Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Walking on Dundas]

I like this track. It's very well mixed, and peaceful. Quite uplifting, actually. I'd for sure have this playing in the background while relaxing.

Just listening to this with no information about Toronto or Dundas Street, to me the song definitely feels like a late-spring, early-summer daytime walk in a sleek and robust metropolis, particularly a richer part of town. Not super rugged, lots of shops. Possibly near a coast. It gives me almost a Station-Square-type vibe (from Sonic Adventure, specifically the by the poolside near the coast and hotel).

Anyway, I like the vibe. Nice work.

Aaron-Long responds:

Thanks for the detailed feedback! Dundas isn't a particularly fancy or coastal street but I played Sonic Adventure a ton growing up and I like that interpretation of the song! I guess it does have kind of a beach-y feeling.
Glad you enjoyed it!

[Battle - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (Dubstep Remix)]

Very cool remake. My two cents: I kind of want the formant effect in the second half to say “Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga.” Almost like a dubstep version of a vocoder.

[It's still raining somewhere]

This is quite peaceful. Like Animal Crossing meets Minecraft. Your minimalist and unstructured approach I find is quite effective at creating an immersive atmosphere. I'd totally take a walk around a suburb with light rain in late spring listening to this.

Not really a criticism, but I'd like to see this song developed more. You've got a good thing going here.

I did get the creeps a little around the 2:02 mark. Backwards piano took me out of the immersion.

Still, very nice work.

[Chicago]

This is awesome! It's melodic and the Dubstep drop is really cool. It's better than most mainstream Dubstep I've heard, much of which like a robot belching in your face.

I also think it should be longer. Nice work!

Lubloom responds:

Thank you! Mainstream dubstep is in a weird place right now, it's more like a loudness contest and cool ideas are less common compared to linear songs with cool sound design.

Yeah I need to work on making my songs longer like they used to be :P thanks for the kind words!

[Rutra - Into the floor]

The song itself isn't bad. The biggest problem I have with it is the dynamics. There's way too much compression on the whole track to the point where it's uncomfortable to listen to. I recommend lowing the compression and maybe mess with the EQ and levels to make some of the elements pop out a bit more, because right now the song is a bit shouty, for lack of a better term; like white noise.

[Stalker]

You did a really great job with this. :) I feel like it belongs in one of the Paper Mario games. The cinematic theme of a dungeon in Ancient Egypt or some kind of desert really comes across quite clearly.

PandaThePanda responds:

Thanks man! Haven't played Paper Mario personally but the pyramid from n64 was on my mind the entire process

[uskradith (personal project)]

The songwriting is really good here. I wish there was more. What is there could be fleshed out a bit, too. I like the idea of adding some drums or something percussive, because as it is right now it feels like it builds and builds but then suddenly stops building. I keep waiting for the music to get going and take me on the trip I hope it takes me on but all I get is a glimpse of what is to come. If it's finished, I hope you can take in what I have to say for future projects. If it is not finished, the prospect of seeing what the end result could be is exciting to me, and I'll look forward to when this project is completed.

Keep it up! :)

[Pulse]

I like the somewhat creepy vibe this piece presents. It sounds like it came straight out of an RPG. The drums could be a bit better mixed, though; something about the hi hat's upper frequency range seems a bit on the low quality side. Apart from that, though, I love it.

[The Purple Room]

What the heck is this?? I've never heard anything like this. There's no thematic elements, there's no form, there's no melodic hooks. There's just an eerie feeling I get from it. Gives me the creeps like it's late October. Evoking pure emotion with music is not easy. I can't stop listening to it because of how fresh and unlike the norm it is. Very nice work. :)

PhantasmosTheData responds:

I almost thought "Oh no, another one who gets creeped out by music."

Very glad you are enjoying it. Thank you for giving it a chance! Its hard to get people to listen to my music and hear what its all about.