LucidShadowDreamer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Stay Inside Me]

Awesome, just like all of your tracks seem to be :3
Your modulations and intrument choices, along with the melodies and rythms/percussion are always incredible ;)

[Ocean View]

Very nice! This is much better than the preview that you posted, and that was okay too :'D
I liked how you still left it up, so one can go back to compare. I'd say you managed to fix up pretty much all the issues in the unmixed track. Now that I hear the finished track, I'm thinking maybe some of the synth sounds could be a bit different, but ultimately that is simply a matter of taste. I enjoyed the melodies in this one, as well as what you did with the white noise!

I think you managed quite well for trying out a new style! Although RealFaction doesn't agree, I think you mimicked some kind of guitar quite well :/ I would've thought it was be a guitar sample at least, did I not know otherwise. I have heard many better guitar samples than what you did with a synth, but I think you did well with what you had!

As for the drums, I personally like them.

I remember I complained about the piano sounding mechanical in one of your previous songs, but in this song, I think the piano, both when in the background and when being the main instrument sounds just fine :3

I love the artpiece you chose too! I think I understand your musical interpretation of it. Especially well done with the white noise. since I can hear it as both wind and waves, it really paints a picture! I would've loved if you would have somehow tried to make the soung more watery (or whatever you'd want to call it) at some points, but that might just mess up the genre :/ It's a bit difficult to explain what I mean.

Overall, good song, and I wish you luck in the competition! :'D

Everratic responds:

Thank you for the review!
I agree that some parts of the sound can sound more watery. I could have added reverb effects.

[Monochrome]

Well, I listened to all the tracks you posted today, and I enjoyed all of them!

In my previous review, I complained about the percussion, but this time, I think you did really well, as I'm guessing these tracks were much newer as well :)

This was my favourite out of the four tracks, so I figured I'd leave a small review for this one.

I think you've done pretty well with the mixing, did you use Garage Band?

I like pretty much everything in this track too. At first, the percussion seemed a bit rough when it suddenly entered, I think you could've introduced it slower, or faded in the volume. Hovewer, after I got used to it, the percussion sounded just fine! I've heard tracks where the drums are even better mixed, but they were pretty good in this track too; far better than I can do at the moment :3

I really like the structure of the song though! All the melodies and chords, not to speak of the good instrument choices! Most of the transitions were nice as well :D
I think you did a really good job with the bass, as it added much to the song. All the synths are really enjoyable and pleasing to the ears! The guitar too, for that matter. So basically, everything is good!

Also, the simplistic ending was interesting, but not in a bad way!

Finally, I like the atmosphere of this track. I don't really have that much to complain about, I just wanted to let you know you did a good job ;)

adieuwinter responds:

Thanks for having a listen! I worked relatively long on this one compared to some other tracks (the others I posted today were all between a few months and a few years old). I made this using Apple's Logic - I used Garageband for many of my earlier pieces. I'll try fiddling with volume / velocity in the future for percussion, with a few more listens I see what you mean.

Thanks again, the comments are much appreciated!

[Children of Saturn]

This is a very good submission for the contest! I'm not going to take part in it myself, but it will be interesting to see how it turns out :3
I also like the artwork that inspired you (good job there, DreamForecast)!

While everything works very well in this track, I think my favourite part is those drums between 2:28 and 2:42 :'D They are so atmospherical, and are perfectly mixed imo! It's interesting to see such a part in a dance track :) (Same thing in the intro of course).
The mixing is splendid in general as well, I'd say. I love that transition that starts around 3:17! (The similar one at 1:07 => too ;p)

Really, I think you've done a splendid job with pretty much everything here! The choice of intruments too, not to speak of the chords and melodies XD
I would also say you succeeded quite well in portraying the unexplored in this track :'D

Good job, and good luck in the contest!!! (You're up against some though comptetition though; have you heard Johnfn's track?).

JoshuaHughes responds:

Appreciate the love again, LSD! The competition is certainly fierce. I've been doing my best to keep up with all the submissions, and all I can say is yes, it is very scary. But I'm having such a blast listening to it all and following all the artists in the process. I've been following Johnfn and I think he made a great track for the contest. I'm secretly hoping it will make it to RealFaction's top whatever results.

[Song Preview 18]

This time I'll really write a short review (it's way past bedtime for me :3).

I think this sounds okay so far. It's difficult for me to tell whether the instrument choices are good or not, since the mixing is not finished. I'd say that this is something I could very well listen to, so since I don't have any better suggestions, I think they're kinda fine. The melodies are pretty good too :D
The percussion, although pretty standard at some points, suits the song pretty well imo! Especially when it's first introduced :)

It will be interesting to listen to this when it's finished ;)

Everratic responds:

Thankyou for the review!

[Macabre Waltz]

This is the most incredible waltz I've ever heard. But I think I've develeoped some special powers! After I heard the first seconds, I could predict the entire song! Every melody, all the chord progressions, everything!

I think this might be your best track so far. Maybe you should try selling it to some big corporation?
Seriously; that ending was so climatic!

Speaking of climatic; that part at 1:23 simply blew me away! Astonishing! Tell, me, how did you come up with that part? It's almost a shame that you only used the piano for this. If you actually put more instruments in this, and made sure they worked well together, this would be one of the most epic dubstep tracks ever, which is a bit odd since this is a waltz!

And I tought you said you weren't THAT good. There's just NO WAY you could have made it sound this realistic, without actually playing it live. I mean, I could probably never in my lifetime learn to play this well... I think I'll simply have to give up on music right now...

Also, the transition between 1:58 and 2:13... Wow. I can't understand how someone can portray such a difference with just one instrument. The perfect and mastered change in volume levels is unbelievable!!! :')

Sadly, I think the intro might be a little weak. It sounds pretty mechanical, compared to the rest of the song... I don't think you should leave it out, I just don't see why you didn't mix it as well as the rest of the song :(

That middle section though, the one that used the same melody as the intro, is incredible too (1:02-1:14, shortly before the first climax), is also stunning. It is not as dramatic as the second half of the piace, but it does a hell of a job leading up to it!

"I just need to edit the velocities of some instruments."

Wait, did you use several pianos for this? I didn't even notice, hahha! It was so well done, I was just swallowed up by the masterpiece, and couldn't even pay any attention to any of the many aspects of the composition. Yeah, those are my analytic skills...

Well, I have one more complaint. I understand that it can be difficult to come up with such great melodies and chord progressions, but couldn't you have made it a little longer?
It's not like a song of this calibre could possibly bore someone.

Anyhow... Why have you hidden such talent from all of us? I woul'd like to borrow some of your awesomeness!

Anyhow, have a good day you too :'3

//The Happy Drug

LunacyEcho responds:

Really? I was expecting more from you. Hm.

=> special powers =>

Nah, that's just how my music works. Sometimes, the best way to be unpredictable is to be completely predictable. PARADOX!

=> big corporation =>

Well, I'm going to have to come clean here. This song is actually based off of a pretty popular song. I'm quite surprised you haven't heard of it, actually. I think the corporations have already wrung that song out clean. I think the reason you didn't recognize the similarity is because I edited it just enough so that it wasn't immediately recognizable, coupled with the completely original intro.

=> climactic =>

I'm really glad you found it climactic. I was worried some people would say that it was more on the soft side, but at least one person felt the same way I did!

=> dubstep waltz =>

Not a bad idea. I might look into that.

=> not THAT good =>

Funny you should say that; I spent so long adjusting the velocities on some of the notes in the middle section, I basically gave up on originality and mostly copied the velocity structure of the song it was based off of! It's sort of cheating, but not really, since the corporations got there first.

=> transition between 1:58 and 2:13 =>

It's a very simple trick: make the resonance rise while at the same time, drop the frequency and cutoff levels. Also, slightly raise the reverb, but not so much that it masks the echo. A ton of automations went into this, and I'm glad they paid off. It gives it a sort of non-realistic sense, but at the same time, it also sounds like you're playing it live. It's a really weird effect, but I'm glad I came up with it.

=> intro =>

Well, I wanted to start April off with a bang, so I had to make some cutbacks in terms of production in some areas. At least the rest didn't suffer as much!

=> middle section =>

Hang on, I'm not entirely sure which one you're talking about. Do you mean the one at 1:00-1:08, where the intro melody makes an overwhelming comeback, or the breakdown that starts after than from 1:09-onwards? The breakdown was one of my better transitions for this piece, but I can see how what you said would describe either of them.

=> "I just need to edit the velocities of some instruments." =>

WHOOPS! I meant 'some notes'! I assure you, this is all meant to be playable by a single person on a single piano. Sorry about that.

=> a little longer =>

Well, I didn't want to spoil what I had without delving into repetition. You know how I like to stay progressive!

I guess your review was okay. Wasn't as long as some of your other reviews. I'm kinda disappointed in you. :/

[From The Rain Captain]

This is pretty cool :p

For starters, I like the slow intro, but even more than that, I like the percussion!
I'm not wearing my good headphones right now, so I'm just going to assume that the mixing is fine :3

I also enjoyed all the voices in the background, and that synth that is pretty constant.

What I like the most though, is your style ;)

[Shucks!]

OMFG hilarious!

I didn't even notice this genre existed before you made this song!
And really, you did an amazing job! Your ability to jump from genre to genre is most impressive!

I think the production value is as good as it needs to be for this genre :p

I like how the song began on full scale, pretty much immediately after the intro. Also, I've got a difficult time to comprehend how you managed to use the instruments so well! The choice of them is mostly obvious, but they sound incredibly good togehter!

I love the percussion, that bouncy bass (at first I thought it was the lower keys of a piano, but I think it must be a bass, when I listen more closely [which is quite obvious at 1:12]).

That middle section is pretty cool too. Really... All the transitions and different parts are stunning... I could never create anything like this... Wow.

The ending is funny too. I can't help but feel happy! This sounds like it could be the new chocobo team for the coming Final Fantasy games; you should get a contract :')

And thanks for that advertisement! I really appreciate it. When I think about it, this should be the new main theme for the game. It really suits the overall athmosphere, imo!

LunacyEcho responds:

Hi, LSD!

=> didn't even notice it existed =>

Bluegrass is the hidden genre, sitting silently in the night, covertly stalking its prey, waiting patiently, until BOOM! THE TIME IS RIGHT TO POUNCE!

=> song began on full scale =>

Whew! Glad you felt that. I've been feeling that lately, my intros have been really long and drawn out.

=> choice of instruments =>

Well, bluegrass is a relatively popular genre in some parts of the world. If the instruments didn't sound good together, it wouldn't be a popular genre, would it?

=> bouncy bass =>

It would've been a piano if they had pianos in the midwest. :P Nah. In seriousness, I had a hard time choosing the bass. This bouncy bass sounds more fun and jumpy, but much less realistic than if I used something more subdued. Then I realized that no one really knows what bluegrass sounds like without sufficient analysis, so I chose the one that sounded good. (No offense if you really do make a living or something taking apart and deconstructing bluegrass music, but if you do, get a life. Seriously.)

=> stunning =>

Really? I mean, it sounded fun, but I didn't think it was THAT good. You probably could create something better if you had the same software I have. :)

=> Final Fantasy =>

This might sound crazy, but I've never actually played Final Fantasy before. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME

=> suits the overall atmosphere =>

It'd probably suit the atmosphere even more if we added some high-pitched synths and a gankokwe.

Thanks for the review!

[through a dark wood]

I immediately fell in love with the intro! It definitely sounds like something that might as well have been composed by someone from Japan.

Hmm... I'm sorry, but as much as I love the rest of the song, I think that when the guitar makes its entrance, something is a bit off (1:04). Also, when it stopped playing at 1:26, the difference is perhaps a bit too noticable. Almost like when people sometimes turn their microphones off every now and then in podcasts/interviews/whatever, and thus, also a backgound noise that suddenly appears. I feel a little bit of the same thing at 2:40. I was about to drop half a star for this, but the rest of the song was just so awesome I couldn't bring myself to it :p

And btw, what kind of brass is that? Some kind of trumpet/horn pad, or whatever you're using? Or is it a brass sound at all? Maybe my ears are fooled by a synth of some kind :/
(Examplewise 1:27. Whatever it is, I love how you used it!)

Really, all the melodies are great, and this is a very athmospherical piece that hits all the right spots. My only isssue is, like I mentioned, that some off the transitions seem a bit off to me.

Nice ending too! From start to finish, this is a very coherent song.

Ps. After guitar month, why don't you do bagpipe month? I'm sure that would be appreciated by everyone!!! :'D

johnfn responds:

> the guitar entrance

My best guess is that it's either what Elitistinen said (too dry) or it's because I suddenly went from a bunch of non panned instruments to a bunch of hard panned instruments and that sounds jarring. Because I've been listening to the song too much I unfortunately can't tell what it is - it sounds fine to me :/ I will come back in a week or two and see if I can figure out what it is.

> And btw, what kind of brass is that?

*evil laughter* it's a synth! I modulated the vibrato, attack and cutoff all by hand to give it that extra organic feel. Totally validates my work that you couldn't tell it was a synth =D

> Ps. After guitar month, why don't you do bagpipe month? I'm sure that would be appreciated by everyone!!! :'D

GENIUS!

Thanks for the super fast review! I'll have to figure out exactly what's up with that guitar part so I don't make that mistake in the future.

[Skating on Ice]

Sorry that I'm so late to reviewing this. I've been really busy with my game though!
I should really get some sleep, so I'll leave this review pretty short.

I agree with TheDoor6 on the melodies. I like them pretty much :D

Hmm. Although I like this track, I have a suggestion for you (you don't need to do anything about it, just an idea). As much as I love your Electronic Dance tracks, I think you could try out something different too! You're a very talented musician. I can hear some new stuff in this track, and I actually like that transition that TD6 didn't seem to enjoy, but I'd like to hear what you could do in a completely different genre!
I think you'd develop a lot from it; LunacyEcho is actually on a genre hunt at the moment :p

It's nothing you have to do though. I understand it can be a little bit like asking me to try out the guitar ; I wouldn't do it (but maybe sometime!!!).

Actually, I think one of the weakest parts is that solo piano section. I guess it might be because I can hear how mechanical it is, but I understand that the piano pretty much is responsible for the basic beat, so...

Anyhow, great job as always!

Everratic responds:

This isn't what I call a short review, lol.

I have tried out many other genres besides for dance, you probably have not listened to those songs yet, but I going to continue trying new genres. Dance music will always be my main genre though.

I agree about the piano now that I think about it. Thank you for telling me!