MaestroSorrow's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Starforce - Boss Battle]

Classic oldie.

I love Kefka, he's an evil guy (We are thinking of the same Kefka right?)

I'm not going to give you a great big list of suggestions, because this is a fairly old piece, and your skills have increased greatly since.

So I will give you my initial reaction, what you did good.

The intense piano speed was catchy and fun to listen to. The bass in the background really did some good, I don't think I hear this kind of bass in some of your newer songs, I think you should, it definatly adds flavour.

When the high pitched pad came in, t'was amazing, I loved that soft melody.

I've noticed that in all your songs, you have a GREAT variety of sounds, lots of external flavour, and this you've managed to keep up throughout all your pieces. This in my opinion is as important as melody, having different instruments convey different emotions and images is what can make or break a song.

Volume levels were good.
Track placement were good.

5/5 keep them coming.

LoneEagle responds:

Lol, yes we are talking about the same kefka, but Starforce is a game on the NES where all the bosses name's were alpha, beta, delta, gamma, etc. That's why i threw in that kefka one in there.

Yes i add alot of "flavours" in my songs cause i hate repetitive stuff (especially rap and hip-hop where a 5 secs loop becomes a 4 minutes song). I have to put constant changes, something new in my songs or else i will personally not like the song.
Thanks for your resourceful review.

[Mega Man X2 - Flame Stag]

Another great.

The intro was quick and neat, the way I like it!

The saw near the beginning in my opinion could be altered to another instrument, or thrown ot all together, it doens't flow with the rest of the song. Because your jumping from a peaceful melody to a dark tense emotion, too quickly.

The pads and the rest of the melody however I nearly killed somebody over, was very pleasent... which makes you question why I would have killed somebody over it.

I think I heard a slight play on the pitch nob at one point, that worked out pretty well.

The saw instrument seems to work later in the song, its just the intro I think it could be done without.

The ending was so relaxing and peaceful, perfect ending.

Volume levels were great.
Track Placement was also great.

5/5, keep them coming or die.

LoneEagle responds:

Finally i'm done answering all your reviews, it wasn't a pain, but it was longer then i had expected.

Anyways, yea there's a little play on the pitch witch was a first for me. The saw intrument, i know what you mean, it kind of didn't have it's place in the beginning part. After a fast paced crazy song like this, you gotta have the peaceful ending.

I put alot of time to have good volume levels. It goes on an average of exporting my song about 6-8 times to check that every instrument is heard properly.

Thanks you for your time and all your great reviews!

[Like a Bullet trough Life]

Amazing.

I wouldn't say its too hip-hop, I instantly classified it in my brain as classic or classic rock. The melody for the piano is really something great.

In fact I feel this can even be catagorized as trance, if you add a synth pad to it.

Especially when the guitar kicks in. You used a bell or something of that nature when the guitar was going off, it really added some flavour to the piece.

I can understand that because you tried to make a hip-hop piece you utizlied the same melody again and again, as it doesn't make much sense to keep changing it up in that genre.

Also I forgot to mention the other guitar that supports the other guitar, towards the end of the song I believe. At first I thought it was some kind of brass horn, but then I listened some more and realized what it was.

Had my head swaying all the way.

Sorry Leo, you've failed at making it hip-hop (in my opinion), however this tune still is amazing! Then again, every bird learns to fall before they learn to fly, keep at it man, this was a great step.

Volume levels were great.
Track placement was also well done.

5/5 keep them coming.

LoneEagle responds:

The melody is what started it all. That's how 95% of my songs start. I have and old Yamaha PSR-6 keybord that i play on to find good melodies. I usually make fast paced music but when i came up with this melody i saw that it didn't fit in anything fast paced so i decided to try make it hip-hop or what not.

There are no bells in the song, it's the supporting guitar that makes this weird sound when you overlap one note over the next one. Yeah i know i failed at making this type of music, it's pretty hard to make a song when you don't listen to that type of music but hey, like you say: each song is a learning experience. Thanks for the great review.

[Finally Something good (fixed)]

Better.

Heh, much better start this time around, the intro was scrapped and you jumped right into it, good thinking.

This song has potential, but I feel you need to add more melody to it, more variaty.

Near the end it feels like its about to go into some insanity, then it kinda ends.

Good piece, I feel you should expand it.

4/5 keep them coming.

[Arcane Sanctuary 2]

Sweet arse!

This piece was rather entertaining, first I thought this was going to be a slow piece, and then it started to pick up.

Then the drums came in, and the song became MUCH greater.

It was very pleasent to hear overal.

Suggestions... hmm...

You've utilized some very interestin concepts I would not have thought of using. The ending was a little too abrupt, however up until then the piece was exceptional.

It kept me guessing and listening.

Expand for sure, i'll be here to listen to it if you do.

Keep them coming.

5/5.

Diabolo-ical responds:

You are henceforth my #1 reviewer :D

...but seriously, I appreciate this feedback, it's great. The abrupt ending to this piece was mostly due to my lack of planning. I made it as I went along, and basically ran out of ideas on how I could expand it without ruining it at tbe same time.

I'll do some experimenting sometime, and I may have an extended version up soon. Thanks for listening.

[Mega Man X2 - X-Hunter Stage]

Enjoyable.

The guitar part that kicked in was what made this song for me. The synth pads were also very well utilized, I loved them all.

The intro as Zenon pointed out, was a little strange, but it worked. I feel if you worked on it, it would work.

But I disagree when he stated make the guitar solo, I feel it works GREAT the way its used now, I feel its more of a supportive instrument the ways its used here, making it do a solo would sound a little strange.

I liked the intense speed, not something easily accomplishable.

5/5 keep them coming.

LoneEagle responds:

It's one of my pleasures to think up new melodies to add to existing songs like this one. Just to see if i can make a compatible melody. Guitar solos ain't my thing, i prefer having alot of instruments playing at one time creating something big then have just this one guitar steal the show :D

Thanks for another constructive review.

[Melody of the Past]

Good stuff.

ah I see you've gone in this direction too.

In my opinion, strings, flute, piano and choir are the most effective depressing instruments.

I have found this new choir program, one day I must send it to you, the choir idea has potential, but I know how difficult it is to find good choir sounds, in this one it sounds a little lousy, but then again, damn choir sounds are hard to come by.

It was simple, but it was entertaining. This is definatly usable in any sad situation, as it conveys the necessary emotion, yet does not GRAB the attention of its listener, only lets them swim in it.

4/5. Its not your best work now, I understand you made this a while ago, your skills today are much greater.

Keep them coming.

LoneEagle responds:

Yeah about a year ago i had made a couple of songs that had all the same "sadness" feeling to it but because i didn't have much experience back then the songs did not come out as good as i wanted them.

Yeah FL studio's choir really sucks and i have used them in this song only. That and the claps are 2 things i almost never use. Even more worst, I have just started to find new samples. I now have a good set of drums samples. Now all i need is the rest.
Thanks for reviewing, really appreciate it.

[General_Leo - Out of Order]

Will the impressive impressions end?

The intro was really something here!

After the string intro you brought in those plucked strings, that resonated a great deal. Normally I would break somebodies legs for using so much resonance, however in this instance it worked AMAZING. I see resonating pluckingness in a new light, I learned something today, thanks for that.

The drum parts could use work, yet I think all they need is to be added to, not scrapped, even that has potential to be something REALLY catchy. Keep at it, even I can't make drum beats as well as I would like to.

The piano part really did it for me, the strings supporting the piano worked well.

And then you weaved it all together, and it flowed REALLY good, without a single note clashing with any other, THAT is a feat in itself!

I didn't quite like the effect at the ending, it got a little annoying, but still, it does nothing to affect the song in any bad light.

This I believe is my favorite piece you have up here.

5/5 keep them coming or die.

LoneEagle responds:

Yeah i like that intro alot too. Yea i'm having alot of problems making drums and all. I have a bunch of projects that will never come to life because of this. I'm not patient enough to really make it perfect. At first the piano part was supposed to be used as the intro to the song but then i decided to compose something to fit the piano in the song instead of having it the other way around.

Yes weaving is what i mostly do in the majority of my songs. I like to introduce something new as the song goes so that it doesn't get too repetitive. I too think it's my best orignal (no videogame remakes included) work on here.
Thanks for the review!

[Mega Man X - Boomer Kuwanger]

Even more so impressed.

I felt the trumpet was well used, it would be enhanced if you utilized a pad or some string support to enhance the sound.

The melody of this song is really great, I adore it.

The hits were well used, I never would have thought to have orchestral hits in this piece.

My favorite parts are after the trumpet solos, those parts get me so friggen pumped, its not even funny... well it kinda is... BUT THATS BESIDE THE POINT!

I'm not a fan of fading endings, you've used it well, but I feel that if you had a drum roll that got louder and louder (perhaps 2-4 bars long), and then at the end of that, ended the song with a great crash, or iron bell, it would have worked also.

Overal concern wasn't the trumpet, it was the trumpet being solo.

Good stuff.

5/5 from me, keep them coming.

LoneEagle responds:

Thanks for the review. Yeah, i like that melody as well, it's one of the best songs from that game. Well, as opposed to you, i am a big fan of fading endings. I like to let a song go slowly, most of the time cause i don't really know how to make a song stop a the perfect moment. Yeah i know about the trumpets whereas parts of the song seems more empty then others. I'll work on that towards my next song.

[Credits Roll]

Impressed.

Easily usable in any situation, I don't think its only credits. Its got a very tense and energetic feel to it, it can be used in fighting scenes, grand epic wars, OR like you said, in credits ^^.

Now enough with the "ZOMG I LUV IT" rant, on ONTO the review!

The beat was solid, it definatly kept the piece together.

That heavily resonating guitar was well used.

The pads you introduce are well placed, though the last one you introduce got a bit too loud, overpowering the rest of the instruments.

You used the same melody, however by adding new instruments and pads over it, you've made it far less repetitive, good planning on your part, I do likewise for a lot of my pieces.

Any and all other suggestions I have would drastically alter the song itself, and therefore do not apply to this song.

5/5, keep them coming or die >:D.

LoneEagle responds:

Ok, ok. I don't want to die. It's not my favorite song. That's why i didn't see it as great battle or fight scene, but more of an intro or a credits roll song.

Even if your suggestion drastically change the song, it would have still been good to hear your input and how you would have your spin on it.

Thanks for the review.