Coop's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[NLC] Hyrule Field Fixed]

Sounds nice

A very sunny composition, based in the world of the Legend of Zelda, which is fine. The uplifting sounds from the woodwind and the strings is a great way to build up the piece, before turning it darker at about 1m 30, when everything takes a more sinister turn. Both sides of the coin are represented well and despite that sinister side, I feel it is more overwhelmingly happy, as the darkness is banished towards the end of the piece, with the power of the piano.

Given that side of things, I may have preferred having two tunes - one to represent the lighter, happier times and another to showcase the dark times, with Link hunting evil and helping himself to free Zelda. The two sides of the coin would be well served by this, as the darker side (the game itself, one could say) would be covered by such a tune, as opposed to this overture, as you currently have.

How to improve it would be a difficult conundrum to answer, though I would suggest that perhaps you try making more use of the piano, as it is such a powerful instrument, capable of taking you to places, all by itself.

[Review Request Club]

KrisKrosNL responds:

Ok, thanks for the review!

[ARES - Dodson's Warning]

Needs a little something

Big vocal samples add to the variation in the early stages of the track and while this does add flavour, it doesn't showcase your own work. That part is repetitive and a little tacky, lacking in the all important variation and just giving us a step beat, that is something to walk along to.

Later in the track, when the vocals are taken out, this does work better, but by then, the damage has been done and I think that you'd gotten a little up-tight on it all. Perhaps experiment with a few instruments, perhaps a part of the track, where you change the pace, to see if something faster works in nicely. Music is a way of expression and at the moment, it seems like you want people to view you as slightly boring.

Take this track, change a few things - some major, some minor and let's see what sort of journey it takes you on.

[Review Request Club]

BulimicLemur responds:

Cheers, I'll try to take that stuff into account. Thanks for the review!

ARES

[Silv3Ster - God Damn Robots]

Driven

Not bad, but a little repetitive - I did like the vocal sample from C&C Music Factory's Everybody Dance Now, though this is hardly a tune to dance to.

The beat drives hard and fast and the melody is complimented (if that's the right word) with a lot of additional sounds and perhaps even the occasional instrument. I'd probably rather have heard something a little more musical, but the use of the sampling does give a unique selection of sounds to use, abuse and otherwise alter to your own satisfaction, before mashing it all together.

It's not mainstream Electronica and, while with a degree of trepidation, I'd quite like to heard more of your stuff, to see what else I can pick out from there.

[Review Request Club]

Dj-GST responds:

This was an experimental piece on my part, I was trying to write something out of the ordinary, I guess it worked, haha.

Yeah man, I did alot of hours of sample work, it took some rather large tweaking to get the sound I wanted.

Sweet man! I should have more stuff up soon, I'm currently working on a remix.

Thanks for the review!

3S

[Shadow of Fate [collab]]

Short, but hard hitting

I think that there's a well designed piece of music in here, but it's not quite where it needs to be. Perhaps a little more length and even a smidgeon more flutes, where you can use them to be the lighter side better - they quickly get drowned out by the entire percussion section of the orchestra, so the balance is ever so slightly off.

On that front, with the percussion, the kettle drums being rolled would be a nice addition, to compliment the strings and bring it all together nicely.

If I were to interpret the piece, I'd say it sounds like preparations for a battle, but from the point of view of a massively outnumbered force - rebels or the remnants of a previously defeated force, wanting so much to live through the conflict that is to come, so that they may get the chance to visit loved ones, that have been left behind at home, many miles from there.

[Review Request Club]

samulis responds:

Thanks for the critique. I see what you mean about the flutes... might try remastering it later. The drums idea might work.

I like the interpretation... much better than anything I could have thought up. :)

Thanks again,
-Samulis

[Out In The Cold]

A little quiet, but evocative

Wow, this piece can certainly stir up some emotion in me, with the way that the intro is so softly "spoken" and the feeling I get is either one of lamenting the fallen comrades, or that it is regret over something not being done that should have been in the story.

A good use of the piano, though a little too quiet for a piece so poignant and you should consider making the higher pitched notes from this wonderful instrument that little bit louder, since the lower notes have no such issue.

I wonder if someone could find a piece of writing and use this as a backing track for their reading of it? The piece certainly has potential and if the piece were right, along with the reader, perhaps this could come off!

[Review Request Club]

bearskin responds:

Thanks for the review!

[Chase Within]

A little repetitive

I think that as the piece sounds to be a few slight variations on a theme, there is something slightly wrong with the tune. The form is decent and it could stand a little more power in the bass stakes, to give it that extra boost, but the real issue lies with the melody, which needs to change a bit more than this, to catch my attention.

As far as the track goes, it's a little short, but it sounds alright. Don't think that I'm being overly negative by saying it needs more in the variation to make it grab more attention, but the length might also come into question there. Give it an additional minutes, maybe another minute and a half, to cure some of the variation issues (hopefully) and you'll be laughing.

Consider a counter melody, to perpetuate the piece and "talk" to the melody, so that they duel and then give the counter a solo, before coming back in with the melody, to finish things off, that should see you right.

[Review Request Club]

The-iMortal responds:

Thanks for the review, Coop. Yes, it is definitely short as I was running out on time for the Audio Secret Santa thingo, lol. Cheers.

[House above the clouds]

A little too wide ranging

Don't take my vote of 3 as totally negative, I really don't think it deserves to be as high as it was, especially if you're voting to inflate your own scores up so high.

Right, onto the track itself - there are lots of different video games represented in this particular creation and, while I can see it getting some good mileage in this arena, you may have covered too many generic video games to really get ahead here - why not pick a tune and redux it Tetris style, or create Super Mario Brothers Vs. [popular artist of today], for example?

I think that your quirky style is worth something here and that you can develop it a little more than you already have, perhaps by making the track a full three - three and a half minutes long, as at half that length, it becomes a little tiresome and boorish, without too much in the way of form over the variation. Even with this variation, it can become repetitive, so keep working at it.

[Review Request Club]

ErlendHL responds:

Hmm why are there lots of video games represented in this song? I haven't played any of the old video games and this I made up by playing the piano while chiptuning.
You're right it can be longer, with another part. Right now it does have ABA and variation but they are pretty similar. Thanks for the review.
Edit: Hmm and when you say a little too wide ranging, I can't see what you mean :/
If you see this reply, please give me more information in my inbox :) Thank you!

[Invasion (DJ Razz)]

Good pace, but why Dubstep?

I thought it was going well, until the trademark sounds of Dubstep came in, to be brutally honest. This is a nice sounding piece, with a nice, if slightly basic beat, coupled with a serviceable melody - nothing spectacularly good, but then again, nothing spectacularly bad, either.

The sound distorted parts changed all of that, as it took away some of the magic of the track for me. The intro came in, almost in the same way that When the Wild Wind Blows, by Iron Maiden does, with a breeze blowing in a calm, almost carefree manner. With this, you kept recycling this simple sound, which is nice and natural - the artificial stuff needs some work, to tidy their sounds up, make them more crisp and better work out where they belong in the tune.

[Review Request Club]

RobinDB responds:

Hey, thanks for the review, but I'm not entirely sure what you want me to change. And sorry for making it dubstep, i guess...? But thanks for appreciating the intro wind effect.

[In the Future!]

Drives well

It seems to be a good track overall, though I would query the repetitive nature, as this is a little much, even for Trance, to be honest.

You've got a good beat and you could stand to add a little more power to the bass, to give it that additional lift, when it strikes - the feeling that you chest is about to explode is about the level you are striving for when you're playing it at clubbing volumes.

It comes in well, with a short, but sweet introduction and the story of the tune is well underway. "Hello, I'm the main character of this track, don't forget about me!", it screams at me, as it drives through the rest of the piece. When we finally change from that repetitive melody, the bass section takes over nicely and when it comes back in a new costume, you've made a good attempt at variation, though not enough. Different instruments, or a different tune, neither of which is accomplished enough for me in that regard.

The modulation was nice and to see the change of key exploited well is a nice thing, though again with that change, there was something else that you needed - consider new phases, with additional different "dialogue" from the main synths, since they are the track and to give them something else to sing stops it from sounding like a chorus line from start to finish.

[Review Request Club]

Everratic responds:

Thankyou. This is a great review and I will work on this song sometime this week :)

[Tumble Towers2 theme]

Makes me want to play the game

I have no idea from the tune what the game is about, but it sounds like one of these games where you build towers really high, by dropping one block on top of the other and "hope for the best". If this is just the theme tune, then you can't be doing too badly, getting the piece to six and a half minutes long.

A good combination of synth guitar, combined with what almost sounds like real piano in some of the parts, though the overriding factor is that the synth guitar really makes me think of Sim City as far as that sound resonates with me.

You build it up nicely and the tune itself carries a nice cross section of moods, from melancholy, to happy.

I've really missed the days when games had theme tunes and the idea that you're bringing it back makes me exuberant with happiness. May others follow your shining example!

[Review Request Club]

eatmeatleet responds:

yeah, it's that kind of game. Thanks for all the praise man, peace :)