MadMath's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Changin' Lanes]

Too long.

I know it's hip hop, but it's really not varied enough. You just got the same instruments all the time, the same rythms and the same melodies ! The only changes you make is stopping everything for one second and launching it again. But you should take advantage of those breaks to make your melody come back brighter, or with a bigger density i mean with a faster battery, a new instrument, a soaring, something like that. It's really too flat and too long, even for a 1:30 song.

Next to that, these breaks you made don't really produce a good effect. I got the feeling that someone just press the pause button and start it again. That's certainly because of the reprise of the melody after the silence. It's kinda pushed, too quick.

And the last thing, but maybe it's wanted is that the melody seems to be cut, or unstable when you start the descent. Maybe i'm a bit too classical in my mind, but if I wonder if it's wanted or not, i guess that there is a problem. (at least for me ;) )

Finally the good point are the atmosphere, the drums, quite cool and the nice choice of sounds,i just think it still needs work.
4/10 and 2

angler082133 responds:

Thanks for the review. I placed the drops in a certain spot and just repeated it twice. i tried to make this beat more of a rap style beat and less hip hop but there is no rap section that i know of. i do agree i need more instruments, but i just made this pretty quick to see if the overall flow is nice. the way it sounds is you like it but it needs more chaos. i do wanna add more chaos while keeping it a dark song. ill see what i can do. thanks

[Lil' Davy's Circus]

Good melody

And appropriate instruments. It does sounds like circus.
But the drums are not good.
They are badly placed at 0:02, and you should try to make them less loud.
Other than that the melody and bass are nice, but you MUST do something for the battery.

Maybe you could make it longer (a song instead of a loop) . That's a good start :)

Flalaski responds:

Thanks :)

lol i should've mentioned that i made this for the sole purpose to drive people mad. :)

[The Last Ninja: Park (NES)]

Really good sounding

Those sounds are absolutely well chosen and the different instruments you have are perfectly matching each other. That sounds very nice, and make us dive into a very particular and uncommon atmosphere.
So yeah, of course you did something very interesting with this song, even if i don't know the original. Nevertheless, it's a bit long, and repetitive. I mean the first minute is truely extra-ordinary and kicked me in the face. But finally, it remains too similar all the song long, same use of instruments, same kind of melody, etc. Some variation, some soaring, something like that could bring a plus to the song.
Anyway, the coherence and greatness is here. So i won't deduct more than one point for this very good work.
Excellent frst experiment with Reason.

Realmguys responds:

Thank you very much for the constructive feedback. I will definitely take what you have to say, to heart for the next production. Sounds like you have a very good understanding of music and song structure, I really appreciate you taking the time to give me a tip. It is a brave new world out there in Reason! Lookin forward to more adventures with the program.

[[219] 156]

Yeah, for the giant...

A music really full of sense. I mean it's really an expressive music, and i guess everyone can create his/her own story in his/her head while listening to this.
More ambient than hip-hop in my opinion, that's really well constructed. It stays quite simple in melodies, beats and construction, alternating soft passages and main theme. But it's really effective and not boring at all.
I really like this one, and am sensible to this atmosphere.
Very good and effective job.
I'll check your other songs.
A good rate for this imaged music.

2one9 responds:

thanks man, much appreciated

[Bruges]

Not bad.

Indeed, it sounds a bit like pirates of the caribbean cause you used the same rythmics, and some similar notes agencements at some moments but only in what we could call the main theme (so in the beginning and the end).

The middle is definitely the best part, but it sounds that it was also the most difficult to make. And here is a problem, you've got too many frictions between the notes of your melodies. Sometimes it can be deliberated, but i guess it's not the case here. Cause you obviously worked on your melody and those frictions kinda spoil it. And as your instruments are quite close on a timbre level, we hear it a lot.
Other than that, that's a cool song. You managed to make something agreable to hear (except these frictions :D ). Your bass is nicely constructed and not that easy.
Nice work on the drums, and on entrance and exit of each voice.
I really think you should adjust those passages of frictions, to make this song incontestably nice.

SasquaMox responds:

Thanks for the critique. :)

[Deadwoodist-Guitar]

Wow

Perfect entry until the apparition of the main melody at the guitar at 1: 05. Starting nicely and smoothely to something more adventurer. Very well done.
Nice work on the loudness and the density of the song. The alternance of volume is greatly dosed, such as the entrance of each instrument. Transitions and breaks are perfect and diversified.
I'm just not found of the part at the end with only the overdriven guitar that i found a little too common and caricatured, and even a little out of tonality on 2 or 3 notes (no offense).
Though, a very catchy and entertaining song. Good job.

Deadwoodist responds:

Yes, i totally agree-the end is a bit borring. :) but thx

[Prepped to Cruze]

Nice.

Very cool loop. Nice sounds, nice rythms.
Just a few issues in my opinion, or at least things to improve.
After your 2 8-bit like descent (which are quite loud), you should attack directly, with something strong. Insert some instruments more punchy, cause those descents make cool transitions, and you must put maybe, a melody or louder drums, something like that, something that could occupy more space. We are like disapointed when finally, nothing really different comes after that. Got me ? Maybe a melody in the end could be a plus.
Nice work though !
4/5 and 8/10

McPhearson responds:

Yeah, every time I would load it up to newgrounds it would be loud as hell, I redid it 4 times and I thought I got it right. Still sounds a bit loud, and the percussion that I did have come in at the end cannot be heard at all.

[Arrived at Mars]

Medium.

Sorry but i don't think it suits to Mars, neither to Halloween. Actually i don't see what it can suit to. The choice of the instruments is interesting, but for me it seems you don't know where you go, both with notes and rythms, and that prevents from making the song correspond to an environment. It's like you closed your eyes and put your fingers on the keys, then, opening your eyes, you say "oh cool, why not !". I'm absolutely caricaturing, it's not that obvious, and that can be heard that you worked on it, but i try to explain how i feel it with my words (i don't speak english well enough to use the words i want).
For me, there is no continuity in this melody, all the sharp and very smooth voices are leading to nowhere, and that doesn't work. And due to the non-classic construction, there are some frictions with the bass at some moments.
Of course a melodic line or theme doesn't need to be linear to be nice to hear and to be catchy or whatever, but here, i really feel lost, and not surprised in a good way. And it's contrasting too much with the more noisy passages (which i found quite good). The intro and outro are well done, letting you glide in a nice atmosphere, the transitions are well brought too. But the musicbox leads make you go out of an ambient track to fall in a song that, in my opinion, is unequalled.
For me it'll be 5/10 and 2/5.
I hope you got me. PM me if you don't understand something, i'll try to explain it better.

Kolter responds:

I'm pretty sure I know what I was doing :)

[7893e]

Deliciously nightmareful

You did a very good work on this song. You created more than an environment, it's a new world. You've got amazing sounds, and you organized them perfectly. Very nice variations, between moments of silence and anxious waiting, and massive and heavy interludes. The background noises are a real plus.
That's a really imaged music. That makes me think about the movie Tetsuo.
You've got your first truely diserved 5/5 by me. Well done.

k235 responds:

Thanks man! I think I need to watch that movie, huh :)

[Virtual Eclipse]

Wow ! My name in author comments !

I just checked this song again after some days, _ maybe weeks, cause the theme (if we can distinguish one main theme in this [still] escaping-little-brownie melody, he he) stayed in my head and woke up sometimes _ and I got this surprise :)
Glad to see that my feedback helped you !

Indeed, i find it better than the first version, those percussions are bringing a better stability that allows you to play with the melody as you want. It's still a super catchy and imaged song. And your main instrument sounds really awesome. Those low bells and low bass are accompaning very well the high voice while making their own melody. This song sounds like a game you played with yourself. It's really original and I like this ambiance a lot. The end (last 15 seconds), is really well done.
I give you a 10 for succeeding in the creation of such an original and addicting song.

Roy0098 responds:

I increased my English skills and managed to now completely understand what you are talking about!
I appreciate your review and with your hints i will gain the power to create more music with the quality of this.
Even though this piece still has his flaws. (oversaturation)
Also, I listened to some of your recently composed music and I have to say that you are getting better!
Sorry for my (very) late response and thanks for your help =)