AceMantra's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - Elegy to a Fallen Star]

Perfect musical piece, and lovely artwork. I couldn't help but find myself lost in my own thoughts while listening to this.

Great work as always.

ForgottenDawn responds:

Thanks man, much appreciated, and I'm happy you were able to finish in time :)

[NGAIC 2022, Layer 1 - Pariahs & Peonies (INSTRUMENTAL)]

IT'S NGAIC REVIEW TIME!

I'm a sucker for Lo-Fi Jazz and Hip-Hop. Overall, a very enjoyable listen, and one that is definitely going in my favorites! :)

I really like the glitch effects, scratches, and the smooth-like-butter beat. Also, great job on that flute! Even if it isn't a real flute, I still think it fits really well. You can get away with a little "synthy-ness" with this genre. I find myself coming back to this piece again and again. I can't get enough of this!

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A few notes and critiques:

The dust and skip sounds at the quieter parts are very noticeable, especially in the low end. It might benefit with lowering the bass on those scratches, or even trimming off the edge. Just a minor nitpick, really.
One more little thing I'd like to see: a little more vinyl warp effect on some of the instruments, or the whole mix if it fits. That will help bring a more convincing Lo-Fi experience, but again, just a minor thing.

All in all, awesome work! I look forward to hearing more from you! :)

P.S. Collab sometime?

TheVodouQueen responds:

Hey Ace!

TYSM for your review! Glad you enjoyed it. :D

Yeah, the dust and skips needed a bit of EQ TLC and probably lowered in the quiet spots via volume automation, but in me juggling this and like 3-4 other projects to do (all due around 25th Dec) I, sadly, bailed on kneading the bread on this a lil' more before baking it. I will keep that in mind for future projects, and make sure to trim it up nice and add more warping effects on things. Vinyl is a great plugin that can indeed add warp to things (even based on the era of the record you want it to sound like), and usually I do try to employ it on choice synths. Just another thing to keep in mind, and I'm sure when I do stuff like this again it'll be more 2nd nature to use all this, so even if I am bussin' it in a mixing speed-run, it'll all get put in there!

Same to you! I'll be sure to throw a PM your way today on that. ;)

Thanks again! Much love! ♥ ~VQ

[Amiss]

Very calming and lovely piece. It matches the art well. Definitely gives a bittersweet vibe as Spadezer said. It's easy to get lost in; I don't even know how long I've been listening to it.

Great work! Always a pleasure to listen to your music. :)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thank you for all the kind words <3
I'm glad you were able to get lost in it; I was hoping one could do that.

[Beware - AIM]

The earworm is real! I just had to listen again because it wouldn't leave my head! The vocals fit the cat character perfectly.

[AIM - Where Even the Monsters Cry]

Very interesting track. It gives me an uneasy feeling at the pit of my stomach. Nice one.
One thing of note is around the 00:30 marker where the high strings kick in suddenly. People often listen to the highest frequencies currently playing first, and while you have a solid cello as a base, it is overshadowed by the high strings.
Additionally, higher octave instruments such as violins will often give off a feeling of "floating" whereas the lower instruments, like cello and bass, give a more "grounded" feel. I like how you used the strings to represent the crying of the creatures in the pit, however I believe it could have benefitted from a slow buildup and release, rather than a sudden start and end.

From 1:30 onward is quite good. I like the beat especially. Keep up the good work! I hope to see more from you soon!

[Helping Hand Is Hope (Final Station)]

Hello friend, haven't seen you in awhile. :)

This track is way different than some of your other works. I'm happy to see you're experimenting and continuing to improve. Cinematic guitar hybrid goodness! Love it!

zybor responds:

Howdy AceMantra. Thank you for your review and dropping by. Hope you are doing well. :)

[Look At That View]

Love the choir in this! Awesome job!

ZaazNG responds:

Thank you so much! The choir VST is the Olympus elements choir :)

[daffodils ~ bubblegum edition]

Oh, this is a pleasant experience! So joyful and bubbly. I have no critiques, just two thumbs up.

Great job! :)

[Horizon]

Nice track! It's been awhile since I've listened to a delicious House song like this one. Overall, good composition, good mix, and good listening experience.

Benji-G responds:

Thanks a lot! I appreciate it. Also, will you judge some stuff in NGADM this year? I heard SplatterDash was gonna lead the thing, but I'm curious as to who the other judges are gonna be. And yeah I'm hyping up for this contest like crazy at the moment haha.

[Barrett's Privateers Singalong]

I love how this turned out! Sorry I missed it; maybe next time I'll lend me voice as part of ye crew. Great job to everyone.

Ceevro responds:

I shall make a point to notify you when the next Singalong starts!