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

[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!

[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!

[Final Battle]

How did I miss this?

This is your best, imo - it's overall awesome. I love the melodies, the percussion is clean, and it has your signature guitar thingy.

This seems to happen a lot with loops, but I ended up listening to this like 4-5 times without realizing it'd looped :P That's always a good sign.

I actually love this one ^.^

K-Pone responds:

I'd rather say that organ-like synth is my signature (it's in here as well ;) ), but yes, you could be right, the guitar is also quite often there in my songs. By the way I discovered that awesome guitar preset by applying random guitar presets to the guitar track of the MIDI version of the Final Fantasy 6 battle theme. Sounds almost like here. Thanks for the review.

[Origin (DJ M4C Remix)]

Liking the variation ^.^

I was really excited to see what you'd do with this, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. As I've said, my favorite parts are typically where you're changing stuff up (that might be because I'm a bit sick of the original, but still :P)

I also really like what you did with the final crescendo before the last chorus, it's a bit boring in the original and you made it a lot more interesting. Plus, I like the restraint on the percussion once said chorus starts, it's always a technique I've approved of.

Overall awesome job man, best of luck in the contest! :D

ChasingPresence responds:

Thanks to the original creator, I mean how would I make this without the stellar original! Thanks for the review man :)

[Not From Realground]

Really improved percussion.

I'm noticing the quality of the drums is a lot higher than in your other songs here - not necessarily mixing-wise (as they're a bit muffled) but they're so much more powerful. I think the kick could be punchier, but it's pretty good as it is. The hats also aren't all scratchy like mine usually are, so there's that too :P

Obviously as you said, it isn't very melodically diverse - but it doesn't sound bad, and I still quite like it. I'm mostly enjoying this for its power, because seriously - it's by far the most powerful thing I've heard from you. The sliding lead later in is also really cool - I'm not sure why you think the melody is weak, because I really like it. Loving the piano bits too; they're great.

I was a little disappointed by how generic the supersaw arp-thing is, it's a kind of basic 3xosc-sounding thing. It doesn't sound bad, I just feel like I've heard the sound a billion times before. Love the gritty background saw a lot, though. It subtly drives the song.

I felt a little disappointed by the ending, as it kinda faded off into a whimper. It felt appropriate, but not very satisfying.

Minor flaws and repetition aside, I like this one a lot. I know what it's like to feel unsatisfied with a track - praise feels undeserved - but you shouldn't be surprised when this one does well :P

I like it a lot :3

Alloud responds:

Yeah, I generally don't do things with any oomph, but I was inspired to do so. As for that melody... well I still don't really like it, I had something way better in mind at one point but by the time I got home I'd forgotten it. Dx

Also lol, it really is just a basic saw made in Zeta, I didn't think I'd need anything more complex. I just needed it to stand out from when I saw-gated it in the quieter bits. I was going to use more complex arpeggios throughout but I shifted my focus from that, for better or for worse.

Yes, the ending could have been more. I just wanted it to loop easily if I cut out the intro.

Yeah I hear you. Usually I'm still excited to put something out but with this one I just wanted to get it out of the way. Maybe that's what having multiple projects at once does to me. xD

Cheers for the feedback!