Echo's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Shinjitsu]

NGADM Review:
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Lovely piano solo, definitely the highlight of the piece. Unlike in ChronoNomad's case, you didn't need to put incredible emphasis on realism of the piece, although you still managed to do this with those subtle shifts in dynamics and tempo. The rest of the backing instruments were great and supported the piano really well, with pretty decent mixing overall.

However, I'd have liked some melodic development as the piece moved along, as the main melody got a bit repetitive towards the end. Even a secondary melody to answer the first would have gone a long way. You've also got some volume issues, with clipping at certain key moments of the piece. This kind of ruined the vibe of the piece at points, and reduced the overall quality.

Overall, decent piece, lovely piano solo, but needs more work on the finer points. You've definitely got potential, so keep up the good work!

Score: 8.2/10

[Pride]

NGADM Review:
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I have to admit, my first reaction to this was: "wait what?". I was not expecting you to go all lion king on me, but boy did you do it well. This is easily one of my favourite pieces this round, even if it was totally unexpected. Although it lacks a certain diversity in orchestration, and has a few emptier sounding parts, I felt that this fit in really well with the theme of the piece, and it let the fantastic vocals stand out as they should. I can't argue in terms of originality either, because I've honestly never head anything of this style done so well. Great work!

There were however a few tiny issues, particularly in the mixing. The voice was a bit hazy at points and the words verged on becoming unrecognisable, as opposed to the parts were it was clear as day. The quiet breaks in percussion had a habit of being a bit too abrupt at points, without any swell to indicate an oncoming break, or a dynamics shift to suggest a break. That being said, the percussion was excellently worked aside from this point.

Overall, brilliant work. I just love how easily you can switch between genres and take each one in your stride. It shows versatility and diversity in skill which most people (me included) could never hope to match. Keep up the great work!

Score: 9/10

headphoamz responds:

Thanks very much for the review Echo! I definitely wanted to do something different and I've always loved African tribal, so heck why not here!? Cheers!

[This is Not the End]

NGADM Review:
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Melodic content is definitely the biggest high point of this piece. You've got excellent melodies, and a good use of orchestration and harmony to get the effect you want. The piano moved smoothly and fluently, albeit with a few awkward transitions, but all in all it developed nicely and progressed into different sections, each of which were well-structured and elegant.

That being said, the piano lacked realism, which is important in a piece where it's pretty much the sole focus of the listener. I'm not saying it's entirely robotic, but something just doesn't sound real about it. Quality wise it's great, but it lacked a human feel to it, particularly in the rigid tempo and velocities, a few random tweaks of which could have made it much better.

Overall, you've got a lot of potential and a clear understanding of melodies and orchestral ideas, but the key problem you have is humanization. A little work on that and you'll be making awesome stuff in no time.

Score: 8/10

ChronoNomad responds:

Well, I guess I'll just have to figure out how to add those little random tweaks in FL Studio, won't I? Maybe once I've been using this DAW for a year or two I'll be a master of all the ins and outs, but for the nonce I can only defer to what I know. I'm learning bit by bit, but there are only so many hours in a day, and ultimately I guess that's what hurt the most here. Looking forward to flaying everyone else in the NGADM alive in a few more years! Am I being figurative? Hell no. It's a Death Match, so let the blood rain down and paint the world crimson! :3

Pseudo insanity aside, thank you for the review. This one just plain wasn't going to be as good as Tir Na Nog no matter what, and I probably never should have gone for such a piano-driven piece when even my best version of the instrument (at the time) was apparently the musical equivalent of a steaming pile of shit. Lesson learned. I'm mostly just frustrated at myself for blowing it, but there's a lot of good here to chew on and learn from. The world has moved on...as have I.

[Agnos]

NGADM Review:
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This is quite an a good submission. You've got excellent orchestration and instrumentation. The vocal work is well-worked and fits in really well with the piece. You did have some small instances of slight discordance, but nothing particularly noticeable. The melodies and harmonies you make use of are structured and balanced very well.

However, I did notice some small mixing issues at certain points. The guitar, which was of an incredibly high quality, tended to get buried in the mix sometimes. The backing pads also could have used a bit more work, as they got a bit repetitive after a while, and they didn't fill in the piece as much as I would have liked.

All in all, great work with the piece, it's very high quality. A few issues here and there, but nothing major. Keep it up!

Score: 8.4/10

[Steam's Wonderful Contraptions]

NGADM Review:
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Now this is what I look for in a piece. Interesting, varied, well-built, and above all, original. Fantastic work! I love the instruments you use, and the general vibe of the piece is so damn quirky it's hilarious. The sound effects and the instruments just come together so brilliantly it's almost unbelievable.

The development throughout the piece is amazing, and I didn't get bored for a single second. You've got a couple of odd transitions here and there, but other than that I can't really find much to complain about.

Overall, great piece! You're definitely one of my favourites, and I just can't wait to hear what you come up with next.

Score: 9.4/10

steampianist responds:

Thank you for the review im glad that it amused you

[Among Ancient Ages]

NGADM Review:
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This is a fairly decent piece. Despite the instruments being of a lower quality, you've pulled off some good quality music with them. You've got great orchestration, and the melodies and harmonies are well-worked and structured. Mixing is also excellent, with no sections that stand out as muddy or unclear.

That being said, the development of the piece could have used more work. After the great introduction, I'd have expected the piece to go places instead of sticking to the same theme and mood and basically getting stuck where it was. The dynamics stay fixed, and there's very little variation to the entire thing. The ending also sounds a little bit off, but it's not all too bad.

Overall, good piece, but could have used more work. You've definitely got potential, so stick with it!

Score: 7.8/10

[Sons of Valhall]

NGADM Review:
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This is definitely one of my favourite pieces this round. You've got excellent composition, fantastic instrumentation, and your orchestration is through the roof. It's amazing how you can do so much in so little time, because I for one take ages to get anywhere near a decent piece. Great work!

The piece develops nicely and stays interesting throughout, and while it leans more towards your typical cinematic piece, I love that you still put your own touch to it, even if it is less than usual. The drums are a bit too echoey for my tastes (oh the irony), but otherwise they're varied and well-structured. The mixing is a bit off in some cases, but nothing too major that it ruins the piece.

Overall, there's not much I can say other than that this is an amazing piece! Perhaps a little bit more work on the mixing and the drumwork, but otherwise, keep up the great work!

Score: 9.2/10

SoundChris responds:

Thanks a lot Echo!

I have done my best in the short time that i had and am quite comfortable with the result - excepted the mixing and the usage of the french horns. Also there could have been a clearer leitmotif ... i will try to fix those issues in my next cinematic tracks! Thanks a lot for your kind review!

All the best!

[Draesdne Adaas]

NGADM Review:
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As always, great instrumentation and orchestration. You've got well developed themes and sufficient development to keep the piece interesting. Even though it tends to feel a tiny bit disjointed sometimes, it progressed pretty much consistently in most cases, so kudos.

Mixing got a bit muddy at points, with some instruments struggling not to get drowned out by the others. Also the piece kind of ended too abruptly for my tastes, and I felt like it could have gone on to much more. While I understand the time constraints in question, I think this particular aspect could have used more work even in the given time period.

All in all, it's definitely not a bad piece, and it has a good number of excellent qualities, but it did have potential to be more than it is.

Score: 7.8/10

samulis responds:

Thanks for the review, Echo. No amount of time would ever make a work of mine any longer tbh. I stop them when I reach the point of "if I go any longer on this, it's going to turn into 1,000 unrelated themes in a row". If I made this any longer, it'd get worse and worse.

[Memories of a Forgotten Land]

NGADM Review:
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That violin is just godly. In fact, overall, most of the instruments in this piece are just fantastic. You've got great instrumentation, and you know what to do with it. Melodic content is pretty great, as are harmonies and orchestration.

However, the piece lacks a certain recognizable and memorable theme that sticks in the mind and makes it re-playable. Despite it being quite emotional while your listening to it, it's not a feeling that sticks once it's over, as would be the case with a truly effective piece.

Overall, great piece, and lots of potential. I love what you did, but I still feel like it's missing that one small something that would truly make it fantastic.

Score: 7.8/10

MichaelJ responds:

I suppose it isn't catchy, if that is what you mean. I didn't want it to be repetitive, just expressive.

[[IV]Maskmen]

NGADM Review:
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You've got great instruments and great composition, and you definitely know what you're doing. Although this is quite the typical orchestral piece, you pulled it off quite well for that. The mixing is pretty great, and the instruments come together nicely. The melodic content is solid and the harmonies are quite decently done.

However, the piece was a bit repetitive as a whole. It doesn't really change much throughout, and while this might be acceptable considering the length of the piece, I still feel as if it could have progressed more as a track. The ending too is a bit abrupt, and the piece falls flat because of it.

Overall, a bit repetitive, but definitely a lot of potential. Keep up the good work!

Score: 8.6/10