LucidShadowDreamer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Galactic Visions]

I was about to review this when I first saw it, but I didn't have my good headphones on, and it was 3 am. And it was (is) a weekday; four hours of sleep ftw...

Ahh, Weird Al Yankovic. I also know him as "White and Nery", "Fat" and "Amish Paradise" guy. Mimicing others is a very good way to learn I think too. Even straight up copying can be helpful from a learning perspective. Basically what I'm saying is, you're right in your description. Over to the song itself.

I think you managed quite well in trying out Ocular's style. I do find many of his tracks to be more enjoyable than this one, but I think the problem is just that he's so good :p But as I said, I think you managed to capture the overall build of many of Ocular Nebulas songs, and stylistically they do indeed seem similar (I still didn't get bored of his tracks. Magic).

If I refrain from comparing this to Ocular Nebula, this is just great! (It's good even if I compare).
I especially like those "instant transitions" at 0:19, 0:38, 048, 1:25 and 1:44. They make you go: "Oh, what happened now!?"

Nice bass, and although I think you could have used slightly more captivating melodies, this is a nice song to listen to (and it doesn't get boring that fast).

Personally, I don't think there was necessarily a reason to use the previous section once more at 1:06, although you switched up the percussion. Still, I could've done with a new exciting lead or melody.

Over all: Very well done. Can't wait to hear more new stuff from you ;)

Oh, I'm off to perform now... Wich me luck :'D

Ps. I liked the ending too :)

LunacyEcho responds:

SLEEP? SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK!

I think the reason that this track isn't as enjoyable is probably because of the lack of auxiliary FX that ON uses that I didn't. I don't really think I was going for a high-quality song, I was going for stylistic similarity to ON (not saying his stuff is bad, just saying I'm not that good :D ).

Whenever you hear an 'instant transition', the entire song changes key! Key modulation also features in my favorite song by ON, Circumnavigating the Glob, and I thought it would be an interesting element to implement here, since the song would be extremely boring otherwise.

There was only one notable melody in the song, the one at 0:48, which is sorta how ON does his stuff. However, the background synth is normally more melodic than I had, so I sorta failed on that part. I've never been good at melodies. :P

Thanks for commenting! Good luck on your performance! (On what? Piano? Guitar? Tabla? No one knows...)

PS. I liked the ending of your review too :)

[snowy night]

Well, to begin with, that name is really fitting imo.

I'm also really impressed that this is an improvisation, although, I would say it shows. The melodies are amazing, but every now and then you can hear a brake that is slightly too long. Of course, those brakes can help with portraying the emotion, but sometimes I'd say they are a bit out of place. Nothing you can do about it since it's an improv. (Well, except run the midi file through a program and edit a bit, but maybe you did that already. Too much editing would take away part of the beauty of an improvisation though!).
That climax was just perfect! And that you managed to play it with such emotion is just astounding.
I don't dare complain any more than that; my own improvisations are rarely this good, and the very few that are are not recorded -.-

Thank you for recommending this, I really did enjoy it!

5/5, 9/10!

P.s. Was that pause after the climax (1:42-1:47) intentional or not? Anyhow, it really suits the mood :D

johnfn responds:

Wow derp I forgot to respond to this entirely...

Anyway thanks for the review! Yeah it is a little messy... good job being the first one to catch some of my more subtle mistakes ;-) I *could* have fixed all the issues... but I feel like that would have taken away something of the rawness of the improv. (Also... I guess I'm just lazy.)

I think the pause was intentional. I actually can't remember, but listening to it now it fits pretty well, so gonna just say I did it on purpose :)

Thanks for the review!

[footsteps]

LunacyEcho recommended this to me, and I am amazed.
Especially in the intro, this piece really shows that you don't need layers upon layers of intruments and effects in order for something to sound good. No wonder you succeeded in this round (and in the competition in general).

Very much super awesome left hand at 2:24 o.O And those strings :D
3:09 => Oh yes O.O

For some reason the very last part doesn't mix as well with me, but probably my bad (4:28 =>). I think it has to do with the coice of intrument.
However, I still enjoy the melody at the end, especially that slight dark switch at 4:54 that immediately returns to the light and ensures a happy ending.

I think we both know where Step (consciously or not) got his inspiration for Windows. Especially considering the first 3 minutes of the song.

Please, tell me if these random non-giving reviews are getting annoying, and I just might take it slightly easier for a while. However, I could not resist writing something here, since this is my favourite composition of your writing so far.

johnfn responds:

Ha thanks for the review on this older piece dude! Doesn't happen too often, and I always appreciate it :)

> Step

Haha even if it was influenced by this piece(I didn't think he was, but on the piece he wrote that *was* influenced by me, I didn't realize that it was haha. imo Windows is way more sophisticated than this stuff.

The horn towards the end did get mixed reviews, probably because it comes out of nowhere haha.

> reviews are getting annoying

NEVER! I always appreciate new perspectives and insights on my work. I'm glad you liked it.

Also if you like this one you might also like "snowy night" which has a similar vibe to it :)

[Delgith]

Cool! Imagine my surprise when I just randomly checked your song out since it was new in the audio portal, and then Johnfn had already reviewed it. This was so good I was forced to check out some of your older stuff as well, and noticed he had put reviews there too; lucky you! :D

This composition caught my interest in the very first few seconds, which is mostly a good sign. Furthermore, I really love the mood that this composition portrays. In some of the parts I think the tilte is very fitting, others not as much (lol this is no real critique).

I've got to agree with Johnfn about the middle section, which is a shame since it would probably have been my favourite otherwise D:
I can't imagine how difficult this would be to actually play cleanly on a piano -_-
I don't really have anything bad at all to say about this. I agree that this sounds very much like something that could've been composed by someone from Japan (especially like a mix between Joe Hisaishi, Nobou Uematsu and someone else I can't quite recall right now).

Ahh, but wait! The only thing I noticed that annoyed me a bit was that the song doesn't get to fade out properly before it cuts off. Maybe I just have too good headphones, but I would have let the fading continue a couple of seconds longer.

Anyhow; amazing work, easily a 10/10 for me.

KrrMaim responds:

Thank you!

It's a fun piece to play. You get to express emotion and technicality. :)

[Full Combo]

Well, this was a fail on my part. I was going to take a brake from my school assignement to review one of the songs you've made.
However, you already managed to get johnfn overhere, and he covered pretty much everything that really matters already...
I too have that same thing where I slap exactly what I want into a song, and then that's it. I'm planning on doing something about it (eventually. Possibly...)
Yeah, about the instruments. About half of them weren't really the ones I would've preferred, but I am biased, since I have a headache. Some instruments and headaches simply don't mix well together :p

I love hidden things! I've been thinking about writing an entire song in morse sometime, but you know... Procrastination and stuff...

I'm sorry for this lacking "review"; when I've ridden of this headache and finished my homework I might just go properly review another song of yours, if I am motivated :)

Ps. With a catchy bass 1:35 to 1:51 could've almost sounded like a bonus level from a Crash game!

LunacyEcho responds:

It ain't a fail if you make a review, dude. I appreciate each and every one I get.

=> slap exactly what I want =>

I guess the key to popular music is to give the audience what they want, not necessarily what you want. Sort of a moral dilemma-type thing, but I try to give a mix of both.

=> instruments =>

This was made before I started trying to consciously mix stuff. The only thing that was really mixed in this song was "that thing" at 0:45. And we all know how well that turned out. :P I was laughing when I finished it, and even know, I'm grinning at how bad it was. Hindsight is a powerful thing.

=> hidden things + morse =>

There's TONS of hidden stuff in my songs. You just have to know where to look. You know, I actually did that Morse thing once. We had to do a 'creative project' in a unit about tourism in school, so, in similar fashion to the song YYZ by Rush, the main guitar riff in my song was Morse for 'SFO', the code for the San Francisco airport. My teacher liked it, but it was cringeworthy for about everyone else in the room.

=> Crash game =>

You keep talking about things like Crash Bandicoot. I'm probably going to go check that out, then.

Thanks for the review! I hope your head feels better soon.

[80's getaway]

Muahahahahhahahahahah, reversed psychology!
"Don't feel compelled to write reviews for every one..."
=> Now I must write a review >:) (don't worry, I'll keep it short and superficial).

Well, what can i say... Interesting intro... That background noice sounds legit.

To be honest, this is something I can listen to but wouldn't place close to my favourites.
However! If I didn't know, I couldn't have easily guessed that you made this song, which is a nice step out of the johnfnesque box :p (exept for possibly those little fills at examplewise 0:26 and 0:40 [and so on]).

As usually, great use of dynamic and such. Possibly a tiny notch repetitive at some parts, but not to the extent that one gets bored (the song isn't even long enough for that :D).
Also, cool (and simple) use of drums starting at 1:09!
AWESOME transition at 1:33-1:37 (especially drums at 1:36 [+ 1:49]).
Best part of the song starts at that point after the transition (imo). This time I will probably remember the melody :')
Not the most original ending, but hey, it works. If you had made the intro slightly different you might have been able to loop this, but that is nothing necessarily necessary.

So yeah...
Was about to give this four stars, but the latter part of the song made me change my mind with half a star.

"Why isn't there an 80's genre???"

=> Beats me :/

ps. perfect reverb on the claps; suits the mood.

That, as they say, is that.

johnfn responds:

> those little fills

I'm not going to lie. Ever since I discovered this trick I'm addicted to it. It's like white noise, but better! Because it's more than white noise. :P

> Was about to give this four stars, but the latter part of the song made me change my mind with half a star.

Haha yeah... this whole song is really just a build up to that epic synth solo. I probably should have made that more clear in the song... but oh well.

Thanks for the review dude! Even though I told you not to. :D

[A Catchy Newgrounds Medley]

Great job!

I love the way you used the bass (especially in the beginning), something at which I myself pretty much suck. For some reason the beginning of this piece reminds me of the Futurama intro/theme slightly. Parts of the composition aslo seem a bit similar to some Crash Bandicoot 2 songs, however I cannot name them. In general, for some reason I can't name, this makes me think about several retro games, which is also equivalent to WELL DONE!
I'm also fond of the way you switch the 'main' intruments, which are the ones that are responsible for the main melodies.
One cannot dislike that transition at 0:55-0:58 (as well as the melody after it). Which in turn brings me to compliment you one the ways you use several different sections in this song; one has no time to get bored, and must press the replay button. I can't comprehend how you managed to fit so many different styles into one piece and improved the arrangement by doing it o.O
As much as I like the ending, I can imagine the piece having been even greater if you would've made it into a loop! However, one cannot have everything :p

When it comes to the mixing and the use of different instruments, I don't feel confident enough to review those parts that much, since I need to find a better grasp of those elements myself. What I can say is that I personally don't find much if any flaw with them (that part at 2:26 might have emerged a bit suddenly from nowhere, but I still like it).

As we can conclude, overall: Really good job, keep it up!

LunacyEcho responds:

=> bass + Futurama =>

Thanks! Actually, the intro was based COMPLETELY off of the Futurama theme. Most of the melodies in this song are based off of the catchiest Newgrounds songs from 2013 (derp, 2013 and one from 2012), but the intro was what I came up with before I realized I was doing the gimmick and was too lazy to change it. So yeah, most of everything is based off of something else. General enough.

=> that transition =>

You'd be surprised at how many people dislike transitions such as those. I mean, I think they're great, but lots of people think that doing transitions like that is the "easy way out". Psh. How is completely ignoring the instrument buildup and going to a mini-melody that took about five seconds to create ANY EASIER than actually constructing upon the previously-used instruments to painstakingly make a coherent transition? Sheesh.

=> different styles =>

Glad you liked it! I'm a fan of many, MANY genres. The only musics I don't really listen to are stuff like traditional Scottish bagpipe marches or amateur Cajun zydeco or Enya. Anyways, I enjoy tons of genres and I enjoy medleys, combinations, and fusion. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out the kind of music I'd make. However, there are some *coughcoughjohnfncoughcough* who would say that it's too unorganized and that I should focus on a single style. Yeah, I get that, and I've been working on lots of stuff like that lately. But there are just times like these when I get a stroke of inspiration and if this is where it leads me, this is where it leads me. :P

=> loop =>

Hm. Never thought of that. Everyone seems to want loops these days. Maybe I'll make one. Soon.

=> mixing + 2:26 =>

Yeah, mixing isn't my strongest suit either. The part at 2:26 was supposed to be a "transition", but I was a bit pressed for time and wanted to get it done and upload it before I had to leave the sweet Internet for a day. It could've been better, but, eh. Some call it laziness. I prefer the term "minimalism".

Thanks a lot for reviewing this, LucidShadowDreamer! I'm definitely going to keep it up.