Score: 10

"Imaginative!"

submission: Our inner kid

date: June 21, 2008

I figured I'd come by and check out your stuff since I haven't heard it in a while, and boy, have you improved! Your orchestration has gotten much more refined! Also, your woodwind samples are very enchanting! What are you using for them? I'd love to know!

Now, for two suggestions, both relating to the strings. First, I think they could be pulled back overall. It seems their primary purpose is to provide body, but they can achieve that goal. Furthermore, by bringing them back, you can bring one or two of the voices out, which will give them a bit more shape.

Second, I think it'd be really nice to have them playing harmony (or a counter melody) rather than doubling the melody. In this case, they'd be better served to have their own voice. Since the melody has little to compete with, doubling it feels a bit overkill to me!

Very nit picky things, all in all very well done!
Keep it up!

Score: 9

"Hey JAZZA!"

submission: Mad World Cover

date: January 18, 2008

This is definitely one of the better covers here on Newgrounds, no question about that! The piano part was played well and I think it had just the right presence in the mix; loud enough to be heard, but still in the background. The piano sounded very well recorded as well, props there!

Although there are a bunch of great things done here, I've got two suggestions for you. For one, I think your vocals would clean up pretty well if you run them through a pitch correcter. The recording quality is great, and most of the time your in the ballpark with the pitches, but there are a few notes sprinkled into the mix that are a bit off. Sonar has a built in pitch correcter that works quite well, and there are a few free VST plug-ins around the web that do their job. Aside from that, my only criticism is in the drum tracks, which sounded quite synthetic. I think bringing out the mids in the snare and the lows a bit in the kick will help give them a bit more life, but ultimately it may be a good idea to invest in some real quality drum samples.

In perspective, the pros far outweight the cons, and this is done very nicely. Keep up the great work!

Score: 9

"Well done!"

submission: The Holy Invincible

date: August 12, 2007

I was a bit skeptical at the beginning, but I was pleasantly surprised with the piece. The arrangement is very well made, the piece is very easy to follow, and yet has enough complexity to make me want to listen to it several times.

My only real complaint is sound quality- everything sounds quite snythetic. What orchestral samples are you using? With a quality set of samples, your music could really shine.

Keep it up, I'll be watching you!

Score: 10

"Wow!"

submission: _-={The Desire to Destroy}=-_

date: July 29, 2007

Man, if there is ever a "most improved" award, you'd definately deserve to get it. You've improved leaps and bounds these past few months- everything is balanced better, clearer, and you seem to have a better overall understanding of how the orchestra fits together.

First off, a question. What drums are you using? I love the samples, they're extremely powerful and crisp. You use them really well!

Second, a suggestion. At 0:41 I believe you have parallel motion in a manner in that sounds awkward (Jumping from a B dim to E minor). It does fit the atmosphere set by the piece, but it may be something you want to take a look at. Other than that, I don't really have any suggestions.

Third, a congrats. You've got a really good shot at the competition! Even if you don't pull the winning prize, you've made more progress than any one else I've listened to on Newgrounds in a long while.

Keep up the astounding work!

Score: 10

"Very creative!"

submission: Pink Panther vs Fur Elise

date: June 25, 2007

I've gotta agree with Maestro on this one. I love the intertwining of the two pieces! Very creative, and well done. Some of the transitions between the two pieces could have been a bit tighter (sometimes it sounded like you didn't quite know what you wanted to do), but at any rate, this shows a lot of imagination.

Keep up the great work!

The samples are pretty decent as well, what are you using?

Score: 8

"Nice work"

submission: -[ Tetris 230 ]-

date: January 21, 2007

You certainly keep the original feel of the Tetris theme, which can be difficult when remixing something. Kudos there!

The drums and cymbal seem a little over the top in places. I think that hi-hat hits are too rapid, and the drums are random. My main suggestion is to go and redo sections of the drums to make them solidify the foundation of the piece.

Have you considered lengthening it out a bit and introducing a new instrument? It's something to think about, as it would not only add a layer of complexity, but would let you add some more of your own ideas into the mix.

Keep up the good work!

Score: 9

"Nice Work!"

submission: Rucklo - EmoBitch (NoVox)

date: December 7, 2006

I loved the glitchy feel of the track, it felt like a hybrid of dnb and glitch music, which I really thought was a nice change from the typical dnb. Also, loved the strings scattered around the piece.

I felt as though there was no real climax though. The music kept building and building, but it never seemed to really bust out and smack me in the face, which would be a nice addition to the piece, and add diversity. Having a thicker drum beat in places would help quite a bit.

Great work overall, keep it up!

5/5

Score: 9

"Nice job!"

submission: _-={The Spread of Chaos}=-_

date: November 11, 2006

Nice job, lovely feel. You have less dissonant notes than you used to, which is good to see :)

I have two main complaints here. One, you have too much reverb. The second is that the piece is a bit thin. They go hand in hand, actually.

I would recommend taking out some of the reverb to give it a cleaner sound. You will then see that there are parts that are very sparse. Try beefing the piece up by adding harmonies to the piece. It seems that all I hear is drums and a melody, with an occasional counter melody. Adding more underlying parts will add a level of professionalism to the piece. Try adding some long tones in the bass to give the bottom end a little more presence, which could help compensate a decrease in reverb should you decide to try it out.

As always, nice melody work, and the piece had a nice flow to the piece. Certainly sounds like it could be a tribal piece, you've got quite an imagination. Maybe you could add some tom hits to give it a more war-drums sound?

Once again nice work, keep it up!

5/5

Score: 8

"Ambient"

submission: DJ S.H. A Good Christmas(1)

date: November 5, 2006

Nice instrument selection! Everything fit well with each other.

I would, however, soften the strings. They sounded very harsh, and quite dissonant at times. Try going in and removing some of the dissonances in their parts to create a more soothing sound.

Could use a little work, but not bad. Keep it up :)

5/5

Score: 9

"Great Job!"

submission: The Purest of Winters

date: October 21, 2006

Hey MMD glad you came back to submit another piece! The sound quality definately improved, no doubt because of the use of Reason 3.0. It sounds as though the piano is from Reason, too.

It was a very gentle, inspiring piece. Everything flowed together extremely well. Also, it's neat how all of your pieces have that "MMD feel" to them. Very nice!

My biggest complaint is that you didn't use quantize your stuff! Many different parts were off very slightly. I'm guessing people aren't picking up on it too much, but you should really use quantization. Now that you have the ability to snap everything into perfect time, you can bring everything to a new level of professionalism.

Other than that, I don't really have any complaints. There are a lot of subtle parts in the pieces, which is really the sign of a maturing composer. Well done!

Keep it up man, I'd love to see you submit things like this once in a while!

5/5