alternativesolution's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Aster]

The composition is pretty nice. The piano samples could use a bit of tweaking, the hours spent on the growls were well worth it imo, they sound great. The song does suffer some repetition, but I think the segment around 1:50 helps to resolve that. 2:20-2:29 sounds a little muddy, but it's not terrible. Love that buildup righy before 2:50. The outtro definitely was super quick, I felt that was abrupt, could be done smoother. Overall energizing track. Keep it up!

ggaero responds:

Thanks for the review :)

[Daybreak]

Hey, I love the melody! It's pretty uplifting to listen to, all around. The intro was well done, and the piano use throughout the track fits well. The snare volume starting from 0:45 could definitely be lowered, as I feel it takes away from the smoothness and impact of the melody. The transitions at 1:51 and 3:19 are very nice and satisfying. Overall a nice happy song, enjoyable :)

Geoplex responds:

Thanks! I am a sucker for the loud snares haha. Cheers for the feedback

[the fight]

- NGADM Round 6 Review -

Oh, yes yes. Nice pull in the intro. I like this too much. At 0:28? Ffgdfgdf.

What I love most about your songs is the soul you can feel in it. Not just calculated melodies, or a clean mix, but what you do is bring a real “want to follow” for the listener, making them not want to stop listening. I really love the progression in this, and the amount of variation and how *well* it's done just makes me want to fangirl all over the place.

The transition at 1:03 is not as smooth as could be, but right out of that section into 1:16 almost makes up for it entirely. As for your atmosphere, this is the third most impressive aspect of your song, after variation and mixing (mixing was excellent). A true johnfn track. Great work! I apologize for the late review.
(Crazy alien music ftw)

Score: 9.6

johnfn responds:

The truth is that, from the beginning of my music career, I've been focused on one and only one thing: MAKING GIRLS FANGIRL OVER MY MUSIC. Now that I've finally accomplished this I guess I can move on to other (comparatively easier) goals like curing cancer and eliminating poverty.

But seriously thanks for the review! I'm glad for the shout out at :28, I was pretty pleased by the change in energy at that bit. I buy your complaints and I'm glad that you liked it :)

Thanks for all the work you've done for NGADM.

[A Weirdo's Gigue]

- NGADM Round 6 Review -

Plent of melodic variation! As characteristic of your songs, I love how there's so much going on at the same time, and nothing sounds out of place. Some particular favorite parts are at 0:22, 0:53, 1:10. The section starting at 1:10 sounded like it could used in a MarioKart race. The transitions at 0:43 and 1:10 were great; in fact, transitions are something that hardly even seem to exist when listening to this piece. The track is highly cohesive, and melodically very stimulating. After a while, however, the business in the song becomes too much, and as well as the lack of dynamic range which, even with the lively compositon, makes it somewhat stagnate in the entire middle section, considering the track's length. I liked your ending. It ended on the same, fast-paced note but also brought about a quick sense of conclusion. Overall, great track! My apologies for the late review.

Score: 9

steampianist responds:

and here is a very late response: thank you ! hehe

[wide world]

- NGADM Round 5 Review -

Another one track recognizable as made by you. :) I like your melodic composition a lot, the bass, and the light, casual atmosphere you've established for the first three minutes. There are a couple of clashing notes in the piano, intentional or not, but they are quickly forgotten. My favorite parts are up til 1:10, and at 2:07.

The change at 2:25 is nicely done, and the buildup to 3:06 is melodically great - which brings me to my next point: the drums. Before that point, they are already a bit loudly mixed, which doesn't help its repetitive beat; afterward, they sound like an obstacle, getting in your way, preventing you from hearing the rest of the composition clearly. What offsets that later on is when you filter them out toward the end, easing their presence, leading them to the track's soft, well-suited outtro.

Score: 8.6

johnfn responds:

> clashing notes

WHAT. THERE ARE NO CLASHING NOTES. >:O

.. Maybe you could point them out to me? :P

> drums lol

Yeah :( I've come to realize this was a mistake. I wonder how much better this song would have been without drums at all? Oh wellllll :P

Thanks for the review AS! I appreciate all the work you've done here.

[Ascension]

- NGADM Round 4 Review -

As I happened to remark to the same to etherealwinds, I do think this is my favorite track from you so far. You make very nice use of reverb on your voice, which mixes very well with the warmness of the piano and subtle backing strings. Where the mixing skills do lack is at 1:50, where the horns feel out of place and even a bit too full, causing the mids to sound muddled.

On the whole, I love the song's structure and simplicity. You sang very well and everything flowed nicely. As for the ending, it's similar to your previous tracks in that it feels very short and rapidly comes to a close, without leaving a sense of real conclusion. Also, I nearly to forgot to comment on the lyrics! I suppose my main opinion on them is that I rather like them, a lot. :) Great work!

Score: 9.5

headphoamz responds:

Thanks AS! Appreciate you taking the time to review. :)

[Mystic's Shore]

- NGADM Round 4 Review -

Oh, this might just be my favorite track from you. I couldn't help but sing along and hum some harmonies! Very pretty. Your intro is wonderful, and 0:53 and 1:13 is just yes. You have a good sense of rhythm in your singing. Ah, the composition in this one is great. Outtro is done with no less skill. It's very lovely to listen to.

The only thing I feel I should point out is the vocal recording, itself – it is very clear, and clean; however, your voice doesn't mix with the rest of the track as well as your background vocals do, for example at 1:28 - they seem to hang above the rest of the instruments in an unnatural way. Still, this is an improvement over your previous tracks in regards to that. Overall, this a great song that I won't be likely to forget.

Score: 9.6

etherealwinds responds:

I uploaded a new version with the main vocals a bit quieter. Thank you so much for your review ^ ^

[She Was Picking Flowers]

- NGDAM Round 4 Review -

I haven't heard such a refreshing intro in the longest time. I enjoyed the turn at 1:19, as well as the bass around 1:51. The strings that come after 2:00 have a great melody, although about twenty seconds after that, things don't mix too smoothly. As the track comes to its end around 2:52, well, let's just say you have completed the unusual feat of having a more impressive intro *and* outtro than the entire bulk of the song (opinion, opinion). Your ending is probably my favorite part, with its clear and pronounced melodies, the slow in tempo, and nice, airy background fading out. Beautiful. (I like your song title, too. The simple description of your dream is enough to picture a nice setting)

Score: 8.7

steampianist responds:

thank you very much

[Real Life Absurdities]

- NGADM Round 3 Review -

Oh you. I am never not impressed with your work for this contest. So upbeat and fun-sounding right off the bat, and incredible melodic variation mixed with fun and games. I love all of it.

This is definitely melodically conclusive with both a solid intro and outtro. Your transitions are excellent to the point of hardly being noticeable; there is such great, crazy flow throughout the entire piece and that is the strongest aspect of the entire track. Great work!

Score: 9.8

steampianist responds:

thank you so much. haha i just hope i dont disappoint you with my round 4 submission

[the traveller]

- NGADM Round 3 Review -

Oh, so pretty. And contrary to your statement, I am not an orchestra person at all! Rather I'm sort of torn between genres and so I find it easy to listen to multiple genres, myself. The good thing is that us judges are varied with our skills, so while we might agree on certain things, we'll not all hear everything the exact same way. Anyway! Back to the review.

I like the various moods portrayed in your piece. However, I halfway through, I feel like something is missing. I do like the atmosphere, and your sounds are lovely (I especially love your percussion and the guitar in the background, as well as that out of tune pluck at 2:54 and again at 3:12. And oh, your bass right after that. I loved when things sped up and wow that was just lovely. Your transitions are second to none.

At 4:41 oh, love it. Typical johnfn style! Everything that followed was just very you. Lovely mix of styles and everything. This is one of the few songs I've heard in this contest that gets progressively better - way better - as it runss its course. And oh, the ending was great. I didn't expect that guitar. Overall, I'm impressed with the song's flow and progression. Very solid track, for sure :)

Score: 9.5

johnfn responds:

I kinda forgot to respond to this review. Or rather, I did respond to it, but then I forgot to submit it and then I closed my browser. This actually happens more often than you would think...

Anyway I really appreciate the review! I actually liked it a lot because I felt like what you got out of the song was exactly what I was thinking while I wrote the song! I mean I can totally understand why other people may not have enjoyed certain sections, but I think it's totally cool that it all worked for you. Thanks for the great review!