LucidShadowDreamer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[IHCHWD]

This has a nice build up!
The beat, although pretty unchaning, is nice and well mixed. The ominous synth is pleasant to listen to, and really sets the mood. All the other instruments enter at the right time as well, and sound good. I'd say you did a good job with the mixing here.
The melodies, although slow, are great too!

If this was made into a loop, it'd be prefect background music for a game or animation (although it doesn't have to loop to fit an animation) of some sort, as the mood is constant.

Easy favorite. Awesome job ;)

DESHIEL responds:

This wasn't a serious job. It started as a rant but somewhere in the middle of it, I started to like what I'm doing.

I'm glad that you like this and I repetitivity is something I cannot shake off. xD

[カブキもOh! の Kunoichi B]

I think it sounds really cool at the moment!
The beats are nice, the melodies are pretty unique and very interesting, along with the combination of intruments. I can't really say much more as I am not listening with my headphones at the moment XD
Obviously, it'll be better when it's longer, and finished, but it is already good ;)

Oh-Sama responds:

Thank you good sir, same goes here for the headuphonezu-mono XD
Oh! btw check the link below if you really liked the beats :D
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/609913

[Gad]

I love ambient stuffz. It's good that you weren't afraid to let this progress slowly, which means that the listener really has the time to be sucked up by the atmosphere. That said, I probably would've used slightly different patterns for the (synth?) strings could've been a bit more varied, as they're pretty much just playing a few notes, as the ambiance of the piece would still remain intact.
The simplicity is nice as well, and I really liked the touch with the percussion's rhythm at the very end.
Great job!

Chemiqals responds:

Thanks! I completely understand wanting more variety in the strings. The theme of the song was basically... aimlessness. Avoiding your destiny. Floating. And I wanted to build it up around this hopeless feeling. Like you're trying to burst out but you're too scared. And in the end... well I'll leave that open to interpretation! =P

I'm glad you enjoyed it overall though! ^_^

[Rathunas: Kynareth´s Shrine]

This is really awesome as well! I recognize the whisper that is similar to the one from your track "The Sorcerers Track" Now that I think about it, the Church Bell in the beginning of that track seems to be the same one that was used in the beginning of Sacerdotes "Sanctuarii"!!!

I love the medieval feel of this track. The playing feels very humanized, and might as well be a recording! (unless it actually is a recording o.O Now I'm not sure). This automatically means you did a great job, either way XD
Also, I like the sfx wind. It feels very warm.

Splendid work!

SoundChris responds:

Thank you very much for another very kind review! Yeah i used the whisper also in the sorcerers path main theme. It is part of the Shevannai Library by Eduardo Tarilonte (awesome vsti btw - library of the year award 2014 etc...). The whisper is meant to be the voice of the goddess kynareth who starts to talk to the visitors of the shrine.

It is right that the feel is very similar to the track sacerdotes sanctuarii. Both tracks are used for the priory / cathedral in rathunas. While sacerdotes is the more "epic and powerful" track kynareth´s track is more intimate. I took that approach to make sure that nothing steals sacerdotes the show since IMO its the more extreme piece. On the other hand there is no hard break in feel. Both tracks in combination create a coherent sound while stil having different moods.

Thank you very much LucidShadowDreamer and all the best!

[Meditative]

Lol. (I started my two previous reviews with "Lol", so I thought that this one should start that way too, thought there is absolutely no other reason).

AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!! My right arm hurts :(
That's what I get for trying to play "Those Who Fight - Piano collections", "JENOVA - Piano Collections", "One Winged Angel - Piano Collections", "Twilight Techno", "Time Travel Theme - Secret", "Runaway Train - Croc 2" and "The Decisive Battle - Faint1Pulse version" all in a row without pause...
It's a shame that I've forgotten how to play those songs to such an extent. I need to practise them much more..

OHH! THIS WAS A REVIEW! OH CRAP. Well then....

I actually think you did a very good job here!
As I told TaintedLogic, I usually don't like the House genre all that much, partly due to it's repetitiveness.

I know of what I like to call "The Build Up Technique", which is perfect if you have to make a song very quickly (and lazily). Still, it can be good if used well, as in this song here. The beat in the background is simple, but it works, and actually sounds pretty good. You picked intruments that don't only go well with eachother, but sound very nice by themselves. You also don't take more than a few measures between additions of new things/awaytaking of others, so with all the change, there isn't really any time to get bored despite the repetitiveness.

The melodies are good, but I am more a fan of all the things going on in the background, like the chill pads, and the synth effect at 0:44!

My one complaint (you saw this coming, as you already warned me), the ending! Oh God... Do I even need to mention why I don't like it?

Overall, very good job!

Now... Will it be Nerdcore, or Fusion? It is to be known in the near future...

LunacyEcho responds:

Lol. Patterns.

=> my right arm hurts =>

Interesting.

=> a barrage of piano songs i've never heard of =>

Wow. You have an amazing repertoire. Ever since I stopped taking lessons, my improv ability at piano has improved, as well as my piano-based composition, but basically the only song I can play from memory is Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag. :P

=> "The Build Up Technique" =>

I'm pretty fond of this, since I used to use it a LOT. I can't really find many good examples of popular musicians using it, though. The closest I can find is johnfn's 'i believe', which still undergoes many compositional changes throughout the song nonetheless.

=> isn't any time to get bored =>

Once again, johnfn's advice (I keep talking about him) really helps - change something every 8 bars. Of course, I ignored that and kept 0:44 in for sixteen, but it's a rule I generally follow these days anyways.

=> background =>

I was just playing around with all the pad presets in Logic when I found two that I liked, so I put them in! Such a sophisticated writing process, I know.

=> ending =>

hue

=> Nerdcore, or Fusion? =>

Well, if you know me, you'll know the kind of thing I'd want to save for last. Ever since the beginning of Song Week, I've sort of known what genres I would do for the rest of the project. I know exactly what I want to do for these two genres, and now all that's left is to make them. I'm looking forward to this... :)

Thanks for reviewing, as usual! This is probably going to be your last review of Song Week 2, unless I'm feeling productive tomorrow and crank out a song more complicated than anything I've done so far this week (except for maybe Heartful). :D

[Hollow]

Lol, I wonder why this got such a low score?

I really liked it at least. It's very much my style, with all the darkness surrounding the piece. I imagine being in a cave of some sort in a video game. The dynamic between the intruments and in general works pretty well too!
The intruments quality could be better of course, but hey, what can you do?
I'm a fan of your percussion work here.

Great job ;)

NicholasCabraja responds:

wow thanks man I really appreciate it!

Realism, especially in this genre, is always somewhat a challenging, and your right, what can I do...there samples haha (Still trying to refine my mixing skills.) The percussion is what gets most the attention since they add the punch. Therefore I try and add as much realism in terms of dynamics to make it work and blend nicely.

[Rathunas: The Sanctuary]

Sounds nice. I like the simplicity (or well, lack of instruments).
The name is very fitting, as the picture I get in my head is definitely one of peace, in a churchlike setting or so. This is pretty much a hymn of some sort, which is why it definitely reminds me of "Hymn of the Fayth" from Final Fantasy X , as well as the "Cloud Atlas Sextet Hymn" :3
I also like the special touches like the walking, talking and the church bell in the beginning, as well as the wind chimes in the end.

Congrats on having this accepted as a demo, it easily deserves it!
Awesome work; favorited ;)

SoundChris responds:

Thanks a lot man! The full name of the Track was Sacerdotes Sanctuarii - but NG only allows 30 signs ... This track is based on the gregorian style but i decided to make it more modern with a strong polyphony and sometimes more modern chords to make it more interesting and emotional.

Thanks a lot for your congratulations and good wishes - highly appreciated :D

All the best,
Chris

[Larcenous]

Lol, yup.

The percussion is actually pretty nice, but wow, those guitars aren't to the most part. They might've been if mixed better, as the stuff they play is pretty sensible.
The bass is alright though, even if it feel a bit weird when put together with the rest of the mix.
The melodies are okay, especially when the lead guitar is introduced, but nothing eccentric.
I don't know why, but it feels as if the panning on this mix is slightly tilted towards the left. The guitars aren't spacious either.

The ending was pretty funny, as it was so sudden, and actually kinda terrible (in my hubmle opinion, that is). It didn't sounds like part of the song, for some reason (probably the mixing) :p

All that said, I guess this has potential, and it sure is better than it'd be if I would've done it :D

LunacyEcho responds:

=> guitars =>

I REALLY don't have good guitars. In fact, these aren't actually guitars. They're synthesizers. :) Maybe that's why they sounded so bad.

=> melodies =>

Really? I thought the one at 0:49 had some merit, but only because I'm sure I've heard it before in a much more well-produced song somewhere. Can't figure out where, though.

=> panning =>

??? No idea why.

=> ending =>

The degeneration of endings becomes more apparent as the week progresses. If you didn't like this one, just wait until the one tonight!

Thanks for reviewing! :D Just one more and you're free of your duties!

[LL (Old) -Voidling]

This is awesome!
Everything from the music, lyrics and mood. The ominousness in some parts works very well.
Great job ;)

Lich responds:

Yeeeeeeeeee, thanks for listening and I glad you like it!

[Killjoy]

Lol. Twenty minutes huh. If this is 20 minutes, I want to see 20 hours!

You know, 27 is actually my favorite number. Can't not give a 5 for that ;) (also, I'm kidding, this really is good, which is why I favorited it).

Cool beat. You appear to have some cool presets, as I doubt you had the time to add all the effects. The melodies are nice, and the mixing works well. Not much to add. It's a bit hard to write good reviews for things as short as this (not to talk of the short stuff I was doing while practicing!!!)

The quest is coming closer to it's eventual end huh. It'd be funny if Newgrounds added 154 new genres Exactly at the same moment you upload what you thought to be your last "genre quest piece" here >:D

LunacyEcho responds:

=> 20 hours =>

You may never see. I don't think I've ever worked that long on a song before! How do you not get bored after 20 hours?!

=> effects =>

Well, some of them were mine. Most of them were presets, though. :D Some were actually effects that I'd done in the past and saved!

=> reviews =>

I'm pretty surprised at how you're still able to keep up substantial reviews for every single one of these, man. Thanks a lot for that!

=> quest =>

Nope. I'm just going to do the ones listed in my news post. If Newgrounds adds 154 genres on March 18, that's a project for another day. Or, y'know, decade.

Thanks for commenting yet again! If my calculations are correct, you only have two more until I'm finished with this Song Week. :D