RedCocoa's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[In The Mission]

I really liked how you used effects, you had some very nice sidechaining, some good arpeggiator usage and the small ear candy parts where the sound reverses or glitches out were a delight every time.
I was also amazed at how you managed to have pretty distinct sounding parts with transitions that were clean and worked.

I do think that some instruments work better than others, your pluck sounds are top notch but some pads fight with each other a bit. There mix overall could also benefit from some more bass, you have a really great bass pad designed but it could sound even better supported by a subbass or a layered low sine wave pad.
Related to this I think the kick drum drowns a bit in the mix, so boosting that with a compressor, sidechaining or simply more volume would potentially balance the track a bit more.
Finally, I think the runtime of the song is slightly too long for too little movement progression wise. There are distinct parts but they all use the exact same structure. I think if the song was ~2 minutes shorter and got to its ideas faster and more dynamically, layout would be improved.

music69012 responds:

Thank you so much, gosh, so many tips and improvement hahaha. this is what i just need for future cyberpunk for future project. thank you and i hop to see you again for next year

[E]

Ayo? Massive work, excellent textures, percussion absolutely on point, the wubs just made me transcend this reality.

I really just dislike the reverb pre drop because it includes the bass which always muddies the mix. You could try not including the bass in the reverb or just using a high pass filter to get it out of the way for the buildup. Otherwise, 10/10 GG

CorruptModule responds:

Thanks. I’m really proud of my wins there. Hopefully I’ll get some more time later or figure out how to get ableton so I can finish this song up better. Thanks for the feedback.

[A Bedtime Story]

I don't even know where to begin here. You really just said PARKOUR and took me from small happy tune to fully immersive orchestral epos to waltz that almost actually made me tear up because it was so beautiful. Especially love the strings in the first section, they are incredibly well executed and sound so damn dynamic that I just choose to not believe you when you say they aren't actual recordings. The ending is maybe a bit too sudden for my taste but it still works incredibly well. Man. Thanks for making this.

Everratic responds:

Thanks for the profuse praise! It means a lot to hear it made you nearly tear up.

Technically I did use actual string recordings because I used a sample library and not modeled instruments. It also helps that I used one of the very best string libraries on the market. To be honest, I don't love the strings myself. The vibrato is not quite right for this type of writing, and some of the legato transitions are too quick. Maybe I'm too picky.

I too would have liked to make this song longer, but this is what I could manage with my severe time limitations.

[Not The Same]

This may be the rawest emotional song I've heard on this site. Instrumental is great, vocals are super clean, the only thing I personally don't like is the force of the kick drum. Production is incredibly clean though so I don't think I will give you a score penalty for a personal taste.

realityreimagined responds:

Thank you so much! and yeah i agree, some of the kicks tend to be too punchy in the track, ill try and work on drums more in future tracks. thanks for listening <3

[Extraterrestrial Life]

Damn this is LIT
Very high energy, sounds more like a boss fight than a regular level to me.
Instruments are very nice, I like that you have calmer moments inbetween the high intensity parts and the flow overall is very well executed.
I think some instruments fit better than others though. Not song-breaking or anything but some of them are slightly better than other ones.

X-ManOfficial responds:

Hm... And you are good...

[2 - Calendar - VGMC 2021]

Have I mentioned that your violin game is top notch yet :D
Man, the instruments, the ambience, the sound effects (especially the reversed ones, they add so much detail), the mood, the tension...
And it keeps hyping itself up over the entire duration. The mix is also incredibly well done, no instrument ever feels overpowering and the entire song has a good balance overall.
Very well done.

SnaresWorks responds:

thank you so much, I am also really proud of this, I feel like I did a great job with everything, it's tough getting a clear mix like this hehe but I managed ^^

[1 - Advent - VGMC 2021]

I love the mysterious and slow way this starts. The background sound effects give the entire song a really mysterious and good atmosphere.
When the second part hits... my god. Some really good stuff there. That violin fits the feeling of your track so much, it's insane.
I feel as if there's sligthtly too little movement though. Some more small variations would have made this even better than it already is I think.

SnaresWorks responds:

thank you for your comment! I appreciate that you took the time to rate this :3

[The Temple of Ri]

Again, beautiful atmosphere, nice instruments.
I mean yeah, you used the first song as a base for this one and that is definitely noticeable but you also brought some interesting new stuff to the table. I especially like the flanged gong sound (I think that's what that is) that starts in the second part of the song. Overall very nice song as well but very based on the first song.

PythonBlue responds:

Critique accepted: I realize it sounds pretty similar to the first one, and that was partially because I wasn't certain how much I could deviate from that per the rule of making this one more in the background. Thanks, though.

[From Heaven To Hell]

Jeez this is amazing. The different sections are all amazing, the instruments are so damn clean and nice, the arrangement is magnificent and the final part really nails the theme.
GG.

DigitalProdigy responds:

wow!!! Thank you so much!! I am really glad you enjoyed the song!!!

[Crossroad: Final Boundary]

The part starting around 1:20 sounds so much like an anger-filled nearly hopeless Earthbound boss fight that that alone fulfills your category pretty well.
The rest of the track feels consistent (even though some parts might feel a bit too quiet compared to the ones before them) and has a good overall flow. I especially liked the organ at 4:00, I did not expect it and it fit into the track perfectly.

Mister131 responds:

I appreciate the kind words. Thank you!