McGorilla42's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Spaghetti Western Theme]

Absolutely stunning, just like the last one I listened to! Which samples are you using for the voices and percussion and bells? You're really great at this and it's a pleasure listening to your music!

Basset-Hound responds:

I use mainly East West Symphonic Library for the orchestral sound, the soprano is a sample library called voice of rapture.

I also record a lot of things myself to add realism such as the trumpet, guitar, backing vocals etc.

[March of the Wicked Beasts]

This piece is incredible. This level of quality and skill is so uncommon and it makes it extra special. I would absolutely love to learn to be able to orchestrate like this. It's an absolute mammoth task though and I'm not sure where to start. Did you study composition at a conservatory? Fantastic work. Very excited to hear what else you have created! :)

Basset-Hound responds:

Hey McGorilla! Thanks for the kind words!

I'm in my third year now of a four year music composition course at the HKU in The Netherlands.
The first year focuses on music globally so that means composition but also electronics, production, history etc. After that you can choose wich direction you want to go in in my case composing :)

It was indeed a big task to orchestrate this, my laptop not being able to handle all the samples being the biggest burden. I prefer to write everything down nowadays when I'm orchestrating, something I though I never saw myself doing when I started out three years ago.

[Another Flight]

Again, totally fantastic and in a completely different style to the other things you've done. Your work is wonderful. Which VSTs are you using?

[Lake of stars]

How does your work not have more heat? Your stuff kicks ass. I enjoy this song so much

Vertlain responds:

Well it isn't mainstream in any way... not ever in terms of vapor/synth/retro/whatever-wave. I was hoping to come with something in style of early Tears For Fears, but soon in went in different direction. Again thanks :)

[Drunken Mix 4]

This is PHENOMENAL! Digging the Stevie Wonder-style comping on the clavi/Moog. Did you record this live or is it all done with virtual instruments? Would love to know which tools you're using if they're virtual.

PS. You're either very good at being drunk, or really good at mixing, or both. Either way, I'm blown away by all of this.

Vertlain responds:

Hey! I'm glad you like it. :)
I suck at playing keyboards so it's as usual about 20% me trying to play an idea, and 80% correcting and building upon it. :P All instruments are virtual. I use some kontakt libraries and U-HE Zebra synth most of the time. And of course quite a lot of aditional effects.

[Rayzor - Simplicity]

This is fantastic :D I really enjoy your melodies and progressions. I'm really curious about the bit around 2:20 -- I can't tell if it's deliberately weirdly timed or if something was shifted by a quarter not or something. I'd like to know what the idea was there :D

N-Dumasis responds:

Random Time shifting ;) tbh that part was actually experimental, but then I thought it was cool. So i just went with it. :D

[HeartGate]

I must admit that wasn't expecting much after hearing the intro, but everything past about 00:36 is actually pretty cool! I think the intro could be better if you worked on the velocities of the piano notes so it sounds a bit less robotic. It's a cool piece :) I really like when the first chorus hits!

LunarSimg responds:

Thank you for your advice. But what I worried was the part after 3/4 of the song.. that's weird o_o

[AIM -Lazy Panda]

Wonderful piece you've written here! I can absolutely see how the artwork inspired this, which is great :) I love how you captured the scene with the addition of the sounds of birds and running water. Great work!

Madze responds:

Thanks I appreciate it :)

[Closer]

This is fantastic on every level. Incredible work. I'm super impressed!!!

Yardood responds:

Thank you so much dude!!!!! yes!

[Double Bounce]

Damn, Jamie. This is killer. You've got some chops, man. Great track!

TSRBand responds:

Thanks for listening! Happy you liked it :)