Geoplex's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Trapped in a Snowglobe]

Mmmmm intro.

Liking the opening chords and strings, they're very atmospheric and make me feel the title. The chords themselves are also quite strong, and I think this is one of your most emotive pieces yet. I also rather like the violins that follow the intro. The bells are nice too.

The song kind of plateaus a bit after this, and in a lot of ways I like how fluidly it progresses - I'm not sure what to think of the kick you're using, though. It doesn't stand out all that much and mixes into the song pretty well, but it might be a bit punchy for the genre. I'm not sure really. On that note, though, i really like the percussion in general.

Excellent job on the name, too - I like the two separate emotional states it implies and I think the song carries that through quite well.

stunkel responds:

Awesome review man.

I gotta be honest, the minimalistic intro is what I liked about this song the most. The solo piano sets a dark and lonely tone for the song and I think the rest of the song builds onto that. It's really cool how much an intro can make a difference. I'm so glad that you mentioned the atmosphere because with this song I was really going for atmospheric and as you mentioned emotive.

I agree, the song does stay at a steady pace and not much build after that. I was worried it goes too slowly. I think that it's okay to keep it at a certain pace as long as the song's melodic content is changing up enough. Hopefully I accomplished that x_x. And I am just as unsure as you about that kick drum... I tried it and I was a little unsure at first but then it grew on me and I decided to stick with it. I had the timpani's playing in time with it just about, so if I made it softer I might as well have not had a kick since the timpani would have the same effect. But it did give the song a little extra kick (pun intended) that the timpani couldn't give it.

I never really thought about the name to be honest. They really are a happy idea with a kind of scary concept.

Thanks for the awesome review :D

-Ryan

[Submerged]

Pretty perfect title.

This is very visually evocative of an underwater landscape, and something about it feels... big; despite how soft the song itself is. I really like the diversity and how the song flows; it feels very organic. It's also somewhat soundtrack-ish, though that might just be because a lot of it is fairly epic, for lack of a better description :P

I'm not that familiar with the genre in a technical sense so I don't really know what else to say, other than well done :3

stunkel responds:

Thanks for the review sir :3 Glad to hear from you after a while.
And I agree with you, I wasn't sure what to put the song under. Some parts felt like a soundtrack, but others just felt like a relaxing song, and it wasn't really classified as anything in my opinion.
And I would just say the genre is orchestral I guess :P leave it as simple as that. Thanks for the review again sir :D

[~Bright Rays~]

I'm sorry I took a long time to get back to you here, but I've been exceptionally busy. I'll always review on request, so don't hesitate to ask :P

It's been a while since I've reviewed - where to start?

I like your melody, it's happy and bouncy and despite its simplicity, it's rather effective. The song's rather short, and if it were much longer the melody would probably become a bit tedious since it doesn't change very much. You have added some variation though, even though the track is only a minute long - so that's definitely positive. The chord structure is very simple, but again, fairly effective. I like that you're restraining yourself with the plucks a bit on every second section of the progression, it's a small bit of variation that's really a nice touch.

On the mixing side of things: you're not filling the spectrum very effectively, and while that's not inherently bad, you could use some mid-lower tones to juice up the track a bit. A subtle sub would sound really nice, so long as it weren't just an EQ'd sine (I typically use pad based sounds for my subs.) The mids are relatively well covered, and the song is fairly bright (it has a lot of high frequencies) but I feel that the sounds you're using do clash a little bit; specifically the background pluck and the lead. I'd recommend EQing some of the highs off the background pluck or maybe using it in a lower octave. Alternatively you could take your lead a little higher (EQ-wise) and doing both might prove effective also.

The percussion is relatively solid, you have a 4x4 pattern going and the kick is audible (if a bit weak.) I'd strongly recommend against using so much variation with the kick if you ever intend to make it stronger, though (you're using a kick on every step in some parts of the song for a very short period) as the kick in a typical house/trance/dance song is the main driving force and needs to be somewhat stable. Obviously there's room for experimentation, but it's good as a general rule if you want to avoid the spine of your song feeling too inconsistent. The hats are pretty decent, though they're a little uninteresting and could be louder/higher. I'd recommend EQing some highs onto them. The snare is also a little weak, but it meshes into the song fairly well and isn't much of an issue considering house isn't typified by strong claps/snares.

Well done on your first song, it's certainly a lot better than my first was! :P

[Turbulence]

Man, this is different :P

I'm not entirely sure what to think of this, partially because it's so unique. I really haven't heard anything like it at all, at least not in the DnB spectrum.
The bass sounds quite electro-y, and I kinda like that in some ways. I do think the piece is perhaps a little minimalistic, though; it's certainly not atmospheric, but I know that was intentional. I just feel like it's a bit empty at some points, at 1:30ish especially. It would be a detrimental aspect, but that bit sounds really cool. So it's not an issue, really :P

On the whole point that it's not liquid, I do agree - but it certainly has some liquid elements, no doubt. The plucks and piano are certainly liquid-sounding, and i thought it would be a liquid song similar to imprison at the intro.

That said, it certainly bears some similarity to imprison. I don't know if it's the piano or the bass, but it's there. I kinda like that.

I also like your general composition a fair bit, actually. While it's not as interesting as it might be, you did an excellent job with a relatively small selection of melodies (reusing that pluck pattern actually hugely turned in your favor, because they're such a staple of the song.) I like the way it's put together.

Mixing wise, this one's pretty solid too - but i feel that there's a general trend toward mid-high frequencies that deprives me of a bit of bass. The bass is certainly there in the neat FM thing you have going, but it's not consistent and overall it makes the piece feel a bit dry. A sub might clear it up, but at the same time subs are generally fairly atmospheric and I gather that really wasn't the intention with this piece.

Either way, this sounded pretty great. Enjoyed it :D

ChasingPresence responds:

Again thanks for the well thought out review man. Yeah the sub could have been a bit louder, but if this song is played on speakers it is brought a lot more. To be completely honest I feel like I made this an electro song with a DnB tempo and beat, even though I wasn't intending to at all. I guess that's how the cookie crumbles.

[Karmafield]

Simple, but very enjoyable.

I always say that I love your intros, and this isn't an exception. It's very similar to previous pieces in the way it's structured, and I'm alright with that. I like the chord progression a lot too.

I mentioned that it's simple, and it really is. You're using a lot of basic arpeggio melodies, the percussion isn't hugely variant. If I'm making that sound like a negative quality, I really shouldn't be :P I'm actually very fond of the simplicity. It keeps it clean and it's still very engaging.

Mastering-wise I think this is pretty solid, but I can't give you a hugely in-depth perspective as my headphones died a few days ago and I'm stuck with earbuds - my sound quality's not what it should be if I'm going to comment on that. From what i can hear at least, your mix sounds quite good. The kick's quite prominent, and it sounds fairly punchy - I really like your hats, too. They mesh extremely well with the clap/snare thang.

The mix is also pretty well balanced in a spectrum-sense, your frequencies are all pretty well covered and the leads are appropriately audible. Production-wise, this one is definitely a winner.

Despite the simplicity, I really like this one. Was pleasantly surprised to see it pop up in my Youtube Sub-box thingy :P

Alloud responds:

Thanks for the review!

I wanted to "test the waters" in this genre first before I go and spend a huge amount of time on something, which might explain the simplicity. I didn't want to make something I'd end up hating in the end because nothing turned out how I planned. So I'm glad you still enjoyed it. If I ever revisit house I'l probably try something more complex or a different sub-genre.

Sorry to hear about your headphones; I know how that feels. D:
I was a little more careful with my mixing this time so I'm glad that payed off.

Cheers. :3

[Old Skool(DJ M4C Remix)]

Haha, oh man. This sounds pro.

I really love the intro on this, and the clean percussion as usual. I've never heard the original (unsure if that makes me uncultured or not) but I'm enjoying this.

I don't have time for a lengthy review unfortunately, but I really like the cellos too :P

Keep it up!

ChasingPresence responds:

Always great to hear from you, thanks!

[EnV - Paladin]

First song I've been addicted to in months.

Lately I've been heavily disinterested in listening to any music at all, and do so only as an occasional distracted. But man, I'm just listening to this on repeat. Love it, drop especially.

[Dawning]

Been away for a few days, so I didn't get a chance to review this! :P

I like the intro a lot, man - 'specially the sliding synth (of course!) I think the drop was good, but if I'm being honest it still sounded like it wasn't a full chorus relative to the intro. On its own, it sounds really good, but relative to the previous buildup it felt like it could have been more powerful.

I Love the following piano bit, especially the panned plucks. The plucks themselves are a bit generic, but you use them really well. I also really like the bass on this; the sliding funky bass. It's definitely my favorite thing about this track :P

The chorus following the piano breakdown sounded better in terms of power, and i also enjoyed the variation on the original melody - you kept the continuity and yet kept it interesting, something I can't seem to do anymore.

Mixing wise this track is also pretty ace, the kick's punchy and the snare is pretty well done. I can always tell you put a lot of effort into mixing your kicks, and it really shows :3

As always, keep it up! :D

ChasingPresence responds:

thanks for the long review as always man :) yea I agree the first drop could have been better, but I guess ya can't do everything :(

[Resolve (DJM4C Remix)]

Liking this :D

Those chords at 00:32 are introduced really well, and the sliding lead at 00:48 is awesome. I love it ^^
The percussion is clean and pretty powerful, and despite its simplicity, the chord progression you're using works excellently. Also, that pluck guitar thing around 02:08 is awesome. I like that breakdown a lot in general, actually.

I think (as usual, lol) my favorite thing about this is the sliding lead, but I also really love the screamy LFO bass you're using, it's very well done in terms of power and completes the song.

I'm a bit out of it today, so if there was anything to criticize I probably missed it :P

ChasingPresence responds:

Thanks man! Can't wait for your upload! I would say the only thing bad about it was my reluctance to add more to the ending bit, which was a result of the deadline being tomorrow for the remix competition. Great review!

[[X] Last Breath]

Oh man, I never truly appreciated how talented you were when I knew you back in 2008.