samulis's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Qui manducat]

wow. You stay in perfect pitch throughout the whole thing! Amazing job on singing this- sends a chill down my back while I am sitting here tonight. Definitely makes you rethink writing complex music when something so simple yet beautiful can exist as old plainchant like this. :)

Troisnyx responds:

Eh, thanks -- I'm glad it turned out okay. Bigger thanks is due to the One who inspired the melody.

It does, doesn't it? I used to be fed this diet of happy-clappy music that even as a teenager, when I came across proper plainchant for the first time, I wasn't sure about it. Now as a cantor, I chant these things quite frequently on Sunday Masses -- and there are others like me who are singing at a time when people think cantors are dead or a thing of the past. And what joy it gives! :D

[A Second Chance]

Hey man, good work!

-I really like your work with percussion here, you're starting to use it more creatively. :)
-Try using less repetition, or vary things (such as have one rhythm for four bars, then another, then back to the first, and so on), especially on the loud fast strings where the robotic sound of the non-round-robin strings shows.
-There are more instruments you can always explore with! Strings are step 1, but what about more woodwinds, and brass? Nothing wrong with experimenting. :)

I say you should keep working on this, as with my usual motto:

keep compos(ed/ing)!
-Samulis

Luc0z responds:

Thanks for this, my next one will feature less spicatto strings and more brass, woodwind and percussion instruments. I look forward to see what I can come up with :)

[The War]

Hey there! Welcome to Newgrounds. :)

I like your work with the tone of the music here. However, there are a good number of things that you might want to look into.

First with the strings- you really need some more reverb or something to make those clear. Also consider having this repeated an octave up/down, as is sometimes found in traditional string writing. You really don't have much of a bassline in this. Here's a chance to have some marcato/staccato contrabass/doublebass lines going on under all of it, perhaps in a pattern like "quarter-quarter-quarter-triplet" on the root note of each chord or so.

The next thing is that there isn't much of a melody persay... something rising up over the rest. Here violins in octaves would work, or horns, or anything really, but a melody is very important to having a continuity in your song. You should look at the works of some other cinematic composers here on Newgrounds such as Bosa and Emid... both are superb and write pieces that have good solid melodies that rise out above the rest.

You should really try using more orchestral percussion in the mix too, in addition to the tribal stuff going on. All these taiko drums and tribal percussion are used so much in film music, but adding back a nice big gong (since you have EWQL SO, try the 60" gong... should be the first one, and then a F... it is a nice hit that gives a good roar without too much accent) or some timpani or crash cymbals.

A tip for low brass orchestration... they sound best in octaves when in their lower end- tuba/bass t-bone then tenor trombone up an octave from that with whatever other fixings and notes you want above that. Always gives a good bassline. This piece kinda reminds me of my work for Art of War...
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/liste n/499662
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/liste n/499663

You might recognize the brass samples from that. ;)

Biggest tip with cinematic- never be afraid to step outside the mold and the usual!

Keep compos(ed/ing)!
-Samulis

TitanMusic responds:

Thank you Samulis for the detailed criticism and suggestions. I really appreciate it from someone with your experience. Unfortunately the links don't work but I went through a number of your songs just to see what I am doing wrong etc.

I really need to work on my mixing and mastering(I think this is the first song which I have actually attempted post production editing)

Although I agree that melody is important, with this type of music (Trailer Music) I am still trying to get the basics down. (Fast "Epic" rhythmic pieces) I shal try work on more melody with the next compositions.
Thanks again!

[A Carnival Dance]

Good work here, you keep creating great works! :)

0:40 is crying for some gorgeous horn or upper woodwind (flute? oboe?) solo over it until 1:14 when the viola (?) takes over.

Consider replacing the cymbals with tambourine for more of that folky-dance feel, or adding tambourine on the side. Also, some tenor drum or hand drum never hurts with this. The bassline is very nice and string arrangement is excellent.

Also, the ending could have a bit more finality to it. Consider looking into cadences (not drum cadences; the other kind) if you haven't already, they help a lot with closure in endings. Also look at how this sort of music would be typically finished- perhaps look at some folk dance music or such and look at that for inspiration; some genres have very defined ways of ending a piece such as a hold or an arpeggio or such.

Emid responds:

Hmm. These are certainly great ideas. Its always fun to create different moods in your piece; dark, happy, sad, folk, regal etc which give you different dimensions and of course learned opinion like this. And not to forget ... an incredible experience. Your ideas and instructions are always on the top for which I am indebt thankful to you.

[Return to the Badlands]

Sounds nice. Consider the Cimbalon (sp.) in Gypsy too... it has a great low end and offers a good bass (see my piece El Cid- has the Spanish Steel + Cimbalon). Really also sounds like it could deal with some tambourine... that'd add a lot to it, even just hits on every other beat and a few shakes here and there.

Keep compos(ed/ing)!
-Samulis

Phyrnna responds:

I did consider it, but I opted to not use it based on my friend's requirements for the song.

[~SW~ Pale Blue Dot]

I've heard this piece as it comes along... your work always amazes me with the amount of detail and professional level of the finished project. Listening on my mixing phones in a state of awe. :P

I really like the various sound effects you use from time to time in the background to augment the percussion... really adds a bit more of the ambient feel. Your pads are also incredible and very well utilized.

I'm really a fan of Camo's gentle side of trumpet playing- I know too many trumpet players who just blast mindlessly on the thing, but he can really make it sing... and you put the right reverb on it to match the soundscape so perfectly.

10/10, no question. I can't really comment much on composition, as this genre is not something I know much about or can compare much to.

Keep compos(ed/ing)!
-Samulis

SkyeWint responds:

Mixing = fun for me at this point. ...at least, if I'm not trying to redo the mixing of a previous song.

The various sound effects are mainly from Guitar rig, a LOT of delays and stuff. The pads are all pretty much directly out of Omnisphere.

Camo's trumpeteering was pretty awesome, honestly. The main "reverb" on it was actually a delay - cool thing about it, delays can sound almost exactly like reverb if done right.

Hey, I'm fine with any composition comments you can give on anything. :) Say what you think it could use!

I shall most definitely continue!

[Memories]

I still don't know how you manage to make your percussion sound so good... great work. :D

The modern touch is really well done and doesn't override the orchestra too much as sometimes happens. I do wish there was a bit more orchestra behind it or even some choir for added effect.

I really enjoy the chord progressions you chose. They work well for the feel you are going for. The instruments too are well chosen and used.

Keep compos(ed/ing)! :)
-Samulis

Emid responds:

Percs are from Best Service Ethnic World and yes I did work hard on it due to different factors which might not be noticeable as listener. This is also an experimental piece using LASS violin and Altiverb, so was a bit of headache. And yeah...chord progression is the easiest and I think a creative one for any layman type composer like me and also for the feel as you said. Thank you Samulis for your insight as always.

[At Dawn]

Great buildup to start. Percussion is nice- a lot of people forget to use the triangle, but it's always a good taste. This is the first piece of yours I've heard that has more of an orchestral style to the percussion- more transparent and focused on moving the piece along. You've definitely come a long way since the first 'classical' piece of yours I listened to. :)

Consider using brass instruments (Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Tuba). They have both a great strident sound and a very good gentle sound when quieter. Mixing-wise, your flute was a bit quiet, perhaps consider boosting it up a little bit at times.

You really are reaching more towards a good setup with some identifiable melodies, sounding good!

Consider other options for counter-melodies OTHER than arpeggios (the up-and-down motion). There are lots of different approaches to counter-melodies that work.

Perhaps the best tip I ever found was "keep it fresh". It's important to have identifiable melodies and some sort of continuity in the piece to hold everything together, but sometimes a new instrument, a new key, or a new chord progression/melody can go a long way in holding listeners.

Keep compos(ed/ing)!
-Samulis

Luc0z responds:

Thanks for the review, really helps me out alot. Near the end I will admit that I got a bit lazy and decided not to add in a new melody just yet, and that I'd upload it to hear what people think first. Also, I tried using some brass instruments but it seemed a bit of a hassle trying to master them to blend in with the other instruments without overloading the mid frequencies (even when I tried to reduce the mids, but this is definitely something I will look into.) I am thinking of a counter-melody alongside a slight variation of chords in the prominent melody you hear throughout the piece, building up yet again to a simple chord progression on its own and finally making it's way effectively to the end. I do have ideas for this, I just need to find the time and inspiration for further extension (it has always bothered me when trying to extend a piece as long as two minutes, but this one is the closest I've been to a full instrumental.) Again, thank you for the review! I may even look into some of my unfinished projects and import some melodies from those after playing around with them a bit.

[Visceral Cycle]

I like the feel you have here. A lot more classical in style than the last... almost reminds me a bit of Aaron Copland's Rodeo in the way you have the parts play after the strings introduction (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXik DnYZYpM). He's definitely a cool dude to check out the work of if you have time. :)

It has a bit of an eastern feel to it, which is a neat effect.

Luc0z responds:

Thanks for your time with these reviews, I really appreciate it :)

[Forgotten Heroes WIP]

Hey man, you have some really good ideas. I like the variation work at 0:38 and the buildup after that. Although the sounds after that are a bit more on the dance side, it's still nicely done. Production is quite solid too. :)

Luc0z responds:

This was my first ever approach at a piece that had decent length and variation to it. Compared to my latest work "At Dawn," the strings on this I believe could have been mastered alot better and the whole thing itself could sound a lot less muffled. I also know exactly what I could've done in terms of a real classical percussion instead of a mere drumkit :) It really is helpful to listen to some classical works, sometimes it needs that bit of inspiration.