LucidShadowDreamer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Bamboozle]

Something about this track reminded me of "La Folia", especially the faster interpretations of it. But I'm not going to dig into exactly what that is. Mostly harmonies and progressions and such :p

I agree with OmegaP that a harpsichord would've been a cool addition. But I like listening to this in it's current format too.

Here's a thought. There has always been one thing that I've had a slight difficulty of appreciating to its full extent with this kind of classical music. Don't get me wrong, I totally love classics of this kind as a whole. But I feel that in some ways, there's not enough variation in some of them. Especially when it comes to rhythm, and structure. Not everything has to have variation either, of course, but still... The melodies are great, as are the chord choices.

The progressions and movements, even in different chords and scales stay similar throughout the track, to the most parts. On the other hand, I do enjoy the contrast between the bass melodies and the higher melodies, while allowing room for eachother. But I guess that the reason I may feel that the method is overdone, is because it has been done for centuries XD
Nothing wrong with using an old technique if it works :)

And as I said, it's only a personal preference. And I couldn't honestly remove any stars for it even if I wanted to (which I don't), because you absolutely nailed the style of Bach with this, which is what it would seem you were aiming for.

And I'm far from deaf to the actual changes in progression. That was more of a comment as to why I can only listen to bach's preludes for so long before getting bored, than a comment on this actual piece. When you take a more "chaotic" (although still structured track) like Toccata and Fugue, I'm onboard for the entire ride, even if there are instances of what I talked about. Just a preference when it comes to style of arrangement :)

But in this track, there is actually more variation than in many of Bach's preludes (the ones I've heard at least), which I really appreciate. I especially enjoy the little extra (perhaps a bad choice of words, but currently I have no better) parts like the ones at 0:37, and 2:07, for instance. The slowdown at the end, although it sounds mechanic, works wonders. I say mechanic, but a real orchestra could definitely play that part in the same style as well. I guess that I simply prefer something where the musicians are more independent, and their own individual styles shine through, than something like this that would most like be directed exactly according to the sheets, as most major orchestras tend to want to reflect the original composer's style and intentions as closely as possible.

Now, as I've said, the melodies and progressions are wonderful, and stay true to the style you were going for. It's a shame that Kor-Rune was disqualified though.

Overall, I really enjoyed the track, for what it is :)

P.S. This turned out not to be much of a review, now did it, hahha? XD There's no need to leave a long response to this :)

Phonometrologist responds:

Instead of a harpsichord, how about I keep the piano and add a Moog? I've updated this so it can sound more chaotic, and it doesn't sound quite as old

[The House by the Cemetary]

Yup. You can definitely make it to the next round with this. It is brilliant. Reminds me of some old horror/action mosives, but also of newer things. Even a bit of Yoko Shimomura (regardless if you've heard anything from her or not).

It's nice to hear something more dark, as many of the songs on Newgrounds tend to be of a lighter nature. Dark stuff also tends to be my style, so you get bonus points for that XD

But yeah. Everything from mixing, to instrumentation, to melodies, to the pregression is great. I actually really enjoy the orchestration. I've always thought that the objective is for something to sound good, not "proper" ;)

Only thing I could even try to mention is that the ending is perhaps a bit sudden. But it doesn't sound wrong. It's just an opinion. I probably would've went for a slightly slower ending, or done something that indicated its coming :p

Unfortunately, the only way to change the title is to remove the track, and reupload it entirely, which would not be desirable. You might be able to do it if you message the staff.

Brilliant work, dude!

Azhthar responds:

Hey thanks a lot for the detailed feedback! Now I feel bad about my one sentence review...
Yep I also tend to some darker stuff usually... I didn´t even think my mixing was good in here, although it took me ages... For the ending I also thought to reduce the dynamic a bit but then I sticked to the action ending. Thought that full cadencing would be enough to introduce the final but maybe I was modulating too much before... And when I read what I just wrote I assume maybe sometimes think a little bit to theoretic.

[Oak - Mobius (NGADM'15)]

As expected from you, you uploaded something great somewhat close to the last minute XD
The melodies and mixing seem fine to me. The vocals may have seemed a tiny bit off, but not much. But the uplifting progression and intrument choices definitely make up for that :D
The loop is so smooth that I didn't even notice it at first!

Great job, dude, and good luck ;)

Oakwood responds:

Thank you for the kind words, LSD!

[Chip 'n' Swing]

It turns out I forgot to leave a review for this earlier. Time to fix that mistake.

Everything sounds great to me! I love the rhythms, the melodies, and the progressions. The intruments are wonderful too. This would work perfectly in some games (which is not a big surprise, as you've made music for a game before).
This actually reminds me some of "A Weirdo's Gigue", made by Steampianist. That's a good thing ;)

Great job, and good luck!!! :D

Yahtzei responds:

Thank you very much! :D and also thanks for telling me about "A Weirdo's Gigue". I just listened to it about six times in a row :D it's so friggin' awesome! Good luck to you too, LSD ^^

[First Flight]

I think this is beautiful :)
I like every part!

Good luck ;)
I definitely think you have a chance of making it with this.

Splendid work :D

Ylmir responds:

Thanks a lot ! Let's hope for the best ! :p

Oh, and by the way, your last track with Demolecule seems to be great ! Yeah, "seems", because actually I can't even listen to it properly, I spent so much time working on my track, my ears still hurt when I put my headphones on xDD I downloaded it though and will listen to it ASAP in better conditions. ;)

(well, actually, one of the earpads of my headphones is completely torn apart since I finished The Traveller, and I still have to get a new pair. This doesn't help. ^^)

EDIT : I actually managed to get a "blister" (not sure it is the right word for that though) on the external ear. Yeah, I should really replace these headphones. xD

[FD - Like Clockwork]

I can't even begin to tell you how awesome this is.

ForgottenDawn responds:

Haha, thank you!

[Breathe]

Your composition in this track is wonderful. The strings play lovely melodies and harmonies. The other instruments are nice too :D
The mixing seems fine to me. I don't think you have top quality instruments (they're not bad though), but you've done very well with the ones you have. I guess that some of them sound unnecessarily harsh/rough? But that may just be a matter of taste. The choir sounds great!!!

In the end though, it's definitely the harmonies and melodies that work the magic for me. Great job, and good luck ;)
(But hopefully not too good D: for... Personal reasons, hehhe :p)

DSykMusic responds:

Thanks for the review Lucid! And awesome track yourself!

[Il Pleut]

Still making really awesome stuff huh? That's cool :3
Very interesting with the talking at the end.

An album story is definitely a rad idea!
As long as you're motivated to do it, I think you should :)

FinaLee responds:

Got one person on board! Thanks a lot, LSD!

[Majestic They Are]

Wow! This will not be an easy song to go up against. And there are 2 more competitors as well o.O

The intro is wonderful. A very pleasant sound.
The composition overall is very beautiful. Nothing to complain about there at all, imo. It's consistent, but brings forth new things, and is beautiful all the way through.

I think that the percussion at 0:41 was perhaps a bit sudden. But that's an extreme nitpick. What bothers me more is the way it sounds a bit mechanic, in terms of note velocity. It sounds to me like every second or so it repeats the exact same velocities. But maybe that's not the case. It may just be the way they're mixed. They keep on doing the same thing for a pretty long time either way. But it is good advice, not to take too much mixing advice from me, as I'm horrible at it myself, so I'll leave it at that, hahha :D
The other percussion is fine though, and ads much in the right places.
I am a huge fan of the instrumentation in general. The strings are very soft and nice. The piano melody is smooth and beautiful, with a lot of reverb, in a way that I like. The flute (if that is what it is), ir good too.

The choirs of course -while they don't sound realistic- sound good.

The climax at 3:05 is wonderful. The percussion gets a major change too (well, until our old friend gets back at 3:33), which is nice. If I had to mention something, it is that I think there's not enough dynamic volume change between the part that came earlier and the climax. But that can be pretty difficult to mix with so much going on (I couldn't do it well, for example). The percussion might need a bit more bass power, but I'm not sure about that (really nice touch with the drum solo before the climax). I think that is a horn playing during the climax too. It fits in nicely with all the rest.

The bells (church bells) are just the right intrument for this track. The choir that comes in late in the piece is amazing.

The way the end hints at the beginning adds a lot to the finish (Love that deep bass drum).

Overall, I think you've made a wonderful track, and I certainly think you have a chance of making it to the next round! But for personal reasons, I kinda hope you don't, hehhe. We have a pretty cool track coming your way too ;)

Remember to take my review with a grain of salt. I would wait and see what the more professional reviewers say, hahha :D

Good luck :3

papkee responds:

The only one who's really good at mixing here is Skye, so don't blame yourself. It's fucking hard.

The sudden hit of the bass and the orchestra was intentional. I wanted to go from light and airy to grounded and moving really quick.

Interestingly, that's a recorded hi-hat that I was banging away at. Of course, it's looped a bunch of times, but it's at least real.

Choirs are some of the hardest samples to get to sound natural. It mostly comes down to notation and programming, neither of which I'm really good at.

I'll take your review with a grain of salt and a side of sliced carrots with a caesar salad.

[One of Those Days]

The moment I heard that piano I knew I would love this piece.
I was not wrong.
In fact, far from it.

You're great at singing, dude! I've heard you sing earlier in Ceevro's collabs, but you sound wonderful on your own as well :3
One could say you... Own, on your own ;)
Sorry for that, it's late :p

But yeah. The piano is brilliant. It sounds like an upright, it's catchy, it's jazzy, it's rhythmic. What else does one need?
Perhaps some good singing.
The melody is awesome, and really fits the entire theme.

The lyrics are very well written too. I'm a sucker for somewhat darker tracks, and this one gets that feel through in a very nice way.

Oh, and 1:56 is a cool touch!

I think you have a good chance of making it to the next round with a piece as good as this :)
Great job, and good luck ;)

ChronoNomad responds:

Woo! Now that's a review that's music to my ears, Lucid. ^__~

I'm really glad to hear that your initial perception was far from being incorrect! I'll admit it, I was kind of nervous about submitting something like this. No matter how hard I try to fight it, that whole "not good enough" mentality sneaks into my brain and messes around with me. So far, it does seem to be pretty well received, and that's a real relief.

Well shoot, thank you! I'm no etherealwinds, but I can carry a tune. And apparently write a song or two. Who knew? I'm really happy that you liked the whole thing, especially the vocals. And the jazzy piano. And the lyrics in general, dark as they are. Oh, and that fun little section at 1:56!

The song may be melancholic and depressing, but my smile right now is anything but! You've bolstered my confidence and hey--who knows? Maybe I have a shot at getting past the Group Stage this year. We shall see! Goodness knows the other three fellows in my group are insanely talented musicians in their own right. But hey, that's what an Audio Deathmatch is all about!

Thanks again! I truly appreciate that you took the time to leave a review, and oh man...so many stars. This experience is always humbling in so many ways. :)