Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Merus]

I'm not sure what you are trying to do here. If you want me to be able to give you better feedback, I suggest you put in your description what your thought process was, what you were trying to do. That way, in addition to more helpful feedback, I may also be able to provide a more accurate rating, and I'll be able to judge your piece depending on how well your intent came through, rather than by my own taste.

Regarding my own taste, I find the beginning to be very interesting, but once the rest of the song kicks in, I find the limited note variations to be repetitive and, frankly, very annoying. If I knew what you were trying to do, I might be able to put that aside. Right now, though, I can't.

Out of curiosity, why did you name the title "Merus"? I find that to be an interesting title. Also, I don't understand why you chose the thumbnail artwork you did. It's these kinds of things that can help me better know where you are coming from.

Let me stress that I want your piece to succeed. You clearly have sounds and tools to create something great. It's just a shame, I feel, that this falls short of what it could be.

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

MrEzTex responds:

Thank you for giving me your opinion!

Why the name Merus?: I was quite bored and named it Merus has a reference to my favorite synth, "Serum" (you know, spelled backwards) dunno why i did that.

I promise i will do lot better on my next song, thank you!

[Crisis]

There is a degree of sadness to this dubstep piece, amplified, oddly enough, by the low-by-average-standard volume of the bass "wub" as well as the aggressive lead synths, and overall unusually warm sound (for dubstep) to the piece.

Apart from the sadness, I don't think of a crisis when I hear this piece except during the build-ups. Crisis, to me, is a word that indicates a feeling of being greatly overwhelmed and a heightened sense of urgency, and to me the song doesn't match up with the title. The thumbnail artwork for the piece, however, does match the title... sort of. From what it looks like to me, it's clouded and brown like dust that hasn't settled, so in that case I think it matches. It's just hard to tell what the thumbnail art actually is.

If I may suggest, the first thing you could mess with is the speed whether it's the overall tempo or an automated envelope that speeds up the song as it progresses. As it is, IMO the relatively slow tempo doesn't carry a lot of intensity. You may also want to consider adding instruments or changing the instrumentation in such a way that there's more going on. But these are merely suggestions.

Nevertheless, I hope you found this review helpful. :)

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

SuperSoniker responds:

Thanks for the upgrade, I'll take this from now on :)

[Zerodecoole's Theme]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying. That said, I'm standing by my rating and review. I don't know this user, so I'm giving this piece the benefit of the doubt.

Original 4 Star Review:

"I think it would be a good thing if you put in your description what your thought process was when you made this piece. That way I can judge based on how clearly your intent came across rather than my own taste and preference. Also, I may be able to provide a more accurate rating and better feedback as a result.

I'm curious where the title came from? It's interesting. Is Zerodecoole an original character?

Also, even though I'm not sure if this is what you want, I think this piece could work as a loop if you cut off the silence at the end and changed the submission setting from "song" to "loop."

I hope this review helps. :)

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

Belthagor responds:

@Codefreq Zero is a forum user and I made this as a theme song for them, like a song that plays when a person walks in the room or does things. I think it would work better as a loop as well, while continuing to be a theme.

[Runa - Black Hole]

IMO The epic feel of this song at first is almost like a trailer for a movie where a giant spaceship is about to be sucked into a black hole.

That goes away after the initial triplet-style dubstep-elements come in. After those initial dubstep parts, it goes back to being the trailer. Then the second, non-triplet style dubstep elements kick in and it feels like an escape level in a video game.

I think the triplet-dubstep elements are the one part that gets in the way of the vibe it seems to me you are going for the most.

Otherwise, I think your intent is quite well expressed. This includes the thumbnail artwork and the title you chose.

I hope this helps. :)

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

Runanova responds:

I really appreciate your feedback. Knowing what people feel like when listening to your tracks always makes me happy! I'm glad most things are actually coherent and I'm already planning on making a fully orchestral version of it!

[Avoid The Strangers]

I can see this as a song for a game that's like Hotline Miami meets Metal Gear Solid. There's elements of action and elements of stealth. Given the title, it somehow works and fits together even if that wasn't what was intended.

Speaking of intent, what was your thought process going into this song? I suggest putting that in your description so I could provide better, more helpful, feedback as well as a more accurate rating. I could also base my review less on my own taste and more on how well I thought your intent came across.

Another question I have is this: out of curiosity, why did you chose the thumbnail artwork you did for this piece?

I like the song, though. Neat take on the Synthwave genre. :)

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

NandinAnubis responds:

01. I would rather that the co-listeners themselves imagined something when listening to the track, so that in the future the co-listeners would share their impressions.
02. I accidentally got a minimalistic track

[Play Inside]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying. You definitely hit the nail on the head with regard to moody atmosphere and foggy environment. I still don't quite know if the title and thumbnail fit the song, but your intent still is a bit clearer now than it was before.

Overall, nice work. :)

Original 4 Star Review:

"Interestingly, I get a Metorid Prime vibe from this piece. It's got atmosphere.

The title and song thumbnail image don't make much sense to me. I'm curious, what were you thinking when you used those elements?

Also, on a related note, I'm wondering what your thoughts were when you made this piece. Knowing your thought process will give me a better understanding of where you are coming from. Therefore, I can give you more helpful feedback and a more accurate rating, as well as base my review on how well I thought your intent came across rather than only by my own taste.

That said, I do like the piece. It's relaxing and reminds me of stealth games, too.

I hope this helps. :)

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

RJ-Dub responds:

Thanks so much for the review!

If I'm being perfectly honest I'm not sure if I'm familiar with any of the Metroid soundtracks, I remember playing a little bit of the first one (NES) when I was younger but beyond that it's been my only exposure to the series. I was trying to go for a bit of an overcast, cloudy mood, and was inspired by this track from a compilation that was recommended to me on youtube https://soundcloud.com/camilo-gomez-918693624/last-known-spy?in=camilo-gomez-918693624/sets/jazz-noir-mix

Glad you enjoyed it, hope I was able to instill some insight as to what I was trying to go for :)

[H~ "Starlight Paradox" {Preview}]

I think it would be in your best interest if you provided in your description what you were trying to do here. It would help me be better able to give more helpful feedback, a more accurate rating, and allow me to base my review more on how well I thought your intent came through.

For example, why title your piece "Starlight Paradox I ~SS~"? Knowing that would help me get a better understanding of where you are coming from.

I will say, although it's short, I like the piece overall. I think your thumbnail artwork does match the title. Not sure about how it fits the piece, though.

Technically, there are parts in the second half where the volume is distorted in a way that sounds unpleasant, and the ending is awkward because of the way it stops so suddenly. I wonder, was that intended?

I hope you find this review helpful in some way. :)

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

ssymboint responds:

Thank you for your honest opinion. I really do appreciate it. I did try to fix the distortion in the second half but failed :p. Yeah I don't know about the title or thumbnail either so I guess I just did that on the spot. Anyway thanks again for your honest opinion and constructive feedback. xD

[Airfly]

There's some very Minecraft-esque instrumentation going on here. It's quite peaceful.

I think it would be beneficial for you to put in your description what your thought process was when you made this song. That way I can judge based on how well I thought your intent came across rather than based on my own taste. It could also affect my rating and possibly allow me to give better, more useful feedback.

For example, I find the title you chose, Airfly, to be interesting. Why did you pick that name?

Technically speaking, there seems to be some digital clipping at around 1:36 - 1:43. I suggest messing around with limiting, equalizing, and/or volume so the signal comes through more clearly.

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

SarahRBC responds:

Oh! Thanks for your opinion! I will change the description. I pick that name because i was trying to find an inspiration, so i loock at the window and saw something on the music. The rythymic was supposed to be calm, and air makes me happy, and calm.. some way.. ''Technically speaking, there seems to be some digital clipping at around 1:36 - 1:43. I suggest messing around with limiting, equalizing, and/or volume so the signal comes through more clearly'' yes, sure..

[you have angered yophys]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying.

I don't know Undertale, so I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt. I did look up the piece you were inspired by, though. It makes more sense now. Your piece doesn't have anything mario or yoshi-like in it. Nevertheless, for the most part, it's clear what you were trying to do.

Original 4 Star Review:

"This music is intense! I'm squirming in my seat listening to this. D:

Honestly, this is some of the most tension I've heard in one piece in a while. Tension in a song can be difficult to achieve, so regarding that, I say well done. :)

I think it would work well as a loop. Right now, the sudden stop is quite jarring. If you don't want to loop it, you may want to consider fading out the end of the piece.

No idea what the title means, or what you were trying to do here. I suggest putting in your description what your intent, or at least your thought process, was in creating this piece. It would likely help me provide more useful feedback and a more accurate rating, and my review would rely less on my own taste and more on how well I thought your intent came through.

I hope this helps.

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

Kierham responds:

The reason why I made this is because I got inspired by Your Best Nightmare from Undertale and wanted to make this thingy. Yophys is a mix of Alphys(undertale) and Yoshi(mario). I don’t really make my song titles serious anymore and think of some sort of meme material.