JosephMcGregor's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[(Gillenium) Dionysus]

Very Nice

Interesting, very different. Good use of space, (ie ambient music) it comes together very well. The transitions are sometimes not as smooth as I would have liked, it sometimes feels like a new part will just kind of "start" without warning or preface, but not a big deal. Also, your first "melody" kind of pisses me off every time you hit that major 3rd, it feels like you should have just kept it totally minor, like hit the 4th instead, but who the fuck am I, and I don't know if you'll even understand what I mean. Anyways, overall great track, keep up the good work man

Gillenium responds:

No, I know exactly what you mean. You're talking about Wendy's combo meals right?.... oh... well thanks for the review anyway! I'm working on precussion and transitions. I know my flaws.

[Harmonic landscapes]

Awesome

When I first started listening to this, I thought the bass was just going to piss me off, but it sounded so good when the synths came in, just came together really well man. Very interesting, and different, which is good. Repetetive, but not in a bad way. Nice work man, I'm gonna check out some of your other stuff

napalm6b responds:

sorry man most of my musical influences/ideas are much more extreme and dark than this track, this just came out of boredom and I thought folks at Newgrounds would like it =P

[DJ Runaway - Zyx Dimes]

Very Cool

Definetely for the most part this was a succesful experiment. The few criticisms I would make would be against the drums, although there are some good beats and rythyms, they're not exactly original, it just seems like the same beat you hear all the time. Certainly not all of them, but quite often. The "acid saw" is actually a cool sound, but, it just doesn't seem to fit the atmosphere of the groove at that point in the song. Also, the drums sounded a little awkward during the piano part. Other than that good work, keep experimenting

DJRunaway responds:

I totally agree on the drum part. It's 2 empty and shit, but hey... Lazy Person + Fruity Loops + Experimenting = Empty Drums ;)
Thanks for the feedback :D

Greetz,
Runaway

[5 Year Penance]

Nice

Cool synths, and SIMPLE melodic hooks, you are not trying to do more than you can, and it sounds a lot better. I did notice the transitions in 1 or 2 places, but that is not such a big deal, and can be easily fixed. This is actually quite good, although you couldn't really call this funk. Nice work

Zerok responds:

Maybe I was trying to get too complex with the others. ^_^

I put it in 'funk' because I had originally called the file "funky.mp3" because of an imagination failure. I love my logic.

[The path to Miniblind]

Once again-

-very nice drums, very random "melodies", although I would say this is certainly better than Squint. The guitar part is actually not bad, but there is no flow, no logic, no sense of melody really. What are you trying to say with your music? What story do you have to tell? Why should we listen to you, what makes you so special? I mean I'm not literally asking you those questions, just kind of something to keep in mind when you write songs in the future. Also, if you do not learn piano, at least try to recreate songs you know well on fruity loops; that way it may give you a better understanding of musical theory which you can apply to your own music. Or just ignore everything I say and call me a flaming asshole! It's your call.

Zerok responds:

Yeah, I was planning on trying to cover some songs when I got some time.

Don't be hard on yourself: These kind of reviews are exactly what aspiring artists like myself are looking for. It's nice to get compliments, amusing to get flames, but actual advice is where it's at.

[Squint]

Interesting...

Your sense of rythym really comes through in this peice, the drums sound great, unfortunately that's about the only positive thing I can say. I would suggest if you seriously wish to pursue music or at least just fooling around with fruity loops or whatever program, you should learn piano. It will help you to understand melody/harmony relationship, instead of just plunking in whatever notes don't sound horrible. Improvement is much needed but certainly not impossible; you're already halfway there. Hope this isn't discouraging, I look forward to seeing new music from you soon

Zerok responds:

No, not discouraging at all. Like I said in the other response: The constructive criticism is appreciated.

I don't know if I'll go as far as actually learning how to play the piano well, but I've been thinking of investigating sheet music and whatnot. I've always been a procussionist, so melody is definitely something I need work on.

Thanks. =)

[Static Pulse]

Very Interesting

Great synths, especially that "wiping" sound, I love that. The more I listen, the less sense the harmony parts make, but that is cool cuz then they just become more like percussion parts. Great groove, good work

Marshmallowcrew responds:

Thanks! I'm pretty new to this, but I really like DnB. I'm a little worried that they need to sound darker, but oh well. Thanks for your feedback.

[Dial-Up Sucks]

Excellent!

Now THIS is a good piece. Great synths, they all fit together perfectly, nothing too weird or out of place, at least from the rest of all the weird out of place synths, so it works together. I LOVE the cheesy trombone sound, in any other case I would have wanted to kill someone for using that crappy fake trombone sound, but its just so... Necassary in this song! I don't even know why. The only thing I would say is i would have liked maybe a stronger beat when the drums first came in, but it is still awesome, and excellent ending! Great work man

JonH2O responds:

Your not the first person to say that about that trombone thing..And noone can really put their finger on why. Maybe because it's not the direct form of attention..it's jsut kind of a filler for the dial up noises and stuff. same tones? That's kinda how I see it. And yeah, I agree about the intro to the drums. Does seem weak now that it's pointed out..thanks for pointing it out dude...I'll take that into consideration. :)
Thanks for the review dude, it's so fucking sweet you like it.

[Little Black Cat]

Nice

Once again in your music I find a sense of relaxation, and simplicity. In many authors this spells disaster, but you seem to pull it off succesfully. This song is very simple, but not so simple as to be too empty or lacking, creates a very nice groove. Well done

Gillenium responds:

I prefer to focus on the hooks instead of just layering and layering and layering and boosting the tempo. Glad you enjoy!

[(Gillenium) Ants in Blue Gel]

Very Nice

Nice relaxing, pleasing synths. It was perfect once the drums came in, along with the addition of the droning minor 6th in the background spliced with the occasional held major 6th certainly made for some interesting crunchy harmonies. Good work

Gillenium responds:

Gracious. I just wanted to make a good, haunting, relaxing song. Glad you liked it!