Aalasteir's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Poison - Hazbin Hotel (Metal Cover)]

Song structure is good, the guitar is very nice, and the vocals are good. The vocal tones, I feel, are too harsh, although the overall song is very good. Perhaps that is just a personal gripe of mine, as I am used to listening to Punk songs which don't have a harsh "S" tonality to them. The mix is generally well-done, though I feel the vocals could use a de-esser.

Please, I wouldn't be able to mix guitars and have this one be as well as yours, so make of that what you will. In my opinion your song is very close to being perfect, what is fact is that this was my experience with your song.

Thank you, you are both amazing musicians!

Anjer responds:

Thank you!! I don't use a DeEsser because I don't understand how it works. It tends to kill the vocals, so I prefer not to use it.

[everything must go]

Jazzy, bluesy intro and the drums, snare, hi-hat have a great rhythmic pattern, very distinct. The synths are presented with great clarity, and the mix has good balance. Bell tones are interesting; I didn't expect your song to go in a horror movie direction.

trevor8 responds:

haha; neither did i! funny how these things end up sometimes! thank you!

[Song For the Rain]

Beautiful! You have amazing tonalities, combining an old-school with a modern style. The ambiance of the rain and utilizing the thunder give a really good atmosphere, and the vinyl cracks are utilized well.

sorohanro responds:

Thanks for the review. You can download the solos (see the link in the description) and put them in your own mix/tune/composition.

[Through the Mangrove]

The bouncy rhythm melody speaks clearly, the synth is sharp, and with a light, almost pitch-bent-like quality. The delay effect incorporated in the melody is fascinating, with varied instrumentation and a strong bass.

The song structure is super good, keeping momentum going. There's a jump-like quality that is really uplifting to listen to. The song feels quite happy, and it is really cool when there are variations kick in and the background of the song is still moving along. That is cool.

@Random-storykeeper which element do you usually begin with when creating a song?

Random-storykeeper responds:

Thank you for your thoughtful comments! Sorry for the delayed response.

For most tracks, I typically begin with the piano - this particular track, for instance, I came up with the chord progression heard at around 1:30 - 1:50, then built the composition around it. For other tracks, I sometimes start within FL or other times, I might have a melody going around in my head that I'll use. Other tracks may factor into the starting process, especially for the tracks I make for a specific game.

[Conditions]

Intro really pops up with the bass. Your panning is nice, and when the kick, kicks in, it's engaging. Personally, I always really appreciate more personal vocal stylings along with more unconventional vocal mixings.

Flamingweeny responds:

Thanks for the review. Kind words.

[Key of the Moon - Lunziestella]

Unique drums. The percussion is interesting, incorporating more unusual electronic sounds. The fast beat gives a lot of energy and life to the track, and the variation in the instruments is very good.

[Silfidex Planet]

Definitely an interesting vehicle for communicating a spacey adventure. The synthesizer is interesting, and the vocals are unique. The spacious reverb and instrumental are very busy, almost assaulting with the amount of information that's being communicated. I assume that is part of the experience, which gives you a unique adventure that you take the listener on with your auditory narrative. You have an interesting effect on the vocal; that delay is based very uniquely, and the panning is done well.

[Space Channel 5 JAM (Dreamcast Collab)]

The harmonic groove and the action you present are extremely engaging. The piano riff has such a good sense of timing, and then you add the guitar. The variation creates a spectacular action, and then you hit with the surprise beat, and the orchestra sound pops up, adding so much life. Wow, spectacular!

@TeraVex how do you create your harmonies?

TeraVex responds:

Thank you so much!! For this I actually transcribed the original piano part by ear since there aren't any references online in terms of sheet music! Finally those years of ear training paid off!!

[Crystal Vistas]

Your intro is so powerful with the variation of sounds, the electronic landscape, and the bit crush and reverb are so unique.

The guitar mixing that you have going; paint such a vivid landscape. When the beat kicks in, the rush of emotion and engagement that you present, mixed with a Game Boy, adds such a unique feeling to your song. Then the beat drops, and it is so powerful!

The rhythm moves in a spectacular fashion, and the energy rises up. The fact that you have it panned across the stereo field is very engaging, and the variation you present in your composition is meticulously and well thought out.

01:49 - This part you've created is so good, wow!

02:11 - The disco feel is extremely fun.

Your song concludes so well which makes it very loopable.

What is your approach to composition?

jamatar responds:

Thanks so much for the kind feedback! I find I work the best when I'm playing things live, so usually the first thing I'll do is put down some basic rhythm and block in some synth chords. I started with this really warm pad and just kinda grooved with it for a bit, then when I started playing guitar over what I recorded, it helped to really establish the sections.

I'll usually block in some rough tracks, go back and redo them a bit better. This track has the most amount of live playing I think, the bass is a real bass guitar, the guitar is all 1 or 2 final takes and all the little sparkly high keyboard and synth parts are played in by hand :) I even record a lot of the Gameboy in live as well when I can!

[Medium Difficulty Quest (200+ BPM Collab)]

You have an amazing sense of rhythm!