DjGubkafish's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[snowblind]

I like it as ambient music but it is pretty long for something that is almost a loop so you should be adding more elements as it goes . Otherwise it could be 30 seconds track and it would make same impression

I would probably add another lair of pads because sounds dosen't feel dynamic .

offed responds:

Yeah, that is a good point. I'll see what I can add in and some changes and tweaks I can make. Thank you for listening and thanks for the help!

[Near my Remoteness]

I like it . Maybe the Vocals should be a little louder and softer in better quality if its possible .

Some strange sequencing here and there which seems out of place and distracting . I do have a soft spot for this kind of strange music though .

Not bad but could be a lot more polished .

bluebooblue responds:

Thank you very much for your review!! She actually recorded her vocals with a laptop microphone because she couldn't come over to use my mic T_T but she worked her way around to make it sound good in her version, I tried as much as I could to clean it up a bit for this but I liked the way it sounds, I'm glad you liked it too! and of course, we have to polish more our skills everyday!
We will bring something better next time!

[The Midnight Glades]

You holding notes a bit too long . IF you in game and you hear the same sound for like 30 seconds it will get irritating .

Make sure you utilize silence a bit . With ambient music sometimes you want to have pause instead of just holding noise entire time .

Also even though you don't need melody in ambient music you need to strive for something that people who didn't make your song can pick up on . If pads are too long it may be difficult to tell what theme of music is .

Good examples of ambient music can be found in SIlent HIll and Dino Crysis. Even ambient music has some kind of rhythm so you don't want to just hold pads all the time .

erlendflatin responds:

I appreciate your input, you make some good points ;)

But I would argue that it depends on the game, and certainly the listener, I myself would find music like this very immersive depending on the game. Some notes are held for very long, but it never takes long before something new is introduced along with it. This means that the held notes are used for harmony, sometimes creating dissonance that resolves by fading away rather than a abrupt stop, and you will never here the exact same thing for 30 seconds.

I think silence in this piece would disrupt the flow of the texture, it would have to be very subtle, and well managed.

Melody and rhythm are tools a composer can use to express something, along with timbre and harmony. Avoiding clear melody and rhythm, and focusing on enhancing harmony and timbre is a conscious choice to try and express the uncertainty and exploration of a new landscape. I am trying to evoke an atmospheric landscape through the music, replicating the indeterminacy found in nature, especially birdsong.

We seem to have very different tastes in music, but you are entitled your opinion, and I respect that. There is no one way to compose ambient music, this is just my way ;)

[Insert Coin]

I can't stand dubstep by itself but I got to say that with retro mix in its sounds pretty dope .

It has sort of video game feel and then modern analog . Interesting combo .

Nice job on using transitions with different effects its probably the best part .

N1nj4X responds:

Thank you :)

[Ancient Walls]

Nothing to point out specifically but I would maybe through couple more notes with different instrument just to fill in the space . It drags on a little bit but not bad in general . Would work nice as cinematic music for calm background .

LawnReality responds:

Thank you. :) I'll be sure to remember your advice when I work on another track of this type.

[Classically Tranced Dubstep]

This track has a bit too much going on . Instead of being classic track with dubstep it feels like identity crisis .

You should try making it so every part of the track transitions from the other and retains a lair so it doesn't seem like different song every 30 seconds . For example when it plays dubstep you should classical background lair .

Keep it more consistent and focus on progression and smooth transitions .

Interesting concept but a bit of a mess .

Hyperion666 responds:

it is trance, dubstep and classical. not just classical n dubstep. it is meant to be chaotic, messy and mainly insane. what you are saying is just stating the obvious :). Not a lot of people will get it as quick as you, so I am guessing you are a musician of sorts as well. But this was the mood my mind is in, I do not make the music, my hands , my heart and the insanity my mind contains creates my music. I will never claim these are mine alone just a possesed collaboration of those 3 things.

Thank you for your comment and you have an awesome ear

[Saturday Night]

Kinda sounds like retro music during boss stages .

Instrument at 0:30 is a bit too vibrant I would prefer something sharp .

It a little bit irritating because all effects you used are too loud and unclear . Even with 8-bit like music you should strive for melody .

niorg2606 responds:

I guess you are right. I literally splashed everything with effects so it would make it sound like I wasn't just using the preset instruments that came with the program.

[Indigo Rain - Spotless Mind]

You did a good job on progression and mixing up the melody with stops and resets .

Although the instrument at 0:23 is probably the biggest problem for me . I like electronic sounds but its too distracting for here .

Personally I would prefer more mellow lead or just anything that doesn't create long razor effect .

Indigorain responds:

Yeah, I kinda got used to it after hearing it so much, that might be the problem. I've messed around with it a lot, but it's still a bit harsh comepared to the rest of the setting. But at some point I think I just went with it :P
But thanks for the kind words man, really appreciate it!