damifortune's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Beneath (AIM 2023)]

(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

ooooh... spectacular sound design O_O so many big, deep swells and a lot of cool effects that i think strongly convey the deep sea locale. i'm super impressed with the soundscape here, and i can only imagine if this is what you're bringing to the table you will excel in film scoring too. this is massively creepy, unique, and delicately crafted. the light presence of solo cello really sells it too, giving us something slightly mournful and uneasy to latch onto that's clearly acoustic amidst all the processing and cinematic sound.

geez... this is just so good, i'm really inspired by this one.

chipsqueek responds:

ty for the review ! :D fun fact the cello is actually a violin (specifically the one in the Gypsy library from EastWest just pitch down an octave with some subtle tube distortion to remake the unevenness and inconsistences in real life strings, since pitching the violin down gets rid a lot of high end !) also ty for all the descriptive words ! i plan on going into composing for films and games in the future, so all the descriptives really help me understand what to focus on for future tracks and scores ! :D

[AIM - My oasis]

(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

digging the set of sounds you chose - that super romantic violin, flute and verby piano versus the electronic drums and bass is a cool juxtaposition. the final section is such a heavenly climax to it all as well. gorgeous! everything comes together for a very full sound; i wonder how the bigger sections would sound with the piano's reverb dialed back or if it continues to lend itself to the overall mix.

in a way, this feels more melancholy than what the artwork you chose seems to convey to me (at least, there is a bridge to the person on the island, right?), but it's also not hard to imagine there being more complicated emotions between these two than what might meet the eye, and there is so much involved in anyone being another's oasis. i do feel the love in your piece as its focal point, and even if the inviting greens, browns and pastels of the landscape are not centrally represented, i definitely see where you're coming from here. nice work : )

[Seafoam Sanctuary [AIM 2023]]

(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

this is very pretty and peaceful; i do feel the sunny island landscape mood coming through in the piece. a little breeze or running-water field recording could complement it well, too, but the instrument and harmony still carry that idea. you have a good idea of when to start changing up the progression which i appreciate.

something i think could help make this piece more dynamic would be to put more focus on the individual volumes of all the notes, and to decide what in particular to emphasize (strong beats) while likely lowering the volumes on everything else. since this is a solo piece especially, it would be awesome to hear some shaping on the melodies and on things like the repeated harmonies underneath. maybe some shorter notes in some places, too, could add a little fresh detail. right now everything is on the beat and all the beats have roughly the same weight. with all that said though, the mood is great, the tune is lovely, and i pick up the association to the artwork you chose. a bit of detail work could take it to new heights!

[AIM - Harmonic Dispersion]

(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

so catchy, what an uplifting and cute vibe : ) there's so many snail's house-isms in here (particularly the melodic bits), which i guess based on the tags is extremely deliberate, haha. you did great at replicating that style, and it fits the character + style of the artwork you chose nicely.

frankly this seems spotless to me, the production is clean, the song shifts gears in the right places, and the writing is fluid. i don't have a lot to note here - maybe it would've been cool to see a more adventurous solo in the final big section in the last minute of the song instead of mostly repeating, but i don't really think the song suffers for it; it would just be an option to dial the excitement up one extra notch, maybe. it's so solid as-is; awesome job!

LordAndiso responds:

Woah!!! Thank you so much! This motivates me! I am very critical of this song to be honest.. I see soo many places to improve on.. It seems a bit shallow for my taste the more I listened to it. What makes me think that way is that the melodies repeat all the time without much tembral automation changes or something.. makes it feel a bit repetetive.. Just creators critique here. I always think I make crap, but I still like listening to what I sometimes call crap. I also try not to invest too much time on songs, so I dont overdo them (hard to finish, always want to change something).. I am very indecisive xD

[Livriut (AIM 2023)]

(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

i am very amused by the nose sample. that's a very creative way to approach the artwork you chose and the subdued vibe of the track is definitely in-line with the energy of having a cold. with the sneeze being so mighty, i would've maybe expected something big and explosive somewhere, but this is a good take and i love the offbeat sampling approach.

i would've liked to hear juuust a bit more variation in the track for its length... there are some really solid different phrases peppered in to break up the "main nose lick" (what a phrase to be typing) but i think they could be proportioned a little higher, perhaps by making the main noise lick sections shorter. there could be more dynamic contrast between the sections too; even though the energy levels vary, like in the reverby ambient part about 75% into the song, the overall volume stays about the same. to some extent i could see this "mutedness" being thematically deliberate towards having a cold but at the same time, at 5.5 minutes i'd prefer some highs and lows.

[AIM - Routed Cerebrum]

(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

this track really speaks my language; i love the crisp, glitchy production and your use of distortion. even though there's a lot going on, it's never too busy and everything's in its right place. i also dig the very deliberate decision to make some parts very dry and others airy. it's all very tightly controlled. i'm gonna have to check and see if you have an album out anywhere or something...

the song definitely exudes a cyberpunk feeling; it kind of feels like i am major kusanagi on my way to an important infiltration mission. to relate it a little more to the artwork you chose, i think i'm looking at a still snapshot of some insane, surreal acrobatics or parkour through the air. although i tend to associate the bright neon colors across the color spectrum with dense, colorful harmony, i think you brought this scene to life wonderfully without it. this rules, great work!

[AIM // Sweeping]

(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

this is adorable! i can't help but smile as i listen to this. it's hopeful in a peaceful, introspective summer morning kind of way. maybe our bee friend in the artwork is feeling good while taking care of their chores and thinking about all the good stuff that lies ahead in their day/week/month/season... ah man! there's so many nice details to love in your piece, from the thoughtful ambient intro with the piano rubato to the glitchy noise percussion flittering and stuttering to the tasty bitcrushes and reverses. i'm in love. it evolves so nicely.

one small thing that comes to mind with the sixteenth note rhythmic ostinato going on in the last couple sections is that it could maybe feel a little more natural if some of the velocities of the notes were varied, especially lowering them a bit on the offbeat notes (or whatever notes you wouldn't want accented; it's worth experimenting). it doesn't stand out to me too much, honestly, because there's enough other similar/related rhythmic stuff going on in other parts. but that little bit of detail work might make this even more lovely than it already is!

littlbox responds:

Thank you so much! I appreciate your detailed review, and am really glad to hear you enjoyed it. I also appreciate the note on the sixteenths' dynamics! I didn't even consider it before, but I'm tempted to go back and see how that adjustment would affect the piece. :D

[AIM - ACID RAIN]

(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

this is a super slick groove; what a nice psychedelic vibe to hang out in for a few minutes. love the guitar strumming. i see what you were going for in pairing with the bright, surreal, semi-abstract colors of the rain that wash over nearly all of the artwork you chose, even down to the chilled-out, laid back quality feeling a bit like "rainy day".

the one thing that stands out to me about the track as a whole is that it kinda sits at the same dynamic level and energy level for its entire runtime; a little variation at times would go a long way and i think wouldn't necessarily disrupt the groovin'. for instance, i like how things change up just a bit in the last minute of the track! more of that, and maybe a bit of letting some of the parts rest for a couple phrases before coming back in. all that said though, i really enjoy what you laid down here, it's quite solid.

[AIM - Delusion]

(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

ooh, this uplifting style feels like such a good fit for the bright and colorful lights and surreal air-walking of the artwork you chose! it's the kind of thing that makes you feel like anything is possible for a brief few minutes, which is also pretty much the vibe i get from the art, too. the production is bright and flashy and impressive, and there's definitely more than one trick up your sleeve over the course of the track. honestly, it surprises me that it's only 3:25 long; i felt like the journey had to have been longer than that.

there's a balance to be struck between making something that's just one idea (on one end of the spectrum) and something that's got a ton of disparate ideas (on the other). this song is sort of on the outer limits of the middle portion leaning towards the many-ideas end; i think it's ultimately a cohesive experience but there are indeed a lot of individual sections and ideas going on. there's a unifying sound and mood though, which ultimately grounds it well enough. suffice it to say, i'm impressed with what you packed into this song without it flying totally off the rails.

[AIM 2023 - I'm Naut Dreaming]

(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

i like the progression of moods here... everything flows smoothly and gradually from one related thought to another, and before you know it, you passed five minutes with your lovely astronaut partner. i like your drum sequencing a lot, there's some nice little details and it feels organic.

overall, not a lot stands out to me - the mood is sweet, sentimental and chill, and all the parts are in their right places. maybe some more compression would help the drum beats stand out and brighten up in particular; maybe some stuff on the master like compression, light distortion, or even tape effects could further solidify the trip-hop style, if you wanted to spice up the production. but this is really solid, and those are not complaints but rather thoughts about how it could level up higher.