BlazingDragon's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Echoes of a Past Life]

Mournful

I can feel the emotion pouring out of this one. That feeling of remorse and regret in clear, but with a hint of hope throughout. It's almost as if you made a lot of terrible mistakes you look back on with sadness, but you have hope because you are turning over a new leaf as you said.

Te chords progression and melody is simple and nice. Nothing over-the-top, but that is a good thing in this case. The introduction of the strings was a nice touch toward the end, though they were short lived. Dynamically, I like how you got louder at the climax. You need more softs, however, if you want to succesfully emulate a live piano. That, and perhaps use a bit of FL's automation capabilities to record in some subtle tempo changes. Also concerning mastering, a bit of reverb would have been nice in my opinion (Especially in the strings). Are you using the Roland Nice Piano soundfont I sent you a while back? This doesn't sound like it to me.

With a bit of tweaking in dynamics and mastering, this could be a very nice little piano piece. I'm not a fan of the pad at the end, though. Great job on this though!

~Blaze

PS. You totally are copying me. :P I busted out with "Tears of Remorse" recently, and now you are submitting a similar song with similar background. Even the piano/strings at the climax thing was something I did! Jeez man...You're killing me. xD At least the music is different. :)

Tamadrum responds:

Honestly, I realized that after I made this... I did throw in some little tempo changes like you were saying, maybe they were just too subtle for you. :P jk. Although I do now, in retrospect do realize I need some more softs. Unfortunetly, Im not using that Roland sondfont that you gave me... It didnt really fit my tastes. Thanks for the review Blaze!

PS. Now im gunna have to leave a really long review on something of yours if you keep doing it to everything I put up! :)

[Sorrowed Tears]

Beautiful

A beautiful song you've got here! I love the simple chord progression and melody. It is easy to follow and sorrowful. The violin is especially awesome and my favorite part of the song. Did you play that yourself? The quality is wonderful. I love the part when the violin plays in harmony at :40. The part at 2:35 is also cool. Your vocals are good, but could use just a bit of pollishing. The only real complaint that I have is that the chord progression is always constant. A little bit of variety would be nice. Also, the ending is abrupt as you pointed out. It also sounds a bit strange in the pizzacato strings at times. Almost as if you copy and pasted the same phrase, and there was an ever so slight pause between the phrases.

Anywho, great job on this. Awesome violin, nice vocals, good lyrics, and a pleasent chord progression. What did you use to record this as far as hardware and software is concerned?

~Blaze

Muesical-Pope responds:

Hey great observations I was hoping you wouldn't notice ;D
I played everything. The chord progression.. yeah :/ i knowww I definately faded to laziness after I got to a point on this :( I planned on rerecording the pitz and parts because i messed up the ends of parts I looped so they sound kinda chopped.
My vocals haha i tried :P II had the part EQed for violin, not that that really excuses my singing lol

I recorded this with a sterling ST33 condenser mic In my bedroom.
Primarily an instuiment mic but I used it for vocals as well. I hope to get a vocal mic some day. I recorded it onto Logic Pro using a Firewire410 audio interface.

I started with the pizz chord progression... and then kinda had so much fun just trying out different stuff to it ... that i never got around to actually changing it up like i should have. I got stuck on trying to het the harmonizing to work for the violin parts. I didnt really write any music down for this so it took alotto takes... kinda drained my focus fast.
Dont tell anyone... but I did this peice over about 4-5 days... with the 5th day being the day i abruptly ended it :/
Someday I will go back to this and clean it up for sure :)

[Tears Of the Sun]

Excellent work!

Hello my friend! A most excellent job you have done on this one. :D

As always, you are a masterful percussion composer. The African percussion does a wonderful job of conveying the sun. It reminds me a lot of the African plains...And the Lion King; Simbaaaaaaaaa!!! xD
I absolutely love the chord progression on this. It is very easy to follow and is quite beautiful. I'm also noticing that you are getting a better handle on voice leading; this especially applies to the strings. The tamburine (?) that comes in at :56 is a nice touch, and I am a big fan of the bass hit. It fits the ethnic feel quite well. I also see you are using the Pan Flute soundfont I gave you! It fits wonderfully, and provides a great melody. I was really impressed with how simple and elegant the melody was. There are no crazy rhythms or strange harmonies like some of your stuff. :P (Not here on NG) It is nice and flowing. I also am a fan of the transitions in here. Dynamics did not go in vain! The tamborine (?) fade, for example, was executed well.

I really don't have many suggestions, as I'm not experienced in this style. I wasn't too sure of the pad at the beginning though. After the song looped once, I got used to it. I found it to be slightly jarring at first, however, as this is in the classical genre. I will say that it was certainly unique. I wish this was longer! I've listened to it several times and really dig it. It is so flowing and loops wonderfully. More of a build up and a new section would be great. This reminds me of Hans Zimmer for some reason.

Great job and keep it up! This song is simply awesome. Favorited song and artist, 5/5, 10/10.

~Blaze

Tamadrum responds:

Well, Hey Buddy! :) I got inspiration for this track while watching a movie called... guess what? Tears of the Sun. Its funny that you mention Hans Zimmer because he actually did the soundtrack for that movie too. lol. Hans is one of my favorite composers, so to have one my pieces compared to his is really an honor.

Oh yeah, it is a tamborine at 0:56 :)

[Reasoner- I'm Still Here]

Simplistic and beautiful

I love how you are able to use the concept of simplicity so effectively. While there aren't any sweeping Liszt-esque arpeggios or grand Rachmaninov chords, there is a chord progression expresses a unique range of emotions.

As said above, the chord progression is great. There is plenty of variety, and yet it never becomes too sparatic. Dynamics and playing are wonderful, phrasing is just right. I wish I had your technique at the piano. -_-
Your style reminds me a lot of my own improvising. While I'm nowhere as good, the way you execute the chords rhythmically is almost reminiscent of the way I play. (But much better!) The only real complaint I have is that the song isn't melodically solid. It sounds much more like an improv to me, as the melody doesn't repeat of concrete itself from what I remember. You seem to focus a lot more on the harmonic aspect of the music.

Awesome job on this! It certainly out does the MAC8 piece I just submitted. :P
Though this isn't particularly sad in my opinion. More like a brief darkness, but with "light at the end of the tunnel". I enjoyed this a lot; thank you for the beautiful song!

~Blaze

Reasoner responds:

Thanks for the kind words and in depth review. You are very correct. It is very much an improv. I tried to focus on the emotion itself of sadness, but with a glimmer of hope towards the second half. It's hard for me to stay sad throughout a piece....i guess because i don't want to get too depressed listening to myself play. :P

[New York City Beat]

Okay

This loop isn't horrible or random, but there certainly is a lot of work that could be done. Don't worry, I'm not going to bash you and say, "5/10!!! >:-(". I'll at least give some reasoning and advice.

Firstly is the bass line. The third chord in the progression sounds very clashing and dissonant. Try raising it up a half step and fitting the melody accordingly. The reason it sounds clashy is because the note is a half step up from the first notes of the scale, called the tonic. This is not part of a normal major or minor scale, and sounds out of place. If you raise it up a half-step, however, (The next immediate note up, which is an "F-sharp" in this case) it would fall naturally into the scale and sound more comfortable. It is okay to use an occasional note outside of the songs scale once you know what you are doing and have some experience. Right now, though, I would not recommend it. Try to learn a little music theory, first, which will help tremendously.

Secondly is the drum beat. It isn't random, but suffers from over-simplicity and odd patterns. Right now you have two eighth note bass drum beats followed by two cymbal beats. Try two bass drum beats, a snare or cymbal beat, and a rest. It will kind of sound like the "We will rock you" riff. xD

The melody is okay but a little hard to follow. At :08 seconds, you have the drums, bass guitar, and lead all hitting every beat (One-and-Two-and...etc). You don't need to have every instrument hitting at the same time doing the same thing. It can became a bit monotonous. Then, you have a rhythym with 16th notes in the melody later on which sounds a bit dissorienting. I suggest you slow down a bit and see if your melody is singable and easy to remember. Without listening to this, could you easily hum the complete melody? It doesn't have to be complicated. Simple can go a long way IF you do it effectively.

That, and this is a short loop. I realize it is just a loop, but trying making something a bit longer with more variety. I know my advice is long and perhaps a bit hard to swallow for the avarage layman. Try learning a bit of music theory if you have some time on your hands. There are books and tons of free websites out there to help you. Google is your friend. :P

Hope that helps to some extent!
~Blaze

RandomHuman responds:

Well, you don't really need to explain everything to me if you want to review again, or assume that I don't know what i'm doing. I'm currently majoring in music :D

The only reason why it sounds like i'm inexperienced is because i'm inexperienced at the program i'm using, plus I don't have a microphone on my computer so I can't record ACTUAL music.

But i'm probably going to install FLS, which seems to be a bit better of a program...

[Silent Tears (Piano)]

A formidable MAC8 submission! >:-D

Your story seems very interesting. I'd love to read the entire thing so that I could better how this song fits into the context of it all. :)

A previous reviewer said that this sounds like three songs and you need to decide, but I would disagree. You do have different sections, but a good song SHOULD. Furthermore, you ended the song by going back to the familiar main theme. By bringing the listener back to familiar material in such a way, you've made the piece a more cohesive whole. That is always a good technique to use!

In regards to emotion, you've done a fine job fitting this to the MAC8 theme. It is sad and emotionally driven with plenty of variety. There are some hiccups, but that is completely understandable. I enjoyed the use of dynamics, especially at the climax. That build up was very effective. It was also cool to hear how you took the theme and paraphrased it later on with some notable changes. (The faster paced arpeggios, sped up tempo, etc.) I like how you do the melodic riff at :35 seconds. It is simple, but a nice touch. BTW, the change to the chord at :48 struck me as very Final Fantasy-esque. :P

Good job on this one. You are very good with sad themed music!

Keep it up,
~Blaze

Zero123Music responds:

Thanks again Blaze, I love hearing from you - You know when ever I make a new tune now I look back to your reviews, and they reeeealy help - Thanks again :D

[Solus- Rain in Venice]

Good luck with the MAC :)

This is quite beautiful. The piano especially does a nice job of conveying that sad feeling, along with the stringed instruments. The bells were nice, and I also liked the winds. The melody was very mournful and calming. I must say that I liked the section starting at 1:17. The chord progression there was one which I really enjoyed.

I don't have much more to say other than job well done! That, and the ending was too out of place. That last chord was more evil than sad. It left me with a predominantly sinister vibe. O_o...I think you have a chance at placing in the MAC with this one. It certainly beats my little piano submission. :P

I look forward to more excellent music from you,
~Blaze

SolusLunes responds:

The part at 1:17 and past was something I'm very proud of, it's really complex.

It took me the better part of two days. :D

[Tears For The Beloved (Piano)]

Mournful

Another beautiful work you have here. I feel so sad now. :(

I love the intro. The first note is accented and quite striking. It quickly grabbed my attention and demanded I listen! That's the way to go about composing! The chords and melody that followed for the next few seconds were simply beautiful. Those first 23 seconds are probably my favorite in terms of melodic and harmonic lushness. The main melody that followed was mellow. It made me think of sorrowful times. It brought about some mournful memories. A well written song should do that. The chord starting at 1:27 was an interesting choice. I believe it was a 7th chord of some sorts. The section immediately follwing was introduced a bit roughly (at 1:33). I liked the more fast pased melody and rhythym; it was a nice change-up. I love the quarter note chords at like...1:43. They were slightly dissonant, but very nice. Yay, my favorite part again repeats again at 2:03! Those few measures would go very well fully orchestrated. Some striking brass and high registered string...I can imagine now. You transitioned into that smoothly. The transition back to the main theme after was not as smooth, but it worked. A good bit of tension and release there. Oooooh. There was a really sour note at 3:06 exactly. Sorry, but I cringed! The ending was...Less than perfect.

Work just a bit on transitions and those sour notes. You would have a VERY formiddable piece for MAC if you cleaned it up to perfection. Did you add the strings in FL Studio? They were a nice touch. Nice texturally, but infrequent enough that they don't get annoying. Great job with this one; I can't wait to hear more! Don't let those zero-bomber get you down. They are always there, no matter who you are. Why give in to their demands? Kep up the good fight! Besides, even in the professional music industry there are crazed critics who will hate you for no apparnt reason. :P

Again, great job. :)
~Blaze

Zero123Music responds:

Thankyou once more Blaze. I was considering recording again, but for that 1 note. And the impro in my terms went so well, I couldn't do that again lol. {The Impro Starts at roughly 2:36} I deliberately made the strings very quiet as this was a Piano piece and all I wanted was a bit more atmosphere. *shudder 3:06 makes me cringe also - when I was playing I hit that note and didn't know what to do and thus hanged on it for a bit, I decided to try and make it sound deliberate, but it's better than jumping away from the piano when I hit a sour note lol.

[Belit's Gallows]

Actually uplifting

Sorry, but this isn't very sorrowful. It's too uplifting and upbeat in my opinion. The vague story I get is something like this:

A poor man has been let down time and time, his dreams shattered long ago. He works from till dusk working a low paying job he loaths simply to make ends meet, but he always manages to somehow provide for his family. He works to live and lives to work in a viscious cycle of dissapointments and let downs. Yet he still holds hope for a brighter tomorrow. His resolute attitude carries him onward, and he knows that he shall triumph in the end!

It sounds cheesy and generic, but that is the jist of what I hear. I felt really uplifted in the end, which is great! It's not so great for a sad themed contest, however.

As far as the actual music, it was quite enjoyable. The acoustic guitar was simple but effective, as was the bass. The melody was easy to follow and the chords were very uplifting. They really gave a feel of determination in the midst of much pain. I can't stand the sampled instruments, though. The strings especially are annoying. There are tons of free soundfonts that you may be able to use with your software.

Good job, but not sad. :P
~Blaze

SWiTCH responds:

The story you described sounds sad to me! And uplifting, yeah.
But yeah thanks.
The sampled cello (or whatever it was) does sound pretty crap I agree!

[Forgotten Tears - Mjattie]

Chilling...

I really dig this track. There is such a strong emotional drive; it has a mysterious and almost enchanting quality.

I love the chord progression in this song. It isn't cliche and does an awesome job of painting a sort of haunting scene. The amount of reverb on the drums is just right, and the strings/pads were very well sequenced. The song as a whole flowed very nicely from one section to another.

My favorite aspect of this song is easily the piano line. I don't know how many cheesy, cliche piano patterns I have heard in the ambient genre here. As a pianist, it really bugs me. You've actually taken the time to humanize your piano, though! I can tell how you tweaked the velocity of each note with great care on all the instruments. The piano fades in beautifully and sounds very natural. I get shivers when I listen to the section at 1:17! While it is slightly dissonant, it is very effective and beautiful. One of the best piano lines I have heard in a while here. :D

What I really admire about this song is how much subtle variety there is. The melody is almost the same for the entire 4 minutes, but there is so much dynamic contrast, harmonic and textural building, and work done to make everything sound simply perfect. I can tell that you pay close attention to even minute details!

The only criticism I have is of the ending. For such a flowing piece, it simply didn't feel right. Maybe a fade out would have worked better? Maybe not. In any case, I just wasn't satisfied.

You've done an excellent job on this, especially in the mastering department. When I heard the first few seconds, I wasn't very interested and was about to exit the page. Then I thought, "You know, it can't be the same for ALL 4 minutes. He probably put a lot of work into this. I ought to at least listen all the way through." Man, I'm glad I did!

Keep up the great work, I can't wait to hear more!
10/10 Review, 5/5 Vote, and favorited song. :D

~Blaze

mjattie responds:

Waaw that's a nice review :) I really appreciate that you like it XD The ending is going to change a bit, thanks for the suggestion... Does the beginning not ask your attention?? Or were you just not interested overall? Well, tx for your kind review :)

Also, I'm glad you can hear my emotion in this song. I was actually happy when I finished it XD And yes indeed it took me quite some time :) But I think it was worth more then once. It sounds very natural, the piano, but I tried to play this on a piano and it's really hard XD... The melody strugles with itself XD Well...

Though, what part of the ending didn't you like? The semi-fadeout or the Transition to the last piano loop? Or the ending note? Plz pm :)... Glad that you took the time for this awesome review.