ChronoNomad's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[In Love with the Wind]

Simply superb, Lucid! The mixture of Piano One and Yamaha Clavinova lends itself well to the piece, creating a sound that is very full and rich. And by heaven, you certainly did bang this out rather speedily! I am duly impressed. Just one more to go, eh? Gambatte!

I am sorry to hear that your neighbour is so intolerant, not to mention rather unstable. The actual percussive sound of striking the keys bothers him? How utterly absurd, though I have admittedly come into contact with a similar ilk in my time. Such a shame, and I hope that he doesn't punch any holes in the walls with his bloody cane! Methinks he could use a nice, relaxing cup of tea...

All that aside, I do indeed hear some familiar nuances from anime and video games, and since I've been playing the FFX HD Remaster quite a bit lately, it would be hard to not make comparisons even if part of it weren't rather reminiscent of sections from the Ending Theme. But regardless of all those little moments of nostalgia, this piece remains wholly new and original...and totally you.

On a side note, I'm not sure when I'll be releasing my next track, but I am currently working on a little something for Pixel Day! There will also be another singalong starting up around mid January, though Step won't officially be available for mixing until February. Suffice to say, there may or may not be something before January 23rd... Time will tell! :D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks a lot for writing another huge review! I can't wait to get my "revenge" on you :)

Yeah, I find that both my Clavinova and Piano One are good in their own ways, but none of them is really perfect alone. I thought I'd blend them, and the results are pretty neat. It's not the best available sound out there, but it will do :)

And I am indeed guilty of banging on the piano keys for sure. But it's necessary to play with emotion! Thanks; the final piece is a secret special that's already ready for upload on the 31th.

My neighbour probably has some real anger issues. He kept on banging full power more than a minute after I had stopped playing... I mean, yes, he can hear
the percussive sound from the keys through the walls, but still. I always play during day time, when youre allowed to. And sometimes he starts literally in the same minute as I do :(
I'm afraid that he's beyond being rescued by tea, despite its magical calming powers.

And yeah. That FFX Ending Theme thing is the only thing I intentionally mimicked, because I know Jordi likes the piece. I should replay the game too!!! I know that a few parts also sound a bit like the FF7 soundtrack (like the Piano Collections arrangement of Tifa's Theme).
I'm glad to hear that this sounds original in the end though; I worked really hard on this piece today. I wanted it to still have that LSD quality to it, of course. Wouldn't want to disappoint :D

Oh yes! I can't wait to hear something new from you, as I've probably already told you a few times!! :O

I'm looking forward to your Pixel Day track, and of course, for yet another of the amazing singalongs!

Be well, my friend :3

[Facing the Foe - Piano]

Can you believe that I penned your very first review on Facing the Foe way back on September 8th? Why, I would be entirely remiss if I failed to offer up another one now!

I quite like the original, as I'm sure you are aware (*cough* wall of text *cough*), and you guys totally took me to task with it in the NGADM, but you know...there is just something special about an all piano arrangement that really strikes a chord. Pun absolutely intended. ^__~

The loop, as BlueOceans has mentioned previously, sounds entirely seamless. That said, as a fellow composer I can truly appreciate that feeling that nothing is ever perfect, and I find your modesty refreshing. I also remember you mentioning before how you had composed Facing the Foe on piano, and very little of said piano remained in the ADM version, so finally getting to listen to it as it was originally written is a real pleasure! By now I'm quite sure you know just how very partial I am to the sound of those little black and white keys.

Suffice to say, this piece is - and shall remain - a triumph. You have swiftly risen in the ranks of my favourite audio wizards, and you always have the nicest things to say in your own reviews and responses. Have yourself a fantastic New Year, Lucid! I don't know about squeezing three more tracks out before we ring in 2016, but I suppose if anyone can do it...you can. :D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Ahh, I always love your reviews :)
Before I forget, great job on the latest sing-along (So awesome o.O)!

Indeed, thank you for your reviewings. They are a pleasure to read, and make me happy inside :D
Great pun XD
I agree. The piano is, quite obviously, my intrument of choice (That pun is also definitely intended :3).

Yeah, the loop is pretty seamless. I honestly just got lucky, believe it or not! I started the track with free tempo, and ended it with free tempo. Only thing is, there is a slight almost inaudible click sound at the loop (easier to hear with good headphones).

And yes. I couldn't much fit the piano in the orchestraded version of this track. It's partly audible around the middle section, but it's definitely not a main deal om the piece. This is actually a really fun composition to play, and it's not as difficult as it may seem. You only really need to be able to roll your left hand up and down scales, and you've got it covered.
I've been waiting to upload this version for pretty long, but time flew, and I never recorded it, until now :p

There is something quite special in this piece for me too. I don't think I'll be able to compose a better battle theme for a while...
I'm honored to be considered among the top by you. Now, you need to submit something new, ughh! I want to listen to some of your calm, relaxing, beautiful music, dude :O

I hope you have a great New Year as well, Chrono! Hehhe, and about those tracks. Two are already done (one is an improvisation I'm going to upload within 2 hours, and the other one is a secret). And the third one, I will compose today (you could say I got some inspiration, heh).

Thanks a lot, and see you in 2016! :D!!!

[Christmas Memories - Music Box]

Ah, this is another very pretty reimagining, Lucid! You outdid yourself with the 2014 version, and this is a very light and airy successor. The overall pacing and a bit of the note progression bring to mind Epilogue to Good Friends from Chrono Trigger, which I'm sure you're familiar with. :D

Hope you've been enjoying your Christmastime thoroughly. By the sounds of things, you have indeed! ;) Maljanne!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thank you for another nice review, Chrono! :3

I'm afraid I'll have a tough time with surmounting the 2014 version, pianowise. I'm planning on remaking this piece in several different genres, in the coming years. I really love the sound of music boxes, so I thought it both pracical (I'm so busy, aagh!), and pretty to use it as a solo intrument for the entire piece :)

I can definitely hear the resemblance to "Epilogue to Good Friends"! Such a good piece (Actually reminds me a bit of Final Fantasy's "Final Fantasy"). I'll let you in on a secret. While you might not think it, "Christmas Memories" actually took huge inspiration from "Terra's Theme" from FF6 :)
You can hear it in the rhythm, and some of the chord progressions.

Ooh, "Maljanne" is a pretty cool song. I actually hadn't hear it before. I've been enjoying my Christmas, even if there's a lot to do. I hope you've enjoyed yours as well!

Merry Christmas XD

[Frozen Horizon]

Hey, I saw your audio post requesting feedback, so I thought I'd check things out and drop a little critique on you in the process. I find your music rather enjoyable to listen to, so I thought I'd go ahead and become a fan, as well as scout you for the Audio Portal. That puts my butt on the line, so this had better be your own original work, or I'll come back to bite your face off! :P Okay, on to the actual review...

You have a nice mixture of instruments here, and it really gives me that whole 'traversing the arctic expanse' kind of vibe quite well. Very appropriate for the image source provided, and I like how you share your inspiration for each track in this way. I would personally like to hear a bit more from you in the Author Comments, if only a short little blurb, but hey--to each his own.

While most of the instruments are mixed really well, a couple things stand out as being slightly less good to me. First off, there's that tambourine hit. It's a bit too loud and up front in the mix to me, and with it works with tambo, I can see a light jingle bell fitting in even better within my mind's eye. But hey, that's just me. As far as the melodic instruments go, they're all pretty solid, but your main pan flute could use a bit more decay to make the longer notes sound more like they're actually being played. Or just taper off the flute's velocity. Either way.

ietsu responds:

Hey! Thanks for your review ^^ It's my original work, I pinky promise D:

I usually don't extend myself writing down my inspirations for each track because english it's not my first language, so it takes a long time for me trying to express exactly what I think.

Again, thanks for listening and for scouting me! ^^

[Forgotten Green]

Ah, this sounded so incredibly good...until the choir came in. Everything else sounds very nice, extremely well mixed and mastered, but that choir is just not up to snuff and brings down the overall quality considerably. Part of the issue may be the hard and fast attack on each and every note, but finding good choirs and using them effectively is never an easy task.

All your tracks also seem to loop in a very odd way. They sort of fade out, then come back around to the beginning, but it's never what could be considered in any way seamless. This site can play loops beautifully, so you might want to consider making them proper loops, or make them regular songs that just stop at the end. Fading out is generally considered kind of a lame way to end a song, so work on making a true ending if you decide to go that route.

[Innocence Lost [Piano Solo]]

A truly exceptional piano piece, Lucid. The dynamic quality of the music and beautiful mixture of highs and lows, coupled with a tempo that is almost constantly in flux, all make for a truly emotional experience. It simply flows in and out, rising and falling from one progression to the next, and the way you made this transition back to the beginning is no less than flawless.

The previous version is good, but I am well pleased that you decided to upload a version without the ambient effects, as well. I was hoping that you would do so. Thank you for once again sharing the music that resides within the depths of your heart and soul.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks a lot, Chrono :3
I almost always tend to make use of both high, middle and low keys when playing the piano, and when composing. It's pretty much automatic at this point XD
Of course, I always play with emotion too. If I ever play mechanically, it's because the mechanical playing best reflects the emotion I want to go through :P

It's great to hear that people appreciate both the version with the cries, as well as the solo version! Thank you for a beautifully written review , and of course, for listening :)

[The Power of Passion]

Really digging the overall vibe here, LSD. I'm glad that loops are working properly again, and while this is decidedly short, it gets the job done. I don't really have a lot to say, though a bit more variation to the drum pattern would have made this even better in my opinion. That said, whipping up something this solid over the course of an hour and a half is fantastic.

Congrats on scooping up Stormdrum 3 during good ol' Black Friday! I look forward to seeing what else you do with it going forward.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hey dude! Nice to hear from ya :D

Yeah. I became super happy that the audio player was looping properly again, as I really dig me some smooth loops :)
I totally agree about the percussion, it could be a bit more varied for sure. But then again, I made this in a really short time frame, and the main thing I wanted to check, was how much power I could easily get out of this new library. The answer is, a lot more than with anything I've previously owned XD
Do you have anything new on the way? :)

Thanks for listening and for leaving a review!

[Maginot]

Very nicely done, Ceevro. Beautifully written, played, and sung.

The vocal sound reminds me somewhat of Rob Thomas or Counting Crows at times, with a sort of wistful melancholy. Keeping the mix simple is what makes the most sense with a song like this, and most percussion simply wouldn't feel appropriate, unless it were something non invasive like a cymbal roll. A couple acoustic guitars plus vocals just works perfectly here to set the proper tone.

A truly excellent job on your lyrical composition. I love the way you delay some of the timing to really draw out the emotional impact of each word and chord, especially at the end. You really put a lot of time and effort into this piece, and it shows.

Ceevro responds:

Coming from you, that means a lot! Like I said, this was a couple months in the writing/composing phase. I wanted to really make it work right, so I just took my time and let it evolve naturally.

[Dawnfrost]

Sounds good, man. The beats are super chill, nice and catchy. And that overwhelmingly deep bass that never really changed from one end of the song to the other...is gone! I know how hard it is to make solid bass riffs with unsatisfactory speakers, but it sounds like the earbuds got it done. Even headphones make gauging good bass a bit tricky since they tend to automatically boost the bass, so having a couple of sound outputs on-hand, like a good pair of headphones and solid speakers, is the best way to go.

I do think that the build and subsequent drop (or transition into the bass riffs, if you prefer) is rather underwhelming, but for a first attempt I think you're on the right track. The instrument that sounded off before sounds less so now without that deep bass to clash with, so bonus! Keep up the good work.

Hallow responds:

Haha, thanks. The earbuds helped quite a bit, but in the future I'll try listening to it with my boombox (which isn't that easy because it's not anywhere near my desk, but I'll make it work).
What could be improved with the build and drop (because drop is less wordy)? I'd love to be able to make a better one on my next work.
I'm glad that you feel that the high synth is less off - it was the last two notes of that sequence, right? I only started to notice it about two listens after you first pointed it out, so I for one find it sounds more off :P

[Forest of the Black Flame]

Oh my goodness, I just love this piece to black flaming death! It's been giving me chills on every listen, and I've already run through it about half a dozen times. Still a bit on the short side, but...so what? It just plain works.

I can totally hear Eternal Oath in this, but it also brings to mind a couple of great tracks from Chrono Cross, as well. Some really incredible use of Shevannai here, and the entire piece feels very appropriately dark and desolate, with just the right amount of fire and ash sprinkled in.

Neon-Bard responds:

Many thanks, Chrono! Yeah...it's a little short -- I apologize for the short tracks haha!

Eternal Oath is just so darn gloomy, and I really wanted to bring about a similar atmosphere with this piece. The artwork is phenomenal, so it really made creating the track an enjoyable experience. I haven't played Chrono Cross (gasp!), but I will have to check out the soundtrack.

Thanks for listening man! :)