Pingu's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A Breeze From Home Male Cover]

ABFH Judge Review/Comment:

Hey there! I know NekoMika touched on a few points, so I'll try and steer away from those. I'm not sure what software you used for the vocal recording, but I found Acoustica Mixcraft 7 had a nice set of tools for vocal editing available in the demo. You could also use Audacity (free) to manually adjust the levels and trim off the 1:45 of silence at the end.

It was a nice cover, and I hope you learned a few things while making it. Good luck!

[A Breeze From Home (Przekrosza Remix)]

ABFH Judge Review/Comment:

I liked reading through your comments while listening to this, it gave some nice perspective of what the music meant to you. So many people get wrapped up in detail that they forget why they were on the path to begin with. I'm glad you got to take part in this contest!

Also, you mentioned that this took you out of your comfort zone. If you see some of my comments on other entries in the contest, there's a recurring theme I keep touching on: good. It's wonderful that something gave you that little push to move you into new space. You rightly mention that heroes work beyond their comfort zone, but you also demonstrate the practicality of not plunging too far away from the known.

I'm glad you've taken this chance to (join NG) work on something close to the heart. I hope you are able to find the time over the next year to continue making music, if even just for yourself. Always hold on to that feeling which sent you down the path. That's where home is.

Przekrosza responds:

It's all about perspective. I actually had a write-up that was about twice as long made for this post, but I didn't factor in the character limit so I lost a great deal of it. It was more of a short story than a blurb, and I talked about how this song represented kind of a "hero's walk" for me, returning to the things that made me feel better back when I was growing up, now with a different perspective.

Safety is overrated, but it's also all too often taken for granted. Striking a balance between exploration and conservation is important to keep yourself on track for the things that you actually want to accomplish. You need to walk before you can run.

My inspirations in music were Phyrnna and DJ Babokon. I've been around Newgrounds, lurking, for years, but it's always been an ancestral ground to me. This is where those who came before me blazed the trail. Coming back and actually joining the site is weird, but homes evolve. Maybe, eventually, this will become one of mine.

[Home (ABFH Remix Contest)]

ABFH Judge Review/Comment:

You made soft vocals even softer: the first minute is ethereal. As I was going through notes when I was marking scores, I looked at my spreadsheet to where I noted "dance" as the genre, and started to wonder if there was an error. That was at about 10 seconds before it showed up at 1:47. You almost tricked me.

I left myself a comment in my excel spreadsheet because I wanted to explicitly mention how I liked the fusion of natural sounds with this song. There are three distinct genres here, and you blended them all really well. The birds stood out to me, since no matter where you end up in your travels, the birds never seem to have the same songs as those at home.

Good work mate, hope you have a great week!

[Phyrnna & Troisnyx - A Breeze From Home (Remix)]

ABFH Judge Review/Comment:

There are some nice upbeat parts to contrast the lament of ABFH. House is an interesting genre for a remix based on the source material, but I think it worked out well. It is a bit jarring to go from heavy beat to soft vocal and piano, it would be interesting if you continued experimenting with it a bit (free stems to use, why not go nuts) to maybe see about incorporating the piano a bit more into the house-style bits for a smoother flow.

Good work, keep being awesome!

[Well I'll just leave]

ABFH Judge Review/Comment:

Hey, I remember your AIM entry ("A Delicate Cycle"). Good to see you around again.

I know NekoMIka mentioned the "spooky" feel, and I agree. It very much felt like a spirit which wants to return, but some force is holding it back.

The other vocal stem (rap), was that you? I enjoyed the additional lyrics, it definitely added a bit of a nice back and forth between two characters.

I do also want to say (based on comments you made in your reviews/posts): don't make frontpage your only end goal. I know it is a big thing and gets you out there, but I'm always for personal development over community opinion. Outside of any judging opinion for the contest, you have a solid score on the board off to the left. Same goes for your entry in the NGAP Bingo contest, also a solid score but you withdrew.

I encourage you to continue taking part in contests, even if just for fun and the opportunity to try new things. It will help bring in more constructive reviews, and over time grow your audience more naturally than being slammed onto the front page. Natural growth promotes continued interaction.

Cheers mate!

DarkHorseOrchestra responds:

Those were jokes, I know frontpages are helpful..but not for me haha. I've been frontpaged a couple times and nothings changed. (That was also a joke)

But yeah thanks for the review, and yup the other vocals were me.

[A Breeze Far From Home]

ABFH Judge Review/Comment:

This is really upbeat, which I think was a nice change from the overall tone of the original composition. ABFH is a bit of a lament, and I like how you've turned it around to be more "excitement at returning".

I'll be upfront that chiptune is a bit beyond me so I'm not sure what to suggest for improvements. Overall, I enjoyed it, and wish you success!

[Return of the Warrior (ABFH Contest Entry)]

ABFH Judge Review/Comment:

Hey there! Man, you were quick out of the gate to finish this. More than anything, I hope you got something out of the remix contest. I'm a sucker for personal development.

I like the orchestral/organ component, which you fused nicely with the more electronic element and the vocal stem.

The ending seemed a bit abrupt and out of place. A bit of my own bias showing, I like symmetry. The opening was more orchestral with a good beat to set the tone, where the ending included electronic and string instruments. I might suggest that last 2-3 seconds where I can hear the track end before the length expires, maybe a faint drawing out of the last note (or clip the silence).

Thanks for your awesome work!

[Voice Demo]

Vocals were fine, but the quality suffered a bit. Seemed like it was recorded in an empty room. I did notice an improvement on your Mario submission though, so it looks like you may have sorted that out. Keep at it! Edit to add: say you post that you got a new microphone, that would do it.

[Try Mom's Pie]

Glad to hear you got the recording issue sorted out. Funny commercial, with enough puns and innuendo without being forced. Overall, great quality audio.

Jesse-R-Asner responds:

Thank you my friend!

[Dilemma]

Sounds good, man. I really like the contrast between the higher electronic and deep guitar. I don't really have any critique to toss in like I normally would. I keep thinking this reminds me of something, but I can't figure out what...

LexRodent responds:

Thanks. Glad you mentioned the contrast between electronic sounds and guitar, I tried something different and sent the guitars a bit down on the mix, I wasn't sure if I did it right or overdid it. This track (and others to come) are partly inspired on PS2 Castlevania games music ; Maybe that's what it reminds you of ?