Deemo-R's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[One Inch From Death]

Guilty Gear music is the bomb-diggity. Love your take on it, it's high-energy and full of memorable part-writing! :D

Mattashi responds:

I know right? Daisuke Ishiwatari is a genius :)
Glad you like it!

[Road to Solitude]

Your harmony and melodies are the kind of stuff that's right up my alley of interest. Very JRPG-like! I especially enjoy the section from 2:49 to 3:09. :D

I haven't used the Kontakt factory library myself since I'm comfortable with what I have now, but I think you'll find a ton of freedom in familiarizing yourself with the key switch articulations available to you. Making the articulation convincing on instruments goes a long way towards improving the piece, as well as the mix. Personally, I feel that the majority of the mix in an orchestral piece is done in the composing process, where you consider the texture, balance, and function of everything. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts in an orchestra. When things get a bit busier in this song and more voices are involved, it seems like everybody's fighting to be center-stage. Some adjustments to the dynamics of the instruments would really fix this up, especially since not all the instruments are from the same library. They could be all over the place in terms of mic placement, reverb, etc. Giving some dedicated time on individual dynamics can also help to bring some memorable inflection to your melody lines. Your woodwind solos here would stand out a great deal more. On a slightly unrelated note, I also think the pizzicato sounds really unconvincing here, though that's very possibly because of Edirol's limitations (I've never used it myself, so I can't speak for it).

I think you have a pretty good grasp on how to make things sound nice regardless of inexperience with the instrumentation. A little bit of practice and research on the topic should really propel your skills with it forward. :)

ILG924 responds:

Thanks for your insight, Deemo!
I have played around with the key switch articulations before but I think my main problem is me not listening to enough orchestral music. I know the very basics of orchestration, like where instruments should be, but proper instrument dynamics just doesn't come naturally to me yet. Maybe Samuel Adler's book will help with that, along with that OrchestrationOnline Youtube channel.

As for the pizzicato, Edirol doesn't sound very convincing at all and it probably wasn't the best choice. it kind of has a synthesized orchestra sound to it, like something from the early 2000s.

Your reviews always give me something to think about improving so I really appreciate it! I'm sure my instrumentation will improve once I start listening to a variety of orchestral stuff

[Forest of the Black Flame]

Glad to see more stuff from you, Neon!You are most certainly one of the best people when it comes to creating an atmosphere. I think it fits the picture perfectly! I haven't heard anything from FFCC myself, but I think this would be extremely fitting for any sort of RPG. :D

The looping issue is something that seems to be happening on every song on Newgrounds at the moment. I'm not sure what that's about, either. In any case, the quality of the track is relatively unhindered by it.

Neon-Bard responds:

Much appreciated, DMO! Thank you very much for your kind words. It's good to know that the looping issues is universal, I was starting to think I was messing something up in the export process. Glad to know that this is relatively a non-issue! :)

[Here They Come]

Always nice to hear more music from you. Your pieces for this mod have all been very nicely done in both the writing and production department. Very percussive all around. The blending is pretty impressive given all the elements that are blaring at once. You know your libraries pretty well! There's not much aside from the minor triad to tritone at 1:28 melodically, but it does keep itself from getting old with different rhythms and a nice modulation at 2:00 to renew the tension. The nature of the project likely demands that it be more of a background piece anyhow. This would work very well as a piece to influence the tone of the scene it's inserted into. It could very well fit into a lot of action sequences in many different contexts. Tense and pounding. I enjoy it a lot!

Is the mod team planning to use this in a trailer, or in the game itself? I can't really figure out from following the links. I just saw a bunch of older stuff.

Mattashi responds:

Thanks man! I'm not sure what they will use it for, it should be for their next campaign release. They asked me to write a couple of tracks and they were going to work the music into their project so I guess they let the music inspire them which is pretty awesome! I will have to do a couple of tracks for scenes they are planning in the future.

[Africa (Singalong)]

The campfire has gotten a little bigger, eh? Really like how this turned out, definitely the biggest haul thus far! I only wish you luck in keeping up that quality into the next one... and the next! The copious amounts of percussion leaves me all tingly inside :)

Ceevro responds:

Yeah, I never expected to see a single song hit 50+ tracks to make happen...but here we are!

[Our Last Hope]

Some people seem surprised, but I honestly expect this level of work whenever I see something of yours get released. Your talent is palpable, and I truly enjoy listening to whatever you put up. This definitely has your prints all over it, both in style and professionalism. I hope you enjoy the winner's circle!

Regarding the entry, there's not a lot that I can say that hasn't been said already. I love the idea for the opening (and it sounds like you really made the most out of the choir library), but I'm not quite buying the "evil laugh". I can't really blame you for that, though, it's the limitations of the software, and I respect the fact that you tried the harder route. The intro immediately reminds me of Dancing Mad, which I'm guessing was partial inspiration? ;3

A few times throughout the song, I kept mistaking the solo female vocalist for an erhu. The range and timbre is just strikingly similar. Hearing "meow" at 2:11 is impossible not to do, I'm sorry xD But hey, it gives the people something quirky to remember! They'll be sure to be humming that when it comes up!

I highly doubt you'll need another entry to carry you through lol. Stay awesome, man! ;D

Mattashi responds:

Thank you Darkmetroidomega :), It's been a while since I last heard that song, Dancing Mad. I didn't really get the inspiration from that but definitely got inspiration from those good old RPGs (Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy,etc...)
I had a hard time finding a good evil laugh that wasn't copyrighted or anything, there were only a few from the Mystica Library and this one seemed like the best out of all of them.
Now that you mentioned it's starting to sound a little like an Erhu for me as well xD
It's this humming vocal from Voices Of Passion.
Thanks a lot for the review man :)

[Mihai Sorohan-Forward]

Excellent composition, very tight execution by all the players, and great mixing/mastering. Fantastic work all around, I love both songs on this EP. Awesome! :D

sorohanro responds:

Thank you very much. New material is coming soon. Also, thanks for buying my music :)

[Daily Life]

Has the year been tough in terms of writing new music and finishing old stuff? Because I can totally relate to that frustration if that's the case.

I really do like chilled, mellow music like this every now and again. I definitely can see the connection with the FEZ soundtrack in the instrumentation and progression. It also reminds me a ton of something that I'd expect from that upcoming indie title "Night In The Woods". The simplicity and light instrumentation seem to go hand-in-hand with the simple visuals of those games. I'd be totally okay with roaming around in one of the early areas of a game to this. It's very pleasant to listen to, yet never too obtrusive.

If there's one small thing I'd suggest, it's to remove/alter that chromatic pitch at 0:54-0:55(ish). It's causing a sudden dissonance that I don't think really serves your piece in the way you'd want, and it sticks out to me every time the song reaches that spot.

It'd be cool to see an EP of this style from you, though I think you have quite a number of talents that could be shown in numerous EPs. Always cool to hear something new from you, Neon! Can't wait to hear what "soundtrack" you're working on :3

Neon-Bard responds:

It's been a tough year for a number of reasons, mostly personal (which has inevitably made it increasingly difficult to write anything). As with every hurdle in life, you have to pull yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep on.

It's great to know that it fits into that early game vibe and aesthetic, I was going for just that! FEZ was a large inspiration and it's good to know I've captured a similar essence in this track. Though honestly, I still haven't gotten far in the game (oops). I'm going to have to check out Night In The Woods, this is the first time I've heard of the title.

Excellent catch about that pitch at 0:55, I was too engulfed by how the mix sounded that I completely overlooked this part. Many thanks for pointing this out. Also, I really appreciate the kind words, it's nice to know that what I make somehow resembles talent hahaha! I'm still undecided on the idea of an EP as of yet, but who knows...? :)

[Endless Night]

FL Studio really doesn't have any way of changing meter within the same song? I have a hard time believing it would lack something that major, but since I don't use it myself I really wouldn't know.

The 5/4 meter gives this whole thing a nice character, which is one of the things I really enjoy about odd meters. I'm hearing the meter (in eighth notes) as two groups of three followed by two groups of two, which is imo the most effective way of using 5/4 without losing the listener. I like your melodies in here. You have a pretty consistent handle on making enjoyable melodies (and given your inspirations, I hear the influence pouring through). I also enjoy the instrumentation, especially the synth at 1:08. I swear that one in particular reminds me a lot of some of the synth lines in the RPG Maker VX music. The harmonies are fitting and well-balanced in which voices provide them, and when. The guitar and bass are solid, I like them a lot here. They provide some nice rhythmic backing without being overbearing.

I wish I could provide something of value regarding your mixing concerns, but I have no consistent record or understanding of how to bring the most out of a track. In this piece you've successfully balanced your ensemble, however, and that is the primary concern I have for any video game music. To reach the high standards of the modern age, though - just gotta keep looking at professional reference, I suppose!

Good work!

ILG924 responds:

Since FL is built around using loops, I don't think the developers bothered to put in standard music notation features that other DAWs have. I've looked everywhere for a solution, but I've only found the one initial project "time division" setting. I'm not really good with figuring out time signatures because of that, since this is my first DAW and the only one I use. I can't give up the piano roll though, it's the best out of any I've tried

The synth you hear at 1:08 came from Cakewalk's Dimension Pro VST. It reminded me of a synth used in Abandoned Castle from Castlevania Curse of Darkness
Just knowing that everything came out clear on your end helps me with my mixing. Thanks for the review!

[everyday life]

This track is just what the doctor ordered. Fantastic stuff as expected!

johnfn responds:

Dr. electro prescribes 50cc of ... uh.. whatever genre this is!

Thanks for the review!