Music-story's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Airborn (FullQuality)]

Review time...

Hmm, this song is long. This may take a while to review. Here goes.

Good:
1) Well that fx space sound really brings the listener into the experience. For some reason I'm thinking Stellar Explorer. Did you just lower the volume to make the fx fade out? Sounds like you had to press the note again every time the fx faded out unless you choose your vector times very precisely. Nice job
2) Well the kick sure has some powerful attack boost on the volume. Nice n crisp sounding.
3) Nothing too spectacular about the bass pattern, but it sounds real mean.
4) Atmospheric piano! Cool sounding though I wouldn't be surprised if that sound really isn't a piano but a guitar with its strings high on the tension. At least that's how I made a sound very similar to your high pitch piano.
5) 43 seconds in comes the almost choir sounding pad. Just ups the mood of the song.
6) 57 seconds comes a good instrument again. It is very tough to tell if you have stereo delay applied on this instrument. So many instruments are playing I can't tell.
7) 1:55 some less action into some powerful piano. Sounds very orchestra like. Nothing wrong with this
8) 4:20 the clarity is much better. Now it looks like the bass is doing some oscillations. I consider that at least some diversity.
9) 6:00 oh I like that new instrument that crescendos. I sense a climax coming. Nice busy kick pattern.

Hmm:
1)The bass does get overpowered by the fx and other higher frequency sounds so that may need fixing.
2) That instrument at 57 seconds has some weird really high pitch bells or something playing with it. I think it was too high pitch making it a bit discomforting for the ears.
3) Minor problem but at 2:35 where that lower sounding panning instrument comes in, I think the timing feels slightly off. Maybe you were trying to do the whole off beat thing but I'd like it better if it were playing right at the start of each bar. My opinion of course.
4) Not sure if you wanted the whole chaos feel but it really gets messy at around 2:50. Too much stuff is going on muffling the instruments. Last tell 3:20....though it is still kinda messy after that (less though so I guess that is good) No offense but I was not too fond of the song from 2:50 to 4:20.
5) I'm seeing some repetition going on. 5:29 welcome back piano playing the same composition. Plus the high pitch piano is still playing the same pattern too. Not much new stuff really.

Overall I think this song is very well made. Much better than the other trances on NG. However, I also think yours is the most repetitive out of all the trance songs I've heard on NG. I think if you shortened the song to maybe 4 minutes long it would have been perfect. That may be the reason why your download count is low. But than I think people are jealous that a young guy like you got signed and they aren't good enough yet. Maybe they don't want to review your stuff because the don't want to acknowledge the talent you have. I think your better than all the NG musicians in the trance category. I'm a supporter of you along with the other 7 reviewers of your song who actually realize what good music should sound like. Don't forget us when your resume becomes impressive. :) You also don't have any of those high pitch squeeky and fuzzy instruments that I'm sick of hearing in the other trance songs on NG. People think it is so professional sounding but I think of it as generic. This is new to hear. I'm giving you a 9/10. There is no such thing as a perfect song, but there is such a thing as a perfect song to someone in particular. Yours just needs more diversity and I'd call it perfect. Bye for now

[Dreaming of You <(^^,)>]

Review time

Congrats on making it as # 1 for this week. Thanks for the info somo808 (the guy who reviewed your song). I will play it loud, but just get higher quality headphones so you don't have to risk going deaf. :) Here is my review.

Good:
1) 0:14 I like the bass The 1 second of silence before the bass enters is placed well. A 1.5- 2 sec time of silence might have been better. Anyhow, I still like
2) Your drums sound good I suppose. Some parts it is a bit hard to hear them. Eg. 1:12 the cymbals and clap loop are muffled because the lead instrument is set to very loud. I can hear your kicks clearly though.
3) 1:38 some strings. Charming I say. Brings the mellow mood out for a very brief moment. Still counts as diversity instrumentally and composition wise.
4) Like the use of your stereo delay in the octave alternating instrument from 0-0:42 seconds.
5) Well done on the ending fade out. Gradual and smooth.

Strange:
1) I don't know who to blame on this part...NG or you. The very beginning of the song has a dragged out feeling. The very 1st note played. Not a big deal but just wanted to point it out.
2) 0:43 Some clipping is going on. Only lasts for a bit. A quick fix: decrease in one or two of the filter band intensities can fix that problem.
3) I'd say this song doesn't have much diversity going on. Here is the big problem. Okay so you got the alternating octave pattern going from 0 to 0:42 and than you slap a filter on it (or something like that) at 0:42 and on. Still the same composition but now just making a crescendo into yes the climax....which um again continues the octave alternating pattern. Maybe you just stuck a delay on that instrument making it so you just got to press the same note in eighth beats for the entire song...but I'll assume you did the former (you actually played the octaves).

0:42 referring to the lead instrument (the one that has the filter bank plugin) It plays a neat beat, but really you don't change it at 1:11. You just moved the instrument one or two octaves up. That's not considered much of a change.

So to conclude this is what I see from this song. You start with a intro that somewhat stands out especially with the bass going. 0:42 section yeah some happy hardcore with okay instruments (bass still awesome though) and only the lead instrument being the real new thing here. In comes the strings and again the filterbank instrument with the crescendo. Same composition and instruments. Deja Vu? Do you get what I mean? Not much is really going on here. However I did get the basshunter impression which was your intended goal. Bye for now
Jerri

[Kriz: Fluctuations 2]

Okay a review

I love happy stuff...including happy hardcore. Yes, I've been waiting for a song like this. Here is my break down:

Good:
1) The beginning was very magical and the whole "fake" buildup got me excited. Finally you break into the real buildup into the main theme. Good job
2) Bass sounds deep and slightly modulated. Cool and happy sounding. Claps tend to not over power too. I might mention though that it is very hard to hear the crowd. That is the crowd cheering in the background right?
3) This song is all about the lead instruments. Your backup melodies are pretty plain no offense but that lead instrument sounds pretty neat taking my attention away from the more boring stuff.

Hmm:
1) 1:26 the return to the magical part was nice, but nothing new really happened here. It's like the same except a long dragged out buildup. Normally this wouldn't be bad but since your song technically only has a theme and variation of ABAB there really isn't enough diversity going on.
2) Use more instruments. You didn't use too many but that can help in diversity

Overall there isn't much to say because not much to talk about really. I can add on the nice use of your filter bank and a good touch on the white noise to bring filling to the song. I didn't like the 1:26 and later, but that's just me. I get bored very quickly so I like continually changing music. I'm sure many people like this song for its happy feeling and catchy simple beats but than you seem to have more haters than fans. Happy music will always be my favourite and I hope it is yours too. :) Oh and when I say simple I don't mean bad. Tiesto uses a lot of simple beats and they sound great. By the way, how many "cents" off of zero marker did you put on that lead instrument. It has a very slightly poor timbre which actually makes the song sound better than if it was perfectly in tune.

Bye for now

Kr1z responds:

Great review :D
Thx for the Good: compliments and the Hmm: tips
Ur right about it being simple. U could say it's slightley repeative, but only more trained listeners will hear this.
Anyway, thx for the tips, thx for ur time!
Bye!

[Karco - Apology (Trance Remix)]

Open mind review I think

Hmm, well I'll try to open up my ears more. My mind is already crammed with useless school stuff and this isn't like some debate thing. I am open to new original content though if that's what you meant. I could of listened to this song more closely with my new expensive BOSE headphones, but I need to hear the phone ring too. :) Listened using my average speakers.

Good:
1) Explosion, silent swooshes...Yes the good ol space theme. I'm quite a fan of these types of fx sounds.
2) I like the juggling panning bass. Has a nice mellow feel to it. A gentle journey through space.
3) I think you got the kick volume just about right. It doesn't really distract from the tune and it isn't overly compressed. Simply a soft kick.
4) 45 secs and enter the piano. Sounds like a grand piano with only a tad bit of artificial reverb. Keeping instruments more natural sounding is something I usually hear in classical and not trance. I say that's a good idea away from the norm.
5) I noticed both pianos are initially filtered or a decrease in volume and than after 1:29 both increase in volume. Also you did that percussion hit fade out at 1:52. I think you said in a previous response to a review I gave you that you like to do that kind of stuff now. Even at 1:40 you do some other kind of fade out. I suppose I get what you mean by open mind. There are a bunch of little tweaks you did in this song that may go unnoticed by the casual listener. I won't list them all cause I'm lazy.
6) This part had me wondering for a moment. At 3:40 the lower piano and bass change. The high pitch piano didn't change its composition which almost masked the changes in the bass the lower pitch piano. Your making this a tough listen for us listeners.
7) Heh. There is that percussion fade out again.

Ify:
1) Well that intro was like fx and percussion only. Quite a long intro too. (22 seconds) Maybe add in the bass quicker?
2) I would not have guessed the 3/4 time. However what I didn't like much was the piano pattern at 1:06. Those two pianos didn't quite mingle well rhythm wise.
3) Well it's trance. What more can I expect. However, I like to point it out anyway. This song is quite loopy/repetitive.
4) This song requires me to listen too hard instead of just enjoying the ride. I guess you can continue making "open minded" music, but it requires the listener to think too much. Make close minded songs too. :)

Overall I thought it was good and different. Different is usually a good thing I think. 9/10 review.
Bye for now

Karco responds:

You have Bose headphones? Lucky. :P I could have gotten some really neat Sennheiser headphones if I had wanted them, but I figured I need the right resources - which I DID ask for - before asking for what would make the overall sound better. ;) Responding to your comments one at a time:

Good:
1) Glad you like the FX, though this has nothing to do with my old space theme. Actually, it's been quite a while since I got my inspiration from there. :P
2) Yep, the mellow feel was what I was trying to get with this one. ;)
3) Once again, you nailed what I was trying to get! :D
4) This is a remix of an all-piano piece, so I had to do it justice by keeping the all-piano part of this song realistic. ;)
5) Are you talking about the sidechain? The piano sound ducking under the kick, and coming back up until the kick hits again, at which point it ducks again? That was one reason I asked to listen to this song with an open mind. There are others. ;)
6) Tough listen? XD Well, sorry about that. :P Read on, to Ify number 4, for an idea about that. I had the bass arp up like that on the third beat for a conclusive feel while the piano was still there... once the piano had left, though, it felt a bit less conclusive to me. Perfect for my purposes. :D
7) Yep. I've been ending songs like that lately. Looks like you like it, which means it isn't getting old (yet :P), which is good. :D

Ify:
1) I needed to leave myself somewhere to go, and I don't think starting right off with the bass would have been as good of an idea. Oh well. :)
2) Yep - when listening back to the original, I found that parts were in 3/4 time, and parts were in 4/4. I decided to go with 3/4 time, for convenience - as I could mix the 4/4 parts in there easily.
3) I haven't been giving myself grief over diversity lately... I kinda lost all of my will to make music a while back and the only way to finish anything is to give myself a break here and there. My standards have been a bit lower since it happened... funny thing is, my stuff since then sounds better to me than the stuff I've made before it happened. o_O
4) Here's a thought: Listen to this song once, picking up all of the unique parts, the quirks, etc. - then, after that, now that you know the song, you can listen to it again... and enjoy the ride - nothing will take you by surprise, grab your attention, etc. ;)

Glad you liked it, and thanks for reviewing! :)

[-Control: Crowd-]

Review time

A series of CONTROL music. Sounds like fun. Here is what I thought of part 1.

Good:
1) Nice fx start. Sounds all alien suspense like. Also your ghostly fx at 11 seconds to ending at 28 seconds were neat too.
2) Hey it's that guitar like techno sound with the filter bank. That instrument sure is getting popular on NG. Anyway it does bring the chaos feel so nice choice I say.
3) I like the off beat drums. Some sound like mild DnB.
4) 2:10 Finally the drums changed, build up slowly comes, and yes a change in beat slightly. You definately needed that. Though the fx is still repeating.
5) 3:00 okay so this sounds different enough. Keep the song progressing forward. However, see the "needs more" list. Problem here
6) So despite the uber repetition going on, you always manage to add a extra instrument. Good attempt on making it more diverse, but I suggest you make changes to the main beat rather than a substitute instrument that only plays a background role.

Needs more:
1) Well I think you over used the guitarish techno sound too much. I'm listening to the same fx and beat until 1:30. Wait 2 seconds and back to the previous beat! This song is way too repetitive.
2) Okay so at 3:00 the composition is so close to a remix. That rhythm is quite old.
3) 2:10 you got the filtered like clap drum loop and eventually take off the filter at 2:23. That continues, you take it away and again reintroduce it at 3:26. Umm you get my point right? Even your drums are way over used. Change it up cause I feel like this song is just doing a bunch of loops around me. Needs to progress forward.

So a good song. The big flaw is the feeling of getting no where. The 15-20 minute song you say coming worries me because I don't want to listen to that long of a song that repeats even more than this one. You do have the techno sounds nicely mixed. Good job on that. Also from your title "crowd" I was expecting some euro party or something like that. Oh and a happy 08 to you too. Bye for now.

[Tundra]

Nice job on this

Pretty long song. This is my break down of your song.

Good:
1) Crazy guitar like sound to start the song. Did you put a amp on that? Kinda reminds me of F-777/Kriz collab song
2) 45 seconds in I like the bass beat. Similar to the old trance bass beats.
3) 1:29 The more dramatic part does sound like a remix of another trance song...maybe the Ferry Corsten guy your talking about? I never heard of him. Anyway, the change in mood adds to the diversity.
4) 3:24 Finally into the Christmas stuff reminding me of the tundra. I'll say kudos on the bells
5) 4:20 Oh I love that lead instrument. The composition seems rather happy too. Did you change keys here?

Weird:
1) At 1:22 to new transition it may have faded out too fast making the transition a bit abrupt.
2) 2:25 and on it sounds a slight messy. The lead sound is audible but not fully compared to the background instruments. I can still hear the bass though
3) At 3:24 though the bells do add a bit of diversity, the bass and the lead instruments are repeating the same or very similar composition to the beginning parts of this song.
4) 4:20 on. Though I liked that lead instrument, you really do drag this part of the song for a very long time. It's like more than 2 minutes of looping. That's like a whole new song again. Oh well, real trance = repetitive. I never will like that.
5) So I can only imagine how long that guitar like transition sound took you. I'm not sure how long you spent on making the explosion transition, but I did notice that almost all your transitions used the guitar and explosion. Maybe make a different fx transition to continually surprise me.

Overall more good than blips. This is a nice trance song to listen to. I'm sure you could have shaved off a minute or two of this song. Than again, some like the repetitive stuff a lot. And yes I did enjoy the song to some degree, more than a lot of the other trance songs I hear on NG. Congrats of the top 5 weekly. I suspect this song will make the top 30 list when Wednesday comes. Good luck on your future projects. Bye for now.

Winterwind-NS responds:

Good:
1-2) thanks
3) not a remix but u should definitely look into his works. For more trance like this song look into his early works under the name System-F or if you're into more house-ish trance (can't really describe it) then look up Corsten's work
4) bells are nice
5) It's not a key change. Both themes are in G# minor. The second one seems happier because it plays the relative major in it (i - VI - VII - *III*) like so

Bad:
1) I didn't notice that and you're entirely correct. I'll fix that some time and reupload. thanks
2) I didn't, at first, feel this way but now that you point it out, its kinda annoying me, so ur prolly right
3) It's not completely the same but yeah it is similar
4-5) Agreed

haha thanks for the very thorough review
my response was very halfassed
but yeah if i get in the top 30 list, thats wen the score gets shot in the face lol
so im not looking forward to getting in that list.
thanks again

-Winter

[´Kriz: Reaching For You]

And a happy new year to you

Oh, deep trance. That stuff is tough to make. I'm more for the up beat stuff. Here is my review to you. (This rev. is because I see you want people to review your stuff. Give me PM and I'll review your new stuff in the future.)

Good:
1) Good ol explosion to start the song. Nuff said.
2) Like the transition of the high pitch instrument into the more bass like lead instrument. The percussion seems good too. 1:23 DJ Nate inspired sound from his orchestral angel song?
3) Nice fade out. Conclusions are usually better. Oh well.

Future changes:
1) I think you have 3 layers of instruments going. I can hear the lead high pitch sound, the lower choir bass, but the mid range choir is a bit messy. Make 2 separate parametric EQ ranges for each choir?

2) I was hoping for a change in beat after the brief silence at 1:20 but you kept it the same throughout the entire song. Only the lead instrument changed but it still had the 3 note beat. Quarter, quarter, half ....repeat over and over again. Gets a bit boring.

Well I'm not a huge fan of deep trance cause it reminds me of a more hardcore version of ambient. Highly repetitive and because of that it is tough to make for me. You got the mood right, just needs more obvious changes to make me wanting more. Here is your 5/5 and 9/10 review. Nice job on your first attempt. Hope to hear more from you. Bye for now.

Kr1z responds:

Thx for the effort! I'll give a proper respond.
About 'Good:'
thx for that! It isnt really Dj-Nate inspired, im just experimetating alot, and it came out well that way..
About 'future changes':
Ur absolutely right, if u listen very carefully, u'll notice this song has repeative parts in it..
I know, but im not pro! I've started learning music (by myself) 6 months ago, im still gaining loads of experience, so thx for the tips!
And thx for the 5/5 :D

Kriz.

[Z.A.P. - Through Galaxies]

Rev.

I personally like space songs. So let's see how this one went down.

Good:
1) The beginning sounds like some horror theme and those panning fx sounds really bring the haunting mood.
2) Like the ambient heaven like instrument and the air swirling going on.
3) 1 :06 Like the techno distortion instrument pitch.
4) For some reason I like that non techno like bass. Makes things mellow, but I like mellow stuff.
5) Tempo change! Nice. A bit too quick but still good.
6) Very ending of song I like the finish. Very tranquil. A strange cutoff instead of the smooth fade out but not a big deal

Correct?
1) Maybe transition faster in the beginning cause that ambient stuff makes me bored. Took1min 6 secs to finally transition. Too long!
2) 1:06 maybe on that techno lead instrument put more reverb. Too quick cutting.
3) 2:16 See if you had more reverb/delay/sustain than the instruments would of faded out...but the lacking of reverb makes the instruments just cut off super quick.
4) 3:27 That transition didn't work. Nuff said
5 ) 4:14 What the? Okay....hmmmm. Maybe that lead instrument just didn't sound so good. The beat turned into some ethnic japan song for a brief moment and nothing really space like. I know you want to be diverse, but be carefully what diversity you add....either make a evident transition with a drum fill ( others like a sweep/percussion cymbal splash/quick stoppage in beat also work) or make a fade in. I think you should have been more diverse on the instruments.

That concludes my review. Make it more diverse instrumental and compositional wise or make song shorter. The song is well mixed and mastered. No clipping with my speakers. Bye for now

[(FW) Megamix]

Okay

Review again. Quick one

Good:
1) Like the bass beat (make louder!)
2) Entering space rave mix and it is good (I don't know what to say really)
3) So this time you got the transition right from the invasion to your next mix (forgot the name of this mix)
4) Bass is nice in this mix (the one in the whole 2:50 sec part on to next mix. Louder bass!)
5) Yes I do notice the panning going on with one of the instruments. Cool idea.
6) The transition at 4:12 just passed. It could use some improvement but it was decent so it goes in good section of review.
7)Transition at 4:47 seemed appropriate to transition into this new section (only ify part is the sudden introduction of the transition where all the instruments just cut off instantly)
8)5:04 your best part of the song. Very dancy. I'm digging this but it is too short. :(
9) DJ wolf-tech ehh in this new mix? Vocal warping and all the other DJ goodies.
10) Nice happy calm part. Jazzy almost
11) Techno mix. Like the happy teckie. (Ending may need some modification though)
Hmm:
1) Well you didn't change that weird percussion crazy moment in the beginning so you should have made them pan like crazy too.
2) 41 secs that transition is umm unique but weird
3) Hmm that 2nd transition to your invasion song is very ackward too. (Stops the flow of the song
4) Transition at 6:46 is really not a transition. The song felt like it ended instead of transitioned.

Overall a nice mix you got here. Just needs better flow into the new mixes and some more serious instruments. Bass should be louder too. Other than that, good work. 9/10 review. Bye for now

[Falling Farther (Trance Remix)]

Long song

I am reviewing two long songs today! I'm screwing myself over for the exams. :)
So let the reviewing begin

Good
1) Nice emotion put into the classical piano (good thing you continued playing the piano when the song whooshed into the main beat)
2) Some good bass going on (just needs a bit more sub bass or something more darker)
3) That higher pitch instrument accompanying the bass sounds pretty cool (I have not heard that sound before in any NG song yet)
4) Oh what's this? A story going on. Now all like battle marching music.
5) I like your fx wind transitions
6) Good ending decrescendo and splash finish with the lil cymbal hits.
Fix?

2) That part at 2:26 I noticed the dissonance of the piano which is a bit weird
3) The blaring sound that comes in at 3:50 ish (crescendos in) may need some modifications. The simple blare sound didn't quite get my attention.
4) I was happy with the changes in beat occuring, but despite that, the song does feel too long. More diversity maybe....I suppose I'm not fond of trance cause it is always too repetitive unless it's a MS trance :)

So I will give you a 9/10. Bye for now.

Karco responds:

Hey, Music-story! Been a while since you reviewed my stuff... but no need to do so anyway if it's going to hurt your studies! Take your time next time, I can wait. :P As with before, I'll respond to the good and bad points, one at a time...

1) It's old composition but I'm glad to hear you think it's good. :D
2) I let the bass be less of a literal "bass" to make room for the booming kick in this song. Hey, it's still audible, right? ;D
3) I think you might be talking about the same synth, just when it's playing one octave up? XD I'm not sure, but there was no higher-pitched instrument "accompanying" the bass.
4) Well, not much to say, but it's under GOOD... :P Glad you liked that part.
5) I liked them too! :D
6) Yep, that's the sort of ending I've been into these days.

2) You must've had a number 1 that you changed your mind on, huh? :P The dissonance of the piano was supposed to be there, and I'm surprised that you're the only one so far that's pointed it out. Personally, I think it's fine - it adds to the lost, confused feeling.
3) The lead? I think it's fine, and, looking at the other reviews, it seems to be a matter people are split on. It's not like I'm going to make a second version of this song, though, I'm finished with it, and glad to be finished with it! :D
4) Read the other responses... I didn't kill myself over the diversity in this song. ;)

Thanks for the review! Glad you like it. :)