AlphaStormMusic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[yStep]

You know something, I'd tried many a time to do a remix of xStep like three years ago, and due to my inexperience, never finished any version of it I came up with. The fact you linked a midi file for it kind of reinvigorates that fire. Maybe I'll do something with it.

There was also always a quality about the original xStep that rubbed me the wrong way. There was something about the third chord in the loop always felt off to me. The way it was written implies a B minor sound to my ear, even listening to the original now, but that just never sounded right. G major makes much more sense, and that ambiguity is gone now. It may have just been that the bass was on B and not G before, but I digress. This was a really good listen for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The new melodies are excellent, and revisiting the old leads from the original xStep made it equally nostalgic, and I love it. The first drop is huge, the growl bass taking parts of what the lead part would have was an excellent touch and it gives it that dubstep sound, switching between leads and basses. The drums, as usual, sound clean and well mixed with everything else.

The second drop kind of loses a bit of punch, and that's largely down to the harmony. It's not inherently wrong, it works fine, it's just not as strong as it could be. Something I may adjust if I finish my own remix of the piece. I won't bore you with music theory jargon, but I will say, again with the third chord, playing an A over a G major isn't a strong enough resolution, and I'll leave it at that. Everything else is excellent, and well made.

Regardless, there's really nothing wrong with this piece. The issues I had with the original xStep were cleared up, and any issues I do have are small melodic issues that are really easy fixes, and even then, they are so small, they may as well be ignored, especially by casual listeners who won't notice anything I did xD

4.5/5 from me! Well done!

Take care!
~Zach (AlphaStorm)

DJVI responds:

Thank you so much for the review!

The third chord and the bass of the third chord was also very hard for me to get right. I tried many things and I think this is the right choice how it sounds now.

I wanted to preserve the original sounds of the track to keep the feeling and I'm glad yoi liked the track! Thanks again!

[Lemons - Strive]

I can appreciate the I-IV-V chord progression. It's one of those chord progressions I really never get tired of. It just sounds really nice, and I don't use it enough. In this song's context, it works really well. This has a really nice sound to it. The kick is punchy, the clap is crisp, though it needs something to fill the low end a bit better. The drops are not overwhelming, which for this song works really well. Love the key change. I will say it's a little bit jarring (I'll talk a little more on that later), but I really haven't seen enough key changes in songs, so to hear one is a really nice change.

The synths sound really nice. There is one part of the song in the intro which does sound lightly clipped, but it is so subtle that it's incredibly difficult to notice. The melodies are playful and very indicative of your style. Your melodies are always playful but never feel like they don't fit. That's something I've found very difficult to pull off, so well done on that. It's also not repetitive, maybe because it's so short, but I could listen to this for hours and not get tired of it

I really can't dislike this track. It's a very fun and playful piece, with really good drums, nice melodies, a key change... actually speaking of the key change, there is a way you could make it less jarring. When changing a songs key in the middle of the piece, you need to transition between the key with a chord both keys share. For example, with a switch from A minor to E minor, I'd use the G. It serves as a chord that can easily resolve up to the A and easily resolve down to the E. It's a little harder with the way you've set up the key change for this, but it's doable. Both keys share a chord (being the C#). Ending the phrase you had for most of the song and going into silence on the C# instead of the F# means it hasn't resolved, meaning it creates ambiguity, so it could resolve anywhere and sound nice. Your brain wants it to resolve but because it shares being a chord in several keys, you could resolve it anywhere. I think that's how you could make the change less jarring.

Sorry about rambling on that key change thing for a bit, that is my one gripe with the track, and even then it's so small, it may as well be neglected. Anyway, I love this track a lot. I can tell based on your description you take pride in it, which is great, because you really should. This is a super solid piece, and even with that one gripe, I can't give anything less than 4.5/5. Very well done!

Take care!
~AlphaStorm

Lemons responds:

Thanks for the detailed review! I love the I-IV-V a little too much for my own good, but it just sounds too amazing. I agree with how the key change is a little too jarring, that was my main concern but I wanted to try something different and I just went with it. Anyways I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I'll take what you said into consideration for my next track. Thanks again :)

[Nightmare Fuel]

I like the melodies the music itself sounds nice. You have a very interesting chord progression here. Very atypical for these kinds of songs. The drums sound nice (except for one part which I'll talk about in a bit). It works very well. The synths sound really nice, particularly that first portamento sound and the saw synth behind it. Very nice effects, very nice basses. Definitely works well. The interlude with a trance-y synth is really cool. You're very good at writing melodies and are very good at melodic stuff, so this screams your style really clearly, but is also unique next to your other songs.

Now the specific part I mentioned before. I noticed this in the drop of Can't Let Go 2.0 as well, and part of me thinks this may just be a quality of hardstyle. If it is, and I'm going under the assumption it is, I can't take off any points for it. However, I honestly can't tell if there are any drums in the drop. I can tell there's a ghost kick since there's side chaining, but I don't hear a kick. This is probably also my prog house/heavy metal mind talking where I'm used to hearing the kick very clearly, so, maybe it's something I have to develop my ears against. You're far more experienced than I am, so you've had time to form opinions and gain knowledge about genres, so I'm willing to accept maybe this is just a quality of the style. As a result, I won't doc anything for it.

However, on the subject of the drop, and I don't think this is a fault of the kick, but it doesn't feel like it has as heavy an impact as I would have liked. I dunno, I think it's simply that there's too much noise before the drop or some impact sample is too quiet and it doesn't feel as impactful as it could be.

Overall though, this is a really solid piece. It has very nice melodies and nice synths. It flows well, and the drums (for the bits I can hear them--no offence) sounded really nice. 4/5 from me, this was a really nice piece!

Take care!
~AlphaStorm

DJVI responds:

Woah tanks for the massive review!

In the drop the are buch of drums elements but they act like filler sounds to fill the gaps between the kicks. You can't hear them but if I would take them away the drop would sound empty.

Of course there could be some more hearable drums but they just didn't work very well together. The hardstyle kicks kinda overwhelms evetyhting but it's very usual to this kind of music.

Anyway thanks again and I hope you continue to listen to my music :)

[Dry Out 2.0]

Oh, I love the switch from half-time to regular time. Definitely fitting the techno theme. This is one of my favorites you've done, even the old one was great. I love the new content you've added as well. This is a great piece. The one thing I'll say is, and this is personal preference from me, the clap is a bit loud, and the kick isn't punchy enough (a 150hz boost would do the trick for that). But I can't dislike this. I really enjoyed this. It's a unique take on the piece I loved oh so much to do a really bad remix of myself. Even with my criticisms, 5/5. this is a nice piece!

Take care!
~AlphaStorm

DJVI responds:

Woah thank you so much for the review :)

[SapphireSnake - The Flood]

Having made some prog house tracks myself, figured I might as well throw in my own two cents. So, here's my thoughts.

For starters, and I'll just get this out of the way first and then talk about the track, I would say this is prog house. This sounds like something out of 2013 prog house music. That being said, the term 'progressive' when applied to music is a very loosely defined term. It's hard to find a definitive definition for what the style is, since it's constantly changing. I'd say myself, this is prog, but someone else may not, someone more in tune with what the genre is. It's hard to define prog when you don't even make it yourself, so those who do produce it are more likely to have a better definition for what prog is.

Anyway, enough about that, the song sounds great. It's got really nice sounds, nice supersaws, in certain sections it sounds like the Avicii dance keys preset was being used which... I love. Layered properly it sounds amazing, and you layered it brilliantly. It's nice and bright, lots of high end, which is something you generally want in this kind of music. Of course, too much is ear piercing, so careful with how much high end you add.

If there's one piece of criticism I can give, the kick sounded kind of weak. Maybe it's just me having designed kicks in different ways, but I think the kick needed more punch by raising some lows around 150, and counteract that with a high mid boost, like 2-4kHz. Again, maybe it's just me, but the kick feel like it has enough of an impact. The Snare and all other effects sounded fine. I think that piano in the intro sounds like a bit of a mess. The notes you put in may sound better if they were raised by an octave, but at such a low register, they clash too much, and makes it weird to listen to.

Aside from all that, I really enjoyed this piece. From what I can see, this isn't a normal style for you to produce in. And I'm basing that entirely on the fact that in your audio list, this is the first house track you've made. So, for a first time (I think) this is a great piece. 4/5 when considering the criticism I gave. I really enjoyed it! :)

Take care!
~AlphaStorm

Xx-SapphireSnake-xX responds:

TYSM for the constructive feedback!

Yes, this is my first progressive house track. Fooled around with all the plugins used in progressive house tracks, and I got this, and it ended up sounding pretty good! :)

~SapphireSnake

[Absolution]

A nice intro, nice feel. You always have such a way with chords. It's brilliant. I take it this is a way to sort of get back at your roots, and what kinda blew you up. Well, I can't praise you forever, but I can for a paragraph, let's get into this!

Pros: A major key. A nice breath of fresh air, at least for me, since I've been working in minor for the past couple of weeks. But, I love the use of minor. Nice chord choices too. Sounds like you're using Bb major, C major, Eb major and Eb minor. In other words, one of my favorite resolves in music like... ever. I'll tell you one thing, it's got a nice flow. You have still got it in you to produce the stuff we all know and love, and this shows it. You have such a way with production, and I love it. It just sounds well thought out, and well produced.

Cons: The very first thing I noticed is, this is a very quiet song. And I understand why (the instruments themselves aren't very loud), but a boost in gain on the master track would've done nicely. I just think it would make the track pop a bit more, even though you're really only boosting the whole track's volume. Next thing is the snare is kinda weak. I like it's sound, but it feels like it should be used somewhere else, and not in this. I wanted this to have a louder and punchier snare, but the one you chose, while great, doesn't... fit that well.

That's genuinely all I've got, you've done a great job, my friend. I'm hoping you'll eventually get your old luster back in full, because it seems you're very much so on your way to it, this is the first step back to it. Everything before, was trying to find your footing, you've got it now, you just have to bring it home. You've got a 4/5 from me dude. Keep at it :)

Take care!
~AlphaStorm

P.S. I think, even with the snare, this fit's predominantly under a chiptune track, which then kinda makes it a video game track. A video game track doesn't have to loop, as well, so you've got it in the right genre :)

OpenLight responds:

Thank you! I felt the same with a lot of those cons you provided, but I'll say two things: First, the master track is about as loud as it could be while still allowing for this song to be output in FLAC format. I wish I could make it louder, but FL Studio doesn't like to output FLAC properly if volume passes a certain threshold.

As for the other issue, the snare was part of a drum kit I wanted to use. I tend to agree with the idea of a snare being punchier for a song using this sort of instrument set, but the feel I was aiming for was something lighter. I'll experiment with more drum sets in the future.

I'm glad you enjoyed the song! As for reaching a point where what I make is in line with what everyone else is expecting out of me, I would like to find a good middle ground. The older music wasn't what I think my best work can be. But I will continue to find a good balance with my newer style and my older style.

Thank you!

[DirtyPaws - Rukkus (Original Mix)]

I wanna start by saying, you are one amazing guy for making such an amazing mix of so many amazing songs. Despite the stigma I feel around the songs, you have done a damn good job with this remix. I do have at least two negative things to say, but I can't give enough praise to this.

Pros: First, obviously, the song for Rukkus, because damn, we need him back. Of course, so many of us keep him alive here by remix his music, and this is one of the best remixes I've ever heard. Holy crap this is good. I only got half way in and started saying... you might be one of the best producers right now. This one hell of a mix, and damn you did so well. The drums sound amazing. The second drop is so god damn heavy and awesome! You've of course pulles a Rukkus by slowing the song down as he has done many a time. Jesus, I can't praise you enough, it's such a unique and brilliant song. Well done mixing some of Rukkus' best music too. Very prominent Fairydust at the end. Holy shit, I can't say enough good things for this. And yet, I have too things to say.

Cons: I don't know if this was intended or not, considering the loudness of Rukkus' music normally, but... why is this song so loud? Heck, why does it look like it's clipping? It's not super noticeable in the mix, but the wave forms suggest this song was clipping horribly. I don't expect all wave forms to be perfect, but I just feel like it's a little too loud considering. But, maybe I'm wrong, I can't even mix dubstep anymore, let alone tell you if it should be that loud at all. Second is... the kick is kind of loud. I haven't listened to Rukkus' music in a while, but I feel the kick should be turned down slightly, or the sidechain should be weaker, at least in the intro. The rest of the song works perfectly. Also, the high end can be kinda distracting but that's all my bad things about this.

Overall, despite the cons, I can't help but give a full score, it's just so damn good, and a good tribute to Rukkus and his music. 5/5 from me, might be listening more!

Take care!
~AlphaStorm

["Wonder" (6/10/19)]

Damn, I wasn't sure what I expected when I went to check this out, but it certainly wasn't this amazing piece of music! Here's what I have to say.

Pros: Very nice arp melody with the synths. It's a nice and chill sound to me. The chords sound kinda cool. The drums for this work to some extent. Nice drop, and a very nice flow. And those drums when they come in full. God damn it's awesome! And, looking at that wave form, it's a very well compressed and great sounding track. A major song is something admittedly kinda rare nowadays, so hearing one (admittedly partially) is quite nice to hear when we're surrounded by songs that are tuned in minor. Very nice build up at 2:30 ish dropping into 2:40. This is a very nice tune. Kinda at this point getting to hear the drums better mixed with everything else. It does work quite well. I was gonna add a con about the drums, but I can't now because the drums as a whole work really well. Loving the Ab Major, Bb Major, C minor, F minor chord progression. Used something similar in many songs of mine own. The drums going quiet around 4:30 is quite a nice thing to hear. Some people (including myself) are so dominated by the drums that we forget quietness is nice to hear.

Cons: I'll admit, for something like this, there aren't too many. First off, it is rather repetitive. I can't expect this to be a master class of new content every two bars, because that gets annoying. Repetitive is a nice thing, but it does kind of get out of hand in this track, imo. And, the chord synth sounds like it's clipping a little bit, but it's not clipping in the wave form, so my mind says you compressed this after mixing down a version of the track with the chords clipping, which is fine, just a little distracting is all. It also feels like there's not enough noise to it. I understand how having something too noise gets hard to listen to, but most trance songs have quite a bit of noise. Having a larger saw chord sound opening up from an envelope would do some great work here, imo. T-Force Alpha Plus if you wanna try that out ;)

Overall, you have a very solid track. Other than that one sound, there's no clipping. You have mixed this very well. Everything blended perfectly, even those acoustic sounding drums in the first minute and a half ish. Overall, including my gripes, 4/5! Very well done, my friend!

Take care!
~AlphaStorm

DJ-Saidez responds:

Thank you so much for the feedback! This project spanned 2 months, I smashed together a bunch of loops on a website while I was at school and rendered the stems and sent it to myself. I forgot about them. 2 months later, I remembered about the stems, and added more synths and drums to make it sound better. This was one of the first songs where I added layers, and that was a bit of a breakthrough with this song. I admit it is a bit repetitive, but progressive trance is typically repetitive. One day I'll sit down and have a mixdown session with this, so I'll check out the clipping you mentioned. I appreciate that you took the time to check this out and let me know what you thought of it. Stuff like this keeps me going, keeps me trying, because that's how one improves. Again, thank you.

[Back on Track 2.0]

People too quick to praise here. It's alright, just not that good. In the beginning, despite me knowing the way it sounds, I couldn't tell a single thing about what key this is in. I've known for years that this song is in Bb, it just sounded completely random and in D minor, but when the normal key came in, I was too quick to praise. And this is just a recreation of the original but with different instruments. It makes it... nostalgic but boring. Because. I hoped this would be arranged differently. The only the different parts were the second drop, which is my favorite part mind you, and that's saying a lot considering that this isn't... that great tbh. It's got great sound quality, I'll say that, and the drums sound good, just... the clap is dull, just like it was in the original. There are plenty of GD comments, and I did like it for a time, but I think I've made my position quite clear (points to my status update about it). There's even someone with a tasteless and outdated joke from like 1547 that died before it even began. I'm gonna stop before I rant for the rest of the eleven thousand characters I have lol

Overall, I'm... kinda underwhelmed. I do like how... powerful? it sounds. It's got improved sound quality, but looking at the wave form, there's some slight clipping. Something a single multiband compressor in FL Studio on the basic settings will fix. Still 3.5/5

EDIT: with my sudden heart change however, I might... MIGHT... make my own remix of this :P

Take care!
~AlphaStorm