madboss's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[_-={Corrupted Matrimony}=]

Obeisance to the Maestro

Ahh organs... I remember you have a song "War in Heaven" in your segments. (I hope I recalled the title correctly.) It had an organ melody as well but - as I wrote in my review - it was a bit week comparing to the other more powerfull parts to the track.

And now here is this song: and the organ blows. It brought up the memories of POTC2 - Kraken theme. Not the melody itself - just the organ. Man since than I love organ melodies and personally I'm planning to recreate that theme - and now you've shoved me how that would be perfect! This song could be fitting to the POTC2 movie instead the original Kraken theme as well I think.

So great job as usual - you simply can't make bad songs. I have no simply nothing to criticise. It's a great song - has a bit "evil forces march" feeling some parts and a soft epic edge.

So congratulations another great piece! But tell me: when will be the tiime when you'll be making filmscores?:)

MaestroRage responds:

While Heaven Burns is I believe the song you mean, don't worry about it, I too completely forgot the title, as I do often with most pieces.

That organ melody WAS weak, it was more of a jump into the instrument though, the organ is very much like the choir in the sense it has a very omninous voice (did I spell that right), it eats up alot of the high, low, AND middle end of the frequency range, so using them with a great amount of instruments is particularly difficult.

I love organ melodies too! Like I said before though, they're hard to work with. Solo Organ works, there are some AMAZING solo organ pieces, which just left me in awe. I hope to be able to make something like sometime too.

Do you remember the organ song played in POTC3 by the squid faced guy (I can't believe I can't remember his name right now), now THAT was a sick ass melody too!

In any case, thank you for review madboss, i'm glad you liked the piece :D!

Also, my motto is Forever For Free, any song I make for myself will always be free to the public, as for filmscoring, not yet, need more practice!

[Badlife]

Wrong title great song

Well... personally for me this "bad life" feeling didn't came trough from your track - but a greatly composed epic classical track did.

I liked this music really much - it's like a great background music for battle scenes (for example I can imagine this stuff under a ww2 movie or like this.)

Loved the melody - really well done altough I think there were some moments when two melody lines were hitting each other making a bit dissonant and not harmonic sonud - but not so often. I think I heard them near the end.

But besides these I think it is a great track. Really had epic energy and it was variated enough - never had a boring moment or too much repeat. You also used the instruments well - some brass could give more energy to it but it's also O.K. in this way.

So great track. Next time pay more attention to the melodies and you'll make a top-notch track.
Congratulations!

Thanks for your vote, madboss! You voted 5 for Badlife, raising its score from 0.00 to 5.00.

GMX2 responds:

THX guys

[+*~The Hope of the Kingdom~*+]

Great!

Well - for the first classical audio submission, this song is an absoutely beautyfull and grand debute.

I see that John Williams is one of your favourite composer - I must say the first tunes was just like one of his scores. And when you started to play with the flutes - man this was exactly like his work.

So great job, great melody and instrument useage! Really clear sounds - almost like a real orchestra. I wish it would be longer! You should do more songs because I think you got great talent in that.

So 5/5 from me - for this great start: congratulations and keep up the great work!

Thanks for your vote, madboss! You voted 5 for +*~The Hope of the Kingdom~*+, raising its score from 0.00 to 5.00.

P.S.: pls tell me what program did you use making this! I'm really curious about it!

MountainDewFreak responds:

Hey, thanks a bunch. I will indeed make more music, since it is my favorite hobby. I used garritan personal orchestra (GPO).

Check out garritan.com for all the details.

And yes, John Williams is just so magical with his music. I listen to his stuff so much, a lot of his style has rubbed off on me throughout the years, ha ha. Well thanks again. Some new stuff should be on here soon.

[_-={The Spread of Chaos}=]

Wow...

Looks like you held back some big shoots recently... Before this an epic dream was that made me say: great. And now here's the new big shoot.

Well wow... I'm listening still to the track and I'm totally under it's effect: the energy the epicness. Another great job I must say.

The beginning with the sting made a tribeish feel for the whole song. And then came the massive choir support - absolutly great sound and feeling. I've heard such massive epic sound from soundtracks. And the big-big cilmax after this... now that was another hit.

The big bells were also effective at the end...
So for me this song is perfect from the beginning to the end... I wish I could make so clear sounds as you can. Congratulations maestro - another fantastic piece!

MaestroRage responds:

Oh my good sir, I didn't hold back nothing, i've just had a whole crop of unfinished pieces, that slowly are coming into completion, luckily two were finished rather close to each other, I don't think there will be anything for a few days.

The choirs, oh how those choirs made me weep :'(, they were so hard to equalize properly, and I still don't think I did the best job I could, due to my lack of knowledge in that department this was the best I could do for now. I'm sure i'll look back to this in a few weeks and be like "I can't believe I DIDN'T do that!"

My personal favourite part is when the panflute comes busting in with the violins, I just really like how that part came out.

I'm glad you found the song enjoyable madboss, this was one of my largest undertakings, and truly it taught me alot in the process of it's creation.

Thank you for the review ^^.

[_-={A Place for Dreams}=-]

Epic dreams

Well well... it's always a great event when the maestro submits a new piece - and you haven't made us dissapointed!

I liked the song very much. Nice melody - I could imagine this music in a fantasy movie or even in the Narnia movie. I see you changed the bells to kind of music-box sounding instrument. Nice - brought some childish feeling. Altough the string and brass sound set a contrast to it with it's epic-sounding. And I must say great use of brass instruments. Almost sounding like real. I'd have samples like that but I have to cook with the stuff I have.

The choir was a great choice - made the childish and the epic feeling more stronger in the same time. Also I have to mention the great work with the stings. There was a vibration in them after the choir part - really stylish.

After all this track is rather epic like than childish/dreamy. I could easily imagine the full orchestra's pounding support with the whole child choir.

Anyhow great job - stylish, complex, good melodies, good structure. I have no critics to come up with. Nice job as always. Congratulations!

MaestroRage responds:

Thank you madboss, this song does have quite an epic side to it, and as you mentioned it's not very dreamy, for not every world is asleep, not every world that is left is left in ruins and desctruction.

And most definately not every world is left alone at all. I have over time created a giant canvas of a world for myself, I frequent often, with it's own cultures, peoples, landscapes (a few that I visit again and again and put more details into it every time), and so for these worlds that still live, this energy, this epic power I gave in this song, goes out for them.

My mind functions in strange ways, forgive me if I ranted ;). Thank you for the review madboss, always a pleasure to read from you. I'm glad you liked the piece.

[Waltz of Sorrow]

Nice but not really sorrowfull

This is a nice piece you have here. Altough I must agree with Fuoco that the main theme is really close to POTC theme. And because of this the song doesn't serve the sorrowfull image that you'd like to show.

I think theres a bit problem with the volum levels: the aggressive part is way too loud and the other parts are on a way too low level. I've almost jumped out from my skin when the thumbling part came in - almost from nowhere.

Another thing is that I think you should have the song more waltz like: only the last part had the complet waltz rhytmic. The first part was also good but with the full rhytmic was the best.

So it's not a sorrowfull song but it's quite nice - especially the softer tunes and the last waltz part. Personally said I didn't liked that short loud middle part but I could understand why you've put it there. I think it breaks the sorrowfull image and turns it to a fight scene - and the melody has a bit heroic edge so another hit to the sorrowfull feeling.

Don't be dissaponted - the song is nicely done tough. Not bad job! Keep it up!

MusicalRocky responds:

Lol don't worry, I didn't expect everyone to get that sorrowful image I was going for. Not everyone has my mind :D.

Again with the POTC, eh? I don't hear any resemblance (and I'm very familiar with the score). Oh, well. I thought the theme was original :(

A problem with the volumes, you say? Well, I purposefully had the beginning and end at a rather low volume because the man is playing very softly. I wanted to make a distinction between the sorrowful part and the wrathful part. The fortissimo helps with that lol. If I had kept the whole song mezzo piano, the bridge wouldn't sound too angry at all. Just different. I do appreciate your advice though.

This piece I set out to write a waltz in E minor, but I didn't really focus on the waltz-like left hand throughout. Truthfully, that is a predictable aspect of waltzes that I was trying to avoid with this piece.

I was visited with the image of this man, and I used it, for my own purposes, imagining what he might play upon sitting down at his piano. He sort of improvises the main theme (very slowly and without a set tempo). Then he (rather timidly) adds the left hand chords, which adds more depth to his sorrow. I think if I kept the left hand playing that waltz beat the entire time, the focus would be shifted more to the rhythm, and less on the melodies I was trying to show. You'll notice that the emphasis is on the first beat though. It still has the 1! 2 3 pattern throughout. Don't think that I didn't enjoy writing the truly waltzy part though.

I didn't try to break the sorrowful image during the bridge; the sorrow and anger are intertwined. I am truly sorry for doing that. I have not done my job if you do not see what I see with my music :(

Thank you very much for reviewing. I hope to improve in the future.

Rocky

[-Orr- Christmas Eve]

Absolutely A.W.E.S.O.M.E

Man this song is something outstanding! If I would be someone who always fonuds something little wrong in everything - I wouldn't find anything negative in here...

Really well done. Stylish - from the flute vibration to the fast paced part. Great, epic and full with energy, joy and excitement of Christmas.

I could imagine a title for this like: "Epic Christmas". It really had an epic edge in a positive way - I could imagine this song in a movie for a scene where the whole world is shown how everybody celebrates this beautifull event.

I say this rarly but I think this song really deserves this: this is a masterpiece. You really put this together. I don't know how many hours are in there...

So absolutely great job. You could be proud of it! Congratulations!

DavidOrr responds:

I like the flute trills too. The piece is pretty epic, perhaps too epic, but that is subject to opinion.

This didn't take me very long to write (only about 2 days or so), but I have never been so intensely involved with one piece as I have with this. I felt physically and mentally exhausted when I finally finished it!

Thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed the piece :)

[The New Music Generation]

I liked this very much...

... altough this kind of classical music is not my favorit. This song reminded my to these old cartoons I've seen when I was a child. And the song also has a bit cartoonish feel. And this is a positive thing. I think making an epic battle-track is easier than making things like that.

So the feeling of the track, the structure and the melody was absolutely ok. I liked the constant pizzicato strings in the background. It gave a kind of journey-mood to the song.

Maybe you should get better samples - but I think the song is great in this way as well. Great job!

DaVince responds:

Thanks for commenting on the song. If finding better samples is all the critisism you have, I'm pretty happy. :)

And new samples? Hmm, I actually got these a short while ago and they're plenty good for me at the moment!

[for Emily]

Nice and unique piece!

Hm... it's a recent tendency that many audio artist submit a solo piano piece to AP but the most of them are uploading sad, relaxing, gentle or some epic pieces.

But this is some way other and I haven't heard this kind of emotion in music these days: your music is full of energy, happiness and funnyness. I think this is missing from todays music - and you catched this emotion really well. I could easily imagine a silly, funny but nice girl to these chrods. Really good job!

So the melody and the structure of the song was absolutely ok. But I think you should be more aware of the volume level. Some parts were too loud - this makes a distortion in the sound and reduces it's enjoyability.

But besides this it's a great song. There should be more like this I think. It gives energy and happiness the one who hears it. Congratulation for this one. Keep them coming!

WAAANIMATION responds:

Wow thanks for the review, you made my day :D

Will

[Survivors of Guilt]

Hm...

Well... yes you've mentioned that it's choppy. There are so rough cuts in the melody that they are quite disturbing for me. I think for a relaxing and calm classical audio requires a constant melody, avoiding any such hard changes.

Are you working with FL? If yes you should out some attack on the samples. You'll see that it'll make them sound more softer and peacefull. They will come in with a bit fade in - I think a calm song could use this.

The drum beat I think was a wrong choose for this. Some solid snare or softer drum could be better. But the other instruments were fitting into it I think. In case of choir I say the same as for the strings. Bit more attack on them.

But don't be dissapointed - I think you got good melody writing skills. I liked the melody - altough the first half had a dissonant moment (as good as I could hear). The ending of the song - viewing in the perspective of the melody was greatly done.

So summing up: I can feel that this is an early classical try but it's not that worst. Keep practising and things will improve.

scoutzero responds:

Thanks! I felt the drums were also a bit off, but I am still trying to gather better samples. Thanks again for the review. :D