MadMath's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-Gravitation-]

He he...

My hero ! :)
Able to construct a nice succession of melodies on the duration, without using brutal breaksor obvious transitions. Well done.
A good diversity of melodies here, still perfectly constructed and caracterised by this natural gift of yours in the linearity and precision.
I appreciated a lot the modulation at the end, great way to finish a song.

Be careful nonetheless not to fall into caricature. Cause at one moment with only violins and piano playing this kind of sentimental melody, we are close to ;)
Another thing that is maybe a little too obvious and annoying, in my opinion is the ending on the main theme (at the end of the each 4 parts of it), the last note which is supposed to relaunch the next part of the theme, is a bit too pronounced (cause you play several in the same time) and still the same. See what I mean ? Maybe a bit too binar and could break the atmosphere by bringing too much concretism (ok, I go far in my ideas :D).

Other than that (which is really very subjective, and more an affair of tastes), perfect structure here again, I'm jealous you can hold a song on more than 5 minutes that way. And still an homogeneous choice of all your instruments. Cool atmosphere.
Great job once again.

ChronoNomad responds:

Wow, I hardly even know where to start with a response to such an abundant review...

I guess first off I'll go with the instruments. Yeah, I know that I use a lot of similar instruments in my songs. I like what I like, but I do try to mix things up at least a little bit from piece to piece. I guess I generally feel like as long as I'm creating an original melody/harmony it can compensate for any possible lack of instrumental diversity.

I guess I could have switched up the ending of the main theme, but...well...that's just not how it happened. True story. Still, I do see what you're saying and I shall keep it in mind for future compositions. Music is like a story; it needs to have a natural progression to keep the audience entertained. A few note changes here and there could do that even better.

Thanks so much for yet another incredible in-depth review! I can still keep folks entertained for over five minutes, so I must be doing something right. :D

[The Ballad of Diamonds Droog]

Great

That's super !
Very nice work on the voice. And good use of all the techniques, between whispering, rapping, sometimes kind of singing, everything in a theatrical way. That's really an original piece of work and I like the way you are able to detach yourself from the music, and how you sometimes stick back to it.

I remark that you always make a perfect choice of songs, quite varied, but here perfectly appropriate.
A big respect for the overall of your work, using your voice and writing texts is impressive. Bravo, nothing bad to say about it.

[Clockwork Chorus]

Not bad

Not your best though !
Here, you really shouldn't have sung while copying the melody, cause particularly in this song, this small melody could make a perfect countermelody, and you would have gain a lot by incrustating a new melody (made by voice) over it.
This song is perfect for an ambiance, and you have free possibilities here, so don't hesitate ! Just do it, and create your own theme.

Another thing to improve, in my opinion, or which could bring a plus : in the same direction actually, a work on polyphonia. With voices it's easy to make great harmonies. I heard you did it at one moment, but it was a bit shy :)

So for me, I've got the feeling that you don't dare to make something really personal, maybe by fear of disnaturating the original, or cause you are not sure. But you shouldn't hesitate !
Take advantage of having a song in which the melody is not really pronounced and go on !

[The Devil Key]

A bit flat

It's too similar on the long time.
The rhythm you use, is the same all the song long ! And for both the bass and the main melody (and even sub-bass). Next to that, the notes, in the rythm are the same too, so after 1 minute, we are still waiting for a start.
Funny ascent at the end, and finally(!), the melody goesdemarks itself from the bass !

So I'd advice you to bring more variety in the song. Cause changing octava, modulating a bit your drums or playing with effects is not enough to break the monotony that starts to install itself. The duration of the song is good, in this view.
Overall it's listenable, and everything is quite correct on an independent way (and even superposed, just a bit boring), with some changes, it could make a nice song.

That's not particularly nice from me, but it's honest and encouraging ! 7 and 3

BurnedVirus responds:

Wow. Thanks alot. Ima try to work on what you said.

[Titanic_loop_remix]

erm.

Not really cool...
Too arpeggiated, and out of tone sometimes.
The drums are super cliché, and that's not really pleasing.
Actually the whole thing sounds really caricatured, and I guess it's not really wanted unfortunately (I listened to your other songs, and the your instruments sound quite similar - but don't sound as cliché as here).

Some points for the coherence (cause yes, it is coherent and homogeneous, obviously, even if it's not in a way that I like !), and the funny idea :)
Actually it's a bit amusing, but not enough, and the problem is that I can't decide if it was done intentionnaly or not, and the fact I'm wondering is a problem, cause it significate that if it was the aim, it's not really a success ;)

So just ok.

[ReleaseTheBass [Dubstyle DJ-J]]

Nice

Original enough to be remarked and give the envy to leave a review on it :)
Indeed, the kick is not loud enough for what you aimed, but for me it's not a bad thing... It already sounds a bit distorted and I don't think it should be changed.

My remark would be on the snare :D It's a strong one and it's a good point. But I guess you would gain to make it clearer, sharper, really trenchant, and cutting from all the song, even exagerated. You already got the spirit, but personally I would have pushed it to the extreme. Cause with all those bass you need something that can soar and fly above all.

Nice structure nonetheless, cool changes in the theme. And a very good use of all your accompagnment instruments. Your effect/noise (what is it ?) on 0:15 and 0:22 is awesome. A nice and original piece of work overall. Good job.

PS : I didn't got the opportunity to say it to you, but I prefered the preview of something's quiet now to the original. ;)

[03 - Dark side of the Universe]

Awesome atmosphere

Great job sir !
Certainly the most talkative part of the story of Captain Galaxy.

Good and original, very powerful, no soaring melody or whatever, except this high line which accentuate the insanity of the atmosphere in which we are dived.
Effective and heavy synths, perfect use of the echo, as much as the bell. The drums are originally constructed but suit well to the rest. You could just change the percussive instruments cause, in my opinion, they don't have enough personality. But nonetheless everything contributes to the dramatic and evil ambient. A very good job on density which is totally filled. Very nice structure of all voices with a great superposition.

Finally, it's kind of creepy ! And that's awesome.

Maybe a bit too repetitive, and maybe another ending could have brought a plus in the song. It's too sudden while not being enough if you wanted to cut it this way.
Great job. 9/10 5/5 and fav.

T-balt responds:

Thanks MadMath,
you're right, my kick and snare are too simple, not enough personnal,
Another ending would be great too, my song is too repetitive as you said
maybe someone could make a remix of this song, it would be great ! If you want so you are welcome !
And keep submitting some good songs, i like your style !

[My Illusion]

Nice song

Soft and smooth ambient song. Though the occupation of the space is definitely here, and even a bit too pronounced maybe. So it sometimes sounds a bit too chaotic cause of the superposition of all your long notes, the reverb and the succession of accords at piano.

Next to that, the main issue is on the brutality of the chaining of all the different cells. It's each time really sudden. Even in the very beginning at 0:16, your ascent is cut as if it was shot down in its race. Think about adding a lil cymbal or something like that to the arrival. I'm sure some nice soft percussion transitions would make a great effect and prepare for your next melodic line.

A last thing I didn't really like or understood is the acceleration in the end, I guess you changed your tempo at 1:08, and like the rest, a bit too suddenly ;)

So, finally, I really liked this little song, melodic and apeasing (even if it doesn't lack of rhythms), particularly the very beginning which is really the best part in my opinion. Anyway, nice melodies, nice arrangements and accompagnement, a good variety through all the song (which doesn't need to be extended in my opinion, it's really good as it is).
Good job ! (and forgive my bad english)

AshleyAlyse responds:

I am so glad you reviewed this song. I find your opinion very helpful. :) I appreciate it and I thank you very much for the wonderful review. :)

[John, It's Showtime]

Awesome !

5, 10 and fav for this awesome and funny work on the song.

You've got a peculiar way of singing. Ha ha, that's absolutely fantastic, and that suits totally perfectly to the music. Great lyrics, great way to throw them on this short song. I'm sure it's hard to deliberately sing with a delayed flow and trying not to be too melodious while still being.
It's an awesome work you gave here, and you are all very good.
The result is really of high quality, and i salute the success of such an exercise (even if I got the feeling that you are used to do such songs.)

Also, great job on those littles parts in the middle and the end where you just talk after the big 8bit noises, that is contributing to the humor and made me even laugh.

Another point which is noticeable and that gives evidence of your great job is your choice in the parts of the song that must have been sang, talked, or used as ambient to install your background noises and kind of theatrical actions.

I guess there is nothing to improve on the song. Yes actually, one thing, turning the volume of the song a little up, cause it's a bit erased by your loud voices. It's not disturbing for the fight 8bit sounds, cause it breaks with the song, but I guess you should try to lower your voices.

For your next songs, just a clue : you are not forced to sing the same melody as the main theme, and using the voice as another melodic line is sometimes really benefic, giving the song a bit more density. No problem here, it is really perfect. Super original and well done.

Bezbozny responds:

I'm glad you mentioned the volume and the "...not forced to sing the same as the melody" thing. I was actually thinking about both of those and I'm glad I'm not the only one. Could you please weigh in on my other homestuck songs too?

[Baron Harkonnen]

You definitely got a problem with this guy ;)

Bah, I can understand. He is so sexy.

Nice work on diversity this time. Really better than the last one in my opinion.
You must have spent a lot of time choosing your instruments, cause they all really sound different, but participate to an entire madness ambient, and make a real entity.
So here, the 3'30 are justified. Good job on phaser and stereo, which contribute to the ambient crazyness. Very nice chainings of all different cells without using traditionnal transitions or break such as the acceleration of a particular rhythmic for example.

So overall I'd say it's a good insane-ambient-industrial-dubstep-non linear song.
And I don't know if you changed the woobl but it's perfectly suiting the rest.
Special bravo on the last minute, with changes in drums and a nice superposition of "melodies" leading to a total chaos (but not off-puting).
Amazing choice of instruments.

AliceMako responds:

Perhaps i do, he used to be underwear model good looking before the reverend mother mohiam cursed him with irreversible morbid obesity as thanks for raping her. But i rather like him regardless, a literally larger then life character :3

Anyhoo, your commentary was a big help so you helped make this happen.

The only thing i left standing as is was the backing synths, everything ellse got an overhaul i.e took it from four drum patterns up to nine seperate ones and for the latter half of the track combined them in pairs of two, so that's nine individual ones as well as eighteen different combos? Dunno i'm poor at math myself so x3

I allso swapped samples and messed with the pitch of each individual one, partly to reduce overal volume which i allso did manually in the mixer so as to avoid having to crank up the level for the bass which would have landed me in audio clipping hell as i found out as i went along, and well, to have them fit together better then in the previous attempt.

(there was actually some variation going on in there but as you pointed out, it just came across as being overly loud and i have to admit hearing it back after giving it a rest, i couldn't tell the difference between the patterns anymore either)

I hooked up both basses to a sounddestruction unit to add grime and loudness, i cut up the inital patterns i used and after matching it up with the drums i recorded a new lfo manipulation manually to get the wobble to interact a bit more meaningfully/expressively with the beat as you more or less suggested was possible and indeed, they have a bit of stereo panning thanks to added delay and the sharp one has a phaser hooked up to it :D

I opted out of speed up's/speed downs cus i assumed it would sound too samey, so instead i went with different breakbeats and a few added samples instead and a second synth routine for the middle leading up to the drop :3

I'm dead certain there's tons more i could do with this type of bass alone, kinda look forward to using it in different genres already xD but for now this is about the most i can make of it, kinda glad you think it's better cus i slaved on it for an additional day and night ^_^

So yeah, thanks a truckload