Coop's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Strangled - to be the sea]

Too much hiss

I can hear a hiss that Dolby would disapprove of and remove using their latest technology. Please do something about this >:(

The piece itself sounds very strange and almost tuneless, as the sound effects that are used just seem a little disjointed and with the fact that the melody doesn't really have much of a tune, it is kind of creepy, as if it is somewhere within a run down old house that has strange things inside. The best part of this tune was the organ in the background, but it needs to be more prominent, in order to take control of what is a piece that requires a lot of work overall.

[Review Request Club]

Calamaistr responds:

Strange... there is no hiss in this track, maybe you misinterpeted the rain?
I also dont see why you mention it to be 'tuneless' when i made clear this whole album is atmospheric, like a music score.

The tune is in the detail.

Nevertheless, thanks for your review.

[Experienced Loss]

Tear-jerker

Very well written and nicely player for something that deserves to be put into a flash piece as an accurate representation of when someone's close friend, relative or mentor has passed away.

I can see it now - the rain clouds passing overhead and the corpse lying on the damp earth, with a figure hunched over, a single drop of rain causing ripples in the puddle at his feet. Not the end of his story, but the end of a chapter where someone with a large influence has ended their involvement. Now it is time to move onwards and take this piece to the next chapter. Either for vengeance or redemption.

Good work with the strings, perhaps the addition of a lone flute would be a nice requiem sound and also the fade out could be changed, as it sounds wrong to fade such a poignant piece away, taking some of the emotional strength from what is present here.

[Review Request Club]

callitsleep89 responds:

interesting thought. i think a flute would sound nice, though i actually wanted to try and keep this as simple as possible for once, even with the instrumentation. also, since this is made to loop, the fadeout wont be as sudden as it seems here if it is actually put into a game or flash. anyways, thanks for the review!

[Your Makeup is Running]

Rather generic

Sadly, it seems as if everything that you've used here is too generic to work it into the Rock Genre properly. Personally, I view it as "pop-rock", which is the manufactured stuff that gets to the top of the charts, occasionally actually beating some of the manufactured garbage that people who watch X-Factor are told to like.

With the way that the piece is put together, it sounds like you really need some vocals to take this piece further. As it currently stands, you've got a nice sound, but it really does sound manufactured. The guitars need to sound like they can carry the tune and it needs to all become more tied in together as the constituent parts keep handing control over to each other, as opposed to blending in nicely with the rest of the piece.

[Review Request Club]

Sawdust responds:

I suppose the rhythm needs more bass, and the bass should be brought down, and the lead should be distorted. And vocals, vocals would be nice. I'll attempt, or at least imagine how this could turn out if it were better. Thanks for the honesty, too.

[The Last March (Plz Reveiw)]

Hmm, an old march.

Not really the sound of a marching troop, I'll admit, but it does kind of resonate with me that this could be down to something like an accompaniment for a film piece, that shows a small, but significant force moving out towards their ultimate battle.

From where the notes increase in volume, there is a little feedback / static, so it needs to be remastered slightly there. Other than that, I can find little to fault the track on overall. I can certainly agree that this piece puts out some poignant emotions, especially when you consider the deeper meanings that accompany people marching to war.

I think that I'd have made the drums slightly more prominent and deep, in order to convey the feelings of the march, above all else.

[Review Request Club]

Cimba responds:

Thanks for the review :), i think it might be your speakers because i havn't noticed this issue.

[[herd] Triumphant]

Well worked

This is a nice sounding piece, that certainly allows people to hear a good gamut of sounds. The beat and rhythm are well worked, though you could use a little more on the melody, just to add something that links all of the sounds together. Without that, it sounds a little broken, so just a little mroe working to get it all inclusive would be appreciated.

I think that it's a nice track, but there are still a few issues that need attending to - like that one bass note at the start, because it just sounds so out of place.

With the "8-bit" sound as a flourish, that's a nice touch, I could see this being used a little more, possibly in conjunction with other similar sounds, possibly helping it to integrate more.

[Review Request Club]

Herdunculus responds:

Ok, I see what you are trying to tell me. I think it's funny how you didn't mention the "genericness" of it, but that's probobly because so many have said it before...

Anyways, thanks so much for the review.

[i ate the easter bunny]

Disturbing lyrics, catchy music

The simplicity of the music is somewhat counterbalanced by the lyrics that go for shock, as opposed to actual musical accomplishment. The way that everything sounds all together is slightly off putting as a tune, but it's akin to a song that small children would sing, as opposed to the shock value of "So What", by the Anti-Nowhere League, for example.

With the way that everything is set out, it's not too bad a tune and I can certainly say that you've got the potential, but doing more with the keyboards, as opposed to just having the backing drum beat on there, you could make a professional sounding piece that would take your lyrics to the next level.

[Review Request Club]

TheBardOfBlasphemy responds:

yeah, that's a bass guitar, not keys. I do wish I could get hold of a midi device like a set of keys as it would open up a whole dimension of sounds to me.

as it stands, i think there's a guitar missing... i think it needed some funky/weird shit happening to spice the track up... but that's beyond my skill level.

cheers coop and the RRC! you guys rock!

[Mentality Breach]

Catchy, but repetitive.

I think that this piece could easily be used for a lot of parts, be it menus, or even as a backing track for certain games, but the way that it is set out, there need to be a few changes, just to get it back to where I feel you're aiming for:

1) Some of the notes have a little too much high-end feedback interference (static). This mostly occurs in the drum and cymbal notes at around 2.30. Try quietening these down a little, just to smooth that part over and then you'll have a much better piece.

2) More variation is required. Perhaps something can be done with the synths, taking it away from what sounds like a basic child's game theme, giving them an alternative sound or dynamic, similar to what you started the track with, but then cut out after the first minute. This was good and a little underplayed in my opinion.

3) Try cutting out the long pause between the intro and the main part of the tune, it sounds untidy, as if there are two tunes that you've got in this submission.

[Review Request Club]

Birdinator99 responds:

Thanks for the review, and I totally know where you're coming from on the cymbal thing -- I spent a little time trying to rework it but apparently not enough.

lol don't worry I'm working on variation and transitions.

[Dreaming Away]

Good music, poor lyrics

Personally, I think that if you're after ambient, you don't need words, save for maybe some sort of high pitched latin stuff from a choir on occasion. The music is good, well paced and well thought through, if a little poor in the quality stakes. I'd suggest messing around with the equalisation, taking the bass out and adding treble, to make it sound less muffled.

Yes, this can be a little long of a piece - I'd have considered making it slightly shorter, by perhaps a minute or two and then looping it, so that it's usable in various flash pieces, since that's a great way to get your music listened to more.

[Review Request Club]

Monkeydelic responds:

Thanks :)

I agree, but sometimes it's nice to express myself through lyrics, besides, if i ever want to be good at it, i have to "practice"

It will most defineatly be shorter next time around, now that i have a better idea of how much time i need to give the effects the space it needs.

Thanks for the review :)

Namaste.

[Strangled - clarity burie]

Interesting ambience

The piece can be said to be slightly creepy (Resident Evil?) and yet have some calmness about it, a la games like Final Fantasy. The start seems quite tense, but it pans out as if it wants to go industrial.

I'm not entirely sure what you're gunning for here, so I'll just stick for the creepy "I've done something bad, I'll try to cover it up" line for the protagonist of this piece, especially where it refers to a buried cat.

I think that it could use more of a beat and a little more in the way of pace, but other than that, it's not an awful piece, but not the best I've ever listened to.

[Review Request Club]

Calamaistr responds:

Its meant as a step further on 'curiosity killed the cat'
In this case knowing oneself thus clarity, to let worry rest.. thus buried the cat.

And this is not a dance track so the last thing it would need is a 'beat.

[Jazzy, Funky Zombies]

Slow and steady

Not a bad piece, but I'm unsure about the name - Zombies have never really been associated with Jazz. I think that this might be something that could be worked over pretty easily though.

The pace is good and the sentiments of the track are certainly there for a nice, mellow, easy going track, but perhaps it's a little slow. With this as it is, you could certainly stand a little increase in pace, because Jazz being laid back isn't just about making it sound slow and borderline boring.

[Review Request Club]

Birdinator99 responds:

Thanks for the review -- I appreciate your honesty! I really don't have an explanation for the zombie thing lol. Also, slow music is where I tend to lean to (when creating, at least). I probably should make faster pieces once and while for sure.