McGorilla42's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[City Clocktower]

You're so versatile and prolific. Comparing this to your AIM submission I commented on previously, the style is drastically different, but equally competent. You're really great at this. Would love to learn from you. Are you studying composition or just yoloing along with fancy ears, talent and hard work? Really enjoy your work :)

ConnorGrail responds:

Thanks so much for checking out more of my stuff! And to answer your question - no formal composition study, I listen to a lot and write even more, and strive to improve every day. Although I am set to take some Game Audio courses this summer.

[AIM - Not You Again...]

Good grief this is absolutely damn brilliant!!! So layered, such great melodies, such a perfect arrangement...Wow. Incredible stuff

ConnorGrail responds:

I just can't help but get absolutely carried away with layers... I'm happy that someone enjoys it like I do though!

[AIM - RPM Overdrive]

Hell yeah. I was going to say that this reminds me of smashing trucks in Excite Truck and then I looked at the picture and that's basically what it was. Cool as hell, man! Keep it up! :D Hope this does well in AIM.

+1 star for tasteful use of pinch harmonics
+1 star for that cool stutter thing (x2)
+1 star for weird modulation thing at 2:20
+1 star for sextuplets
+1 star for half time feel at end

TSRBand responds:

Thanks so much! Glad you liked how this one turned out :D

[yours]

This is really great. It's written well, mixed well, has a bunch of areas of interest so it doesn't get boring despite the simple progression. Tiny creative decisions that last for just a moment and aren't repeated or made a huge deal out of, like that Db major -> Db minor (I think?) change, are what make this really special.

What are those little crackles on the edge of the sound field? They work really nicely, but I'm curious about them. Also, I'm listening to this on my crappy TV and it still sounds great, which means you did a fine job with the production. Great stuff! :)

midimachine responds:

the crackle is a couple of different samples of vinyl dirt/noise looped at different speeds. thanks for the kind words!

[Centurion]

This just kicks ass man. So chuggy, so much momentum and the drums and guitar just propel this all eally intensely.

2:15. Hell. Yes. Give me more of that pls.

Great job!

TSRBand responds:

Thanks so much! Glad you liked it!

[Miyazaki]

Mmm that wah effect and this whole piece really sexy. I really like the simple chord progression and melody, and especially atmosphere you create with the pad. I absolutely love the piano part that kicks in at around 1:00. Do you play too? I feel like this piece could be a lot longer and develop into something bigger and more interesting.

The one big gripe I have with this is the mix on the drums - the kick in particular sounds over-compressed, and muddy and dominates the track in a distracting way, compared to the hats which are nice and dark and sit in the same space as the rest of this moody piece. I think there's also some weird 400hz thing happening on the crash, but yeah the kick is the biggest issue with this. It's so close to being amazing, but the mix is holding it back in a big way.

One last thing -- there's a lot of noise apparent, especially when the piece drops into the piano/string section that I said I liked. Check your signal to noise ratio! :) If you're really desperate, you can go for a gate, but that's really not ideal for that kind of noise.

Great job! Would love to hear a re-mixed version of this! :)

Pandasticality responds:

Thanks for the tips and the review!'
- Pandasticality

[Chaos Distortion]

This is really cool. It's such a great coincidence that I clicked this track because I was listening to a song yesterday that had a bassline with that same crazy, wobbly modulation and I was wondering how it was created. Is it done manually with midi notation, or with automation or is it an instrument that you push a button and it spazzes out randomly by itself? Or something else?

Great track!

PS. The song I was referring to is Can o' Salt from Danny Baranowsky (Super Meat Boy).

Sequenced responds:

It's done via automating cutoffs and lfos in massive or serum. It's simple stuff really, they're not the most complicated sounds you could make.

[ELEMENT - Mastered Version]

Please keep learning, writing and making music. I know I always refer back to your age, but you're doing damn amazing stuff for someone who's only 14.

Ignoring your age, this is pretty good. The chorus drop is a bit of an extreme change in level, so maybe bring up the level of the verse slightly (I had a very similar problem with a recent track and it's really hard to get that drastic dynamic difference right without a buttload of compression, which I don't always like). The mix is pretty decent, but there's a little bit of muddiness and lack of separation between the elements in the chorus. I think it'd also be good to add a new melody in the chorus, and vary the verses with little bits of interest here and there to prevent it from becoming monotonous.

Either way, I'm still really impressed by what you're doing. Just make sure you keep learning and getting better!!! Can't wait to see what kind of stuff you're making in five years.

Squeegee4554 responds:

Thanks! I only have one question, how do i get more people to hear my music?

[Main theme remix mode 3 (Leap Jet Bear)]

This kicks butt. It's really cheesy, but perfect for a game, so I'm really digging it. Reminds me of playing Excite Truck on the Wii :D

Fretzone responds:

Thanks buddy :)

[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.