Score: 10

"chicken weenies"

submission: Drew Pickles, a WIP

date: December 26, 2009

its almost like someone threw the inner contents of a roland 808 into a bag of popcorn and served it to GO. excuse me i think there is something seriously wrong with my head

Score: 8

"very creative"

submission: Introversion_by_Slunchy

date: December 26, 2009

I love your sounds here man. you remind me of two of my favorite electronic artists on Newgrounds, crud and jim-ether. first visual that came to mind, a bunch of sea creatures swimming in outer space...while I sit back and watch from my spacecraft/restaurant/hotel

the beat is really creative (i love how you divide the rhythm parts that would normally be part of the bass-snare-hat beat and place some of the notes on abstract drums such as the 808 snare rims and clicking and synthetic open hi hat sounds) and got my head in a groove, great work with the patterns, and the subtle glitching FX. In fact I think you did an awesome job with including a wide array of effects all around. I really like the main heavily reverbed synth and the melody line that plays throughout, works great against a hectic background. The lo-fi arped sound paired with it compliments the main melody nicely and the bassline works wonders. Sounds like you've even got a small pad/hit (or is it just an "artifact" or feedback from one of the synths?) to fill the gaps in certain places.

I give you an 8 because some of the EQing needs some work. On the drums, I felt like you made some attenuations that were too big, sounds like you might have been "smiley face" EQing and leaving some important parts out- the filtered sound definetly worked here but IMO its overdone. Like Reaper83 said, you might just be subtracting too much of the derivative dry sounds. Sounds like you might also be looping all or most of the drums in one mixer channels, as they all feel to me like theyre sent through the same wide automated bandpass filter, so if thats the case I would devote more attention to processing the individual drum sounds after youre done sequencing the beats. more specifically i feel the snare could bleed through the mix in parts. The sub is also massive (which sounds overall sweet), but that area is a bit clogged, so I would go through some of the other mixer channels and high pass the lower freq ranges that arent exactly needed.

-I would also give that pad/hit sound more stereo depth, add a bit of EQed high range to round out your sound.

-for the ending, you could loop right into what content you have in the intro, and then work in that airy atmospheric elements you talk about in the comments, and slowly fade the drums or continue to add more FX until it becomes a garbled mess, and just end with the synths playing your theme ideas. just an idea..

so great style man, keep up the good work and genuine creativity! keep experimenting, you've got a unique and interesting style.

Score: 9

"not jazz but still a great piece nonetheless"

submission: Colour my FATE

date: December 26, 2009

this doesnt have enough contrasting tonal colors to be considered jazz IMO. doesnt really have a classical form either, unless if classical can be contextually put into a very contemporary sense (like 90% of NG classical). regardless of the genre, this is a great piece for a marvelous game. I like how it overall has a calming, upbeat feel with a tinge of bittersweet laced underneath. very expressive playing, good balance between the right and left hand to make the melody stand out more. i personally liked when you had the "background noise" in your pieces for the previous Colour My ____ games as to me it symbolized the quaint, black and white art from the games while the notes from the piano instilled colors into the scene. The more organic sound of your fingers hitting the keys are near inaudible from whatever filter you used to get rid of the noise. it also leaves a slight buzzing noise that sounds like a beetle is trapped in your keyboard.

00:01-00:51

very graceful opening, I like how you slowly work the melody in...good subtle use of legato to get the piece of the ground. dynamics are well controlled

1:28

hello aladdin ;)

1:39

key change is well executed, felt you could have done this more often within the piece

1:35

From this point, I like your open chord voicings and your crescendos but felt that the top of these climatic points where overly loud and the piece doesnt call from it.

2:45-2:57

Really liked the smooth descending arpeggios in here, definitely my favorite part of this song

3:04ish and 3:13ish

chords right here are too loud IMO

3:44

I like the sound of the note outside of the key here...whether you played it on purpose or not it feels good man

3:50-Finish

very nice end, tastefully comes to a close on a nice sounding but not completely resolving chord.

Score: 10

"yoo"

submission: is it skinny

date: December 17, 2009

thats shits hot n***a

Score: 10

"hey gg man"

submission: B0UNC3 - Fail 01

date: December 17, 2009

cool story bro

Score: 5

"hardly jazz i'd say"

submission: -Jazzy Song-

date: September 26, 2009

there's nothing "wrong" about your instruments (other than they sound fairly GM standard...but I applaud the conga percussion usage!) , melodic ideas, or tempo haha :P. it's mainly your overall approach to the composition. for one, there isnt much of a swing feel (if you use FL, set your quantization you never change keys, ideas are a little bit too repetitive and underdeveloped for jazz. For example, to give this a more jazzy feel, I'd write a chord progression for a organ or piano, one that incorporates chords of 2 or more keys. and then with the sax melody modulate to the new key make sure to hit the newly introduced tones, and use the bass to emphasize the new tonal centers. Also, I'd use less of just minor and major melodies (and the pentatonic patterns where a good touch in here), but use modes instead, Dorian, Mixolydian, and Lydian scalic approaches would be a great start. Superimposing blues tones and passing tones gives your melodies more color too.

That was pretentious of me, apologies -_-. If you have no clue what I am talking about google Musical modes for a start. maybe for modern jazz it could classify as jazz however. but genre aside, I still give the song a 6, for an aforementioned reason low quality sounds (try using multiple soundfonts, google specific instruments. theres more realistic sounding sondfount equivalents over the ones you used in this track for FREE), un-connecting, sporadic drums (conga rhythms are nice, but the drumkit parts dont flow well, you seem to stop and start the ride rhythms awkwardly, and the constant quarter note kick pattern in the start doesnt sound too well in context of the piece :P) and lack of chords...'cause you didnt have a single chord in here :P

Keep it up for sure though! I try to be completely honest in my reviews, so I apologize for being harsh. and I probably used to many parentheses too. 5/10 and 5/5.

Score: 9

"Electronica"

submission: Twilight Angels

date: September 26, 2009

man, can you find fault with this short clip, super crisp and soft mixing, light sound kick and clap, with cool damp hats and ethereal sounding filtered saw pads and an entrancing (PUN SOMEWHAT INTENDED LOL) melody. woooo woooo woooo woooo woooo

IMO, its too bad that you have trouble making longer tracks, dude. I find your electronic music to be very refreshing. Not to put any pressure on your music making process, but maybe if you tried to emulate the structures of your longer songs into tracks like this you would enjoy producing fuller pieces, even if they are only 1-2 mins (compared to the average length of EDM songs 3-4 hours each)

Score: 8

"A mixture of New-Age Goodness"

submission: Elyon's Lake

date: September 26, 2009

This is a great loop, just my style of music right here. The synthetic elements you use are superb, the synthesized bell parts and reverbery plucked strings, oldstyle sampled hip hop drums, organic cello for the bass tones, and the authentic sounding violin are a perfect and innovative combination. Great drum groove and the bell melodies flow real smooth.

Only reason why I am giving you an 8, its the length. Like the many reviewers below, it would be great if you would expand on this, and give this loop a good 45 seconds that is deserves or even better yet produce this track into a full fledged beauty. Now it probably gets a tad irritating when people say "make it longer" without really giving you any ideas.

The lower bass area: Sub potentially could use a litte more oomph, layer the kick drum with a sub sample I'd say or add a slight EQ boost in that area. You could probably throw a funky bassline under the sustained cello tones without clogging up the mix as well; I think a plucked Upright bass or a clean electric bass riff would work great.

The bell melodies could always be expanded upon, subtlety add in more on top of the ones you have, perhaps tweak the bell sound you have now to get a new instrument in the track, and pan both of the synthesized bell instruments different directions.

I like the vibrato effect on the violin, but 1 note? Keep the minimalist approach in that regard, but even just adding two or three notes you can make a very simple yet effective melodical line carried on for a minute.

Add to your loop by the process of, subtraction. Take out the drums in transitions, use a different loop or slice up different patterns for multiple sections. Use a less complex hi-hat line in the verse. Don't use the synthetic plucked string until you reach the chorus section to make it stand out a bit from the verse parts.

Just some ideas! Keep it up, this loop is fire, I also commend you on the sleek graphics in your flashes.

Score: 9

"euphoric"

submission: Kw- The Rise (DEMO)

date: September 20, 2009

instantly caught my attention. i have been coming to your page time to time but dont think Ive ever left a review.

that short melody theme that you start with is a keeper, but really what grabbed my ears was how will the saw synths combine great with the sharp acid synths, which Ive become a fan of (and is included in my full track for the EP, which you graciously reviewed :) ). the acid works great both rhythmically and melodically, while the saw synth outlines the melody. bass moves well, and its nice to hear that it too, carries out a more complex rhythm than the typical, straight offbeat eights pattern.

mixing and sound design is crisp too, like the clean reverb on the acid, and the subtle echoes on the saw pad. I normally detest supersaw like synths, but in here it sounds quite nice, not too abrasive and well filtered. Drums fit in well the clap and kick fit in like a glove.

i would prefer a more rhythmically complex (maybe slice a loop or two, high-pass and layer it on top), dynamic, less compressed hi-hat line. i might be too harsh in this aspect as I said something along these lines in multiple reviews in the past haha.

the only complaint with this track is not necessarily within the track itself, just with how you auditioned your track, i would have personally would have condensed the drop section for the time of the demo, and give a good eight-ten seconds more of how the track sounds when it has a steady groove with the kick pumping and all ;) the five note melody that you only had in during the intro, IMO would be something worth showing off and developing more for the demo.

so good work, you indeed should be proud of this trk :) (and hot damn- 36 hours is a LONG time! i'd imagine what you have lined up so far is superb!)

Score: 8

"I'd have to respectfully disagree"

submission: Psybot - Digital Spirit

date: September 15, 2009

with the below poster, i havent heard all the synths in the world (but I'd like to say I've picked up a half-decent ear for detecting sytrus presets over the years), but they sounded fairly fresh to me, and the track is mixed quite well. I like how the beginning synth has a nice wet delay effect to create an atmosphere. the bass is quite smooth and low, and in general i like most of your synth ideas, they all compliment each other well- the automated filtered saw pads was kinda unoriginal during the break section, but what can you do. The old schoolish sounding synths sound nice, and I really like the lead you include halfway through with the smooth LFO filter. Drums also sit nicely in the mix. Catchy melodies indeed that flow nicely, and good work with the sequencing so the track doesnt enter an overly repetitive state.

-Mmm, a swing feel in a 4 to the floor song just has never matched my palette personally :/

-i think the track would be better if you threw in a (or a more distinct) snare/clap other than in the transitioning parts.

-the overall composition was kind of generic. Once again, good melodies and flowing structure, but you really didnt do anything interesting with the rhythm- i would work more on thickening out the hi hat line, i know you got the rides flowing in the chorus sections, but I would prefer more variety in the rhythm.

So all in all, solid track, well mixed! keep it up Psybot!