Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[No turning back - Magnetic pull]

Definitely could be in a Kirby game. Not sure if it's specific to magnetism, but the "boss battle" vibe comes through nicely.

Mixing-wise, I recommend using normalization to increase the volume so the listener doesn't have to change the volume when listening to this song specifically.

Over all, nice job. :)

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

Pheanir responds:

I'm glad the vibe comes through, thanks for your feedback! ♥

Funny that you'd mention normalizing to increase the volume, because I do that with every composition; it's my regular mixing that sucks. However, unfortunately, this is mostly due to software and hardware issues because the stuff I use to compose is super old and outdated and my technical setup is bullshit. To top that off, I cannot afford to buy anything new and it has been like this for years.
And, to be completely honest, I am too lazy to adjust every single of these thousands of notes in a composition. ^_^'

[Wacky War]

Interesting concept.

In the beginning, I can see it: A buddy-cop movie where the two protagonists sneak into a warehouse.

It's about to get going, but 56 seconds in the atmosphere turns anticlimactic. I think the action-oriented feel would be better served if the sounds became more aggressive and there was more to the instrumentation.

I also think the song is a bit quiet; you could probably find some included compression/limiting plugins somewhere in Logic Pro, I can imagine.

Overall, not bad.

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

knightspear responds:

Oh man it’s great to have a fresh pair of ears! Thanks so much for the feedback, I can see much clearer where I could have done better now.
And those are some great review guidelines, hope you do the mind if I start practicing them!

[Time Flies(Loop)]

Time flies a lot when I listen to this piece on loop. I forget it's there. It's almost a minute long, but feels like different lengths depending on how much I'm paying attention.

I think the mix could use some compression/limiting plugins, and/or normalization to boos the volume. It's a little quiet as it is right now.

I'm curious: What were you trying to accomplish by making this? I'd love to give this a proper review by judging how effective your intent comes across rather than simply by my own personal taste.

I hope you find this useful. :)

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

ScottJacob responds:

Hey thank you for the review! The original intent was to be used in a video game but it didn't end up seeing the light of day. The game was supposed to be kind of a quirky 8-bit space story named "Marsbound"

[Waiting for the Meteor]

When I see the title, I think of dread. I don't feel dread when I hear this song. In terms of getting that feeling across, I don't think it effectively communicates it. It's an early attempt, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

I wish you had more information in the description about your creative process; what you were thinking when creating this piece and its title. That way I can give a more accurate review that isn't just based off my personal taste but is also based on how clear your intent came across.

Personally, I like this song. The writing style reminds me of some of my early work, before I created my current NG account, which is also why I'd like to know how you made this song.

I hope you find this helpful. :)

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

Bansheebutt responds:

Hi! Sorry about the description, I've never really though about, much less how, to put this kind of thing in words before.

With the title and overall tone, the themes I had in mind were more about Inevitability, Change, and acceptance thereof.

Change can be scary, whether it's in the form of a literal meteor that will end life as we know it or otherwise; but it's something that can't be stopped, whether we choose to accept it or not.

I like to think humanity's collective last-week-on-earth-maybe wouldn't just be everyone hiding in their basement in fear, but a time of reflection and release; very emotionally-charged, not completely negative or positive. A chance to come out, free of the consequences that no longer feel like they'd be "the end of the world" now that the world is literally ending.

The latter bit of the song is kinda representative of that last bit of catharsis.

Hope any of that made sense!

[Vibe Check]

It does seem stream-of-conciousness oriented.

That said, there is a moment from the 19 second up until the 38 second mark where it feels like either found footage horror or, more so IMO, it evokes the similar unsettling feeling I got when I watched Petscop for the first time. This moment has potential. I'd like to see you run with that concept in a future piece.

I don't get why you think the piece is funny. I'm open to hearing why.

I'm curious about the title. Why is it called "Vibe Check"?

I also think you could use compression/limiting or at least normalization to increase the volume. That way the listener doesn't have to change the volume for this specific piece.

I hope you find my feedback useful. :)

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

SirHadoken responds:

Yeah, I kinda shot for horror vibes in some of this so I'm glad a little made its way through. The transitions aren't that fluid because I approached the song in a really whatever way lol, in a way it kind of IS my stream of conscious.

That plays into why the piece is so funny to me. It's just so NOT a song to me. Funny isn't the theme of the song but it's moreover its existence as a whole that I find hilarious just for being something bizarre that I'd never do traditionally.

I couldn't think of a good title for this because it wouldn't be right to call it something totally serious and it wouldn't be right to call it something totally stupid either. There's this meme where this oddly disturbing looking emoji face that turns red and gets closer with his hands out saying "you didn't pass the vibe check" and I imagined this song as having a similar feeling of just chilling at first and then going straight to Hell.

I was really worried about the volume of this; I was overly worried about it clipping because it screws up the atmosphere, so I overshot and made it super quiet. I could try to fix it later.

Thanks a ton for your feedback, I always enjoy considering other people's perspectives of my work. Cheers!

[Outlaws and Disorder]

Feels like it belongs in Shakedown Hawaii or the like. Very cool concept in your description.

No notes here. I can't wait to play whatever game this becomes a part of. :)

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

001247 responds:

I had to check out the shakedown hawaii ost after reading this and... wow, thank you! That's pretty much the vibe I was aiming for!

About the game, I can sadly say it's just an hypothetical concept for now. I'd love to make something with these tracks but I don't have any experience programming outside of fucking around in rpg maker and making simple python programs.

[Curiosity (demo)]

This song to me represents awe and the experience of amazement; the title of "curiosity" fits well.

The only suggestion I have would be to raise the volume with compression/limiting plugins and/or normalization.

Other than that, solid work. :)

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

ZappaFan52 responds:

Glad you dig it man! Yeah definitely not hitting it too hard with processing right now, just in the sketching out ideas phase for the project lol

[Chlorines - Somnolence]

This has a pretty cool vibe, like the main hub of Super Mario Galaxy (1), or the spacecraft creation mode in SPORE. The name is apt; the song has a lulling-to-sleep appeal to it.

Nice work. :)

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

Chlorines responds:

Thanks for the kind words!
I really like how you look at the themes of a song :D

[Squirrel's Adventure through Time & Space - Rytmik Retrobits]

It sounds like an intro scene to a squirrel character's adventure game... That ISN'T Conker's Bad Fur Day. ;)

Seriously, though, as fitting as it is for an intro scene, nothing about it really strikes me as adventure-themed. Without seeing the game, it's a bit hard to tell thematically what this piece represents. It's not a bad piece, I just think some additional clarification on your thought process would help, and it could influence my score.

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

edhe responds:

It was a long while ago (and the game never got past the concept), but I saw it more of a proof of concept. I visualised it playing in a theoretical opening cutscene.

[Introducing Mr. Kipple]

Wow, what vivid imagery! Your description and music really go together quite well.

Really, the only suggestion I can make is to use some kind of compression, limiting, and/or normalizing plugins to increase the volume so the listener won't have to change the volume for this specific song.

Still, nice work! :)

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

FlipWillie responds:

Thanks Codefreq.

Yeah, I've pretty much given up hope on trying to figure out limiters. Always ends up distorting the instruments for me. But I certainly understand the critique!