EmperorCharlemagne's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Just Hold On]

For being stock FL instruments

This is an incredible step up of what I expect when I think of FL (which, I admit, I usually think of something amateurish).

This is pretty great too, not only on a technical level, but on a musical one as well. Everything is well produced, tight, catchy, and likable.

Everything about this version seems to be loads better, and this song shows it.

Now go rest our heroes!

[Life After Betrayal]

I would kill for this?

The spoken voice was a bit weird, but I think overall, you did a good job of constructing a believable and enjoyable soundscape here. In other words, I liked it. The harmonies sounded nice, and the beat, while it could have been softened a LITTLE bit, were still good. It definitely got better as time progressed.

This is a solid, likable track.

JoeyFreezeMusic responds:

Thank you. I wonder if anybody figured out that the one speaking is Mr. Freeze from the Batman animated series.

[MM2 - Metal Man]

I wish you did more

This sounds like you just kinda redid the track with Fruity Loop instruments, adding nothing new to the song. Which is a kinda bland thing to do, in my opinion. Why should I listen to this song and not the original?

The main problem being there is nothing to really distinguish this as your own.

Now, I know that a lot of these types of songs go onto Newgrounds, and get praised (which is not exactly right either), but another knock against this piece is that its production is just a little bit lacking. There is nothing that quite new or inventive in the instrumentation, and quality of things leaves something to be desired. If this was a verbatim remake with awesome instrumentation, I would have scored you higher. But the whole thing has a 'demo' feel to it.

So the things that would have made this piece awesome would have been
A. your own spin on the theme
B. much better instrumentation

Aviation responds:

I thank you for your review, sir, and respect your opinion. You've given me exactly what belongs in a review: constructive criticism. I do indeed feel that this feels more like a 'demo', because I made it out of sheer boredom. If I do find the patience, I plan on redoing this, and I hope you'll have more to say on the matter then. Until we meet again, my friend.

[Blue River Down]

It's alright

It was a pleasant listen. I could have sat down to listen to a longer version of the song; I wish it wasn't too short. Your friend is indeed not too shabby, and I think the guitar and violin compliment each other nicely. Keep up the good work!

snowfender responds:

thank you for the comment! =D i really appreciate it.

[Variations of a Theme: Apollo]

Not bad...

The only real problem is that the theme this is based off of is so simplistic and predictable, that the nice variations here have really nowhere to go. The piano work is fine, although you can see a few things coming, but the chord progression of the main theme has been done so many times that this could be variations on any NUMBER of themes. Turn on the radio any day and I bet you that at least one you'll find something that sounds similar to this.

This does not knock your production or playing skills, nor does it knock your creativity as a composer. But the unfortunate truth is that this sounds like a lot of different songs, which makes it hard to tell your piece from someone else's.

The piano work is fine, it's just that you are working with a very cliched melody/chord progression.

[Really Sad Music]

Not sad. Not really.

I think you should look into your heart a bit more closely and see if this music correlates to being sad. 95% of people will tell you that this is NOT in fact sad in any sense of the connotation.

As well, this feels sloppily produced, a brain-storm idea that you didn't want to throw out completely. This could have been the segue into a decent-to-mediocre song, but as it stands, this is barely worth consideration.

Focus less on 14 second loops expressing feelings, but rather, focus fully on the emotion you wish to convey and all the musical ideas that come with it.
And get better soundfonts.

[Atrophy 315]

Interesting Title

The sudden change to a major chord at :57 I found to be rather clever. You don't see a lot of that in typical AP songs.

This is lush and Romantic in scope and structure, which is always a plus to me. The strings compliment each other very well, and the harmonies are well-crafted. This is quite a feat, as rarely do you hear something this good.

At 2:17 the sudden movement was great, resolving in yet another unexpected major chord. That is rather good, as it keeps the listener captivated, and it shows off the technical skill of the composition in capturing the audience's attention.

This is quite a good work; you should be proud.

Animith responds:

I kind of liked the way the major chord sounded the first time, so I did resolve to use it again at 2:20 or so. And as much as I like minor pieces, I'm not sure I have the ability yet to pull one off without foraying into at least some major parts. It's something of an odd habit on my part, but as long as it works, I'll live with it. xD
Really appreciate you taking the time to write this, honestly. And rest assured, the response this has gotten has done much to make me proud of it. Thanks a lot for your review. (:

[Sky Ocean]

Very Admirable!

For constructive criticism, I would quiet down the drums just a shade; I feel that the cymbals are a bit too loud. As well, the piano could have done a little bit more, be a little bit more daring.

Love the string and piano forming around each other in melody and harmony. This is a really high-quality piece, and I love the chords you used for this on the strings and piano. Good job!

TreborLocke responds:

Thanks a bunch. This isnt quite finished. I should really add more echo to the cymbals and bring them down a bit, spead em out ya know. Also, looks like I got 0 Bombed to all heck heh...I wish people would actually review before just simply pushing the 0 button -_-

[epic atmosphere (slow-mo mix)]

Excellent

A slow down really did add a different feel, and one I heartily enjoyed. The sounds blend well, and the pads really do the song justice. The synth/square thing you used was utilized to great effect, and the chord work was rather good.

Very nicely done.

oddfellowfloyd responds:

Wow, thank you, mate! I am very happy you appreciate this! I was really in a Tangerine Dream-esque mood, and this is the resulting music I heard in my head haha.