Setu-Firestorm's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[S.D Ops]

This track would actually go very well in a dark cyberpunk action thriller.

Very dark, bassy, and well produced.

DESHIEL responds:

Cyberpunk eh? Thats the one with skeletal properties utilised in modern design right?

[Frigid Sorrow]

I very much like the composition side of this piece, as it has a lot of beautiful colors and tones to offer.

The production side, however, is a bit contrasting to the kind of piece this is. There are points where the compression drowns the synth pads supporting everything, which is okay for upbeat club-type music, but for ambient it almost feels as though it's choking the piece in that spot.

Still a great piece nonetheless!

AdubZ responds:

Thanks!

[Explosive Speedway]

Perfect execution! It gets off to a slow start (which is perfectly normal for this genre), but really nails you with speed once it gets going.

For a piece as simple as this, it creates a good fast-paced atmosphere.

Reinteck responds:

Thanks for the review! Glad to see you liked it!

[{Desh'n'beat}]

It's an interesting retro piece, and pretty catchy, too.

DESHIEL responds:

I'm glad that you like this. :)

[Everyday Blues]

Very well executed. The production is air-tight and amazing, and the musical side of it is phenomenal!

It's pieces like this that show a lot of artistic talent involved in metal that many haters choose to not see.

Fleshbag responds:

Thanks man, you are too kind :)
Yeah, this definitely isn't for everyone but I prefer it that way.
And more people like it than I thought.

[Dark World Theme (ALTTP)]

I have honestly admit that, despite the less-than-perfect production side of this piece, the musical side of it is nothing short of genius! There is not a soul in the world who could metal-cover this piece better than this!

My only critique on this, which I do not count against you considering what you have to work with hardware/software-wise, is the production. The guitars come out great, and there's enough distinction between rhythm and lead. "It's your drums, Marty! Something's gotta be done about your drums!" You gave your kick drum real kick, which is what you want for metal, but there is an overwhelming pulse of lows and mids in it, which makes it come out with a muffled punch like someone's hitting you with a boxing glove on.

What you want, when mixing drums (which believe me, I've been producing digital rock for almost a full decade now, and I understand how difficult mixing drums can be) is to give your kick drum a wet punch. You can do this by giving it enough lows and mids to punch you, but give it some hi-mids to "sweeten" it up. A good example of how I believe (granted, that's my personal opinion) kick drums should be mixed is how you hear them in a Nickelback song - that is the perfect wet punch for kick drums. Of course, in metal, most of the time they're mixed mostly with less lows because they want you to hear the pulsing of the drum rather than feel it.

Mixing is, as they say, a variant discussion that differs from person to person. Despite that, though, this is an amazing metal cover of a great piece from a great game! I actually did my own orchestral rendition of this piece myself ("Warrior's Spirit Within").

Great job and keep 'em coming!

0ZeroDL responds:

Thank you very much for providing such detailed feedback, I really appreciate it. As you may have guessed from the "quality" of my recording I merely dabble in arranging and recording as a hobby. However I would still like to improve my work and feedback such as yours really motivates me to do so, so thank you.

[His Right as King]

The spiccato runs that the violas are doing behind the brassy tutti really give this a feeling of momentum. The piece, overall, feels very majestic and commanding!

Great work, Bosa!

Bosa responds:

Thank you! Everything came together exactly how I imagined, and now I feel very comfortable with making more music close to this style in the future.

[SF || Wurfel - Firestorm]

Beautifully composed! The orchestration is flawless, the instrument articulations (namely on the horns) is perfect for the upbeat suspense atmosphere. The percussion flows with a stimulating rhythm that doesn't get too blocked or monotonous.

Overall great work!

Wurfel-Waffles responds:

Thank you for the reviews sir.

I wouldn't say it's flawless. To many repetitive parts. However I glad you like the horns and drumsets.

Thank you again for the input(s).

[PF4- Reflect.]

Very interesting composition

You have a very good sense of melody. Furthermore, I like the way that you changed up the inversions of your chords in the chord progression so they wouldn't have the same conventional root-inversion sound.

Later on, you have a very nice finesse with both hands together, which in a flowing legato piece is not always seen...at least not in most contemporary pieces.

I just feel this piece could have been a bit longer. Other than that, great composition!

Calamaistr responds:

Thanks, most of my piano music comes from the heart, not from the hand im afraid (need to be honest here :) ) though i can play the piano i composed these tracks in fl9 unless otherwise stated, dont know if that makes it worse or better..
;)
(if its any consolation, most tracks i make in fl9 i can play live if i needed to)

Thanks for your review and thanks for the compliments.

greets -cal.

[[TA] A Matter of Time]

Nice composition, rough mix

While I'm digging the composition you have here, the mix needs work. It sounds, though I could be wrong, that the drums are all one track that had the same compression added to them, which generally results in a muddy blend of drums.

My suggestion would be to always mix your drums from MIDI to audio separately (one channel for the Kick, one for Snare, one for Hats, one for Cymbals, and one for Toms). It does create a little more work, but hearing compressed drum tracks sounding independently altogether gives a much cleaner sound. I also tend to add slight reverb to only the Snare.

The guitars are mixed alright, but I would put a slight limiter on them to cap off certain frequencies.

By the time the piano came in, everything sounded like a great big puddle of mud, and I say that as respectfully as I can. There's nothing wrong with your music; it's just the mix that needs attention.

The composition is great; I especially like the lead you have going into the beginning.

thunderboltAutopsy responds:

Yeah, it is only one track of drums. GP6 doesn't like it when you have too many tracks so I never really worked that way. I'll definitely give it a try, though, and see how it works out. I've always had trouble with mixing - GP wasn't originally designed to make nice sounding songs but rather to write tabs - but I'll seriously consider your advice in the future.

Thanks for reviewing!