Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Spring Time]

The instrumentation does feel like a Spring walk in a safe suburban neighborhood. To me there's a hopeful quality to it.

I think you could make the volume louder with compression and limiting plugins. That way no one has to raise the volume for this track and lower it when they listen to something else. It's more convenient that way. That said, a light touch may be all that is necessary. The dynamics, as they are now, are well done.

It's a nice listen as it is, though I wish it were longer.

Your message is clearly expressed. Good job. :)

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

SharkwithSideburns responds:

Hey thanks for the feedback! :D I just used this song to test out this piano I got as a plug in, but it was definitely a really fun song to work on. I'll be sure to work on it a bit more :))

[If you don't think about it - instrumental]

I have a few problems with this piece. First off, It sounds like everything is mono rather than stereo or even pseudo-stereo. This gets in the way of your intention to make a spacious sound with your recording.

If you are going to make a recording that sounds spacious, there are many ways to do so. For example, you could double-track at least one of the instruments and pan each recording left and right; you could pan certain instruments that aren't double-tracked, fully or partially, in either direction. You could use stereo reverb, sound-doubling, or stereo delay plugins, and you may want to use multiple plugins like those at the same time.

What's the story behind the name? Right now, it's unclear what it means, and to me the shoe doesn't fit.

As the recording is now, some of the instruments blur into each other. I can barely hear the harmonica, if that's what it is. You may want to tweak it.

I can see some potential here to make a pretty and spacious song, but the production falls flat.

Even still, it makes for a pleasant piece to listen to.

I hope you found this information helpful. :)

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

Bitbeak responds:

Really appreciate the time you took to say all that. Never tried to intentionally mix something in stereo but I'm definitely gonna play around with it on future projects :)

[Cabin Fever]

There's a clear sense of tension throughout this piece. I think your expression of restlessness is expressed well, although I think it would be more effective if you framed this as a loop and cut off the trailing notes. It may improve the sense of restlessness and the repetition and claustrophobia that comes with cabin fever.

I also recommend normalizing the piece and maybe adding some compression so it's loud enough that the listener doesn't have to change the volume specifically for this song.

I hope you find the feedback helpful. :)

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

[Aint it Fine]

I like this. There's a sense of optimism in the song, matching the title and comments.

The description, as I see it, is optimistic, saying "hopefully this is the last month of the lockdown from COVID-19". That doesn't mean someone may take it out of context and treat it like it's pessimistic, like it says, "I sure hope this is the last month we'll all be alive". Sarcastic or not, the description is a bit ambiguous and I suggest clarifying what you mean to avoid confusion.

I think on a technical level you could make it louder with normalization and/or compression/limiting.

Overall, I think you were effective at expressing your message and vibe. Good job. :)

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

[choccy]

The first quarter of the song is beautiful, yet melancholy. It's powerful.

The song's vibe gets more hopeful as the song goes on. It's effective at acknowledging the pain while also saying that it is possible to move on.

I think your expression is effective. I'm curious about the name. What does choccy mean?

I do wish the song was longer and didn't end abruptly. Given the subject matter, I recommend ending the song on an unresolved note. If done well, this can be very compelling. The reality is, no one knows what the future will hold. Leaving the song on an unresolved note could reflect that. As it is, the sudden stop at the end makes the song feel less deliberate and more unfinished.

I hope you find my feedback useful. :)

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

vidu3k333 responds:

thank you for the very constructive and in depth feedback for a track i've made for april fools. the name "choccy" comes from a dumb meme in 2016 and it meant "chocolate". this track is mainly just me experimenting with harmonies and bassline so i'm glad that you enjoyed it :)

[Drift]

I can definitely get lost in this song.

Not quite sure about the genre title, though. It doesn't sound like Synthwave to me. It's dreamy, though.

I think this song has some room to get louder, whether by normalization or by compression/limiting plugins.

The name fits. I feel like I'm drifting on water in the summer.

Overall, I think you did a good job communicating your ideas.

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

[That Doesn't Happen Here Demo V]

First off, to help with the volume of the file, there are compression and limiter plugins out there that, with some practice, are useful in making the song louder in a balanced way. You could also use normalization to max out the volume without such tools, but compression/limiting are more useful.

Second, it's useful to put your thought process during creation of this piece into the description so I can assess how effectively I feel you got your message across. Otherwise I have to resort to simply judging the piece with my own personal taste.

Personally, I like the song. I'm curious about the title though. What does it mean? The "II" is also interesting. Is this a new version or part II of a series?

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

[SenselesS]

I wish you put the lyrics in the description; the words get drowned out in the song's current mix. I sincerely doubt that your song is purely about being senseless if you wrote lyrics where you are involving characters like, from what I do hear in the song, the person rapping and the person he's rapping to.

About that mix; it's too loud. If you want the mix to be obnoxiously loud, that's fine; there's ways of doing that via careful amounts of compression and limiting. If you overdo the loudness, the instruments get distorted. In addition, lowering the volume with a mix like that makes the whole song sound like a wall of noise with no dynamics.

The song itself doesn't feel finished, due to the sudden ending. If it isn't, you should put that in the description so the sudden ending isn't misunderstood. As it is right now, the abrupt ending doesn't seem to serve any particular purpose.

I hope you found my feedback helpful.

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

[String Theory]

It's unusual for electronic music to have odd time signatures, so I think this is a bold move. :)

There is room for it to be a tad louder, but otherwise the mix is great and well balanced.

What inspired the name "String Theory"?

I'm not certain how this fits in with the "video game" genre in particular. It kind of throws my perspective off a bit.

Still, it's a fun and enjoyable listen. :)

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

iElectrocat responds:

Thank you for the feedback :)
The name "String Theory" comes from: In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. It describes how these strings propagate through space and interact with each other.
The way I composed this song made me think of that, and so I decided it'd be cool for that to be it's name.

I also just changed the genre to fusion. That makes more sense as an Electronic/Jazz/Fusion Combo :)