headphoamz's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Tir Na Nog]

Aah, lovely. Reminds me of a bard's song in Skyrim, upon first listen. Absolutely love Celtic mythology, and this is definitely a mystical piece to accompany a story. Plus, having etherealwinds sing for you was a great choice, as he's an excellent singer!
Great work, Chrono. This might be my favorite work from you.

ChronoNomad responds:

Thanks a ton, headphoamz! It's really nice to find that so many people appreciate Celtic music and lore here on Newgrounds, and having this compared to one of Jeremy Soule's songs from Skyrim is decidedly awesome. I couldn't agree more when it comes to etherealwinds and his singing talent; I feel very fortunate in that regard. I'm really glad that you enjoyed the music, and I feel as though I'm growing more and more as a musician thanks to this competition and all the wonderful feedback I've been receiving! <333

[The Penguin - Theme]

OH MY HEAVENS THIS IS SO CUTE!!!
Okay, I have that out of my system. But really, too adorable. Just so playful and penguin-ish and Pixar. I can definitely see a penguin sliding on his belly or something like that. The pizzicato in the background only adds to the fun. :3

SoundChris responds:

Thank you! It is a very simple composition (logic pro 8 instruments only) - but i think it doesnt have to be extremely complicated all the time. It has been written to accompany some voice actors who tell the story - underlined with some fx sounds. I never tried to set a childrens story into music - but it really was fun :D Echnaret ant the penguin guys are so proud of their work so i decided to submit those short sequences to advertise the full story :3

[GM - Dragon Of The South]

Man, you are so good. I'm not really an expert on heavy metal, because most of it is just too "heavy", in terms of production and sound. But what you've done here is captured the heart of rock, with your riffs that pan back and forth, the progression of the melody, and the solo that starts up at 2:57 - simply gorgeous! Then it all goes back to the original tune, which I have actually been humming today. Call me a fan! :)

InYourDreams responds:

OMG! thank you very much, woman!! :D... I'm actually a big fan of YOUR stuff xD... this means a lot to me (specially if it's actually not something you would normally hear or like). You girl are so freaking talented!! I love your "dear mario" song, and your work for this contest is off the charts!!
I'm really glad you like it... :)

[Ablixa]

This is a fantastic house song! Are you into Benassi? Sounds a lot like his stuff. Great use of the square lead, and the way its tail waveform wiggles at the end of every beat. I think I'd add a little more bass to the song, but that's my opinion here. The arps that start at 3:40 - I NEED MORE OF THOSE IN MY LIFE. Awesome work!

garlagan responds:

Thank you!
I don't really like Benassi, though I haven't listened to many songs from him. Will check out some more later.
Glad you liked the arps. I really enjoy using them.
You worried me about the bass! glad you sent that message then.
Cheers

[Memories of a Forgotten Land]

Incredible, Michael. Your sense of composition is really inspiring - the melody is sad, but the strings and sevenths behind it truly make the movement one of despair. You and your friend Jeremy are both very talented! Well done.

MichaelJ responds:

Wow, thank you headphoamz, we really appreciate it. :)

[Ling Kano's Fighting Show]

A FUNK SONG! Dude, I was hoping to come across one of these in the comp.
So this whole thing just screams Street Fighter, which has some excellent music - very punchy, big attitude. The song itself has some good elements, like the brass accentuating the bass. That instrument at 1:26 - what the heck is it? I'm trying to place the sound. It's a nice addition there.
The guitar that comes back in is a good way to remind the listener they're still in the game! Nicely done, Jovis.

SourJovis responds:

And now you do. Hadn't thought of Street Fighter in particular, but now you mention it, I can imagine some tatsumaki senpuu kyaku-ing to this. The instrument at 1:26 I think you refer to is a string section from an old fashioned tape keyboard/sampler (from when all samples were stored on tape). I had an erhu (chinese string instrument that sounds somewhat like a violin) in mind, but I didn't have samples of that instruments, so I used this instead, because it sounds similar to an erhu, and a tape sampler fits the style of the song too.

[Lazy Island Daze]

Always love your music. Such a different style, and you have no fear of experimentation, which I adore. This might sound a little weird, but I feel that this could go in a Wii game - in a good way! Very playful, good music to get happy to. Might have changed the background bagpipes a little more, but that's just me. :)

acmeDyne responds:

Thanks!
I have a bit of a weakness for that droning bagpipe sound, but I can see how it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

[Sons of Valhall]

This, in my opinion, is one of your best works. There is a fullness to this song that I often strive for in my own pieces - every aspect of the aural plane seems to be covered with a dynamic, breath-taking ferocity - just enough to tell the listener to sit down, you're in for a ride!
Your arpeggios throughout the song are flawless. Wonderful use of choir shouts, although at times they sound a little strange when shouting quickly (like at 1:52).
The melody at 2:12 when it devolves into something desperate-sounding is just beautiful. Also enjoyed the thunder interspersed with the timpani!
If you were going for a strong battle piece - ya nailed it! Great job!

SoundChris responds:

Hey phoamz,

thanks a lot for your kindness! I really hope the sound was lush and full enough - it was the first time i have used all of those new instruments. Until now i didnt want to create cinematic tracks because my vst sounded to bad. But now there so many opportunities ... just awesome!

There is so much for me to learn about composition, orchestration, instrumentation and mixing ... i really hope to improve my knowledge as fast as possible and will definitely set one of my main focuses on the cinematic genre.

Btw - i am also glad you liked the timpani - thunder combination. I wasnt sure if it would sound good or not really :D

Best wishes!

[A Long Way Home]

Simply beautiful. The harmonies are balanced and pure-sounding, very lovely music to study to! I'm a sucker for different languages other than English, and I feel you really captured the Danish tongue very well here. Also, Joy is an amazing singer! I love the reverb you have behind her voice.
BlazingDragon's piano is also spot-on, as usual. You both have a flair for the whimsical and I'm so happy you collaborated! Need more of you guys together! :D
Best of luck, my friend!

etherealwinds responds:

EEE thank you! Your review makes me extra happy (but don't tell anyone!) I'm really glad you liked it. Collaborating with both Joy and BlazingDragon in one composition is definitely one of my prouder moments, they're both wonderful. Danish is such a hard language to grasp but it's really beautiful. It's always a challenge not to butcher a language that you're not too familiar with, but thankfully Joy's fluent so she was a lot of help! :) thank you again for your kind words Phoamy!

[Rosso]

Right off the bat, I would have used a little pitch correction. I notice the vocals are nearly a half-step off the main key. Not to say the singer doesn't have a good, strong voice. Great vibrato. Just would have adjusted it accordingly so everything blends melodically.
Stronger snare more towards the middle, so as to differentiate between the kick. Not sure about the toms that come in around 3:20, they seem to be out of place.

Only critique. Lyrics are great, work very well with the rhythm.

TEIONmusic responds:

Thank for the critique. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that. I didn't want to mess around with the pitches too much, because I didn't want to ruin the jazzy feel to her voice. It kind of added a different variation to the song and it sounded a bit mysterious. The sound at 3:20 was a synth that I stacked with a percussion, and if I didn't have that it sounded a bit too empty. I didn't use that instrument in any other parts, so it did sound a bit foreign. I didn't have enough time to mix the song entirely, because I had more than 60 instruments at the end to deal with. I plan to re-mix the song even after the contest, so I will definitely use your critique to improve on the song.