JohnnyFrizz's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Prowl]

Neat track dude! Definitely gave me some Metroid/Metal Gear vibes! You keep up the good work!

OrangeFluff responds:

Thank you!

[God's Sovereignty]

Beautiful piece!

While I do not share your religious beliefs I do have to admit there is something extremely touching and beaufitul about this music, it truly feels like a story unfolding in front of me as I listen to it, the passing of time and going down memory lane to relfect on your past and how you got to this present moment, which absolutely matches what you described in your comments.

I feel like the interaction between the violin/viola? and the piano could be improved with some EQ, it sometimes feesl like they are competing for the same place in the mid-high range of the spectrum which could be fixed with some mixing.

Having said that, based on one of your responces below, was this recorded live? If thats the case then my comment above might be out of place.

All in all, this is a wonderful piece of music and you shouldn't ever feel hesitant to share work like this with the world. ^^

JF

Phonometrologist responds:

Thank you for taking the time to writing your review.
Although it is intended to be performed live, this isn't a recording as the piano and violin are sample libraries. I was bringing that up to the user below because he would've liked more effects and elements added to the mix. I wanted to keep what was on the page to be the only instruments heard. The mix will sound better once I actually have an actual recording.
Regardless of someone's faiths or lack thereof, music is a universal happening. The former isn't necessary for the enjoyment of communicating. I appreciate your encouraging words.

[Utopia - Dreamz (Stroberider Remix)]

Awesome compilation of sweet trancey tunes!!!

Love the break at the minute mark and all the arps and textures you added, now comes the lead synth building up with some nices pads, I really dig that high pitch 303 synth you got dancing on top of everything!!

Build up was smooth and old school just the way I like it B]

The first chorus has a lot of great melodies and ideas dancing around, I totally feel in a late 90s to early 2000s underground club or rave listening to this, its an awesome feeling!

Maaaaan that melody starting at 5:05 with the piano and the strings is a stairway to nostalgia, reminded me of something made by Robert Miles, definitely my fav kind of trance!

Mixing could be improved a bit to make everything sound cleaner but overall its a very well made and executed trance anthem.

This was a absolute trip! Thank you for the ride my friend :D
JF

Stroberider responds:

Awesome review Johnny-man! You definitely give proper reviews, and I truly appreciate that.

Yeah, I plan to fix this tune and clean it up a bit more especially with the bassline and percussion syncing issues. That's honestly my weakness...syncing percussion with melodies/harmonies. Looking forward to hearing more from you, brother!

[Thundercats]

Nice work!!

I think this is definitely leaning more towards trance but I does have plenty of elements from techno, so I would classify this a Tech-Trance ;)

That build starting at 2:34 sounds a bit psytrancey tho :O Lol you got a lot of very cool ideas going on in this track :)

Your drops need MOAR BASS BRO!!! You could try amping up the low freqs of that bass line arpeggio you got going on to give this more punch, also try adding a sub, a low freq sine wave would do just fine ;)

Overall this track has tons of potential, you should definitely keep it up! If you need some help mixing and mastering this one feel free to drop me a DM ;)

Cheers!
Johnny

Midnights-Ocean responds:

Hey thanks bro!

I had a feeling this was treading on techy kinda trance territory. hehe I never pay attention to the genres when I'm creating, I just do what ever tickles my fancy.

I don't think I even have a bass instrument playing during the main line lol. It's easily enough added though. I'm just not sure what I want to do about it. I could add something new or as you said boost the arp lead's low end. Probably I would send just 220Hz and below to a bus where I can add a bunch of saturation to get it more beefy without robbing power from my kick.

Ooh! Or I could slap a multi-pressor on the lead with just the bass band active, so the bass is more evenly loud. I don't know, always want more bass but I kinda like how much more I appreciate it when it kicks in when it's not running constantly. I'm also not one who's bothered with side chains much, so I'm always thinking about dynamic headroom and mud problems too.

Ironically the music of my childhood, that inspired me to be a tech head, wasn't all that bassy: https://youtu.be/Co_kzXHZkio?t=2145 but my GAWD does it get my blood pumping!

Maybe someday I'll grab that dynamic EQ plugin from Waves and do that little kick ducking trick. Logic has a plugin that can do that but it ducks the volume for the entire spectrum. I just want the kick band ducking the kick. :P

I will keep that in mind! If you like it enough that you'd enjoy messing around with it, I wouldn't complain X3.

[Fallen Ascension (No Vocals)]

Been having this one on my to do list for a while man, finally got some time to listen to the whole piece and I have to say it's fenomenal!!!

This has an amazing sound quality pairing those of other professional scores I've heard, I quite like how you play with the percussion around min 1:20 the dynamics here are amazing!!

Then the break and you got some niiice eerie pads and textures! The sound here is so full and rich, love the atmosphere and movement you created here, it makes the track feel alive! And when the melody starts coming back around 3:00 is just pure delight and gives you a feel of resolve but also intrigue!

Fantastic work my man! You never let down ;)

JF

Stroberider responds:

Johnny, I truly appreciate your in-depth review and great score! You critiqued this the same way I typically critique songs by breaking it down to each element. Your kind words really mean a lot to me and motivate me to continue to strive to produce even better quality. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed this little tune so much. Thanks again, broski!

[Mini Fantasy (Loop)]

Excellent! Sounds like the build up of an awesome trance track! I have to admit a wasn't a big fan of that last bit where all the energy kinda fades away into darkness, I do like how it sounds like you reversed the instruments it gives a very ominous vibe, the highs are too dominant in this part it kinda hurt my ears, I would recommend cutting the high end on some of the reversed strings? (instruments) playing here.

Other than that Im really looking forward to that beat drop ;)

Peace bro!
JF

Stroberider responds:

Appreciate ya, Johnny!

I agree, there's lots to be refined on this, especially the high tones. I just kinda hit this writer's block near the end and just left it the way it is for now. Once I get more time I'll come back at it to make it into a full length anthem.

I'm happy you enjoy it for what it is. Thanks again for your great score and review, Johnny!

[Dreamscape (Techn-O-Matic Theme)]

OOOOOh brother!! I like me some ol skull technooo vibes B]

I absolutely love your style, keep making tracks like this bro! Reminds me of the good ol days of 90s rave culture! Don't ever let this style die man, I really love that little bridge at 02:24 right before the phat synth at 2:39 if you could just extend that part for another 16 bars it would be awesome! (to me at least lol)

Overall I just love this man its a piece full of nostalgia and good memories, keep it up brother, always looking forward to your next track!

JF

Stroberider responds:

Awesome! I'm glad you dig! This style is a lot more reminiscent of my older stuff with all of the progressive builds leading into the climax.

90's Trance is the best, imo. ^_^ That little synth is a layered poly-synth in Malström with a little reverb. Just a catchy little harmonizing synth lead that links into the pad section.

I really appreciate your kind review and continued support, JF! Keep your ears peeled for my updated Dreamfall track that I'm finally finishing. Thanks again, bro!

[Runa - Through the Stars]

Increíble work!! The sound design in this is amazing and the mixing is pretty much flawless, congratulations!

My only complaint would be the piano Vst you used for the intro, sounds extremely flat and unprofessional and unfortunately it'll drive people away from this amazing track, I strongly recommend you change it, I use Reason's grand piano for most of my piano work, Reason has got some amazing pianos, now if you wanna go a different route, I also recommend using a lofi piano, it would fit better with the overall feel of this track imho.

Great work!
JF

Runanova responds:

Done ;D
Thanks a lot!

[Daughter - Still (Aydin's Remix)]

Amazing remix my friend! Wow I was not expecting that drop at 0:55 THICK AF!!

Flawlessly mixed and elegantly executed!

Not much else to say, just wondering why you consider this ambient? Sounds to me more like Dubstep (well made dubstep of course lol)

Looking forward to hear more from you!

Aydin-Jewelz123 responds:

Awesome feedback dude!

Yeah the genre things i need to tag better. Dubstep on here strikes me more as that heavy growly style whereas this track is much softer so I went for ambient. I'll change it if I can :)

[Miniature Fantasy (Radio Edit)]

I love this tune!! Man the nostalgia! This takes me back bruuuuh!!!

Please do an updated version of this song!! I'd love to hear a remaster of this or even work on it myself if you still have the flp ;)

*2:46 grabs a pair of techno glowsticks and dances like a maniac*

WHOOOO!!!

Stroberider responds:

Ahaha, nice! I'm so thrilled that people still love this old-school track. Unfortunately, I do not have the original Cubase .cpr file due to it being produced four computers ago. However, I'd love to see what you're able to construct this as in FL Studio (I believe that's what you said you use). Once I get Reason 10.2 next week this will definitely be in my line-up of tracks to produce along with finishing "Dreamfall"...finally!

Thank you so much for the great score and review, Johnny! Keep your ears out for new releases!😁