Fanopeion's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Krazy]

This I like!

I like this. Need I say more?

The1Benji responds:

Thanks Fanopeion! nope, thats all hahaha

check me out on youtube.com/the1benji for more tracks :)

[I think its good]

For some reason...

(Keep in mind that this is just my opinion. I do not claim to have a better opinion than anybody else. If someone disagrees with my review then of course he has every right to do so )

This sounds like something "We Came as Romans" would do if they were into hip-hop.

Anyway:...
I think this is good for what it is made for :). Sort of trippy melodic (the pizzicatto made it for me xD ) hip hop with a nice vocal middle section as I see it. I absolutely think that you should extend your loop into a song given the potential you show in a 28 second loop.

There is this one thing bugging me slightly though. If you listen closely to the "sliding/stationary background sinus" the cutoff just seems to happen too fast making these irritating noise/friction-click sounds that could be fixed by adjusting the release on the envelope (if this is a standard synth you're using). I don't know if you intended to have it that way but it serves to dampen the finger-click which causes a barely noticeable fault in the rhythm.

-Fanopeion

Hypnotik7 responds:

thanks man, yeah i need to learn a little more about all the effects and mixer stuff..

[XS - The Power of Gods]

My first dubstep review :)

(Keep in mind that this is merely my opinion. I do not claim to be right-er than anyone else or that my opinion is better than anyone else's :D )

There's definately a rhythmatic feel in there. I can't say that the melody is bad as it has this mysterious jazzy scent (regarding the unusual chord composition which gives it character). It is well written to its extent, never doubt that.

However, as you mention in the 'Author Comments' it is unpolished.

The drums in the beginning could do well to have more variation (the more realistic ones that vanish later on). The crash, f.ex, becomes stale pretty quickly (even for those couple of beats) but that is due to the fact that you're working with nothing but drums in that section. When drums are isolated they should display more character. But that gets resolved quickly so it isn't perhaps the most noticeable part but it would be an improvement nonetheless :)

[Sweet Orchestral Cereal]

Good Effort

(This review is merely my opinion and in any case I hope not to offend. I do not claim to have a better opinion than anyone else)
There is something innocently imp-ish about the arrangement. Something that I would expect to hear in a hidden level in Heroes III or something.

There is something missing though...

I think that when you enter the spiccato part around 1:28 it distorts to much in the low frequency interplay. I'm sure that if you were to transpose the upper half of the chord (I reckon these, that I mention, are two notes played simultaneously by the cello-thingy) to about the seventh transpose. This is similar to the universally known C and G gap (I sincerely hope you're using a piano or a piano-ish midi controller to record these things in the hope you understand).

Another thing. Have you tried putting a slight, slight reverb on the drums? This might help overcome their dryness.

One thought of curiousity: What are you using to create this piece? I would like to know.

-Fanopeion :)

Lugiaa responds:

Thanks for the review! It's always good to have other's opinions.

There are two double basses playing at the same time at the part starting 1:28. I could try to move the lower part of it up (not good with technical terms :( ) and see if it sounded any better.

I usually don't think about adding any reverb or special effects, I actually take them off the instruments because when selecting them, they come default.

I use Mixcraft 4 to create all my pieces. It has a piano roll midi controller. (I also have some really old casio keyboard and a roland cakewalk usb cable, but I gave up, 'cause I found there was a slight delay.)

[Raggamuffin]

Excellent

(I apologize if my English isn't clear or if you find it hard to understand)

The theme fits well to your description though I would describe it as some sort of a Funky Slow-DnB Reggae Vintage (that's pretty long however) rather than Dubstep (I can see the similarities though).

The tempo of progression between these various instruments is wonderfully executed, especially on the reappearance of the bass tune later on whom the former part made known.

I salute you. Most Impressive :)

LuigiSounds responds:

Thanks for the awesome review mate!
Glad you like it :)

[Zelda: March to Deku Palace]

Definitely something

(This review is just my opinion and I have no intention to offend. If you disagree with me then of course you have every right to do so :D )

I can see how you're going for the orchestrated feel, that is a given, based on the melodic style and drum setting. The oriental feel from this song is nice.

However, I feel as the synths you're using (I assume those are synths) have the attack factor cracked a little far down when they're playing the softer sections. I'm not saying that it shouldn't ease in during the envelope, but it just shouldn't liquidize and slosh around so much. This kind of makes the melody loose its impact and its direction for that matter. My listening experience is also damped a little by that crash sample first heard around 1:06.

But I enjoyed this verily and the melody is great for this short loop but I feel as you could do better.
-Fanopeion.

m2tracks responds:

Thanks man, helps a lot.

[Swing that Pong]

Nicez

I wouldn't worry too much about the panning even though the gentleman below has a good point.

The problem with the panning as it is now is the song's lack of centered melody or a carrier tune to balance the difference between the sound reception. Imagine it like this. Ever notice how some people find 3-D movies uncomfortable to watch? That is because of a rapid flicker between the rendered stereoscopic imagery and an impartially flat one. This can be applied to hearing too. The brain is constantly struggling to merge the two sound inputs without a centered ground. This doesn't happen all that much in real life because of the sound not being stationed right at your ears. People who listen in speakers will probably not have the same problem.

That aside I find as the song is a bit rough. It is, in my opinion, allright to keep it that way, but when everything comes as an unfiltered saw, it becomes a bit irritating.

But I'm giving you a nine because this has a nice structure and the mix is otherwise really really, really good.

Liau responds:

aye :P It was knocked together in about an hour at the whim of another.. but I agree, the saw is either too sharp or just too loud. I put this together with headphones on mind... so perhaps my mind is too far gone to realize when the noises befuddle people :)

Thanks for the crit & review :)

[Dot Dot Dot]

You have a small room?

When you say "blam this piece of crap!", one can hear the echo of your voice in your room.

My guess is that you have a small room given the rate of echoes.
xD

Anyway, nice one. Your voice should remain as a warning to those who don't use proper or good spelling.

[Welcome to Silent Hill]

Nicey, nice!

(The following is just my opinion and if you disagree with me, then you of course have every right to do so).

This is eerie and great in its own way. The idea of your song has clearly shone through the creation. I really like the concept.

However, I can't help but notice what I like to call a "collision of contrast".
This, of course, deals between the ambient nature of the song and the sharpness of some of the voices. What I mean is: The voices are way too noticeable among the ambiance. Some might think the delays would downplay that noticeable friction, in the mix, but let's not forget that the first fraction of the speech remains as forementioned.
Perhaps arranging the speech to let the "wet" setting of the delay settle in, but I won't go into details (if you don't quite understand what I mean by this then feel free to pm me about it).

I hope this useful :)

P.S.
Are those little cracks, like tiny noises, a part of this composition?

putzpie responds:

Thanks man, I can understand what you're saying. I could see going a little more ambient with the vocals, but it's too late now, so oh well.

Also, I didn't notice any cracks, so no, I guess it wasn't supposed to be a part of the composition lol.

Thank you though, this was a very in depth and uselful critique.

[Underground Bar]

Sounded like...

...a variant of a loop. Which is right and fair considering that it loops, therefore the namesake of this ambient 'song' becomes curious. But never mind that!

The bass in the song is really complementing it along with the fluid motion tune and fine touches such as: slight panning to single elements of the drums and the "cute" bongo drums. xD

If this was anything other than ambient I would've taken the melodic absence a step back but this, for its genre, is almost perfect!

I love it!

By the way; I am curious. If you are compressing the drums, could you please tell me the specifications? I would love to know your method.

-Cheers.

yeajimmiboi responds:

Heya bud. I am just using the default setting on the mastering suite. I wish I could of put up the Wav file, its so much more crisp. I also placed a scream 4 distortion unit on the drums to give it that kind of oldskool feel to them. Thanks for commenting. =] The name came from what I thought described it as most. Like an underground bar in the rough corners of South London or something haha.

You have many good points in this review mega respect!