I don't know why I haven't reviewed any of your recent work, but thought that something from me was necessary. It's a shame that you and Paragon X9 get accused of lowering standards by people who are ignorant of the fact that electronic music has been around as long as metal. Honestly, this sounds like it belongs in Pico's Unloaded. With that out of the way...
Instrumentation: Like Show No Tears and Devil's Dance, the DMC influence is obvious, but distinct enough to make this original. Your instrument selection was excellent and fit the composition quite nicely. Almost reminds me of Evil-Dog's Till My Last Breath.
Composition: It's great to hear an original videogame song on here, even though I love your remixes. The melodies, rhythm, etc. are excellent and I think that you and Paragon X9 should collaborate sometime. Either that or with more people in the flash side of the site.
Other: While this may be a bit big for the length, that's not enough to warrant a lower score.
What's Good:
-Original
-Nice instrumentation
-Great tempo and rhythm
-Excellent melodies
What's bad:
-Nothing really
Overall: NemesisTheory, how would you like a ten from me? (5/5)
I have no idea about the people who say that. Whatever though, I just make music and whatever happens happens lol xD
It's always great to hear people recognize the DMC influence in these tracks. They are, second to Mega Man, probaby my favourite style of music tracks. Mainly because of the crazy intensity they bring into the game.
I'm happy you enjoyed it, and I would definitely like the ten and the 5, hahaha! xD
As a fan of Rise of the Dark Angel and Solar Corona, this has proven that you haven't lost it at all. By the way, why did you take them off of the Audio Portal, and if so, have you considered resubmitting them?
Instrumentation: Nice mix between NES synth, trumpets, crystal percussion, and choir chanting. I think more people on here should mix actual instruments and electronic beats together. However, the buzz synth at the beginning and end was a bit annoying and could have been toned down a bit.
Composition: I really like that clever placement of notes and rests you did with this. Unlike the majority of mainstream music, there's an actual melody going on here. In addition, the rhythm was quite fitting for something like this. It almost feels like something that you'd hear in a Super NES RPG of some sort.
Other: I think Obsidian Snow, RPGsROK, and Hyptosis would really love this. (Look up Dual Arms and Somnium for the second one.) The only gripe I have with this is the file size, which is quite big for the length. However, since flash has no Ogg Vorbis support; I won't take points off.
What I do like:
-Nice melody and rhythm
-Great instrument variety
-Original
-Versatile
What I don't like:
-The NES buzz at the beginning and end was overpowered and a bit annoying.
Overall: Solus, here's a ten from me, and I think you should try your luck at a hybrid of classical and electronica some time.
It's true, I think after listening to it that the saw wave at the beginning is a bit loud. The file size is large because it was uploaded at 320kbps quality, I do try to normally get at least 192. If the file size allows it (as in this case it did,) I will make it as high quality as I can.
I am trying to create more hybrids, because that is where I think my interests lie. It's a relatively untapped field- if you know of anyone that does this sort of thing, let me know, I am thoroughly interested.
I have to admit that you have managed to out do A Shade of Autumn with this one. Normally, I don't get to do song reviews, but thought that one for you was needed.
Instrumentation: I really like how you had NES samples and real drum samples together with this. Those really complemented each other and I think that more people on the Audio Portal should try mixing chip samples, electronic beats, and actual instruments together.
Composition: I also enjoy that melody that you had, and the rhythm going on set a heroic tone for this without being bombastic. It takes a careful hand to make something heroic without it going overkill. The only other person that had done this was Xenith800 with his song Sun God.
Other: The only two faults that I can find are the fade out at the end and the file size. For the former, It gives it a seamy feel, which makes it feel like it belongs in a flash movie rather than an X360 game. Second, I understand that you want that high definition sound, but you may want to consider the Ogg Vorbis format for high bitrate music. Then again, seeing that Adobe didn't include .ogg support, I won't take points off.
What I do like:
-Nice harmony with the samples
-Heroic melody
-Great rhythm and tempo
-Original
What I don't like:
-Doesn't loop properly
-The filesize, but I won't be harsh since flash doesn't have Ogg Vorbis support.
Overall: KgZ, How would you like a ten from me? One more thing, I think you Audio Portal musicians should team up with people in the Flash Portal.
I hardly get to review music on here, but felt that for something this great needed a review. This song here is something that would be right at home in a space shooter or if the Flash author was really clever, a dance/montage scene.
Instruments: I really like your usage of synth, drum samples, clips, patterns, and effect that you used here. This may appear to sound the the usual Audio Portal trance, but it's effective none-the-less.
Composition and Rhythm: Just like Xarnor, Nanashi, Cheshyre, Chronamut, Paragon X9, and Nemesis Theory; you have the ears of a composer. I really enjoy your clever note placement for this, and it has a great rhythm! The only problem is that it can get a tiny bit monotonous, but that's just trivial.
Other notes: I have to admit, it's hard to make something that's six minutes long loop, but you pulled it off professionally. As for the sound quality, it's clear but that bitrate resulted in a big filesize. Maybe you should try looking into Ogg Vorbis sometime, but for some reason Flash doesn't support that.
What I do like:
-Original
-Great notation
-Excellent melody and rhythm
-Making it loop smoothly
-Nice sample selection
What I don't like:
-Huge filesize, but since Flash doesn't support .ogg yet; it's no big deal.
Overall: Here's a ten from me, and I think you Audio Portal guys should take a cue from David Orr & Rig and collaborate with people in the Flash Portal.
I'm going to be honest, you and Mirak have the ears of a composer. Plus, it's surprising that only Xionico uses your music. I think more people in the Flash portal should collaborate with you.
When it comes to the instrumentation, I really like how you put the presets to good use. I have no problem with people using the sounds that come with the software as long as the product is good. Plus, you have a nice rhythm going on with this.
Harmony/Melody: As soon as this played, I found this to be quite catchy. In addition, you also have some nice notation with this.
Other: I understand that you wanted high quality sound, but that bitrate you exported this at has a big filesize. Maybe you should export songs in that quality as an .ogg/.oga file since a 192-320 Kbps Vorbis file has a smaller filesize than a 192-320 Kbps .mp3. Too bad Flash has no Ogg Vorbis support at the moment.
[+]
-Nice instrumentation
-Good melody and rhythm
-Decent tempo
-Has versatility
[-]
-The fact that this was made with presets.
-Disproportionate filesize
Overall: Xarnor, here's a nice nine from me and I recommended you to the following: Miccool, MaelstormM, Toxicacid, and R1665.
Thanks, glad you liked it. I always explore presets before trying to make my own sounds with a new program, and since this is the first time I used Massive, it is presets only.
I couldn't imagine how 2.8 MB could be any sort of problem. You're not still using dial-up are you? 320 Kbps is the only way to go when dealing with mp3. I would use different formats if I could, but Newgrounds is mp3 only.
I never knew that you--the guy who made sprite and drawn cartoons--was also a musician. Welcome back, Shawn.
Instrumentation: I really like your selection of drums, synth, and bass here. It definitely added a nice mood to it.
Vocals: Great job on the vocals, and the variety also helps. However, they can be hard to make out at times.
Composition: This is really badass! You have a nice rhythm and melody going on here. Plus, the notation is also excellent!
Miscellaneous: Aside from the vocals being hard to make out at times, this doesn't really feel like an ambient song, but more of an ambient/dubstep hybrid. That and the file size is huge. I'd understand if you did this for a CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, SD Card, or tape release; but for download, the highest quality isn't always the best option.
What I liked:
-Original
-Great vocals
-Nice rhythm, melody, and notation
-Excellent instrumentation
What I didn't like:
-Feels more like dubstep than ambient.
-Huge filesize
-Vocals are hard to make out at times.
Overall: Blordow, Here's your ten and I would like for you to release Salty Swamp 2.
Thanks for the well thought out review. I agree that the vocals are somewhat hard to make out, it was more of an experiment as I wanted them to blend in with the song rather than make them the main focus. I will cut down my file size when I release new songs as 12mb is quite large for sure. Thanks again, and Salty Swamp 2 was well on the way, with it's own theme music and an introduction scene half animated but in order for me to pick up where I left off I either need to redo the script, introduce some new voice actors, and in general have the inspiration to carry on.
I have to agree with Haggard, Realmguys, and Toasty on this one, and also like the fact that this is original. (Note: I have nothing against the remixes, but some more variety would be nice.) Let me get started...
Instrumentation: I am really liking your selection on this one Steph. Clever mix of modern synthesizer beats and NES samples. I think more people on the Audio Portal should consider mixing the two together.
Composition: Definitely enjoy the rhythm, tempo, and the notation on this one. This really shows that you have the ears of a composer, and it also has actual melody and harmony.
Miscellaneous: As said before, I have no problem with remixes as long as it's a good one. Of course, I'm also for something new and original, which this is. (This also sums up my opinion on Flash movies and games.) However, the only problem I have this this is the filesize: A really HIGH quality song (200 Kbps or higher) has a bigger filesize and as a result, takes longer to download than lets say a 96-132 Kbps song.
What I do like:
-Finally, an original video game song
-Has a solid melody
-Good rhythm and tempo
-Clever instrumentation
What I don't like:
-Huge filesize
Overall: Stephan, I usually don't write music reviews, but thought that this needed another one. Here's your ten, and I hope that more people in the Flash Portal turn to you for creating custom tracks.
It's always great to see big reviews like this. Thanks a lot!
"I have to agree with Haggard, Realmguys, and Toasty on this one, and also like the fact that this is original. (Note: I have nothing against the remixes, but some more variety would be nice.) Let me get started..."
Oh I totally agree with you about that. The Video Game section is riddled with remixes and it's a big breath of fresh air to hear a Video Game-inspired original song. Probably why I enjoyed Bjra's Video Game songs (which I've linked in the Author's Comments if you're interested!).
"Instrumentation: I am really liking your selection on this one Steph. Clever mix of modern synthesizer beats and NES samples. I think more people on the Audio Portal should consider mixing the two together."
Agreed. I remember approving a song to the Audio Portal ages ago and it had a similar style in case you want to check it out.
Pretty nice song, although it's not as "modern" as Bjra's Video Game tracks or this one.
"Composition: Definitely enjoy the rhythm, tempo, and the notation on this one. This really shows that you have the ears of a composer, and it also has actual melody and harmony."
Aw, thanks :3. I've been making music for quite a while now so I'm glad my composition skills got somewhere!
"Miscellaneous: As said before, I have no problem with remixes as long as it's a good one. Of course, I'm also for something new and original, which this is. (This also sums up my opinion on Flash movies and games.) However, the only problem I have this this is the filesize: A really HIGH quality song (200 Kbps or higher) has a bigger filesize and as a result, takes longer to download than lets say a 96-132 Kbps song."
Hm, I'll have to disagree with you on that. 96 - 132 Kbps is generally considered low quality (it's very easy to tell the difference between a song with a bitrate in that range of Kbps and a song which has a bitrate of over 200 Kbps). I usually try and make the quality as high as possible within the filesize restrictions, because what's a few extra seconds of downloading compared to a better-quality sound file? :P
"Overall: Stephan, I usually don't write music reviews, but thought that this needed another one. Here's your ten, and I hope that more people in the Flash Portal turn to you for creating custom tracks."
Thanks a million for the wonderful review! I'm surprised you don't usually write music reviews because you seem to be good at it!
Thanks again - the detailed review and 10/10 are very much appreciated!
I see where you're coming from on being overlooked on here, along with several thousand others, but Chaotichism is right. While you may not get the ratings that you want, just be glad that there are people that actually listening your music. Now, I must review...
When it comes to composition and arrangement: for something that was pretty much improvised, you did a great job with that keyboard of yours. Definitely worth all that time you spent on this as it sounds sad in a good way. The only problem with this is that it feels empty, but considering the mood, it fit. The instrumentation may be like a regular piano, but that's all that this needed. Nothing else needs to be said about that. However, I think that the size of this song is a bit big for something that's three minutes long, but I won't knock you down.
[+]
-Good tone
-Fitting instrumentation
-Nice arrangement for something that was improvised.
[-]
-Feels kind of empty at times, but the desolate mood alleviated it.
-Could have used a somewhat smaller filesize.
Overall: Ian, here's a ten from me and just keep going; you'll eventually have at least a few who will use your stuff in their flash.
Actually, you're one of the first people to comment about my audio's file sizes, and I've been on NG for a couple years now. It's an easy enough thing to fix... I suppose I've chosen to keep them slightly larger because of my personal preference for quality. But perhaps I could lower them a little in the future, to encourage their use in the online community.
Also, re: people using my music in their flash, I've actually had my music used in a number of animations and games, as well as two short films, one of which has been played at a number of film festivals across North America. The problem is that this doesn't happen anywhere near often enough. I want to be doing more of this (especially writing for short films - I found those experiences the most gratifying), instead of maybe 2 or 3 projects a year.
This has to be the most bizarre Techno song I have heard. Truth is, I don't usually write music reviews, but thought that you needed one. Let's get started...
Instrumentation: while such may be suited for Drum & Bass, you took that to your advantage and made something unique.
Composition: Another testament to creativity in this field, which is saying something. It definitely fits that villain mood quite well and can hear it in more than just the flash you're currently making.
Other: The only problem is the ending where it just doesn't really loop properly with the beginning. On the other hand, I appreciate you not going the 192+ Kbps route, which results in a passable filesize.
What I do like:
-Passable filesize
-Catchy
-Original
-Nice mood setter
I don't usually review music submissions here, but just for you, Here's my opinion:
When it comes to instrumentation, you have a very nice selection ranging in from chip beats, cymbals, and everyday electronic instrumentation. Plus, the way you mixed and composed it is very badass! It sounds like it needs to be in a multitude flash games. I'm surprised that no one on here has commissioned you to make custom tracks for their creations. However, my only gripe about this is the file size: Something like this shouldn't be over seven megabytes.
What I do like:
-Nice instrumentation
-Atmospheric
-Great composition and mixing
-Really Catchy
What I don't like:
-The filesize
Overall: Here's a ten for you, DJ Harlock/Cross 666.
Rising Sun 
Solus- Silicon Elegy 
-Distracted- 
