Coop's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[Assios] - Handsup preview]

Good beat

Hmm, this piece I'd say sound a little more Xmas than Halloween, which is strange, to say the least, considering the site is bedecked with pumpkins and so forth.

The piece is very upbeat and almost uplifting, while the sounds of merriment from beneath the melody don't necessarily interfere, until they come to the solo section, which is a very different kettle of fish. The way that it all meshes together is pleasing, though I would suggest that you add more length and variation to the track, as without that, I feel that it's going to confuse and distract people from the real purpose of the song.

Consider things like adding more vocal samples (having just one shout doesn't seem to cut it for me, so there's something to work on). I'd also like to see a little more in the bass department, just for a bit more of a thump, to give the genre its stamp of approval.

[Review Request Club]

Assios responds:

Yea, this song is not very Halloween-ish :p Thanks for all the great ideas, I'll take them into consideration while finishing the song :)

[Fatal Destiny - Marifax]

Sounded classical to start with

Oh, a very good blend is what we have here - perhaps a little short, but something that can be worked with, to really give the developers something to add to their games as they see fit. Glad to see that it loops well, also.

I think that the build up is short and a little too "boom" for a classical sounding piece - perhaps slow that down a tad, but give yourself a longer track to work with (2 minutes minimum).

The woodwind is a nice sound and it compliments the beat of the track, making it sound a little dance like and certainly good for a high fantasy race within a game, perhaps some sort of riding mini game, or even a game based entirely around this tune. Of course, with the track being so short, you'll need to add other tunes in, to stop the patrons getting bored of the same loop.

[Review Request Club]

[[OS] Madeleine's Theme]

Requeim?

A very poignant and quiet piece, that certainly highlights the more evocative and tearful emotions, within. The pace is good for this sort of tune and the fact that you've given us a melody that never really gets going is the one issue that I'd aim to tackle for improvement.

If it is to be some sort of eulogistic piece, I'd suggest that you focus on the lighter parts of the life of the person involved, since otherwise, it seems to become to emotionally heavy and it distracts from the fantastic piece of music that you've already given us.

Perhaps consider extending it towards 3 minutes, as I'm sure that there was something else to be said in the piece.

[Review Request Club]

ObsidianSnow responds:

Thanks for the input, Coop - the relationship between the pacing and the melody in this recording could, perhaps, be improved a little by adding some more. Lucky, because there is more - I just didn't use it here, although I may go back and extend this into something a little more substantial that includes the parts that were left out here.

Your review is much appreciated. Thanks, RRC.

[Fanfare d'Imperion]

Roman, with a touch of the orient

I see this piece as being the tale of what remains of a Roman Legion marching home from the front - the conditions of this march are unclear, they could be defeated, but they could also be victorious, such is the ambiguity of the piece. It could lead into a piece of mourning, as the troops finally pause for reflection on their slain brethren, or conversely to a piece of joy, as the empire expands, with these veterans returned from a long tour of duty, back to the motherland, where they will be treated with dignity and fealty by all of Rome.

I think that you've got a real talent for writing this sort of thing and with the addition of the flute, you have a sound that to me is very reminiscent of the oriental sounds, as per in games such as Dynasty Warriors, where similar fates have befallen armies over there. The balance is neat and the steady drum beat is almost a march pace, though I can see there is a great deal of symbolism in the work, as we listen carefully.

Good use of percussion and brass, though the use of the flute was a little questionable for me, perhaps because it conjured up imagery from elsewhere. It might just be me, though.

[Review Request Club]

samulis responds:

I'm suprised it has such a feel... I was actually thinking of an even older age when I wrote it... considering early Mesopotamian culture (e.g. Babylon, Sumer, etc.) with the addition of later ages to give a sort of 'evolution' feel. As you near the end (the middle bit when the snare comes in), you hit a more modern approach to music that could be symbolic of another change. The flute then comes in and ushers back that original theme.

Since many reviews mention a Romanesque or even Oriental theme, I'll look into theme oppirtunities.

Thanks for the review. :)
-Samulis

[Halloween Town (Sonik)]

Still needs something

Okay, so we have the addition of more sound effects and the final polish for the piece. Sadly, the attention wasn't paid to where I felt it was needed, but since I've only just reviewed your WIP, how were you supposed to know?

Yes, the sounds of thunder, the whispered voices and a few other bits and pieces really do make a difference to the piece in a good way. I feel that it's improved the sound of the piece so much and by doing that, you've helped to bring the piece forward, though that's not all you've done. Revamping the ending has helped make it a more "house-y" sound and it seems to integrate well. Perhaps putting the beat oscillating in pitch over the top of the Hammond Organ would help it even more?

[Review Request Club]

[Halloween Town (Sonik WIP]

Not bad, but...

I think that the buildup of this song is good and that it's a real credit to you, since you've managed to get a house piece to sound so themed around Halloween. Everything came together well for the first few minutes and trying too hard to get it to sound spooky may have been the downfall of this piece.

After about 3 minutes, when you bring in the traditional spooky sound of the Hammond organ, keeping the house beats oscillating up and down in pitch is fine, but try to have the organ not do that - the sound gets ruined by it all and in the background, I'm hearing notes that shouldn't be there and it makes me shiver, not because the music inspires me, because I should be feeling tension, though all I feel is sorrow for the tune.

Other parts of the tune work well, so just polish this area and you should have something that you can really get your teeth into.

[Review Request Club]

[Power Surge (Psil0)]

Start as you mean to go on.

From the feedback scream at the start, through the pounding bass line and the well constructed melody, there is a certain degree of malice to the piece, as if someone was stalking Johnny 5 from Short Circuit in some sort of macabre visage of a horror film gone cheesy.

I think that making it mechanical means that the next place to take this sound would be to explore some of the industrial genre, giving light to certain sounds like pneumatic hammer presses falling in an apocalyptic thumping of a beat - slower and more purposeful, to compliment this style. Of course, there's much more there to choose from, so have a play and see what you could do.

I have to admit that by the time the tune had finished, I felt quite sorry for the screaming robot / computer / automaton, who is inevitably going to die. Certainly a good chase scene.

[Review Request Club]

[>>SCOOTER<<]

Certainly interesting

A good sounding tune, balanced and well presented, though I would stress that you need to make the vocal sample more easily recognisable in the first instance. Sure, at the end, without any music over the top, it's easy to hear "Is my scooter outside the dairy?"

The buildup was good, getting all of the elements arranged in a pleasing and calm intro, before really blowing the tune away with some pounding bass and a pulsating counter melody. The issues with the vocal sample aside, I think that you might need to consider going for a little more overall length here, with perhaps a solo on the melody side of things, without the bass line being so prominent, as this can really set your tune apart from the rest.

[Review Request Club]

[Engage.]

Sets a good scene

Hmm, this certainly leaves one with a deep sense of foreboding and suspense, after the track plays through once. It's a good loop, but it could be much more, if it were taken to be a complete song, setting the scene and leaving the way open to someone using this to set the way into one of the more impressive pieces for Halloween, this year.

I think that there's certainly potential here, along with the fact that the finished piece itself sounds pretty impressive and you'll be hard pushed to take this further without an actual revamp. The looping is excellent and I look forward to hearing it on something this season, as it deserves to be found and used to the benefit of the flash community!

[Review Request Club]

[Study, Pursuit, Escape]

Very creepy

Wow, this is just the sort of music that I associate with Halloween, where the start is creepy and the bassline only adds to the suspense.

After the initial suspense, the adition of the freaky thing in the middle, the pursuit begins in earnest. The additional pacing even has me typing faster and it seems more frantic, before the object of the chase seems to go into hiding and the pulse is given a chance to settle down again.

Certainly one piece of note, but I think that there is a more sinister twist that can be given to this, just for the time of year - the hunter catches the prey and as a result, a grisly murder scene plays out, when the prey is at the mercy of the hunter and if it decides to toy with it, or just finish it quickly, the whole piece could be used for something very scary as opposed to just suspenseful.

[Review Request Club]

Drony responds:

Thanks Coop! I kinda did go for the suspenseful aspect, the creepiness just kinda came as I went.

I appreciate your input :)