Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[At the Dark Cemetery]

The description, the title, the song and the atmosphere it creates; every element written for this piece carries the image so well, it's like I'm transported into the world this piece creates. It's more than just an image I see; under proper conditions, I can see a short film in my head playing along with each moment in this composition as they are introduced, like a soundtrack to a book. In many ways, this is one of the most accurate, detailed, and clear representations of imagery trying to be conveyed I have ever heard, or at least that I've heard in a while.

The only knock I have against this piece is the compression, especially in the second half of the piece (around 3:47 onward), is a little high, especially during the times when there's cinematic buildup at the same time as there are strings. The volume is slightly unstable during those parts and it temporarily takes me out of the experience.

Still, I think this is phenomenal and I'd love to hear more. :D

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

TheMusicWarrior responds:

Thank you!)))

[Somewhere In Fake Reality]

IMO This piece and its title really fit together well. It's unsettling synthwave.

I wish you put in your description what your intent and thought processes were in making this song. That way I can base my review, and by extension my rating, on how clearly I thought your intent came across rather than strictly my own taste.

As far as my own taste goes, I think this is really good. :) It's one of the more unique synthwave songs I've heard.

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

[Fusion Reactor]

There's a dire urgency to this piece. It fits the description and title very well.

Not a knock against your song, but you made an interesting genre choice for this song. Nerdcore? I'd have thought more Cinematic. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

I think the intent comes loud and clear in this piece.

I have no notes. Great job! :)

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

Rekuiem responds:

Yea, as far as the genre choice, it's kind of tough because I'm kind of straddling this line between cinematic/videogame but also It's not really stuff that's posted here, but it goes in hand with a specific kind of hip hop/dancehall flow I'm working on with another artist. I can't really specify the genre it is with one specific label.

That said thank you so much I'm glad you get the dire urgency in this, I've been struggling a lot lately to get a grapple over what and where I'm going, and have been producing a lot of stuff that doesn't really get into what's going on my head lately.

[City Walk]

With this song, your take on a city walk comes across like a Paper Mario or Custom Robo or Pokemon OST song.

That's just my interpretation.

In order for me to give better feedback and a more accurate rating, I'm going to need more information in the description about your thought process and intent behind creating this song. Otherwise I'd have to judge your piece by my personal opinion.

That said, I like the song. It's cutesy and reminds me of my younger gaming days. :)

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

[High Velocity]

I think it would benefit you to add your thought process in making this song to your description; it will allow me to give you better feedback and a more accurate rating. As it is, the feedback I can give is limited and I have to revert to largely judging by my taste.

My opinion: It's pretty good.

Mixing-wise, the compression, even for a song in this genre, is a little high, and as a result it's a little tiring to listen to on loop.

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

Th3TwisteD responds:

Thanks, I'll consider it ! :)

[Heroine Heartbeat]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying your intent. It appears I was mistaken in thinking there wasn't very much thought put into this song. The structure you described in your response to my initial review would be very useful if put in the description. That way there's no confusion.

For the most part the divisions between the sections of the songs are very clear-cut. The only thing is the transition from the 3rd to the 4th to the 5th sections is blurred a bit.

Overall, I think you did a very nice job getting your intent across.

Original 2 1/2 Star Review:

"I'd love to give more constructive criticism regarding this piece, but there isn't enough detail in the description to show what your thought process was in creating it. Without knowing your intent, I can't give very much in the way of constructive criticism, and my review and rating will be based on my personal taste rather than how well I thought your intent came across.

My take: Going off what is currently presented in this submission, to me, there seems to be a lack of focus. it's as if you didn't really know what you wanted to do. That's okay as long as you are forthcoming about it. However, from your description (which is currently, "Trying to tell a story or something... darkness, victory, death..."), IMO it's as if you threw together some vague terms hoping something would stick. That lack of thought and intention could, and in this case does, really hurt your piece.

That said, there are some interesting elements I like that don't have as much thought behind them as they could. For example, the title, "Heroine Heartbeat" is interesting. How did you come up with this? Why did you use that title with this particular song? How does this fit with the music? In my experience, these are simple but helpful questions to ask. Another example is the intro synth. It's very cool on its own and its eerie sound sets the tone for what could be a fitting atmosphere for a song title like "Heroine Heartbeat".

Mixing-wise, the balance of the mid-bass is a little loud compared to the rest of the piece. This can be fixed with some equalizing. As for the piece as a whole, the music is too quiet. I suggest using some kind of compressor/limiter or at least some form of normalization to boost the volume of your mix.

I hope you find my feedback useful, even though it's limited. :)

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

BoMToons responds:

Sorry the description is not up to your standards ha ha! I'm experimenting with music and, by no means, really know what I'm doing. The "heartbeat" stuff ties into the content of the song pretty well (it's driven off of a heartbeat-like... beat). I do think, even though short, the song follows an arc... listen to it like this:
1. There's a dark monster/power/force lurking in the world
2. Forces begin rallying around it and against it
3. A heroine enters the battle and fights... heroically!
4. The battle takes a turn
5. The heroine's heartbeat is extinguished

[You Will Regret That...]

Dubstep? More like "Doomstep". ;)

Seriously, though, for a dance tune, especially for a Dubstep song, this expresses imminent doom in a very cinematic way. It's almost like Tron: Legacy OST in terms of the vibe.

I think you should provide more details in your description regarding what your thought process and intent was when making this piece. It would help me give more helpful feedback and a more accurate rating according to how well your intent came across. Otherwise, all I can really give is limited constructive feedback and judge by my own personal taste.

As far as my opinion goes, I like the piece.

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

[Before the Snow Falls]

Vibe-wise, It's like Nightmare Before Christmas meets the doom, gloom, and paranoia of a slasher film. Judging by the title, tags, genre and description, that seems to be what you're going for.

If that's the case, it's very well executed. No notes. :)

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

Possibly responds:

Thanks so much for the detailed review - yeah, I think my Elfman influences are showing here.

[Black Hole]

UPDATE:

Thanks for taking my feedback seriously and stating your thought process.

I am in no way criticizing your methods for writing music; everyone has their own way of doing so. In fact, I find it interesting to hear that you based the name on a clip in your head when you wrote this.

Your thoughts may be abstract, but they make sense with the song you wrote.

At some point if you ever decide to make the video, I'd be happy to see it. Until then, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. :)

I forgot to mention this earlier, but the mix is a little quiet. I suggest using more compression/limiting and/or normalizing to increase the volume so the listener doesn't have to change the volume for this specific song.

Original 4 Star Review:

"This isn't a knock against your song, but to me this sounds more like synthwave than techno.

The description of you wrote of what a black hole is seems very interesting. There's a vague sense of awe and scale, as well as determination layered throughout the piece.

It's hard to tell if this tune fits the title or vice-versa. When I think "Black Hole" I don't think of this kind of music. To help clarify your intent behind the choices you made, I suggest you put in your description what was going through your mind when you wrote this song. It will help me give you more constructive feedback, and it allows me to more accurately rate your piece.

All that said, I personally like the song.

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

TheSpacePunk responds:

Thanks for your review, and yes I never know what kind of music I make, I'm just making it ahah I'll change the genre, about the title, it's the same, I don't have one until completion, then I close my eyes and let my own music shows me something, I know this is an oddly workflow, but this is what I do, and black hole is related to the potential clip I will create for it, and for the contradiction that is happening in the song, with calm and peaceful parts against aggressive and rich ones, like what we imagine about a black hole, and what we can't even guess about the inside of it, all this matter and energy, all that informations that are forever locked.
I know this is very abstract, if you think about another title, feel free to send me your ideas