EmperorCharlemagne's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Celtic Celebrations]

A Dance of the Earth

I would soften the drums a little bit, and add in some more fiddle.

But the drums are rather too loud.

Also, with this type of music (Celtic), harmony is always important, and I feel there could have been some more chords and harmony thrown in to give it a better feel. You needed some bass noises, is my opinion. The bird noises sound kinda fake.

But I like the intro and outro the best.
But some bass noises (from the pipes or what have you) would have been good.

Great job though.

Archawn responds:

What bird noises? You mean the bagpipe?

[Wait_TehRave Remix]

Needs quite a bit of work in some areas.

The transition between the intro and main song could have been a LOT better.
Your song is lacking in the flow department in this regard.

The two parts are disparate and sound like two different projects pasted after one another. You have to work with how sounds logically flow into one another, and again at 1:24 was another bad transitions.

With techno and rave, you have to build into the next parts. As opposed to different pages of a book, think of it as a continuous stream, sometimes changing, sometimes stopping, but always flowing. This song has so many jarring moments it is hard to get into.

That is not to say it is without merit. But if the parts were meshed better, this song would be a whole lot more enjoyable. So keep at it, and improve your craft, and don't give up!

TehRave responds:

Thank you very much for this review, I will try and work on the transitions and maybe find sounds that flow a bit better, and work on building into the next sound.

[Pizzicato Lullabye]

Not bad.

The recorder does indeed make the loud parts wonky.

As far as things go, this piece is not that bad, all things are considered. The sounds are rich and authentic, and the melody is not that bad.

I think the main focus of the piece, the pizzicato lullaby could use a bit more work, as it was mainly strumming (or rather, plucking) the same notes over and over again. Coulda used more "lullaby", know what I mean?

But the strings, winds, and brass were all well-utilized, and this song is pretty good.

Lightningpichu responds:

Yea i know, i suspect it might be more my speakers though :\

Yea I know, it doesnt show much of a lullabye which was bad naming on my part.

Thanks for the review :P

[Little Piano Piece]

Alright.

If I could say anything, it's that this piece could have used a bit more variation in the melody. It only does a couple of things overall, respectively.

It's not bad, and this is a great recording (I wish I could record like this, but that would cost money), but the piece could use a few more things happening in it.

Saigon responds:

(I recorded midi like thought.) I might work on the melody at some point in the future. Thanks for the review.

[Tocatta of Skulls (final)]

This is definitively great!

It seems that all the problems that were present in the older versions of this song were finally worked, and the final product is something that is both technically proficient as well as structurally sound.

All the different instruments weave together to form a tapestry of sound that works very well on all fronts. I especially loved the brass coming in at :45, which was was much appreciated, much needed, and executed near flawlessly.

All in all, it was great seeing this piece progress from something ok to something amazing as time went by. Great job!

masterjiji responds:

:) YAY. yea the other submission i made the same day as this one initially scoreda whopping two points lower.

[Sand Glass]

Not bad my man.

What could have helped this piece out is as Nosferatu pointed out, some variation. Perhaps a bit of melody thrown in, or some varied drum beats?

The bass is fine, and the drum beat is fine, all it is is that variety is the spice of life, you know? Still it is a step above the usual Audio Portal fare, and that is an accomplishment in and of itself.

This is a good track, and if it is your last, as you so claim, it's a good finish.

Mitrox responds:

You're right, i could of added some more drum variation and more sound effects along with more melody.

which i will do in my future tracks off newgrounds.

thanks for the critique review dude.

stuff like this is helpful.

[Preludes of Mélancolique]

Emotive, and a great job!

I loved the chord progressions, and the melody shows some technical know-how that is refreshing in Audio Portal songs.

This is a great job.

Some of the harmonies don't quite mesh very well, that is the first knock I have against an otherwise good song. I won't point them out one by one, because if you listen, you'll know easily what I am talking about.
As well, the second knock is that this piece could use a few (emphasis on few) les block chords in some places and more arpeggiated stuff.

Nocturnes are often very lucid pieces, and very fluid. This one is a bit more 'in your face' at places, but that is by no means a bad thing. In fact it works more than it does not, and that is quite a feat.

Good job again!

sarias responds:

Well thank you yeah im a big fan of disonance, as far a bass line chords i never thoughout about it i will have to try and see how it sounds

haha as for nocturne i still havn't decided if thats what i want to call this, because it wasn't intended to be one, but i needed a name and i just was like screw it its going to be a nocturne :P
ok well thanks for the sugesstions

[Another Story Come (RMX)]

Normally, rushed remixes are bad...

But this one turned out not too shabby. I didn't notice any large flaws with anything, and it was generally smooth in everything.

I don't know how much of this was "you" as opposed to the "remix", but I liked the song and the melody for what it's worth.
It says something when a rushed job can turn out admirable.

Just don't get used to it!

ViceOfFire responds:

Thanks for the review, I appreciate it :D

The only thing I used was the acapella, did the rest myself.
Problem is that all remixes of this song sound similar in melody (it's been done to death)

[[JD]is coming for you(SCA]

Excellent redux

Most of the things I said in the last version apply, but I must say that the additions here work even more this time around to achieving a singular effect. Good job on the extras, the weeooeoeoeo's and whatnot, as they did make the song 'scarier'.

Nice.

enders1 responds:

I told ya, I was gonna make this one scarier muahahahahahahaha

[Meus' Finest Hour]

Excellent and driving!

The bass strings and rhythm set up for a delightful foray into the musical tone-poem world, and the melody and the way it overlaps with everything else is quite well done. I admire the care in this piece, as well as I admire the general buoyancy (if that makes sense) of the music.

If there is only anything I can say, is that it might not fit the description completely. If he is fighting a gloriously losing battle, there might need to be a bit more sadness in there. If not, and he emerges victorious, it could stand to be faster.

These preferences aside, you have done a commendable job here. Congratulate yourself.