thebitterroost's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[(Nr 7)]

And again, great tune, lovin' the melodies, especially the bridge/outro at 6:30. Cool use of the guitar to make a percussive track. You're really able to get an impressive amount of tones out of your instrument. I'm curious what you used to get the synth-bass sound. Keep it up!

bjarneliland responds:

Thanks! I just used an octave pedal, with an amp simulator and reverb, nothing fancy.

[Petals]

I really like this. Fun composition, and liked hearing it build to see what else could be squashed in there in the later portion. It sounds like a sonic interpretation of a manic episode, bouncy and light that eventually spirals until it runs out of fuel. Very cool.

I dig the whole approach, too. I've seen some other solo musicians work with massive pedalboards and it doesn't always pan out, but it seems like you know what you're doing for sure. Keep it up, looking forward to hearing more!

bjarneliland responds:

Thanks a lot! I like your interpretation of the song.
I try to keep the amount of effects to a minimum, so I won't confuse myself, and I also just think it's cooler that way.

[~SW~ Thurm ins_wa_]

Dude, this is awesome. The extra time with the panning really paid off. Really cool melodies, and I also enjoy the smooth glass pads that carry through the piece. Kinda gives it a stealth game feeling. I feel bad for whoever's up against you!

SkyeWint responds:

That panning took so goddamn long. ;_; I hope the judges appreciate that.

The smooth glass pads are *literally* nothing but FX-covered sine waves. Like, nothing in this isn't basic waveforms with editing or one of the three drum samples I used.

I'm up against the also excellent EliteFerrex, whose piece can be heard here: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/642213

I feel fairly confident in this piece, but we'll see how things go!

[Son of Beach (NGADM '15)]

Don't count yourself out just yet dude. One important area in which you have a leg up is in creating a distinct mood and atmosphere in each of your pieces. This may be especially important in the context of newgrounds, where the general idea is that we're creating audio for media. Your piece does a really good job of invoking the feeling of running through an intense dungeon a la Binding of Isaac or something like it.
Guitars sound great, and I'd venture a guess I'd have little to teach/suggest in that arena. I can, however, give you some pointers drum wise that I think will help your sound without too much extra effort. The drums are programmed well, and I rather like the mix approach where the snare is warm (toms, too) and slightly dampened, which gives them a more modern-analog sound like from a Baroness or The Sword record. In keeping with that tone, try cutting a tad bit of the high end off the kick and adding some dynamics in. A lot of metal dudes may scoff at that suggestion, given that the boilerplate sound of the genre these days is clickier than a tap dance routine and the only note velocity is 127, but it will yield a much more convincing (and pleasing, imho) sound. Also, don't forget to use some reverb and room mic, even if it's light. Drums are almost always heard in an acoustic space, and that space usually imparts a significant degree of character, unless we're talking about a super-dampened, almost anechoic room or wide open outdoors. Easy to overlook when using Addictive or EZD (sounds like one of those two, anyhow) where you can cut the bleed out of everything and disregard the room. This makes the kit's elements super isolated from one another and easier to set levels, but the price tag is in losing some realism.

Good luck, man! Your track kills.

JDawg00100 responds:

Oh wow thank you for the review and drum advice, I am always looking for ways to improve my drums, I will for sure give some of those suggestions a try! Glad you enjoyed the song :D

[Bajo el sol, sobre las rocas]

Dude. Duuude. This is awesome. I was just pointed to this track via someone who said a track of mine reminded them of it, but I'd say this is pretty head and shoulders above me. The only mix advice I could possibly throw out would be to cut the gain on the rack toms and the synth that comes in at 0:30 (it's actually ideal up to 0:37, then seems to jump).

You know what this reminds me a lot of? Kiko Loureiro. If you haven't heard of him, check out the No Gravity album, I guarantee you'll dig it.

InYourDreams responds:

Hey thanks man!... Kiko Loureiro is AWESOME. Im a huge fan of him. I've been a fan since Angra and his solo stuff only make me like him even more :P. I've met him once at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt :D.

[Insomnia]

Love this piece, too, dude! As a fellow occasional insomniac, this song fits exactly what some of those long nights feel like. The persistent clock ticking is like the things you have to do on your mind, while the melody lines are you trying to pass time until something makes you sleepy, which generally fails (portrayed by low notes).

Only thing that kept me from the full 5 was the long intro. I think you could shorten the clock lead-in by essentially just starting the track around the 0:45 mark or so. I don't think it would take away from the building of the concept. Cheers!

SoundGalaxyOfficial responds:

Thank you for your thoughts and generous review!

Yes, I agree about the beginning that it might be too long (the clock ticking), but I wanted to make sure that the listener will slow down (the mind) and maybe make him/her sleepy a bit and in that little sleepy state this song could effect the listener even more!

After the contest ends (for me) maybe I will change that longer ticking part in the beginning.

Thank you for your tip,
and have a nice day! :)
~ Sound Galaxy

(PS. I've listened to your KO entry and I think it's great! I voted 5 stars too, but I haven't(?) commented(?) anything on it, because I don't really know much about the metal genre, and I don't really like to comment on something that is not my field at all because of lack of knowledge on the particular genre. Anyhow I wish we could compete against eachothers in the final round! :D (y) But maybe if we are not lucky enough to get in the Top 4, I'm still interested in a collab with you if you too. I always wanted to try to make some kind of action movie score style orchestral music with some serious metal elements. I think that would sound cool! :) Please PM me if you are interested. Thanks!)

[Innocence]

Well, I think there's not much to say that hasn't already been said by someone below, and that's a good thing :)

Love the feeling on this one. The synth strings that come in around 2:15 give it a distinct sci-fi feeling. Almost more "awe" to me than innocence. Like a grand revelation or first-contact moment.

One thing I might do mix-wise is turn down the piano a bit. I know it's the focal instrument in this piece, but it gets a little loud at times. May also help cover up a few creaks from the bench and what sounds like might be some slightly detuned keys.

Phonometrologist responds:

Thanks for listening and leaving a review! I don't take these for granted.
"Almost more "awe" to me than innocence. Like a grand revelation or first-contact moment"
sure I can hear that as well. Know that this interpretation you gave can be correct since this is a piece about lost innocence. Reminiscing of the past and grasping for what it was like before then. I stand in revelation to that fact that I cannot go back as there is a gap of where I was and now.
The bench sound and detuned keys is something I'm fond of philosophically in my music. I like the reality of imperfection and the "organic" sound as one would put it.

[Elephant Ride]

I saw your track via the post in the NGAUC thread. Don't worry about whether the genre is popular or not. The point of this place is to create and share content suitable for use in video games, and to that end, you've succeeded! This track would be right at home in any number of Nintendo games, Final Fantasy games, and so forth. I think some people take for granted the challenge involved in writing spirited and light-hearted tracks like this one. I know it's a skill that I sorely lack.

Mix-wise, I have no problem with your use of reverb. I don't think your brass parts really move with enough gusto to be muddied by the 'verb. If you ever do write a track where you want reverb on low strings/brass that play very quickly, you can just high-pass the reverb return channel or the bus being sent to it to help clean it up. The only thing I noticed that I think I would change is the primary flute track volume. The part itself sounds great, but kinda dominates the field once it jumps in. Maybe try cutting it a few dB at a time until you can still hear all the inflections that you want heard.
Great job, keep cranking em out!

SoundGalaxyOfficial responds:

Thank you for your helpful thoughts and tip!

Yes I think you are right about the flute's volume is too loud.
I'm going to change that,
maybe I was too excited to share this short song when I uploaded it to newgrounds
and it looks like when I'm excited to share a new song
it makes me do not so fine job on the mixing part.
Unfortunately at the moment my mixing skills are kinda bad,
so I need every single helping thoughts and tips like yours,
so thank you again and have a nice day!

(PS. Oh and special thanks for that "reverb high passing" trick! :)
I'm sure I wouldn't be able to figure that out by myself)

[Pink Lemonade | 2013]

Feeling the chill, big time. Love the air on the chip pads and the integration of some non-chip synths to augment. Reminds me of Lifeformed, who did the Dustforce soundtracks. The low-pass filter on the drums (and the whole track?) kinda overstays its welcome. I figured it was just for the intro and would ease off, but then came to realize that it's more of a permanent "pink noise" EQ treatment. Give some more love to your treble dude! It wants to break out.

Bertn1991 responds:

Thank you so much. Yeah, maybe some aspects overstay their welcome. Ah well, I'm glad you enjoyed it for the most part. It's good to know that someone was feeling the chill : ) Respect.

[Terminator Theme cover]

Great sounds! What do you use as your sample library? Whatever it is, I should probably invest in it.

Jakey-San responds:

Thank you! I used a multitude of libraries - CineSamples, ProjectSAM, East West to name a few, as well as synth sounds from Omnisphere and Zebra.