Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Failing Upwards]

I'm curious what your thought process was in making this song. It would help me give more constructive feedback and a more accurate rating, both of which would be based more on how well I thought your intent came across rather than simply by my own taste.

For example, Failing Upwards is an interesting title. Why did you pick that?

Also, the artwork you chose for your piece's thumbnail reflects a different genre than Hip Hop or Trap. I'm curious about why you chose that as well, considering the artwork in question is typical of Synthwave (and to a lesser extent, Vaporwave) rather than the genre you chose.

Speaking from my own experience, generally, if everything fits together smoothly, the piece is more focused and potentially better than it would have been.

In terms of my own taste, Trap and Hip Hop aren't really my thing. I'd like to be of more help, but as of now, I can't.

I hope this info is helpful to you. :)

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

[Tranquility]

I think this piece feels like what I'd be listening to if I were looking out the window of an apartment complex in the downtown area of a city while it's raining at night.

For an electronic song, it's quite peaceful. I wouldn't necessarily call it "Dubstep" but for the most part your submission and its various descriptors fit together nicely.

I think it would be beneficial if you put your thought process in your description so I'd have a better idea of what you were going for. That way, I can judge based on how clearly your intent came across rather than my own taste. I could also potentially provide a more accurate rating.

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

[Dreams]

The vibe I get from this song is the feeling of total exhaustion somehow combined with the inability to sleep. I'd play this in the middle of the night because the shoe fits.

The thing is, although I can guess the vibe based on your description, I'm not sure how these elements fit together. Your icon artwork, the piece's title, the "sad" tag, the description, the piece itself, none of it seems to fit together.

I think it would be helpful to both of us if you put in your description what you were trying to do, what your thought process was when you created this piece. Knowing that would be very helpful because I could rate more accurately and possibly provide better feedback based on how well I thought your intent came across rather than my own taste.

I actually kind of like the piece. My 2 and 1/2 star rating is only because I have pretty much zero information on what your intent was. Oh, and you left about 32 seconds of dead silence that, for all I know, could mean something. However, without your input, there's no way to know.

I wish I could be of more help, but as it is, I can't.

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

[Downward Spiral Of Depression]

Interestingly, this piece sounds to me less like depression and more like a complex, dramatic, romantic kiss scene from a movie.

It has a sad vibe, sure, but that's not what came to my mind at first.

Considering depression can feel less like traditional sadness and more like a painfully numb, low energy struggle (speaking from my own experience, here) I think the saying "less is more" would apply here. What you did isn't necessarily wrong; I can't speak for everyone with depression. That said, I personally think it could be more powerful if you pulled both pulled back on the arrangement and, as an aside, made the song longer.

I'm giving this the rating of 2 1/2 stars not because I dislike it, you understand; I really like it. I'm rating it this way because I feel the message of a "downward spiral of depression" got lost. I want this piece to succeed because I think it has potential to. It just needs a lot of work to get there.

I hope this helps. :)

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

ConnorHeather responds:

Cool, thanks for your interesting and in depth review much appreciated!

[Crazy Cancerology]

I'm not sure how this piece fits with the title or icon artwork. I recommend you add in the description what your thought process was when you made this so I can give you better feedback and potentially a more accurate rating. Right now, I can only go by my taste.

Why did you name this piece "Crazy Cancerology"? IMO it seem like an ill-fitted title for what you present here.

As far as my own taste goes, it's not something that wows me. The arrangement is a little sparse for my liking.

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

[Into the Grid]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying your intent in your response to my review. It seems you were indeed going for the vibe I described.

The only reason I didn't change my rating to 5 stars is because this piece doesn't seem like a soundtrack specifically for a rogue-like game on its own. I'd have to see the visual representation for it to click for me.

Apart from that, I stand by that you got the retro sythnwave-inspired futurism vibe really well nailed down. Good job. :)

Original 3 1/2 Star Review:

"First, you clearly put a lot of thought into the technical aspects of this song. That's undeniable given what you detailed in your description.

Second, be aware that in my reviews I'm less concerned with the technical aspects of arrangement, composition, and mixing on their own merits and more concerned with how all those elements fit together to present a feel or vibe that goes with the intent you have when you make the song.

Now, onto my review:

I think this presents a Synthwave-aesthetic-inspired sci-fi vibe quite well. It makes me think of almost a cyberpunk-type retro-futuristic city with neon lighting everywhere but through a nicer part of town.

That said, I don't think that's what you're going for if I read your description correctly, unless you're thinking of the old twin-stick arcade shooter, Robotron, in which case you did a pretty decent job with it. Since I'm just guessing, I'd like to hear more direct and concise input from you what vibe you were going for with this piece. Right now, it's hard to tell because your description meanders a lot and it makes it more difficult to parse what you are trying to do.

I hope you find this helpful. :)

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806"

Mik3l24 responds:

Sorry for a late reply, it was like 22 o'clock here in Poland when I've seen your review, way too late for me to write anything meaningful then.

I've noticed this discrepancy between the description of the game and the song itself too while writing it, but now that I'm thinking about it - I was going for the techno/synthwave vibe in terms of the music and a flashy, futuristic visual aesthetic from the beginning. I took inspiration from the soundtracks of PinOut, Tron and to a lesser extent - also Escape Goat, so… this song kinda met what I was going for.
In the first paragraph I more so rambled about my concepts for the story (and that's where the inspiration from HL1 lies) rather than the music or aesthetic. The reference to Nuclear Throne is about the general "arcade'y twin-stick shooter rougelike" gameplay structure, but now I realize that I want to make the visual style, and the game-feel much more like Hyper Light Drifter - which isn't even a rougelike. It still has quite a dark aesthetic, but combines that with some bright accent colors… which is also what I envisioned.
I think that it would make most sense to keep the beginning a bit more… brighter (not sure how to describe that), and only introduce darker, more distressing themes in the deeper parts of the Grid (the game world). This way we can keep this bright music and the dark story.
I hope that this cleared things up.

And… do you really think that I put thought into the technical aspects of this song? Huh. I've always found myself to be totally clueless and disorganized in these terms, always walking the thin line of intuition and trial and error. Well, it could be that I'm simply becoming more experienced in music making. Also, I just like over-explaining things.

[JacobTheCat - Specialized]

I can give you suggestions about what to say in your description. What was your thought process behind making this song? Why did you name this piece "Specialized"? Why is your audio icon what looks like a peppermint or whirly lollipop? How does this all fit together?

Providing such information could help me give better feedback and a more accurate rating. As it is, I'm limited to judging by my own personal taste rather than how well your intent came across.

As far as my own taste, honestly, I find this piece to be repetitive and the sidechain ducking too aggressive. Maybe that's what you're going for, but without your input I can't know for sure.

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

[just wait a minute]

UPDATE:

Thank you for taking my review and suggestions seriously. :)

Now that I have a better idea of where you're coming from, I can safely say without question your intent comes through really clear. I have no more notes. 5 stars!

Original 4 Star Review:

"There's a couple of things this reminds me of: a loading screen for a sci-fi game like Tron 2.0 (2003) or some outer-space RPG, or, for some reason, Bioshock. I think the latter is because, to me, this piece has an underwater vibe. That's not a common thing to do, to give your piece an underwater vibe.

I'd love for any game I own to have this as a loading screen loop because it's perfect for that. Soothing and present but not annoying or overly catch to the point where it could irritate the player.

One suggestion I have for you is to change the submission format from "song" to "loop". I think it would fit the "loading screen" vibe more appropriately. If you do that, I also suggest fading out the end or not fading in the intro so it can loop more effectively.

One other thing; when clicking on this piece, I noticed the icon artwork looks very much like a fire decimated some area. I'm not sure that fits. I'd like to know why you chose that so I can get a better understanding, as well as provide a better review and maybe a more accurate rating.

Great job! :)

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806"

baryiscool responds:

so indepth !!

i will put it on loop and update the song so it fades out so it can be looped !!

also i made the CD fire because it is hot right now and i'm sweating .. no other reason
i could also change that to more of a blue background

if you read this then that means i have prob changed it <3
thanks for the review though

[BlighterProductions - Pulsar]

I think you really nailed the "outer space" feeling. Some parts feel like exploration, while others, like the more active parts, make me think of space combat. As far as Drum & Bass goes, it's not super energetic but I think that plays out in your favor because the synth pads in particular give enough space within the song (no pun intended) to both give a sense of scale and reflect exploration and wonder. The percussion also gives a sense of action. I think of a Star-Trek-like battle scene near a pulsar when I hear this.

Not sure if that's exactly what you were going for so I'll give you benefit of the doubt, but the sound of the song really matches the concept and title. Very nice work.

I'm curious, what were you going for?

More info about how I review music here: https://codefreq.newgrounds.com/news/post/1089806

BlighterProductions responds:

I tried a little bit stepping out of my comfort zone this time (since most of my recent music was very ambient) and I kind of started to miss the energy in my music. Trying out of the box first, but soon figuring out things that befitted really well with the song (like the alternative melodies playing through each other, which I believe to have resulted in my best work) and that manifested over time into what we will now know today as “Pulsar”.

I’m very satisfied with the results overall, and trust me, I am not easily satisfied with something. Thanks for the review. 😉

Also, I’ll make a music video for YouTube very soon.