Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Turning Point]

The track doesn't sound particularly 80's or 80's anime to me. Then again, I didn't live through the 80's or watch anime from that time period. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

I'm curious about the genre pick and where the title came from. Also, what intent did you have when creating this track? Without this information, I have to judge based on my own personal taste rather than how clearly I thought your intent came through in this piece. It could also affect my rating.

For what it's worth, I do like this piece. It has a very motivational vibe.

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

[Chaos Dreams]

The mixing is very quiet. I suggest using compression/limiting and/or some normalizing so the listener doesn't have to change the volume for this specific piece.

I wish you put in the description your thought process and intent when you created this piece. It can make the piece more cohesive and as a reviewer I can provide better feedback, based on how clear I thought your intent came across rather than simply my own taste. That, and I can rate your piece more accurately.

My opinion is I like this song and it's not something I typically hear on NG. As it is, that's about all I can say.

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

[Doom]

The beginning of this makes me think of two things: First, I thought of a woman overlooking a grassy plane while on a high hill. Then I thought of someone near a small lake on a dock. It's neat that this part of your song (and by extension, the title) is strong enough to invoke an image and is vague enough to potentially invoke multiple images, something I personally rarely see in music. The compression is a little high, but other than that the vibe is very clear.

Unfortunately, that goes away when the main percussion (particularly the clap) comes in at 1:15. Then it turns into essentially a party song (or trance-like, at least). The imagery goes away as fast as it came, and it's a real let-down. I want this song to carry that image the whole way through and live up to its potential and its title "Dreamscape".

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your intent. My review is based on an assumption, after all. If you think I've got your intent all wrong, please feel free to respond and clarify what exactly your thought process and intent was in creating and releasing this piece.

Nevertheless, I hope you find my feedback, both the criticism and the positive remarks, useful.

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

TheMusicWarrior responds:

Thank you! I will work to this!))) Besides, I wanted to do this track maximally dancing and, of course, I would to do this claps in this part, but it's a stadium loop. But still thank you, I,m very pleased for you!))))

[-Evacuation-]

The song reminds me of Sonic Adventure 2's Shadow levels. There's a nice buildup of tension until about 1:48. IMO the way the drop is executed from then until about 2:15 or so gets in the way of the tension. After the 2:16 part the escalation of tension starts building again.

I mention tension because the title of your piece is "-Evacuation-". Therefore I assume you're going for a sense of urgency as a result. If my guess is wrong, Please let me know in your response.

Overall, this piece communicates the "escape phase" of an action game pretty well. I hope you find my feedback useful. :)

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

Preds responds:

Thank you for the review! I’ll try to get better at building tense drops. Hmm well, yeah, I was aiming for a more stress-type toxic breakbeat, but yeah, the idea is there.
Thanks again for the feedback!

[Dark Magic]

There is a vague feeling of an evil, sinister character, but to me it sounds more like a mysterious hacker, like from the Watchdogs series or something. It puts a "rad" twist on evil. I'd like to play the game this theoretically could be from.

The only thing I think could be improved is the sense of evil. I'm not quite sure how, unfortunately, but I think you could make the sinister vibe be a bit stronger.

That's about it, though. Great work!

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

Mikaiah responds:

Thank you so much! I'm very glad you enjoyed it!

[Stardust Power]

I think it would be beneficial if you added some commentary on what your thought process was going into making and releasing this song. Without it, I can only guess what your intent was. Failing that, I could only give my opinion and provide limited feedback. The same is true regarding the title. If you clarify your thought process with these things, I could give more useful feedback and I might raise my rating.

I like this song, and I think some parts fit with the title Stardust Power, but that's about all I can say.

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

Mikaiah responds:

Thank you again! Yeah, i think this time i forgot to put the commentary on the making of this song on the description. 'Cause it was suc Honestly i tried to give it an atmosphere of, sort of, a "space adventure" but more of like sort of "misterious" being that has the power to destroy the universe.

Maybe kinda a vibe of "This is gonna be the thoughest part" and so; but anyways glad you enjoyed and i'll keep that in mind! n.n

[VoidFish]

This piece does a great job at creating a sense of space and vast imagery. While listening to this I imagine being a stereotypical fit blonde surfer dude on the west coast of California. As the sun sets, world around me has a red tint. I'm relaxing, trying to see well beyond the horizon as the ocean waves hit the shore. It's an almost romantic image.

The music fits your description and mood perfectly.

I suppose you may consider playing around with the volume with compression/limiting and/or normalizing, but as it is I think it works very well.

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

[Psychodelic Belladona's Trance]

UPDATE:

It's nice to see you took my advice and wrote the description. It gives a much clearer understanding of where you are coming from.

I feel bad about the joke I made. I didn't realize the full backstory behind this piece was so serious. :(

Thank you for clarifying.

The piece is even more compelling now. I'd like to hear the rest of the album when it's finished.

It feels wrong to judge such a personal expression. That said, it's very clearly expressed, coming across as almost otherworldly.

Great job. :)

Original 4 Star Review:

"Who needs drugs when we've got this? XD

Seriously, though, I think it would be good if you had a description for your piece and it's title. Without that, I have to resort to giving you my opinion, however shallow.

I think it's awesome. For now, that's about all I can say. If you added some commentary about what your intent was with this piece, why you named it what you did, etc. I could give you better feedback and maybe a better rating.

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

Ragkul responds:

You can read the description now that it's already added, and I'll upload my other songs soon, stay tuned.

[SSJ3 - A Warrior Reborn Anew]

This definitely has a vibe that, to me, says "In front of the horizon, a warrior walks in slow motion to the top of a hill overlooking the battlefield, ready to take on anything". It's a very motivated and determined vibe. Initially I was a bit jarred by the drums over the symphonic backdrop but once the guitars got going it really helped the piece show its aggressive side.

I think the mix is just a tad quiet. I suggest tweaking with compression/limiting and/or normalizing, if you haven't already.

Still, great work!

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

Shiverwar responds:

I like the way you review, mate. If I'm being honest, the motivation was there initially, but the actual notes came together rather randomly, and this was before I acquired some of the tools I now have at my disposal. I've heard people mention the mixing as well, and looking back on it, I can understand why. It is a bit of a quieter piece compared to some of my other stuff. If I ever come back to this track, I'll see if I can play around with it and make it better in terms of mixing and such. Thank you for the review!

[Luxurious Hotel]

Your description does not clearly state your intent or thought process.

If I were to guess, I'd say you're on the right track with the title; parts of this remind me of Super Mario Sunshine's hotel level, for some reason. Not sure why, so I'll give this the benefit of the doubt.

If you provide more and clearer details of your thought process going into this piece it would help me be better able to give you constructive criticism and maybe a better rating.

For what it's worth, I do like the song.

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