ChronoNomad's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Scent of Dew]

Hello, Lucid! I always kind of vanish for a while when I'm working on projects, and my schedule was fairly crazy during the beginning of Spring break, so my NG activity has been pretty sparse of late. Hoping to rectify that a bit, and this track seems like a great place to start! :D

This one instantly brought Clannad to my mind, and even as I was reminiscing, the tone shifted from the soft and delicate piano to something much bigger. Ultimately, this piece ended up reminding me of many familiar musical ideas, all wrapped up in one fantastically LSD-original package.

Some parts reminded me of Joe Hisaishi's style, a few different video game themes, and a couple of classic composers, but the music kept evolving and changing from moment to moment. I sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed my time spent here very much. I'll be watching you play this in just a moment, but I had to leave a review before getting lost in it all over again.

I think that my only real regret is that there doesn't seem to be as much variation to the velocities as there could be. A softer attack in the sparser sections, mostly at the front and back of the piece, would have had an even greater impact, I think. But the warmth is very nice, regardless. Oh! And I just noticed that you mentioned certain parts being inspired by Joe Hisaishi in your Author Comments. Guess I called that one. xD

An absolutely beautiful composition, overall. I may not be completely in love with the title, but that's more a personal preference than anything, and your ideas come across just fine through the music. Besides, coming up with a title that sums up the feel of an entire track is far from easy.

May you never stop composing from the heart, my friend. I hope that 2008 has been, and continues to be, very good to you.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hello Chrono!
I wasn't expecting this review, but it was a nice surprise!
I've been both busy, and not. Like, I thought I wouldn't be busy the past few weeks... But they've called me into work as a substitute teacher whenever I happened to have free time xD (I think they're psychic)!

I can certainly see some of the resemblance to Clannad in this, though it wasn't intentional! I agree that the whole piece is reminiscent of other tracks; I just don't know exactly which ones :D
I'm glad if you caught the Joe Hisaishi likeness without reading about it in the author comments first! His style is so magical!!
I think that most of what I compose almost automatically has elements inspired by video games, as I love so many game OSTs and composers :3

I agree with your note about the velocities! I was actually aware of that from the start, but I didn't have much time for producing this. I wanted the warm piano sound, while I also wanted to retain the power. It ended up making the higher register a bit harsh. I think my actual playing was softer, while the VST with my settings makde it sound less dynamic.

As for the title, it's multi-layered! I like it, and I wouldn't change it regardless. That's about all I have to say about that though :p

Thanks a lot for all the nice words! 2008 was a pretty good year, if I recall. What was I, 13? I must've started high school in the fall and all xD
May you have a good 2018 as well!!! ^________^

[Come Down]

Man, this one has a very cool vibe. I actually missed the initial version since I was either away from home or otherwise occupied pretty much all weekend, so I find this secondary release to be rather fortuitous. I'm sure that I would have found my way back to it at some point, but having it at the top of my Friends & Favorites gives me a fantastic place to start my Newgrounds day!

My first listen was just over my little Logitech speakers, and it already sounded great, but now I'm giving your track the attention it deserves by listening again through my Skullcandy headphones. All I can say is, color me impressed...all over again! And apparently I've missed out on a few mixing issues, not that I'd have ever known if you hadn't told me.

Suffice to say, having this track grace my synapses is a true pleasure. I quite simply love everything about it. Nice tempo, solid length, beautiful harmonies, and some stellar vocoder work, especially considering that this was your first time out. Not that I can actually understand what's being sung half the time, mind you. Might you consider adding lyrics within the Author Comments? Just a thought.

Thanks for another epic ride, McG! You da bes.

McGorilla42 responds:

Hey, Chrono!

Thank you so much for the great review! The mixing issue that forced me to re-upload was mostly to do with the vocoders after moving it over to Pro Tools to limit and compress the mix, which made them piercingly loud for some reason. I prefer the metering in PT for some reason, but after a lot of issues there, I decided to just stick to Cubase for that.

I'm so happy you enjoyed it and that it sounded good on your speakers! :) I'm going to seriously look at getting monitors SOON because I feel like it's the next step I need to take.

As for lyrics -- I had a conversation with Skye about this because she said that I often sing unintelligibly and should enunciate, but I actually like unclear lyrics that aren't initially obvious or obvious at all. My conversation with her made me realise that I needed to commit to being either entirely understandable or not, so I decided to go with the "not". The lyrics in this aren't particularly amazing because I didn't have too much time to write any, but they sorta fit the melody and mood! :) The one lyric is "Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm coming down" which is probably only intelligible because it's the name of the song.

Thank you again for the review and for listening! I really appreciate it. I'll try make another song before the end of the week!

[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.