Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-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

[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!

[The Ancient Warriors]

The writing does a really good job of capturing the vibe of adventure and the "way of a warrior" vibe as described here.

Mixing wise, There's too much compression, and to me it makes the piece fatiguing and difficult to listen to because of it.

Other than that, I think you did a great job.

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

TheMusicWarrior responds:

Thanks! I'm very nice!)))

[Big Frolicking Bastard (Working Title)]

I wish you gave more information about your thought process with this song. What were you trying to do in creating and releasing it? For example, I realize the title isn't final, but it would help to know why you picked it anyway. The more information you give about your thought process, the better chance I can give you useful constructive criticism and possibly a better rating.

As it is, I like it. That's all I can say at the moment, unfortunately.

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

kwsounds responds:

I'll keep this in mind publishing audio going forward! I have a habit of being vague lol

[mantle of blue]

Not sure if you intended this, but I get the sense of hope buried with the sadness of the minor chords. It also definitely expresses "night sky" to me.

Beautiful piece. Reminds me of the video game, Dust: An Elysian Tail. :)

Troisnyx responds:

You know, you certainly see the hope and the light inside that I certainly can't see, because during the recording of this piece, I remember just seeing bleakness all around.

Perhaps my heart was saying something that none of my senses could perceive.

Thank you for your kindness over this track. ❤️

[TEPHRA STORM]

There's a sense of urgency and doom here. I can almost see the ashes from a volcanic eruption consume everything in their path, and they are heading directly to me. I'd suggest remaking the ending so it either doesn't resolve (which can be compelling and inviting for you to build a part 2) or so it resolves in a bigger way than what you've currently done. Going quietly, IMO, makes the song anticlimactic and the sense of dread described before builds up to less than it could.

I hope this helps. :)

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

BlighterProductions responds:

You are quite right about the end. It’s good that you also name the weaker points of this song, and any type of helpful comment is welcome. Now, I must say that I am impressed that this song is powerful enough to inflict a sense of dread, but still just 80% satisfying. I am proud of it, and I really can appreciate a helpful comment. That page of yours, I might visit one day.

Signed BlighterProductions

[Cloud Cutting (Nintendocore)]

Hey man, not every song has to be super deep. :)

As far as I can tell, you did a great job even without lyrics. I don't think of clouds, but I think about Pokemon and Kid Icarus. IMO You're on the right track. I'd like to see you experiment with different arrangement styles. It might help clarify the idea of "Cloud Cutting".

I hope this helps. :)

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

SoulSecure responds:

I chose "Cloud Cutting" as in like "dancing on clouds", like cutting a rug, but you're on a cloud. For me, the song reminds me of walking/hopping on clouds or soaring. I specifically envision the cloud city place from Super Mario RPG. I guess I didn't put that in the description. I'll have to update it.