BlazingDragon's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Beyond the Coast]

Mysterious...Enchanting.

I love the emotions this piece evokes. While I don't get any one specific image, I almost imagine a place near the sea due to the oboe sound.

I like the chord progression, but some of the notes in the harp simple rub me the wrong way. I can't give specifics, but it sounds slightly too dissonant for me at times. That aside, I like the harp line quite a bit. The strings create a nice backdrop, though I urge you to get some better samples! The harp is fine, but I feel the strings aren't very organic. They are a bit dry in my opinion, so I would suggest adding just a touch more reverb. For a free sample, I've really found myself to like SquidFont Orchestral lately. The detached violin patch on that soundfont would sound phenomenal with the section starting at 2:03. However, the actual arrangement of the strings is very melodic and beautiful aside from the sample issues. It almost has a slightly oriental flavor at one point.

My favorite aspect of this song is probably the echoing harp at 1:38. When the texture thins at 2:04 and the harp is more exposed in its "echoing", I have a suggestion. Take the second of each harp note (the echoed one) and lower the volume slightly. This creates a kind of swaying feel in my opinion, and really simulates a real echo. That aside, I don't have any advice, really, with the exception of the ending. For such a dark and flowing piece, I feel that the abrupt stop simply doesn't fit.

Lovely job on this! I love the flowing harp, beautiful string melodies, and subtle variety. The beginning was dark, but the phrase beginning at 3:02 is quite a bit more relaxed. I can't wait to hear more of your work! :D

~Blaze

PS. If you are interested in the Squidfont Orchestral soundfont, I can PM you a link. It's free, and quite good with minor tweaking! :D

Suspended-3rd-Chord responds:

Thanks for the great review BD! I really appreciate reviews like this.

Glad you got sea imagery out of this one!

There was indeed some dissonant intervals on the harps part, however they were arpeggiated (i use F#-G for the chords on the harp) and not "clanging" together to create that quirky, weird type of dissonance. Hmmm, wish I had a more musically sound way of explaining this, but the chords were carefully chosen to reflect a type of darkness which this piece was meant to reflect.

I completely agree with the problems on the strings. In fact, I used Squidfont previously before I upgraded to East West Symphonic Orchestra. This was the first or second track I made with these new samples, and I really did no mixing or messing with effects on this one. There are no reverb on any of the samples here, (other than the natural reverb) leaving the whole mix to sound a bit dry and flat. There was also just two lines on the strings, one for the cellos and one for the violins (and a contrabass just used at the start)-some actual chording in here would especially make them sound more lush. Also, not to mention I used absolutely no dynamics on the strings again, furthermore worsening the problem.

Great suggestion for the harp! I'll be sure to take that advice in mind.

As for squidfont- I believe I might have been the one to suggest that to you originally months back? (remember someone with the name "S3C" by chance?)check my third blog, i have a link to it too ;) anyways, yeah I used to use squidfont, my main beef with squidfont is the overly low volume levels of the sounds- but for being a free product its quite impressive- however, the libraries I use now have much more "techniques" and playing styles than offered in any soundfont- not to mention layered sampling, so once you actually use dynamics (in this piece, I didn't use much) you can really make the music come to life.

anyways, thanks for the great review BD, I'll be sure to return it soon!

[Anemone's Theme]

Lovely! :D

I must say, I am thoroughly disappointed. I wrote a review for this earlier today, and it was multiple paragraphs long. Shortly before I finished, the internet froze and it was all deleted. I rewrote the entire thing from scratch, and the same thing happened again! You'd think I would learn from my mistakes and save my writing midway through. :P So here I am to do it once again. While it will not be as long as it was originally, I am determined to get this review posted! Yeah! >:-D

Pros:
-Variety: If a song has too little, it is boring; if too much, it is random. You've hit a balance between the two. Your dynamic contrast and subtle tempo changes contribute to this. While this song is only simple ABA form, it works quite well and I enjoy the section starting around :24. The minor chords in it create a nice tension.
-Style: I love your playing style! You have an excellent grasp of dynamic contrast, which many audio artists here lack. The gradual crescendos and decrescendos add so much liveliness to music, and you have delivered in this regard. I also like the rubato you use. Even the minute tempo changes add to the "organic" and human aspect of the loop. It is evident that this was not composed on a computer.
-Chords and Melody: The melody you used is quite lovely. While it is simplistic, it is memorable and strikingly emotional. The chords you use fit it well. The progression seemed a bit clich'e (sp?) at first, but chords such as at 1:11 provided some degree of harmonic interest. Again, I loved the minor chords in the "B" section. Oh, and this is aside from the point, but I like the rolled chord at the end. ;)

Cons:
I don't have many complaints, but I do have a suggestion or two. Firstly (and this IS a complaint) there are a few hiccups in the performance department. While this is very well played as a whole, especially for someone your age, a few places sounded off. One specific example is :42:-:44. There was a bass note which didn't line up rhythmically with the right hand. Perhaps it was even done on purpose, but it sounded off to me. Also, the ending didn't loop quite right. If you cut the song off right after the rolled chord at the end, it would loop almost seamlessly if not for tempo differences between the beginning and end. I would like to hear just a bit more variety, perhaps another section. That is simply personal preference, however. For a character theme which loops, this does its job well.

This is being very picky, however. You have a wonderful talent for your age, especially in regard to your piano playing. I started composing when I was almost 13, and I love to listen to younger composers. How long have you played the piano? Do you have any experience with music theory? Back to the point, though. Lovely song; you've done an excellent job. Keep up the good work, I would like to hear more of your work! :D

~BlazingDragon

9/10 and 5/5 vote

Zero123Music responds:

I feel so bad for writing such a short review for you and thank you for the nice comments :-) .
1. The hiccup was accidental, normally that would never happen, I carried on because it sounded so good at the beginning, I recorded several other times but couldn't get it right.
2. Yes, I shall try to have another section in my new songs, though most of them are already recorded - Like Foreseen (Piano) - which probably has too many sections, as basically this theme had two sections.
3. As my Sibelius has stopped working, I have had to record most of the piano pieces I made when I was about 11 or 12.
4. It is only a loop as it is a person's theme.
5. I know hardly anything of music theory lol, I am Grade 2 piano but I have abandoned it as the pieces were so boring, my inspirations are Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasies, DavidOrr and you on the audio portal.
and 6. I am so honored to get such a high mark from such a good composer.

Thank you very much for the long review - (I wrote this much so I could compare lol)

[The Journey Begins in D Major]

Too short :P

I am usually generous when it comes to reviews and scores, but I am trying to become more "brutally honest". You want to know how to make it better, so I won't candy-coat my words. :P

I wouldn't go so far as to say this is bad, yet it isn't great either. With how short this is, it is difficult to get a good feel for. Here are my suggestions:

-Nothing really grabs my attention. The melodic line almost seems random due to the odd rhythmic feel. It almost seems to "lurch" forward, smooth for a second, and abrupt the next. This may be due to the triplet bass against the straight right hand, creating a polyrhythmic feel which will confuse most listeners. It is fine to do this within the context of a longer song. With one this short, however, it only lends to disorientation.
-I can tell you that you have chords when I follow the left hand, so I know that this isn't atonal. The melody contrasts too much with the harmony due to the odd rhythyms in my opinion. This makes both seem random. :( It almost feels as if the bass is in 6/8 and the right hand is in 4/4. O_o...
-The piano sounds a little muffled to me, as if there is too much reverb. Tone it down some, and then add pedal to it. I believe that this will make it feel smoother.
-Dynamics are the key to conveying emotion. If you really want this to be dramatic, create some contrasts with louds and softs, crescendos and decrescendos! This is difficult to do in such a short time, though.
-It's too short, plain and simple. Expand it and make a contrasting section for variety. :D

With that said, it also has positive qualities. It loops well thanks to the way you built the chords at the end. The bass line isn't bad in and of itself, but against the drastically different right hand it feels out of place with the triplets. The biggest issue is here is the rhythm feeling "schizophrenic". Work on that, slow down the tempo, add some length to flesh it out, and this could work nicely.

Sorry if I came across as overly blunt, but that is my opinion on how to improve it. Keep writing music, and continue to improve your skills. :)

~BlazingDragon

PS. I'm curious about what software you use. Did you write this at a piano and then bring it to software, or write it directly on the computer? Being a piano player, I felt as though this was a bit mechanical. Also, do you have much experience with music theory?

Ultratonic responds:

My friend you have written a gorgeous review of this piece! In no way too blunt, I look for constructive criticism here, not some candy coated crap.

I agree with almost everything you said. To tell you the entire truth, if you read the response to the review below you will see that I did write the right hand in 4/4 and the left in 3/4 and that is where the strange triplet bass comes from. Also, I wrote this piece in a half an hour and at times I believe Newgrounds may have been too kind to it. It's probably my worst on here, if not my worst written, yet still I thought a more experimental piano piece would be fitting, unfortunately it is no incredible contemporary piece.

I cannot thank you enough for this review. It definitely seems like you have touched on every point and I agree with everything. I would be honored if you could take the time to possibly review another one of my pieces, I have another piano experimental on here and then some more classically written ones if you are interested.

The reason for the mechanical feel is that I wrote the music and then played it into the piano, however my keyboards sounds are not all that great since I bought it for primarily for gigging. I would like to get a midi controller eventually but I do use VST instruments in some of my other work. PM me if you are interested in how you could get your hands on them.

Thanks brother and take it easy! =)

[Everscape]

This is awesome!

I really dig this piece. Considering you have such little music experience, I am very impressed.

Pros:
-You've got a strong sense of harmony going here, which is something a lot of people lack. I can hear various voices (parts) fitting together beautifully as a whole without clashing. The chord progression is great!
-I like the melody quite a bit. It is often rhythmically driven and fun to follow along.
-The subtleties in this are fun to pick out! The piano is on the quiet side, but I can definitely notice its presence. The acoustic guitar is cool as well. I heard one instrument that I liked, but couldn't identify what it was due to the low volume on it. I would almost say it is pizzicato strings, but am not sure. It is a single pitch which just repeats, and it is one of the higher sounds.

Cons:
-Get better samples and do some tweaking! I don't know what software you are using, but it sounds "dry". If possible, add some reverb to the instruments. This will especially help the strings, which almost sound midi-like. :( If you need help with this, I might be able to help depending on the software you use. I know a bit about FL Studio if you use it.
-Dynamics go a long way. You've got different sections to add variety, such as at 1:12 when the piano begins to take the spotlight. It would benefit these parts so much more if you tweaked the dynamics to add further contrast. For instance, you could have brought the volume way down at the part I mentioned and slowly crescendoed upward. Dynamics are hugely important in drums, as they can become monotonous very quickly.
-The percussion isn't bad, but it could use tweaking. It would sound much more driven and alive if you would accent certain beats. This all goes back to what I said about dynamics.
-Sorry, but the ending ruined it. :P The bass notes in the piano cut out after about half a second. Being a piano-lover, this saddened me. :(

As a whole, this is great and I see plenty of potential. The samples aren't of the best quality, and I understand how expensive sample libraries can be. However, there are MANY free samples out there which will get the job done. Combine these with some reverb and EQ; you'll have a masterpiece! Once again, I'm very impressed to hear great music from someone claiming to have such little experience. :)

~BlazingDragon

PS. As I said before, PM me if you have any questions with software or samples. I would be more than happy to help out with the more technical stuff, such as mastering. (Though I'm not exactly an expert)

Sycross responds:

Hey, thanks for the positive review! I completely agree with your suggestions, and I am aware that I need to add more dynamics and such. I will definitely try to work this out when I actually get this recorded. Right now I just put the synthesized version up to see what people think. I am actually having the first rehearsal with my group of instrumentalists today, and am very excited by the prospect of actually being able to form a "band." Being one of my favorite artists, this really means a lot to me. Thanks again.

Edit: I think the instrument you are talking about is the acoustic guitar.... I guess it just sounds weird.

[~I Want My Life Back~ -hania]

Somber...Powerful

Before I go any further, I have to say that you have a beautiful voice! It has a very smooth texture, and is simply brilliant. That being said, onto the review. :P

I truly enjoyed this song. It has such a somber feel to it, absolutely packed with emotion. I don't have any experience writing vocal pieces, but I believe you've done an excellent job lyrically. A simple message, but profound. The piano and chord progression is fairly simple, but that is alright, as the vocals are in the spotlight here. Both the piano and vocals have excellent dynamic contrast and reverb. I love what you do with your voice at 3:40 right before the key change on "To be". Speaking of the key change, you did a great job getting up there vocally and dynamically! It was a good contrast when it got quiet shortly after that. The only thing that really bothered me is the ending. I really wanted it to resolve! :P Also, the word "be" sounded a little funny at sun points. Maybe it is just because I'm not Australian, but I couldn't detect much of an accent when you were singing. The word "Back" at 3:48 also sounded funny to me, but maybe that's just my opinion.

Great job on this! I am utterly jealous of your voice, and wish I had such vocal talent. I look forward to more of your songs.

Favorited, 5/5, 10/10
~BlazingDragon

[Where Angels Lose Their Way]

Interesting title

This is really interesting. Why it has a 0/5 is beyond me! O_o...

I really like the chord progression with the guitar. I just wish there was a little more clarity, as the guitar almost sounds underwater for most of it. Also, the percussion is simple but cool, and some of the synths/pads are cool. I didn't really like the weird noise toward the end though. :-/

I think it would be cool if you slapped a dalayed piano melody on top at some point, but that's just because I love piano, lol. The stops in the middle of the song were very odd to me. I didn't really like them. (I'm talking about 2:24) The part where the guitar got all quiet and distorted at around 1:58 was kind of cool, though.

This isn't really my kind of song, but it was alright. Simple and experimental, but it wasn't bad.

Yoshii responds:

yeah, this is something I wrote when I was going through one of those odd winter phases.

Was staying inside because it was cold and snowy. Isolated from the outside, just reflecting on some things, and got inspired to write this.

[The Broken Keys (Demo)]

10/10?

This isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't worthy of consistent 10/10's, IMO. It's like three chords in root position being played as an arpeggio, topped with a simple melody of quarter and half notes. No offense, but my twelve-year-old brother (Though he is a musical stud!) writes stuff a good deal more complex.

I'm not meaning to be discouraging, but this isn't worth such as high score, especially with all the awesome music that is only rated at around 2.5/5. :(

Here's some suggestions, though:
-Work on dynamics, as it will make everything more lively and flowing
-Learn some music theory. Simple triad arpeggios need to be spiced up after a while!
-Make the piano notes sustain/hold out. They are too choppy for this style, IMO...

[Ending Day *MixerMike*]

A lot of fun to listen to!

Hahaha, this one is awesome! I don't know why, but I couldn't help but laugh. The chord progression is fairly common, but simply awesome. I love how you modulate up every so often, and the melody in the strings gets pretty cool IMO. The drums are nice and simplistic, which is good for this song.

In the drums, I'd like to hear a fill every once in a while for variety. You had two or three, but not often enough. A syncopated hi-hat would also fit well I think. I think I hear a bass guitar in the second half, but would like it if the volume was a little louder on it. And i know it is hard doing recordings on a keyboard like this, but some notes were just a little out of sync here and there. (That's not a big deal though) The transition at like 3:19 to 3:22 was a little rough.

Anyway, this is completely awesome! While it's not an incredibly complicated piece, it has a good beat, a really fun chord progression, and a nice melody. It really made me want to dance, and brought a big smile to my face. Great job on this one! :D

[Lost in Memories *MixerMike*]

Beautifully Simple

There is something beautiful about simplicity in music. While most everything in life thrives on complexity, some of the most beautiful music is that which is the most simple.

And you've done well capitalizing on that here. You've got a pleasant chord progression running throughout to create a mellow background. On the foreground, you have a simple melody in the piano's upper register complimented by some chordal block accompaniment in the strings. It all fits together to form a sweet, musical picture.

That being said, though, music also requires variety. You've got a nice start, but the song is pretty static. The chords remain constant, and there are really only two melodic phrases. The only aspect adding a bit of musical variety comes with the introduction of the strings, but I do not believe that is enough. I suggest that you take what you have here, and transition into a new melody with some new chords for a few bars. Maybe you could take what you've got here, and simply change it to a major key. (I don't know how good your music theory is, though, which is important if you do this) You could modulate up a half-step, change the time signature, or just play a few measures with a different accompaniment pattern. (Example: The same chords, but make them block chords and take them and the melody up the octave and slow the tempo)

There are thousands of ways you could add variety, but these are just a few suggestions. You don't have to do anything over the top, but a little change up would be nice. I really like what you've got going here, though! Keep up the hard work. :D

~BlazingDragon

[Violet Clover]

Unique and Interesting

I know next to nothing about this genre of music, so my review may be a little bias. Here are my thoughts, though.

I really liked the synth that swirled around in the background throughout. It created a nice, ambient backdrop for the piece. It was complimented by the smooth, reverberated sax. I really enjoyed some of the jazzy melodies that the sax executed, and the chord progression was nice. The piano played a lot of lush chords which I really enjoyed. The percussion was the most interesting aspect of this song, though. A whole lot of variety and fascinating beats! The high-speed, energetic grooves made an excellent contrast with the cool background synthesizer.

I didn't like how much reverb you had on the piano, though. It became muddy, and some of the extended chords you used lost their brilliance due to it. I know you utilized the sound effects such as the motor-like sound at 1:25 on purpose, but I had a hard time swallowing it. Some of the song just didn't flow in my opinion. It sounded like a lot of improv layered on top of a constant synth for six and a half minutes. There wasn't really a solid melody at any point to anchor it, making it feel kind of schizophrenic. :P I thought that the abrupt stop at 6:05 was the end, actually.

Maybe a lot of what I said above is simply standard of this genre, and was intentional. It's just not my cup of tea, though. I did find it very interesting, however, and there was some good improv in there. A lot of the drum and piano riffs were awesome. :D It was pretty good as a whole.

You've got a very unique style and talent with percussion. Keep up the good work!
~BlazingDragon

S3C responds:

Hey thanks for the great, descriptive review! That's a rarity headed my way...

It's always nice to hear from people outside their preferred genre of music-because I don't like sticking to the sounds commonly associated within a genre so its always interesting to hear "outsiders" opinions.

Heh, I might tone down the reverb on the piano- I sometimes get carried away. I think a brighter EQ might also help bring out the sound more.

Haha, I can completely understand how that motor sound (called a reese) doesn't sit well with some people. It's a common synth used in DnB, and before creating the track it was my goal to intergrate that sound with the sax instrument and make them flow together, one being the evil and one being the good. But maybe they just really aren't meant to go with each other...I dunno, I personally like it :P

I'm glad you brought up the point about the melody- before I submitted this I thought the same thing to myself. In fact, its a problem with a lot of my tracks, I build the support structure and backing chords and just let a lead solo over the top without really trying to build a distinct melodical theme. The last four notes you hear was kinda supposed to be it (C, Bb, D, Eb) with variations throughout- but in all honesty its something I need to work on, so cheers for pointing that out.

Intentional? Yes. Standard? Nope, not really :P

again, thanks for the thorough helpful review, it sure is appreciated :)