Qu4drupleForte's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Treehouse]

So I never knew this genre of jazz existed which is not something I've said in a while but I dare say I love it? Immediately I have to say the atmosphere, sound design and mixing are superb, which is rare in a piece that has so much dark, rumbling pads in it. The whole band is restrained in the best possible way; there is room for more complexity in the drum patterns but since this is a moody, repetitive piece I think that's fine. I think the use of those strange, warbling ambient sound is especially good, they at movement to the piece without upsetting the dark mood. When I listen to this in inevitably think of cold, late night trips back home; I hope some game dev picks this up for their noir/dark RPG or adventure game because it'd be perfect.
Keep it up my friend, you've earned another fan.

Azhthar responds:

Thanks a lot for the nice, detailed review! I know what you mean with the complexity of the drum patterns. They are actually one of the most complex things in the song already but they are also basically the only thing that can be more complex in such a piece. I´ll keep it in mind for the next track. Also I´m glad you like the mixing. Actually I still think the pads could be louder but they would make the piece definitely more muddy If I don´t sidechain them extremely, which would create a strange mood in this track. I´ll try to play around with it a bit more. Thanks again and keep it up!

[Diamonds]

Not exactly complex, but still has a tight mix a moody feel; this one's begging to be used in some sort of dark, modern-day RPG.

MrMeowGD responds:

Yeah I was going for a simple but dark theme for the track lol, probably gonna be releasing some more complex beats soon.

[Yearning For Love (Rearranged For Violin)]

First off, your main theme is very well written, it's recognizable from the first few notes and conveys (to me) a distinct sense of sorrow, however you could've varied it more. Throughout the piece the theme is only really played in a detaché manner or by the piano, I suggest you try exaggerating your articulations much more to make the most out of it, for instance, try having the viola play the theme all legato during the second iteration, as for piano, make use of its extreme range, I know octave shifting sounds cheap, but just moving the theme to the 2nd bottom/top octave can make it sound much brighter or darker.
I feel like this was held back somewhat by structure, this has to do more with my taste, but I think it'd help if you built your piece around your main idea with 3 or 4 iterations of your main melody separated by solos or duets, I suggest you listen to baroque concertoes for idea of how this works (here's one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPba-i26YNA, also try the four seasons).
I also read along with your score (thanks for providing it!) and since you asked, yes the viola part is all fine, a soloist would have no problem with the vast majority of this piece; the double stops are all carefully written and the viola's full range is used with proper consideration.
Well done! keep up the good work!

Tyguy80s responds:

Thank you fortissimissimissimisso. Perhaps I should be more eccentric in the melody articulating and variations . I don't play the instrument, so I exercised caution to an extent to not "overdo" something that I'm wasn't sure of at the time. I'll compose a complete collection of romances in the near future and I'll revise this piece when I dp; with your advice in mind.

Octave shifting isn't cheap. The simplest answers are almost always the correct. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a fantastic demo. of octave and interval shifting. So's Dvorak's New World. I love Vivaldi, he knew how to vary a theme; he knew how shred too :)

Thank you again, I had a weird feeling about that high E. The double stops, I used my guitar knowledge to think of the open strings of the violin/viola and counted notes up and down the fingerboard as I notated; I'm glad you thought well of it. Will heed your advice in future string writing.

[BIT.TRIP REMIX EXTRA - Triumph (RUNNER)]

I'm not a big chiptune fan but I love this! the samples, and synths all blend together really nicely and I look forward to the finished version cause the mix is already top notch, the bells and mallets don't in the way of drums which are super tight but not obnoxious. Perhaps there's a bit much repetition? in a game context (depending on the game's pace) I guess this is ok, but at the beginning I count 8 bars before anything really comes in, I reckon it sounds fine at just half that length, but it's your choice. My only real beef is that as much the beat changes a little throughout, it would be nice to hear different samples and not just different rhythms, the more chill section just after half-way in begs for a more lighter ride or hat or something, it's a difficult thing to do, I know, but I think it'd help bring out the change in mood.

ganon95 responds:

its somewhat repetitive because the original beat is based on short loops, which for this remix i wanted to keep a similar feel. This song actually has been completed its part of the BIT.TRIP RUNNER full remix, but this is an alternate version of that track.