descara's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[3 Piano Classical Cover]

Quite mechanical

This piece is known as "Adagio in G minor" and is commonly attributed to Albinoni, a baroque composer, but actually written by someone called Giazotto or somesuch, based on a few measures of Albinoni's.

Here's a recording on youtoob:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMbvcp 480Y4

I'll have to admit I didn't fancy the cover that much, it could really use some smoother dynamics. Also, having a 100% rigid tempo and playing doesn't bring out the music well, it feels pretty dead and robotic. Not that baroque (or rather "neo-baroque" in this case) is nearly as extravagant as say romanticism with regards to flowing tempo and such, but still. The cadenza (02:30) is supposed to be lyrical and flowing, not mechanical. Three pianos also feels just a tad overkill, I recall playing a relatively convincing arrangement for one piano.

Kudos on remembering the whole thing though if you didn't have any reference, sounds pretty spot on me, though it's been a year or so since I played it or listened to it in its entirety.

xDSxGabo responds:

Thanks for the review Descara.
Ill check it out,
It may sound a little robotic since i use a Midi Keyboard and Logic Pro doesnt have a big variety of pianos. Anyways thank you for everything else Ill try to make a smoother version :)

xDSxGabo

[JBI - What if I can't]

Marvelous!

Really great stuff. Orchestration strikes me as very solid. The arpeggios in the piano gives it a really epic, inspiring feel and the grace notes notes at 1:19 and 1:26 add so much despite being a simple touch.

I'd give it a 10, but while the first 40 seconds seem 50 seconds or so sound more or less perfect, the woodwind feel quite intruding thereafter, though less so towards the end. The pitched percussion (can't for the life of discern what it is, steel drums? :S) also feels rather in-your-face. Still, I can only hope to be as good with MIDI orchestration and production as you obviously are some time in the (probably distant) future!

[Stargenx - Lux]

Very lux indeed

Love the sweet but mellow feel to it! The use of iv (unless my ears are betraying me) is great and gives it a bit of a flair towards the end. Only particular thing that bothered me was the ending, it kind of jumped at you all of a sudden. A slight ritardando and a bit subtler voice leading would've really made the end shine, I think.

Stargenx responds:

Thanks for the review! Endings are hard sometimes.

[COH - Brewing Flames]

good stuff

Real nice, but I think it'd have benefited from some variation in the orchestration of the melody. Oboe + flute, oboe + vln, oboe + flute + vln are just some decent combinations to consider - and that's just concerning unison doubling, if we consider octave doublings the possibilities are many more.

Ironclover responds:

hmm, that does sound interesting. In fact I think I'm going to go try that right now. Flute and Violin, Oboe and Violin. Oboe and Flute, Flute and Trumpet :D