ChronoNomad's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Chaser]

This one has a really cool sort of dark tension, and it reminds me of some classic 80's movie soundtracks. I can see a well-armed S.D. Bob "Snake" Pliskin roaming a post-apocalyptic city at night in my mind's eye. Or maybe a scene from Blade Runner. Just really loving that sound!

I don't honestly have much to critique in this instance, but there are some times where the melody seems a bit thin. Adding harmonies here or there, or even harmonic echoes, to the main melodic lead could enrich the sound. Besides that, it all sounds great.

Basically, what I mean by "harmonic echoes" would be to repeat the melody line, but timed a bit later so that it becomes like a whole other harmonic layer. Not really sure if there's a term for that or not.

I also wanted to take a moment to comment on how beautifully you've been adding reverb to your snares in all these tracks! It really gives them that old school charm.

McGorilla42 responds:

Hey! So happy to hear from you yet again :)

Definitely agree with the lead melody line -- I agree that it feels a little thin. I think that some of the other elements are quite frequency-rich and don't leave much space for mids to shine through in the lead, which is something I'll look at! I really enjoy your idea though -- it tackles the problem in a different way from simply EQing around it. I'll add it to the list and see what I can play with to get it sounding a bit richer. Almost like a delay, I'm guessing? Actually, now that I think about it, one of the last things I did to that melody was to pull back the delay on it and remove some of the chorus so it sat a bit more central because it was getting lost...Hmm! I'll check it out when I go back :)

And thanks about the reverb! I've been playing more with reverb and delays lately and have been trying a more gentle EQ on them so they can actually be heard. I usually did a 600hz/6k bandpass, but that really makes them barely audible, so I let more of the highs through, which suits the style! I'm kind of scared of misusing reverb and delays, but I feel like I'm getting at a point where I'm able to manage them more effectively and I'm glad you noticed.

Keep well, Chrono!

[Minor High]

Aw yeah, loving those toms! It's fun to be part of someone's process, even in such a small way.

This one sounds perfectly awesome, but I feel like there's a missed opportunity in the final section, where you could have added another layer and noodled around a bit. I love the Funk, and you totally brought it, but a little Jazz fusion would have been extra tasty!

Always enjoy your jams, man. Looking forward to the next installment. Excelsior!

McGorilla42 responds:

I was wondering if some guitar might have done the trick on this one and worked as that extra layer you mentioned? I'm thinking once I've spammed a few of these out, I'd like to return to them to tweak them. It's almost like I'm trying to separate myself from the writing and mixing and final tweaky stage (or maybe this is just a great excuse to be lazy). I'll refer to all of your feedback if I go back to that stage! I think I might have gone a bit ham with the toms because they're like 50dB louder than everything else haha.

Thanks for listening, Chrono! I really appreciate it :) Hopefully I'll have another one up tomorrow!

[Rerouted]

A very cool Synthwave track, especially considering the time constraints you put on yourself. I found myself enjoying the chill vibe from start to finish, though I do feel as though the sparser central section could have benefited from a burst or two of classic 80's electronic tom drums.

Suffice to say, a very nice throwback jam! Somewhat repetitive musical themes overall, and I love to hear a bit more variance, but I can't really fault you for it since the whole thing was cranked out in the space of a day. Always happy to hear something new from you, man.

McGorilla42 responds:

Hey, Chrono! :) Very happy to hear from you and to see this feedback. I noticed that a lot of synthwavey stuff is really repetitive, but I'll explore ways to keep it repetitive, but in an interesting way. And I'll definitely add some of those toms to the next one -- I know exactly what you're talking about and those are the bomb. Hope you're doing well :)

[Gold Fever]

Certainly a beautiful, triumphant-sounding solo piano piece, Lucid! Some of the sections are full of wild energy, while others are softer and more delicate, creating a very nice balance overall.

Really fantastic tempo and key changes, not to mention excellent use of sustained chords to great effect. Not to mention tons of gorgeous arpeggios that cascade across my synapses, now lower, then higher, and finally tapering off into the distance at the very end. Ah, but then you always shine so brightly when your fingers start dancing across the keys!

A truly stellar composition and performance that deserves, nay - demands - to be a part of the 2018 Winter Olympics games. Best of luck to you, my friend!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Beautiful and triumphant is indeed what I was going for ^____^
I made use of most of my piano "tricks" for this piece. The base for the piece only took me two days to write, as I was very inspired, but I kept making small changes and additions. It took me two more days to be able to play the piece even somewhat decently! But it was fun :D
For the rest of the week, I intricately edited all the notes, in order to bring forth the best quality I could. I also wanted to try something new with my mixing. I was inspired by this piece from Yuri on Ice (a decent anime, but I really love the track):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn7YErdX-X8

I figured figure skating isn't that far from the Olympics, after all :'D

Thank you for noting the intricate details of the piece!! This track is pretty much based around creating tension to the max :3
I saw that you posted "Keep Moving Forward" to the competition too. I really like that piece, so I wish you well!

[8bit bEtty - Fall Upon Your Sword]

Happy Pixel Day!

If I'm being perfectly candid, I don't generally have much interest in vocaloid productions, but this track is more the exception than the rule. The music and vocals are so perfectly melded together, it just...works. Beautifully.

Fantastic melodies, deeply rich harmonies, highly imaginative and well-written lyrics, and some truly fantastic percussion elevate this straight to my short list of favorite tracks this Pixel Day. The only thing that bothers me at all is that sometimes, when the instrumentals are particularly rich and harmonious, they tend to drown out the main vocals somewhat. Beyond that, pure gold.

sleepFacingWest responds:

Thanks! That’s something I need to work on. I’m heavily influenced by shoegaze and typically just use vox as another layer in the instrumentals a la “my bloody valentine” but I realize this can be problematic in a more traditional sort of song structure.

[Evilgrapez - Start Up]

Happy Pixel Day!

Man, first off, your bass work here is exemplary. Super smooth and just plain tasty. Lots of really sweet retro goodness to be had here, and these Chip/EDM hybrids of yours just keep getting better and better. Kicks are nice and punchy, just how I like 'em. Your instrumental palette is vivid, and they all mesh well.

There's a lot of rich harmony going on through much of the track, and the beats are tremendous. Loving those well-placed key changes, too. I'm not usually a big fan of fade-outs, but you've made a really cool one here that feels very genre-appropriate. Very nicely done!

Evilgrapez responds:

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your compliment on the bass. I've been learning how to make better bass rhythms since I started actually playing the instrument, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I'm glad the key changes were okay, too!

Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of fadeouts either, but I liked this one too much to not include it.

I really appreciate all your comments here. Thank you so much for the review! Happy Pixel Day, and good luck!

[Playing Numbers]

Happy Pixel Day!

Seems to me that you chose the best possible time to really do something with this idea. You should definitely be happy with the results. Yet another very interesting and imaginative submission, and one that I've thoroughly enjoyed.

Some fantastic, rich chords going on at certain intervals, and you break them up very nicely with the lighter retro bites...or is that bytes? A rich palette of sound without using a ton of instruments, and while everything works really well together, I can't end my review without mentioning how incredibly solid your percussive work is here. Exceptional.

Only that final, sustained bass note is particularly odd. You did that on purpose, didn't you? xD

littlbox responds:

Wow! Thank you so much, Chrono! I'm really glad you enjoyed it (except that final note; yes, it was on purpose :P). Happy Pixel Day!

[Ocelotl (Megadrive Reboot)]

Happy Pixel Day once again!

Another very faithful recreation...this time of the Sega Megadrive sound. In some ways I like this track better than the other one. It has a unique sort of dark vibe to it. The progressions are nice, and the timing makes it even more interesting. There's some dissonance happening, especially between the xylophone and bass, but I kind of dig it. Not a ton a variety, but it makes for a very nice loop.

LexRodent responds:

Happy Pixel Day !
I liked this one better too despite being shorter and somewhat simpler.
Some dissonances were meant to be, but maybe the vibrato I added to the xylophone it's too much, I'll give it a check. Thanks a lot for your reviews.

[Pulse (Super NES Reboot)]

Happy Pixel Day!

I like what you've done here, and I think you have managed to faithfully recreate that classic SNES sound with your remake, but there's not really much in the way of variety in the timing or progressions. The whole thing sounds very nice, but never really gets off the ground, so to speak. Mixing things up a bit more can really break up the monotony, and try to up your game with remakes — it's a chance to really get creative!

LexRodent responds:

Happy Pixel Day !
I never tried to make 16 bit style music before, good to know the sound was the right one. Thanks for the advice I'll definitely take it and give this piece another shot in the future.

[Sundown Overtime]

Happy Pixel Day!

A really unique submission, with a very different vibe from what I've been hearing today.

This is generally pretty chill, maybe lacking a bit in the variety department composition-wise, but nicely done. Your instrument palette is very nice, and three minutes is a solid length of time, though it tends to feel more like buildup than explosive. Overall, a very nice combination of retro and EDM vibes.

demon1000 responds:

Happy Pixel Day!

thanks for the Review, I can see what you mean by Buildup... i gotta work on that for awhile... Anyways its been awhile since i got back but hopefully i could do better i guess... Thanks Again!