Coop's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[lost to us aeons ago - TT]

Hmm, a good 8-bit tune

A nice track that to me seems like it's designed more for Legend of Zelda, than anything else. I like the way that you've added some bass to this piece, which certainly conveys a sense of urgency and foreboding at the same time.

A nice loop, it seems to convey all of the same parts that you expect from this sort of track. Very versatile and hopefully it will see some use when it comes to the budding flash artists that complete movies or games of their own of this ilk.

[Review Request Club]

Calamaistr responds:

Its a very old melody though not as old as the original zelda it 'wasnt based or designed on it. :)

And i hope to see someone use it sometime too. thanks for the review.

[[MC Crispy] - World in Flames]

Well, it's a no from me.

Sorry, but you might have talent. If you do, I couldn't tell, as you need to start by improving the quality of the vocals to match the beat that you've used, which is awesome.

I think that there are two things that you need to concentrate on first, in order to get ahead here:

1) Microphone. You might need to get a better one, because this sounds awful in quality. Decent microphones don't cost too much these days, so go out and get one that you can wire up to the computer, before trying again.

2) Recording program. Download something like Audacity and get used to the equalisation properties of that program, because you can take away some of the background interference. Edit out the first few seconds and the last couple of seconds, because the sound of you dicking around with the mic is awful.

3) Take the mic further from your mouth. Short of getting a pop-filter for the mic, you might just want to go and get yourself sorted with a decent position for recording from. The mic is a sensitive piece of equipment and it doesn't need to be in your in your mouth. Possibly turn down the mic sensitivity.

4) Writing - it's not the best rap that I've heard - try setting the beat closer to the beat of the backing track, as it would help you a lot - you don't pause enough between verses and choruses, so the track doesn't come through.

[Review Request Club]

[Not a Stalker]

Interesting vocal effect

I like this song, it's got a certain Weird Al quality about it - possible akin to 'Melanie', the song about how he stalked a girl. Still, this is good it its own right, especially where you've gone to the lengths of making it sound like it's being recorded really quickly and it's being done by an amateur, as he's unlikely to be a pro doing a song like this.

I'm not sure about the vocal sound effect that you've used - it reminds me of certain vocal effects from songs like "One more time", where it sounds like the sound oscillates up and down notes, as if the vocal cords are being played like a harpsichord.

Keep writing this stuff, it's really funny.

[Review Request Club]

CluppHead responds:

Thanks. I think the amateur sound comes from..........me being an amateur. LOL The vocal effect comes from an autotuning free trial vst thing that i ran across. I've been using it on the last few songs i've covered, and decided to try it out on an original. It was just a fun thing that i think i get a little carried away with. However, I am glad that you enjoyed the song, and probably will continue writing in the near future. Thanks for the review, much appreciated.

[Ambrosia - Jxl180]

Mellow trance - what's going on?!

I always thought that Trance had to be 'in your face' and pumping all the way to the centre of your chest, so that it set your very soul on fire, allowing people to get so engrossed in the music, that they couldn't help but move to it. This just seems a little too relaxed for that vision of the genre for me.

Still, that said, it's a good track and as a result, there is certainly something that keeps me here, listening to it. The way that the beat keeps pushing on, albeit quietly is well worked and as a result, the tune is very pleasing to the ears.

I think that there could be something done with a solo, possibly that scale that plays in the background in the closest part of the track you have to a solo at present - go to town with that and hit us with a well developed tune that takes people's breaths away.

[Review Request Club]

jxl180 responds:

Thanks for the review, I really appreciate it. I'll see what I can do.

[==(Drifting)==]

Techincal Fault - please stand by

This is the sort of tune that you would expect to hear when someone makes a mistake in the booth on a TV show, then everything seems to stop working. It's like a case of the following:

"Go to commercial!"
"But wee can't, the button doesn't work"
"Well, we've got one option left *opens case for red button* Let's put the jazz on."

Of course, this piece of music would have to be calming, because if you played heavy metal for something like that, the viewer would be likely to throw the TV out of the window, or something similar. I love the way that you've captured the light and airy feel of what this sort of piece requires.

I love the bass guitar in this, as it's the defining piece of the track, as you can hear how it carries the track into the synths nicely, but it seems to me to be the constant force throughout. Perhaps you could increase the volume of that bass slightly, but other than that, it's a great part.

[Review Request Club]

[Alien Relations (Freestyle Mx)]

Nice rhythm

I think that this is a nice new mix of your previous tracks that I've reviewed. You've clearly got the talent to take it further. Good use of the vocal samples and the melody / counter melody combination working well together there.

Perhaps I'd have suggested a more pumping beat, to add some depth to the piece overall, but the way that it currently sits, there's a nice sound, that can't really be improved upon much more.

The other thing I'd suggest is that you give the piece a more dynamic switch in the middle - possibly introduce a different instrument and just take it elsewhere for a short while, as this will allow you to draw out the track longer and give it more to work with, before it becomes potentially off-putting

With regards to your comment about '0-bombers', there isn't really much you can do, save for encouraging more people to vote for your submissions, as that will make such an impact upon your score less of one.

[Review Request Club]

Bracksta responds:

i agree that i should have taken the song a different direction, then brought it back. i should have made it cut time into a hip hop beat and pads, then back to the fast paced melody. Good tip coop :) thank you very much!

[Slapfish]

Calm and lyrical

I like this track - it kind of reminds me of some of the tracks that you get courtesy of Nirvana, when they were in their acoustic moods.

I certainly think that if you go to build on this track any further, the first port of call is that you could use some lyrics. You've got a good sound going there and now it needs to have something to compliment the music, which logically is lyrics.

Possibly, you could use a little additional mastering, possibly the use of a bass guitar in the middle there, just to give a little more of an impression upon the track.

[Review Request Club]

[March_To_Eternity [Box-Killa]]

Popular and well received

I can see that this piece has gained quite a status since its release. The piano work compliments the sound of the drums, strings and horns perfectly, allowing the piece to sound like an epic movie piece, where the forces march towards the battlefield, giving rise to the sounds of a fast-approaching conflict.

I think that you've certainly developed this track well and I'd absolutely love to see someone's take on how to illustrate this piece in Flash. The author, even if rather accomplished, would certainly have to work hard to do a piece like this justice.

Are you perhaps attempting to personify the sense of fear and foreboding that comes along with the march?

[Review Request Club]

[Percolating Prevarication]

Interesting circular

Not a bad rendition, but it does suffer from the hallmarks of repetition and lack of overall variation. I think that you could have gone some way to dealing with this, by giving more of a prominent arena to the piano, which would have gone some way to assisting with this track, but it's all down to choice.

A good beat and a well formed foundation to the track, culminating in a well devised piece that does have a good drive from the beat, a decent melody and the piano does feature as a nice counter melody - not sure about the scales though, you could do so much more, rather than just top to bottom and bottom to top.

It has potential, but it's not quite there, in my opinion. I couldn't listen to this all day, but with a few more minor changes, I possibly could.

[Review Request Club]

DJ-Chilvan responds:

Thank you for the review! Yea, this was my first attempt at this type of musical style, plus it was made for a short notice request, hence the lack of elements. But the next time i get a creative spark, I'll convert it to this genre of music.

[Whispers of the Wind 3]

Excellent

Another triumph, this piece comes to the forefront of being mournful, pensive and mysterious. I think that the use of the harp in this piece just seems to add that certain depth of emotion to the presentation, while the strings carry the main flow.

I was impressed by how the whole tune comes together, though I could see opportunities for flutes, or other members of the woodwind section to get in on the act and add to the piece. Perhaps that's what I've come to expect as a portrayal of the wind, as that section of the orchestra could call that it's own speciality.

[Review Request Club]

Cimba responds:

Thanks for the review :)