Deemo-R's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Let's Meet Up! (Orange County)]

Your melodies are hella good tho

[The Alchemist's Manor (Day)]

Lovely harmonies and orchestration! If the string samples had a quicker attack I think it would sound a bit more crisp from about 0:15 - 0:30, but the writing is phenomenal and it would sound great in a live group. It reminds me a lot of Kondoh, Morishita, et al. from their Fire Emblem work! :)

[Apart]

Nah, I like poppy stuff though, haha! Better to get out of your own head sometimes, but being self-critical is good for keeping your standards on an upward trend. I think Bitbeak got some of the only things that make it feel same-y throughout, but for my thoughts some small production/arrangement things could easily mitigate that criticism. I love how light the whole vibe is; the little sizzle of the ride cymbal on the drums feels good when the chorus hits. I do think maybe the bottom end could be filled out a bit more on the chorus to make it feel like more of a payoff - like some sort of stronger bass element that grounds it all a bit. I know there's already a bass guitar, but it and the kick drum feel very reserved during the chorus. But maybe that's not quite the right vibe for the tune, so I dunno - just a brainstorm! :)

Very tight playing, and you've got a great voice!

floorboardofficial responds:

Yes, I definitely agree some greater dynamism in the production would help loads. Thanks for the feed back though! Much appreciated!

[Firefly Fields]

I actually dig this! Nice calm atmosphere with a bit of a catchy hook on it - simple and easy to loop, too. The kick hits a bit hard for my taste, but I don't usually have much of a strong opinion on the direction of anything production-related. Thanks for sharing!

FateModified responds:

Thanks! I appreciate your feedback. :)

[The Paths Our Heart Often Guides Us Through]

Hey, the 4 AM brain rot is setting in for me so I don't have much constructive feedback to give. Luckily you're in the ADM (gl on round 2!) so you'll inevitably get a bunch of useful criticism anyways. I really enjoy the piece! Personally I like that you're leaning into the writing trajectory you set with the last round submission. The slow building up over time and layering of disparate elements creates some pretty enjoyable textures. The violin and flute are very nice together and I don't particularly mind that they come in without any real setup after over 5 minutes of music. The whole thing works since it continues to evolve and iterate upon itself. Minimalist music has an audience even when a single work can stretch over an hour of time. What you've got here alters itself enough that it doesn't feel too static to me, regardless of sticking to a single chord progression. I respect the commitment to let an idea play itself out rather than cutting it short before it's really settled in. Maybe some people won't handle the decent length of this piece well, but it's not necessary to make something intended for all people at all times. Personally I have to be in the right headspace to sit down for long music, but when I'm in that mood it hits hard. I think this music fits that area for me. Great work! Best of luck! :)

AlbeGian responds:

Thank you so much for the feedback Deemo!!

[Chaotic Wish]

Nice stuff! I know some Touhou music buffs who would probably really like this track lol. Those ZUNpets make the comparison impossible to escape, BUT I do hear more of a Pokemon-ish approach slip in towards the back half of the piece, especially from 1:21 onwards. I like the melody for the A section, it's pretty catchy! Congrats on getting some shiny new vintage gear too, are you planning on making some more stuff with it in the near future?

Mudstep responds:

Thanks Deemo! Yeah, I'm definitely planning on using it more in the future. I have a few arrangements planned that'll rely quite a bit on these sounds!

[War Machine]

Really liking the vibe! The pumping energy feels great, and I like the chiptune elements. Congrats on the frontpage, this is a cool track! I know you're thinking maybe you could have injected more variety in here, but I dunno, what you've got works for me. It's a straight-shooter but I don't think that always has to be a problem - it certainly makes it easier to use as a background piece for projects!

JohnMontoya responds:

Thank you for your feedback and comment! Yeah, I addressed the simplicity in my news post about this song. I dunno, I've been finding it difficult to add variety in my songs recently. Releasing a new song every week will definitely help me come up with new and innovative ideas methinks. :)

[The Almighty]

I'm actually surprised by how nice the pipe organ sounds from Personal Orchestra - I would easily have been convinced this was recorded live! It's quite short but definitely evokes the holy imagery of church. I could imagine a choir singing over this, but I'm often of the "more, more, more" mindset and there's always something to be said for simplicity. Sacred music isn't often self-indulgent so I don't actually have an issue with it. Very nice little idea, next would be the church choir a la Palestrina!

[please take care of this star]

First of all, congrats on the huge milestone! 200 published pieces, wow...

I love the intro leading up the piano's entrance - it has such a nice, calming atmosphere to it. I can hear the stereo field slowly widening as the distant vocals play, bells chime, and finally the pad fades in. It's like a dark room being slowly lit up by a warm light. It sets the space of the piece up very well before the verse begins. The layering of synths and orchestral instruments as the verse builds up to the chorus is great. You always blend their properties together very well! There's also some great sense of text painting with the transitions between minor and major in the second verse

The chorus itself is just wonderful, very emotional and powerful in both lyrical and musical content. The double reeds particularly add so much to the feeling of it all - I definitely felt something when they came in. Having just read your news post on this piece, I can hear how much your production has improved over time. To be clear, I have never doubted your ability to compose something at this level. You've got a great creative energy in your music and it's been present even as far back as your 2014 "Oceans Wide". It feels more like over time your progress on writing and (moreso) production has allowed you to share a closer connection between the listeners and your emotional state in creating the music. I barely even remember a time where you didn't use your voice in your music anymore. I'm glad you keep pushing yourself with singing, because you create some gorgeous textures with all of your layered vocals. On a slightly critical note, I will say that the backing vocals @ 3:50 sound a bit distorted (not sure if that was just a way to push them through the busier mix) and there is also a similar buzzing @ 4:34 on the transition, which I thought was coming from the vocals. Your voice dips a bit flat at the climax @ 5:21, but the lead vocals are overall very nice. I get hit with an odd wave of nostalgia every time that first verse comes in!

Fantastic work! I'm ready for another hundred! :)

Troisnyx responds:

Thank you so much for the kind words ;_; That is incredibly high praise.

Re: the distorted backing vocals at 3:50, I have occasionally taken to doing this since my AIM submission of last year, sursum_corda.EXFLOW_cls.PANDAEMONIUM::STORMFALL/., where distorted vocals were a common feature of Hymmnos songs from which I drew influence -- and I began applying this to some of my other songs, notably child of the woods and hallowed silence. It feels like a decent way to push them through a mix, but I grew to love that manner of doing things.

[Rising Hero]

Ugh this is so great, I'm totally envious of your colorful orchestration! It hurts my soul not to hear it continue at the end, though I understand the feeling of simply burning out in the middle of a piece. Still some great moments in here - I often wonder how much time you spend on sections with how deliberate your orchestrational choices are. Trumpet and oboe at 0:12 was a nice timbre. Looking forward to what you do next!

Bosa responds:

The answer to that is 'I spend too long on a piece.' It takes a lot of time and energy for music like this, and not just orchestral but other genres as well. Thank you very much for your kind words and thoughts! It means a lot to me to hear this!