Phonometrologist's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lycanthropy]

What I enjoyed:
When that bass comes in!
The synth complements it well.
The silences between sections.
How the music follows the story line that you've mentioned--can follow the imagery that you've provided

Not so much:
Needs more of a contrast between the "Man" and "Werewolf."
A bit more variation toward the end (3:15). At some point, what you've written/played has already been heard, and so with a producer mindset, I would vary the timbre more. Typically after 4 bars, one expects to hear something noticeably different.

I should also note that the pattern on how you constructed your chords works well for the flow of the piece: a chord for 8 beats, and then two for 4 beats.

How long did you spend working on it?

Voltus responds:

hey thanks for your review!

It took me roughly 10 to 12 hours to finish it. It might have been more.

[SpaceyShip]

At first second, I thought I was going to hear Old McDonald, so there's your minus two stars there since I actually wanted to hear that. I also got a little scared that the spaceyship was going to crash on my face, and so I had to lower the volume 15 seconds in. Welcome to the portal!

bashfrog responds:

Thank you for your welcome, and giving your honest opinion. :)

[AnchorGrinder: AG007]

This sounds like a satire for video game music. Love the rhythm and the depth of this piece. I can definitely hear the distinct traits between you and Heartgrinder in here as I know that’s the point. Would have liked to hear more of that motif at 2:20 to be developed a little more.

Anchorwind responds:

I'm not sure which bits you think are me and which you think are Heartgrinder - but you may be surprised from time to time. It isn't always I'm the dark, heavy, percussive one and HG's the lighter, brighter, melodic one. While yes we do have contrasting styles, it is more: gravity and tempo, as opposed to instrumental choices or anything else. I'm glad you enjoyed, however. There will likely be more at some point when the stars align again.

[The Gate [NGASS 2014]]

This track earned you another fan. Was very impressed by this amidst the many great NGASS submissions.
Love it.

ObsidianSnow responds:

Thanks! :D

[Falling Forever]

Nicely done. I’m enjoying the atmosphere that your synths are providing. I like the layers and rhythm as it keeps this interesting and it doesn’t allow it to be too repetitive. Repetition is fine if the timbre is something that can keep the listener engaged which this certainly does for me.

Comixnik responds:

Thanks!

[In a While]

Anytime there might be a complaint that a piece is too short, that is a good sign.
I like everything about it, but I was expecting more. So good job in a way that this actually makes me curious to hear your other work because of the brevity of it.

Semaphore responds:

Please go on =)

Heard your last classical piece very complex and I'm sure I will never reach the complexity in live playing neither in my songs but I appreciate that you like my music =)

Thank you very much Phonometrologist

[snowy night]

After reading first the comments about the ending, I was expecting it be...well different in a way that was bad. I have to comment that the very last chord was a little surprising but only because of your voice leading. I found it to be very satisfying though. Different strokes for different folks and so that is why I had to balance the critique on your ending by writing this.

The piece is in F Major even though it does have a "sad" tone to it. Perhaps it's because you seem to outline the minor third and sixth chord quite a bit, but if it helps anyone to understand why the last chord was chosen it's probably because it's the tonic chord. Something you would expect in a chord progression. Perhaps others would have wanted a more open-ended type ending to match the mystique that the piece seems to convey throughout.
I will say that I was surprised how you played the A in the melody right after the note E for the ending. Typically at the end, one would hear the E resolve a half-step up, but you changed it, and that is what I felt was most satisfying. The piece doesn't lose its integrity because you decided to resolve the progression to "home." Composers have used melody or bass lines to feign to the listener certain moods by using the ascending or descending melodic contour. Because the melody went down to an A instead of your expected F above it implies a certain meaning which I have understood it emotionally to mean a more somber approach opposed to the alternative that you could have chosen.

johnfn responds:

Ahhh, a music theory guy! Reading that was a delight!

I think the secret to the sadness comes from the 11th in the melody on top of the vi chord, it really adds an extra sophistication to the 6th, which is already pretty sad as is. The emphasis that the vi gets is probably why people want to end there. Still, glad the ending is getting some support haha

And yeah I really like descending to the third on top of a chord, sounds like home :)

[happy guitar sounds]

These are happy! Very carefree. I like the subtle use of the pad as well.

Not much of a review I know, but just know this, I don’t bother leaving comments on tracks that I don’t enjoy.

yagru responds:

i appreciate!

[On That Day]

I like your comments...cryptic and intriguing, but more importantly, your piece makes it compelling to figure out what exactly it is that one would long for after hearing this.
There are some jazz qualities to this piece, but it doesn't completely define itself into just one category. Just as in your description of what you love to do, this piece definitely tells a story.

This is a very hopeful piece, and as I listen to the beginning, I get a sort of feeling that yearns to reflect on the past. I like the spaces you leave in between motifs as it portrays one pondering over memories. I also appreciate the moment at 2:07--sounds like it's a descending bass line from C major>B dim>A minor> and to G Major. It goes pretty quick so I'm not sure on the accuracy of that statement.
The Golden Number ratio is at about 2:52, and your climax is pretty close to that. I thought that was interesting, and the combination of that deep bass note on C with the right hand playing a retardation of the note D to E is pretty wonderful.
Do you tend to write out your work before completing, or do you memorize based on improvisation and develop from there?

Qiz responds:

I'm going to reveal a secret that I had decided to leave out of the description; this piece is a cold improvisation, and I wanted to see if it could pass for a standard composition.

I choose a motif within the first few bars of improvisation and brought it back on numerous occasions to create a sense of structure. There are a few techniques that I consciously use for contrast, such as changing register, dynamics, tempo, chord progression, and accompaniment pattern.

The chord progression at 2:07 is F major, E major, D minor, G major, making what is essentially a IV, V/vi, ii, V progression. The tricky thing is that the secondary dominant (E major) does not go to A minor as you would functionally expect but instead skips to the next chord in going down the circle of fifths (D minor). None of that was preplanned, but that is my post analysis. What you pointed out about the Golden Ratio is highly interesting.

Thank you for the thoughtful review my friend.

[River Flows In You-Remix]

Sounds good. I like the tempo that you set this on.
Just one thing to ask. Can you credit the original composer of this “song” in your Author Comments section so others will know? I had to Google to find out who it was.

De4dl0ck responds:

sure,done :D