anthonyragus's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Never The Same ft. Breakfast Club]

Ahh, manufactured nostalgia: High bell tones, washy-sizzly gated reverb, that one phasey synth that reminds me of tinkering with FM synthesis, hard left and right panning — all combined with contemporary sensibilties, great samples, PHAT BASS, and tasty stereo bus compression and filtration. I think that one super fast arp resolves on F minor at the end with F Major in the supersaw. Was that a creative decision? This track is incredible, evocative in all the ways you inteneded.

ItsBurner responds:

I really liked reading your write up, it means a lot to me. Thank you !

[Flat Circle]

Heck yeah, I super dig the vibe and mixing, so tasteful. I especially love that ostinato in the keys that starts around the middle. It sounded like alto sax towards the beginning, but were those alternating alto and tenor samples towards the end? Great work

ItsBurner responds:

Yes the saxophonist I've paid proposed three different takes with an alto and tenor sax, I mixed them both because they sounded good to me !

[Massacre at the Carnival]

Whoa, this is so cool and evocative of visual imagery. I super dig the MIDI-esque sound, so nostalgic and emotional in its own way. You're quite cognisant of volume levels, always making sure the melody shines. This is prime video game territory. I think back to Runescape and games for which Grant Kirkhope composed. Great work.

Tangerine responds:

Hey, thank you for the kind comment! That's exactly what I was going for :)

[Distorted Reality (NGUAC 2022 knockout round)]

Heck yeah, FM synthesis with a great arp line, resonance and distortion with varied automation, effective buildups, delayed reverb swells (or is the reverb sidechain compressed?). Part of me expected more variation in the second drop, but that's just me; it's a solid production. Great work.

ThatDeliciousCookie5 responds:

The reeverb has delay yeah ahahh, that makes it sound more massive :)

[Dekiru - sakura (さくら)]

You've captured a lovely feeling, fit for a cherry blossom orchard by a stream. I appreciate the little dissonance at 1:23. The countermelody after the bass returns is lovely, but I think it would shine more with either a quicker attack or more of an overlap of notes by selecting the notes (especially the short ones) and dragging the note starts backward in time a bit. Anyway, great work.

dekiruGD responds:

Thanks for the review.

[Immediate Future]

Heyyy, this slaps, sounds like synthwave instrumentation meets trance form. Super effective acid ostinato line, very psy. Nice use of layering and doubling. That countermelody at the end is superb. I hear so much control and intent in your sound; great work, and best wishes for the round. I hope to see you in the finals.

Basiator responds:

Thanks a lot. ;)

[Dream, Daria]

This is incredibly emotional: nostalgia, melancholia, parental love, there's so much to feel here. The piece flowed effortlessly, slowly building with a compelling progression, all with seemless transitions. The meter is wonderfully obscure, representing the warped perception of time in sleep and memory. Great use of the different triple feels and smeary harmony and phrasing, evoking impressionism as it progressed. I wonder if atmos / stereo conversion had an affect at the end. Anyway, fantastic work as always.

Phonometrologist responds:

What an intelligent review. Your analysis is correct, and even the whole tone scale to mimic dreaming was one of the key points in impressionism. The rhythm in the third section is 5 against 2 which shifted the down beat at different times when a new chord progression is introduced. Thank you for the thoughtful review.

[Interference]

Heck yeah, classic electro house. The form feels like prog/anthem without the track length of prog. Great work.

rajbeatsofficial responds:

I appreciate the feedback 💚 its on all streaming outlets now if you'd like to listen again/elsewhere: https://bit.ly/INTERFERENCE_

[Shoot for the Stars]

Nice, cute little ball of energy. I can imagine this in some game settings, fun and serviceable. Great work

Crashtroid responds:

thank you, i took a lot of inspiration from the cuter stages of super monkey ball!

[BIRTHDAY (EUROBEAT 2022)]

Heck yeah, quintissential Eurobeat, you nailed it. This definitely is fitting for classic Sonic, especially CD and the modern-retro incarnation in contemporary fangames. That quick G pluck sound at :22 and repeating cycles is a bit flat, but I kind of like that. Superb work.

DJ-AfterBurnz responds:

Thank you for taking the time to review my work! Eurobeat has been a genre of interest that I’ve been trying to improve on, and the need to have repeating riffs is indeed one of my crutches. I will strive to improve working on varying patterns. A lot of my stuff is based on for people to actually sing and have lyrics too, but it always helps to not keep the same pattern. Your kind words are much appreciated :)