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Hades

136 Audio Reviews

98 w/ Responses

Bopping around

Damn, I've been slow the entire day, but I have to admit that this one really brought me up! I'm not usually a large fan of dance music, but this one is just so oozing with happy that I can't even try not to like it.

As I'm not really knowledgeable when it comes to this genre, I can only say a couple of things: I really liked the exchange between the softer parts that served as build-up, as well as the bouncing bass parts they led up to. The synths didn't really sound as something extremely original to me, but they fit the song perfectly and rounded the feeling of it rather nicely, so I couldn't really care less. Both the main melody and the fills were really satisfying in their place, and I wouldn't change absolutely anything about them.

The picked sound you mentioned was really nice, actually - it has that nice celtic harp-ish feel that I could often use in many of my songs. It also added a nice finale that differed a bit from the standard evolution of the song up to that point, which is always a welcome addition.

As I said, really liked this one; favorited and showered with all the numbers dividable by 5 I could get my hands on.

Mich responds:

I'm glad the song Enriched your mood ;-)

As I recall, I've put quite some time in making those transitions work, so I'm glad it's appreciated.
Synths not sounding very original: you're right about that. The song was originally intended to be fairly generic sounding, so it would sell better(for that album). I've committed to delivering good production though, and I hope that can be heard. :p

I'm glad you enjoy the melodies; I was happy to manage to write them, I've always seen it as one of my weaker points in music.

It frustrates me that I can't think of the name of the VSTi. I'm glad you liked it though. I believe it was a free plugin, I'll PM you the name and perhaps a link when I can remember.

Thanks for the review and the appreciation! I'm happy. :3

Uplifting

Very nice tune you have here. It has that slowly uplifting feel that reminds me slightly of Vangelis' work, which I believe can only be a good thing as far as songs like this go. The name you picked also works very well with the style, and I can easily see this song used in a scene of first flight of any sort.

The sounds you used fit the powerful rythm and mood of the song perfectly - the short strings along with the piano are the main driving force behind the feeling of this song, and the drums only added to that powerful build-up.

In my view, it has the right amount of epicness and that "mighty" feel to enable it to stand as is, without any additions. As for expanding on the song, I'd suggest a soft synth string intro that would blend into the beginning of the current version to accentuate the crescendo of the song that you've accomplished so far.

Very nice piece of work, can't wait to see what the final version will look like!

Ooooh, atmospheric!

I love the slow, ambient feel on this one. As an avid pen and paper geek, I can already imagine the use of this song as background music in a dozen different scenarios - it has that simple yet interesting and versatile flow that is really welcome in any ambient song, at least in my view.

The general mood of the songs somehow invokes the picture of a frozen-over cavern with waterfalls held still by the ice, as though the entire song is merely an echo in a large enclosed space stopped by the frost.

The combo of the slow reverbed pads and the occasional guitar and bell melodies creates a soothing feel that just has to leave a sense of peace in the listener. The resonating keeps the entire set very calm, while leaving enough room for variation not to make it boring. Extremely relaxing and mellow. A song to fall asleep to, but in the good way. The best way possible, actually.

All in all, an excellent piece, and definitely a welcome addition to any chill out soundtrack I could think of. Nice work on all of your accounts! ;)

Mich responds:

I definitely agree with the peaceful feeling.

I honestly don't know what else to say, thanks you for the nice review, and I (we) am (are) glad you enjoy the piece. :)

Simple and to the point

Not much to say about this one - a nice short tune perfect for use either as a menu theme or perhaps as background music in a really surreal flash. At least that's the idea that the sharp contrast between the bass and the synth reminds me of.

Can't really say I'd add anything to this one - as it's a short loop, it's better not to get it over-saturated with a ton of different sounds. It's just fine as is.

SymbolCymbal responds:

wow i didn't see this review until just now... sorry for the late response.
Glad you liked it man. i was actually just messing around in logic pro trying out new wobble type stuff and i found a way to make a very odd sound using a lot of automation and a vocal transformer on my synth.
So i figured i would cut it down to even time and upload it as a loop.

I worked on a full version of this with SBB ill be uploading to the portal in the near future after i master it

Thanks for the ten and good to see around on the forums again dude =D

Well-developed

I'm seriously liking this one. I loved the way that the song developed, and really appreciate the fact that you reduced repetitiveness to a minimum, bringing it close, if not together, with actual classical orchestral compositions (in my opinion, that is).

This has, however, also resulted in a sort of down-side- namely the fact that sometimes it seems as though notes were just randomly tossed on upon another in order of creating more versatility (unless this was your intention, or I'm actually imagining things :P), but this isn't necessarily a bad thing, could just be something that feels weird upon the first few listens, and then you get used to it.

The choice of instruments you have made for this piece is very satisfying, as well as the percussion, apart from the snare which sounded a tad too artificial at times, but not enough to ruin the overall feel of the song. The way you intertwined the strings with the wind instruments is really good, and gives off that classical two-voiced "conversation between instruments" feel.

As for the mood of the song, it features an interesting development from a sort of ridiculous serious mood which slowly progresses to become more of a heroic, yet still serious piece. My impression of the song would be an old 19th century general who is preparing for the battlefield - sure, his enormous mustache might seem silly at first, but after prolonged observation, you get to respect his military genius and realize he's much more than just that.

Bottom line: really good, and requiring only minimal (if any adjustments). A very nice piece of work that I would without a second thought suggest to a lover of classical music, and most certainly a heavily under-valued song when it comes to the score.

loansindi responds:

Hey man, thanks for the lengthy review!

I ended up calling this piece 'done' because I wanted to be able to move on to other projects, and I felt that I had reached a point close enough to 'completion' that I wouldn't feel bad about leaving it as it is.

I personally really love some of the themes in this one. This piece also cemented my love for clarinet/violin duos. They're beautiful together.

WAIT A SEC THIS ISN'T JAZZ AT ALL. >:U

Hehe, might not be Jazz, but it definitely is awesome.

The intro was pretty sick, and I mean psy-sick. The short synth trills were a really cool addition, and made the mood of the song a sort of powerful/disturbing kind of thing. One thing furthering this combination was the use of the jazzy, clean and bright piano along the more effect-heavy d'n'b synths, which gave the song an interesting dimension that I think many songs lack, as a lot of people tend to stick to one "type" of instrument style within a song, with very little or no thinking out of the box.

I absolutely loved all the sounds you used in this one, the diving bass from 1:25 being my definite favorite. The piano I mentioned before was also really nice, sounded almost mellow, in fact (apart from the faster part at 0:52 and beyond :P).

The percussion is pretty cool, and I really appreciated the fact that you left it more minimalistic at times, just so the occasional unexpected cymbal or hat would stand out more (taking that this was, in fact, your intention).

To round it up: this WIP is very close to being a full fledged song, in my humble opinion. I'd say that by now finishing this song is more about adding a few more touches that you believe are necessary, but from my point of view, it's as good as finished. Nice work.

Quarl responds:

Nice review! I haven't got one like this in a while. Thanks sir :)

Pretty cool (no pun intended)

This is really a good one. Very winter-ey and easy, yet pretty intense.

The beginning reminded me of some old school winter-themed cartoons I saw as a kid (probably caused by the chime/bell sound), which just added to it being a really nice winter background song. Introducing the beat didn't reduce the overall feeling of the song, even though it certainly did speed it up a notch. The chime I mentioned before was just perfect - an ideal choice for this sort of song.

If I had to complain about a particular section of the song, it would probably be the part from 0:38, with just the single note-per-bar - it sounded a bit too generic in comparison to the rest of the song. It got better at 0:50, though. Anyways, it's just a minor complaint, and more a matter of personal opinion than an actual flaw in the song itself.

I really liked the kick sound at 1:29, felt really powerful and made the song a bit more intense. It was also a nice way to lead into the more calm outro, that left the impression of a more smooth and peaceful winter mood.

All in all, a really nice winter song to sit around a fire place to and get drunk on the Christmas cheer. Or wine, whichever you prefer. :P

YouriX responds:

Thanks for very detailed review! Funny that you said that it reminded you to the oldschool wintertheme. Cuz it reminded me to one of those old Coca Cola Theme songs from the commercials!!

And im pretty proud of this one! Because i spent to much time on the composition of the song!

Thanks for the review again! It means alot!

Nice, could use some improvements

The first thing I'd change is the synth pad in the background- after a while of listening to that one chord, I have the slight feeling I might get a headache. Some flanger or phaser (slow frequency) might do the trick, as well as some panning-alteration. The riffs were nice, and yes, they were kinda Maiden-ey, I have to admit, but I liked them. The sound of the bass was cool, really thick 'n' juicy, the guitar was ok (which is the most a person can expect from synth guitars, sadly), and the drums were cool, especially the snare.

The change of pace in the mid of the song was a good choice, keeping it at the same beat from top to bottom would kill the song. As for the sound effects in that section, some panning might have done wonders here, too. The gunshot was ok, the last part too, but that machinegun was just a tad too bland without any volume and pan differences.

Also, you might want to consider reducing the volume of each instrument individually: this loudness creates a bit too much static at certain points of the song. Plus, the end-explosion (though serving a shock-factor of sorts) is still way too loud in comparison to the other instruments. Aim for "louder than the rest", not "as loud as it goes". Modify these things, and you've got a really nice piece here!

metallikid6 responds:

Thanks for another excellent review Hades. Yeah, if there's one thing I'm gonna have to experiment with the future, it's cross-panning. I never thought about that for the gun-battle, but it makes perfect sense. Believe it or not, that last bang used to be a lot louder, but I admit, it could do better with lower volume. Ah well. For a song as simple as this, I'm glad you liked it as much as you did. TTFN

Heh...

Haven't written a review in a while now... Hope I still remember how it's done. ;D

So, from the top: the intro with the clean guitar felt really good, even though the progression seemed awfully familiar to me. The sound of the guitar was pretty nice, and had just the right amount of reverb. Then came the short synths (premiering at 0:32). They sounded a tad too slow for me, which could possibly be helped with reducing the Attack of the soundfont you used, but what I would really suggest is layering some pizzicato strings above it, perhaps with just a pinch of delay, just to accentuate them a bit more. Then again- that's just me. If I could, I'd throw in pizzicato strings into grindcore, so yeah...

The deeper section of the same strings sounded well because the melody was more connected (without the breaks), so the slow attack wasn't that noticeable. As for the piano coming in at 1:29, I truly recommend you either plaster that bugger with some massive reverb, or even better: give it a slow delay, just to reduce the cut-out feel.

The section following this one sounded well because the bass helped round all of the instruments in a nice, wholesome section. I must admit that the sound of the guitar was slightly less-then-satisfying, but soundfonts are always a bitch. Sad fact, but it can't be changed. However, the same lack of attack (I'm rhyming, yay!) that I mentioned for the short strings can be applied to the guitar in section starting at 1:51. The pauses and the sound that the guitar makes when it comes in just don't sound natural. Possibly layering the section with another guitar might help.

The cymbal at 2:11 sounded waaaay to artificial, so I'd say take a minute or two and toy with the volume and panning for each of the individual crash hits, jsut to soften that computerized feel. Also, I'd personally go with less crash hits in that section: if it's all 8th notes, cut it down to half the number of 4th notes.

The section at 2:32 was really a thing of beauty. The instruments just blended in so nicely, it was really darn awesome. Still, the sound of the quicker guitar notes could be improved, once again, with some layering. The rest, with all the strings, almost brought a tear to my eye. Really, really touching.

Then the sudden ambient sounds/noises came in, and I have to say that they really surprised me. Didn't see those coming at all, and they made a very nice addition to the song. The whole section was excellent, except for a single dissonant synth string at 4:21. That one really pinched my ears. :P

I hope you find these observations at least a tad helpful. This song has some serious potential, but it needs to be chiseled into shape for a little longer before it can maximize it. Keeping my fingers crossed for your success on that. ;)

metallikid6 responds:

Wow. Thanks Hades for the great lengthy review!! These are a lot of great tips and tricks to the trade. I'll definitely go back and tool with the volume of those crashes. In the future, I'm gonna have to experiment with multiple guitar tracks in unison, because I just hate that artificial sound I keep getting. (I'm just gonna have to learn guitar for realz and plug in). ['cause that can be learned so easily, right???] Anyway... I know exactly what you mean about those pizzicato strings in the beginning. That would be a nice touch. If I can ever find a sound sample for that, I might do that one day.
I'm so glad you liked what you heard, minus the picky intricacies. I wrote this one pretty close to home, if ya know what I mean, and I spent almost forever on it, trying to get those levels to sound right with the panning and instrumentation and everything. You're right, it's not perfect and could use just a little more tinkering, but thank you so much for the imput on it's potential. Coming from you, I take that as a high compliment, my liege =P

Cool, but could use some minor improvements!

I have to admit, this version does have a slightly more "mighty" feel than the first one did, but I believe that it came along with a slight problem. It seems as though the volume of the separate instruments is slightly too high, resulting in a small amount of background buzz that escalates to it's maximum at the 1:36 section. This too high volume issue results in the loss of some sounds (most obviously: the drums and scratches), which is really unfair because they are among the sounds that are essential to giving this song it's heavy feel.

As for the melodies, I believe that the guitar at the beginning, the guitar chords later in the song and the bass throughout the song lack that muted pizzicato feeling they had in the original. That gave the whole song a real feeling of... well, determination (in the lack of a better word). As they sounded a lot more sharp and, thus, more aggressive. And hey, when making metal/industrial, aggressive can rarely be viewed as a negative thing, especially if the theme of the song is the one you defined in the comments for the first one.

About the sections: the intro was really excellent, it had a really powerful build-up feel created by the adding of sounds, one by one, which really gives out the impression of a person's growing rage. The "chorus" part (first at 1:36) was a tad too major for my taste, because it felt to me as though it took from the dark theme of the song, but I guess that's just my personal opinion. The break at 3:12 was really nice, but with a dose of the Linkin Park style that I generally dislike. However, you pulled it off quite nicely, and I believe it helped turn the song around. Also, the ending with the pick slide/flanger sound was a really nice touch, fits the song a lot better than the old-school base chord hit could ever do.

So, all in all, nice job, but there's definitely some maneuvering space here for you to use. Minor tweaking of this song may result in a truly awesome piece of work!

metallikid6 responds:

Wow Hades. Thank you so much for the in-depth review. I'll keep all of these things in mind when mixing again for the actual album. Rock on girlie!

I write music. You listen to music. What a strange coincidence, isn't it?

Age 34, Male

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