MetalRenard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Capital of Soot, revisited]

Cool tune! Sounds great and definitely fits the description/tags you gave it.
The violin towards the end didn't work for me, I would have used something less harsh sounding to fit the rest of the track. As is, it stands out too much.

I love it!

[Black Bullet Dubstep RmX]

It's on my "to watch" list. Just waiting for all the episodes to be published first. :)

[Sugar]

Great sound! Totally sexy indeed. *drools*

[Spiritual Sunday]

That's really damn wide sounding, almost unsettling how, even on my laptop speakers, I had the impression the sounds were really far left and right. As awesome as that is, I'm pretty sure you're going to run in to crazy phase issues if you listen to this on a normal sound system like a CD player or on a TV.

Cool track otherwise, laid back as you said. :)

[Fox-trot Fletcher]

... Love it. Suits you perfectly.

steampianist responds:

:) thank you

[TTCN - 06: Pause to elegy.]

The piano is suitably dark for the story it matches. I like the instruments you used and the subtle additions here and there of quieter instruments. The loop is appears to be seamless, well done.
Sadly the track is quite repetitive in my opinion, but it disguises that fact quite well because of its style... I know what I mean. ^_^

Calamaistr responds:

Its thematic wich is why its not as elaborate as some other more cinematic scores that i will write for this album, but its on hold again for now. :)

[Vampire Castle]

Awesome mix of genres and really great transitions between sections. With the title I was expecting Castlevania 2.0 but although this isn't what I expected it is definitely good. The drums could use more variation, notably with the kick drum.

As for the mix I'd have to work on it myself to give you really good feedback and some of the issues come down the the quality of your virtual instruments.

Nice one!

[Eclipse]

Woah, loved the ending, I expected it to go further though. Fantastic vocals as always.
Your mixing has improved a ton since the competition, keep it up!

etherealwinds responds:

Ahh that's what I like to hear! I feel it myself to and I have a lot of that to owe to the NGADM indeed. Thank you so much :)

[RUIN]

DEFINITELY fits what you described. Really good work on this! I like the rich string sound and use of reverb throughout with that high frequency "bite" it has. Normally I avoid that kind of reverb because it gets on my nerves but it really served its purpose here.

DuttonsaysHi responds:

Thank you! It's good to know I captured the vibe that I was aiming for ^^. I know what you mean with that kind of reverb, I usually tone it down for instruments but when it comes to FX I turn it right up to really give it that extra "Wideness". I feel it could be used on the instruments in this case since ambient tracks are generally spacey and empty and therefore the reverb has space to fly around :].

[A Light Reception]

Sorry for making you wait but because you mentioned the timbre of sound (harpsichord vs piano) and certain sonic aspects (warmth etc) I decided to wait until I could use my good speakers to write a review. :)

Well I must say, it's definitely a nice piece. To me it actually feels bitter-sweet, but that might just be me. Like at the end of an anime when you know the main character has to choose between two options, both will bring joy but also their own consequences. Slap me if I'm reading into this too much. I'd like to hear the Harpsichord version, for sure.
As for warmth I don't know, I associate that adjective with a low-mid frequencies (200 - 350hz) which are mostly exploited by cello and bass guitar or the low keys on a piano. Sure the piano is playing in that area at times but it doesn't feel "warm" to me, quite the opposite in fact, maybe because the piano is quite "bright". The strings playing the melody do make it fit nicely together though!
As much as I like the melody, I think the backing deserves a mention too, it works really well in this piece. Normally the simple rhythm of it (1 chord per bar, over and over) would be repetitive but it works surprisingly well here, the simplicity is welcome. I think I associate it with a kind of innocence.
Having listened about 6 times while writing this I can say it's a piece that grows on you the more you listen, rather than getting annoying. That's very positive. I've started to expect that melody on the piano to come in at a certain time and all that.

So, final verdict... Yes it's really good, I love it, but if your goal was "warmth" then maybe you need a little more going on in the low frequencies. I'd be glad to talk about this more if you need any pointers or help!

CainRedfield responds:

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed review! I really appreciate the criticism, I added a bit of reverb and filled in the lower frequencies a bit more, and I like the way the track sounds a lot more now! Again thanks for the criticism, it really helps to hear some other musician's takes, and get a few pointers :)