Troisnyx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Nadia's Turning]

This either is a programme piece, or a piece with no direction.... if it is the latter, it's going to gash the piece quite a bit. If it's the former, I can understand. I still could sense the main melody coming back, which is good. The only thing is that Section I and Section II seem completely disjointed, one from the other. Makes me wonder.......

There are abrupt stops around 1:48.... Did gash my eyes a bit. Then 2:28.... Oh man <3 That ping-pong violin....

It's definitely a good inspiration you've got there, and I have to say that other than what I mentioned, I can tell that you're musically sound.

Again, all the best with the RAC!

Gobblemeister responds:

If a programme piece is supposed to be something that tells a story then yes, that is what I am going for.

[Kilimajaro Rises]

I can sense some sub-saharan African influence in this thing.... Though I can't stomach the beginning of this piece too much, I can hear some elements of the music my Nigerian friends listen to. I do like the inspiration behind the song though. It's just... beautiful... <3

2:18 onwards caught my ears and got me into it quite a bit. Sounded like the intro to some forest-y music. Just out of curiosity, is this meant to be a programme piece?

Admittedly, I found the ending a bit abrupt. But that ain't gonna stop me from saying that you had a heart of gold when you gathered inspiration for your piece.

All the best for the RAC x

Gobblemeister responds:

I don't know what a programme piece is

[RAC 7]

Review time. Having been raised there for 19 years and having been force-fed traditional forms, here's what I have to say on the matter--

The general soft feeling sounds like it can either accompany a really slow dance section, a wayang kulit scene or a commercial.

Admittedly though:

1) The repeating gamelan motif repeats too quickly, and doesn't sound like the actual gamelan ensemble... If you're doing something in D (which this sounds like), then you'd have a five-note scale of F-G-A-C-D. And full songs have been done with these five notes, just by making full melodic patterns like we do.

2) The music could've gained a bit more of a climax. It sounds okay as an ambient piece I guess, with some kinks that need to be knocked out, but imagine adding one single, deep, traditional drum to punctuate a particular section. You could end soft like you did (I like that the piece has an ending ^_^), but a little bit of tension-building and tension release would do some good for the piece.

I guess I've addressed the things that need addressing. If you do remake this piece out of your own leisure, please, do be sure to knock out the kinks. All the best with the RAC! x

Yoshiii343 responds:

Well...

1) I know next to nothing about traditional music (I don't consider ones with a "modern twist" as traditional), which is why it doesn't sound like an actual gamelan ensemble. And I found out that most Malay music are made in the pentatonic scale quite late, and remaking the whole song is just too much for me to take then. :/

2) Making build-ups/climaxes was never really my thing (don't know why, they just don't sound right to my ears).

Remaking this would be unlikely because I really don't know where to go from here. :C
Also, thank you very much for your constructive criticism.

[Jose Of Arabia]

I know what you were trying to get at with the description *hug* <3 Admittedly, one based on the Passion would be dramatic, mind-blowing and at the same time Middle Eastern.

Still, with the inspiration you got -- a day in Jerusalem -- I do applaud the mood you captured in the piece. I'm not sure how upbeat the city would be when it's bustling (that it would call for a change of tempo in one section, I would imagine). But there are also the reverent times of the city, and also the times where you'd want to capture the general picture that Jerusalem is huge. You've done that towards the end, and it's beautiful.

Strings towards 2:42 are a bit abrupt.... otherwise, I quite liked it.

One thing you may want to try get inspiration from is Sting's and Cheb Mami's collaboration (Desert Rose). Though it isn't traditional per se, you'd get an idea of the inflexions and dynamics of Middle Eastern music, and you can apply this to an Israeli/Palestinian setting.

Good job on your song -- do knock out the kinks in due time. All the best with the RAC! Blessings xx

[Raid Of The Bells]

In all honesty I do certainly wish you'd put something up that explains WHY you used this really short loop to represent Austria.

Austria is home of Mozart and people along his vein; you had a vast opportunity to bring out the best in Austria along those lines, and we get nothing but a five-second loop of sorry excuses for bells.

And besides, if you wanted to go ambient, you could have been more tonal. You could have still maintained the ambient genre of the piece, but incorporated something that would be the very pride and joy of Austria. Think of what the character representing Austria in Hetalia would be proud of!

Sorry, but I have to be brutally honest with this review. No stars for you.

[I'm Saving Her Life]

You remind me of a very dear friend of mine, who is himself American, and whose deepest desire is to make young girls know how truly beautiful they are deep inside. T_T And he is a swordsman.

As far as musicality goes, I like how you've combined the best of music, orchestral and electronic, and put them into one nice package. It does remind me of Sonic in some places, though in some places, it's far too awesome for Sonic.

Just want to say how much I admire this piece, and I wish you all the best in the RAC!

Bosa responds:

Thank you very much. I was in fact inspired by modern American video games such as Mass Effect and Call of Duty.

But still, I'm nothing. You're the best that Newgrounds has to offer.

[Dreams of Yore]

In all fairness, this is very reminiscent of the spiritual songs that come from Ireland and from the Irish living in Britain. I've heard MANY (and I mean MANY) done along this orchestral vein, and many have brought a tear to my eye. If anything, I believe that is what you are trying to reference. Irish music isn't solely about the upbeat side of things, there is also a solemn tradition too.

Now that having been said, I'll comment on the piece. The orchestration is beautiful and the buildup is just the way I'd hope for it to be. The piece could do with a few instrumental inflexions.... you know, like what you hear when someone's naturally playing a tin whistle, and does a note-shake or two?

I'd give the musicality a 5, the representation of Ireland 4. You've done some wonderful work with the piece already, and just those little touches could add to the Irishness of the piece.

All the best with the RAC!

samulis responds:

Thanks for the input, Trois. If I have time, I might add some flourishes, but I don't know.

Best of luck with your entry! I will have to listen to it. :)

[RAC - Empty lost souls]

I love those chords. Eeeep! ^_^ Admittedly, it does have some ethnic Portuguese influence. The melody is beautiful too.

The only complaint I have, really, is with regards to dynamics -- the piece doesn't sound like it's been humanised very much. Every note is at the same volume, to put it simply. This makes the piece almost sound like a MIDI. Otherwise, the idea is simply beautiful, and the way you progressed from an orchestral, possibly Classical-era piece to a rock piece is quite seamless.

Keep up the good work, knock out the kinks there are, and I say you'll be on your way.
All the best in the RAC! :D

3.5/5

DivoFST responds:

Thanks a lot for the comment TroisNyxEtienne, i must admit i was pretty happy with the piece itself but felt i never really did a good job mixing it, unfortunately i am in need of a serious tutorial to up my game on Mixing because i am a zero in that matter.
Thanks again for the comment buddy!

[RR: Bomberman Theme]

I know the original Bomberman theme didn't have much to it -- just a loop, but I'm hearing every note that you've put in: your chords and buildup are IMPECCABLE.

This is very rare for a lot of songs I hear, so in it goes into my favourites list. :3

[Midnight Lights {7x}]

You know what this reminds me of? Cloudchasers or a similar Gummi Ship theme from Kingdom Hearts II. :D That's a good thing!

The chords, the drums and the melodic line bring back some Yoko Shimomura memories.

EbonHawk7X responds:

Thank you; Yoko Shimomura is definitely one of my favorite video game composers. I especially like her work for Final Fantasy Versus XIII and in the Kingdom Hearts series. Good luck on your song, can't wait to hear it!