TheBellmaker's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[~SW~ Keeper of the Dead- Voice]

I see who?

The samples were awesome! The accurately portray the mood that you were shooting for from the start. Definitely has that dead and decaying feel to it.

Some pointers:

0:35 when the staccato strings come in. I don't think this melody fits with the rest of the song. It doesn't add to the creepy feel very well. Perhaps you could have saved the theme for later, or simply skip this part.

0:55 much better melody selection for the track. This adds very well to both the creepy and the RPG feel.

1:12 I love the piano that you bring into the song at this point. However, I think you could have added some high notes on the piano in addition to the high notes that you used with the bell.

One other thing: the background sample, although excellently mixed, does get repetitive after 2 mins of continuous playback. I think you could have it fade in and out at certain parts, apply various other effects to it, or perhaps layer more samples on top.

Overall, excellent job here!

[[dB] Sleepwalker]

:D :D :D

I always enjoy a good DnB song especially with the percussion capabilities of yourself. Seriously, I think you should just write DnB, because out of the three songs that I reviewed of yours, this one is clearly the best.

There's not much to address in this song, but I do have a couple things to say:

-Bass: the bass isn't as strong as I would expect from a DnB. I find that most of the dominance comes from the higher frequency leads that are playing. However, the absence of bass did not detract from the overall awesomeness of the song. However, I do think that the song could have been even better with bass. Just something to keep in mind if you do decide to write more DnB.

-Conclusion: I didn't understand the conclusion that you wrote very well. I was kind of expecting some massive buildup and epic percussion slaughter than would explode into some dramatic conclusion. Needless to say, I was let down a little. A song as awesome as this needs to end with a bang!

Overall, the song makes me think of gansta pirates for some reason....haha good work. I encourage you to try writing more DnB in the future!

Decibel responds:

a 10. Kewl.

I'm definitely making more DnB in the future ;D

thanks again for the 10 ;D

[[dB] My Little Crazy World]

Interesting....

It's pretty unique as far as pop songs go. It has the feeling of longing mixed with confusion, with a touch of craziness. Just a couple pointers here.

-Static: That static noise that's playing in the background doesn't really fit with the rest of the song. I don't really think it adds to the overall feeling of the song significantly. It's kinda just...there. I think it should just be removed outright, or maybe low pass filtered so that it isn't *too* noticeable.

-Chord progression: The progression itself is very well done. The only problem is that it's the *only* chord progression that you use in the entire song. Combined with the relatively static melodies, this causes the song to sound repetitive, even after a short time.

-Percussion: Here's an area that you clearly are skilled in. The percussion is the best part of this track, hands down. However, even then I think you could have added much more variation to the beats, as not to make the track sound like a 10 second loop played over and over again.

-Melodies: The melody that you used is well written, and indeed reminiscent of the Beatles music. again, you just needed to vary them a bit, maybe throw in a new melody when the percussion cuts out near the middle.

Overall: Just needs more variation. Great work!

Decibel responds:

The Static is actually a glitch in the guitar - I would have definitely taken it away but it won't seem to go really :/

Anyway - I'm glad that you liked my percussion :) I work quite hard on that, even though this isn't my best instance of it really ;p

So yeah - thanks again for the review.

[[dB] Leaping from the Sky]

Ahhhh, sorry for the late review!

I think this song would be extremely fitting for a video game. Maybe a platformer where the player is jumping on clouds over a city. The beat here is pretty catchy as well.

Introduction: Well....there really isn't one (don't worry I'm guilty of that too sometimes). Given the short length of this track though, I don't really think it affects the overall quality of the piece. Ideas for a possible introduction: maybe have the percussion come in a little after the start and just have the main lead playing, or even vice versa. Something to consider if you ever make this a longer track.

Conclusion: N/A. What comes next is entirely up to you, though.

Lead selection: Excellent job here. The sounds fit together pretty nicely in the first part of your WIP. The leads are reminiscent of some Futarama type city, or possibly something post-industrial. Nothing much to say here.

Percussion: Excellent! everything in the percussion seems to be just the right volume and tweaked to perfection. Although, I don't know why you replaced the snare at 0:37. I think the same one could have been carried over into the next part, since most of the previous melodies and leads are also transferred over.

Transitions: Well, there's technically only one at 0:37. Despite being very sudden, I still think it is adequate, mainly because you only introduce a few new elements. However, I still think you could have had more percussion buildup in the few bars before the transition. As of now, the drums remain static up until said spot, which I think is the biggest problem with the current piece.

Overall, I think this will turn into an awesome track when completed. Good work!

[Mau5trapped (Dj Sonik)]

Not familiar with Deadmau5, but....

Still think you've got a nice track here. I especially like the bells that you whipped out at 3:00. The automation is excellent as well, perhaps the one thing that truly makes this song awesome!

One suggestion: I think the hi-hat should have just a little bit more LP filter, so that it doesn't stick out that much when the other leads come in

Good work!

DreamEater responds:

Thanks so much for the review!
Hmm... :D that's actually a great idea! You've got quite an ear for this stuff my friend; It's no big surprise to me now that you write such great music... You definitely know your shit!

Thanks again for the spot-on review bro! As always, I can't wait to read your next one!

~Dj Sonik

[Fail (Dj Sonik Original W]

Good.

You've struck pretty close to professional quality with this song. I especially like all the percussion instruments that you've chosen.

Suggestions: I personally think the buildup in the first part is a bit too long. I think you could have introduced more elements, which would have also made the transition at 2:52 a little more smoother.

DreamEater responds:

Ah I didn't actually notice till you pointed it out, but you're definitely right about the transition at 2:52; I might have to go back into the flp on this one and make a second release with some changes :p

Thanks for the spot on review Bellmaker!
You rock! :D

~Dj Sonik

[Amelioration (Dj Sonik)]

Pretty good stuff.

I must say, everything goes together very nicely. Very good mixing and effects. I also like the choice of instruments that you use in this piece.

Just one suggestion: starting at 1:00, I think you should have played some sort of bass during the next part. The lower lead I feel doesn't really give enough back bone to this part.

Good Work!

DreamEater responds:

Hey, thanks so much Bellmaker; I'm really glad you enjoyed my composition/ Instrumentation!

I think I need to re-do the whole bass stem for this track to be honest :(

Thanks again for your feedback!

~Dj Sonik

[Some Kind of Expert v.2]

Wonky? sounds like a candy bar...

I don't really understand the title....eh a song by any other name will still smell as sweet. I got to say, this track is actually pretty calming, perhaps fitting for looking upon a wintry scene in a field of trees. Hmmm, I think I'll do type III for this one

-Instrument Selection: yes! yes! YES!!!!! nearly flawless in this field. The piano is just so calming, and the percussion that you bring is not to driving yet not too subtle. I still think you could have added more instruments too, especially some long strings or string type lead. The beep sound is also appropriate, but I think you need to add some reveerb/delay to it if you plan on just making it beep the entire song.

Rhythm- Excellent rhythm in the piano and the percussion. Nothing much to improve in this song in terms of rhythm. Perhaps some more variation would have been nice, but that would be hypocrisy on my part haha.

Effects: The piano reveerb/delay was nice. I don't know why you decided to take it off at around 1:08 tho. I think the piano would still sound nice with the delay on. There also that weird sound every 4 beats that I think could have also been mixed more thoroughly. Right now, it sounds like you are simply playing it a low volume. Perhaps some filtering would have made it more full.

Overall: Not too bad. I definitely like this one the most out of the three that I reviewed. Keep up the good work!

xxxZigZagxxx responds:

Hey TheBellmaker

Yeah, I just kinda picked the title out of a hat :P. Nah, I just listened to the ambience and thought of a suitably vague title to go with it. I'm wanting to get better at this song naming business. Ah well, hopefully.

I spent a lot of time on instrument selection. I wanted the percussion to be pretty minimal in terms of sound, and the beep sound is a bit too dominant in my opinion. I think I'll change that. But thanks for your feedback.

I'm glad you said the rhythm was good. I tried a new technique with this song - I didn't quantize the hits, so that it had a kind of "offbeat" tonality to it. That's the essence of wonky, I think. Maybe I should aso vary the overall tempo. I'm getting better at percussion hopefully.

I gotta work on the volume controls I think, and filtering etc. I was trying to make the piano at the end without the delay more punchy, but I think it would be nice to go into a dream state of music, per se. Maybe the next step is to go full reverb and make a dreamlike atmosphere. That would zone people out lol

Thanks! Your review is encouraging! I'll keep you posted on future songs :)
ZigZag

[Relative Iniquity (SB)]

No reviews????

Weird, considering your most recent song had like 9 haha. But anyways, down to business. For an experimental track, I'd say you have found a throng of quite interesting sounds. As an experimental track though, I will have to review it not as a song, but as a collection of instruments. So here goes

0:07: I really like the percussion you came up with here. Definitely fit for something danceable.

0:14: ehh, I don't know about the panning sound that you decided to throw in. I don't think it's "full" enough to have it be played as one long note. I never understood the purpose of panning, so I'm not going to go there.

0:28 : the clap is a bit too loud for my liking.

0:42: huh, what? Oh, I just wasn't really expecting so sudden a switch. I like the sound that you introduced here. In fact, I'd rather you pan this sound around rather than the one you did at the beginning

1:24: Interesting sound. I think you'll find lots of use for it in future songs, especially dancey/trancey type songs. If you put a filter on that baby, I think it will sound even better.

Overall: I like the sounds you came up with. Personally, I'm too lazy to create leads from scratch, so kudos to you!

xxxZigZagxxx responds:

Thanks for your kind review!

About my latest song having lots of reviews, I found that quite surprising and cool. I rarely, if ever, get a single review for my submissions, but this is very welcome, and I thank you for taking the time out :)

Your dissection of the different instruments is quite a good aide, to see what sounds "worked" and what sounds/rhythms didn't work. I've done a lot of "experimenting" with sounds, and it is only until recently I've been contemplating bringing them together into something coherent. I will take the sounds that you have advised me to take, and leave the ones that didn't really hit the mark.

Thanks a lot for the review! Let's keep in touch!

ZigZag