Phonometrologist's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - A long way through winter]

Wanted to wait to review this till I had several listens, because initially I was drawn with excitement and intrigue upon the first listen. The true test is whether there is something to return to with anew sense of interest. The mix, although not perfect, works really well, and the arrangement, although, simple, is brilliant. My one critique is the choice of single notes of the piano at 3:51 and at .44. It's a bit too naked for my taste, musically speaking, but it makes sense along with the artwork. It does set the mood of isolation. However, it's in the choice of notes just hovering around a chord as opposed to having its own melodic contour that one would follow. If would you have done the latter, it would have been more interesting in my opinion-- of course, that's all what this is anyway. But the sound design, and progression is quite interesting, and as one could see in the comments, heart-wrenching as well. At 3:28, I'm reminded of other minimalist composers with the arpeggiated piano and strings. The relationship between the two instruments is what takes the cake for me. The atmosphere of the strings of the beginning immediately grabs the listener's attention, and with the synth and bass at 1:15 bringing us along it's intricate journey keeps us interested throughout. I suppose, I really wanted to say that you have 3 really interesting and distinct sections that you have created all within a limited arrangement, and it works beautifully.

Azhthar responds:

Hey! Good to hear from you! Thank you so much for this detailed review! I know my mixing is always a weak spot, but it´s getting a bit better every time... Especially the piano is a bit too much compressed including the reverb on it which sounds a bit strange if you hear it isolated. I completely understand the point about the single notes. At the beginning this is actually by purpose, just to vaguely indicate the harmonies and to make the sound appearing much fuller when the second piano "voice" is starting at 1:45. I am not completely convinced by the ending around 3:51 by myself. It works somehow as a reprise but it is a bit boring and maybe a bit redundant after the part before which was much alive. I kept it because I thought it leads a bit back to the artwork. Maybe I just should have kept the second voice here or add even more... Anyway... The part with the arpeggiated piano is also the one I like most :) It is always good to get some critical feedback! Thanks a lot again! I´m glad you liked it.

[AIM - Faith in Freedom]

There's not much more I can add to what has already been said about such a piece, but that's not the point anyway. You mentioned before that you spent quite a large amount of time on this more than usual, but as far as I'm concerned, you still are able to crank out pieces faster than anyone else I know and still achieve such a fantastic result. You're an example of "first thought, best thought," spoken by Allen Ginsberg. And this piece perhaps shows that your mind, and everyone else, is where the battle of freedom originates. Mental slavery is the most difficult to overcome, and so often music is what gives us that glimpse of hope. But it is an ongoing battle with every piece as it only lasts until it stops. The vocal work here fits perfectly and beautifully. When the snare comes in at 1:50, there's a feeling of great anticipation. I expected a grand explosion, but when 2:31 is revealed instead, I realize that there really isn't any other way to do it. When the percussive bass begins to slide at 3:41, we hear something ominous in the horizon. A reminder of what is to come with every piece of music...

zybor responds:

Thank you so much for your very thoughtful review! :D

i hope you participate this AIM or NGADM!! Can't wait to see what you are gonna come up with. im very excited for it!

[La Última Dramática]

Well I actually appreciate stuff like this. Especially when one gets tired of emotional/"pretty" music, this can be quite the antidote to apathy towards music. I prefer watching the live performance of it, and if I may suggest that you could experiment with more chaos and crazy scales that you would actually use a more intellectual approach to it as well. For example, some of the scales are merely for effect especially when you arpeggiate toward the higher register, and I would really be interested in hearing you play with more weight onto the keys to emphasize specific notes as opposed to just flopping around.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Haha, I guess these things can be refreshing from time to time xD
If I took a more serious approach at this, I suppose the style/genre wouldn't be entirely different from certain parts of "The Place of a Skull" :p
The only real musical value here is the rhythmic aspect, and perhaps the "arrangement", in terms of tempo, progression and general pitch + variation. But really, it's just random, with disregard for melodies or chords. That said, it would be interesting to make a similar piece with actual planned chords and "melodies", aiming for it to actually sound good. That would be pretty difficult to play though!
I''m glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for the review ^ ^

[FD - Cloud]

I dig it. Nice combination of the piano motif, kick, and bass. Great atmosphere for a game in my opinion

ForgottenDawn responds:

Thank you. It was meant to be a chill, simple game, or as I call it, "interactive screensaver". XD

[Alpha Binaural]

This is pretty sweet-- got my head bobbing to this. The refreshing sounds and the right kind of bass really gets one in the right mindset. A bit too short, however, and your musical thought didn't seem quite as conclusive-- felt it kind of deserved one for this. I dig it.

[Toronto Uprising]

You write too much; I can't keep up listening to all of these. I just love how your brain is able to come up with these on the fly-- true artistic expression. Your sound design with you rhythmic character has always been quite a joy to listen to. These reviews really haven't been much of a review as it is a statement to how much I admire them. This track in particular takes me back to my Unreal Tournament days. Respect!

zybor responds:

UT games are the best! good old days on LAN with friends and schoolmates. sadly nowadays i only play with bots. :P

thank you so much for your awesome review!

[Elves of the West]

Very well. The arrangement behind the vocals is what made me have to say something. Very delicate writing, and the chord progression is very moody. This is quite enjoyable for a haiku of a track.

Grandvision responds:

Ah hello, thank you for your kind comment. I always want to make any instrument sound unique in a way, and play around with it, and that bears the same for vocal libraries too but there's still so much one can do. Now the only problem is to release longer tracks.

[Exfiltrate]

No criticism here. Just wanted to say after having several listens, and amongst your other works, that you really just have a good ear to the aesthetic and emotional kind of score. Your melodies and harmonies really are so accessible to listen to.

Mattashi responds:

Thanks a lot Phonometrologist :)

[_sequence/02/!%passage#_]

I've been going back to listen to this and your previous track for quite a while. Wish I had access to recording analogue. Love the sound you're able to capture. I'm a fan... eagerly awaiting for more.

Azhthar responds:

Hey! Thanks a lot for the feedback! I´m trying to do more analogue stuff. Actually I just got an old, cheap tape machine from e-bay. I´ll try to record some stuff with it when I figure out how it works... Hopefully it´ll work out and won´t sound awful ;)