McGorilla42's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Afterlust]

This is excellent! Great melody, great mix, great composition. The only thing I notice that isn't *perfect* is a possible little mud on the vocals (400Hz build up maybe?) or something (listening to this on my crappy TV, which actually doesn't do this justice, but they're my only monitors).

But hot damn, this is absolutely radio-quality. I'm sure you will do really well in NGADM and I can't wait to see what you pull out next!

FinnMK responds:

Thanks a bunch!

[AIM - The Lonely Hermit]

This is beautiful, Ectisity. This piece tells a story and I love the way you integrate foley or "real-world" sounds with the music. Damn, I wish I knew half of what you did. Was there a hint of Scarborough Fair in there? Or at least a very nice Dorian melody? Great work. I'm not surprised this won AIM!

EctiBot responds:

Thanks, glad you liked it :D.
Ahh, you sir are an angel. I honestly thought I made the melody it myself, but it's clearly inspired by Scarborough Fair. Think it was the theme song of a british childrens show I watched as a kid.

[Endowment]

Oh gosh I just wrote a long review then lost it. I was saying that I'm stunned by how good this piece is. The way you effortlessly blend two styles that have nothing to do with one another (atmospheric/orchestral into 450bpm-electro-something) is incredible. You're only 19 and you're making stuff like this? I'm amazed you didn't do better in this round of NGADM, but if you don't flat out win it in the next couple of years, I'll actually riot.

EctiBot responds:

Wow, really glad you liked it :D. Good luck in the NGADM!

[War and Peace]

This is beautiful. Your voice is stunning and sincere and the melodies and instrumentation are perfect. Good luck AND DON'T FUCK IT UP.

etherealwinds responds:

thank you mcgorilla, shantay you stay xx

[Dust Sweeper]

I had to listen to your piece after your comment. This is excellent, and that isn't just a polite reciprocation in respond to your kind words on my song -- I mean it. You've somehow managed to blend rock, game music and jazzy fusion into one style and it works. What really caught my ear most of all was your interesting use of rhythm throughout the piece and the odd time signature in the verse. Are you a drummer by any chance? I really enjoy that element of your music. The vocals are also cool. I enjoy that drawl that you have...almost reminds me of Julian Casablancas' style. The composition is super solid overall and it's an interesting song (in a good way) and the chorus holds it together -- what I mean by that, is that if you had all the odd time signatures throughout the whole song, it might get a bit much, but the 4/4 feel in the chorus adds a refrain from that and makes the whole thing sit nicely together. I'm being so inarticulate, good grief.

In terms of criticisms, I'd say that the instruments are mixed pretty well overall, but the vocal processing doesn't quite match up with the mix of the rest of the piece. I think with a tiny EQ tweaks (I think the low mids are a bit too present and it sounds a little muffled. Were you singing super close to the mic?) and some delay or reverb, it'd sit nicely and make the whole piece sound brighter. :D

I hope you make it through to the next round of NGADM so I can hear more from you! Keep well and keep making good music! :)

LunacyEcho responds:

=> blend rock, game music, and jazzy fusion =>

Haha, that's a great way of describing it! I've been having a hard time nailing exactly what this track is, but that's a pretty good description. :P

=> drummer =>

Yes I am! And I'm so happy you could tell—I've really been trying to step up the drums I use (because unlike mixing and production stuff, drums are something I'm confident that I can do well if I try hard enough :D!)

=> Julian Casablancas =>

Oh gosh, that's a huge compliment. I'm nowhere near, but thanks so much for pointing that out!!

=> chorus holds it together =>

Huh, I never thought about it that way! I think I see your point—it's good to have the anchor of a song be more familiar. I honestly totally didn't do that with that intention in mind; it's just hard to write in weird time sigs XD

=> vocal processing =>

Er, not sure when you posted this comment in relation to some of the edits I've made, but I've definitely processed the vocals more since first submitting it at the initial deadline! I've done some compression, reverb, and delay, so hopefully they sound a *biiiit* more like studio vocals now.

(tbh I'm preeeetty sure this comment was posted before I made those changes because I think I used your suggestions to actually make them!)

=> super close to the mic =>

Lol how did you know XD I've never sung with a mic like this before (or, y'know, sung before on a track), so I'm still getting used to its functionality. I plan to use it more in the future though!

Thanks for the awesome review, McGorilla42! I wish all the same to you :D