Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[Overflowing Confidence]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying. It's reminiscent of a rival to rival battle theme like from Pokemon Ruby and the like. Not sure how well it fits with the bullet-hell theme, though. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt because I am not that familiar with the bullet-hell genre of game, but you did nail the "friendly rivalry" vibe quite well.

Original 4 Star Review:

"There's a lot of motion in this piece. Personally, I think it's less about overflowing confidence and more about optimism. But your on the right track.

I'm curious about what were you thinking when you made this piece. It'll help me understand where you are coming from better. That, and I can give a more accurate rating and review as well as better feedback. I'd like to judge this piece more by how well your vibe came through than by my own taste.

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

iWTBAT responds:

Your review is most welcome, and as such, I've updated the description to share my thoughts of what I was thinking when I wrote the piece.

[Lawless]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying. in light of your response, I change my rating to 5 stars.

Great job!

Original 4 Star Rating:

"I'd call this genre Cyber Western or Tech Western. The shoe fits. ;)

To me, the song represents less of a vibe of lawless chaos than it does two cyborgs doing a quick-draw in an abandoned futuristic Silicon Valley represented by a technologically enhanced ghost town.

But that's just me. What are your thoughts? I'm curious to know your commentary on what went into this piece. It will help if you put that info in your description so I can judge how well you expressed the vibe you were trying to express. That way I can give better feedback and a more accurate rating.

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

TheRealHVAC responds:

You nailed it. I was imagining a typical western scene but with androids and robots and such. I don't really get too much deeper into it then that when I'm making a piece (because I end up never being happy with it and scrap it).

As for why I don't add more in my comment section -
I have shown many of my projects to friends and family which is fine and all, but when I tell them what genre/feel I was going for I almost always get told "Yeah I don't hear that at all..." which then makes the song sound worse I guess. So I've tried it this way, and usually I get "oh wow that's pretty good. It sounds like (insert genre/style here)."
So in short, I let the listener decide what they hear. Might not be the best way to go about it, but it's worked out better for me and my pride. lol.

Thank you for the review! I am so sorry that it took me almost a month to reply, but to be honest, this is the best review I've ever had and I had no clue how to reply to it. I read your post and that only made it worse. haha. However, it is a fantastic way to review music.

Thank you again for the review!

[Welcome In The Arena]

UPDATE: the mixing the 2nd time around is a big improvement over the previous mix. It no longer has that “external speaker recorded through a microphone” sound I stated in the original review.

The strings are too quiet, though. I can’t hear them well at all, the brass is too overpowering.

Original 3 1/2 star review:

“I think the vibe you appear to be going for is close to spot on. Normally I'm not one to gripe about the mix, but I think in this particular case there's something off about the mix that undercuts the otherwise epic feel of the piece.

I can't quite put my finger on why, but it almost sounds like a low-fi mix.

It almost sounds like you put a microphone up to a speaker and recorded what came out of that. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, but I'd like to hear from you what you did to make it sound this way, I might be able to provide better feedback if you provide that information.

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

Earel responds:

I have an orchestral template with the BBC Symphony Orchestra library and I figured out earlier that some of the bus in the mixer track were linked to the stereo track but not to the mono track. I think this is why it sounds weak, while all the epicness which should come from the brass and the percussion was lost due to a mistake I made.

I will update my upload soon.

Thank you for the review !