RyeGuyHead's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Solus- Morning Genesis]

Ethereal

It's like waking up and looking out over a vast, foreign landscape.

Good use of traditional orchestra instrumentation. I like how you start out with the flutes playing the melody, and then switch it up to different sections like the strings and vibes and such. Having played sax in the school band, I know that's how these compositions usually go.

Now you just have to throw in some different movements ;)

In the middle, around the one minute mark, the strings playing lead should probably have a bit of a faster attack. Other than that, great job.

SolusLunes responds:

I suppose I could throw in a couple of different movements, but that would require extending this.

Maybe for later.

[==(Solace)==]

Aaaaaaahhhh

Imagine how much more epic it would be if you had the means to recruit an actual choir on this song...haha

The intro->lead guitar was great. The part at 1:27 reminds me of Radiohead to the highest degree, by the way.

Have you considered using a clean electric guitar rather than an acoustic one on this track? Since you already have the one melody type thing played on an acoustic sounding string instrument, making the strumming electric might distinguish it a bit more, since it sorta just fades away after the onset. Which might be what you're going for. You are a master at blending, so...

The drums were kick-ass. The cymbals had a great tone to them

I liked how you dropped stuff out at 4:25 and at the end. Though the end feels a little lackluster and not so polished, mainly how the bass cuts out. I think keeping the straight 8th notes for a few more bars, but actually having them fade instead of cutting out completely would do the trick.

And now you have to review some heavy metal...ha!

You said it, I clicked the link...Do Forest_0_Peril (Please :D)

Nice work, never finished, just put aside.

[No Homers Club]

wow

that was a pretttty damn awesome solo.

[Gerudo Valley (Metalized)]

Really awesome and all

But I'm not too fond of the chugging pattern that isn't the triplets/galloping. (ie 2:16)

Good solo, decent mix, could use a bit more though like bass and synth stuff.

Still a great rendition of an awesome song, props.

[The Awakening - Battle]

Those who Fight

this sounds EXACTLY like the FF7 boss battle music...

Please tell me used it as a template to make this song, like...wow.

The instrumentation and the arrangement and everything, it's not a bad thing...just the similarity is so uncanny. Damn. Good work.

(You should cut off the last two seconds to make it loop better)

[Undine's Magic (SOM Remix)]

ch ch ch ah ah ah

One of those effects has the slasher movie feel to it.

My roommates were playing this game last year, what a great soundtrack. I am not too familiar with this song, however. Really good thematic development on the synths. I think a snare drum would give this song a lot more power towards the end (before 3 minutes). The snare roll was a lackluster ending, perhaps you could implement a pad fade out to make the song loop better.

Great quality though :)

Flashburn responds:

<<<333

[Rem sleep]

Alright

I like the serious flange on the piano, very dreamy. The bass could definitely use some more ooomph(power). The drums, on the other hand, should come down by about 30%.

I would advise using some more synth elements in the lead. The piano is nice to start, but it gets out of place once the song picks up. Not too fond of the actual bass patch as well.

Not bad for just trying it out, not great though ;)

Sounds like there's some reverb that's drowning things out at points (30 seconds, for example). Check it out

[He's a pirate (Dubstep) by RBT]

Well

If you can't take criticism, don't expect to ever get any better...

The tune (melody) sounds really familiar, is it Pirates of the Caribbean or something? The beats are alright, I liked how you didn't get too full with it right away. That gives your song more room for expansion in the dynamic department. I think it would be wise to switch over the melody to the saw synth that plays the 1/4 notes on the 1..4 beats, as the theme gets overpowered as is. I like the pluck sound on it, use it for the intro...not the whole track.

The bass is nothing special. The breakdown at 3:30 is a good spot to elaborate on the bassline a bit more. Still that theme is too far back in the mix.

WAMP WAMP...meh

Skullfy responds:

The melody is pirates of the caribbean theme song and it's called "he's a pirate"...
This is remix of the potc theme song...
But thanks 4 the review and i try to work on stuff that u didn't like :)

['11 Zombie Red Zone]

NAC Judge

Top-Notch Production

Eeep. Very video gamey. Could totally imagine this as the intro track to a zombie game. The swells coincide with the industrial sounding beat superbly. There isn't much for a main melody throughout, but I think that works because this piece has a great atmosphere to it. Dynamically, it has lots of peaks and troughs, with periods of extreme silence followed by spurratic intensity...the result is jarring and effective. Once the guitar kicks in, it is as if the zombies have broken through the levy, so to speak. There is so much going on in this song, tons of variation and it is all good.

I think the beat should have maybe kept building intensity at the one-minute mark...I was just starting to get into it. The string patch that took over the melody at 1:30 was sorta weak. It lacked the raw edge that is present in just about every other sound in this piece. I'm diggin the quieter part with the introduction of sound effects and such.

A fair amount of zombie influence. One of the most well-rounded songs I have heard in a long time. Bonus points for working on it a until the end. Great job, this song will contend for the top spot.

My Score: 9.5

[RunRoze (July NAC)]

NAC Judge

OMG Yes!

That intro is perfect. The timing on the piano, is incredible eerie. The guffaw and pads with the sensation of falling down...SO great that you used Ring Around the Rosie, because it's about the black plague, which is very zombie-esque. And the voice processing is exceptional throughout, it really is.

The drum chase scene irked me the first time I listened to it, but I start to like it more and more now. It's such a random DnB break, but a great one. It's hard to put in a tempo change without making it really noticeable, there are a lot in this song and they're all seamless. The way it works with the drums is really cool. Not really much of a chase scene, in my mind...but I could really care less the way it flows into the next part.

The poem is pretty good. I don't quite get the "Petalled blood seeps from my eyes" line...having a hard time with the imagery. It's supposed to be like a rose? The chorus effects on your voice at the end were magnificent. I'd rather it'd be on your voice a little bit more earlier on in the first stanza...

This thing is all over the place, and I must say it is one of the most well-rounded songs I have come across in some time. Not to mention how unbelievably well it fit within the Zombie guidelines. Kudos.

My Score: 9.6

MrMusicalLion responds:

Glad you asked about that line,
Lemme explain :D [Glad to, in fact ^_^ ]

'Petalled blood seeps from my eyes.'
It's comparing the Person turning into a zombie, to a rose that is slowly losing its petals.
I describe the blood coming from the eyes as though it were like petals falling from a rose.
If you imagine that the eye itself is the centre of the rose, and the drops of blood are the petals, you should be able to get the imagery pretty well.

Anywho many thanks for the lovely indepth review, I was also wondering whether or not to introduce those effects on my voice earlier or later - the tricky thing was trying to figure out how to strike a balance between maintaining the tension and keeping the listener interested. I made this piece in about 3 or 4 days so I am happy with how it turned out considering I found out about the contest a week before the deadline ^_^

Thanks! :)