alternativesolution's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[FD - Moontears]

- NGADM Round 2 Review -

Your introduction is mysterious, and has a nice sound. However it begins to become drawn out. There is also a general lack of a distinctive melody for the first half of the piece, although I can see you were aiming more for a track based on atmosphere and emotion, for which of those two, you to do quite well. Your strings are great for the mood and you have some beautiful melodies going on into the second half. It begins to become emotional storm and it is really very expressive. The transition around 3:30 was out of place, however. Even if it was supposed to drift away from the despair and turmoil, what comes next sounds like it's supposed to have a sudden coldness, to take away from the mood that had previously been established; however it becomes numb and thoughtless, and makes for a rather poor transition. The strengths in this piece are definitely its atmospheric quality and emotional detail.

Score: 8.5

ForgottenDawn responds:

Thanks for your review.

[Ling Kano's Fighting Show]

The first thing I noticed when listening to this song is its atmosphere and clarity. Your percussion is crisp especially at your intro, and works well with your bass through the track. It's a great combination and it lets your bass lines shine by letting them not be obstrusive and still noticeable when given adequate attention. At 0:17 the sudden transition sounds a slightly out of place; I blame that not on the composition, but how the drums were mastered. After that you've got an excellent main melody. Very catchy. And it gives off a very cool vibe, and definite color. It's this great retro 'color', with brightness swirling all around. This goes for almost all of the song. At 0:35 there is distortion, although slight.

At 1:21, the song has an abrupt change, which caught me off-guard at first. The melody at that part was great, and fits well; however, the mixing of the instrument could have fit better. The instrument causes a definite change in mood, which came quite abruptly and could have been smoother, too. Aside from that, the uniquity of its composition caught my attention for sure. Then your main melody comes back again, and you add on to it excellently. The way you use your strings is wonderful. That really added onto the vibe you had established so early on in the piece. Your ending is also good. It brings all the energy you've built up throughout the song and ends it on a satisfying note.

Score: 8.8

SourJovis responds:

Thanks for the review. I got a lot more reviews for this round than the previous. Must be because there were less contestants. Glad you liked it. I made a second version called "L Kano's Fighting Show S2", where I hopefully fixed many of the issues of this version.

[A Storm Over Lavender Lane]

- NGADM Round 1 Review -

The strongest aspect of this track is it's level of quality and production, as well as sheer compositional skill. The intro is very impressive, and the song as a whole, while not partcilarly memorable at all, does not disappoint on the first listen. What does disappoint, however, is the abrupt change in direction the track sometimes takes, which make it sound disjointed – key points being at 1:08, and especially at 1:18. Although these parts disrupt the flow, the disruption is minor compared to the strengths listed above.

Score: 9.2

headphoamz responds:

Thank you AS, really appreciate the review :)

[Skyline]

- NGADM Round 1 Review -

Your singing is very good. The lyrics are great, and they go very well with your voice and chosen melodies. The progression is good, as well, and there a definite flow to the track. The production of your track is nicely done, for the most part; however there is some muddiness in certain parts that definitely take away from the clarity that the song strives for; the vocal mixing could also use some work integrating with the rest of the track. Overall, this was a pleasant song to listen to.

Score: 8

Wolftacular responds:

Glad to hear you enjoyed the track overall, and thanks a bunch for the feedback!

[Empty]

- NGADM Round 1 Review -

What I like most about your music is its progression. Your melodies and bass, along with the drums just go very nicely together. And your lyrics are great; you have this knack for creating a fitting mood in your songs to accompany them well! Your intro and ending are both good (especially the ending line, and how you let that fade way ), and your instruments are just used very well.

What could use some work though is your vocals – they are very slow and draggy, even if it's intentional, it keeps the song rather flat, and the dynamic change is almost none. Your mixing is not weak in terms of balance, but the song could benefit from some better mastering.

Score: 8.6

DivoFST responds:

Thanks for the review and high score alternativesolution! :D
Yup, i only started using compressors recently and i think that would have helped a lot dumb me! xD

[Realisations]

- NGADM Round 1 Review -

Yes, there is a lot to be liked about this song. There is a certain unique quality to your composition that I can't shake. It's a very good thing. Your choice of instruments and how you use them work brilliantly together. You've got an excellent rhythm, and the whole song is quite catchy, to say the least. Drums are great, and your progression and structure is very solid. There is dirtiness in the low-end for sure, but it's... minor, considering the number of instruments you have at play, no matter how well you use them. An excellent track, no doubt!

Score: 8.8

InvisibleObserver responds:

I'm pleased the instrument selections stand out, I focus on cohesive and unique mixes of synths/samples/instruments/textures. Everything is made up and tweaked before being written with. As for progression, I like to have songs adventure a little, allowing me to play with mood, while also stopping any section from becoming particularly stale. Thank you for the comments!

[Superhighway]

- NGADM Round 1 Review -

Definitely a chill track, and very good production, especially for your first attempt using a new DAW.

The calmness make for a good atmosphere; the relative emptiness in the first half helps to establish this. Your bass begins to get very repetitive after a while, however, and the entire song lacks substantial melodic content. You've got some cool parts here and there, especially at 1:45. That was really good, and sounded like it was going to change direction — but then it was gone! That sounded like a good place to pick up, after such a dragged-out intro, but it ended up not going anywhere, and just...ending.

This piece sounds like it's supposed to be much longer than it ended up being, and holds much more potential than what's currently displayed here. Otherwise, this sounds like a very good foundation that could be so much more.

Score: 7.5

Xyresic responds:

I agree entirely. Time limits combined with procrastination make for a sucky time for all involved.

[substructure]

- NGADM Round 1 Review -

I can hear how developed this track is. The whispering vocals were a nice touch for sure. The best part about this track is how clean it sounds – your sounds for the most part are crisp and clear, which works well for the atmosphere you develop. However, the atmosphere begins to become dull after the dragged-out intro. This immediately changes when you bring in your bass, which is introduced nicely.
The whole feel of your song is really funky and I like it a lot; my only problem is that it lacks any kind of real climax. The level of the track seems to feel flat, especially with the atmosphere. What counters this best are your crazy synth solos, which are definitely very fun to listen to.

Score: 9

johnfn responds:

Thanks for the review! The climax was intended to be the section at 2:22, but I'm realizing from yours and Steps' review that I mishandled the dynamics there. Plus, it doesn't make a lot of sense to put the climax in the middle of the song, heh. I realize also that the intro was a bit too long! Hopefully I fixed all that stuff in my next song.

Again, thanks a lot for all the hard work you guys do! :-)

[Windows Generations]

Very catchy, and dancey, although it gets repetitive after a while. This is definitely one of the better remixes I've heard! The way you have used the Windows sounds is extremely impressive. Your effects and mixing is great. No more words.
Wait. it just looped. Awesome looping, because I don't even think I noticed it start over until the third time. Yeah, the startup sound isn't necessary - I think this sounds just fine without it! Love your bass by the way.
Awesome job! I feel like I'm a ride through a furistic, electronic-theme city. Very colorful sounding. This music should definitely be used in a video. A cool Windows flash or something. :)

K-Pone responds:

Yes, I agree with you. The old Windows 98 sounds are a quite good contrast to the Windows XP and Windows 7 sounds. They allow to create some beautiful effects such as the Robotz Exit Windows I used for the floating type ambient background effect. The Plus! sounds also give you a huge variety of cool sounds. Also, older WIndows' sounds are kinda like a secret weapon since most Windows remixes use only Windows XP and/or Windows 7 sounds.

[Lost Magic]

You've got some great instruments at play, and your harmonies are beautiful. Actually, I find your main theme extremely reminiscent of "Colors of the Wind", in Pocahontas.
The second segment of your song is perhaps the most creative, and the composition is very nice, and definitely fun-sounding. Upbeat for sure! In fact, if I was in the setting of that movie, I could definitely imagine a festival going on.

So, I like that you've divided up your track! Strays away from the conventional "song"-type ideal. However, this sectioning of your song left your transitioning at an awkward state. The transition to your second section was sudden, but fit better than the one to your third. A little more work on your transitions could help the slight disjointedness of the song.

I hear a couple key errors, one at 1:10 and with the strings at 3:15. I hear one at 1:45 with the bells, but that is very minor.
As for your ending, the strings cut off rather numbly, which is like a door shutting in your face compared to the beauty and grace earlier in the song! Perhaps add a bit of decay at the end, or aim for a stronger ending? It just didn't sit right.

Your volume is also very low, so when you make your newer version, you may want to considering increasing it! Although they sound alright, I find that your DSK instruments are not able to breathe properly as they are now.

Overall, this is a very nice cinematic-type piece that could use some work. I look forward to hearing your extended version!

retrobox2 responds:

Thanks I love this type of constructive review.
I appreciate it.