Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[bass pro shop pyramid]

UPDATE: Thanks to info from @larrynachos, I can see the context of your music more clearly. Apparently I've been living under a rock. :P

I will say, after doing some quick research, I think this piece fits really well with the vibe of the pyramid. Your music really captures the sense of scale and being surrounded by wilderness in a semi-retail setting, especially from around 36 seconds in. Given the fact that you are using a typically urban-leaning instrumentation (one that is primarily of synths and drum machines), that's hard to do.

There are two things that keep this from getting 5 stars from me:

First, the idea that someone who has never been to a place like the Bass Pro Shop Pyramid (like myself) didn't get the vibe right away. What you wrote works once it's been explained, but on its own it doesn't conjure up very much regarding imagery.

Second, I stand by my previous statement that the description's narrative is unclear. Who is "she"? What perspective is the narrative taking? I think it's in your best interest if you are doing a piece with a scenario like it seems you are doing here that you make clear some crucial details so it isn't just a vague statement. If you make the narrative clear and focused, it could be compelling.

Still, overall, nice work. :)

Original 3 1/2 Star Review:

"While I appreciate that you put some thought into the narrative in your description, I don't fully understand it. That said, it's painting an interesting picture in my mind. What is the pyramid? A nightclub? A shop? A retro-futuristic landmark?

The title is also confusing. It doesn't really indicate anything about what the intent behind the piece is.

I think giving some detail in your description about your thought process going into this piece would help me give better feedback and a more accurate rating. I'd also be able to judge based on how well I thought that intent came across rather than based on my own taste.

Still, it's a neat piece. I'd love to give better feedback, but as of now I can't.

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

[Metro-2]

UPDATE:

Wow, that's actually what you went for??

In that case, you did an excellent job. :)

Now, in theory, you could try to raise the volume via normalization and/or messing around with compression/limiting plugins, but I'm not sure this piece really needs it.

I can't think of anything that would definitively improve this piece. Re-rated to 5 stars!

Original 4 Star Review:

"The tension of this piece to me really feels like something out of either a horror game or a post-apocalyptic NYC underground subway station; the vibe in this piece is quite eerie.

I'm not sure if that's what you are going for, but the direction you went is interesting. Please feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong.

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

TheHumanArt responds:

That's exactly what I was going for! Damn, I didn't expect anyone to hit the nail on the head so precisely. I buried some broken radio broadcasts about nuclear launches in one section, very subtle.

Thanks for the review, means a lot! :)

[rainfall]

Interestingly, your beat matches the title. Something about the production reminds me of walking around my suburban hometown while there's a light rain happening.

I'm not sure if it's the reverb or the drums or the windy synth or a combination of those factors, but the shoe fits. Nice work.

I think it would help if you wrote your thought process in the description of this piece so I get a better idea of what you were trying to do. It could help me give better feedback and a more accurate rating.

That said, if my assumption is correct, I'd say you did a good job with your expression. It came through quite clearly.

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

[Time to RIP EARS!!!]

I'l tell you exactly what you need to write in your description if you want better feedback: Your thought process. This means what thought you put into the piece, its title, and what you were trying to do with it. Without this information, I'm forced to judge based on my own taste, rather than how clearly your intent came through.

I do like the piece, although it is short. I want to provide better feedback, but as it is now, I can't.

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

AniGlebGD responds:

Thanks you! I understood.)

[Vista Sounds - Sense]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying some of your thought process. I suggest for your future works you put a bit more effort into the focus of your piece. It's not always easy, but having something definitive to say or demonstrate can improve the clarity of your expression. With a song like this, there's some real potential for growth.

As far as background beats go, this does a good job being one of those. I think of the indie game, "Retro City Rampage", when I hear this. You could also consider turning the song into a loop if you cut off the silence at the end because it ends the same way it starts . Very nice work. :)

Original 4 star review:

"I think it would be a good idea to put in your description your thought process when making this song. It would help me give you better feedback and a more accurate rating.

One thing I'm curious about is the title, "Sense". Why did you pick this name? How does it fit the song?

As far as my own taste goes, I like this piece a lot. The mixing in particular is really well done.

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

Vista-Sound13 responds:

Thanks for reviewing, I appreciate it. I named it 'Sense' because I feel like this is kind of a background beat, I like to make that kind of music, and I think this song feels like someone trying to comprehend something... or not.

EDIT: I guess sharing my thought process could help.

EDIT: Thanks, I'm glad you like it and thank you for your feedback.

[Dream complement]

It's interesting you said you felt relaxed; this piece reminds me of playing Minecraft, which I consider to be one of the most "zen" video games to play.

Dream complement is an interesting title. I'd like to know more about that, where it came from, why you chose it, how it relates to the music, etc.

My only suggestion would be to make the piece louder by adding compression/limiting effects, or even just normalizing the music. It doesn't have to be obnoxious, but the piece as it is right now is very quiet. In my experience, a little compression can go a long way.

I hope you find this information useful. :)

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

ClitBait responds:

Before starting to compose the song, I was talking with my brother about the nightmares I have had. It was a very interesting conversation as we talked about the possible fears we both had, the possible causes of nightmares, whether it be psychological trauma, witchcraft, among others. We finished talking about it, he was going to his room and I stayed in mine, after that for some strange reason I started to think about things that make me deeply sad, there I spent five minutes thinking, when I started to compose the song. I was never good at composing on mayor scales, because I always had results that gave me a feeling of sadness. Basically the title is related to music, because the song I created with the intentions to calm my fears, my worries and sadness, to have a dream complement to be able to get to perfect places where the three things mentioned above would not torment me, where nightmares were exiled from this place to sleep in peace.
And well, the subject of compression will be taken into account for future works, because you are right that the song is heard very quietly.

["Virility" - Trance]

This certainly has the motivation of an 80's style montage in it. I'd play it while working on a house project or while working out or something that involves effort and motion. As far as evoking a sense of motivation this piece succeeds.

The mix is well done too. That thumping bass drum does a good job of grabbing my attention.

I'm not sure how effective this song will be on others, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

Still, personally, I think this piece does, for the most part, what you are intending it to do. There are moments, particularly when the beat stops that it isn't as effective at motivation as it could be, but other than that, I'd say nice work. :)

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

XayberOptix responds:

Thank you for a descriptive review. These are rare and are much appreciated!

[Claustrophobic Confinement/Hell Rains Down From On High]

Starting around 1:43 and going until around 8:08, it almost feels like a texture piece for a lost level from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time. Think Death Mountain as adult Link, but without a musical structure.

It's an interesting piece, given it uses a single instrument and it successfully invokes imagery. That's hard to do.

I'd also like to know about the title, where it comes from, why you chose it for this piece, etc.

My only major gripe is you state in your description, as I perceive it, that you want to show that silence can be used as another instrument. I don't think that came through at all. There isn't much silence because of the reverb and delay present in the majority of this piece. I'll admit I'm not entirely sure how you would do this, but I think it would be helpful if you were more blatant in your use of silence as an instrument so it is easier to perceive it that way. That said, as I haven't heard anything like this before, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

I hope you find this review helpful. :)

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

BaronVonBadGuy responds:

Your review has resulted in an edited clarification and as such is a review I feel need be replied to. I have so too updated this Songs name to one that is a bit more direct.
In this particular song the notion of Silence being relative to Space is key in how inseparable they are within this particular context. This is something I failed to draw a proper comparative to within my initial description.
I don't often do this but your review has struck a chord, and thus I will divulge the primary inspiration for this piece, one I have lived through: Imagine being encased in a closet sized room, locked in with only your increasingly growing psychotic thoughts to slowly, meticulously, methodically stifle, corrode and consume any and every bastion of vague safety to such an extent simply breathing seems impossible as it is now encased within such an undesirable density of insanity one now finding themselves spasmodically inhaling and exhaling the only means of breathing within this sulfuric thickness.
Whatever space once was is to be consumed by one's own mind now cruelly turning in on itself.

Each thought a drop plummeting downward, chipping away at one's already shattered sanity, utterly obliterating it along even the briefest of reprieves, salvation now of irrelevance, as there can no longer be anything approaching even the vaguest of notions similar.
Alone, engulfed in delusions that have eaten away at the vaguest of hopes.
With this song I sought to recapture that which I have lived through much of my Adult life. At the time being used as a means of catharsis.

At best, as years go by, if any sanity starts to drift within and one collect themselves, things truly are never the same. The silence that once may have lead to the clarity of mind to put together some of one's greatest achievements will most certainly never be the same prior one's fall, the echoes of horrors passed now ever still persist in what once would have been the safety of silence, the hospitable freedom of space...
To give a hint as to where things will be going Musically; conveying that designed to reproduce
the experiences few have endured. Much as the Psychedelic Era gave many an idea of what being on Drugs "sounds like."

To convey experiences the majority of humanity will never have the misfortune of enduring in such a way that such can be vicariously simulated safely in sound and song... (Perhaps not so safely...)
And to be quite honest, I plan on bringing this to some very uncomfortable places...
I do apologize for how long it took to respond to this. There are a few factors that resulted in such a wait. In all honesty this response is a bit preemptive. Deciding against better judgment to make this reply now, rather than a few weeks from now.


But I digress. I thank you very much for your review. I hope you will enjoy that I will, in the not to distant future be releasing and will most certainly give ear to your insight.
Cheers,
~M

[2021 (A song to cheer up to)]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying why you chose the title. I figured that's the kind of thing you are going for, but it clears things up to hear it from you.

Original 4 Star Review:

"I think this song does a decent job at making me feel like I want to forget my worries through partying. It also does a good job with the imagery. I can see the outdoor club on the beach at night in the summer as people are having a well-deserved good time.

One suggestion I have for you to play around with would be to consider using major chords in your piece. There's a lot of power chords being used, which is good for adding thickness to a piece. The thing is, power chords are by their nature ambiguous in how they display mood. From my experience, major chords tend to represent positive emotions and minor chords tend to represent negative emotions. That's not always the case, of course, but for me personally it often is.

With regard to the title, It's slightly unclear why you named it 2021. My guess would be to show optimism, but I think it would be helpful to hear from you why you named it that.

I hope you find this information useful. :)

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

CaptainBoomcake responds:

its called 2021 cause I didn't wanna associate it with this year! I wanted it to feel like a new leaf for peoples ears, and for them to look forward to the world that we have to look forward to, once we can see our friends again and go to places again and live. Its certainly been hard to experience live music lately.

[Condor]

I think this piece gives a vague sense of fighting an epic battle, and there's a nice sense of doom to it at the same time.

What's the story behind the name Condor?

My only major gripe is I don't think your piece's instrumentation went far enough. It's a pretty sparse.

For example, There's a lack of bass-oriented instruments. The melody is good, but there's not any rhythmic strings or instruments underneath the melody you've created. The percussion is lacking as well. Really, the overall mix sounds small. All these factors get in the way of what it seems you are trying to express.

Don't get me wrong; the piece is good, I just think you could've done a lot more with it than you did. As it is, it feels small.

I hope you find this feedback useful. :)

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