Troisnyx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Grand Arirang - Jessie Yun]

Never mind to me that the mix was muddy or that it was done in 10 hours; it is a gesture of love, and that is why I favourited it. Also, you gave that EWQL choir a bit and a bridle and tamed it decently, from what I can hear.

JessieYun responds:

Hey Troisnyx,
Thanks a lot for the comment! I guess I'll have to take a look if really sounds muddy again. And yeah, I had quite a hard time teaching my choir Korean, hahaha. Thanks for the fav!

[AIM - In space with no spacesuit (head explodes)]

Oof at the title ;_;

It does give me the feeling of being starved of oxygen, or struggling to get some -- but whether it happens in space, is another matter -- I can also see it happening underwater or in some microgravity lab which, due to a disaster, is starved of oxygen.

I like the sense of buildup, and those countermelodies you introduce round the minute mark -- I love how subtle but powerful they are. The sparse instrumentation certainly lends itself to images of very stark surroundings. It's short and sweet. Well done!

AlbeGian responds:

Thank you troisnyx I'm really glad you liked it!!

[Pain Drain]

The piece feels quite surprisingly upbeat and cheerful, almost an antithesis to the artwork -- but perhaps, the artwork with its utilitarian buildings might belie a certain "forced" cheerfulness that's meant to be observed by people living there, I can't quite say.

There is so much with this piece that is on point, musically, even though it isn't my cup of tea per se. I love how you layered those instruments. I love the bounciness of the song, and of the lead synth. I love how saccharine it feels. And most of all, I love that you seamlessly blended so many musical devices together -- regular chords, pentatonic scales, all while keeping it within a trippy sort of feel. That is musical technical mastery to me. Well done.

Hyenaedon responds:

Thanks for the great review! I knew the relation between the song and the art was going to be kind of strange from the beginning, but like you said the song pretty much depicts a false sense of hope I suppose. I really went for the almost melancholy feel of the art.

I really tried to give it my all musically here, so i’m glad you noticed those things! Again, thanks for the thoughtful review ;)

[🌆 #2: Troisnyx]

Dear WillKMR, as of Monday, Soundskills is an official Makerspace. I've seen the new roster of things to do and it is an actual thing~

By the way, thanks for having me. I enjoyed the interview, and especially how candid you kept things. I look forward to hearing from you and the other artists you interview!

GroundsPatrol responds:

Yay for Soundskills!

Troisnyx, it was an absolute delight having you on. Cheers!

[Ecruteak Jazz (Piano Solo)]

I really enjoyed your playing. ^_^ I kinda like this jazz, the kind whose ragtime roots are really perceptible.

Will responds:

Aw thank you!

[Can You See The Clouds Divide ft. Troisnyx]

I like how sparse the intro is. Though even from the get-go, the whole mix feels like it can use some juicing up (reverb mainly, but also something to really fatten up that kick drum. Compression? EQ? It feels as though I don't sense much EQ in this piece).

I also like how you didn't go for the standard chords.

Lead feels a bit flat, and when the vox kicks in, it does make for a bit of dissonance.

You certainly have the right idea, when dipping in and out between instruments across the piece to vary it. One complaint about that, though, is that the soft sections and loud sections have way too much differential between each other *all the time.* So when it dips out, it really dips out. Throughout the piece, what hype you've been building with the beating heart of your music, the kick drum, fizzles out immediately -- and that's a feeling you want to avoid when making dance music, but also music of most genres.

Also, I like your personal touch -- was it you who sang "Can you see the clouds divide?" over at 4:57 or thereabouts?

Normally, with loops you want to have an end that gives way to the beginning -- reverb is useful for this to some degree, because it often leaves a tail that sends a shiver down the spine, especially when the intro kicks in again. Then there's also the issue of dynamics -- if your ending is soft, then for continuity's sake, it'd be wise to make your intro as soft as your ending and build up from there. Volume automation, perhaps. Or something like that.

My biggest praise with this is that you've been taking those stems and using them, but not actually sticking to the mould, so to speak. You've broken away from the stock chords, instead using your own. You've borrowed the motif from one of those high synths I used, but broken it.

Certainly keep at it -- I look forward to hearing more as you go along.

littlemusicboy1628 responds:

Thank you so much for the advice and complaints and yes, I sang the part at 4:57.

[A Life From Home (ABFH Remix)]

This is an ABFH remix contest judge's review.

Already, this sounds different and I really love those chords in the intro, and the grittiness that this thing brings. When the drums kick in, it sounds like a much heavier version of Take On Me, and then the heavy metal kicks in at 1:08 and it sounds like Led Zeppelin. Very, VERY nice. I love that guitar.

Drums could stand to be a tad more powerful; they feel quite weak in the mix. The groove is so nice and simple and good, though. It sounds as though you're using defaults...

2:09, I love that ambience there. I love the simplicity of 2:46 or thereabouts, and the feeling of this.

3:40, I love what you did with those vocals. It sounds like someone really about to lick that mic, to put it in PG-13 terms. How you brought them in, and out. I could actually visualise this being played on stage at that point.

4:38 could have done with a quick, but much-needed drum fill because that feel just changed from Led Zeppelin to heavy! Take On Me again.

5:20, blast beats were a nice touch, but the weakness of the drums in the mix did underwhelm it.

There is so much I love about this remix. How different it feels. How I can imagine it being performed live, and the kind of energy that this brings, an energy that I have found rather hard to come by.

All the best in the competition!

djt820 responds:

First of all, I'm just glad you dug it haha. Secondly, you're definitely right about the drums; makes me wish I had more time on this to really refine the beats/mix.

Yeah, around 3:40 is my favorite section. This is the part that started the whole second draft. Glad you got the sensual feeling of it all.

Well, there wouldn't be energy in the piece if your vocals didn't match up to it and that's what made this song so fun and challenging to make. I hope I did it justice. Thanks for putting it all together! I hope it's not the last time we combine forces.

[Troisnyx & Phyrnna - A Breeze From Home (SP Remix)]

This is an ABFH remix contest judge's review.

That intro sounded like Vangelis, ooooh! And that guitar, gosh, it's leaps and bounds over the original. The key change on the vox makes it sound more youthful, childlike.

Those little touches on the piano, and those Vangelis synths, have really sent shivers down my spine. I hear subtle touches of bass every so often. I am with NekoMika when she says that some bits remind her of FF; that piano certainly does give a Final Fantasy vibe. Only complaint is that the voice does get drowned out.

That solo violin melody, and those strings, all provide a nice sense of buildup. There's also those choir pads, too. They give it a more angelic vibe.

3:35 caused my jaw to drop. I rarely do that. Well done. And the way you reintroduced the instruments was equally good.

4:10, I'm not sure about the bassline there. Drums also sound a bit synthetic there, but nice rhythm nonetheless. Certainly felt rousing, though I'd probably want them to be humanised a bit more, or for a better drum sample to be used.

That ending was on point.

I appreciate that you went for a very angelic feel and that you played around with something new for what you normally do -- and I think you did quite well, notwithstanding the couple downsides I mentioned.

All the best for the competition!

SplatterDash responds:

Hey Troisnyx! Thank you so much for judging and hosting the contest. It especially means a lot that you were able to make a really amazing song for us to work off of, and a game that puts it in a fitting context (I mean come on, cats can put anything in context lol).

The vox, as amazing as they were, were probably my most challenging aspect as I put them together with everything else in mastering. Layering them together was alright, but when the instruments came in, especially at the end, I've noticed the voices are drowned out as well. Fiddling with them, though, usually led to one (or both) of two things: 1) the track wouldn't be as big and powerful, and/or 2) the track would start clipping (a big problem at around 4:34). I had to go for what I could, unless I wanted to turn stuff down or compress the living daylights out of it.

I listened multiple times to 4:10 again, but I couldn't find anything wonky about the bassline. The thing that I think may have been the issue was the fact that on every instrument during the final big part, one or two octaves of each followed the main vox. It ended up being a small detail, and it kinda didn't work since it only comes out some of the time, but it's a small detail that I was willing to test around. Speaking of tests, the drum - I kinda wanted to record the drum on an actual snare, but the only snare I have access to is one that is a six-year-old drum set snare with a questionable mic. Still, I think I may try it out the next time I need a real-sounding snare - or a real-sounding drum kit, for that matter.

Really glad that you enjoyed this! I actually took the time to listen to a few Vangelis songs while writing this, the beginning actually kinda does sound like something they would make lol. Thanks again for hosting the competition, I really enjoy the original and I probably never would have found out about it or its game without this great competition :D

[A Breeze from Home (more weed ? Remix)]

This is an ABFH remix contest judge's review.

Right off the bat, the mix feels so tonally on point, though I had to turn the volume on my cans down to be able to hear it without it hurting me. The bass, the synths, the occasional "huehuehue" laugh, they feel quite nice, very Phy.

There are bits of syncopation in 1:44~ or thereabouts, which feel quite playful. I think, from there until the end it feels so playful. Then, finally, it mellows down... and then ends unsettlingly. Creepy. Pretty effective, in my mind.

This thing feels almost like a creepypasta game's soundtrack, but not quite. That "huehuehue" laugh, that gunshot, that ending, all do suggest it and I like it, and the parts that were not creepy were lulling me into this false sense of security. You did a fine job, in my mind. My only complaint is that it's a massive wall of sound that I need to turn down.

All the best in the competition!

moreweed responds:

thanks alot ^^ hue hue hue

[Well I'll just leave]

This is an ABFH remix contest judge's review.

Right off the bat, I like your mangling of the voice / modification of its timing / that one sample use. Those, and your backing beat, give the song a melancholic feel, something that wrenches at my heart telling me that something is very wrong, and I am finding myself reaching out, wanting to find out what was wrong -- or what the story behind this remix is. The rapping sounds pretty depressive, a cherry on top of this cake. I am presuming that it's you doing that; I appreciated the personal touch.

Ending feels a bit abrupt. I'm not sure what to make of the reverb on the original voice; I think it really does work in some places -- not so sure about others. It feels quite spartan, which I suppose does the job at conveying the emotion behind this -- the loneliness, the upset. There is a temptation for me to want more, but I'm not sure if adding more would really add anything to the feeling you're trying to convey.

Overall, I think yours is one of the more imaginative entries in this contest.

All the very best for the competition!

DarkHorseOrchestra responds:

I was looking to flip the song on it's head for the remix and head in the opposite direction the original was going in haha