Geoplex's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Badland]

Legit production, badass track!

[~SW~ Reflection]

I wish I had the time right now for a really long review, because this song sure deserves it - but I enjoyed the hell out of this. The progression, the melodic creativity (SO MUCH MELODY, seriously I would go crazy writing this much stuff at one time. So much diversity!)

I would summarize this song as "fantastically varied". It moves a long way, feels like an adventure :P but it achieves it at a good pace. Despite its relatively drawn-out nature, I never found myself bored! I have a habit of impatience when it comes to listening to music unless I'm sure that I'll like something, so take it from me that this song is very engaging.

I love the bitcrushing, and I love the squaaaares. Omg. I can't express my love for those little waveforms enough. So bright. I love the little bits of percussion you have going on, the tiny intricacies and snare drills. Panning, too.

A lot of sections of this song remind me of *something* - I'm not sure what. Something video-gamey and nostalgic, but I can't really remember anything specific. Terraria? Steven Universe? I have no idea. It might partially be your sound design and the scale the song is in. But I love it. It's so... crystalline.

I don't usually use such vague terms/phrases when talking about music, but I think it means I had more of an emotional reaction to this song than usual. Or something? Haha.

Fantastic work, for real. Such a big song, I can feel the achievement just listening to it :P

GOD I LOVE THOSE SQUARES

SkyeWint responds:

Geoplex! Hi hi! Good to see you <3

There are actually about two-three different melodies, they just are varied depending on the section and fit around the rest of the song to make it so no section repeats 100%.

Funny thing about the little waveforms - I've found that my style has started revolving more and more around the little waveforms doing a lot of melody/bass stuff, with background pads and other chord/sfx stuff being the more complicated synth stuff. I dunno. It works really well - simple waveforms pierce songs GREAT.

Anyway... thank you! I do feel like it's a big achievement for me, so I super appreciate you saying that. :3 Bye!

[Arrival]

Really love the melodies in this one man, great mix as well! :P

[Project M Main Theme Remix]

Really nice song man. Pretty clean mix, nice instrumentation. Love the stutter around 1:50, even if it is a little out of character for the rest of the song :P. I really like how chill it is.

I'm partially writing this review because of what's happening to PM right now, and I had no idea anyone else on this site was even into it, to be honest; but it makes me realize there are people everywhere that aren't going to let this game die.

NyxTheShield responds:

Oh man, i am destroyed now, can't believe it. But i won't let this game down. Not while i am alive :)

[Motions]

This is an NGADM 2015 Review.

I spent ages listening to both your track and bass/josh’s before making a decision, because it was close to impossible. Both tracks are very high calibre, and this track is pretty damn amazing.

I love the mood, how happy and laid back it is. The production is fantastic. Nice and loud, very clear; much like many of your submissions. Melodically this one is also fantastic. This is a top-notch song, and I’ve had it in my head the last few days. It’s catchy and effective, especially the soft breakdown around 00:40! My god. Love that low-passed saw.

In the end it was hard to find any objective characteristics to base any kind of decision on, but it was necessary to make a call somewhere. I think the relatively short length of your track played a part in that, though to be fair you don’t have much time to produce with NGADM (I could never do it, honestly). I’d like to think that the airhorn also played a part but I don’t know in what direction, lol. It startled me, but it’s also kinda funny. Essentially what I’m saying is that this track is difficult to pull apart, at least in any negative way, haha.

Usually I find it pretty easy to nitpick people’s kick drums, but I can’t really do that here. It’s actually pretty perfect. In fact, the mix on this in general is pretty perfect. There’s literally nothing that sticks out at me as being too soft or loud. Perhaps the snareclap could be louder or have more punch; and it might also be a little wide - but that’s mostly just an opinion. Transitions, also an easy target for most submissions, are awesome and difficult to fault here. This track is atmospherically awesome as well. The little hats and fills, even just in the breakdown alone, are enough to sell me. There are plenty of subtle components that help to create a fuller and more exciting listening experience and it’s really effective.

The sound design/instrumentation isn’t ambitious, but it also isn’t too simple. Love the use of saws in general. Saws are life. I love the bass as well, it gives the piece a somewhat nu disco/electro feel; especially in the intro, which i really love. You’ve probably done a bit of processing to your noise sweeps as well, and they sound really nice; unless you used samples, which is also fine. I’m guilty, haha. Excellent lead sound, too! Blends incredibly well, in fact it fits into the mix so well it’s almost as though I shouldn’t be able to hear the melody appropriately, but I can, and that’s actually pretty damn impressive.

Compositionally speaking it’s an obvious success. The melodies aren’t repetitive, they’re catchy and effective, and you keep it pretty interesting structurally. What I really love, is that this song feels very “credits” or “outro” to me (partially because of its happy demeanor, I guess) and so it’s quite appropriate for the grand finals, the end of the contest.

I suppose in the end it came down to nitpicks, subjectivities and subtleties, because there was nothing else, and I had to swing one way or the other. It was partially the length, and partially that to me, this song grabbed me a little less - the ending was also a little dubious, but you knew what you were doing :P. I guess I’m apologizing for the inherent subjectivity involved, because you did an incredible job here; and so did your opponents. I love this kind of music, and I love this!

What can I say, fantastic work. Congratulations on Second Place, and for being awesome!

midimachine responds:

cheers for the reviews! tbh i giggle like a bitch at the airhorn every time so idk! :v

[Wake the Dawn]

This is an NGADM 2015 Review.

This round kills me a little inside, because this song is just so good… and so is Midi’s. It’s quite shocking how well matched the two are, when they’re so stylistically disparate.

I suppose what I’m saying is that this song is amazing. Amazing compositionally, amazingly sung and produced, quite well mixed and mastered, exciting and effective structurally. Not only that, but it’s very memorable and quite instantly catchy. In the last few days, I’ve had this in my head a surprising amount, especially the part at 1:32. Both- no, all four of you, are very talented. This is an epic project, and it feels massive and impressive in scale.

I find this track extremely "grabbing". The simple, uplifting melodies and chord progressions are fantastic and well executed, and another aspect that I find so important to how I analyze this track, is the sheer size of it all. You’ve got four singers, fully written lyrics, multiple instruments (most or all of which were physically recorded, I imagine. I mean, you could have used a piano VST or something, but it doesn’t sound like it to me.) The obvious amount of effort that has gone into this, even at a glance, was almost reason enough for me to swing in favor of your track. I suppose there were some things that held me back, like a few production nitpicks. But other than that, this is an incredibly solid, near flawless piece; and I love it!

The lyrics, once again, are really good. In my opinion, they weren’t as strong as in The Prodigal. I felt perhaps that some of the single syllable words covering multiple notes were a little unnatural, like “may our feet be-e” for example, but not terribly so. That’s a nitpick if there ever was one, haha. I definitely enjoyed a lot of the harmonies more and I think in general the *vocals* (as opposed to lyrics) themselves were stronger. They were clearer, and in general fit more appropriately into the mix. There were a few moments where I thought they should be a little louder, but honestly… no instances of this are worth mentioning. The levels in general are great!

The mix in general is great as well. There is almost nothing that sticks out to me as out of place, too soft or too loud. I suppose the snare might be a little loud in the quieter parts, such as 01:44 to 02:10, but just *barely*. The mastering is strong and transparent, and the song feels pretty even across the spectrum. There’s even a bunch of nice stereo stuff going on as well, lots of small subtleties that are absolutely gorgeous… especially when I actively pay attention to them. It’s too easy to tune that stuff out for me nowadays, because unless I’m actively analyzing a song I miss a lot of the small stuff like that. Great work!

There’s so much to praise about this song, and so little to criticize. Despite some difficult decisions and how close everything was, I definitely think this track deserved to win. I think Midi’s did as well, so I guess I’m glad that one of them won, lol. I guess it came down to some subjectivism and some going with my gut.

Overall an amazing song, from some amazing people. You two dudes make an amazing team. Congratulations on First Place!

bassfiddlejones responds:

Geoplex, thanks a ton man. We've really enjoyed your reviews and your levelheadedness about the whole competition. I'm also really happy we could impress someone with a huge EDM background! I agree the lyrics weren't as strong as our previous piece - they did not come as naturally and I had to work out a few parts painstakingly over a few days (lyrics are hard man!) - but I'm still pretty happy with them (though the syllable things are something Josh and I went back and forth about for a fair amount of time, haha). Like I mentioned below, Josh was able to use his studio monitors/room to mix this, so I think the vocals came out a little clearer. Also, my wife singing the main melody provided a different range that kind of soars above mix a little more easily than my own vocals do.

Thanks a ton man for the score and feedback, we're super excited to take first place in our first year competing ! :D look for more from us in the future!

(oh, and yes everything was recorded live except the drums and piano. The piano is actually a mix of two VST's that give it a really natural feel)

[~Fore~ In The Depths]

This is an NGADM 2015 Review.

This is a really nice, chill house track. Reminds me a lot of OcularNebula. Unfortunately, despite good production and some enjoyable chords, the length of your track really brought it down in the end.

I really like a lot about it, though; especially the crisp, clean percussion and heavy bass. The sidechaining is nice as well. Great atmospheric work through reverb, nice lead sounds, honestly great stuff. I feel this track could have been a lot, with some more structure and length, obviously. It’s hard to judge it on anything more than its production in its current form, though, unfortunately. To your credit, as mentioned, the production is really good :P

8.5/10 (my score in the thread is wrong, sorry. I think it wasn’t changed because doing so wouldn’t have actually change the outcome.)

[Can't Be (ft. Popushi)]

This is an NGADM 2015 Review.

So this song is pretty unique, at least in comparison to the other entries in the contest. I almost want to give you a ton of points simply for that fact, as it definitely stands out and despite some interesting production decisions, it sounds really good! It’s snappy and clean, great production in general; the vocal processing is really quite good and melodically it’s an enjoyable experience. Your general structure is great as well, you balance the song well between chorus and breakdown.

Some potential negative points were partially that I felt the vocals might have needed more reverb, especially later into the song. There are parts (like around 1:21) where they sound absolutely fine, but others where they sound a little dry to me. i can understand not wanting to hurt their clarity, though. The lyrics might also be a little repetitive for how few there are, and there are some points in which I felt the highs may have been a little harsh. Speaking of highs, I felt the song was a little spectrally imbalanced, possibly lacking mids a little. I didn’t analyze it though, so I could be off about that. It does feel pretty top-heavy, though Other than that, there aren’t really any flaws worth mentioning.

Moving onto more positive aspects, I find the high-mids on your kick to be amazing. They’re so brutally clean, and it’s really nice to listen to. The entire song is extremely clean. Very transparent mastering.

Nice work dude :)

9.15/10 (my score in the thread is wrong, sorry. I think it wasn’t changed because doing so wouldn’t have actually change the outcome.)

[Vintage Cinema]

This is an NGADM 2015 Review.

Damn, dude. This is quite impressive. I’m really enjoying how appropriately you’ve nailed the feel implied by the song’s title :) It’s not necessarily moving, but it’s damn impressive. The strings themselves (for the most part) sound great, the subtleties in the quieter sections are enjoyed and appreciated, and I love how this piece moves melodically! Great transitions, kept me listening. Compositionally speaking it’s fantastic.

There are some small gripes I have, partially to do with mixing and reverb. I felt that at some points, (for example, 0:22 to 0:23 and 2:14) you had individual string notes that were just too loud for the frequency they were in - they were somewhat overwhelming all the way up there in the mid-highs. It wasn’t so much that they hurt my ears or anything, more that they stood out of the mix and damaged the flow of everything a little. Other than that, though, the general sound and ADSR of the strings is fairly good. There aren’t really any points where I’m questioning an unnatural attack sound, though that could be from my lack of exposure to many analogues of this song.

Moving to reverb - I mostly just think that you need more, but especially regarding the voice/solo choir sound you have later on (around 1:50). I know this kind of sound is a staple in the kind of feel you’re attempting, so I might be better not to question it - but I feel it would have been more effective in the mix were you to make it louder and give it some more noticeable reverb. Bit of a nitpick on my end, though. I suppose other than that I felt it was a little quieter than it could have been.

I like the composition a lot. You’ve sort of got this blend of tragedy and mystery, and it’s extremely dramatic. Definitely what you were going for, I can imagine. Fantastic work :P

9.1/10 (my score in the thread is wrong, sorry. I think it wasn’t changed because doing so wouldn’t have actually change the outcome.)

[The Prodigal]

This is an NGADM 2015 Review.

Everyone’s been praising this as the best song in the competition so far, and I can’t say I disagree. I think there are a lot of other entries that are right up there with it, but this one definitely stands out; and it’s one of the few songs that I keep coming back to in this year’s contest. I’ve had this one in my head a *lot*, actually. Not gonna lie.

The thing I like the most about this song is it feels ambitious. It feels like you didn’t take the easy way out. The composition is awesome. Like, stand-out awesome. The production is good - I think there are some points that stand out as a little weak, but it’s absolutely strong and a cut above most. The lyrics are… actually really good, which I find surprising more often than I should I suppose. They’re great!

I love the percussion. It has impact, which is *definitely* something I look for, coming from a fairly EDM heavy perspective myself. I feel the kick was a little dull, especially in louder sections. but it did the job pretty well, especially in the intro where it was prominent and awesome :P. I feel also that the lack of hats/cymbals in the song actually did it a lot of good, it helped to emphasize a powerful, epic, cinematic feel that drives the song really well.

Speaking in a more general production sense - I think you did a good job; but the vocals might be a little loud and could do with some highpass. I also feel the song didn’t have enough high-end in general, though it wasn’t necessarily damaged by its spectral dullness. The rest of the spectrum is generally good, bass has appropriate presence. The mids are strong, but apart from the vocals I don’t actually think they’re too much. Obviously transparent mastering, which sounds great. The song is pretty loud.

Your instrumentation and composition are the stand-out points in my opinion. It’s catchy, memorable, and enjoyable. As I’ve said, this has been in my head a fair bit lately. Even without the exciting double-time section, this track stands the hell out. You didn’t even have to make that part, and this song still would have been a winner. But you did, and it wins even harder, lol. I like that you kept everything relatively simple. It didn’t get repetitive and as a consequence, it’s hugely memorable. You guys are also clearly great singers, more so than I expected!

I really like this song, and I don’t actually like this kind of music. This is the first song I’ve ever heard in this style that I’ve enjoyed, and I enjoyed it a lot, and I think that definitely says something.

Also, this gave me a Firefly vibe initially. I know it's obvious as to why, but it's still special to me.

9.55/10 (my score in the thread is wrong, sorry. I think it wasn’t changed because doing so wouldn’t have actually change the outcome.)

bassfiddlejones responds:

Geoplex, I always look forward to your reviews. It's a huge compliment that you enjoyed something in a genre for the first time and we're the ones who wrote it! We worked hard on the percussion to get that impactful sound, glad it came through. And thank you for your comment on the lyrics, this was my first time ever writing lyrics for a song, and I think I'll try to keep it up! (and I totally get a Firefly vibe from this too, haha. The first version had a violin in the intro that felt very Firefly but we changed a lot of things)