ChronoNomad's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Arcade Rondo]

Happy Pixel Day!

Pretty much all the same instrument, which makes sense for a Jazzy piano improvisation, but I'm not sure it translates so well into an 8-bit style. The layers overtake one another when there's a lot going on and it just gets really loud.

That aside, the overall composition is really fun to listen to! Would be awesome to hear it as a piano piece or, as a Chiptune, broken up into a few more instruments. Good stuff.

H1K0 responds:

Thanks! And I think it's a great idea. Maybe soon I'll try :)

[Small Steps]

Happy Pixel Day!

This is incredibly cute and fun, with some truly stellar note progressions. Lots and lots of great ideas just coming together all in one place, and pretty much the best thing I've heard so far. The overall level of quirkiness is positively off the charts! Very nicely done.

ShinsukeIto responds:

Glad you enjoyed it! Happy Pixel Day!

[what I have to tell you]

Happy Pixel Day!

Another short and sweet throwback tune, with a fun and Jazzy atmosphere. Happily, I'm able to hear the bass just fine through my headphones. Like most of the tracks I've listened to already today, it's crazy short. Not much instrument variety here, and I feel as though this could have been fleshed out a bit more for sure, but I totally enjoyed the ride.

Leon-ex responds:

Thanks for the review!
I'm glad you enjoyed it

[Thats the Spirit]

Happy Pixel Day!

In this particular instance, I can really understand why this track is just over two minutes long. You've got so much going on throughout — pure retro awesomeness that makes it feel longer than it really is. Very cool.

It has a decidedly Mega Man sort of vibe, which makes it feel like it was ripped straight from some unreleased level of the game. Phenomenal work once again, Fretzone!

Fretzone responds:

Galloping riff = Mega Man :P Good ears , Thanks Dude

[PancakePocket - Chipstep Quest]

Happy Pixel Day!

You've got a very rich sound here, which is always good when there aren't a ton of instruments involved. A right enjoyable Chiptune, PancakePocket! It definitely has that epic quest feel, though it's over far too soon. The ending is especially abrupt — that poor harp barely had time to shine.

PancakePocket responds:

It was meant for a loop for a game coming up on Steam so that’s why it’s short, but thanks for the review and happy pixel day to you too!

[Starry Sky]

Hey, Tech! I know you're been having a really rough time of it lately, but you still managed to put together a truly solid NGADM track, and that's what I call impressive.

Love the overall vibe here from start to finish, and it feels like you've made really good use of your Sytrus library to create a very nuanced and layered sound. Really great drum work overall, though the fuller sections could use a bit more punch so the kicks don't fall behind the curtain so much, and those snares could do with more velocity variance, especially the builds. Gotta do something about that reverb on those deep drums, too; they just kind of swallow the entire mix without proper equalization.

I like how this track goes from the softer, more chill sections and suddenly blows up into the bigger and bolder sections, though the wall feels a bit too high between the two modes. Making some of the layers more subtle could serve to make those transitions a bit less jarring. I also really dig what you did by first having a more melodic ending, then you followed that up with a nice, gradual ambient one. Actually, your ambient and melodic elements are woven together very smoothly from the beginning. Well done!

This is seriously incredible for just two days of work, in all honesty! You have no reason to be anything but proud of the effort you put in. I sincerely hope that you keep making music for a long time to come.

8.66 out of 10

Teckmo-X responds:

Honestly I can't show you right now but this made me tear up. I did try my best to come up with something so it wasn't enough time to finish up as much as I wanted. I'm glad you liked it though. Thank you.

[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.

[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 :)

[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.