Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Shining [AIM 2024]]

You did a good job getting the vibe of your music to fit with the vibe of the art piece. In particular, the reverberated guitar and harmonic synth nail the feeling of looking at the northern lights in a cold setting like this.

I have two main issues:

First, there is some background noise that sounds like rain, which kind of threw off the immersion I was trying to experience given there is supposed to be snow on the ground in the image.

Second, while you have some other good ideas later in the song when it gets busy, they tend to step on each other in the mix. If there was more activity in the art piece this wouldn’t be as much of an issue, but to me the peaceful setting without much going on is out of proportion with the busy sound of the louder parts of the song. That synth lead in particular (not the harmonics pad but the classic lead) is a bit overbearing. Some lowering of the high end on that synth may help reduce this.

Overall, I think you did well, though. There were moments where I could really imagine myself in the image, and those moments were especially great.

[the refugee's song ~ definitive edition]

Musically it’s beautiful. It builds up really smoothly and I can really feel the emotion behind the words you sing.

Lyrically it’s quite dark, but it’s effective and isn’t too on the nose while also conveying its message clearly enough to be understandable.

Very well done. :)

[Lament Of Dissolving Angels]

Love it! I get a serious sense of twisted fear and the music evoking imagery of undead creatures that aren’t necessarily visible but are nonetheless scary, executed in a serious way. Also getting some serious Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask vibes, like if Ben drowned and woke up in the twilight realm.

This is all what was going through my mind even before reading the premise in your description.

After reading your premise, It occurred to me just how eerie it was to read during a time when wildfire-induced smoke had just covered my hometown and made it very difficult and unhealthy to breathe for more than a few minutes over a three-day period.

Overall, really good music presentation. It fit really well with the imagery your description presented. Feels creepy as hell and it’s clear you were able to evoke a lot with a little here. :)

LD-W responds:

Thanks!

Yeah I'd love to try and do more stuff like this, moreso on a VG, Film or album scale (albeit with each track having a good amount of time spent on each one instead of the 2-hour speed-comp this was haha). This is the kind of atmosphere I've always loved to do, so it's definitely cool to see others also liking it!

[NG Audio Portal 20th Anniversary Collab]

I’m so proud to have been able to be a part of this, such an honor to have been able to contribute to such a significant piece of Newgrounds’ history! :)

[Beware - AIM]

Really cool stuff! Love the campy vibe, like if Nightmare Before Christmas took place in a haunted nightclub. :)

[Super HelmKnight - Title Screen (main part)]

Sweet! Reminds me of a couple things: Final Fantasy VII battle music, Pokemon (GBA) and every Kirby game I’ve played.

I think it loops well.

I also think the mix needs a bit of work and some of the instruments don’t strike me as authentic GBA but rather sound more like they are N64-based (although I may be wrong about that). Other than that I like it. Good job. :)

wyver9 responds:

Thanks!

[The Drummer's Prayer]

I really got taken in by the sense of space and atmosphere in the beginning. I can see why you wrote this the way you did; the way it plays seems to me like it projects a sense of something bigger than one’s self. As it progresses I picture a night in a grassy field looking up at the sky and seeing stars with a sense of something mystical.

The drum part that kicks in almost four minutes in feels really tribal and raw. It’s a weird pull, but it kind of reminds me of the dancing scene from Matrix: Reloaded when they’re in Zion.

Anyway, well done to all of you. :)

[Mount 511]

My impression: this is quite atmospheric and nice to listen to. That whistle in the beginning in particular is neat. To me it adds a bit of mysterious quality to this piece. Like the quiet numbness after being blind sighted by something that caused an unexpected shock.

The only issue I have here is this piece seems to meander a bit, stylistically; the setup is great but it drifts in direction throughout the song and as a result it feels a little unfocused IMO.

Well done overall, though. :)

As for doing this all in one go: It’s impressive you were able to do this. That said, I don’t know your workflow or process, but I’d like to share with you that I personally find works for me to help with when I write music is to take at least a few minutes of break time throughout the day while working on a project to distract from the song, in addition to taking breaks between days. That way I can come back later with a fresher mind.

I hope that helps you as well. :)

BlighterProductions responds:

Hey man, thanks for the compliments and the tips about the song. I greatly appreciate it. And thanks for the tips about the workflow.

I personally like to work on music when my mindset is fully focused on it. If I have got the right ideas of what I want my song to be, I could work on it for hours on end without losing my focus on it. It’s just that I have a very busy time right now, and I can’t give one thing my undivided attention because of that, unfortunately.

Anyways, thank you very much.

[Moon City]

Holy cow. I have to say, this is amazing! To my ears, it's like you somehow crammed the vibes of Pokemon, Wind-Waker-era Zelda, Thomas Dolby, 80's James Taylor, and Animal Crossing all in one song, and you did it very well.

You definitely deserve the spot you got in NGUAC. Congrats on winning! Downloaded! :D

[Operation Fleshhunter]

Wow! 😳

This piece puts me directly in the picture in a way most music like this doesn’t, for me personally. Reminds me of the game Tron 2.0 from way back in 2003.

You deserve the first place award you got in AIM 2021. Awesome job!