damifortune's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Infinity]

(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)

the vibe of the intro is perfect; just the right amount of space between everything to really give that sense of deep isolation in greyscale. conversely, the more fleshed-out piano part that follows is a little too busy in comparison. it could perhaps be led up to and prepared for, but i think much more time in "contemplative open space" would be necessary, along with more of a gradual build into that part (perhaps using some of the cool textural sounds you have on display in the latter portion of the song). one thing that i also think would REALLY help it feel organic would be for it to not be at a straight tempo, and when multiple notes hit at the same time, for them to be spaced out a bit; being both at tempo and quantized to the grid makes the part feel very robotic when it ought to breathe like a human. if it were me, i would put a lot more space between most of those chord changes in the process (this is doubly useful to counteract the heavy bleeding of the huge reverb), and really emphasize the flow of the melodic lines, giving them direction, crescendo and decrescendo, tension and release. if you happen to have the ability to liveplay it either via recording or midi, that'd be the best option, but it can be carefully sequenced too

Arponax responds:

Yeah i still have alot to learn when it comes to minimalistic and atmos stuff, its not really my main thing, kinda wanted to come out of my comfort zone with this one. unfortunately i dont really have a way to record stuff by hand, yet, ill learn instruments tho :D

thanks tho, ill take these suggestions in count when ill be making similar tracks in future.

[AIM - Hazmat Witch Adventures]

(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 so whimsical! although i haven't read the comic in question i am picking up the somewhat comical, cartoonish witchy vibe that i get from these character portraits. in a vacuum, i would say that all the pieces of this whole are a bit disparate, but in the provided context your decisions make enough sense. i like that the various sections of the piece have some of their own focuses too, like on the harp, timpani, orchestral bits, and the main kinda buzzy synth. again i don't know all the references from the description here but it's like a cute little medley!

i think you could stand to dial back the reverb on most everything here, btw, or bring it in stronger for effect in certain places or certain instruments (it does add some nice atmosphere to the synth arpeggios for instance). the reverb tail is kind of long and bleeds into some of the other parts or the following notes. a little variation in the velocities/volumes of some of the notes in the arpeggios would also be welcome to make it flow more nicely. but overall there's a lot of little detail to enjoy in this piece. i know you were going for lots of electronic sounds but i kinda wish i heard more of stuff like the xylophone! really effective at communicating the whimsy imo.

[AIM23 - Kubarium]

(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 when the drums kick into full gear about halfway through the song and then the rhythmic chord pad joins in; there's a good progression to the song in this way. the filtered noise in the background and the string ensemble sound acting as bass here give me a bit of that "expansive" feeling that i sense in the artwork you chose, but on the other hand the melody and accompaniment feel comparably intimate. i realize one of the voting categories here is "emotion" which you have leaned into here but i think i expect to hear more of a vast digital world in your piece than what i get; maybe the acoustic-ish snare and hat don't help, nor the up-front beat throughout. some more ambience, texture, distant arpeggios, for example might help give that feeling i get in the art.

artwork relevance aside though, you've got a really comfy little tune on your hands, and that melody is liable to get stuck in my head.

Dynamic0 responds:

Thanks for review!

[AIM - Environments 2D]

(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'm definitely picking up the urban night vibe from the jazzy blend of rhodes, electric bass, drumset and synths! i love all the hazy, psychedelic effects on your synth leads, organ and pads too. there's a certain laid-back quality to the whole thing, the solos feel leisurely, there's some nice space inbetween many of the lines. and there's even some good development as the song goes on, with the final section + solo having the most intensity.

interestingly i think it's worth mentioning that, despite how vibrant, detailed and inviting the artwork of this city is, there's not a single person in sight. you did a good job of capturing that specific feeling of "vista of a city night ripe with opportunity, but without the hustle and bustle of a crowded street".

i could see there being some more compression on the drums so that they punch through the mix a little more, especially when things get more full like when the big synth pads hit in the last section. there are times where the reverb effects feel just a little muddy as well, mostly when we get both brass and other leads going at the same time. with just a little more focus on the key elements you want to emphasize, it could come across more coherently and confidently; but i say this because there's a lot to love about what all you've written here : )

Cresince responds:

Thank you for your insight!

I do agree with your mixing critiques as I listen back to my song, thank you for pointing out those specifics to me!

[AIM - sweetheart]

(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)

oooh my goodness, what a vibe this tune is! the EP chords with the woozy, super slow vibrato are to me the star of the show; i like that extra tuning detail you took with your melody too. i think it fits great. this is wonderful music to zone out to, in the best way. the overall atmosphere rocks.

the ambiguity of pitch matches in a specific way with the "broad strokes" of the artwork you chose, which i think is interesting; maybe you could take that to another level by finding a way to emphasize that the strokes become more detailed as the focus draws towards the girl's face. bitcrushing comes to mind as an option, as well as doing some loose unquantizing of the rhythms in some places.

there is room for additional development in the song, as well as more detail work to make things really shine with polish. you build up into your core loop quite nicely, but it doesn't really expand any further than that. i realize to an extent that this style is about leaning into comfy, entrancing loops, but you could introduce variation and perhaps even a second, related section of music without losing that atmosphere i think. writing a contrasting progression, adding some ear-catching extra effects to stuff like volume gates or gradual bitcrushes or filters, changing up the drum rhythm with more or less intensity throughout different parts of the song... all these are territory you could explore! as for detail work, what stands out to me is the drum programming; some variations in the velocities of the drums, especially on weak beats, would help it feel organic, along with subtle additions like quiet "ghost notes", rolls, or even quick stutters/retriggers for texture.

[AIM - The Child of the Moon]

(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)

woah! the production on the big drop sections is top notch - tasty sidechaining and huge synths - and the sweet pentatonic-ish melody of the foresty first section is lovely and heart-wrenching. there's a lot of nice elements to this.

about the artwork you chose here, i don't think anything about it necessarily suggests the 'battle vs evil' dubstep portion of the song, but i do nevertheless think it's rad that you came up with a whole narrative arc to your piece, and the initial part feels like "a rainy night in the magic of the forest" to a T. i don't necessarily want to call the juxtaposition between the two sections unjustified because nothing should be stopping you from taking your art inspiration and letting your imagination run wild with it, but the two parts are fairly disparate in tone and intensity; individually they are both super cool!

also i don't think i would've noticed the harry potter melody thing if you hadn't mentioned it lol, so i wouldn't worry about that part : )

[Facing the Storm (AIM2023)]

(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)

wow, super cinematic! the core drones of the buzzy synth and strings hold this together very nicely. i like the ambient textures that come in to support, and the full movie action scene drum moments. the narrative arc of the song gets enormous in the last minute and a half! i like how it's paced for sure.

something about the four-on-the-floor beat of the last section strikes me as a bit inorganic; i wonder if maybe some more of the previous rhythms could've remained while still developing into the "big banger" climax that you've got. it's really cool, but the transition is a bit sudden and harsh compared to how fluidly the rest of the piece ebbs and flows.

i definitely feel the foreboding, consuming darkness of the artwork you chose within the ambience of this track, and i get the sense that when the drums start kicking into full gear, shit is really hitting the fan involving that giant ethereal hand...!

Arponax responds:

Thanks im glad you liked it :D

the four on floor at the end is kinda because i couldnt help myself XD the whole song ive been telling myself to just make cinematic piece without normal drums (using only taikos), but as you can hear the urge was eay too big XD
if its too sudden, not sure maybe there could be more silence treatment or introducing everything a bit more fluidly as you said but i kinda like these sudden impacts and changes, maybe its just my thing tho :D

thanks for feedback i appreciate.

[AIM 2023 - a glimpse]

(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)

you have aimed directly at my heart with this one, as this is a style i love dearly and grew up hugely into. i can't play guitar so my attempts at flirting with it in my own music end up being focused on a different angle. i could definitely envision some disaffected singing and screaming over the top of this too!

altogether i love what you've done here! there's several different ideas that i feel are individually executed well and authentically; the guitar tones sound great and the drumset lines feel solid. one thing that stands out to me though is that it would all gel better if the sections were less separated, transitioned into and out of more organically. each one kinda has its own energy level, which is great, but there could be more of an arc to the song without pauses; they feel kind of like individual movements. additional instrumentation or layers could also help make the climactic parts feel bigger and more cathartic.

as for the artwork, i think you picked a good style to match with this person and the style they're drawn in. it's easy for me to imagine that they'd be heading out to a show to listen to this tonight.

[AIM - Windmills]

(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 really sweet, hopeful, emotional tune. the music feels very open and wide like how i feel looking at the artwork you chose! it's a nice fit, especially when the big drums start laying it down. i want to go running around these plains now. i love the windy field recording too haha, i am a big sucker for field recordings in music; super evocative!

there are a couple things i think could make this piece even better -- the first is shaping your lines more. the piano for instance could use variations in the note velocity (and even note length) to feel more human; a pianist won't be playing every note the same nor will they be playing at max velocity in hardly any cases. things like gradually raising and lowering velocities, alternating strong/weak hits, and emphasizing the important notes of the phrase will go a long way; for instance the main rising piano line sounds like its destination is those 3 high notes, right? so you could make the notes crescendo up to them. i think the supporting strings could benefit from a more delicate touch too, especially with their volumes; strings that swell and fade create a lovely, heartstring-tugging drama. FL's slide note feature would help you out with that, since slide notes can gradually move from the initial velocity to your slide note's velocity.

the other thing i wanted to point out is that you could develop your ideas some more. i can tell you've got a good ear for the right pacing of the song overall because there are high and low points in the intensity of the arrangement (stuff like the drums coming in and cutting back out), but you could also stand to write some contrasting material too rather than playing with the same parts. a "B section" to contrast this "A section", would go a long way... one of the first things i'd try would be something focusing more on the strings without piano for contrast. and ideally, some parts of the song could have a different "harmonic rhythm" i.e. how quickly or slowly you change chords/harmonies. this could introduce some tension or excitement for the listener; and while i understand you're aiming for a peaceful vibe here, i think you can stay peaceful while still developing your composition thoughtfully!

[Aalasteir - MR. 100 (AIM CONTEST 2023) | Game Music | Royalty Free Instrumental + MIDI |]

(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)

altogether i appreciated the loose, unquantized feel of this song, although there are some moments where it feels noticeably off, like in the rushed snare drum fills that lead into new phrases. if they were recorded live, just a bit of adjustment by cutting up the waveform might help, or re-recording just that bar until it feels right. in any case, in this respect the slipperiness of the music pairs well with the surreal, psychedelic perspective of the artwork inspiration. i would've expected to hear a lot more electronic sounds evocative of sci-fi here, but it's an interesting, trope-defying take still!

i like your very free sense of harmony here too, which is similarly slippery. i feel like the music could've developed more though, either in the form of adding new, related music or just taking some of those ideas and giving them new lives, new contexts, more or less energy, changes in the speed of harmonic motion, etc -- this could make the 'free sense of harmony' bedazzle the listener instead of bordering on wandering around without an aim. the building blocks are all here for something really cool and unique though :o)