Jakey-San's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Memories of a Forgotten Land]

stellar piece of work, my friend! that violin performance got me teary-eyed, haha. also, it was well-mixed with the sampled strings. however, there were a couple moments where the sample programming fell flat, and distracted me a little bit from the solo performance. I think there could have been room for more instrumentation, especially in the latter half when the piece builds up. other than those little things, this is definitely top-notch. one of my favorites by far!

MichaelJ responds:

I completely agree. I need to start using more instruments. Thank you for the great review!

[inside the machine]

this is the second piece in round 2 that made me get up and dance! haha seriously though, I love this. the structure flows well, and the production is super solid. I don't know much about this genre, but this song reminds me of Ronald Jenkees' music (love that dude!). I feel it could also work in a classic Sonic game, haha! great work, and I wish you the best of luck in round 2!

johnfn responds:

Haha great! :D Yeah I think NGADM is cool because it gives us exposure to genres outside of our comfort zone - like I don't listen to much cinematic/classical, but I get blasted with it when I browse NGADM pieces :-) Thanks for the review! I've never heard of Ronald Jenkees before but I started listening to one of his songs and he rocks!

[FD - Moontears]

absolutely beautiful! the string arrangement is my favorite part. the way it's written and the samples themselves sound so lush. the portamento slides are well-placed, and not overdone like a lot of people tend to do. you definitely nailed the somber mood you were going for, and I can't wait to hear what the concept will be. good luck to you in the results!

ForgottenDawn responds:

Thank you for your kind words. :) About my project, I still have to decide where to put my current state of work, so right now it's pretty much "in the air".

[Coast Totems]

this is an absolute work of genius! the style, the tones, lyrics, even the composition itself is mind-blowing. your singing voice in the higher register reminds me of Boom Boom Satellites (sans Japanese accent, lol). I'm curious: what did you use to get your fuzz tone? I think it sounds killer! phenomenal guitar skills, as I mentioned before. the more I listen to your tunes, the more I wanna get back into doing rock music.

stay solid, brother!

Kor-Rune responds:

Anybody that likes fuzz would kill me.. I use a digital multieffect pedal, a line 6 pod HD 500. I just combined it with the shitty amp models and hoped it works

Thanks for the review and listen! Happy you enjoyed it!

[Main Title Heroes]

excellent! I love the latter half, partly because it sounds almost similar to my own submission, especially the 7/8 drum pattern. I guess great minds think alike. ;-)

I love the string part that kicks in at 2:40 onward. it conveys a sense of suspense which is perfect for a main title sequence. considering you wrote this in a limited window of time, you did a great job!

TheBenjerman responds:

Thanks a lot! I definitely see the similarity! ;)

[When a Good Man Goes to War ~P]

wonderful piece! I love how it goes from an ethnic aesthetic, to piano ballad, to rock-fueled symphonic grandeur. a great fit for the emotions that this character goes through.

I wish you luck in the results. either way, I'll be looking forward to hearing new pieces from you!

[Cthulhu Surfaces]

epicness! your colour choices and voicings are astounding, and I love the flow of your structure. I mucked up the structuring in my piece, so I'm a little jealous lol. anyway, good luck in the results!

headphoamz responds:

Ha! Like I just said with steampianist, the "color choices" comment makes me the happiest. Colors just happen for me when I write - is it the same way with you? It's called synaesthesia. Very interesting stuff.

[Not Everday]

this made me get out of my seat and dance, which is something I literally NEVER do. you get 5 stars, just for that. ^_^

[A Curious Encounter Preview]

WHEREZ DA WHOLE SONG?? IMMA ZERO-BOMB YOUR PIECE FO SHO!

lol jk, but yeah, a great start to what could be a masterpiece. has a nice classical vibe, but also has a hint of Danny Elfman ticks in there too. I especially love that short violin trill at the pause, after the first phrase. very nice little touch.

p.s. those "scratchy' sounds in the violins that you had griped over a while back are definitely the natural nuances of short string attack, being played at high velocities. so don't worry; it sounds authentic like that. ;-)

AshleyAlyse responds:

NOOOOO, PLZ PLZ DON'T HURT ME!! :'O

I wish to finish this soon! I was so self conscious about the scratchy violins at first, but now I think it fits! Thanks for the review, ol' boy! ;D

[The Last Prince]

this is actually pretty dern great! yeah I can hear where the piece falls short compared to your older submissions, but it's no sweat, given your current situation. I went through the same thing a while back: I was gonna enter the AIM contest, but about a couple weeks prior to the deadline, I had to wipe my computer clean, WITHOUT A BACKUP DRIVE. and it took me about two weeks to recover all my libraries. in short, I feel your pain. I hope you get a chance to touch up on this piece, because it does have massive potential!

TitanMusic responds:

Thanks man,
I have been studying most of the day but I will try fix it this evening. Programs look like they are still giving me trouble. Might have to reinstall everything and hope for the best.
Your track is, of course, killer!