bassfiddlejones's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Underworld]

Awesome atmosphere... I really like what you've got going on here. You're definitely improving as a composer and your production value is only increasing. I'm impressed! The percussion and sound design really make this piece. Are you a Metal Gear Solid fan? It makes me think of MGS instantly, which is a great thing. The only complaint I have is with the ending - you can probably smooth that out with a gradual decrescendo or turn it into a loop somehow. At any rate, top notch work friend! Looking forward to hearing more from you!

Emid responds:

I remember your recommendation of listening Bear McCreary and I was very impressed. One of the reasons because he likes doing experimentation by incorporating unusual instruments in his music which is why you recommended him as you saw me doing something like this. Zebra is an amazing plugin and most of the things were done in it. These white noises are crazy and I really enjoyed morphing them. Not very much into gaming and never played MSG, can't say. Ending...yeah, I was more into publishing it due to time constrain. Thank you so much and BIG thank for having your presence here again.

[Silver Lining 2]

Neat choice of synths.. very catchy, I like it!

What I liked:
-I like that you have very clear, discernible melodies, even if they are a little loud in the mix.
-I like your transitions a lot.
-This is a very happy sounding song!
-I like that you leave some room for the song to breathe from time to time, that's super important.

What could have been better:
-This gets a little repetitive after awhile, I would have liked to hear another section to break things up a bit.
-I was hoping for more of a climax!
-The ending could have been much bigger.
-Feels a little overcompressed

Overall this is a pretty cool song! I like it, and it's quite catchy. I feel like it could use some piano, actually (if there is some in there, it's too flooded with reverb for me to distinguish it). The mixing is pretty good, but be careful not to go too crazy with the compression. Great job!

Smitsy responds:

Thanks for the review! I understand what you mean about the ending and repetition. I decided against adding more parts as I didnt want it to get too long, but now that you mention it I might lengthen it for when I get around to adding lyrics. Cheers!

[She Was Picking Flowers]

This is an NGADM Round 4 Review.

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What I liked:
-I’m impressed you jumped a little bit out of your “usual” for this one!
-Awesome atmosphere.
-Great use of chords!
-Unexpected orchestra at 2:00!
-Great pizzicato strings throughout, they pair well with the taikos.
-Great bass line!
-Fantastic ending, I love it.

What could have been better:
-This song sounds like it needs a vocalist or lyrics – that would really set it apart.
-Some of the melodies seemed to clash a little bit with the accompaniment at times – maybe some parallel somethings?

Overall I don’t have much to complain about in this piece, you did an excellent job as always. It was nice to see a more emotional piece coming from you!

Score: 9.6/10

steampianist responds:

Hey man thanks for the review. yeah i wanted vocals on this piece. But writing lyrics isnt my forte so yeah haha

[Ascension]

This is an NGADM Round 4 Review.

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What I liked:
-The atmosphere in this piece is wonderful.
-Excellent chordage.
-Lyrics are thoughtfully written.
-Your voice is amazing!
-The small orchestral interlude is nice.

What could have been better:
-The vocals could have benefitted from some de-essing.
-A little heavy on the reverb overall, but I understand that’s part of what gives it that “heavenly” kind of feel.
-The piano sound is very nice, but I feel like it could have been a little grittier based on the vocal style. It’s almost too soft and warm.

Overall this is a fantastic piece. While it lacks some of the “awe” factor of your previous pieces, it makes up for it with its beautiful simplicity and atmosphere. An excellent job!

Score: 9.3/10

headphoamz responds:

Thank you sir BFJ! Lovely comments and I am happy you enjoyed. ^_^

[Mystic's Shore]

This is an NGADM Round 4 Review.

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What I liked:
-Atmosphere is fantastic.
-I really love the instrumental stuff going on the background.
-The lyrics, especially the English ones, are thoughtfully crafted and skillfully written. I’m very impressed by them.
-The fact that you sing in a language you’re not familiar with is impressive as well.

What could have been better:
-The vocals are far too loud in the mix. They stand out considerably to me, I would have liked to see them integrated a little better.
-Sounds like you could use a de-esser at times, or less compression.
-The ending wasn’t bad, but I felt like it was a little out of place from the rest of the piece.

Overall this is an excellent piece that sets a wonderful mood. Great job!

Score: 9/10

etherealwinds responds:

Thanks for the review and the kind words and critique alike. In my fifth submission, I've certainly paid a lot more attention on the levels of my vocals and of course a de-esser on my splosives! I also worked hard to make it so that the song didn't have any parts that seemed detached from the rest. I'm very thankful for your advice!

[footsteps]

This is an NGADM Round 4 Review.

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This round is full of surprises!

What I liked:
-This is a very emotional piece, it’s nice to see a different side of johnfn!
-This song definitely tells a story, especially with the total change of mood in the second and third sections.
-That ending is beautiful. It also reminds me of Zelda.

What could have been better:
-The piano sound you have isn't bad by any means, but it still isn't totally organic.
-The piano arpeggios after 3:10 sound programmed rather than performed in a piece that is otherwise very fluid and natural, so they stick out a bit to me.
-The instrument you use at 4:29 sounds very out of place(oboe?), but the melody is wonderful.

A fantastic piece, quite unexpected! I really enjoyed listening. Keep up the great work!

Score: 9.2/10

johnfn responds:

Thanks man! I actually agree with practically everything here. You pay good attention to detail to realize those arps are programmed in, because they were, even though almost nothing else was.

I'm not sure what to do about the piano though. It's practically the best one I have. The only way I can imagine to improve it would be to record myself playing on a live piano. But honestly that's way out of my price range (which is essentially $0). If you have any suggestions for improving realism without breaking the bank let me know in a PM or something.

Btw 4:29 is a french horn! Last minute inspiration. I agree it sticks out but I'm not sure how to fix that. :/

Glad I can surprise you guys! Here's hoping I have at least one more surprise left in me ;-)

[Esperanza de la Vega]

This is an NGADM Round 4 Review.

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I should know by now never to know what to expect from you!

What I liked:
-Amazing atmosphere throughout this piece. The dancer steps and ambient conversation noise really takes this to the next level.
-It’s a little gutsy to do a solo instrument piece without a live version of that instrument. People get away with it on piano because it’s a little more easily replicated than stringed instruments, but this sounds really good! I’m very impressed by the quality.
-This is a passionate piece, and it really conveys a story.
-Your composition is top notch.
-The ending was great.

What could have been better:
-The voice in the beginning was pretty neat, but sadly that’s the only time it makes an appearance.
-Some parts of this sound a little bit disjointed, but not always in a bad way.
-While this is an impressive and forceful piece, some of it sounds a bit unnatural and impossible to execute on a real guitar.
-I would have liked to have seen more of the castanets. They are pretty sweet.

What an unexpected piece! I really enjoyed this, and it’s refreshing to see you stepping out of your comfort zones and coming back in the game with something crazy and new. You took a risk, and I think it paid off. Excellent job!

Score: 9.4/10

SoundChris responds:

Hey there bassfiddlejones,

thanks a lot for your detailed and kind review. This track was something very personal for me. I always admired this kind of guitar playing and also visited some classical guitar concertos. This instrument just gives me such a melancholic feeling - it sounds so strong but is also very sad and mysterious. One of the most challenging aspects for me was to get the "speed" natural, so that it sounds as realistic as possible. This wont be the last piece i will write without the daw grid. Maybe you should try this out, too. Its a great experience!

I would have loved to use the voice a little bit more, but unfortunately EWQL voices of passion is so limited to use - if you dont get melodyne, which i now own but didnt when i composed this.

I am really glad you liked the piece. I really would love to collab with you someday - i think it would be really fun to - especially because our musical preferences are quite similar.

All the best to you, merry christmas and a happy new year!

Chris

[the traveller]

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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What I liked:
-I love the melody and chords you use in the beginning! The orchestration brings me right back to Final Fantasy for some reason, which is great.
-Love that bass around 3:30. (in fact that whole section is awesome).
-It was really cool that you switched to DnB halfway through, didn't expect that!

What could have been better:
-The initial chord progression was a used a little too long.
-It feels like after a really cool opening that things sort of die down in the midsection. It felt incomplete to me.
-I didn't much like the ending, but you trolled skye, so it's ok.

Overall this is a really interesting piece, and I very much enjoyed listening to it. You always put out great work!

Score: 9/10

johnfn responds:

Yeah the whole song should have just been that bit at 3:30, that was really the best part. The section after that was quite boring :D

IDK if it's possible to use a chord progression too long, I think what you mean is that it lacks sufficient variation to make it continue to be interesting? I could understand that.

Thanks for the review.

[Real Life Absurdities]

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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So much going on here!

What I liked:
-Extremely creative piece.
-This is actually a very short piece, but you've packed so much in here that it feels much longer!
-Love the marimba!
-Both the intro and outro were constructed and executed well. Not many pieces can say that.
-Great transitions!
-Excellent use of percussion.

What could have been better:
-I didn't really like the electric bass sound.
-I feel like the trumpet was a little overused - would have liked to see the melody pass to some other instruments more often.

You never cease to put out fantastic work, and I'm greatly impressed. As always, an excellent composition.

Score: 9.2/10

steampianist responds:

Thanks for the review!

Other judges complained about the length but you actualy gave some positive feedback on it
I really wanted to do a short piece that packs a punch. So i really appreciate this feedback. Thank you

[Whiteout]

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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What I liked:
-Neat atmosphere.
-I liked where you were going with the melody using the bells.

What could have been better:
-The piece is too short - you have an A and B section only.
-I wasn't quite fond of your choice for the main lead.
-The loop isn't quite seamless.

While I can see this working as music for a snow level in a game, it doesn't seem to hold it's own as nicely as a standalone piece. There is hardly any development here, and it feels like it was all put together very quickly. I believe you're capable of much more than this!

Score: 6.8/10

SourJovis responds:

You are the first to notice the intro has the same chord progression and melody as the break. Well spotted. Most people don't seem to hear that. It took more time than you'd think. Length of a song doesn't equal time spend on it. Neither does it equal quality. The Mona Lisa wasn't da Vinci's largest painting, yet by many it's considered his best work. I returned to this song a lot to perfect it, and try to fix some issues. Therefore I can safely say I'm not capable of more than this. Sorry about that. I don't believe anyone could make this song better. Not to sound too arrogant. But if someone else made the song, and they thought they did a better job, it would just be a different song, and not at all what I personally had in mind, because this is the song, and it's exactly what I had in mind. What about the main lead did you not like? The instrument or the melody? I personally like both. The melody is simple, which accentuates the coldness, yet has something unique, which keeps it interesting. At least that's my take on it. I went for synthetic instruments, because I wanted to give it a retro (video game) feel. Also I think synthetic instruments sound colder than acoustic ones. The lead reminds me of a hobo, without sounding like a fake hobo. The same goes for the other instruments. I think you can hear the song could be played with woodwinds, glockenspiel, high hats (or triangle) and perhaps a base drum or timpani, but it doesn't sound too much as if the synthesizers try to imitate these instruments, because it works better this way. But again, that's my opinion. The loop isn't seamless that's true. My only regret about the song is I couldn't find a solution to that problem. Suggestions are welcome. Thanks for reminding me not to upload this kind of music to a contest.