SourJovis's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Fall Of An Angel]

Very beautiful. I like the light percussive instruments so much, along with the moody pads. And those choirs... Wow! I remember you once asked how I obtained a certain voice/choir sound, and I very proudly said how I made it myself with a thor synth. That sound has nothing on the choirs you use now. These sound so wonderful, and totally realistic (though I'm still kinda proud getting a somewhat voice like sound out of a very basic synth...) I didn't expect that climax at the end of the song. Gives such a nice new dimension to the song as a whole. Those powerful brass instruments with the heavy drums. I've got a new favourite song.

Mattashi responds:

I still like to use synth choirs as well, it kind of depends for what style/mood it is. Usually I try out lots of different ones just to see which one would fit best with the track.
I think it's still amazing you made that sound yourself, my sound design skills are pretty horrible lol sometimes I try to mess around with the controls and if I'm lucky I end up with something I like.
for the choir I used Shevannai, Voices Of Passion and Symphonic Choirs (When the orchestra comes in) and I automated the volume levels a bit for swells (on the Shevannai one)
Thanks for your review and glad you liked it :)

[Chummified [2014]]

I like this song. Sounds like a boss theme. I also like that super fake (sampled) choir and pipe organ. I've just been listening to some high end choir sample packs of hundreds of dollars, but I noticed that no matter how much money and effort you put into it, you're almost always able to tell the difference between a sampled/synthetic choir and a live one. That's why I think it's best to be upfront about it, and make it so it's obviously not supposed to be a realistic sounding choir. That way people won't think you tried something but failed at it. Plus I like the atmosphere artificial choirs give. A bit of a retro feel. Artificial choirs can also sound a bit spooky, because they sound human, but at the same time fake. The uncanny valley. What I also like about this is that the orchestral instruments are combined with electronic drum and bass sounds. Makes me think about Orochimaru's Fight theme from Naruto (not shippuden but the first series) The filter on the guitar is a nice effect. It's quite a long song for a loop, with lots of variety. You didn't try to get off easy.

Deemo-R responds:

That is an interesting way of looking at it, I hadn't quite thought of it like that until now. There most certainly are nuances to a human performance that will never be replicated by even the most fine-tuned vsti, so I'm a firm believer of 'working within your limits'. The quality of the choir really just about matches the rest of the instruments in the song anyways, so it doesn't get too lonely in that regard. ;)

I most certainly went for variety with this one! I can still recall writing it about a year ago when I still thought it was one of the best things I'd ever made. I tinkered with the melodies a bit at the start, but most of it came pretty naturally as I was laying out the parts. The thing I struggled with was making a loop back to the start, so I ended up just tying over with a haphazard transition involving the french horn and saw lead.

I love the Naruto music! Masuda delivered a stellar ost to that show. Still got a bunch of those songs sitting on my phone for whenever I need a quick inspiration. :D

[A Familiar Encounter]

Great composition. The instruments sound okay. You could've made it punchier when you mixed it differently, but like this it sounds quite relaxed and pleasing to the ears. It reminds me more of an old video game song like this, and also it would be less annoying to hear very often, as happens with a standard battle theme in an rpg. Apart from the mixing, the composition is quite action driven and bombastic. Also a reason why I wouldn't mind hearing this song more often. The melodie sticks very easily, but not in an irritating way.

Deemo-R responds:

I'll be honest, anything mixing-related is still a big question mark with me. I have yet to make any considerable progress on mixing, though I like to think I'm taking baby steps in the right direction. I'll try my best to discover how to get that proper "punchy" quality out of my mixes in the future! :3

Actually, as a side note, when I think about it, I feel like a lot of the pseudo-orchestral re-imaginings of themes from popular game series (like what they did with the newer Phoenix Wright games on 3DS) tend to smooth out all of the "punchiness" from their old counterparts. I wonder if that's just the byproduct of removing those old, chipper (heh) synths.

'Bombastic' is definitely a good word for the style of music I was trying to emulate. Never a dull moment with those, I tell ya. I'm glad the composition on my end is suitable!

Thank you ever so much for the insightful review, Sir Jovis! :)

[Hostile]

I would swear I'm listening to a high budget film score. To my ears this couldn't sound any better. Very well chosen samples. Very good performance, mixing and such. This would fit a scene without becoming overbearing, yet it's very powerful. I like tho structure and flow of the song. It remains interesting, because of the way the song develops. Good combination of orchestral, electronic and electric instruments. It blends well. You also mixed your live guitars in very well. Nothing sticks out, but it's all very transparent. I wish I had some helpful advise how you could make it better, but you must have spent enough time on this to make it as good as it can possibly be.

Mattashi responds:

Thanks for the great review man :)

[The Laughing Sun (No loop)]

I like the composition of the song. Very mysterious, and menacing. It says boss in the tags. It does fit a video game boss theme or film battle/villain theme very well. The instrumentation is also good. I like the choir. The staccato strings give a nice pulse. Work well in combination with the powerful brass melody.

I think the mixing could be better. The panning seems unbalanced. Some of the strings on the right ear have a lot of far low frequencies. The strings with the low frequencies should be more in the middle, so the instruments that lack far low can be spread out more. Or you could give the brass on the left ear more far low frequencies to balance it out. The instruments sound a bit thin. Like their middle frequencies have been boosted too much. I think you should reduce the mids a bit, so the lower and higher become louder. Also it sounds a bit too compressed.

It could be more lively I think. Not sure how. Perhaps a bit more legato would help.

The melody is quite memorable and touching. The song really tells a story.

[Brawnzer's Brawl]

Cool song. A lot is going on here. The beginning reminds me very much of the boss theme from FFVII. It's the guitar chords. I like the marimba. It's an instrument you don't really expect, and that makes the song sound more interesting. What also makes the song interesting is how it keeps changing all the time So many different instruments. Doesn't get repetitive. It loops very well. You can listen to this for several times and not get bored. I hope someone uses this in a good game.

Deemo-R responds:

Thank you for the compliments! I've actually never played a FF game in my life... but I know how impressive the music is, so the comparison is much appreciated! I doubt this will ever be used in anything, but that'd sure be cool. :3

[Prey And Predators]

Epic! This song has so many layers. You hear different things every time you listen. It's so well mixed you can hear all of the individual instruments. They work very well together. Each instrument adds something new to the whole. Also great sounding samples. You know just what to do with them. They should hire you to make their demo's. I will check out the entire ablum.

Mattashi responds:

Thanks allot man!

[i believe]

Great synth sounds. I like panning echo of the bells, and how the parameters change over time. Makes electronic sounds come to life. The blown up lead sounds very emotional. The drums sound pretty good as well. They perfectly support the song and fit the mix. I like the atmosphere of the song. I think it would fit the end credits of a futuristic film, or a scene where they play a full song with some self explanatory shots, like a video clip.

johnfn responds:

Man I get that my music sounds like ending credits music a lot! I wonder why... it must be because its kinda chill and upbeat or something, I dunno. Anyways, thanks for the review.

[Rainfall]

Great song. Works well as the opening for the NGADM 14 round 1 playlist. Sets the bar high. I like the mood. How it is kind of light, but each segment ends with a very sad minor chord. Well sung. There aren't that many singers on Newgrounds, and the people who think they can sing usually can't. (whenever I try to sing, I fail miserably as well, so I'm not one to speak, but it's just the truth.) The combination of you two works as well as I'd expected. Maybe even better. I hear you did another collab? I will check it out.

[Pareidolic War]

Great mood. I like the variety of the song. Each segment sounds different, yet it all fits together. It's like the song tells a story. It evokes images. The strings sound nice and emotional. I think I like the pad like elements of the song best. Like the part from 2:22 to 2:39. Of course it works best in the context of the song. Good resting point. The pds still sound great when other more prominent instruments play over them. Good luck in the competition.

Phonometrologist responds:

I'm glad you like the pad choice as well. It's a bit grainy and old sounding, and I thought it appropriate for this. And in regards to mood, I try for a more somber approach as well...then again, I don't know when I ever not strive for that.
Thank you for listening and leaving such a kind review. But kind or not, I enjoy them regardless. Likewise in terms of the competition!