Hades's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[.:HMS:. Diligently]

Kewl

Really nice stuff, I loved the melody even though it took some time to develop it. The fills at 2:00 are really cool, but overall, I would've liked a bit more diversity, even for an ambient song. Those bells at the end part almost pulled it out, but it still left the beginning a bit empty (as in: slowly developed).

The sounds you used were really nice, especially the one at 0:55, that one sounded quite soothing. And using only the kicks to accentuate rythm was definitely a good idea, even the softest snare would probably ruin this chill-feel.

All in all, it's really good, but there's still a bit of room for improvement!

HMS-Productions responds:

yup, you're right, bunch of stuff I didn't like in the song, it came out pretty quick and I really don't feel like going back to it :p just one of those things I did while bored.

Thanks for the review :D

-M

[X.-Epic Journey-.]

Nice

I really liked the piano melody, the sound you used was really good, it just seemed a tad too repetitive. I really liked the changing of drum EQ throughout the song, it really gave it an original edge. The synth melody at 0:53 sounded nice, it reminded me of a theme for some video game. If I had to complain about anything, it would probably be the length of the song and the fact that it does end a bit too abruptly. Otherwise, this is really nice stuff, you should keep on working on it and turn it into a longer song, I'm sure it would look great!

XenoxX responds:

Thanks a lot and sorry for the misunderstanding in teh forum. Yeah its not my normal style but it's something I wish to work towards. Thanks for the review!

Have A great Day!

[_-={A Maestro's Rage|WIP}=-_]

Mighty

This song reminded me a lot of Ramin Djawadi's work on the soundtrack for "Iron Man" (which can only be a good thing, since I find that soundtrack to be an excellent one), but a lot more action-packed and heavy: a very powerful blend of epic orchestral music and excellent guitar melodies. This song would probably fit more in a really fast-paced movie trailer than as the theme for a TV show.

The build of the song's foundations was fairly usual for your songs (not that that is a bad thing!)- mighty string chords, brass sections and heavy drums with accentuated snare hits to form that unique feeling of a march, which is just what is needed to get somebody's adrenaline pumping, but the melody on the electric guitar was something I didn't exactly expect to hear in your work. However, the result is more than satisfying, as the guitar melodies have fitted in the song just perfectly.

The song really feels very powerful and adrenaline-packed, but has that profound feeling that can't be created by simple aggressive songs. If this is what Hockey Night feels like to you, maybe the players should spend more time playing the game, and less time beating each other senseless in slow-motion. The song has such a mighty pull, I'm hardly restraining myself from using the word 'epic' in every sentence within this review.

I believe this is far from insanity, since the song is really a magnificent piece of work. In my opinion, truly something you might consider showcasing as one of your best.

Once again- Great work, Maestro!

MaestroRage responds:

First I must agree with you. This theme was not at all appropriate for Hockey. I believe at some point I forgot about what it was meant to be, and focused purely to expressing this unfocused anger I had at failing so many times in a row. It was really frustrating. I mean I had no idea building a simple tv theme was so hard.

Maybe that's my flaw. I simply cannot accept simplicity, even where simplicity is what I should be doing.

I always thought Hockey would be more fun if they introduced a sword to every player's side. Either control the puck, or slash at the person who has the puck :D!!!!!!

This is why I don't design sports. I bet i'd make a great Aztec though, I hear their sports were brutal.

I do agree, it is one of my most energetic songs, and I do consider it one of my best. Thank you for your words and review, i'm glad you liked it!

[UGO - The Obstacle]

Very intense

This song is absolutely brilliantly composed when it comes to hitting the right, action-packed atmosphere needed for many games. It reminded me a bit of a mix of MGS music with something a lot heavier on the sounds and drums. The beat you have going, along with all of the sounds, really fits the theme perfectly, this may be used in many parts of different games and movies: as level music, straight-to-the-point intros, sudden twists in the plot, or even background music for the final climax. I have no doubt this one will be quite well received if you give your best in advertising it in the Audio forum.

The bass line and synth pads with some soft choir-aahs were an excellent foundation to build the excellent melodies of orchestra hits and that synth lead that you used. The melodies were excellent, the chord progressions were just the right thing to create the feeling of a rising level of tension, and the powerful drums really were the cherry on top. Almost makes you want to grab something highly volatile and run through a crowd of badly pissed hostile people. XD

What else is there to say except-great work! Keep it up, you're quite obviously really good at it!

Juguito responds:

thanx a lot!
i think it would be better
a little longer
hehe
but i really appreciate
your review!

[.:The Fall:.]

Soothing

This song reminds me a bit of music from some video game, but I just can't recall exactly which one. The sounds you used were really nice, I especially liked the guitar sound you used from the beginning. For minor improvements to this song, I would suggest: 1) reducing the pan distance between the instruments for just a bit (i realize you were going for the greater impact of the right side joining in afterwards, but with such extreme pan differences, the first half minute is too obviously right-sideless), 2) softening the entry of the electric guitar lead, it seems to disrupt the beautiful, atmospheric development of the song you had up until it came in, 3) increasing the duration of the final chord, this ending seems a bit rushed and breaks the snoozy feeling of the song (of course, all of this is purely my opinion, so It might be that I'm wrong).

With these minor modifications, this would be a truly perfect song for relaxing. Actually, listening to it looped while writing this did make me a bit sleepy. ;) It reminded me a bit of ending themes for some movies or video games as it left a sort of tranquil feeling, as though all of the previous problems have disappeared, and everyone is suddenly at ease after a long time.

All together, it's a great song! Well done!

Darkmaster603 responds:

No, I completely agree. I finally got everything recorded, and the ending got messed up somehow. The electric does come in pretty loud, but I thought it was just me being hard on myself. As for the panning, I'll try to make it not so apart.

Thank you for your input and the time it took to write all that!

[.:HMS:. Echos [Demo]]

Comments

This song really starts out very well, the sound you used in the start was excellent, but I believe it was cut out too abruptly. A smoother transition with a descending volume would really help a lot.

Next, the synth electric guitar-like sound was a bit too sharp and kinda irritating. I'd suggest smoothing it out somehow, or even completely removing it in favor of another sound, possibly a softer one.

The drum beat was good and steady, so I wouldn't do too much changes in that area. Also, I keep on having this feeling that these repeating notes just don't fit in nicely. It is probably a better idea to keep one long note with a percussive sound in the background to make it sound as though there were more than to simply put same notes one after another. This way it seems as though the song was cut into pieces (at least in my view).

And, as a final touch to the piece, I'd suggest using some subtle, slow synth pad sound in the background (simply chords that slowly change throughout the song), I believe it would round up the song to be better.

HMS-Productions responds:

I hadn't gotten around to automation or transitions or anything yet, I slapped this up quickly to get an idea of what I was doing. Im also planning a longer intro with that first instrument, have the beat come in in parts then start the song.

I think I might re-master the guitar part and fix up it's part, don't know if I'll take it off completely though.

I knew it was missing something big, i think your idea with the one long note will help things out. But i didnt understand everything, did you mean take off the melody/replace it with the one long note, or have it playing along with the melody?

I've already been brainstorming about a pad filler, but yeah you're absolutely right there.

Thanks for the review! You pointed out some things I didnt really think about.

-M

[.:HMS:. Ephemera MAC8]

Out of the block, hopefully

Well, I liked the song's melodies a lot, but I always find that shorter strings (especially when using the same note more than once in a row) sound sort of hollow without a bassline in the background. The drums were good, but I found the snare to be a bit too artificial, with each hit sounding exactly the same. Some volume modification in order of accentuating certain notes would probably be enough to aid this problem. As the song progresses, it gets a lot better, but the trumpets at the end have the same problem as the strings in the beginning, in my view. All in all, it's a good song, but could use some tweaking.

HMS-Productions responds:

could use a LOT of tweaking imo, i've locked this song away for good.

I learned a lot from this song though, what not to do and what not to do so in the end I'm glad I put it up.

Glad to see you back and thanks for the review :D

-M

[Hidden in the sands]

Great middle-eastern song

Excellent stuff, you really hit the spot of a desert setting with the use of oriental scales and instruments that sound fitting to the theme. The sound was really cool, but I believe you should have stuck with the tablas instead of adding usual drums, the rythm section in the part at 0:27 didn't sound like it exactly fit the whole idea (unless, of course, if you were in fact aiming for a more modern setting, so I don't think anyone should deduce any points on that account). I really loved the atmosphere, the detail you gave to the sounds and the intertwining of different instruments. This could very easily be used in a flash game, seeing that it has a great exotic feeling and loops perfectly.

Great work!

leaderoffheidiots responds:

wooooooooooo that was a long reivew.........

im very glad you liked it overall and your right about 27 but i WAS going for a kinda-modern version

[Soulful Departure {durn}]

Great song

Well, you really gave your best with making this one, the synths are great and the melodies were very nice. The beginning with the bass made me believe you were going for a more dark-oriented song, but the rest of the progressions made this a really cool and relaxing tune, whilst keeping it very energetic and powerful. The melodies reminded me of a mix of old video-game music and punk-rockish leads. Really interesting combination, it made the entire song really stand out from the rest of the songs in it's genre.

I personally found the repetition a quite good addition to building up the entire atmosphere, if you used more different sections, it would have ruined the whole feel of every sound blending in with the others which you have created. Also, the drums had an important role in this, and gave the steady beat necessary for building up a mighty song like this one.

Really great work, keep it up!

durn responds:

Thanks for the comments, Hades. :) A lot of my music is very influenced by video games and I was big into the local punk scene years ago. I've met my quota for track posts for today so I'll be uploading more as the days go on. :) Hopefully there'll be more you like.

[A Tribute to House]

Interesting stuff

Very interesting choice of sounds, I liked the first synth you used and the phasing effect you added to it. The piano was very cool, but I believe you should have held the notes a bit longer, this way it seems sort of cut-off. The beat was very steady and fit in very well with the rest of the song.

The House in the title isn't the genre, right? I'm guessing it's the TV show, but maybe that's because it's on TV right now. :P

Anyway, great stuff! Nice job!

Intelligible-Blur responds:

I'll keep this in mind next time I make a song similar to this.