MaestroSorrow's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Jazzy Solo]

Sweet

This is such a soft, gentle piece Soundshifter. I gotta be honest man, for battle of the bands? Don't they want highly energetic, crowd tearing apart kinda music? This is going to make people sway back and forth, hug each other and so forth. With vocals this is an excellent EXCELLENT piece.

I could hear some laid back percussionals to this, like triangle ping, maybe a wind or gentle rain sfx... man the thought gives me shivers...

otherwise really laid back and sweet. I needed a song like this, calm my nerves down. 5/5 from me SoundShifter, i'd like to invite you to listen to a piece of mine sometime ^^. Keep them coming!

Soundshifter responds:

thank you so much MaestroSorrow. i was thinking of making a full band-ish version.. which i probably will, and I'll let you know. as for the BOTBs part.. i played a similar piece last year and because it wasn't super heavy but percise.. they gave me first place lol. man thanks again :)

[The Fall and Rise of a He]

Impressive...

Hey General_Leo.

I decided to take a trip on down to your page, to see what you were up to. I feel you have alot of potential, and hearing this song, I have reaffirmed my initial thoughts.

The melodic line is really something else, I don't think i've ever really heard anything like it before.

That really fast flute trill playing in the background near the beginning of the snare segment, was quite fascinating. I realize that should it have been made louder, it may actually serve to create chaos in an otherwise fairly organized piece, so I am glad you kept it at the volume you did.

The piano's melody was what I refer to when I say it is really something else.

The flute near the beginning, before the snares, that was very pleasant also.

Lets think of some suggestions...

Well I don't think I heard spiccato strings, and I really think some short string stabs in the background playing along with melody, especially around that brass would have made it a tad bit more epic. Like for example, I felt that if you had spiccato strings instead of that piano melody when the snares came in, it may have served a great purpose, especially if you layered it with another octave of the same melody.

I swear there's a choir in there somewhere, but in the orderly chaos I cannot hear it properly, I hear it in the end when it's dying out with that piano, but I feel that is not nearly loud enough to give the song any real distinctive choir attribute.

Overall I am very very pleased with this piece General_Leo, I knew you had a flare for this kind of stuff, and it really showed through this piece. Great stuff.

easily a 5/5 from me, keep them coming!

LoneEagle responds:

Hey Maestro, i guess you beat me to it... i didn't really have a chance of sending you that PM lol.

The very fast flute was very hard to make. It was one of the final things i added to the song. Seemed to me like the brass and piano wouldn't make it alone and that it needed a litte something extra in the background.

The piano melody is really something else? In what way i'd like to know... i find it quite basic you know, just to give the song some structure and order.

You are right about the spicatto strings... hmm is spicatto the same as "pizzicato" strings? Cause i tried to put some pizzicato strings in there but i couldn't find the place.

Yes there is a choir in this, i can hear it pretty clearly from my speakers though. There is choir in the scond half of the song between the 2 brass segments and also at the end like you mentioned.

I am very pleased also with how this song turned out. Lol i don't have a "flare" for this... watch out!! it's an orchestral piece!
*shoots flare gun and calls for help

Thanks alot for the vote/review and especially the nice comments :D

[G0RtH & G-Rave - Dark Harmon1x]

Impressive

damn fine! Both of you did an incredible job. I really liked it. Sounds pretty phat, I assume that was G-Rave's doing, the man's a phat loving bastard ;).

The melody worked damn fine, everything flowed perfectly. I have little to say about this song that doesn't classify as ranting. SO yeah, i'll stop here.

Easily a 5/5 from me. Good work guys.

G0RtH responds:

Wow.... Thanks ^_^

[smooth house]

Neat.

hello Gobrowns1

I can see that you're abundent experience in making ambiant music has leaked out to this song. This song sounds much more ambiant then house, I think increasing the tempo, and mixing it up melodic wise, making that kick louder would have been good starts to making it a great house song.

The percussional beat was good, not the best, but pretty fine.

I'm sorry if these suggestions don't make any sense, i'm dominent in instrumental music myself, so I don't really know as much about house and electronic music as mich as I would like to.

The melody was a tad bland, thats what made me think that ambiant over house, for sure you need better melodies.

I would like to ask you to listen to my new track under the alias MaestroRage
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/view.php?id=1714459

That is one of my better melodic tracks, I hope you'll listen and see what I mean. I'm not saying this song needs melody like that, but I do feel a better melodic lead would be better.

I'm fiving these songs, their scores are too low for what I feel they are worth.

Keep them coming gobrowns1

gobrowns1 responds:

thx dude... i kind of rushed this song... i know the melodey could be better...not housish enough...im working on some new " lounge " it be out in a few days i hope you check it out

[Lava Pirahna - Tribal Rock]

Neat

Hey DSMagnum.

Quite a song you have up here. I like the guitars, but I wonder, if adding more distortion to them would be better. The guitars sound like Hyper Canvas VST. Am I correct?

I like the feel of the song, flows quite well, and if i'm not mistaken it loops pretty good too.

The song feels a tad empty though, I would have liked to hear some kind of background support, either from strings, or some pads, just to fill in the silence you know.

Have you also considered using the reverb effects? I think the reverb would have worked great in this song.

Still excellent piece. May I ask you to listen to my new track under the alias MaestroRage
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/view.php?id=1714459
I used reverb alot in that piece, I hope you will see the kind of effects reverb can have on songs.

4/5 from me DSMagnum, keep them coming!

DSMagnum responds:

The guitars are some that I made from a preset guitar in Garageband. I have tried adding distortion, but that would mean I would have to give something up. I could try something though.

As for background support, I only really focused on the drums and the bass. Those were the only things I was concerned about. I'll consider that in my next piece.

I have used reverb before, but I rarely have it very high. I normally keep the echo and reverb in my songs low.

About your new piece, I saw it the other day, and I quite liked it. I'll drop a review for you.

Thanks for the wonderful review! I'll keep what you said at mind.

[Tribute To Ali]

Neat

wow, I would think that you despise this girl? Such a dark song tribute.

I really liked that booming kick in the song, it really gave an intense feeling.

I really liked the intro to this piece, before you introduced the synths, the synths removed a good deal of fear from the song, but not because of the melody it played, but I think because of the sound it gave. It was too "high" in my opinion.

I also think using effects like reverb, and flanger on those synths playing the melodies would have made it something else entirely!

Overall a good song, you did quite a few things I would never have though to do with FL studio, but there is is for you!

I would like you to listen to track under the alias MaestroRage
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/view.php?id=1714459

I have used the reverb effect in that song a great deal, I would like you to hear what it can do, and why I think you should have more of it in this track.

5/5 from me, keep them coming.

sente3 responds:

lol, yeah you would think I despised her, but i dont. She just wanted me to make a song for her so I did. Anyway she said that ,overall, she likes it excpect the fact tha its sorta goth but thats ok because its one of my best works, so she has a good song tributed to her. And I have to aggree that the beggining was very well done and I'm happy with the effects tha i dont usualy use.

[Back Into the Womb]

Damn fine.

It's amazing, i'm finding so many real performers on Newgrounds lately. A great boon I am sure.

I keep wondering, what effect are you putting on your vocals? It seems like a flanger type of effect, but I could be wrong, i'm just curious as I wish to learn vocal work as well.

I don't listen to nearly enough heavy metal, so i'm afraid I don't have any constructive words for you, but I did enjoy this track a lot.

Awesome stuff, 5/5 from me. Keep them coming!

FUNKbrs responds:

Thanks man. As for the effect, it was a really weird type of flange. I completely forgot what kind it was, though, sorry.

[SWITCHBLADE]

Awesome

Brilliant song. I don't normally listen to Ska, but this track is really something else.

The vocals are brilliantly clear, a problem faced by many here who try to use vocals in their songs.

Is the brass live performed as well?! I seriously think you guys should go to a record dealer and talk with them, you have an amazing song here. I am sorry to hear that you guys broke up, truly, when such talent goes away, the world loses out.

I have absolutely nothing to add or remove from this song, so i'll stop here.

easily a 5/5 from me. Good luck to all your futures.

[Kheni - Waltz]

Impressive.

Hey KimKen.

I noticed nobody wrote a review for this piece, and it's too good a piece to let go uncommented on. So here we go.

Now first off i'd like to make it clear I have never composed a waltz, and so i'm afraid I have no idea if my comments will be valid, but here they are for you.

I liked the melody, it flows very good, without much disturbance.

I wonder if those snare? hits in the background are necessary. I hardly hear them, and personally I didn't quite find a good use for them in the song.

Around 1:08, the melody took some nice twists, I thought it was going to be dark at first (as the first three notes would suggest), but it became happy again. Now that was strange.

Around 1:35 I thought the song was going to pick up the pace, as the breakdown would suggest, i'm not saying it's bad you didn't, but that was the impression I got from that segment, and the notes that followed shortly after the breakdown were quite fast, so yes, misguiding.

GREAT use of the tremelo strings. I love trem strings, and you've used them greatly around 1:36 I believe.

I don't know if choirs go into waltz pieces, but I imagined one in here anyways, and it wasn't bad per say, I wouldn't add it, but it gave it a neat effect.

I don't really have much to add to this song KimKen, it's excellent, 5/5 from me again.

Kimken responds:

Thanks for the long review Sorrow :). Yeah, this is actually my first waltz, just tried to make something out of an idea I got while composing..

The snares were meant not to be heard so much, just to be some kind of background thing while the song plays its melodies.

The tremolo part was actually the only part I was really serious, not that I just fumbled through the entire piece :D, but yeah.

Yeah, being short on ideas right now. May take a while to upload a new one.

Thanks again!

/Kheni

[Kim - Peaceful Village]

Damn fine!

Hey Kimken.

It's been a while since you submitted huh!? I'm quite glad you did, I always enjoy your tunes.

That piano(harpischord I believe) intro was pretty neat, nice smooth melody, but I wonder if maybe the intro moved a tad too fast. It held together, but a little shakily in my opinion. I'm not saying it failed, i'm just saying it came close ;). I think it may have been those few string plucks before the bulk was introduced, I feel if you removed those entirely, it might make the introduction to the song smoother.

You know i've never EVER been able to use the "ooh" choir, i'm glad somebody was FINALLY able to, it gave me some ideas on how to use it myself, maybe i've been too biased against it (It's just I don't ever see people going "ooh" at the pieces I submit).

I liked those spiccato strings, they were in the background, but they did good work.

The melody didn't seem to change that much, but that is understandable, this is a great ambiant, laid back track.

Some suggestions.

I didn't hear a flute anywhere! Why was there no flute T-T? I could imagine a flute in this scene so damn perfectly. Now you've made me shed tears.

>:(

I joke, I jest, I jibe.

I wonder how a nice deep cello would have effected this piece. I think it may have added a tad bit more depth.

Regardless, excellent song KimKen, i'm glad to see you submitting again.

I would also like to ask you to listen to a new track I have made. I have decided to start submitting again under the alias MaestroRage.

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/view.php?id=1714459

5/5 from me Kimken, keep them coming!

Kimken responds:

Hello Maestro! :)

I agree that the first harpsichord notes doesn't fit in this version.. i have another version of this where the main melody is played by an accoustic guitar and it sounds a bit better..

I started composing this piece as a midi, because i think it is much easier to detail the harmonies making midis. After i finished the midi i imported it to another music program and added virtual intruments and didn't put volume/pan/reverb/etc so detailed (made it very fast).

Yet again you give an honest and good review. So thank you and please check by every now and then.

Regards
Kim