StaticBlu's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Pirates]

Pretty good. Personally I think that this song could have a better use of dynamics. A small crescendo or decrescendo could have helped to push the song just a bit further because the song drags on and starts to feel a little monotonous. The strings could probably use more of a staccato(attack) as well.
I love that steel drum you put in there.

With all of that said, it's still pretty good though. Good job. Keep it up.

Woolio1 responds:

Thank you for your nice review!

ill make sure to think of this when making other songs :)

[Alt- Web-Slinger]

This brought me back to my days of jazz and improv. I wanted to get my saxophone and start playing along, lol.
That organ man was working it! It was great that the vocals had their chance to shine, but moved aside so the organ could get it's chance. The percussion was just at the right level so that it didn't overtake the song but still have
Great smooth bass. Good subtitle use of the guitar. like how the flute comes in better emphasis the melody right before the organ comes in and right before the song stops before the loop. Great music cues within the rhythm section as well.
The original was good, but this version sticks with the jazzy groove much better and gets me going. Had the song loop for like 10 minutes without a problem. I love this track. Not to mention that the Web-Slinger. is my favorite hero. Great job!

Step responds:

Hey StaticBlu, thanks for reviewing!

"This brought me back to my days of jazz and improv. I wanted to get my saxophone and start playing along, lol."

Haha if I knew I could've asked you to do the saxophone part in the original :P. Awesome that you did jazz improv though. Personally I'm very bad at improvisation, especially improvising over a chord progression. Don't know how you guys do it!

"That organ man was working it! It was great that the vocals had their chance to shine, but moved aside so the organ could get it's chance."

Haha awesome! First time I heard that Hammond I thought "DAMN I have to use this" because riffs and ideas were rushing to my head right after the first note I heard from it.

"The percussion was just at the right level so that it didn't overtake the song but still have "

NOOO. You didn't finish the sentence. Now I will be FOREVER CURIOUS :(.

"Great smooth bass."

Thanks goes to Buoy for the sample!

"Good subtitle use of the guitar."

Thanks! It's really soft, even I have a tough time trying to hear it.

"like how the flute comes in better emphasis the melody right before the organ comes in and right before the song stops before the loop. Great music cues within the rhythm section as well."

Awesome, glad you noticed all that stuff!

"The original was good, but this version sticks with the jazzy groove much better and gets me going. Had the song loop for like 10 minutes without a problem. I love this track."

Like I said to Buoy, I prefer the original since it's a bit more varied than this, and has the piano section where it moves on to a swing rhythm which is missing in this.

"Not to mention that the Web-Slinger. is my favorite hero."

You and I both!

"Great job!"

Thanks a lot man, I really appreciate you leaving a review.

[The Escape]

You have some interesting things happening here and I like this track. I believe that there are some things that need tweeking though.

One thing would be the way the strings and horns come back in whenever they finish their held notes (2:04) They should ease in rather just sound like a cut in like that.
Another thing is that the timpani just cuts off at 0:33 seconds. I think it should have ended with one last it rather than just roll and cut off unsuspectingly.
Also don't forget to play with your octaves.
Third when the piano comes in at 1:36, it sounds like a different song.
Some important things to remember whenever making an arrangement are cues, dynamics and pitch. It will be a little harder to have control over these things with loops.

Keep it moving and remember to keep practicing. You can do it.

amyrenee responds:

Thank you! :D

Yeah I definitely need to go over things and review them more to make sure things sound right and come in smoothly and at the right times. :D

[Easy Navigation]

I like it. That circular panning with the keyboard was a little much though. That aside, everything else was good. Pretty relaxing. Reminds me of your average lounge or elevator music. Keep it up

Nijg responds:

hmm the circular panning must be built into the VST, because I didn't tell it to do that.

[Ric Hop]

Really enjoyed this one. As soon as it started I was bobbing my head to the beat. I could see this being played at a cutscene or even a stage. I really love Jet Set Radio and you just reminded me why again. I was gonna take a break from making Jet Set like tracks, but now I'm inspired to keep em coming after this. It's simple but effective. Good job. Keep at it.

Ric-Olzow responds:

Thanks! I'm honoured that my song inspired you, and I'm very glad you find it has that 'Jet Set Vibe' - because that's exactly what I was aiming for. Good luck on your musical endeavours, and thanks, will do!

[Sadness Is Gone]

I like this piece. It was very warm and soothing. I kinda wish that around the end that the instruments would crescendo and get a little stronger to better prepare the audience so then it would seem that much more dynamic when the last held note ends the song. These are just my opinions though. Still I enjoyed it so good job. Keep at it.

JosephAS1 responds:

Thank you!... Well, this piece has a little crecendo arround the half, (but soft), I didn't meant to do this piece "epic" at all, just pure softness...

Once again thanks for your positive criticism :)

[Blue Night Light]

I love the simplicity behind this. Great use of panning. Loved that cymbal crash into a reverse symbol. My favorite part is at 1:33 because the circuit board like sounds stand out but don't overcrowd the track. Also it's nice that even though the piano is the main instrument here, you took it down a bit to let the other parts shine when they needed to.
Great work. You guys should collab more often.

Werewolfrx responds:

Wow, thank you for those amazing words of criticism. This took awhile to really put together and I'm happy you liked and enjoy this song, thank you very much.

[Tower top floor - Battle]

Love how trippy it sounds. At first I thought it kinda got heavy around the end but it really helps push the creep factor you have going, so it's a really nice use of distortion. I can see this being played before a final boss or just a creepy character. Awesome track.

SonicJ responds:

Thanks, that was definitely the idea of the song when I made it :). I wanted a really bothersome boss battle song, one to draw you into the moment, if not get you ready for it.

[Ecosystem]

I love the thought behind this. I love the progression and subtle use of those mallet instruments. The guitar complements the melody really well.First thought that comes to mind while listening to it is being on a jungle safari. Great display of atmosphere.
It's great that you kept it simple and built upon what you already had going. After all, simplicity is key. A lot of thought seems to have gone in this track Keep at it man this is awesome!! It made me motivated.

Step responds:

Fantastic, these comments mean a lot. Thanks!

You know I'm quite surprised you think this is simple. I almost never make anything simple. I've always got to throw a bunch of instruments and accompaniment and stuff to make good music, and I never manage to nail that "simple but effective" feeling that work so well in other tracks.

But hey I'm glad you think it works here; thanks again for leaving a review!

[Something Wonderful]

You can definitely feel the emotion behind this. The bass sounded a little distorted and a bit heavy for me, but the point still came across well and I enjoyed it. Stay proud of this one. I'm sure that she'll love it, and keep it up.

ToxInjection responds:

Thanks for the review, dude! Yeah, I can tell when the bass sounds a bit wonky at times. That's still something I have to work on while I'm mixing the channel volumes. I was trying to keep the bass at a reasonable volume so it was still prominent while letting the other synths come through. It's supposed to be heavy for the song though. Deep, constant undertones, y'know?

I've actually yet to show her the track. She's been real busy with school and I've been letting her do her thing and get stuff handed in. I'm waiting for the right moment to show her the track and reveal it's dedicated to her. Here's hoping she likes it!

And you bet man. This is just the first of hopefully MANY tracks to come out this year. I'm gonna try my best to come out with more stuff, keep delving into different themes, styles, and genres!