Gario's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Forest Where Secrets Lie]

Oh, I really like this track - sounds like it'd make for cool background music for a game inspired by those visuals. If it were for a game I'd even understand the sonic range the arrangement uses (though I'd probably knock ya for having it loop poorly in that case), though because there's nothing else that the arrangement needs to compete with sonically the other instruments could been more generous using the upper frequencies due to the piano having a pretty stylistically heavy low pass.

That's more something to note than a critique, since this sounds great either way. Nice work!

SomeGuyMusic responds:

Thank you for your review!

[Everyone Hates Squids]

Hmm, very strange tuning fluctuations in the drums in the beginning. It's not inherently bad, I'm just not used to them. I notice you lose them after the beginning, which made me a little sad, strangely enough.

Solid drum beats - I like the set you're using for this. The trippy sounds are fun to listen to, as well, and you're using your panning space effectively. I really wish you didn't do a 6-minute variations track on the same four notes, though; while I like the space you set up, after a while I started skipping through the track, as I was just getting bored.

Production is pretty tight on this, just wish the arrangement moved a bit more. Not bad, though.

Reinteck responds:

Thanks for the review and helpful tips! I will definitely think about these things when I make future songs. Thanks for checking out my music!

[Blinding Drive]

Sounds rockin', not bad - sounds like this villain is more complicated than most. Be sure to watch out for the arrangement, though, as it tends to meander. Unless this is written for a movie or something I'd suggest giving it a more recognizable form. The harmonies and themes are actually really cool, though, so some more organization would really make this stand out better.

The bass is a bit hollow. It needs some more presence - add some lower mids to the bass and it'll stand out a lot more.

Oftentimes, when all of the instruments get together it sounds incredibly muddy. When you mix your music, try to give some instruments the focus while leaving others in the background, as this will give the music more focus.

Those drums are relentless with that snare. Using the snare only once or twice per measure overall would really help clean up the soundscape. If you want to keep the multisnare riffs then at least change the dynamics so that the follow up hits are quieter than the main strikes, as they just sound like a wall of sound, otherwise.

It's an alright track, with some room for improvement. Nice work.

Blacklawn responds:

Thanks. I tried to fix the bass and the snares. As for the mixing... I'm not entirely sure how I'm supposed to achieve what you said.

[BloodyTearsPianoRemix]

@Psienix
Technically, a remix is simply a track that's been mixed differently and remastered, so this is more of a remix than a track that rearranges the music (like, for example, OCR music). Just sayin', is all - arrangements are not a bad thing, but they are not the same thing as a remix.

This track was alright - liked the detuned pianos in there; it brought out a real Castlevania feel to it. I wish that the piano had more of a human sound to it, though. As it stands, it feels like a MIDI that got a new soundfont over it, which is a little stale.

Nonetheless, good cover to a good song.

DrMackFoxx responds:

You're a bit of a tough customer and I don't mind that in the least. Just encourages an experienced amateur like me to try and do better. Glad you liked this track and thank you very, very much for a thorough and honest review. :) Constructive criticism is always appreciated. ^_^

[Serenade of Storms]

Very nice arrangement. It's just a well crafted piece. I kind of wish you have a live performance - it's a little mechanical. It's not too bad, though - it still comes across quite well.

Awesome work.

BlazingDragon responds:

I know what you mean about the live performance. It sounds very quantized. My piano skills are improving though and I'll likely be playing more of my pieces in time. Thanks for the review!

[Breath of Fire III -BossT]

Hmm... I think your sounds could be nice, but the mixing in this makes it very hard to hear anything over the bass. Bring out your melodies, make the textures more salient and raise the levels on this track, since as it stands it's not really possible to hear much of anything.

The issues are almost 100% mixing. I suggest fixing the mixing and the volume of the track (it's very, very quiet) and re-uploading, since I could see this being alright, otherwise.

SmashesCupcakes responds:

I agree with you I didn't really check it out after I exported it from Fl Studio. After I heard it I was like... crap. But as for now I can't re-upload it without making a completely new upload so It's stuck like this until further notice :/ Thanks for the review though! I'll take your advice and redo the mixing!

[Nobuo-esque 8bit (famitracker)]

Huh, this actually evokes more 'Dragon Quest' for me. That's not a bad thing, really - Nobuo Uematsu was told to imitate THAT style in some form or another back in the day, so it has it's roots in Uematsu, somehow. Sounds like a DQ beginner's castle...

The triangle in this is a bit dominating, here. Bringing up the rectangle waves up a bit would be a good idea so the piece balances itself better.

Not bad at all.

EmperorCharlemagne responds:

when i made this, i knew absolutely NOTHING about famitracker, so I've improved a *little* bit in that time.

thanks for the advice though.

[Squeezums - Rave Quit]

Ha, that was short, yet surprisingly catchy

It is unfortunately short, though. I think the odd harmonies you have going would've made for an interesting track, given that this track made something more out of them, but right now they just hit you in the face and it's over.

The production is quite nice, though, and the beat works well.

Squeezums responds:

yeah, i might finish it, lol i just made it for fun :P But thanks anyways brew :D

["Charice Lady Gaga Medley"]

I like what you did here, but...

I don't think you're supposed to post any samples that are not free domain and/or samples you created. I know you're not stealing credit for the singing or anything, but posting this could get your account banned.

I like your other stuff quite a bit (and even like what you did here) and wouldn't want to see you get hammered for this, so... yeah. Link to your YT vid or something in your profile, make a sound cloud account and post it there, etc., and please remove this from the portal before a mod removes it for you. Sampling work that's not your own could get your audio account banned, even if you're otherwise legit, and even if you provide credit where it's due (as you did here).

:/

XayberOptix responds:

Charice personally gave me full permission to use her acapella track.

[Chrono Trigger Theme Remix]

You seem like a nice guy and all...

... so let me give you a heads up and say that this material will get your audio account banned, if the audio mods find it. You cannot upload copyrighted material (like the Chronotrigger theme in the background, and likely the drumloop, though I can't say for sure) on Newgrounds, as it's against their policy.

You should delete it before your audio account get permanently removed.

DemonicDuo responds:

Its a REMIX. I sampled the Chrono Trigger Theme song and put my own drums in, obviously. Can you not read? Everything is made by me.