Burn7's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Creatures of the deep]

"Oh fuck,"
- Me, at 0:44 when that bass starts up

This reminds me of some Lisa tracks. Really digging this quite a bit. I've also never heard anyone use that "farty synthbass" tone at 1:28 so kudos there.

The note choices starting at like 2:00 start to... creep me out a little bit? Like I'm not sure if that's the intended effect or not but with a lot of those sustain synths it almost starts to feel kind of uncomfortable-ish? Not in a bad way, just in a... Subverting the vibe kind of way.

But then it picks up at 2:41 and just kicks back and chills from then on. This is not the kind of thing I'd normally listen to but I'm damn glad I did. Solid as hell.

RealMrSnuggles responds:

Thanks a lot for the review. It's supposed to feel like you are facing a creature from the deep, that's part of the reason for the note choices ;)

[Vibe 2 This]

Wow real feel vibes in this piece. There's a lot going on. "Frantic but controlled", which is I think what makes the best metal imo.

I agree with Roguetoad, the low end is certainly a biiitch to try and put together for metal. Something weird going on with the basstone when the snare hits. Like maybe they're stepping on each other a little bit? I'm not sure, I really shouldn't be trying to give mixing advice. I couldn't mix a fucking cake.

Either way this is pretty rad.

Metaljonus responds:

Thanks, dude. I guess the way I can describe is taking a hit of acid and when it starts to hit you go through that woahhhhhhh point and then you have a nice trip hahaha. And yeah, I gotta go back and see where the frequencies lie with the bass and drums and cut them fuckers to create more space. And or go through the ambient parts to see if there is any unnecessary low end. Still a work in progress mix wise but I wanna share this either way. :D Thanks for listenin homie!

[Full Force!!]

Oh shit mate, this absolutely rocks. The synth lead is really, REALLY well placed. The whole thing is just so... well supported and composed. I especially like your 2:40 transition, that added quite a bit to the continuation of the vibe. I also always love your use of accidentals, it's always additive and never distracting.

Solid work, dude!

DanJohansen responds:

Appreciate the awesome review man! Went a lot back and forth with the EQ to get the synth to pop just I wanted it to. Rock on!

[Piconjo: Teh 6aym (Full OST)]

Well this confirms some theories I've had since this project started.

In order:

- TeraVex is an artificial superintelligence designed to take every other composer's job
- Carmet is an octopus possessed by the spirit of a still-living Victor Wooten
- ConnorGrail is Metallica from an alternative universe where the whole band was just one guy with an iPhone
- Curruff is attractive (call me)
- Larrynachos is all the enjoyment of the Hindu Holi festival manifested into a single being
- Mig-Moog has no conceivable beginning or ending; They simply are and will always be
- MisterJames is a chaos engine of pure sexual magic unleashed on an ill-prepared humankind
- RealMrSnuggles is actually Grant Kirkhope (no but really I'm on to you)
- Skullpioneer is an elemental sinewave generated at the beginning of time

And I guess I am what happens when you give drugs more drugs then set those drugs on fire.

[Regurgitated x2 (Piconjo OST)]

Wow, everybody did a really amazing job here. Everybody's individual style really stands out and it cannot be overstated how well produced/mixed/structured this is by TeraVex. They did an absolutely amazing job keeping this whole thing together.

It's impossible to say which part I like best since the whole thing flows so incredibly well together. I can't just pick one. Every single person here did such a fantastic job, it was a damn good time y'all :D

[Korded (ft. Larrynachos) (Piconjo OST)]

Holy shit this is good. I'm not afraid to say there was a moment where I teared up slightly. Excellent intro, excellent structure, excellent atmosphere and game vibe, incredible synth solo and pacing overall.

And yes, I'm willing to bet SOMEONE out there will try to do that solo live. Even if they have to borrow a hand.

[Frostpunk - Main Theme (Black Metal Cover)]

Woof dude this turned out real good. I especially like the basstone now, it's real damn good.

I would like to echo the sentiments of Renard in your determination. It certainly comes across in how hard you worked on this piece. And sonically it shows, especially if compared to some of your previously submitted tracks. This seems like one of your most developed and versatile tracks.

I can't wait to see what else you cook up :D

[Radio Ninja]

Yo, this is a reply to your message you sent me. Newgrounds says you only accept messages from your contacts so I can't DM you back (Which is just... so dumb NG does that now). So I sent you a friend/contact request.

I'll give the track you sent me a listen and hopefully by then I can send you a DM instead of reviewing your tracks to contact you.

Speaking of reviewing your tracks, this one is real clean. Those bends in the notes really give it some life. I think the drum/bass leveling could use a touch of love and attention but I also realize this was written quite a while ago. Reminds me of Risk of Rain 2 with less Prog Rock + Synthesizer vibe.

Also, I'll resend the scout request if I can :D

[The Dead Brown Fox]

Hey, this is pretty sweet! I really dig the high-toned lead overtop the driving rhythm bits.

Here's a cool little trick you can try if you're using that Odin II thing: Normally with rhythm guitars in metal tracks, standard mixing practice is to double-track it and hard pan it to either side (So you have one recording playing in only the left channel and another in only the right one).

That's hard to pull off with a VST plugin for a couple reasons. Mostly because every note will typically play one of a few different samples. If the Left channel and Right channel ended up playing the same sample note at the same time, it ruins the stereo image and becomes mono.

To circumvent this with a guitar plugin, simply increase one side's midi notation by +1 semitone, then in your chain (before the amp FX), add in a pitch shifter (Preferrably something with both pitch and tamber/formant adjustment) and decrease the pitch back where it's supposed to be. So it'd look like:

[Midi Note (+1)] -> [Guitar VST] -> [Pitchshift (-1)] -> [Amp FX] -> [EQ/Comp/etc]

The logic behind this is, because it's just a series of samples being played, if the guitar VST is playing the samples from one note higher, they will never intertwine/overlap and drop things to mono when you're panning.

Also, go check out some free OTT plugins for your drums. OTT compression is just nuckin' futs and I guarantee you'll enjoy using it on your drums if you play with the settings a little bit. Xfer Records has one that's free, just search for Xfer OTT Plugin.

joe-4-kerr responds:

Thanks for the tip, but in fact Odin 2 uses panned guitars, and I shift panning myself a bit as I like a less linear sound, so instruments don't intersect in space (at least that's how I feel it should be played). When asked Maxeme directly, he said that there's no need in second track if you just select panned playing - should do all for yourself (but again maybe I didn't figure how it works, or my panning shift makes it less apparent - you tell me in DM when you try the plugin :-) )

I'll check OTT when I'll get back to writing my next track (decided to make a cover this time to experiment with genres - will be black metal).

[Terminus]

Very mixed feelings on this track. I don't even know how I got to this page, I'll be honest. But I don't regret getting here so that's a win. This is a really good track, but you also wrote you wanted to challenge yourself. So I'm gonna be SUPER picky (because what good is stretching yourself if you're just gonna end up in the same place?).

This has an AMAZING "build-up and resolve" introduction. Yet as the track advances into full-song mode it feels like... There wasn't a very clearly defined vision for what was going on. Where the track was going, what it was meant to convey, etc. It's hard to get a real sense of destination or purpose. It feels like "Build Resolution; The Song".

Melodically speaking this track almost feels like an abstract art piece. The key changes in many places feel forced, harsh and jarring with little transition but tonally it's all very pleasant and consistent. I'm usually a sucker for a good prog switch track but we kinda go all over the place for this one. I'd say about 85% of the keyswitches I was on board with, but that other 15% (4:28 stands out. That much of a jump didn't felt "earned" or set up more smoothly with previous melodic elements or note alternatives within the arpeggios themselves.) ends up really throwing off it's own groove. By the end it feels more like an MC Escher set of stairs, an Ouroborous with no clear destination.

As an experimental track designed to test and challenge yourself I'd say this probably gained you a lot of melodic experience points. The track is a solid a 5/5 for vision and execution in my book from that perspective alone. It's a hell of a lot more palatable than the majority of my challenge/experimentation tracks! But from a structure, purpose or design standpoint it's left a lot to be desired to my ears.

If this were 2010, this track would easily compete with most of the Tron Legacy OST. Which in itself is a pretty high achievement for that time. But this is over a century later and this vibe has been chewed up and spit out by the mainstream music scene, making it very difficult to stand out among so many others like it. I know that wasn't really the goal here but the tone invites the comparison and... by the end I was left wanting. But, just like any good art piece, some people will see it and "get it", and others won't. I kinda of get it? Yet I can't help wondering if those Escher stairs could have been more clearly drawn.