MaestroSegments's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Dryad Whispers]

Good stuff

hello Grumbleduke.

lets being our Review by looking at the mood and atmosphere this song presents.

My first thought is that harp. It sounds very serene, very laid back. I must ask where you get your samples, I am quite fixated by them. I am not looking at your title, so the image I paint for you is purely the image I get from the song itself.

I see a great open field, with long blades of grass sticking out, swaying lightly to the winds gentle push. At around 1:09, I see a scarecrow in the middle of the field. Alone, yet smiling. A child is leaning against the stick holding up the scarescrow as he gazes up to the sky.

A brilliant, vivid image. One I am glad you were able to invoke.

Lets talk a bit about the instruments and melody.

As I stated earlier before, the harp opening was very pleasent. Normally I would suggest adding more to the song, but I feel the solo harp opening would suffice plenty.

That flute melody, now there I feel you could expand on easily, I would have liked to hear you bring in a counter melody with another flute, preferrably up on octave. Points like 0:49 is a great point to go into duel flute action! I liked the oboe segment. It was the oboe that made me thing of the scarecrow, something dead, sad, yet happy at its place.

The double flute thing idea goes again around 1:46 where the deep cello stops.

Overall impression was pretty good Grumbleduke. I won't lie, I felt the song also had a bit of a cliche feel, it sounded done before, but thats not to say anything about your skill. I would have liked to hear a more diverse, a bit more spicy happy ;).

In the end however, you are the creator, and I the mere suggestor, take what you will from the review, it is entirely up to you.

5/5 from me Grumbleduke, keep up the good fight, and keep them coming ^^.

Grumbleduke responds:

Ah, a new face :).

To begin with, during the original creation of this, I was not gifted with time (this was the last song in a line of others for a project), so I know there could be more to it. I happen to like it very much the way it is, but would like to improve it at some point. Why didn't I think of double flutes!? Brilliant idea!

As for the sounds, the harp is just GarageBand MIDI; no loops or samples have been used in this, it's all off the soundcard. The oboes are actually bassoons taken up to treble register, because they are so much more mellow sounding than the oboes are. Weird.

Thank you for a somwehat extensice review (for which I am more appreciative than you'd think). Good luck out there :D

[Galactic summer (3:27)]

Neat

Hello WinTang

Lets begin our review with mood and atmosphere this song presents.

Its definately a jazzy piece, i'm not going to lie to you, its not my type of music, but I know good music when I hear it.

I see celestial dancing with this piece, like a 70's disco, but several thousand miles in space. Smooth, sweet, and laid back.

It morphs pretty quickly with that jazz and piano duet segment, a lonely segment really. I feel a kind of desolute feeling really.

Lets talk a bit about instruments and melody.
The intro was pretty good with that pad? like instrument. I found the melody was pretty neat, again since it's not my type of music per say, I didn't find it that catchy, but I did still enjoy it.

The percussional beats were simple, but effective in their little dance.

I suppose thats all I have to say about this piece, sorry for the short review, I don't have any suggestions for this piece ^^.

Good stuff, keep up the good fight, and keep them coming.

WinTang responds:

Thanks you, your review was still longer than average!
Shame you don't like jazz though, it's awesome and very flexible for crossing over with other types of music. Having heard your music, I'd say listen to some Debussy and Ravel (if you haven't already) to see what I mean.
But thanks for your appreciation :)

[Ice Princess(in memoriam)]

Awesome

Lets begin our review by analysing the mood and atmosphere the song sends.

Begins off on a very dark key, a very omnipotent kind of voice really. I get a lot of anger in this piece. Its subtle, but its there, in massive supply embedded deeply in there. Kind of overpowers the sorrow.

A feeling of being lost is in here too, I imagine wandering in icy caverns for weeks on end, no means or even desire to get out. I like it here, cold, desolete, and void from any distracting aspects of life.

The image I get is that of an Ice Princess dancing in total darkness, a single ray of light from the ceiling shines down, allowing glimpses of her every once in a while, but all is silent.

A very interesting image and story I get, lets get to the instruments and melody.

I really like the introduction of that oboe at 0:46, it is one of the key factors that made me envision the embedded anger. It also serves as a great way to usher in the rest of the pieces.

1:16, that large bang followed up by another smash at 1:22 launches into another feeling. A noble, defiant feeling. Great use.

I really like the repetitive methods you used to end the piece. Suffering that doesn't end.

I wonder what this song would sound like with a harp, playing with the piano. Or an organ, an organ would in my opinion really gave it some exotic and powerful imagery.

I don't have much time, so i'm afraid ill have to cut the review short here. Please listen to my track, I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

5/5 from me sorohanro, keep them coming, this was powerful stuff.

sorohanro responds:

wow...i mean, wow...!somebody really listened my music.thanx, that is probably the best review.you'r right,i was angry and sad at the same time.and i had in mind harp but somehow begining sounds better with piano, so i decided to use it for the rest of the song...to end like it begin.thanx again

[KoT - Lord of Storm and War]

Neat

Hello Killer_Of_Trolls.

Lets begin our review by analysing mood and atmosphere of the song.

It has a dark atmosphere, no doubt, a very neat powerful feeling.

I really like the build up first 30 seconds, and then the brutal brass comes in. It stops a little randomly though, however those bass drums with those bells worked little miracles in on itself, I really liked that part.

I could also make out some cello's going on during that time, I think they should have been a tad louder.

That harp and cello(?) near the end was also pretty effective in the story it tells.

I like the ending with the bells, nice!

I'd like you to listen to my work, I would like your feedback, you are one of the better composers that i've seen around here. Thank you ^^.

Great stuff Killer_of_Trolls, keep them coming.

Slayer-of-trolls responds:

Thanks for the review soulstrings

[Tority (MTech)]

Damn nice

Hello JamesMillen.

Lets begin our review with mood and analysis of atmosphere.

You're song is quite misleading JamesMillen, starting off like that, and then so fully jumping into the circus scene.

The beginning part made me think of a great wall scene. A soldier looking over the forest littered scene from atop a great wall, squinting against the light. And then he see's a circus!

yay!

The instruments were all good quality, and you managed to do good with those trumpets. I've been looking to find realistic trumpets, ones like this.

You did something I wouldn't really expect in a circus song, at 1:45 the song gets a bit darker then I would have expected, great flute trilling there.

I found the percussional aspects a little bland though, I think it could have used a base kick every once in a while, and just mixed up a tad more.

If I could ask you to review my work I would really like to hear what you have to say about it. Thank you.

Good stuff though, definatlely one of the better pieces here on Newgrounds. 5/5 from me JamesMillen, keep them coming ^^.

JamesMillen responds:

Thank you for your kind review. It's funny, this is the only place that Tority ever gets any attention, usually it's Smile all the way!

So...ok the whole focus of this song was to have a series of juxtapositions, to keep it exciting since I feared it had the possibility to get dull.

The trumpet, well you're right it's really hard to find a good trumpet sound. So I relied on the fact I know what a trumpet sounded like and used effects and automation until it did sound right.

The percussion...well I was pleased with it. However, I accept your point about the bass kick. Annoyingly it does have a bass kick in it. But for technical reasons it overloaded and would never play loud. i had the same problem with Waltzitzer.

I will check your stuff now!

[One Last Goodbye V.2]

Gentle, swaying...

Hello DJ_Dinero.

Lets begin our review with analysis of mood and atmosphere it gives me.

Well how to say sad piano? You've done it quite nicely with this piece. A simple, yet effective melody, and one that is constantly changing. I get a very sad story, as your name would suggest, a gentle, serene goodbye. Forever? Maybe, at 1:04 the melody changes a bit to a more hopeful one. It may be goodbye, but damnit its not the end of the world!

Now lets talk a bit about instruments and melody.

I know this was meant to be a solo piano piece, but god help me, i'm incompetent when it comes to solo instrument compositions, i'm always thinking "add more!" and this will probably one day be my undoing >:(.

Stupid me. Anyways, here's a few suggestions, of course none you have to take, but here they are anyways.

I feel if you added a flute and gentle violin to sing with the piano, it would make the song so much sadder, perhaps a low cello as well? Some ghost bells would add a really sad tone as well.

1:43 is a really sad part. I thought that part was a bit more special then the rest of the song. Not sure why, I just enjoyed it more.

Very good piano skills you have going on here Dinero, good stuff.

Of course at the end of the day Dinero, you are the creator, and I the mere suggestor ;).

If I could ask you to listen to my song, I would thank you.

5/5 from me Dinero. Keep them coming.

snazzypadgett responds:

Hey SoulStrings, it's been a while since my last review! Thanks a lot for such a great one! (I guess I should write something new soon ^_^).

So, you suggested I add in some accompanying instruments. Oddly enough, I've been working with my piano teacher (more like "music teacher" nowadays) on my computer with Reason 3, on this song, and he's teaching me to elaborately build an orchestral piece from the ground up. So I've actually got a pretty cool orchestral version of this that's nearly done. But I don't know if I should submit it...I'm selfconscious that it'll be too sloppy and cheapy :(

Thank you so much for your kind words and your helpful suggestions, I really do consider them seriously! I'll hit you back, I promise!

[Awake, Bosanian (Required]

Neat

Hello Bosa.

I know you said I should have surround sound to hear this, I don't however, and so I will not discuss distortion with you, I realize this is on my end. Though in reality it would be a good iea to make a stereo version.

Lets talk about melody shall we?

You begin the song with a neat and simple flute melody. I like the direction you went with the melody of that flute, quite sad.

When you brought in the choirs it became quite interesting. Are those Papalmedia choirs? Sounds familiar.

I think there is a cello somewhere in the background when you drop out the choir and flute, but I couldn't hear it right, the kicks were too overpowering. Again probably because I listen to the track through earphones.

You know what I'm thinking though Bosa? I'm thinking what this track would sound like if you had a harp in there, perhaps a violin to support and play along with the flute. The air you give us with this song is a hopeful yet sad piece. I assume by Bosa's end, you meant your old style of playing, you killed it off. With this new Bosa, you are celebrating your new style, yet grieving for the Bosa that helped you get where you are today.

A neat track. It's not as diverse as I would like it, but overal a good piece.

I would like your opinion on my song if you could.

4/5 from me Bosa. Keep them coming ^^.

Bosa responds:

You are exactly right. You are a very understanding, and knowledgeable person. I'm sure headphones help you pick out things from the music alot easier. Anyways, I think I'll take your advice and tone it down a bit. I might just add a a calming piece with a harp involved. Don't know yet until I start working on it.

ßosa, the New Revolution

[§Arbiter§ - Arise of Loth]

Incredible!

Hello _Arbiter_ I see you are a new comer to the portal like myself. I hope you won't take TOO much of the spotlight now, leave the other people some light ;).

Anyways onto the review.

I think this song can be cut up into 3 segments, the intro, the sad middle, and then of course, our finale.

My first comment goes to those low contrabass spiccato's you have stabbing away at the very beginning with the determined, yet simple percussional beat. That sole tremelo strings was a good way to introduce the song.

When 0:15 comes in, you introduce the choir to us. Now I love choirs, choirs and bells are my fetish. I can't live without them, and yet people seem to be able to do the same... crazy people.

Anyways, I feel the choir, though effective in its own style, was a tad bland. I would have preferred to hear a countermelody choir on top of that, perhaps in another octave, depicting both sides of war. The fear, the bold determination, and above all that, the firey rage.

No at 0:35 you bring in those chords. Oh those glorious chords. I found them very moving, so alone, and yet it was the fact they were so alone that gave them that power. That power of loss, of hesitance. Those slowed, drums really gives the thought of powerless struggle, as if they were thrown into a fight they could not escape. Effective.

My only thoughts concerning this segment, is perhaps joining those chords with an equally lonely instrument. I feel the addition of a high octaved flute, gently weaving itself with those chords (or just really using the prime notes of those chords), may have furthar pushed that feeling.

Leaving that behind, lets talk a bit about after wards. 1:04 you bring in some crazy epic strings. This is the very soul of the piece, I absolutely adored it, and wish you had extended that part. maybe loop it again and add in a French Horn section? I just think the French Horns and Epic strings go together very well.

I love the percussional work, now I felt that the percussonal works with those clangy metal hits made it feel like a very industrial feel. As if Lothian was a kingdom, a very powerful kingdom, preparing for some really rightous ass whoopage.

Whoo, long review. I hope you find some of this helpful, or at least amusing ^^.

With all that said. 5/5 from me _Arbiter_, keep them coming.

Arbiter responds:

I'm indeed new, and you seem to be doing rather well yourself compared to alot of other artists, but let's see the rest of your review.

The tremolo was actually meant as a builder of tension at the beginning, only to be "Overpowered" by the percussionals, drawing the attention to that.

0:35, Alot of work put into those strings. I hope that the rest of the people liked them.

1:04; I introduced the C-Minor and the F-Minor (Inversed). (I think that was what I used)
They were there to create a certain "drive", and I see your points of the choir, and respect them.
But I felt that it's simplicity was actually something required to keep alot of the feel of that moment.

I only like the "clangy metal hits" at the end.

Thanks for your review, this took time to write, so I can understand your time was much put into this.
All comments apprieciated, this one above alot of others.

With best of Wishes, Chris.