Scarlatti's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[{DKL} A Happy Life (Classical)]

Kind of cool

Kind of captured a feeling, though I was waiting for something more, or perhaps just a change in any aspect of the piece. Perhaps just changing the register, and playing the same notes an octave lower or higher would do the trick. Or even a whole other layer to the piece, like a woodwind melody. There are infinite possibilities in music, and I think you'd find greater enjoyment in writing your music if you tried more stuff. Perhaps something you'd never think of doing, just to see what happens. Also, the repetitive bass octaves could be mixed down a bit. They rather muddy the track.

Very good material, though. Keep writing. :-)

DavidKrachtLam responds:

Thanks for the descriptive review! I could probably have made it a bit longer with new melodies and such, but i think it's still good as it is.

[Warcraft Blues]

Hawt blues

Nice blues, with good solo....last thing one expects to find on Newgrounds. Funny, too. Kudos to you......a nice Hammond organ would add another level of awesome, but I'm rather biased, being a keyboard player myself. Anyway, great stuff.

Reachground responds:

If I had known you when I made the song you could have played it. That surely would have lifted the song. I was thinking horns myself actually.

That 10 looks good to me!

Thank you.

[Rainflower]

ACID, huh?

I like this better than the Lost Church piece, honestly. Reminds me of the music from the first Age of Empires game. Though the vocal-sounding instrument would be out of place there. Anyway, well done.

A few things about both composition and the NG audio portal. If ACID is the only composition program you have, you will inevitably find it constricting soon. You can get a free sequencer from noteworthy. Google them if you don't already have a sequencer. It sounds like you are knowledgable about music in general, so there are very few obstacles left to conquer. Also, it looks like you are taking some time between submissions. I never got a lot of buzz back when I was actively contributing here, but I do know that traffic is what gets you noticed and what gets you reviews. Submitting a new 'piece' every day or two, then tossing in the big pieces you really want recognition for is a good system. The oodles of people coming to check out the many pieces you've contributed are bound to stumble across the things you really put your all into, even if they have to wade through a few extras first. If you look through my oldest things, you'll see there's a lot of useless crap. But every now and then, there's something worth noticing.

That said, good luck. And get to work......:-P

Valtrix responds:

Thanks again for the review. Obviously I've been working with FL more, as I found ACID didn't really seem to be working for what I wanted it to. What I've made so far has been some work getting used to the programs, so I've been trying to get better that way. I don't know if I can churn our a song every day or two, but I'll definitely try to create things a littel faster. I need to work a lot on my arranging of sounds. When there's so much to do, it's hard to decide what to spend a lot of time on. Hopefully I can start making some things worth listening to!

[The Lost Church]

Could use some alterations

The constant motion of the string/pad thing when it is louder doesn't work as well as it should. The chord that comes on the fourth beat should come again as a whole note in the next bar. And loop it that way, until you want it to be more energetic, then switch to the constant motion thing. It would be part of a rather slower development, though. Pretty large change. I would also say some reverb would up the sort of creepy vibe.

Of course, this is the way I would write this piece, not the way you would. Just my ideas on it. Overall, good ideas, but the execution is not yet good enough to consummate them.

Valtrix responds:

Thanks so much for the review! I've been waiting for somebody to comment on some of my music. See, I try to do as best as I can, but as it is I'm pretty new with making things, so I need some help still. However, I don't have a lot of musical friends, so it's hard to do that.

I think I know what you mean about the pad. It doesn't quite work how I wanted it to, but I wasn't exactly sure what to do with it. It probably does need a little slower development like you mentioned, with holding a note, and I think I know where you're talking about. Not sure how to use reverb right now, but that's something I'll definitely be looking into!

[My Little Fugue]

This is Bach

The main theme is that of Bach's Little Fugue in G minor. There are several original quotations of it, but perhaps this should have been made a little clearer. It is a good remix, definitely. Very good for a second submission. I found the orchestra hits to be a little distracting. Thanks for your review.

LoneInstrumentalist responds:

forgot the composer, but yes, its not that original, i tried to mix it abit ~_~ but hey, its only my 2nd song~

i dont tink i'll rework this, or at least, its gonna take awhile, n also yes, i will take away orch hits, i was still trying out sounds at that time X]

tnx for ur reivew too!

cheerios~ keep ur work up :) (dont u hate 0 votes...)

[Triumpant Overture Final Vers.]

Very good

It's definitely triumphant. And it's definitely an overture. And it's apparently the final version, too. Yep. The flute melody was good, as was the piece, for the most part. But there were two places where I didn't find the harmonizations especially functional. I think it was because they differed from the implied harmony. This is almost like something you'd hear on a soundtrack CD, but there is that one last obstacle to overcome, in my opinion. Keep in mind, I am a bit of a snob sometimes.

Peace.

SuperTonic64 responds:

Thank you! :)

No, I don't think your a snob; I enjoy constructive critisim. :D

Anyways, you're right about those problem spots. I had to change them anyways, because I am arranging this song for concert band (my high school band director want to play this for a concert! :O) and for publication. :D

Sorry for me taking so long to respond, and thank you for your review! :D

[Memories of Old--A Fanfare!]

Great

You're oodles better than me at overtures, opening credit-type stuff. Atmosphere is the word. You're also a better orchestrator. I have trouble being optimistic without being saccharine. The actual fanfare bit could definitely be used for something legit (that is to say, not internet based) if it were perhaps more expansive and "killer". I always lobby for a bit of darkness. Being an Elfman fan, it's hard to go without. Enviable work, like to see more.

SuperTonic64 responds:

Thanks! ^_^

It was just a little happy tune I wrote one day. But the next fanfare I do, it won't be so lighthearted! :)

[Meat Loaf]

Wow

This works better because of the English accent that comes through at times. It makes me think of that old woman who had a cooking show. Especially because the voice is saying things like "goes very well sliced" and "put the minced beef in a large mixing bowl with the pork and onion". If this had been done by an American, it would have been diminished, I think. Anyway, fantastic, vote 5, vote 5, w00t, etc., etc. It actually reminds me of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. You should perhaps go and get some of their stuff.

[Cait Sith's Theme]

Meh

Nothing to it, really. Admirably similar to the original, better even, due to the sounds. But still nothing. Just cut, paste, tweak. I am a bit of an ass about remixes, honestly. I don't do them because they are very boring unless you really change the tune a lot, and I'd rather do that with my own themes and get the full share of the credit. Also, there was some kind of freakiness not long before the end that almost made me pee. A kind of treble static that is probably used to break down hardened terrorists in America's secret mega-prison in Ted Kennedy's enormous noggin. It was rather unpleasant, to be sure.

[The Ballad of Chaos--Part II]

Wow

Dang. That's some good music. At the beginning, I thought it was going to be another overwrought piece with a piano droning through it. I was totally surprised by the orchestra. And the end was tremendous. Your samples just refuse to disappoint. Good orchestral music is something not many people here can do well. Even WinterWind, who is pretty cool, is not yet very suave with the full thing, as he will admit. So congrats. So far, it's: you, me, Bezo, and some other people I haven't discovered yet. You'll just have to trust that I'm good, unless you want to go have a listen, maybe leave some reviewage? (I'm awesome)

One question: how many hours, how many weeks, did this take?

SuperTonic64 responds:

Thank you! ^_^ (WinterWind and Bezo are pretty awesome writers,and I'll have to listen to some of your music too! :))

This song took me about a day or 2 to write. After I get a main melody, the rest just comes naturally. :D

I can't wait to hear some of your music! :)