EmperorCharlemagne's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[You Are Just Another Me]

Hmmmmmm....

While it's not bad, there is not much to differentiate it from similar works. The left hand plays eight-note triplets, while the right hand a simple accompaniment melody. It works for what it's going for, but this sounds an awful lot like other such songs, so it hurts in mostly the originality department, where I can say "Oh, THIS guy wrote this song, no doubt in my mind!"

Don't think I think your song sucks; it doesn't, and it's soothing, etc etc etc. However, it seems you yourself says that this is not your best effort, and I can kinda tell without listening to your other stuff. I don't want to say "don't settle for second best!!" because I do that all the time too, but just make sure you're aware of it.

broove responds:

Thank you for an honest review. I can't even find where to disagree with you..

[Solus- Snow Sakura]

A nice feeling to it

I like the multiple things going on at once, and I like how you don't confine the strings to solely playing chords... that is always a really really nice touch when you make instrumental classical music in that you actually have your instruments DO something.

In short, I liked this, and I can't complain too much about it. It's not like it's a masterpiece or something, but it isn't trying to be. It's just nice and honest about itself.

SolusLunes responds:

"It's just nice and honest about itself."

Wow, that captures it perfectly... exactly what I wanted. Thank you.

[You're no devil TTCX3]

You have a damn good style.

This is very reminiscent of the more original songs on the NES library.

The chord progression is interesting, the music is sparse and cool, and the sudden stops really give it a unique effect.

This is indeed better than many songs I hear in the game section. It's awesome all around, and you deserve fully well the five I'mma give you.

All in all, good showcase of original music on NG.

Calamaistr responds:

Thanks alot, it means alot to me that people apreciate my style. Im always a bit afraid that people might not have the patience to sit trough one or two loops of my well, granted unconventional progressions. Anyway, im slightly inspired to make this and probable upcoming related tracks into a small album. :)

[(CHS) Quarantine]

Excellent

To quote Resident Evil 1,
"You did a fine job Barry"
I wonder if anyone nowadays has played that game?

Once again, very excellent work, very energetic, and most importantly of the song that I can speak, it works. The song just works on a musical and technical level. It has enough going on, and enough ideas floating about to make it so that everything just meshes well together. A lot of musicians struggle with this concept, and while I won't say you're a master (who is?), you certainly do a damn fine job.

ChaosDragon004 responds:

Man you sure know how to give a review lol. They should make you the New Grounds spokes person. Like I said before I truely appreciate the feedback your giving me. It's what I need most you know. You are one of the most supportive people on NG's and I truely appreciate it.

[(CHS) Gravitational Pull]

Nice job again!

It has the right pulse, the right energy, and the right feeling appropriate for a video-game. This would work very well in any major project, I feel. I rather like the guitar work being more rhythm-focused; it lends some originality to the song, and the bass line is pretty solid.

The pizzicato strings are a bit overused, in my opinion... you don't want to go overboard on them. But the other instruments rock, and you should be happy with a good job like this which has a good amount of quality to it.

ChaosDragon004 responds:

Once again bro your review really means alot to me. I appreciate all the great feedback and I'll try my best not to kill the pizzicato strings in the future lol sorry about that. I'll make sure to keep you informed when I drop a new song. Just keep the feedback coming, thanks bro.

[First Musings - v2]

Even better than the original!

I'll admit that the ending was kind of weak... It lacked the same type of energy that the rest of the piece had. That's not to say that you can't have a slow or thoughtful ending, far from it, but the way you closed the piece didn't quite match the musical ideas you had working throughout the rest of it. The effect is jarring in a way, and in future projects, something to look out for.

The instrumentation here was once again very nice, very clean in its language, and very sparse, which i like from time to time. I liked the little Baroque-esque segment towards the end where I felt the strings finally got to come into their own, though I wish it happened a shade sooner in the song.

All in all, this is a solid effort that was made even better with smart phrasing, smart instrumentation, and good production. Kudos.

loansindi responds:

Thanks for the review. I still intend to make this one a bit longer before I call it finished. Hopefully I'll devise a better way to end it before then. I get what you're saying about the jarring quality though.

I'm glad you liked it!

[(CHS) Into Deja Vu]

Nice job!

This is a pretty rockin' arrangement, that while based off a definite source material, retains a flavor that is all yours in its own right. Many game remixers tend to forget that, and do little more than update the instruments or add a bland techno beat. You did more than that, you made a great arrangement of a great song.

The song is very well-made in my opinion, and I like the different things going on at once. All in all this is a pretty fine job. Keep up the great work!

ChaosDragon004 responds:

Oh, I appreciate the review bro. I mean alot. The fact that you thought It was a remix must mean it was badass. So I really appreciate that more. I'll keep bringing you more great tunes if you keep giving me feedback, thanks again.

[NRS-Metaljonus]

Everything that needed to be fixed was fixed...

and more so. I am sure you had a WIP track of this song released not too long ago. If so, you perfected this song, if not, well, my bad, I thought you did.

In any event this song was pretty damn great. Still loved the intro, and the drums work perfectly. At 4:50, when that guitar part starts up, it reminded me of Castlevania, which usually means awesome music. This does not disappoint. I loved the outro as well.

Truly great stuff.

Metaljonus responds:

Yeah I posted it and then took it down when I finished it. Thanks for listening!

[HoT #3 - Battle of Hyrule pt2]

Very good!

Some helpful reminders:

-Be mindful of how high instruments can go, so everything sounds as natural as possible. I am almost positive that strings do not reach the registers you have them reach.
-Make sure your musical language is clear as possible... some parts in this song sound 'muddy', if you will... This happens when there are a lot of instruments going on at once, most notably at 2:30ish

Now, for the positives!

This was pretty damn good, and I like it a whole lot! The melody and the various variations of the themes were pretty good. You have a knack for instrumentation, and the different orchestral parts work well together, aside from the few issues I mentioned previously.
This work is rather 'professional' and 'Hollywood,' if I say so myself. Take that as you will, but in this particular instance, I mean that as quite the compliment. This is a nice project with good scoring behind it, and I encourage you to continue to produce good work.

Setu-Firestorm responds:

To address your pointers: 1) I have heard strings reach that high; it's just that it sounds better when real strings do it, and not a set of synth strings like what I was using, and 2) the muddiness is not a matter of instrumentation. In fact, the only error I made (and was later pointed out to me) was having one too many violin parts (normally they are split in two, and at the time I composed this piece, I did not know that). The muddiness problem has to do with the way it was mixed: a full orchestra with a bit too-saturated reverb, and a compressor to cap off the volume output at 0.00db without clipping. Both of those working together are what created that effect, and as with any new composing exercise, I learn and try different things each time in order to improve on the last time.

Other than that, your input is greatly appreciated, and I'm glad you liked it.

[First Musings]

Wouldn't have minded a longer version

Simplistic and clean... Precise in its language and nice in its tone and color.

I like these samples a whole lot, they are pretty damn good, and it really adds to the authenticity and delightfulness of the song.

For the sparseness of the notes, I find this quite rich. Though as I mentioned, I could have listened to a longer version of this song.

In any event, good job!

loansindi responds:

Thanks for the review!

The samples are garritan, which seem to be fairly strong on strings and woodwinds.

I really enjoy focusing on simple instrumentation.

I'm working up towards longer compositions.