bassfiddlejones's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lying to a Stranger]

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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What I liked:
-Groovy. I really love the feel of this piece.
-Love the bass.
-Everything is mixed pretty well.
-Did I mention this is funky?

What could have been better:
-Some of the vocal samples were a little odd.
-Feels a little repetitive overall.
-Would have liked more of a melody to be present.

Very funky, IO. I dig it. Great job!

Score: 8.4/10

[Wolftacular NGADM Round 3]

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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What I liked:
-Good work mixing.
-I like the introduction of the bongos. It helps to pan out the track and make it sound wider.
-The string sounds are pretty decent.

What could have been better:
-Sample quality is low in the "happy" sections (midi sounding guitar/piano/bass)
-You tended to repeat things a lot in this piece.
-This sounds kind of disjointed overall, like there is no connectivity between sections. Implementation of a common melody throughout the piece would probably help.

Score: 8.2/10

[Bajo el sol, sobre las rocas]

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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What I liked:
-I really love the mashup you have here of flamenco and metal. It works really well!
-The opening was fantastic. I really love that guitar sound.
-The transition at 1:06 is sweet. In fact, so sweet I went back and listened to just that several times. Awesome job.
-I think the areas where this track shines the most is the flamenco-styled areas.

What could have been better:
-Some of the metal sections get pretty repetitive.
-I didn't like that synth over top of the metal stuff at all. I think you should have incorporated the flamenco sounding guitar.
-There is not enough flamenco guitar. I think it's genius to mix these two styles, but it feels like you leaned toward what you were most comfortable with in the end as opposed to diving more into the newer genre.

Overall this is a fantastic track. I really like what you have going on here, and you're and excellent guitarist. Great work!

Score: 9.2/10

InYourDreams responds:

Thanks for the great review! I'm glad u liked it and I totally agree with the things that could have been better... I'll definitely gonna have ur feedback in mind while composing next time. ^_^

[Mote Prime]

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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What I liked:
-Really nice build in the beginning.
-Excellent work at 4:46 with the panning and effects.
-You demonstrate a mastery of guitar with your solo section, and it is both subtle and effective.
-I really love the big part at 5:44, but it feels like it's been compressed into not sounding much larger than the part before it.

What could have been better:
-I'm not sure the first section needed to repeat itself.
-I think the biggest complaint I have about this song is that you use the same chords, a lot, but you do so with enough variation to reconcile it. That said, I would have liked to have seen more variance in your chord choices.

I really liked this piece (though not as much as some of your other work), and as always masterfully produced. Excellent job!

Score: 9.1/10

[Shinjitsu]

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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What I liked:
-I like how oriental the piano sounds.
-The concept is pretty unique!
-Nice modulation!
-I like the snare drum a lot.

What could have been better:
-The piano works when the synth comes in, but it sounds a little dry on it's own.
-While the concept is pretty neat, it feels a little forced when the synth comes in, almost out of place.
-The chord progression feels a little generic at times, though not without unique twists.

Overall this is a neat piece, but feels a little rushed and unfinished. Keep thinking outside the box!

Score: 8.3/10

[This is Not the End]

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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What I liked:
-The strings in the beginning sound great. Especially the slide in the cellos, very nice.
-Around :43 the chords/melody gets really cool.
-The chords you use around and after the 1:00 mark are fantastic, I'm a fan of all the key changes!

What could have been better:
-The mixing/mastering is a little flat. I would have liked a bassier, wider track.
-The IV, V, vi chord progression is nice, but is used a little too much.
-It feels a little repetitive in the second half.

This is overall a really nice track, with great melody work. I would like to see a little more bass and some creative panning of instruments to widen out the track. Great work!

Score: 8.2/10

ChronoNomad responds:

Thanks for another lovely review, BFJ. You gave this one a slightly higher score than Tir Na Nog, so I guess I must have been doing something right here! :D

It's nice to hear a good word about the cello slides, especially since I worked on them a lot to try and get just the right kind of sound and timing. I'm hoping to a find an even better cello soon that can sound even more solid when using tactical note slides. It's also great to see someone commenting on the rolling chords! I was beginning to feel as though they went rather unnoticed, so I am very happy to know that someone enjoys them. Seriously, bless you for that.

Still working on my mixing and mastering, but I think I like to think I'm getting there. I think that using too much Stereo Shaper in this track was a mistake, to be honest; it kind of made the music sound thin and less dynamic. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, I suppose. Hoping to make better choices in this regard in the future. I can't deny that there is a bit of repetition in the second half, but there was a purpose behind it, and I guess it's just a case where my own artistic vision didn't resonate with others in quite the same way. So be it. I can fully understand and accept the alternate point of view.

It is very nice to hear that the music is well liked, overall. There's certainly nothing to be ashamed of in the scores that I've received and I'm proud to have made it this far. I'll keep working on things and maybe take another stab at it next year. Excelsior!

[Agnos]

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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Impressive track!

What I liked:
-Excellent atmosphere (that's something you're very good at creating).
-Inclusion of Greek lyrics. Very cool
-This is soundtrack material, great quality and balance between natural and synthetic sounding instruments.
-The vocals at 2:08 are wonderfully juxtaposed to the normal major key stuff you have going on in the background.
-The mixing is quite good.

What could have been better:
-There were a few times when you transition that everything just seems to stop, almost awkwardly. This is inadvertently also a plus, because I'm all about letting the song breathe, though it feels a little unnatural at times.
-The middle section between the English and Greek lyrics lacks a bit of transition.
-The ending was ok, but sounded unnatural when left with just the choir patch.

This was a fantastic track, and I very much enjoyed listening to it. Keep up the great work.

Score: 9.3/10

[Main Title Heroes]

This is an NGADM Round 2 Review.

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What I liked:
-Very cool introduction.
-I like the staccato strings a lot.
-Very funky with the drums!
-Great thematic ideas.

What could have been better:
-Some sections were too long, like the initial section where the drums enter.
-Some mixing/mastering issues, especially with the electronic sounds in the second half of the piece.
-The second half of the piece is disjointed, and the ending was a bit underwhelming.

Overall I really like this piece, but I don't think it reflects your full potential as a composer. Great job!

Score: 7.5/10