Mataro's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Fountain of Dreams (remix)]

A six this time.

But mostly because I just have a soft spot for the Fountain of Dreams. Again, I wonder about you playing it. On one hand, there's no fuzz, which would suggest it's not a recording. But on the other hand, it's fairly low quality, which could just as much be a bitrate thing as anything.

For an example of the quantizing that I was talking about, check ~1:27. I'm not sure what to say. There's just piano here, and little to the piano at that. Practice makes perfect and whatnot, of course. If this is indeed you composing the song and matching the original, then I'm impressed. But I'm left scratching my head as to what to believe.

Brawllord responds:

My response in general to that is...ready for this?...okay too much suspense, my computer is, in simplicity, f***** up and it really does what it wants. this is a recording i can assure you. My equipment on my computer as i says gives it the quality it wants...old computer i should upgrade...but i can get rid of the fuzz from general recordings by recording the fuzz on its own and then my program wipes that noise from the recording.

[Planet Venom (piano remix)]

Interesting.

But alas, there is so much more you could do with this. I do find it rather hard to believe you played this yourself. After all, it's clearly quantized into.. Sixteenth notes I believe those are? A complete lack of FX make it somewhat boring however. Sounds like FLKeys mayhaps? If it's FL, then the studio comes with plenty of nice effects that could add quite a bit. Pan some notes, play with the arrangement a bit, throw on some reverb. Perhaps make some breaks, and add some simple drums. Could perhaps turn into something I would actually download and listen every so often. As of right now, I can't say it is annoying to listen to, but it's not enjoyable either. So I'll toss you a 5/10. As for the vote, though, since you're new to this, I'll not throw in my two cents as it would lower your exposure.

Just keep trying hard.

[[Edited]Swimming Thru Memories]

'Ey.

Not too bad. I really liked it, actually. I recognized a lot of the synths, but that's alright. I give it a nine just because the actual melodies are excellent. However, the way they were put together feels a bit lacking. I'm not sure what I think of the piano sound. At the same time I like the treble-heavy approach, but I feel it needs more punch. The percussion is pretty iffy. It's a bit boring in general. The bass was alright, nothing special. Looks like you've got a lot of talent, you just need to learn to be willing to throw more into a song.

Anyhow, comments aside, I wouldn't mind remixing this song if you'd be willing to share the FLP. Just throw me a message and we can figure it out if you're up to it. Good job, though. Keep it up. :D

[Mario Bros. 3: Overworld]

I do say, good sir. That is wonderfully peaceful.

I don't know what to say. It's so.. Clear. And. Floaty. It feels as though my speakers might fly away if the bass wasn't all HEY GET YOUR PUNK ASS BACK HERE FOO. I like it. I can't say much more than that. The instruments sound fantastic. :O

The solo is alright. It feels a little weird. A bit out of place, but I'll attribute that simply to the fact I'm not used to hearing it. One or two more times through, and it fits a lot better. Awesome job. Keep it up. :D

Oh, and I'm tossing a five to this. It deserves it. :3

-Mataro

[Temple of Time to Dance]

Temple of Time? Gimme' some of that!

I had to review this. As soon as I saw "Temple of Time". Love the tune, and I like the feel here. But I feel it's still a little subdued. The delay works, but I would turn down the cutoff or volume on the echoes to give it a little more subtle a feel, and to make it less congested. The kick is a beast, my good friend. Sounds great, but it's insanely powerful here, and rather alone when it comes to percussion. There's some hats that sound like tambourines almost, and they work great. But that hat that comes in around the 54 second mark is a little too contrasting for me.. It stands out a little much and just doesn't groove well with the rest.

Those things aside, I quite like the reverse clash, with a refreshingly boomless follow through. Those strange squeaks and FX are kind of interesting, but perhaps a little out of place. As for the lead saw synth? Love it. It's perfect. Perfect melody. Perfect composition. It just sounds awesome.

So, all in all, it's not amazing. There's a lot of things that grate on me a bit, like those strange modulated hats. But the rest of the song is clean and simple enough that it conveys a nice straight forward, moving feel. I might listen to this whilst doing work. Can't say I dance, but I nodded my head if that counts for anything. Good job, but I think it could have been a bit better. I'm probably splitting hairs here, though, so 8 out of 10, and a 4 out of 5.

Keep the good work! :D -Mataro

[(_RGH_) Bender Screwbot (!)]

Awesome.

Doesn't stand out too much, or even try to be particularily bold at all. No booms. Nothing. And it's perfect that way. Ambient, rich, full. Sounds great. I can definitely hear some of your older work in here. The harmonies are wicked. Synths are clean, the drums are smooth, and it all sounds great.

I like it as is, and I love that choir. Great job. 5/5, 10/10. Love it :D

RyeGuyHead responds:

You remember?

always pleased to satisfy!

[[LR] This Sucks Fuck You]

Eh.. Heh?

I liked the sound. Not really a song. But the syncopation makes it kind of.. Ambient. Needs a bit more to it, of course.. It's alright. I get the idea you went out of scale left, right, and center. I'm curious to see what you might be able to accomplish if you really put your head to it.

Good luck.

Little-Rena responds:

I was messing with a program really, don't really have great audio making programs, this was made with an MIDI Keyboard :S

[[LR] Pointless Beat]

Rofl @ Straight 10's.

Progressive? Yes. Minimalist? A bit, yeah. Interesting? At first. Lasting appeal? Not really.

It needs a lot more, but that goes more or less without saying. Really not much to say here. Uh. Samples were nice?

Little-Rena responds:

I dunno?

[Take No One]

The minimalism really carries over.

I wouldn't call it techno, really. But I'm not sure what I would really call it. Almost.. Ambient? Heh, almost. There's really not much for me to say here.. It all sounds pretty cool. The effects were a nice touch.. But it all feels pretty plain. A little underdone, if you understand what I mean. Took far, far too long for some percussion to come in. But the choir there is brilliant. Sounds awesome. The last minute or so of the song is by far the best part.. But even then it feels like it's on the brink of busting out, but it never quite makes it.. That saw-ish pluck is pretty awesome, by the by.

What it really feels like though, is that it could have been great, but the amount of time you spent building it, fading back out, really killed off the momentum. The bomb siren was bloody brilliant. But in the chaos thereafter, like bombs striking the earth, should have been some booming percussion, some powerful bass, and a chaotic, distorted synthline just to usher in the impending doom that the piece seems to convey.

I prefer it more when heralds actually herald something, if you know what I mean. Regardless, it's solid. It's just not spectacular. Good job nonetheless. 7/10, 4/5. Keep it up, and thanks for your criticism on -=Gallows=-! :D

Jimbobsthebest responds:

Thanks for a wicked review man. I started writing this piece with the ambition to carry it on to more of a tune. When I first submitted this, it was only allowed to be a certain length of time... I think under 4 minutes, so I left it as it was. I may have to go over it and release a version 2 where it gets a bit heavier.

Thanks very much for the review and rating. Good criticisms and very fair.

Cheers, James

[(NUB)TiedTheRoomTogether]

Oh god. Oh god. TOO DISTORTED!

But cool, nonetheless. It sounds like it needs a ton of EQing. I can't tell whether it's distorted on purpose, or what, but it sounds like just bad equalizing.

Drums were brilliant. Absolutely awesome. Piano was great as well. Sounds like the Love Philter, and it works great here. I haven't got much to say, because there isn't much to hear. Great job. But the distortion kills it for me.

Keep it up, and keep going. I figured I'd stop by because I saw your complaint about not getting enough listens, and I know just how you feel. I'll make sure to stop by every so often, so good luck!

4/5, distortion stops it from being a full 5. 7/10. Rock on :D

nubbinownz responds:

hehe guess it's not for everyone ;) the semi distorted sound you're hearing is a 3 % tape filter applied to the drums, intended to make the drums sound low quality and scratchy .. :(