. Nice but how about adding some instrumental accompaniments? Just a thought. Pretty cool experimental though. Reminds me a little of the Gross Beat plugin…you use FL studio? Overall: 4/5

Zerisan responds:

Thanks for the review, glad you're into this sorta stuff. Reason for the track being so monotone and dry is mainly album context (also the reason for the cutoff beginning/ending). And yes, I am an FL user (no gross beat used here though).
Many thanks again for taking the time to review this.

[Cupid]

Ahh some post-rock, one of my favorite genres. The guitars sound good, the vocals, while a little strange to me, aren’t bad. Mix is decent. The harmonies sound decent as well, the main vocalist sings well. Guitar leads are pretty good. Nice jam. I think if this was produced professionally it has radio potential. Definitely has that indie sound. I like the chorus. Not bad. Pretty cool actually. 4.5/5

ConceptSama responds:

I'm glad you like it yeh I gotta get that professional studio quality mastering. Thank you 10 fold.

[Krashina's Theme (lr1991)]

Definitely fitting for a video game. I find the main backing track a little annoying but then it changes up a bit. The leads are pretty intricate at points, I appreciate that. It seems to go from one very repetitive riff to another. Not sure I really jive with it. But you got 5 5’s. So maybe there’s something I’m missing??? Not my style but production is good and the leads are pretty good. And it suits the genre. So respect, 4/5.

KhaosKitsune617 responds:

I'm trying to not be repetitive, and I acknowledge what I done. I just can't help it because a lot of my favorite songs can be repetitive.

[Fidelity]

Trying this review on my iPad. I really like the intro with the sharp strings. I like the evolution and how it explodes with the riser. Nice tight beat to it and the melodic progression is enjoyable. Then another riser and the song continues. I’m really digging it so far. If I was to give any room for improvement I would say maybe could change up the lead instrument after the second rise, maybe up it an octave or add effects or even change the lead instrument. But that said, top notch production! Kudos, -G

DJ-Cassell responds:

Thank you for this great review! That is also a great tip that I will keep in mind. I should keep things interesting by changing things up with effects or any other alterations. I can't wait to listen to more of your tunes! :D

[classic disco]

Hey pretty good funk! I like the groove and the sound of the instruments. Could use a little more reverb on the bass. Definitely reminds me of something from the 70's. I think for the parts where the bass is alone you should add something in the background like an organ or something because those parts sound pretty sparse. also the transitions are a little abrupt. Try easing them in/out with some effects like reverb and delay. For example, at 2:34 the piano drops off very quickly and it doesn't sound natural. You can also try letting the note ring out longer to help with this. Overall enjoyable just needs a little TLC. 4/5

ThatsalongnamE responds:

:D! 4/5!?!?! Thx! I’ll work on it how I can lol. Not si sure how reverb works on bandlab.

[Waltz Of The Moon]

Definitely a Waltz. Very dreamy, I love the piano melody against the waltz. I also like the ambient textures that come in. Around :55 it gets a little weird for me, it's a warmer tone but it's not as beautiful as the beginning part. Then at 1:05 there's a strange synth that I think does not match the motif of the first minute of the song. This was a short one. Final Thoughts: Focus on the parts with the waltz and the piano. Instead of what happens at :55, I can see this exploding into full orchestra or at least strings. I like the first 55 seconds, not too crazy about what happens after that. This is definitely lofi, and I'll not ding you for that, the composition is actually quite good. But I feel this went off in the wrong direction. I would almost always say 1:21 is too short for a song unless it's an intro/outro. So I would take the first 55 seconds and expand on that further with another 55 seconds. You can try maybe changing the instruments in the second half (I recommend string quartet or something like that) Or you can even go with synths and add some percussion. There are so many choices really. Even if you go with the changes you made, make it longer and change that last synth, it just doesn't sound right to me. 3/5 because this needs some work. If you make another version ask for another review after you post the revision (if you'd like). I'd say you're onto something with that first minute. Just needs more work.

Zelit responds:

Thanks a lot man! If you'd like to see some completed singles, check out my Spotify profile. Definitely loved this roast! :)

[Bloody Nights]

I noticed this is a cover, so I'm not familiar with the original. The intro's not bad, when the vocals come in I can't really make out what they're saying. But they sound like sampled recordings. And it sounds like the same thing said over and over. I'm 4 minutes in and this is getting really repetitive. Honestly if a song is going to be over 9 minutes long there should be some variation in it. I feel like you could've shortened it to a few minutes. I listened to the whole thing and you know, many of my pieces have repetition but at least some variations throughout, adding/changing instruments, changing the beat up, adding a completely different section would help this out a lot. As it stands now it is very repetitive and I don't know if it would hold anyone's attention for 9 minutes and 41 seconds. Sorry but I think you should re-work this one. Keep the main sections then change it up some way(s). Then you can go back to the main section but add something to it. I had to wait 9 minutes 19 seconds for any kind of change, and that's way too long. Revisit this piece and I'll review it again, just put it up in my review thread when it's ready. For now I'll give it 3/5 because I do like it but the length is not justified.

Timezer responds:

there is some benefits of repetitively and begin long song, could used in games for boss fights stuff like.

[Melancholy Hill- Broken Sword]

From one fellow warrior to another, you know I read your words and I'm like man, this person really is serious and gets deep into their craft. I haven't even listened to a note yet, but your description made me think to myself, I'm prepared for a real treat. Plus I love metal so there's that.

Here goes the listen. Had to lower the volume just a tad but sounds good. I miss playing guitar. There are chords behind the veil of harsher chords. Then water dripping, then a bass chugging. You are telling me a story here. I'll say maybe some mix issues here but I'm enjoying the compsition. I hear a hissing sound, not sure if that's artifact or not. I like the sweet-sounding leads, then dissonant leads on top of that. Then it sounds like I'm descending into hell. I really like the rhythm and the drums but like I said most of the issues here seem to be production issues like EQ, compression and mix. But you still record guitar better than I can so.. I feel like there's a counter-rhythm in the background but it's difficult to hear it. Then, a metal riff, the low end on the bass is a little too prominent, muddying the mix. You're a really good guitarist, you should consider re-mixing this track. The drums explode, this sounds like a basement tape of some really cool metal band. I hear a melody in the distance, but again it's hard to discern. It sounds real nice though then the leads kick in, awesome! The ending, it is melancholic and minimal. Then a weird soundbyte--why????

Final thoughts: The masterful guitar playing and beautiful composition are often waylaid by the issues of the mix. Often one guitar takes over the whole track and the other instruments get lost in translation. I do also hear a hissing throughout which I identified as noise, probably recording artifact. I believe if you clean up the mix this will sound incredible. I'd offer to help, I'm not a mixing engineer but I have tools and would be willing to give it a shot. But that's up to you if you'd be willing to give me your stems and since you don't know me I'd assume that's a no. But if you know someone who can, please get this remixed, you're doing yourself a disservice not to. I'm going to give a 5/5 because I value heart, composition and musicianship over top-notch production. I DO think there's definite room for improvement though, just get it mixed and mastered dammit! :)

By the way, I'll be checking out your other works. You've piqued my interest.

Cheers,

-G

BBaNK responds:

You are right, mastering is not my strentgth right now, but thank you, thank you!

[Lost From Their Lights]

Love the RPG feel this has to it. I believe this is an intro to something bigger, I think you can do a lot with this song, it can go into so many different directions. As it stands I love the simple composition and the instruments. I'd love to collab on this one if that's even an interest of yours, but I can understand if you just want to flesh it out on your own as well. Some pieces "speak to me" musically. This one does just that. I get solid SNES RPG vibes from this one. Not from the instruments, from the composition/arrangement.

LoveBelow responds:

Sure, DM me and we can talk more about it.