alternativesolution's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Trapezoid]

Great composition!

I have a new-found interest in jazz, and seeing this post in the AA thread got me all excited. The playing is excellent, of course, and the quality of the recording is very nice. The expected variety in this piece does not bore me at all, yet at the same time strays from being too random -which I suppose would also bore me. So good job on that. :p

The quiet parts with that lively bass are very refreshing to hear in this busy piece. Quite the unique instrumentation, and with 8 minutes of that, too! If I must pick, my least favorite part is that very abrupt ending. The slight applause certainly startled me.

Overall, lovely stuff.

WilsonMcLeish responds:

Thank you,

I appreciate your critique and positive feedback. I'm glad my music could help you in your search to discover jazz, definitely keep searching, it is such a beautiful and expressive art form. There is a lot of bad jazz out there, if you ever need advice navigating to the good stuff, let me know!

This recording didn't turn out perfect but I'm very satisfied with what we achieved from the only time it's been performed so far...

[Monochromatic As I'll Be]

Ah, so they were lyrics indeed! Well, you already have my theme-based mini review for the contest; now, here's a review purely on the music:

I reeaally like it. As stated before, the electronic piano thing, along with the bass and drums, gives this song a very melancholic, dancey feel. I really wish I could hear the lyrics better, though. It's hard to hear them through the vocoder D: I didn't like that, as you already know.
But, now that I am able to read them, I'd like to point out how great they are! They are very sweet. I love them. Aah.
I also really like the overall feel this song is giving off. The vibe is just so familiar and comfortable. There are few songs I've heard that have both great intros and outtros, and yours is definitely one of them. I was hooked right from the start. It's so catchy, too! In a bittersweet kind of way. Great rhythm, and your sounds mesh very, very nicely together.
Anyway, lovely job on this. Can't wait to hear your piece for the second and/or third phases of the contest, if you'll be participating in the rest ! (I hope you do) ^__^

SourJovis responds:

Thanks very much. Glad you like it. Not sure if you would actually want to hear the vocals without vocoder though once you know what they sound like.

[~SW~ Colorless]

Had to share the imagery :3 Here it is:

There is very nice ambiance throughout the piece. Some hints of mystery and wonder here and there. The instruments you have, and the way in which you use them, actually exhibit a very undefined color, sprinkled all over the place in an organized fashion.
This is pretty much the epitome of one particular take on this theme, Monochromatic World. You've got this one color here, but it is quickly taken away, fading so quick that you forget it was there in the first place, kind of like how you add in shades of white and black to change the shade of the chosen color without altering its hue. A soft, and definitely intriguing piece.

SkyeWint responds:

Thanks, man! You really had some great thoughts about it. :)

[piano thingy (WIP)]

I tried doing what I could with the score, I mean it's not really 0.84 stars quality :P

So here's some of that feedback. Hm...what I think you need is some more variation. Not in melodies...no. I'm thinking in instrument use. You've actually got some pretty good ideas here, but there is an overall feeling of disjointedness throughout the whole song. Kind of empty, too.
Try to work on your transitions! I do see that this is WIP, so there's still plenty of room for improvement.

As for your drums, they sound too loud, too, specifically the snare. Or just the snare, actually. I'm terrible with sound design and similar things, but I can recognize that there could be more tone to them, too.
Your bass gets really weak after 1:25, and I think it really adds to the emptiness of the song, considering you have just 3 sounds going on- drums, bass, piano. If you want to stick with the drum n bass category, put that bass back in there!

Based on what you named this .. "piano thingy", I think you are well aware that this is nothing close to what you think you are actually capable of doing, or at least you know that there is much more to be done to this piece. Right now it sounds like a dump of good ideas hopelessly glued together by laziness and/or lack of inspiration.

Make those good ideas stand out! Try adding something in for harmony, bringing back that bass, and just making everything *flow*. Also, effects! (I am very bad with this) Effects can really make simple stuff sound even more amazing if done right. So fool around with those!

Yoshiii343 responds:

Ah, I will definitely add in more instruments...probably some strings...and something else I suppose.

More layering of the snares, then. (Or more EQing)
The bass being really weak after 1:25 is intentional.

>Right now it sounds like a dump of good ideas hopelessly glued together by laziness and/or lack of inspiration.

Ouch, right in the truther.

I'll try to add in harmony...and I'm scared of effects...besides distortion.

[Waterfall]

Oh, I like!

Nice guitar stuff, and voice! Your vocals sound a little too quiet against the guitars, though, especially when singing low, so if you can, maybe up that a bit? For your outtro, I think that soft part was just really great as an ending. And I like the quiet part from 3:00-3:40 a lot. Overall, interesting melodies, and good sounds :)

LionzNTiggerz responds:

Hey, thanks a lot. I really appreciate the review. The part at 3:00 is one of my favs, too.

Maybe I will boost the vocals a little bit.. I was sensitive about my voice, but everyone keeps telling me I have a nice voice :) If I'm gonna make changes, the other change i would make would be turning the drums down on the quiet part... they've wound up being quite loud somehow.

Thx

[This is where it ends]

I actually think this is a pretty decent idea... you had my attention right from the beginning. And I can't just dismiss this song because it doesn't have a proper ending and ultimately goes nowhere, so I'll tell you my thoughts on what you have so far:
Cool!

:P Seriously, whenever you get the motivation or inspiration to come back to this, you should. (or I could finish it for you! Haha) I do see a couple of ways that it could go.
So, it's actually kinda catchy. Not bad. Drums are bit a loud, and yeah, the end killed me. Like a decent movie with a horrible ending, and you just don't want to watch it again because you know you will just end up hurt.

FairSquare responds:

Sadly, i don't have the song file anymore. Formatted my PC and.. yeah.. it's goooone :O
But i'm glad you see something in it. Although i really wouldn't know how to continue this.
If i had the file i'd have you let your way with it.. but yeah :/ It's a pity, because i'd like to see what you had in mind.
Ah well..
Thanks for the review though! :)

[Cutesy Creek]

Cutesy stuff!
I think you have some pretty nice melodies going on! Memorable, too. I will most likely have this stuck in my head for the next day or so. I like the adventuresome feel you have going on here :D I can't really think of one thing I don't like. For the most part, your sounds mesh very nicely.

At 1:00-1:12, the melodies of the violin and flute(?) thing clash just a bit awkwardly, maybe too busy for a part where it sounds like things are supposed to change direction and calm down for a section.
Other than that, this makes for more than great practice! ^__^ (and very theme-y indeed. good job.)
Fun, fun!

Deemo-R responds:

Thank you for the review! <3
I personally believe melodies are my stronger point when compared to my overall harmonies/structure, but I'm glad these were able to resonate with you for this piece! And yeah, that is a flute doing a bit of counterpoint(ish?) stuff against the violin, but it is admittedly a bit loud. I might've been a bit too quiet with the violin, too, though it's not dreadfully quiet at that part xP

[Quick Playtime]

As promised, a review of my feels of this song.

First, fun rhythm and tune (points shall not be taken off for unoriginality, seeing as how you can effectively change up your tune each time even with the repeating notes in the other songs I listened to). Second, wholly effective drums. So slight I forget that they're there-- it's more of a rhythm enhancer of the pattern you have playing throughout the entire song, meant only as salt/pepper sprinkled on the meat (or veggies).

Ok, now my favorite(?) part. The children's voices! Aah! They're so creepyyy. This is the most original aspect of the song. The way you chop up their giggles and laughter just sounds so wrong, but so right...and they are timed perfectly. Removing most of the melody while the kids popped up out of nowhere was also a good move; I don't think they would have gone well together.
Also, the panning and distance at which you hear their voices are very well done. Makes you feel as if you are actually passing the kids by, while you have a very weird day. (If they sounded any closer I might have fallen out of my chair.)
Great work! :D

ZipZipper responds:

Thanks! Not everything I do sounds like this, so pick out some other ones to listen to pleeeease!!! :c

[Impossible Geometries]

I like your melodies here! Your chord progression is very nice. I think your balance is not that far; the intensity is just enough. You have some interesting ideas here. And another thing...your intro as well as your outtro- those parts can be hard to get done right, but you did a pretty decent job.
Soundwise, I think the choir voices could use some work...try making them sound a little fuller. Also, I find your title choice interesting. Very unusual...I like it :D

TeaNoSugar responds:

Thank you ever so much! I've been a musician (in the loosest sense of the word) for years but I'm still learning about electronic music. This is new to me so to get a comment like this is very encouraging. Thank you

[Love Light]

I like the instrument variation you have here! You notice the quality right away, and the melody in the intro just pulls you in. I like that at 0:15 the song would have been expected to go off from there and become more, but you somewhat de-hyped it instead :P
Nice m&m, too!
As for the composition of the song, you guys have a nice, unique style. What I did notice, though, is that the main melody/chorus got repetitive real fast. The only exception is from 1:10-1:40, which is just brilliant. I really like that! :D Your transitions are excellent, and there is plenty of tiny variations in how they are done each time, but it ultimately led to the same notes being repeated. I realize this is a dance song, however.
Oh and your entire outtro! I am very picky on those and I am not great at them, myself, but really, simplifying the track like that and just letting it go...is just perfect.
Overall, this is superbly done track. :)

AeronMusic responds:

Indeed we go for quality! Thanks for your review. I appreciate it!