trixelbit's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The School Yard]

This song meets the criteria of what was outlined in the challenge.
You charge the song with tones that connect to retro music aesthetic.
Sharp simple synths for you melody, chords, and bass line.
Low sample rate drums.
All things that present themselves super retro.

The pacing is moderately upbeat which the idea of an intro level.
Stimulating enough while not being overwhelming, priming the listener to the stage.

Though this is not the most dynamic song, in the context of games,
that can be a boon when there a many elements vying for player attention.

From what I digest, your song has the following structure:
A - B - A - C - A Modified

1 thing I do notice, you seem confident in your melody for A and B but shaky in C.
It feels like you're unsure of how to go get to 1:42.

There are a number of options on how to enter 1:42.
The first thing I'd advise is play at C, the stop at 1:34, and try singing or humming a melody that would get you to 1:42.

Something as simple as a singable melody will go a long way in making it feel far more intentional and confident.

You could always go a more theoretical approach too. Think about what chord you're trying to resolve to, and think of what transitions you have at your disposal.
Sometimes, the solution can be as simple as a 2-5-1. If you haven't already, familiarize yourself with the chord number system. It can be very helpful in these circumstances.

This section is also an opportunity to break away from the antecedent/consequent structure
you've been using for the other sections and add something structurally different.

I would also encourage have some build or clue in to the listener that a change is coming before going to C. A change the largely static drum line, and change in the placement of your chords, there is a number of ways to go about it. The idea is to make this feel designed and not just a happen stance.

Structure aside, your instrumentation gets the job done, but leaves possibilities on the table. I've mentioned this whether another review, try experimenting with your sound design!

The instrumentation sound like the starting node in a skill tree.
Within retro music, there is a rich landscape of chiptune sounds to explore and draw upon. You can go for hardware authenticity and try VSTs or Trackers the replicate the NES/Game Boy/Sega sound faithfully (think hertz devil, chibi-tech, rrthiel, megabaz). You can try making fusing classic chip sound with live instruments (anamanaguchi, shnabubula), use sample instruments and sample with little processing (Red&Green - Night Chase), or take the simple oscillators and experiment with effects chains to make something distinct (savant - ISM comes to mind).

All this is more so to encourage going beyond where you're at here and tread into something new.

Thanks for participating and I hope this is helpful in some way!
Feel free to reach out if any questions come up.

YuukanVulture responds:

Hello trixelbit,
Thank you for your feedback. I'll take this into consideration when composing future soundtracks.
Thank you,
YuukanVulture

[[NGADM Round3] I'm 90% sure this Club is Haunted]

This was an absolute joy to listen too!!
The vocals, vibes, and super distinct sound design.

I had a stupid grin plastered on my face the whole time.

Super fun ride, thanks for the awesome track!

GameBoyFireworks responds:

Thank you so much for that very kind review. Good luck this round my friend!

[Bounce Dat!]

Gosh, this nails so many different vibes.

Super chill with a constant energy. There's times where it feels right at home as a stage theme for Sackboy's Big Adventure. Then there's moments like 1:44 that have licks and harmonic movements that are kinda reminiscent old fighting sound tracks like Street Fight 3rd Strike.

There are elements to your production and mix that feel so clean and modern, but then there are instrument choices and accents that feel like samples played through old trackers, calling back to an older generation of music production.

Even though I'm using games as references points for components of your song, the whole is fundamentally unique with a distinct identity.

Really awesome song and execution! Will definitely be peepin more of your work!

ThatAndyGuy responds:

Wow, wasn't expecting the in depth review, but I truly appreciate it! Hope ya dig the future stuff as well! <3

[Sunset Chillout]

Just peeped this out of curiosity and was not expecting this parasite to dig into my ear.

I started off just listening critically, paying attention to the cool details in sound design and mixing.

Cut to 5 loops later and I'm doing orange justice in my basement, completely distracted from level designing.

Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed this track! Awesome stuff!

ADR3-N responds:

Thank you! This is what I would have been doing to your track had I not had a competition to get back to haha. It's very much something I could put on repeat.

This one started out as a little shit post, creating loops, cutting, chopping, and deleting little bits. I didn't expect it to turn into a full song, or even be good. Glad you liked it!

[Could've been something Neat...]

I was howling when I read your title and description!

I had terrible writer's block, scrapped a bunch of ideas, and waited last minute to make something.

Making it to top 16 also made me feel guilty about not going as hard. But seeing you also struggled with that too lifted that weight off my shoulders.

Despite your struggles, this is still sick and had me invested for the ride.
Really feels like it's easing me into a new world. Very cinematic!
If you do finish this, I would like to admire the final vision you had.

Good luck in the competition, and good job persevering to the finish line!

EppuJoloZ responds:

I was pumped to be in the same group as you, cuz it would've definitely been a very close battle! But I underdelivered and sometimes it do be like that :'D. Your submission is still great, wishing you best of luck for the Quarter Finals!

[Space Truckin]

Even with the lack of lyrics this is still a really sick track to listen to! Especially that switch at 1:50. It had me banging my head in bed!

Great stuff and good luck on the competition!

Percentblue responds:

That you so much for such an awesome comment! I really appreciate it!!!!!! I’m glad it got your head rockin!

[PARTY HATZ! - Captain Obvious]

Just listening to the audio alone, this felt so familiar and yet so new!

Then I read the description and man, you hit that nostalgia nail on the head!

Makes me want boot up my ps3 and play some little big planet.

Awesome stuff! Good luck on the NGADM!

PARTYHATZ responds:

thank you thank you!! good luck to you as well :3

[Lucifer's Sewing Machine]

Realy awesome song! Loved the pinch harmonics and this weirdly enough reminded of Yuta Romeo Castlevania rock covers.

The tone of the lead especially! Really awesome, can't wait to hear more!

SnugglyBun responds:

Thanks for the kind words :3. Your NGADM track was really amazing too

[8.17 AM]

My friend. Dis is banger! I will listen to this as I wax my calves in the morning.

But fr, really great sound design! The vibe is immaculate and I can see this in a ton of different settings in games. Good luck in the NGADM!

EppuJoloZ responds:

tysm!! Best of luck to you too, your submission is awesome :)

[Anima]

That vocal intro and resolution alone makes it 5/5 for me. Awesome atmosphere and sense of space. The section at 2:13 brings me to an overworld in an RPG.
And the flute just ties this song up with such a nice bow.

An awesome work that's going into my mental musical vault.

etherealwinds responds:

Thank you so much trixel!! :)