ChronoNomad's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Circutronics - NGADM]

Man, you bring some really interesting ideas to the table here! Your note progression and chord choices tend to feel fresh and different, and you seem to have no problems bouncing from the minor to major scales. Overall, the track has a weirdly fun sort of darkness to it, even if it does come across as pretty chaotic much of the time.

I feel like the main issue is that the overall mix is kind of muddy, but with so much going on it's really difficult to tell which instruments are the main offenders. There's definitely a lot of reverb attached to those sweeping synths and, from what I can tell, quite a few others as well. Dial back that reverb for a clearer sound. And hey, my older stuff is positively swimming in mud, so I know the struggle is real.

The drum samples used here are pretty low in quality, and that random tambourine hit at the end of the tom-drum break riff at 1:29 sounds wildly out of place. Maybe that was your intention, maybe you just didn't know what else to do there, or maybe it's just me and you totally love it. Either way, every single time I listen, that random tambo distracts me completely and just leaves me scratching my head.

To me, the whole thing sounds like some kind of space-y carnival of doom. I generally like the 8-bit elements you've mixed in here, and there's some really fun arpeggio work going on. But the ending tricks me into believing that it's gearing up for something more, then it all just ends very abruptly. Ah, well. Still a really fun, weird, and chaotic ride through your imagination!

8.98 out of 10

Spadezer responds:

Hahaha, space carnival of doom

Yeah I guess having a careless amount of reverb will make the track genrally muddy. I was hoping that it would help fill more of the track but it's good to turn it off every once in a while right? I usual tried to stay away from reverb but experimented with it this time.

I like the different aspects that you were able to point out and I admire your observations. Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[-Dark Matter-]

Right off the bat, this track is an absolute blast to listen to! It's got some great energy, which really seems to be your forté. It all starts off with a bit of sweet downtempo, with a very nice mix of sounds, from synth to percussion. When the bass drops down an octave and you start adding all those other growls and distorted elements it gets even more fun, and you continue varying your beats to keep things interesting.

The main thing I struggle with is the lead that starts coming in at 1:38. Early on it seems to have a lot of pitch-bend going on, which doesn't sound good at all to me when the notes are already so short. The instrument choice itself is probably my least favorite in a mix that otherwise sounds pretty solid. It just doesn't fit together as well as the rest does, so it comes off as low-quality and fairly cheesy. But at least that bending eases up after about ten seconds, even if the lead more or less clashes with the other elements in the track.

Melodically, this piece is honestly quite lacking, and it all comes to an end with just one more standard rising sweep and crashing boom. Pretty lackluster, and definitely areas for improvement.

Your perc and bass really shine though, and those drum samples are super tight! You start mixing these elements together with better melody ideas, and you will truly become a force to be reckoned with.

8.94 out of 10

[Just a Little Improv]

For being an improv, this certainly doesn't sound very improvisational! But that's just your talent shining through, manipulating those eighty-eight black and white keys the way you do...

While the bluesy section near the end probably sounds the most telling as an actual improv, it's also one of my favorites because it's got such personality and soul. Which is really saying something since the entire piece from start to finish is wildly engaging.

Many thanks for yet another musical ride through your imagination, Lucid! May you continue to bless the world with such fantastic aural sustenance for many years to come.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Aww, thanks for showing some much appreciated love!
I'm still constantly trying to improve my piano skills through the laziest means possible; just playing whatever until I learn :'D
While I still can't sight read sheet music, at least I've learnt to play just "whatever" somewhat decently by this point :3

I've been trying to learn to play that blues scale somewhat smoothly this summer. Like, not as a major project, but I've been thinking about my finger placement, and doing random rolls up and down every now and then while playing. Eventually, I'll have it properly in my repertoire!

Thank you again, for the incredibly encouraging words!

P.S. Seems like another intense round, btw! Good luck with the judging :)

[-Round 2-]

This ended up being the closest bracket in the Round of 32, with a mere difference of .004 between you and your opponent, MrKoolTrix! You guys were particularly well-matched, and that's what made for such a fascinating battle. It could have gone either way, but you are to be congratulated for ultimately coming out on top!

There are a lot of really fun elements you've added to this track, nice little nuances here and there that spice things up. Which is good because it can - at times - feel a bit repetitive when some of these ideas are played out for too long. Fortunately, you do have several very solid ideas that you move through from one end of the track to the other, so no sections really end up suffering too much, except for your starting bass progression which could use a few more change-ups to keep it from sounding stale. Play around with the note timing some more, go up instead of down or vice versa; there are a bunch of different things you could have done with it, to be honest.

This track could have really benefited from a nice change of pace at some point, either by leaving out the bass and percussion and bringing it back in slowly or with a smooth transition, or by changing up the drums to something slower paced and/or syncopated. It's just always a good idea to ease the tension a bit at some point, which you sort of did a little bit around 1:16, but that would have been a good opportunity to leave out the bass for a bit, as well. Other than that, it was pretty much just hard-hitting beats without any kind of real pause. The kicks also get swallowed up by the other elements much of the time, so they could have used a bit more punch to them.

Both you and your competitor really brought the energy and intensity to this round! Welcome to the Round of 16, and I'll be looking forward to hearing what you've got up your sleeve this time around. Good luck!

8.2 out of 10

[Lavender Air Balloon]

And Finn bangs out yet another fantastic NGADM hit! How does he do it, folks?

You know, before this year's Audio Deathmatch, I hadn't even really encountered your talent much on the site. Obviously, that has changed quite a bit at this point, and you are now very much on my radar.

While The Afterlust is a truly fantastic track, you've really outdone yourself with Lavender Air Balloon. The overall song structure is excellent, it's catchy as hell, your instruments come together beautifully, the mix is the clearest it's been so far, and your vocals possess pure star power. To be honest, I'm going to have a hard time giving much in the way of actual useful feedback, but I shall do my best!

In all honesty, the first time I listened to this track, I found myself shaking my head when it all started out with drumsticks. Even when bands do it to get everyone on tempo, it tends to come off as more than a bit clichéd. But then the music started, big and bold, and I could at least understand your decision to kick things off that way. The more I listened, the more it grew on me, but since I know this is a one man show I'll probably always wonder if there wasn't a better option.

About the only other thing that I personally found to be less than stellar was the bridge. The purely instrumental part feels too long before moving into the vocals, and while I believe removing that entire second run-through would be too much, I think a well-made half phrase could have worked out nicely, which of course would require a fair amount of extra effort to meld into the flow.

Those first two instances of "Take a breath, breathe it in, believe in this feeling" are surprisingly deep, and since they don't possess your usual higher falsetto, it ends up sounding rather unlike you, which I found to be a bit jarring. But the real issue here is that these don't come through as well in the mix, and they get pretty well overshadowed by the instrumentation. Still, it adds to the dramatic ramp when you do go higher, which ultimately leads to that beautiful tension that you relieve so effortlessly as you enter the final chorus. While it all works out very nicely in the end, those low vocals need something more to make them more prevalent within the overall mix. I suppose boosting the volume would have worked to some degree, but I feel like using effects to enhance those vocal lines in some way could have served in a greater capacity.

And hey, that's pretty much all I've got! Clearly not a lot of constructive criticism that I can give since I mostly went super in-depth with just a few admittedly minor issues. The song itself has such an uplifting sense of joy that I can't possibly listen without smiling. Love you, love this track, and I cannot wait to hear what you come up with next time! Best of luck to you in the Round of 16, good sir.

9.79 out of 10

FinnMK responds:

So kind as always. Good tips though, thanks for the feedback.

[~SW~ Simpler Times]

This is so beautiful and melancholic, Skye. Nothing to be embarrassed about; you sound fine, and the voice sections are melded into the mix well. While it weighs in at an otherwise daunting eight and a half minutes, the decidedly chill and relaxing vibe makes the time go by like that! *snaps fingers*

I'm kind of right on the fence with that glock, but I can really appreciate the idea. There's just enough reverb to make it work, though I feel as though a soft panning echo or something would have helped it to fit in a bit better. But I also wonder how it would have sounded as an actual music box...

Regardless, I thank you for the ambient journey. All music is personal by nature, but when you start adding vocals or voice recordings like this, it becomes even more so. Big ups for stepping outside your comfort zone.

SkyeWint responds:

Aw, thank you, CHrono! I appreciate it :)

...and aw, damnit. You're totally right, a soft panning echo to the glock would have been perfect. Nice spot!

This was kinda a personal piece - it was personal in that I made it, but the story isn't exactly mine. Made by me, perhaps - but not mine. Either way, was a very fun thing to try, and I do want to try making more ambient stuff in the future. :)

[-Starfight-]

Straight out of the gate, I really love the upbeat nature of your track! That trumpet-like synth is total cheese, and therefore comes across as pretty silly in the mix, but I can't help enjoying it a little despite myself. Your kick has some punch to it, which is always good, but the snares and claps end up getting lost in the mix. While the beat could do with a bit more presence at times, it nevertheless serves to drive the song forward as it should. But overall, I find the mixing here to be quite solid.

You've got some really fun and cool elements in here, and I really enjoy what you've done with the Formant. That does happen to be something of a favorite of mine, and while I get called out whenever I use Sytrus presets, those same people also tend to admit that my Formant sounds good. Anyway, I really like how you've manipulated it here.

And man, I generally quite like the bass you chose for this, and while I know what you were going for around 1:37, that particular bass instrument makes the timing sound slightly off. I think it may be the instrument's attack, which seems to be just a little too slap-ish for that particular section. But as I've said, I can see what you were trying to do, and I love it...with another bass.

What this track seems to be missing is true cohesiveness between each section, so the structure comes off as a bit lackluster. But man, is it ever fun to listen to! You've made a super upbeat song that has a few flaws, but I really enjoy the ride every single time. In fact, I'm listening one more time before I finish up here because, well...it quite simply puts a smile on my face!

Best of luck in your match-up against MrKoolTrix in the Round of 32! I have no doubt that it's going to be a really intense battle between you two. I am very much looking forward to your next offering to the Audio Deathmatch. Fight on!

7.7 out of 10

[Seres]

Now, I know that you started out feeling a whole lot of pressure, first of all because Peaks earned you the highest scoring Audition track, and second because you were immediately matched up against the daunting team of bassfiddlejones & joshgawaldomusic. That much is perfectly understandable, and I cannot fault you for cursing the heavens over such a fate and unleashing the occasional primal yell. Regardless, you pulled yourself together and made another superb track for the Round of 64. I was just as sorry as anyone to see you exit the arena, but now that you're back in I am eager to hear what awaits us from here on out!

Okay, enough about that. On to the review!

Straight out of the gate, we have this very deep yet chill bass-y progression. While, at first listen, it sounds as though there's some sort of unintended popping going on at certain points, upon further inspection I believe that to be the introduction of percussion, due to its rhythmic nature. Next we have that high pan flute, which is quite beautiful, but does seem to have a little too much presence since those especially high frequencies come across as almost painful when listening through my headphones headphones. While switching over to speakers works a bit better, I still believe that there's an overabundance of loudness within the first 28 seconds. A softer combination could have made for a more dynamic and somewhat less harsh-sounding intro. After that, moving on to the fuller, more naturally louder section at :29 would have made an even bigger impact.

On the whole, this track possesses a really relaxing, chill sort vibe. The exception, of course, comes in around 1:21 when the music takes a darker turn. While I found the glitch to be just a bit startling at first, upon subsequent listens I have grown quite used to it and ultimately enjoy the break. It works quite well as a transition, and while that isn't always the case and glitch can easily be overused to the point where it loses effect, that doesn't seem to be a problem here.

You yourself have already brought up the fact that this track is an amalgamation of ideas, ultimately sacrificing a certain level of cohesion, and while that isn't usually the best plan of action within a contest like you, I can't help but feel as though you've managed to pull it off...for the most part. Your transitions are the real workhorses here, tying together each individual section in surprisingly convincing ways. You are indeed to be commended for such a feat, but the fact remains that some parts feel more well-connected than others. You are obviously prepared to accept that reality completely, so I feel that no more need be said.

Moving on to a few more of the inherent issues, there's a whole bunch of popping going on from 3:15 to 3:23. While this is glaringly obvious with headphones, it's a bit more subtle coming out of my speakers. Either way, that is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed, and while the synth itself shouldn't cause that kind of anomaly, it seems to be more attached to the long release or echo/delay that was applied.

And that pretty much brings an end to the constructive feedback portion of our review! I hope that you haven't already heard all of this a dozen times over, but I try not to read and therefore bias my own reviews by looking at those of others. I also prefer to write them live, which gives me an opportunity to listen a few more times as I really dig into the material at hand. May you find this feedback helpful going forward, and best of luck to you in the Round of 32!

9.25 out of 10

Onefin responds:

> "Next we have that high pan flute, which is quite beautiful, but does seem to have a little too much presence since those especially high frequencies come across as almost painful when listening through my headphones headphones"

Headphones headphones? Am I supposed to need those to hear it shrieking like everyone insists it is instead of singing like I hear it is?

Lack of cohesion is generally more or less of an unavoidable accident for me, because it'll just be that I try to make the next sensible section of a track but then 30 minutes later it'll be completely different from how I originally envisioned it and welp no turning back now. Reprimanding it with transitions was all I could do - good thing it happens enough that I've had tons of practice :P Somehow I need to figure out how to avoid that

The culprit of 3:15 was the tempo change. I was waiting for someone to bring it up. I tried may things to get the popping to go away but unfortunately my synths reacted very strangely to tempo adjustments.

Hey thanks for the review and thanks for being awesome and stuff :) I'll see what I can do this next round, not sure what will happen

[Endowment]

There is some really catchy stuff going on in this track, at least from my perspective. Admittedly, some of the instrument combinations are highly unorthodox, but since I tend to believe that one of our jobs as musicians is to break free of the normal schema of ideas and try new things, regardless of how well they may or may not work, I applaud your quite obviously extensive efforts. If I have learned anything about you at all over the past several months, it's that you have a lot of unique ideas percolating up inside your gray matter.

Let's start with your choir, for instance. While many of those quite sudden note shifts are jarring and decidedly unreal early on in the mix, when the other instruments start filling things out, it becomes much less noticeable. Next, the saxophone. That tends to be a pretty undervalued instrument, and it can admittedly be hard to make sound convincing, but I felt that you used it to good effect most of the time. The only part that I found to be particularly jarring was the sax that comes after the pause around 5:50, and while it's certainly a novel idea, it just doesn't really work for me as an effective transition.

There are so many different elements found herein, it's really difficult to even know what to focus on in a review. I do see that the more dissonant string ideas have been touched upon, and I find myself being of two minds about them, myself. For instance, the one at 3:05 sounds okay as it is, but I can't help but think that an extra note between the other two might have sounded even better by alleviating just a little bit of the dissonance.

As far as the percussion goes, while I do believe the early drums could have benefited from a bit more presence, listening with my headphones the only spot where they really feel too soft is between 1:44 and 1:55. At that point, the percussive velocities have increased enough to compensate for the louder instrumentals. The rock drums have no trouble owning their presence within the mix, whatsoever. I find myself quite enjoying the drum beats you've got going on, from front to back.

Well, I ultimately don't want to bog you down with too much exposition, but you've done a pretty darn solid job here in my estimation. Is it your best? Probably not, but it's an important stage in your musical journey, and a very nice addition to your repertoire. Besides, your best is yet to come!

7.72 out of 10

[[0003-DCOF] 血祭]

Despite your technical difficulties with this track, I find myself quite enjoying it until the abrupt and understandable cut-off. It's deep and dark with a rich tapestry of orchestral sound, an interesting mixture of electronic elements, and topped off with percussion that really fits the vibe.

There's a lot of popping that begins right around the 15-second mark, continues on for a while, then appears here and there throughout the track. I feel like you made solid use of the stereo field, and while I really enjoy the dynamics, what we have here mostly feels like build-up for whatever was coming next, so we never quite get there. I suppose I shall just have to wait for your next submission to the Audio Portal!

Elbows can be really willful, naughty little things, can't they? That kind of accident would probably wreck my ability to concentrate and successfully finish a piece of music, too. And at that point, it was probably too late to start something new even if you had been able to. Nevertheless, I am much more impressed by a greatly truncated track bravely entered into the NGADM than no track at all! Keep right on moving forward with that same sense of determination.

6.5 out of 10

DwightFalcon responds:

Hi ChronoNomad,

Yes indeed I plan on making a suspense into bombastic orchestration score however my attempt is unsuccessful. Perhaps I will remake this track once I find time to convert them into midi format.
Also thanks again for review and your hardwork in organizing this competition. :)