Score: 9

"I said I would review this one!"

submission: _-={Garden of Memories}=-_

date: March 16, 2008

And it's been a while since I have, too! I've been waiting for Authority of Darkness so I could leave a monster review on that one, but seeing as that you haven't submitted it yet, I'll review this instead. ;D

First off, your woodwinds, in the front. For the most part, nice job with them, though personally I don't like those long held notes (more than a measure or so) - it feels like more composition could have been added there with a bit more effort. It would have been pretty neat if you could have added a simple harmony part for the section of the song with the most energy, perhaps with a different woodwind instrument? It would have added more detail, and perhaps have better captured the harmony of the environment you've made this song for? ;) But other than that, the instruments chosen and melody are both great. :D

As for the guitar (which is what that plucked instrument is, right?), it's great - though I don't like the second base of the mellow strumming progression - for example, what plays during the second beat of the song (the whole song, that is) at 0:02. It doesn't quite fit with the rest of the song in my opinion... it's a nice attempt at dissonance, but I don't like the sound of it for some reason. :\ Also, I don't really like the fourth base of the progression - the 1st in the scale, the home tone - it fits just fine, but I like to hear things other than the home tone for the concluding base note, as an extra melodic effort. ;) It fits just fine as is, but I think there were more melodic and enjoyable possibilities for that point. Last, praise! :D The dissonance I hear, for example, between 0:37 and 0:40 (it goes off the scale here, doesn't it?) was pulled off nicely - I've heard similar things done before in songs like this, but it hasn't gotten old with me yet. ;D

Strings are nice, no complaints, but I'd like to bring something up - having listened to your music for a while, I'm beginning to recognize the "East West" sound, here it mainly shows up (to me) with the strings, and more the lower they go. They just have a recognizable sound I've heard before, which is a bit of a disappointment - rather than having your own, "MaestroRage" sound, which is always present in your composition (though LadyArsenic did some of it with this song, right?, you have an "East West" sound, made present by the sound of the instruments you use. Try to have an original sound, it's great - I don't really know how the East West instruments work apart from what you've written in your reviews for them and in your definitions (Key Changes and such), so I don't think I can suggest anything, but keep an original sound in mind. You want to sound like yourself, not like your instruments. ;)

That aside, I have to say, the higher strings are awesome when they play along with the woodwinds! :D I only wish they were a bit more audible, in places, they become hard to hear. :\

I didn't really like the ending, considering this was a peaceful night theme, I would have enjoyed something more based in the mid to high ranges, rather than with low strings in the low end and the guitar in the middle area. :\

As for my story, I'm drawing a blank this time. I've been running on an irregluar sleep schedule lately - sleep late, wake up kinda early, sleep early, then sleep in again - and I'm kinda wiped out right now. :P I do get a landscape but it's nothing special and I probably wouldn't do it much good describing it now. ;) If I think of something good later, I'll be sure to send you a PM, but I'll have to skip it this time, sorry. D:

But other than that, I really enjoyed this song! 5/5, and 9/10, keep it up, both of you! I'll be watching your website... >:) (And refreshing, too. Staring at a screen and doing nothing wouldn't do anyone any good. XD)

Score: 8

"Returning the review..."

submission: Mirage 6 (Short Edit)

date: March 13, 2008

Pretty nice stuff you have here. :P I rarely review because it's tiring to do - my reviews get really, really long every time. This is good, though, so I'll give it a shot. :P

Great start, I hardly ever hear songs started like that. :D Nice intro section, it's got a fair amount of energy, possibly a bit too much? You don't want to start with too much energy, otherwise you've got a long way down to go to your first breakdown, which can be difficult, or nowhere to go if you want to build higher while keeping a good progression.

Your bass synth is good overall. Good choice for the sake of this song, however, I think it didn't have enough going on in the bass area and too much in the low mids, which means that it didn't have as much boom, but still took up the same amount of room in the bass area as it would have otherwise, leaving little room for the kick. :\ When making basses, you should choose between a mid bass (something that plays low notes but doesn't have any bass to it, leaving the most amount of room possible for the kick, see my song Falling Farther (Trance Remix)) or a bassy bass (something that has a good amount of bass boom to it, while leaving room for the kick). Try not to go too far in between, kinda like you did here. :\ In the end, you want no distortion/clipping/crackling/etc., which is still something I have trouble with myself. :P As for your actual bassline, it's close to, but not exactly the same as, the 1-7-6-6 (going down the scale) bassline which I find good, though extremely overused, which sadly kills it. :\ It's a bit too close for comfort for me... you might want to make a more complex, melodic bassline than that. ;)

Synths and composition are all decent... one synth I especially like is that somewhat distorted synth playing in the mid ranges... a creative touch, which is nice. :D Great idea with the triplets here and there, too. It plays a bit too much, though, there should be more parts in the song without it... I get tired of it easily. :\ Maybe you should work it into your progression so the song doesn't start with it, but it shows up later on to build energy before the breakdown? Your pads are good, too - they're simple, which is good for the sake of having your own sound (see next paragraph). I THINK I recognize that lead from Nexus? The Store N' Forward expansion? I might be wrong, but I've heard it somewhere before... once again, refer to the next paragraph for why that's a bad thing, though in this case I think it fits your sound and this song.

I don't think your bass-ish synth that you introduce at 2:02 was a good choice, sadly. :\ First off, I feel I've heard it somewhere before, which is never good. It bends the sound of this song, which should be yours (your style, etc.) to the sound of that synth, which isn't. If you've got your own sound or style to your songs, that's one more thing people can like about your music. ;) Of course, don't rush yourself in trying to perfect it... I'm still trying to find mine. ;D Second, I can't say it fit that well. :\ Third, it's another synth that's somewhat, but not fully, a bass synth, which is a problem - a good rule of thumb to follow is that you should only have one synth playing in those ranges at a time, for the sake of leaving room for the kick, or just for the sake of avoiding distortion and clashing notes, which can happen in the low ranges even if normally they wouldn't clash. Otherwise, either the kick will get buried, or it'll distort the song along with everything else with bass to it.

Drums could have done with some polishing. The kick didn't distort, but ended up getting buried under your bass synth (and the other low synth in the second half of the song). The clap was overpowered by the rest of the song, and I think I recognized it from VEC. Once again, don't rush yourself in developing an original sound, but try to steer away from using raw samples to using heavily FXed and/or original samples. Hihats were good, though also quiet. No complaints on FX and crashes, great job there. :D

Out of space, continuing in a PM... XD

Score: 9

"Wait, KTHXBYE?"

submission: -Imm- Crisis (Pt. 2) (OM)

date: March 6, 2008

I guess I'm not reviewing, then. D:

Nah. :P

Nice opening - I like the synth out in front, those hihats have too much of that VEC sound for me, but other than that I don't have much to say. The progression flows nicely, not a series of changes but rather one long change. One complaint here is that the synth in the beginning, though great, either isn't used or is hugely overpowered for the rest of the song (except for the very end, that part's ok). As if you had that synth only for the intro... and you could have done more with it than just that. ;D

The synths throughout this song are all awesome. Your bass synth is good (though it could be a bit louder), and I like that bassline. As for the other synths: Way to use those saws, nice delayed pike (though it sounds a bit raw, Nexus-ish?), and this is one weeeeeeeird lead I hear coming in around 2:22... o_O Don't know about that melody, it seems a bit plain to me. Not particularly melodic, unfortunately, as you could have done so much with that bassline. D: The subbass synth used at the transitions is nice - done before, but not so often that I'm sick of it like I am of an overused Nexus sound, or FL Keys. XD

Before I forget, let me take back what I said in my last review, for Rebel. You have your own style (and in all aspects of your songs too, not just drums :P), you just need to develop it more (and fix your bad habits, which also count as part of your style - namely, using recognizable loops/synths now and then).

Drums are good, your kick is present though not particularly bassy, but it never is, nor does it have to be, with you. ;D Great buildup use mid-song with the crashes (which are also good, no complaints), starting around 3:12. As for hihats, once again, try not to use recognizable loops. I can't tell if there are any other hihats in there, though judging by the clutter (not necessarily in a bad way, there's just a lot going on in this song) there probably are. Claps are nice, though a little bit quiet - a slight, slight volume adjustment (as in, 1-2%) would be enough here. Your snare is chosen well, though a bit quiet during most of the snare rolls... and you could have done a bit more with those snare rolls than just plain 16th notes. :\

Mixing/EQing is good, I've got nothing to say here that I didn't say already. So I'll skip this paragraph. :P

The progression is great in this song, you really managed to stretch it out for a 1-peak song, and I don't have any complaints on diversity, which is also great. :D A few things: First, after the big buildup to the section starting at 3:39... well, it's not that big of a buildup. Considering that this is the only real buildup this song's got - everything else is just a short snare roll into the next section - you need to make it HUGE. ;D Not 2nd-peak huge, but this-is-the-only-peak-I've-got-so-I-n eed-to-make-it-awesome huge. XD Another thing that needs a mention is your peak - 32 measures long is a bit long for me, I think 16 measures would have been fine. If it HAD to be 32 measures, couldn't you have made some sort of big change between the first and second sets of 16 measures? Last, you drop some of the energy after the peak, so you can build it up again as a section in between the peak and the ending. VERY original touch. :D

Great job with this one - 5/5 (I already voted 5, actually XD), 9/10, and a download (which I also already did :P), keep it up. :D

Score: 9

"About time you submit something..."

submission: ==(Distant Oceans)==

date: March 1, 2008

I don't remember off the top of my head when you submitted Northern Lights but it feels like forever. D:

I like that synth (rhodes?) at the beginning, what it plays, etc. You seem to build the song around it, which is nice - it works as a nice base. The high-pitched arp is awesome! :D Great job there - overall synth, delay, everything. I can see some slight dissonance with it - if you had cut that held note at the end of the arp pattern in half, and then lowered the second note one half step (kinda like what you did later in the song, except you raised it waaaaaaaaaaaaay up high) and then fitted the song around it, it could have sounded pretty awesome. ;D

Drums are nice. Personally I don't like a reverbed kick drum too much, as it muddies up the low frequencies, but since there's nothing else down there, I suppose it's ok. :P The snare reminds me of your snare in Celestial Swamp Life for some reason, maybe it's because I listened to that one a few times today. :P Could you give me a few tips on making good snares like that? Whenever I try to make a snare like that, it ends up being obnoxious and waaay in front. D: Rides/cymbals/etc. are nice, though I hear something playing eighth notes waaaay in the background, that's a bit too quiet.

Choirs are pretty awesome, I hardly ever hear you use those... they actually help the atmosphere quite a bit, you should use them more. :P That flute is definitely "soaring," well-done there. :D

I like the bass synth, though it's more quiet than subtle if you ask me. Raising the volume might have made it a bit too loud in some other ways... maybe you could have done a bit more work on the EQ here?

I didn't like the ending, unfortunately, it was a bit sudden for me - you didn't have to do the special pattern for the ending, you could have just played the normal pattern and it would have worked out fine, I think. :P

A shorter review than the kind I usually write, but I tried and I was never much for reviewing ambient stuff anyway. :P Great job, great atmosphere. 5/5, 9/10, keep it up! ;D

Score: 9

"So I was browsing the BBS..."

submission: Binary Rain

date: March 1, 2008

...and I found this song. :P I normally don't go around reviewing just any song (usually because of the time it takes, look at my other reviews XD) but since you don't mind a two-line review, what the heck, I'll write a short one by my standards. :P

I like the style in this one, what would have been nice is if you had used a more trebley snare, to add to the rhythmic feeling. :P But even without a trebley snare, the drums and bassline are great and give the song a nice, different "chilled-out" feel from what it would have been without them. ;)

I think I hear a little bit of distortion with the kick? But it's no big deal.

The rain and thunder FX muddy up the mix a bit, too, cutting the low frequencies a bit would have done them some good.

Definitely an enjoyable listen. Keep it up. :D

Score: 9

"Here I go again..."

submission: Rebel (Original Mix)

date: February 28, 2008

Why do I type these crazy long reviews that cause my fingers to ache by the end? XD I just noticed that I'm the 666th listener of this song... I should be afraid for my fingers, shouldn't I? D:

Nice FX to begin with, the intro has a very nice sound to it! :D The progression is nice... a bit standard, but it's no real problem. :)

Your bass synth is on the offbeat, which I never expected from you... don't you think that's a bit lazy? D: It's a good synth, though a bit dull - there's nothing special to it, and the fact that it plays on the offbeat doesn't really help it at all. :I The bassline, however, is great - being in a major key (which is something I hardly ever hear, let alone hear done well), it already has a very original sound, which makes up for the simplicity of the actual bassline pattern... 1-1-3-5, right? :P

Your lead is good, though a bit thin, though it's got some great delay, and I think you could have taken your time introducing the melody, rather than throwing it in there like that. :\ Anyway, it's a great melody, one of your best in a while, I think. :D (Your song Released has been getting stuck in my head lately, making it probably the only one I can immediately recall that beats this song. :P) The synth sounds a bit like Nexus, is it? I might be wrong, but it sure sounds like a Nexus synth...

Synths other than the lead in the last third or so of the song (and throughout the song, actually) are great, and make for great harmony with the melody synth. They sometimes overpower the melody synth a bit, though... there are just so many of them! D: They're all great choices, and I like what they play.

Nice ending! :D My one complaint about the progression overall is that it could have been stretched out to make this a six or seven-minute long song, which actually would have been a lot more enjoyable if done right. Like this, it progresses quickly, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, though you don't leave enough time for the real trance listener to appreciate the song. ;)

The drums are nice... nothing's too loud or too quiet, your samples are all well-chosen, and not immediately recognizable... you've got an original sound here! :D You don't really have a signature "Dj-Immune" style of drums, though... you have a taste in drums, which I can hear, but there's no obvious signature selection or use of drums. :\ At this stage, it's something you might want to consider... ;)

The mixing EQing is good, no complaints... the only overpowered thing I can think of is the melody synth in the last third or so of the song, which I mentioned earlier. ;) I'm using some new headphones, though, which I can't really focus on the low bass with... there might be something down there, but I doubt it.

The thing I like the most about this song is its consistency - some of your recent trance submissions haven't been too consistent, not introducing the slightest bit of a melody or bassline until the breakdown, which gives the song an uneven feel. :\ This song, though, is a lot better - the bassline and melody are present throughout most of the song, and while a longer progression could make this song even better, it's pretty awesome as it is already. :D Also, everything about the song gives it a very laid back feel... not very "rebellious" to me, but whatever. :P Perfect setup of this atmosphere, my favorite aspect of this song by far. ;D

Overall, definitely an enjoyable listen and one of your best overall! :D 9/10, 5/5 (though this is probably the second or third time already XD) and I downloaded it already. :P Great job, I'll be listening to this one for a while! :)

Score: 8

"Yep, it's playing. :P"

submission: -Imm- Gate (Original Mix)

date: February 17, 2008

I like this... hardly a minute in and you've got a VERY unique atmosphere set up here. This song's all full up with FX and drums, and what's more, everything fits together perfectly! :D

Nice intro with the high pass filter, though the resonance gets a bit shrill on the way down. The drums are mellow, not overly powerful as I usually find in trance drums, which is a nice change. Hihats are pretty standard, though, which is a bit of a disappointment. The kick is distorting slightly at times, I think cutting the bass a little bit would be a good idea. Nice use of those metal effects! :D

All of the synths in the intro are very fresh and unique, though they're all high mids and trebles, which leaves an empty spot in the lower ranges. The high pass filter transition into the section where the bass comes in doesn't really fit well, in my opinion... it would have done better in a place where there was more bass, so the contrast would be more audible. ;)

I'm at 1:50 or so, and the song is building nicely! It's getting a little bit crowded by all the synths, though. Something interesting I'm hearing is that I'm not hearing any transitions with the kick drums for what might be too long, though they do come... and the FX you use, while good, is used a too often (in 2-measure patterns or so?), and there isn't enough of it in my opinion, which causes it to become more a part of the song than a part which makes it more interesting, which is what FX should do... if you know what I mean. :P

The breakdown is subtle at first, but comes a lot faster once the kick makes its exit. Interesting... though it feels pretty standard. Just a kick transition, and then a few measures of semi-ambience. You could have done with a good fill, followed by some FX, or something like that... I don't know, just be a bit more creative than that. :P

Melody comes in, and though I like it, it's pretty standard. I've heard melodies like it before and it's nothing new that makes me go "wow, amazing! :D". The bassline is pretty mediocre, too - it's 1 for four measures, and then 6 for 3 measures, then 7 for one measure. Better than the overused basslines I hear way too often, but it's still too close to 1-1-1-1-6-6-6-6 to really be a good bassline. Put simply... your composition is mediocre and a bit boring in this one. :\ Also, during this peak section, the drums begin to feel a bit empty... just kick-open hihat-clap-open hihat-etc. And I know they're probably more complex than that, but it's all I'm hearing. Maybe a volume tweak or two is in order here?

Outro is good, but the crash ruins it in my opinion... it's too short, and there's no delay, nor any reverb.

Overall, this song had amazing atmosphere and could have been an amazing ambient-trance mix, but was ruined by the composition. :\ Though I suppose that's why it's here on Newgrounds and not being sent to some label instead - you've shown me voice clips of your songs that won't be on Newgrounds and they're waaaaaaaay better than this. ;D Oh well... I still enjoyed it in some senses anyway, so 8/10, 4, and a download. :P Hopefully I'll be hearing better stuff out of you in the future.

Score: 8

"Well, it's going to be a big one..."

submission: Miles away from the sun

date: February 16, 2008

As my reviews for songs like this are always big. Goodbye, up to half an hour of my time... D:

Your intro is pretty good, though it lasts for too long. Progress things faster, instead of adding one synth or changing the drums a little bit once per 8 measures or so. :P If you want a longer song, though, find better ways to stretch out that progression - keep the bass on one note until you introduce the actual bassline along with some other melodic/harmonic part. Good idea, having the hihats play, but not consistently, for the sake of progression... it keeps the song interesting while leaving yourself somewhere to go. ;D

Your bass synth is on the offbeat, which has been done waaaay too often and shouldn't happen in trance songs like these. There are tons of great ways to use a bass synth to make an awesome trance song, and this isn't one of them. It's an icing-on-the-cake thing - you can have a good song with a bass on the offbeat, but a good arped, sidechained, or even gated bass would make the song that much better. ;D Your bassline pattern isn't original at all, I've heard it one time too many - it's the 1-1-6-7 bassline pattern and I've fallen prey to it myself, in my song Rush. XD The synth itself is pretty good, no complaints...

I hear a pad in the intro, and it appears to be playing the bassline. Thing is, half the time, the bass keeps its note, and the other half, it changes with the pad. When the bass keeps its note, the pad plays the bassline and it results in clashing notes... here's a good rule of thumb: don't let two low-range synths or instruments play different notes. It results in clashing notes, even if they wouldn't normally clash in the higher ranges, and possibly distortion.

Drums are pretty nice, with a house influence to them and a pretty original sound, though I think I recognize those open hihats from VEC. :P The kick isn't one that's supposed to have a big boom, which isn't quite my taste in kicks, though it works just fine and is pulled off well, save the little bass that it does have, which is drowned out... see the paragraph on EQing. When it's not playing on the beat - transitions, etc. - it's used well, too, and the rhythms are good. The only exception is where it hits at 2:16 or so - it sounds a bit random, as there's nothing after it until the buildup less than a measure before the next section. It sounds kinda like a mistake to me, actually. :P The clap is well-chosen and not overpowered or overpowering... and the crash is just a little bit quiet, but it's no big deal. Hihats, open and closed, are also good choices, and not too quiet or loud. The snare is good too, though it doesn't never becomes loud enough to make a good buildup. It's always a little bit overpowered... this sort of thing could just be fixed by raising the final volume it goes up to in the snare rolls. Your bongo-ish drums in the beginning are great... kinda disappointing you don't use them later on. :(

Your synths are all great, I don't recognize a single one, so at least to me, you have your own, original sound. :D Composition is nice, too - trancy, and not overly powerful nor calm to the point of being boring. It's consistent, which is good, but not repetitive, either. Rhythms are unique, and not repetitive, too, which is great. I like your choice in piano, too! :D Way to use a filter with it, too... I really ought to try that sometime. :P

As for the overall structure, progression, and pacing of the song, you do a good job fitting a peak, breakdown, and a second peak into four minutes. :P I would have liked to see a good buildup between the breakdown and the second peak - oh well, the song worked fine without it. ;)

The mixing/EQing sounds fine in the upper ranges... sadly, down in the lower ranges, I hear ridiculous amounts of bass! D: It's probably the low pad (which, now that I think about it, you didn't really need, and if you HAD to have it, could have EQed better) and the bass. Careful there - nearly always, you should need only one low-range synth or instrument at a time.

Great job overall, I'm out of spa

Score: 10

"Heh, awesome! :D"

submission: CTSG2 - Morphin' Madness

date: February 15, 2008

Another one finally finished, and an excuse for me to increase my review count with a relatively effortless review. Right? ;D

These final products are really becoming stuff to look forward to, I enjoyed every second of this one. Though sadly the transitions became a bit less flowing as the song (if you can really call it one :P) progressed. Yes, mine included... XD

And like before, I'm going to continue with my part and see where it goes, if anyone's interested. :P

zacko555000, your part was pretty cool as well. ;)

As before, auto-5, 10, and download. Great job, everyone! :D

Score: 10

"Finally finished, eh?"

submission: CTSG: Shapeshifter

date: February 5, 2008

Even though I've listened to most of it plenty of times while making my own section, it still sounds awesome every time. :D Download, 10, and 5, just because I can. ;D

Great job to everyone, we had some truly impressive artists working on this! Though the fade-out was a bit of a disappointment... ah well. :P I'll be sure to add something to the next one... >:)