SourJovis's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Under Siege]

Very epic that combination of fast staccato strings, strong brasses and powerful percussion. Perhaps a bit too compressed for my taste. I quickly think that with cinematic music nowadays. The percussion could have used more different velocity levels. Like with the 3 note drum rolls after 1:14, you could use rising velocity (soft, mid, hard). Works very well for a climactic build up, or an action scene.

ET16 responds:

At the moment I'm trying to master mastering and Your advice has been noted thank you Jovis :)

[the traveller]

I like how you give an explanation for what happens in every part of the song. Helps to visualize it, although it wasn't even that necessary, because it gives me plenty images. However, now at least I also hear the train. Very cool. On a minor note, at 4:03 to about 4:35 I hear a high hat that sounds a bit too loud to me. Cliffhanger ending? I suppose you made this a set up for a sequel? I actually liked the ending. Even if/ or probably because of its ridiculousness.

johnfn responds:

I'm glad that the song leads itself to good images! It's kind of rare for me to see images when I'm working on my songs, so I decided to jot them down for other less visual people like me.

Good ear on the hat at 4:03. In fact this is a noise coming from the guitar. It made sense when the guitar is soloed, but a lot less sense when it's layered, so yeah I should have fixed that.

I'm also happy the ending worked for you, ha! It seems to be quite polarizing and will probably be my downfall :P

[Real Life Absurdities]

This is so hyper. I like it. The instruments sound very tight and sampled overall, but I suppose that's intentional. Reminds me of a steam powered machine, that plays all of these instruments faster and tighter than any human could. I'm still glad you didn't use vocaloid.

steampianist responds:

Awww cmon vocaloids can sound great too!

hmmm not sure what you mean by sampled but I did use some of my own recorded samples.
anyways thank you for reviewing!

[Wolftacular NGADM Round 3]

So this song wasn't finished? I couldn't tell. I think you did well with the deadline. It's always difficult. This song takes some interesting turns. I like it very much. Stays interesting all the time and holds your attention. I like the parts at 1:58 to 2:25 and from 3:57 onward best. Great ending btw. I don't often hear endings that good. I have difficulties writing good endings myself. The rest is not bad either and perfect for build up. Now you mention it, I think this song would've been even better with vocals. If you planned that, I hope you will add vocals someday, because i very much want to hear that.

Wolftacular responds:

I am very pleased to read this comment! It is always flattering to read that someone enjoyed it as much as you did! I specially find pride in hearing that you found it interesting all throughout and that you liked the ending. I'll definitely let you know when I add vocals to it! :D

Thanks for listening and commenting!!

[Bajo el sol, sobre las rocas]

Interesting how you switch between styles. Not an easy thing to do I assume, but it works quite well. I like how at the beginning the styles are separate and alternated between, and gradually they start to blend more.

InYourDreams responds:

Hey SourJovis! thnx for reviewing! I can play many styles, but the dificult thing is to put them together without sounding forced. It's my first time trying something like this. I think I did ok, but not as I have wanted to. The good thing is, I can only get better from here :D... specially thnx to the awesome reviews from all the people here.

[Public Enemy No.1]

It's great how you can put down a 30s mood like that. I like the mood. I think the guitar stands out a bit much. Perhaps make it sound a tiny bit more distant? The piano is perhaps my favourite instrument in the piece. Nice and fast. I like the way it sounds.

SoundChris responds:

Thanks SourJovis! The piano is my absolute favourit instrument - i am playin it a lot in my freetime :D Glad you liked it! I always wanted to try out something gangster chicago style from the 1930s!

[Pride]

Sounds great. Would fit perfectly in a Disney film like Tarzan or the Lion King. At least that's my association. How did you get the choir effect? I have something like that on my keyboard, but I can't get it to sound very good. The deep voice sounds warbly at the lower notes, but that's not your fault. I like how you get such a full sound with a minimal number of instruments. The voices with the drums keep it very human. I like the other instruments too. The piano, strings and marimba if I hear it correctly. I think it's a little strange how they appear only for such short periods. I'd like it better if they carry on a bit longer to create more of a cinematic feel. Again that Disney movie connection. It's a choice you make, but I think it would work for this song.

headphoamz responds:

Thanks Jovis! Well, I sang each part individually, so there were about eight tracks with voices on them. Then I added a standard choir sample and had it echo the chords I was singing. I also used piano, strings, and an out-of-tune kalimba. I wanted to concentrate more on the vocal portion, but I see what ya mean about that cinematic feel. :)

[Agnos]

I like how you bring Celtic music to Newgrounds. (At least I think it sounds Celtic) There isn't much of it here. I like the combination of acoustic instruments and the synthetic pads. I think your voice sounds better in this than in the previous song I heard from you. I thought it sounded auto tuned there, even though you said you didn't use auto tune. We all have that at one point in our live, how we grow up and lose our childhood beliefs and view of the world. I know it's a bit sad. Although I'm almost 30 now and somehow I just can't grow up.

etherealwinds responds:

I would say that Celtic music influences most of the music I make, although this not so much perhaps as previous compositions. Thank you for the lovely review. I believe that age really is just a number and it's how old or young we really feel that holds greater importance. Regards!

[Persistent]

Nice rhythm. Sounds quite interesting with the congas and the synthesizers. You always have a very specific style of synthetic music that soothes (even when it's energetic like this) and doesn't get annoying. Works well as background music for games you play for a long time, as it is intended for.

Satyre responds:

Thanks for your review :)

[This is Not the End]

Very well written and played. I like the contrast between the hopeful and the sad parts. The strings have a nice supportive role. I like how to put down a blanket of chords for the piano.

ChronoNomad responds:

That emotional juxtaposition is what I really love about this piece, as well. It's like the precarious balance of life, so often tipping closer to one or the other extreme. Switching between simultaneous and rolled notes is a simple yet effective strategy, and I just love playing those rich chord progressions. Thank you very much for the review and awesome score, SJ!