50Steaks's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Zektium - Borealis]

And here we have the most underrated edm composer I've seen so far this year. This is going striaght into the front page suggestions thread because you deserve it if you haven't gotten it already. Not much to say it's just a solid piece of music that deserves more attention.

Zektium responds:

Thank you very much for your feedback, I’m glad you like it!

[The Ritual]

Woah, 11/4! Not a very common time signature, I used it in one of my songs like once lmao and that was a remix (technically it was 11/8 but you get the point). My favorite part is definitely 2:32 on as it feels like it is taking the most advantage of the unique time signature to be honest. The crazy drums is exactly what you need when dealing with this odd meter. The choir is very cool as well at the end there. Unfortunately the rest of the song kinda brings that whole second half down for me. Also the outro feels a little pathetic and I don't know why. But great job nonetheless!

Frypt responds:

Thanks for the feedback! It was very weird working with 11/8, because its so different from 4/4, which im used to. I tried to build the whole song up and use 11/8 in different ways, and at the end use what i had learned from the first half of the song. The reason for the ending is because i had the rhythm game: osu!catch in mind throughout making the song, and that type of ending is pretty common in the songs used in that game :) i really appreciate the feedback though!!

[Heywi - Long way home]

The kick and percussion in general should be hitting way harder than it is to be honest, maybe some sidechain would've done wonders here. Musically speaking, the arpeggios are cool and all but the atmosphere never really changes enough and it all starts to blend together a bit. The meter feels odd for some reason, as in the phrasing may not be 16 measures or some multiple thereof but I can't tell. But yeah overall this has a lot of potential for improvement and building. Keep working at it!

H3yw1 responds:

Thanks for your opinion! I'll try this when I make a new track.

[Ouroboros]

Geometry dash reference???????

But anyways this is cool especially once the guitar kicks in. Its a very simple melody but it works because it is constantly built on throughout, well for a time anyways. By 1:23 to the end it does start getting a little repetitive, maybe a cool solo guitar on top of the bassline instead of just a fading in synth an octave above could've been cool. Regardless, good job nonetheless!

[darklight]

Too short and the effects sound ripped straight from garageband. The vocals are also not that catchy unfortunately. But it is mixed well I will give you that. I wish the percussion was just a bit more complicated than amen break though.

[Empty Subway]

This scratches an itch in my brain that I can't pinpoint. Instrumentation is very simple which is the biggest issue here especially as we enter the middle bridge section. Ok listening to the middle more now I think it gets a little bit too chaotic for my liking to be honest, I think the more melodic moments are the high points of this song and should have been given more focus. That key change at 2:18 is insanity by the way and it should not work but it does. The rest of the song after that is not as good as the intro or 2:01 to be honest. But yes I agree with clown, the intro scratches a musical itch in my brain so good job anyways.

Viraxor responds:

Thank you for the lengthy review!

[Aethos Remix]

Never watched too much SML since I had only heard about them when they made the bowser JR suicide episode that got a bit too dark for my liking at the time. To be honest this would be so much cooler if you just cut out the first 30 seconds man. Just detach this song from a very outdated, hated channel and it would be so much better lmao. Same thing with the outro: just have it fade out or put some cinematic ending since you clearly know what you're doing. It's just hindered by the presence of the intro and outro.

I say SML is hated because jeffy was clearly meant to portray mentally handicapped stereotypes in a negative way

SAKKth responds:

I mostly kept the first 30 seconds in because of the original song. This is a remix of another song under a similar title, which has a similar entrence. Same with the general theming, since it's based off of a Horror Wiki for SML.
https://smlwiki.com/
https://youtu.be/8bbMggjzMxg?si=HhVCmiwse7lBh9pa
Also for the outro I just thought it was funny lol but thats fair critique.

[MP 07 - Derony Peppermint's theme - Hyper Cyber Robot]

This is bopping! as a GD player of many years I can't help but think of freedom dive when I listen to this. Those trumpets sound straight from a stereotypical very popular fiesta song and I think it fits really well. Pretty good for 2012, but I guess I can't judge it too harshly because of that lol

Edit: as someone stuck on FL mobile and musescore as my primary DAWs, I feel the restriction thing. But I feel like putting limits on yourself like that is a great way to spur creativity.

Pheanir responds:

I'm glad you seem to like it and I thank you for your feedback.
Don't be shy to be strict with your feedback; I know there are A LOT of things that could be done better. I have some restrictions to work with, unfortunately, but I also have possible room for improvement. =)

[Breakfast]

I'd be honored to be your first follower as you are very talented and deserve more attention for this. Interesting combination, guitar and organ and all. Holy shit is that some weird microtonal shenanigans at 2:00?? And with the interesting chord at the start (when most people start on the tonic), this is a very unique piece harmonically. It could use a bit more instrumentation, I'm thinking a chill quiet drumset for some percussion to drive the song forward, but it definitely achieves what it is trying to do. Is The End of Time some reference to the caretaker's piece of a very similar name? I listened to that whole thing once in high school and it was life-changing. Anyways great work new user!

DavidVoss responds:

Thank you for your support and kind words, glad to have you aboard!
I'm happy you liked the instrumental combo as well as the harmonies. The mandolin is probably the guitar-like sound you picked out and that slow bend does sneak into some microtonal territory! Some additional instrumentation, including drums, could definitely fit though I was limited on this song to whatever instruments I could play.
And as for The End of Time, I don't know if it's a Caretaker reference, though I love The Caretaker's stuff! My friend Jason, who mixed and mastered this track (and others), likes to call the basement he works in various things and different points. I'll have to ask him!
I have more tracks uploaded over on Spotify and Bandcamp, so feel free to follow me over there to hear more!

[Shining [AIM 2024]]

Getting lots of 80s vibes from this with the synth at 1:22. The song takes a minute to pick up but when it does you can't help but get into it. The beginning and the end are my favorite parts as they are the most catchy, but this is probably a solid entry to this competition. Taking a peek at the original inspiratory art, this piece definitely reflects the atmosphere (especially in the intro). With the pads at the start I can literally visualize the aurora borealis dancing above our heads and the guitar solo that follows only furthers this feeling. I just think that it could have done with a central guiding melody over the repeated chords. But either way, great work on this!