Codefreq's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[DarkRoom (chiptune or whatever)]

Some of the chord choices you made have dissonance that do reflect well the vibe you're going for. It's got a retro-feeling, almost cartoon-y horror or what I'd call a "classic maniacal evil" vibe to it. Your inspiration and intent come through quite clearly here.

I think the choice of thumbnail artwork for this piece also fits that vibe.

I will say I'm just guessing what you were going for. Can you tell me what your intent was? It would help me be better able to provide more useful feedback and possibly a more accurate rating. It would also allow me to judge based more on how clearly I thought your intent came through rather than simply by my own taste.

That said, I like the piece. I will say IMO the ending is sudden and awkward. I think it may do better as a loop.

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

SkullPioneer responds:

Pretty much what you described is what I was going for except for the cartoony bit but after listening to it again I sorta see it and yeah I had no idea what to put for the ending so it sounds alittle weird lol, thanks for the feedback mate!

[Electro Trance Loop]

I think this loop could either be a menu screen theme or the start of a race just before the green light. That much is clear.

That said, for this piece to really fit the "racing" music vibe, I suggest building on this loop and escalating it so there's more activity. That way, when the race is on it feels like there's more going on than simply what you have here. Speaking from my experience playing video games, racing games in particular, I think it would keep the person engaged.

I'm also not sure about why you chose the thumbnail artwork for this song. If you explain that, it would also help me get a better understanding of where you're coming from.

Overall, not bad. I hope you find my input useful. :)

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

VoytekPavlik responds:

Hello,

That's an interesting post you made there.

What should I write? Just listen to my other music and check out the links provided there.

Regards,
VP

[:running low:]

UPDATE:

First off, thank you very much for clarifying. I hope reading my review didn't feel like a step on your confidence or self-worth. That wasn't my intent.

The information you shared puts the optimism I got from this piece in context. While I still don't quite see how the "blue bear" purple thumbnail you chose matches up with the feeling of loneliness from the rest of the piece, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on this one.

:)

Original 3 Star Review:

"I don't think this sounds particularly like loneliness. IMO it's too optimistic and Christmas-y to be strictly about loneliness.

I'm curious what about the song made you think of loneliness? Having your input is essential for my review style. It would help me be able to provide better feedback, potentially give a more accurate rating, and base my review less on my own taste and more on how clearly I thought your intent came across.

Also, why did you use the thumbnail art you did for this piece? For me it raises more questions than answers.

Don't mistake my rating for disapproval. I like this song a lot. I'm basing my review on how well I thought your intent came through.

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

frootza responds:

Hey Code--I understand your confusion. At this point in my life, I was isolated. All that I had was music to keep me grounded, and feeling connected to quite literally "anything" I don't know if you personally have been there. But it is difficult.

I currently am paralyzed from the waist down. Which is tremendously traumatic. I appreciate your review. I gave a quick glance at your conceptualized theory. I basically wrote this a few years ago.

The icon is a blue bear, which basically is what "frootza" is--it was deeply rooted in... artists mainly like Daft Punk, who maintained an element of anonymity. Feel free to check the links on my profile/reach out etc for more information on how I personally simplify the most complex music in existence and teach. I do not charge for lessons as I feel as though that is robbery. I teach everyone for free. In a sense, this is me teaching you how to "hold" music the same way I breathe it.

Thanks for the review Code. Much appreciated. I will be posting more and more periodically. I have to thank Mr. Tom Fulp for his help with my recovery and integration back into the community here.

Warm Regards,

-Frootza

[Rebirth from the Darkness]

I'm perplexed by this description. It's more poetic than a clear description of what you were going for. I'm not against poetic descriptions as long as they project a clear vibe, and unfortunately, this doesn't.

I think at the very least, you should provide a clear explanation of what your intent was in creating and releasing this piece. That way I can see where you're intent is coming from and can possibly give better feedback, maybe a more accurate rating. That, and I wouldn't have to base my review strictly on my own taste.

I do like the piece though.

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

TheMusicWarrior responds:

OK, I will to strive

[The Willow Tree]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying. Looking at the thumbnail now, I agree it looks like something out of Riften (from Skyrim). Thumbs up. :)

Original 4 1/2 Star Review:

"Immediately when I started playing this piece I saw the image of a fantasy land's local bar, at the base of a giant tree, for some reason. Think the Skyrim's Solstheim level, in the southeast corner of the island, but the tree is bigger and made into a makeshift bar.

The imagery comes across very well.

I'm not sure why you chose the thumbnail art for this piece. Could you elaborate on that? It would help me, as a reviewer, understand.

Overall, nice job! :)

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

damianbuys355 responds:

To be honest it was kind of an accident. I use a lot of public domain images for my tracks, so I'm kind of at the mercy of what's available.

I couldn't find any tavern/bar images, so I settled on this image. It looks like something you'd find on a door in the Witcher or Skyrim.

[Hypersonic]

First, bear in mind I'm judging this piece more on the sonic quality than the lyrics, though I do think they fit the vibe of the image quite well.

I think the way you mixed the vocals, because of the reverb, does a really good job with making the music feel vast.

I find the title perplexing. Hypersonic is a word to describe extremely fast speed, yet, IMO the song comes across more as demonstrating size rather than travel.

Not sure why you picked the cover artwork (the CD art thumbnail) for this piece. Can you elaborate on that as well?

I also wish you made this longer. Still, I think what you have fits the picture really well.

I would have picked either Synthwave or Pop over Experimental as the genre. That's just me, though.

Overall, although I personally love this piece, I'm scoring it based on how well I thought your intent came across. Not bad, there's just a few things that could be tweaked and make your inspiration come through that much more clearly, and your piece that much more cohesive.

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

Zinitymusic responds:

Thanks for a fantastic review!
I really appreciate it, and will keep your comments in mind! :)

[FM Love]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying.

Knowing that you were essentially doing an homage to FM sound fonts really helped clear things up. So did the change of genre from Pop to Video Game. I stand by what I said about the ending suddenly dropping off; it gives the piece an awkward feel in a way that doesn't seem to fit, IMO.

As for the PC-98 reference, I don't know anything about it, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Glad to see you took my feedback seriously. :)

Original 2 Star Review:

"Let me be clear: My low rating has little to do with how much I like the piece. I find this piece interesting. it reminds me of the final boss battle theme from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, a song I happen to like. I'm basing it off of how clearly I thought your intent came through. To me it sounds nothing like pop in any way. IMO the title doesn't sound like love either. The part of the name, "FM", makes me think of a very different sound, like Synthwave or the like.

Metaphorically speaking, It's like drinking an expensive fine wine when you think you are about to drink carbonated grape juice. Neither are necessarily bad, but the end result is completely unexpected.

In light of this, I think you would benefit from describing what elements you thought represented love and a "pop-like" vibe. It would help me get a better understanding of where you are coming from, and I may be able to provide better feedback and a more accurate rating.

Please understand that I mean no disrespect. I want your piece to succeed. I want to give helpful feedback so you can grow as an artist.

The only specific feedback I can provide right now is related to technical issues, like the sudden drop off at the end. A piece like this would work well as a loop, so I think a sudden drop off makes the piece potentially sound unfinished.

Nevertheless, I hope you found this information useful. :)

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

VilexPlague responds:

The FM did in fact stand for frequency modulation.

Regarding classification, I'm terrible at trying to figure out what genre something I put out is supposed to fit under, so I apologize for the unexpected results.
In response to the technical issues, I'd argue I have no qualms against a sudden drop, though in present mindset I perhaps could've done further work with reverb or a fade of sorts.

My intentions over the usage of love, was mainly my love of what sound fonts could be created by Frequency Modulation, though I should've been more clear as you've pointed out, and so will update the description.

Thank you for your time, and thank you for listening.

[Downward Spiral Of Depression]

Interestingly, this piece sounds to me less like depression and more like a complex, dramatic, romantic kiss scene from a movie.

It has a sad vibe, sure, but that's not what came to my mind at first.

Considering depression can feel less like traditional sadness and more like a painfully numb, low energy struggle (speaking from my own experience, here) I think the saying "less is more" would apply here. What you did isn't necessarily wrong; I can't speak for everyone with depression. That said, I personally think it could be more powerful if you pulled both pulled back on the arrangement and, as an aside, made the song longer.

I'm giving this the rating of 2 1/2 stars not because I dislike it, you understand; I really like it. I'm rating it this way because I feel the message of a "downward spiral of depression" got lost. I want this piece to succeed because I think it has potential to. It just needs a lot of work to get there.

I hope this helps. :)

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

ConnorHeather responds:

Cool, thanks for your interesting and in depth review much appreciated!

[Into the Grid]

UPDATE:

Thank you for clarifying your intent in your response to my review. It seems you were indeed going for the vibe I described.

The only reason I didn't change my rating to 5 stars is because this piece doesn't seem like a soundtrack specifically for a rogue-like game on its own. I'd have to see the visual representation for it to click for me.

Apart from that, I stand by that you got the retro sythnwave-inspired futurism vibe really well nailed down. Good job. :)

Original 3 1/2 Star Review:

"First, you clearly put a lot of thought into the technical aspects of this song. That's undeniable given what you detailed in your description.

Second, be aware that in my reviews I'm less concerned with the technical aspects of arrangement, composition, and mixing on their own merits and more concerned with how all those elements fit together to present a feel or vibe that goes with the intent you have when you make the song.

Now, onto my review:

I think this presents a Synthwave-aesthetic-inspired sci-fi vibe quite well. It makes me think of almost a cyberpunk-type retro-futuristic city with neon lighting everywhere but through a nicer part of town.

That said, I don't think that's what you're going for if I read your description correctly, unless you're thinking of the old twin-stick arcade shooter, Robotron, in which case you did a pretty decent job with it. Since I'm just guessing, I'd like to hear more direct and concise input from you what vibe you were going for with this piece. Right now, it's hard to tell because your description meanders a lot and it makes it more difficult to parse what you are trying to do.

I hope you find this helpful. :)

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

Mik3l24 responds:

Sorry for a late reply, it was like 22 o'clock here in Poland when I've seen your review, way too late for me to write anything meaningful then.

I've noticed this discrepancy between the description of the game and the song itself too while writing it, but now that I'm thinking about it - I was going for the techno/synthwave vibe in terms of the music and a flashy, futuristic visual aesthetic from the beginning. I took inspiration from the soundtracks of PinOut, Tron and to a lesser extent - also Escape Goat, so… this song kinda met what I was going for.
In the first paragraph I more so rambled about my concepts for the story (and that's where the inspiration from HL1 lies) rather than the music or aesthetic. The reference to Nuclear Throne is about the general "arcade'y twin-stick shooter rougelike" gameplay structure, but now I realize that I want to make the visual style, and the game-feel much more like Hyper Light Drifter - which isn't even a rougelike. It still has quite a dark aesthetic, but combines that with some bright accent colors… which is also what I envisioned.
I think that it would make most sense to keep the beginning a bit more… brighter (not sure how to describe that), and only introduce darker, more distressing themes in the deeper parts of the Grid (the game world). This way we can keep this bright music and the dark story.
I hope that this cleared things up.

And… do you really think that I put thought into the technical aspects of this song? Huh. I've always found myself to be totally clueless and disorganized in these terms, always walking the thin line of intuition and trial and error. Well, it could be that I'm simply becoming more experienced in music making. Also, I just like over-explaining things.