ChronoNomad's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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. :)

[Gottcha]

From reading your Author Comments, it seems like you didn't really have much time to work on this, which does explain the rather rushed feeling of the composition. There's just not a whole lot going on at one time, and while not every track needs a full-to-bursting sort of sound, this comes off as being much too sparse.

There's a lot of really high frequency synth happening, and then you add in some lower frequencies, but the mid-range feels incredibly empty pretty much from beginning to end. The bass does have a nice deep feel as I listen with headphones, and you've got some nice yet fairly basic dubs going on here and there, but I can really easily keep track of everything that's going on in a single listen. You can often tell a really solid track by the nuanced layers that are happening all throughout, and some of the best ones require at least two or three listens to really get a true grasp of everything that's going on.

The drop was honestly more than a little bit lackluster, and didn't really feel like a drop at all. Where was the tell-tale pause in the moment just before the heavy bass and Dubstep wubs take over? That preceding long, descending note felt uninspired and came off as being more than a little cheesy.

You certainly have potential, and the only way for any of us unlock it further is through experience. Keep on listening to those guys you admire without trying to emulate their styles too much. Be your own man and discover your own road. Let's see where your musical journey leads you...

6.8 out of 10

JaThu responds:

Thanks! most of this was based on other songs and is not personal at all, I'll expand it later when I feel more inspired to do so, for now, thanks for taking the time to point weak spots (not sarcasm), I appreciate it, specially coming from you! next year is going to be different ;)

[War and Peace]

I can actually kind of see what AlexFalcon is saying when he calls this Celtic. While the music itself isn't intrinsically Celtic in nature, it does indeed exist within the spirit of the track, especially in all those lovely grace notes that speak of Emerald Isles and majestic highlands.

Those first few seconds of the song actually seem to be completely devoid of sound, but when I crank my volume WAY up, I can finally hear the very first bird calls. I might personally have preferred if you had started with the second set that are a bit more audible, but that's nothing more than a personal observance and nitpick. I would really hate for anyone lacking in patience to click away without experiencing your track to its fullest, but then I suppose it wouldn't be much of a loss.

Okay, so honestly--where do I start? I haven't given out a perfect 10 yet in this competition, but yours is one of several that comes oh so close. Let's just jump right to the end, shall we? It ends a bit like it all begins, with some lovely running water that almost makes me feel as though I'm about to get my feet wet. Suffice to say, your ambient elements exist very realistically within the mix, and are quite appropriate within the ebb and flow of the piece.

As for the instrumentals, they begin with such a delicate layer of piano, and oh! There are some of those beautiful grace notes already. The percussion used here also lends itself well to the mix, and while it's softer than most drums I've heard of late, I cannot really imagine anything else working as well. Then there's that soulful low flute incorporated into the mix here and there, and I simply love how the vibrato sounds on that, not to mention how perfectly it comes in at just the right time. The track itself could be overrun with very high frequencies considering the instruments used, but you've made excellent use of the full range of sound, and the lows and mid-ranges come across just as wistfully and ephemeral as all the rest.

Moving on to your written lyrics and vocalization, once again--what can I say that I haven't already? Such beautifully rich harmonies, and they are mixed incredibly well. You have truly come a long way with your vocal mixing, Jordi. Your singing matches the tone of the lyrics so perfectly that it almost brings a tear to my eye. Those side-yodeled notes sound right on target the lion's share of the time, although things do still get a little bit dicey on the lower end at times.

Suffice to say, for not having a lot of time to really work on this due to a sudden increase in busy-ness, you really knocked it out of the proverbial ballpark. My biggest complaint is that you had to go and boot the team of Lucid and SnowTed from the competition, but hey--it IS a Deathmatch, after all.

Keep on doing what you're doing, Jordi! You'll be up against JacobCadmus in the Round of 32, and now that he's added vocals to his already quite solid repertoire, it's going to be quite the anticipated battle. Be sure to bring your A game to the arena. Excelsior!

9.55 out of 10

[The Afterlust]

Man, full disclosure, this track is so catchy that it's earwormed itself straight into my heart. It pops up in my head on a daily basis, which prompts me to find my way back to the track here, and now I'm giving it yet another listen as I write up your requested review. It simply does not get old, and is of such obvious professional quality that I am proud to offer you the courtesy of feedback.

Every time I listen to that intro, I feel as though I'm about to listen to the newest Coldplay hit! Hopefully you view that as a good thing, and I personally enjoy their music quite a bit despite all the crap that folks tend to give the group. But for the most part, that's where any similarities to preexisting tracks end.

All those live instruments sound so good, and you manage to combine each one together so that it has its own presence within the overall mix. That selfsame mix is quite clear, and your particularly well-sung vocals, which are also very well written, are loud enough to be understood even without the addition of lyrics. However, as I find to be the case quite often when such elements are mixed together, the music is a little on the loud side, while the vocals themselves could use just a little bit more volume to really give them all the presence they deserve.

You harmonize beautifully with yourself, Finn! And I know how very hard that can be to do. Your drumming is excellent, and I love that sparseness at 1:42 that leads up to the "...but it still hurts" where you drop everything, even the piano before coming in again with a full clash of instrumental brilliance at 2:07. Good heavens, what a hook! And then there's this section of marching snares that creates a wholly different kind of vibe that really gives me the feeling of walking with real purpose down that very road of which you speak.

What more can I even say? I'm already gushing way too much. Your bass playing should also be noted, not only because it's so good and probably one of the more overlooked facets of the music, but also because there's so much personality to it as you work the strings, especially with all those low fret sounds.

There are in fact a couple more elements that just don't quite come together for me, so I might as well get those out of the way. As I listen with headphones, there's a bit of sound left at the tail end that not only doesn't fade completely, it actually gets louder. Interestingly enough, while it feels a bit odd to me as it is, if it were still louder I feel that it would be a really interesting way to loop back to the beginning, should the listener desire. I've already mentioned the levels between the vocals and instrumentation, but since that's such a common occurrence, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that it's a much more subtle issue here than in most vocal tracks. I also feel like the level of reverb on the vocals could be turned down just a touch more to help compensate. And every once in a while I hear a vocal echo that feels like it lingers too far beyond the melody note being sung.

Finally, while sharing the lyrics with your listeners is never a prerequisite, you offer those up so that we can all follow - or heck, even sing - along! And while that doesn't actually add or subtract from your overall score, it is always thoroughly appreciated.

Suffice to say, I am really looking forward to hearing what you come up with next in the Round of 32! I hope you don't mind reading this daunting wall of text too much, but one thing is for certain: you earned your score with blood, sweet, tears, and sour milk. Rock on.

9.14 out of 10

FinnMK responds:

Your words are very kind, and thank you for the tips. I'll work them in to the firecracker I'm cooking up for next round!

[Peaks]

This track is simply fantastic, and one of my favorite aspects is that you have a central theme that grows and evolves in different ways. The fact that it came out of the NGCHIPS competition just shows how important having these ways to challenge ourselves really are. The palette that you use to paint this musical masterpiece is wonderfully vivid, from the instruments to the story that is being told. Even though it's just shy of 4 minutes in length, it seems like it's over in less than half that time, which is always a telltale sign of music that absorbs the listener.

There is really just one thing that retracts from the beauty of this piece, and that's a series of low clicks that start around :32 and last for a few seconds. They seem to be caused by that lower, arpeggiated synth which otherwise sounds so mysterious and ethereal. Actually, upon closer inspection, I can hear an occasional click here and there even after the hats come in. But man, that's it.

Your mixing is really nice and clear, and I can listen repeatedly without losing any interest. There's always some new piece of the overall puzzle to focus on, and each of your ambient effects serve to only increase the level of depth. Your combination of sustained pads and more staccato hits is a beautiful thing, and I have nothing but praise for the percussion! So many different elements, from the nice punchy kicks to your snares that make fantastic use of the stereo field, it all just comes together and sounds right. Of special note are the snaps, which you only make occasional use of, but to great effect.

Suffice to say, this is absolutely one of the best tracks submitted to the NGADM Auditions, and you have definitely earned your spot. Best of luck in the Round of 64!

9.55 out of 10

Onefin responds:

Hey Chrono thanks for dropping by

Oh I hear those clicks now what the crud never heard those before

Thanks for all the kind words man <3 If I'm going to top this in this round of 64, I'd be really anxious to hear it. I don't know how I'll come close :P

It'll be a challenge but I'll certainly try

[War [NGADM AUDITION]]

Your track has some serious energy going on, and while it ends up being a little repetitive at times, you manage to break things up with new ideas and sounds occasionally, which helps to keep interest up. The kicks are nice and punchy, which is definitely one of the main ingredients in a good DnB track. The combination of strings and electronic elements works really well, and you manage to mix the whole thing into a very tight, enjoyable package.

The bells that enter around 3:34 end up sounding particularly harsh on the high end, but it doesn't last very long before moving on to the next section. As I'm sure you already know, this is a pretty lengthy track, and the ending becomes something of a drawn out affair, but for all that it's a really fun track to listen to. Can't say I'm honestly in love with the way it ends, but as fade-outs go it's certainly better than some.

8.21 out of 10

Adjeye responds:

The general idea was to build up tension during the track to release it all back again at the breakdown around the 3-minute mark.

The mixing fuckup at around 3:34 was totally by accident. On both my speakers and headphones nothing bothered me about the part, but when I now grab anything other than those 2 I can hear the harsh sound too. I will not let this happen in the future!

The ending I have to admit is a bit long, but I didn't want to end it all too sudden. Guess I should've cut it off earlier.

Thank you very much ChronoNomad :), this gives me a lot to work on again!

[AIM - The Lonely Hermit]

My absolute favorite thing about this track is how it tells a story, not with words or letters on a page, but with music.

Your overall composition is strong, and goes hand in hand with the more ambient part of the story, and I think my main complaint is that those ambient sound effects, while being a key part of the storytelling, they end up taking too much aural real estate, at times drowning out the subtler musical themes found herein. Long story short, sometimes I feel as though the sound effects are too loud within the overall mix. When the music becomes softer, I would have liked the ambient sections to follow suit and be a bit softer within the mix, as well.

As others have mentioned already, those intro strings just don't really do your composition justice, and some of the other instruments lack that same credibility. But hey, I also understand that we can't all produce music with top-shelf, high-quality instrument bundles, so that's not honestly much of a factor in my case.

The general feel of your track is one of a hard and lonely life, and the conclusion is of course one of finite existence, mortality. The heart beating harder and faster towards its sudden silence exudes a sobering image of finality. On the other hand, the sound of the heart violently bursting actually feels less poignant, due to its less symbolic nature.

After that, the track ends rather abruptly, which does make sense as it pertains to the Lonely Hermit's solitary life. That said, it would have been a perfect opportunity for a brief requiem of sorts, made even more solemn by the complete lack of ambient sound. While life is indeed fertile ground for music, so too is death.

8.4 out of 10