johnfn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[For What It's Worth]

I REALLY like the songwriting here, but the mixing is totally screwed up, it's distorting like crazy in the last bits, e.g. 2:55! That was really ruining my appreciation of the song. Other than that problem though, I like it a lot, especially when we have multiple vocal lines running simultaneously towards the end. Reminds me of the pop-punk bands of my childhood. :-)

jvonm responds:

Yeah... a lot of my plugins started acting up after the move to Logic Pro X, especially dynamics. I just found the problem— I based the mix off a multimeter insert that was slotted before the multiband compression. -_- The multimeter AFTER the multipressor is presently flipping out quite magnificently.

Still, I was reading up on the NGADM judging criteria and it seems we're to be judged mostly based on the actual quality of the song, so hopefully even a relatively bothersome mixing mishap won't play too big of a role.

Either way, I'll still have had a ton of fun crafting the individual elements of the song; I'm confident that the strong songwriting here will at the very least make the judges' decision a difficult one. You know, for what that's worth. *zing*

[Normal Mapping]

This is one of the coolest things I've heard. I really love the vocal work. The production is god-tier. Keep up the awesome work!

garlagan responds:

cheers john! really like your submission btw!

[Setting Out]

Your main motif is totally gorgeous. Definitely getting those JRPG vibes. My favorite part of it is that little flair at the end (0:35). After a little bit of thought I realized it reminded me of the Pokemon intro music! (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq2b-I b3jAI#t=26) Though of course you use the same idea to express something quite different.

I really enjoy this song. I thought the instrumentation was really well done and nuanced without being too much. Sounds both a tad melancholy and adventurous. I really love the string 'stabs' that sit under the main melody - I think those add a lot.

Great work!

BlazingDragon responds:

Hey, thanks a bunch for the review! You are right about that riff being similar to the Pokemon song, but you also hear it in tons of other places. That type of chromatic slide downward is used in a lot of jazz pieces as well.

I'm glad you liked the string stabs! Honestly, those took FOREVER to get done between figuring out the best way to voice the chords among the strings, get good voice leading, and include some extended harmonies. Plus recording myself playing all those parts, quantizing them, and then fixing the rhythmic errors and adjusting velocities. :o

[Electroboy]

I'm not huge on heavy metal but I absolutely loved the electronic solo at 2:05. That was one of the better solos I've heard on Newgrounds. BlazingDragon better watch his back >:D

[Aries]

This is really really good stuff man. Loving the sad feel. The mixing is really well done - when we get to the main section, the song feels appropriately massive. Knocking a star and a half mainly because it feels a tad generic (in terms of sounds, arrangement, etc.) and repetitive (after I had gotten to the 2-3 minute mark, I had pretty much heard everything the song had to offer). My other complaint is that the one buildup you have at around 5:00 is slightly disappointing, as what you drop into sounds exactly like what you were doing before hand.

But I really enjoy this piece, so don't let my whining get you down! Great work - and looking forward to hearing more from you. I would particularly be pumped to hear you experiment more with arrangement and melodic diversity. Scouted.

SoundSpectre responds:

Thank you for the feedback mate, really appreciate it and it isn't just useless feedback it is honest and valuable, and thank you for the scout :)

[Virtuous Reprieve]

Strings at 1:38 could do with a lot more release. At 2:15 they sound a little fake (probably the fault of the samples) and overpower the piano. Mixing goes crazy towards the end with lots of reverb, bells at 2:50 are too loud, stuff like that.

But, I *really* love the ambient intro (until the first minute). I probably would have given just that part of the song a 9 at least, it's really good.

The latter half is interesting from a music theory perspective. You keep on surprising me with your chord choices.

Good stuff keep it up!

KrrMaim responds:

I'm glad you find it interesting musically. I'm not putting a lot of time into the production unfortunately. Thanks for listening :] <3

[Summer Goes On]

I guess no update :(

I have to say that I'm amazed by how full-sounding you got LSDJ to sound. The work with the explosive chip drums is really impressive, and adds so much. Reminds me of your 'takes a sudden turn' (where can i find that track btw? I really enjoyed it). I also really enjoy the chord progression - sometimes it's just I-iii-IV-V but sometimes you extend it with some more chords to make an 8 bar loop. I thought that worked very well.

My biggest complaint is that it feels a little repetitive - the riff that we hear at :34 we end up hearing a lot more throughout the song. I'd like just a tad more variation there, if just another melody on top of the same chords.

I really enjoy the solo at the end though! The crazy pans add even more to the energy.

Good stuff, keep it up!

[Saharan Sunrise]

I really like this one. It reminds me a little bit of the ambient music that plays in games like simcity when time is paused. There is a lot of wonderful attention to detail, like subtle acoustic guitar flourishes, nicely panned plucked instruments, and a very subtle beat. The swelling of the orchestra is really nice too.

Good stuff. It compliments Papkee's piece really nicely :-)

TheBenjerman responds:

Thanks a lot! ^_^

[Superhighway]

Good stuff man. Mixing is still perfect, everything sounds great, kind of amazing for a first song in a DAW. I was sad to hear that you were rushed, because that little flair at 1:45 shows you could do a lot with more time.

[A Storm Over Lavender Lane]

This may be my favorite NGADM piece I've heard yet. It moves through so many emotions so effortlessly. The piano playing is complex but never unnecessarily so. There is such good counterplay between the different instruments. I love how the part at 1:20 is such a nice contrast to the earlier stuff, and yet it fits so well. And oh my god, your ending is sooo well done. There is some sort of melodic inevitability to it - it feels like the ending starts as far back as 1:43 and builds gracefully to that awesome descent at 2:02.

Critique? I don't even know. That one glissando at :47 sounds off, but that seems more like the problem of your sample then a problem with the composition itself. The phrase at :27 could be extended a little bit (I feel like the resolution comes a little too early).

This is between a 9 and a 10 for me. And I feel like it's mostly my fault for not giving it a 10, since I almost never listen to classical music and sometimes have trouble understanding it. (I need to listen to it more!) Regardless though, very, very well done!

headphoamz responds:

Wow... I'm very honored you speak so highly of it. I've read a lot of your reviews and you're very candid about your opinions, so... I'm kinda blushing right now. Thanks, johnfn! :)