FightingSeraph's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lemon Soda Acid Drop]

Very melodic!

As much as I loved Nap, the rest of your music is also excellent. (I have Down Here On Earth in my favorites for being the best example of Dream Trance.) With that out of the way, I'll get started.

Instrumentation: I definitely like the Funk/Disco-style synth that was employed in this piece. The sound seemed to have a Space Invaders Extreme vibe, which adds to its greatness.
Composition: The composition was also excellent, which shows that you have quite a bit of knowledge of music theory. The rhythm was fitting, along with the melodies that were there.
Other: The only problem I see with this is that it isn't much for general listening. On the other hand, I can see this being used in a game or a movie. Something that a lot of Audio portal musicians usually tend to ignore for some reason.

The Good:
-Nice melodies
-Great sounding synth
-Excellent composition
-Versatile
-Original

The Bad:
-Not much for general listening

Overall: Here's a nine, and maybe you and Starogre should collaborate on something when the opportunity arises.

[Theeketel - White Rabbit]

The bassline is too loud!

While I did enjoy your melodies, this feels more like dark dream trance rather than psytrance. Now, here's my two cents...

Instrumentation: I did like your variety of instruments, along with the use of Matrix soundbytes. However, this would have been a perfect ten if it weren't for that loud bass. I mean it drowned out your melodies, and can hurt people's ears. If you still have the source file, I would recommend that you turn down the bassline volume. There are a few things that can still ruin a great song, and lack of mastering/equalizing is one of them.
Composition: From what I can hear, you had some nice melodies going on in this piece. Plus, I liked your clever use of drum rhythms.
Other: Aside from the huge filesize, this doesn't have that psychedelic feel that makes psytrance what it is.

[+]
-Original
-Clever drum usage
-Decent melodies

[-]
-Not really psychedelic
-Needlessly loud bassline

Overall: Here's an honest eight out of ten from me. (4/5)

AliceMako responds:

To be perfectly honest with you i haven't listened to this in forever ( and hurray redesign for giving me no clues whatsoever anymore when i've gotten a new review :3 so i apologise for responding so late )

Hearing it now over the monitors the bass does sound ludicrous, it's far too prominent though i can still hear the rest of what's going on it's not exactly balanced this way. I made this with reason 5 at the time and it's mastering options were limited to say the least, that and my only frame of reference was my headphones and a fairly shitty set of laptop speakers with a weak sub, so odds are i had the bass boosted for lack of my equipment enabling me to hear it properly.

The fact of the matter is i just post things like this in techno these days because it is common to get a very negative reception in the trance section ( unless somebody puts the genre in all caps in the title) and for reasons that elude me people appreciate it better if labeled as such. But it remains very problematic getting a track where it belongs since the genre classifications on this site are painfully mainstream american i.e outdated by over a decade, limited and more then a bit of an insult to anyone with more then a passing knowledge of edm.

I'm digressing tremendously though and none of this has anything to do with your review. I'll see if i can dig up the file and either do a remaster, a remake or perhaps both since you do give me the impression i may have been on to something potentially good. ( It'll require a new upload though since i can't remove audio anymore either -_- )

Mad props to you for noting dream trance similiarities since this is psytek, albeit not the currently popular variety that leans a bit more to hard trance, so yeah it's not meant to be overly psychedelic like psytrance though it does have similar basslines and effects. On top of that, the kick in this is pathetic, it's supposed to be thumping and close to a hardstyle kick without the long bass tail end, if you want a better example of what i was aiming for check out a more recent track called Blind Azathoth i did albeit if it's actual psytrance you're after i'd suggest listening to Psyclops.

Anyhoo, i thank you graciously for your thoughtfull and in depth review, it really makes my day.

[DJ H - Low Tone Stallone]

Nice and atmospheric!

I am not very familiar with Breaks/Breakbeat, but do know something great when I hear it. By the way, did you get that PM I sent you?

Instrumentation: True to the genre, you did a great job on the percussion and the bassline. With that being said, they almost drowned out the melodies in this.
Composition: This may not be as fast and intense as Ricochet Love and Rocket Race by Waterflame, but it didn't need to be. Your melodies were very nice albeit soft, but considering that Breaks is bass and percussion driven like Dub and D&B; I won't be so hard on you. This is definitely worthy of being in many a submission on here.
Other: While the big file may put off those on slow connections; the fact that you were willing to do something new is very commendable.

[+]
-Original
-Catchy
-Nice drums, bass, and synth
-Good rhythm and tempo
-Very atmospheric

[-]
-The percussion nearly drowned out the melodies.

Overall: Here's another ten from me, and I might have to look into new Audio Software. (5/5)

[Spooky]

Not bad, but this doesn't feel like techno though.

It's a decent practice piece, but it feels more like a slow non-vocal hip hop song. I would recommend that you listen to some actual techno songs, along with classical music.

Instrumentation: Not bad for a practice piece, but only a few of them had that techno sound. However, they weren't annoying and I'm thankful for that.
Composition: Due to this being a practice piece, there wasn't much of a melody to it and the title you chose felt out of place. Suggestion: I suggest that you learn a thing or two about music theory.
Other: Not much I can comment on this really.

{+}
-Original
-Decent sample selection for a practice piece

{-}
-Doesn't really qualify as techno
-Could have used an actual melody & rhythm

Overall: With a bit of studying and more practice; you'll have something worthy of greatness. Here's a seven, Zekermei. (3.5/5)

Zekermei responds:

First of all, thanks for an actual REVIEW, instead of a comment XD
Secondly, this was just something I put together. It wasn't really meant to be good. Want something good? Go listen to Synth Jungle
Third of all, this song is made of several sound clips pasted together, and one of them was named "Spooky". When I finished the song, I felt it had a sort of spooky(or halloween-ish) sound to it, so I named it Spooky.

[~~.Dark Planet.~~]

Great job!

This is another fine example of melodic trance I have heard on the Audio Portal. Looks like I have to look into FL Studio, Reason, and Cubase more.

Instrumentation: The synth in this was excellent, and that plugin really helped. Kudos for not letting the drums get too high and drown out the melody.
Composition: I think that you have the ear of a composer. You did a great job with the sidechaining and the rhythm was really nice. Above all, you took the time to variate the melodies, so it wouldn't become monotonous.
Other: There's nothing else that I can comment on really.

[+]
-Original
-Melodic
-Great instrumentation with clever sidechaining.
-Nice rhythm

[-]
-Nothing that I can think of.

Overall: I'll give you a ten for the effort and the result of it. (5/5)

[Planet Dance]

Otherworldy!

I may not be familiar with all of your stuff aside from Lunar (which is in my favorites), Instrumental Book, and Acou Fire. However, I do recognize good music when I hear it. This--along with Xarnor's The Void/Digital Dungeon--would sound like something in an Earthbound/Mother title. Now on with the review...

When it comes to the instrumentation, you did a good job with the percussion and the synth. With that being said, the buzz bassline can get annoying after a while though it isn't overpowered. I think you did well at recreating some of the sounds from that aforementioned series. Then there's the composition, which also works in its favor. It's great to see more electronic songs that have actual melodies, and the rhythm was quite fitting. Finally, I would also mention that it's laudable to hear more original video game music on the Audio Portal.

The Good:
-Original
-Nice melodies
-Fitting rhythm
-Good instrumentation

The Bad:
-The buzzing in the background is a tad grating.

Overall: I think a nine for you is needed. (4.5/5)

[DJ T3chnic - Unity]

That was badass!

I am not very familiar with hardstyle music and would like some information on the genre. (Aside from it being influenced by Dub.) In addition, I recommended you to MindChamber, Doomhammr, and Deathink to check out your songs. Now, on with the review...

Vocals: I really like the voices used in this song. Not annoying, deadpan, near-inaudible, or bland; the way I like it. However, the instruments used in this overpowered at times. (2:35 for example)
Instrumentation: Great work with the drums and the synth aside from that issue.
Composition: I definitely was enjoying myself to this. The rhythm was perfect, the melodies were there, and a sense of harmony can also be felt. Of course, this kind of felt a bit repetitive, but not too monotonous.
Other: It may have a big file, but that doesn't warrant a lower score. Plus, I think this site needs a hardstyle section.

What I like:
-Original
-Nice vocals
-Good instrumentation
-Actual melodies
-Fitting rhythm

What I didn't like:
-The synth drowned out the voices at times
-A tiny bit repetitive

Overall: DJ T3chnic, here's a nine from me. (4.5/5)

DJT3chnic responds:

I really appreciate this review, thank you. And go check out Headhunterz, Noisecontrollers, Brennan Heart, and so so many more. They're all very good artists and I would like nothing more then to get someone else into the scene of hardstyle. I hope you enjoy it!

[AndY J - Lights (RMX)]

I'm not really a fan of vocal dance, but this is fantastic.

It's great to see the creator of such songs as Fallen (Industrial), Razor (Hard Trance), Lost Within (Progressive Trance), and FIRE! (Hardcore Gabber) back here. I looked at your Acid Planet archive and noticed that you have a bunch of songs that you haven't uploaded here. (Aurora, Hypercore, etc.) You should consider posting them here when the time arises. Now, let's get started...

Vocals: Not bad for a female voice, which usually either can't sing or have a very annoying voice. By the way, who was doing that singing? As for lyrics, I can't comment on that since songwriting isn't something I specialize in.
Instruments: Nice combination of actual piano beats with well-done dance stuff.
Composition: For something quite slow, the melodies were good and there was a sense of harmony. Plus, the way you mastered the voices and instruments is top notch.
Other: While the filesize may be big for something of the length, but I won't take points off for it.

The Good:
-Good singing
-Nice instrumentation
-Great composition
-Original

The Not so good:
-Filesize may put off those with slow connections.

Overall: AndY J, how would you like a nine from me? (4.5/5)

[Tracking a Killer]

This really shows that you have the ears of a composer!

I think Rick Marin had his head on straight when he contacted you to do music for Primal War. Plus, you are the king of Newgrounds' Classical Music section, although you now have competition from Solus Lunes, Stephan Wells, and Papkee. You should consider teaming up with other NG users. (I suggested you to Xionico and Maelstormm.)

Instrumentation: It's obvious that you must either A) be classically trained or B) listened & studied the right material because your usage of strings, percussion, and brass were excellent. With that being said, I suggest you expand your instrument roster to include reeds, woodwinds, and world-related instruments to help keep things fresh.
Composition: The melody that you had going set a powerful yet down-to-earth atmosphere. Plus, the rhythm adds to that brand of exhilaration. I can definitely hear this in several flash submissions already. Of course, if you do decide to add on to this, I would recommend creating a backup in case something goes wrong.
Other: There's not much else that I can comment on here really considering that it's an original.

The Good:
-Original
-Great melody
-Excellent tone
-Nice composition
-Fitting instrumentation

The Bad:
-Nothing really

Overall: Bosa, here's a ten from me. (5/5)

Bosa responds:

Thank you. It's good to read such in depth reviews as this. Although I think I am one of the worst the audio portal has to offer as far as classical is concerned, it is still very encouraging to read your review and see such depth in defining your evaluation of my song. Thank you for the encouragement, and I hope to hear from you on my other tracks as well.

[Sausage n Beans [gabber]]

Why isn't there a Hardcore/Gabber section on this site?

I'm going to be honest with you, I don't listen to a lot of Hardcore/Gabber music, but do appreciate good songs from those genres. In addition, this deserves a higher rating.

Instrumentation: I really loved the synth and your usage of an actual instrument in this. However, I think the kick was a bit too overpowered. Then again, that kick is a Gabber staple.
Composition: I also approve of this having a melody in this, which is really nice. Plus, the rhythm was also cool. It takes a very delicate hand to weave a melody into an abrasive genre of music; anyone else would have fucked it up.
Other: It's not often that you hear this type of music on here, and it's kind of odd that Hardcore/Gabber gets submitted under techno. Therefore, I think a section for this kind of music would be appreciated.

What I like:
-An actual melody
-Nice instrumentation
-Original
-Overlooked genre
-Cool rhythm

What I didn't like:
-The kick is a bit too overpowered
-The fact that there's no Hardcore/Gabber section in the Audio Portal.

Overall: Hardcore SCM, here's a nine from me. (4.5/5)

hardcorescm responds:

thanks for your comments - glad you like the song

the kick was abit of a battle to balance with the other instruments in this one - but could be my lack of mastering skill thats to blame there

agree the electronic music genres are abit under represented here - oh well