50Steaks's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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 Just detach this song from a very outdated, hated channel and it would be so much better lmao.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!

[Sandstorm]

WOW.

Well then, I see you decided to create your magnum opus. Your biggest project yet by a long shot. I would argue the best thing you've released.
It is consistently good. The high points are the highlights of course, but with an intro like that you really can't go wrong. The first minute hit me like a truck and I am absolutely blown away by the quality.
I just am not the biggest fan of the cello soundfont. They're mixed incredibly well and fit nicely with what you have going but all I can think is "imagine this but with musescore cello soundfonts." Not like such a thing would even be possible... or would it?
The soundfont issues are much less prevalent at 2:29 though since it is a cello soli. And the transition afterwards, while rushed, actually fits nicely as a break in the music so it works.
Still reeling after that first minute. I guess you're just suddenly xtrullor??
We should collab or something. Your FL skills and my soundfonts lmao.
You said you'd step up your game and you certainly delivered, jesus christ.
The middle section with the drums and the orchestral hits sounds a little like the limiter messed with the balance a bit and it ends up muffling the power of the brass at 1:54, same issue as last song or whatever. The transition into the cello soli is phenomenal. The violin arpeggio at the end was unexpected but it really tied everything together.
I can't even describe this with words rn. If this doesn't get frontpaged I am shooting someone. This is going straight into filet mignons of newgrounds.

Tangerine responds:

Thanks 50cakes!

Not gonna lie, still believe my best work is obviously the Moon has Fingers (my masterpiece), but I still appreciate the kind words. As for the cellos, yeah... I still need a bit more practice using the plugin to make them sound less synthetic, but I do think this was a giant learning opportunity for me. Was a lot of fun using a bizarre scale for once :).

A collab would be interesting. Not sure how we'd pull it off, but definitely something fun we could look into.

I like to believe your threat to shoot someone is the sole reason this got frontpaged xd.

[Tinkerer's Workshop 2]

This one was a real rollercoaster (in a good way). As a sequel to the original (one of my favorite works of yours) it does an amazing job at expanding and telling a more coherent story using the motifs. And to me that’s the best part: the melodies and harmonic techniques used here are a step up from the original, probably up to the level of massacre at the carnival. But there are a few stipulations I have regarding some more nitpicky aspects of the piece. A really noticeable issue with what I assume to be the limiter in the last part seems to act sporadically in trying to reduce the gain of the instruments, producing a slightly disorienting effect in my opinion. But this is a super easy fix: just turn down the volume of the last part down to the volume of the first “emotional height” (or at least, that’s what I do; it lets me avoid all the issues with the limiter, of which I have never really been able to get to work for me).
But that’s kind of my only complaint. I love the way the ending is structured, and perhaps its sudden entrance was intentional. 1:28 the tempo changes could be made a little more subtle, as it might’ve taken the roller coaster thing too literally lol, but keep it if it fits what you wanted. Is it weird that this piece reminds me of hearts of iron 4? With the Victorian era thing you mentioned and the fact that the game’s soundtrack is orchestrated similarly. Anyways great job on this one as always.

[Arcturus]

I can’t get GD out of my head lmao.

If you’re going to make a 6 minute song, you kinda have to change things up significantly as the piece progresses. I don’t really see that at all here; I was expecting a massive drop with lots of percussion and cool sounds but it just never happened. The main synth you use is cool but can’t carry an entire song like this, unfortunately. Cool musical ideas though!

Lirrezzz responds:

I'll have to disagree, but thank you for the comment and giving your thoughts :)