Phonometrologist's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[.: Eternal Darkness :.]

Very fitting for a boss theme. That low synth at 34 seconds is what does it for me. Enjoyable work

larrynachos responds:

Ah, that low synth <3 I really love that synth.

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed this song :D

[{Heim} Helium]

This is certainly feel-good music. I didn't care for the beginning nor did I know what I was about to get myself into, but the melody, harmony, and beat really is a joy to listen to. Inspiring work!
1:30 is brilliant as it transitions back to the anthemic horn section at 2:15.

JeffHeim responds:

Hi, thank you for the kind review and feedback! This is definitely "new grounds" for me in composing (I usually do more orchestral music), so any feedback on this will be very helpful as I develop my electronic music chops. I considered your feedback and am in the process of changing things up a bit. The intro may have to stay as I currently don't have any other ideas for a lead-in, but I've changed the wording of the description and am remixing it. The piece itself isn't about anything in particular. Really nothing more than a 'one day I decided it would be cool to write something catchy with electronic / orchestral elements' :)

Thanks again!

[MM3: To The Depths With Her]

Impressive as always with the soundscape you're able to provide along with the beat you get us going in at 56 seconds. Right now on my headphones, the sub-bass is quite present... I can't imagine how it's going to sound when I listen to this on my set of speakers so I'm just going to have to do it.

Anchorwind responds:

Good! I'm glad it translated well. I hope you'll give us a follow-up after you've been immersed in Mother Machine via your speaker system. :)

[Shoreside]

I like it! Very creative! A lot of intelligent sections and different parts happening as well. This is just fun to listen to even after multiple listens. This certainly keeps my interest throughout. The piano melody although short is quite tasteful. Great guitar work and chordal movements. lol and the dissonant notes played at the middle and end of each phrase makes me smile--good stuff. The bass at 3:00 is a nice touch for an ominous sound but it quickly dissipates because after all, this is for a good ending. I suppose you can't have a good ending without reflecting what it took to get there within the "game."
So my one complaint is the choice in timbre of the horn parts. I think recording it live will help this tremendously and then you're golden.

Nimble responds:

Hey Phono, Thanks for listening! I'm totally working on getting live horns for this one, just need to get my buddy here for a day so we can record them. I already have a couple parts tracked myself but I gotta have him here too since he plays trombone and I play trumpet. gotta have them harmonies :^) Glad you liked it though! :D

[Our Last Hope]

The sheer creativity and excitement this piece has is inspiring! With this lighthearted and happy-go-lucky sound, you inspire me to do my best out of complete joy. This is exactly what this competition needs. When the battle starts, the appegiated synth reminds me of some works by Muse. Not that this shows a lack of originality, but I suppose when people get images of their respected artists when they hear a new piece, it is considered to be quite good and appreciated all the same. The tempo change at 1:21 is quite nice too. There's so much going on here that it's hard to be able to grasp everything even after multiple listens--perfect for a video game during a battle section. The lead at 2:40 is a great choice. Transposed upwards at 3:06? Certainly sounds like it so by the end there's still a lot of suspense left. How many times do I need to replay this thing?!?!

As a side note, Emid's statement made me laugh: "I'll blow all judges..."
lawl

Mattashi responds:

Thanks a lot Phonometrologist :)
You know what's funny? the tempo in this song doesn't change xD it stays at 140 bpm, I guess it feels that way because of those fast harp arpeggios before that part at 1:21 and the change of rhythm?
I hope your joining us in the contest as well, you better :P

[Un Lion D'Andalou Piano Concept (WIP)]

I'm digging this as this creates in me a real relaxed feeling. Recorded on a real piano? Just sounds like it since it sounds great here. I downloaded this so I can continue listening to this as I meditate in bed with this playing. This is the type of music that I love where I can just fixate my gaze upon a blank ceiling with a slant smile as a reflection of my content state. The only gripe I have about this is the gradual increase of tempo toward the end where it conveys a bit of anxious desire. I can't fault you for taking that approach, but I wish it could have lasted a bit longer in the state it was in from the beginning.

HeAvEn-SmiLE responds:

Hey! So, I'm sorry for that late answer, Just wanted to to thank you on your support for this track, those words mean a lot to me, and really endorses me to make more stuff.

So To answer your questions, it wasn't recorded on a real piano, I used 8Dio's 1928 Steinberg recording piano as a VST, it really has a beautiful effect, and I bought an external sound card, so the quality of the sound is better compared to what I used to compose before.

For the tempo, Yes I do have some issues with it, When I play some piano, I never pay attention to the tempo, so It's often irregular. Recording with a metronome is hard, really hard, it takes all your confidence away just so you can play the music, Counter Cathexes really suffer from it, as it is a Concept, I thought that it wasn't that bad If I just play what I intented to do: a concept.

Thanks a lot for your review again!

[Adrift]

This one is alluring to me. You have some nice progressions here--I especially like the chord change at 1:22 &1:52. With the girl laughing, it's almost creepy to me. I'm not sure what sense I'm supposed to feel, but I suppose that it is accurate in the description you've given for this piece. I give you props for stumping me. Had to give this a few listens as it haunts me quite a bit.

NicholasCabraja responds:

thanks man, Glad you liked it! It was suppose to be in a way spooky, nothing really is suppose to make sense in a way. (Hence thats kind of what soundscape can represent) There's actually two different laughters, one sounds a bit older tone. They both represent a mother and daughter of the man who has entered heaven, and sees a vision or representation of this wife and daughter.

Just don't get any nightmares, I don't wanna be responsible. haha.

[Ride]

I really enjoy this one but it pisses me off that you ended it so abruptly. Perhaps it was because it's meant for more commercial purposes. But I love the intro's setting mood, piano, rhythm, and inspiring chord progression. nice arrangement-- fun to listen to. Perhaps you could write something for the N.I.M. and elaborate a bit more than just 2 minutes.

LunyAlex responds:

Thanks a lot! I kind of stopped the song because I didn't feel like I could continue with anything powerful enough compared to that crescendo part. Which is a pretty weak argument, haha.

I'll definitely try my hand in the N.I.M.!

Thanks again!

[Improv on Eternity]

Thought you'd be interested to know that I downloaded and decided to fall asleep to this. I ended up staying awake for at least 25 minutes of it. The problem with that I was hoping for a more relaxed kind of chord progression somewhere in the middle of it with lots of space in between notes, but it seems a lot of it is filled with rhythmic energy. I typically don't enjoy improvisations all that much, because it is very difficult to have color in chord choices. I usually can tell, as I'm sure most can as well, when one hears a through composed from an improv. If compared to food, improvs tend to be the hotdog/hamburger (kyle landry), but that is okay. Who doesn't love simple foods? We don't necessarily want a three-course meal every time.
However, you do have some interesting chords played in this. It just tends to be snippets of it while not every chord resolving in a linear motion. Kind of like a conversation without much coherence. I can't improv like you as this requires great skill to be able to sit down and pour out whatever thoughts come to mind. The other notable thing about this is the rhythmic variations throughout--this keeps me interesting and intrigued to hear what you are playing next.
btw, I really like the dissonant playing at 9:10 as this just becomes memorable to me.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks for downloading! I actually find it more difficult to sleep while listening to music, as I easlily get so involved in it. If I'm really tired, it works, but otherwise, not so well. You're right, I had pretty few relaxing moods in this improvisation. I think that mysterious calm is a better improvisation for relaxation, even if it has an ominous mood. All the longer pauses and such are later in this improvisation, like 38:00 and 45:50 (totally didn't just look up the long paused places in TaintedLogic's review).

I enjoy improvisations more as background music myself, usually. As for the color, it depends for me whether I want it or not. You're right that it's difficult to get a really... Crisp feel? Or something like that when one is imrpovising, unless one has a great sense of pitch, or planned the chords on beforehand.

I can usually tell if something is an improvisation/composition too. The structures are usually so different. But some of the piece's I've made by improvising more and more and adding parts without caring about structure end up a little bit like an improvisation could sound, but better.

Iteresting analogy with the foods there! Kyle Landry is super talented. I especially like his rearrangements of pieces. His improvisations are usually very good, but not necessarily my style, and I prefer more melodic composition than he usually creates. I don't know how much you listen to him, but he has made 3 compositions that find to be simply brilliant!

- Playing on my Childhood Upright
- The Separation (original) [the proposed lyrics are beautiful]
- Animemories

Just some tips in case you're interested.

Oh, and he also made a sonata that I think is a bit more your style:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaSJV1mmJVA

Coherence is definitely something that lacks in this improvisation, as it didn't really have any theme I followed at all; I did whatever I felt like. I don't think it takes that much skill though, just a lot of free time. I promise you, you are already pretty good at the piano, so if you try improvising for 10 minutes every day for half a year or so, you'll be just as good if not better than me!
What takes great skill, is to keep it coherent and good sounding all the way from beginning to end!

The rhythmic variation is definitely something that I am much more experimental with in my improvisations than I am in my actual compositions. Should probably do smoething about this huh XD?

I like dissonance in general. I don't know why o.O

Thanks for the review, I can totally see where you're coming from!

[MM3: Her Siren Call]

It's perhaps fitting to leave a comment on Mother's Day. Your sound design is superb and I can hear the influences all in this one track--not so easily handled to be dissected. Love the setting you put forth in the beginning. I really can't offer any criticisms when it comes to your work mostly because of how little experience I have with what it takes to create this. All I could mention is my interpretation behind the sounds that communicate some kind of meaning towards feeling. It sounds like reflecting upon a mind of one whose thoughts are constantly buzzing around in a dark apartment building amid a moving city. There's something uncertain while also being dislocated from what is there.

Anchorwind responds:

"...when it comes to your work mostly because of how little experience I have with what it takes to create this." -- Tell a story no one wants to listen to with sounds no one wants to hear.

I love hearing your interpretations. I am not a musician as much as a visionary whom tinkers with sounds.

I am almost always reflective, so when that comes across it will make me smile.

Thanks, as always.