Synfang's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Cool cat theme bossfight tune which I'm gonna use in geometry dash even though I'm grownass person]

LONG time, no see! For starters, let me just say that title is funny as all hell. :)
That aside, very different from what I was used to from you, but for the most part, I'd say it works. The one issue I'd say I have with this is I think the distortion is a bit much at times, but hey, maybe from someone else's perspective it works. In any case, great to see ya upload again!

DjThiscom responds:

Sup Bro! Love to see some old newground face and still smashing those beats! I don't make rock at all, but this was just funny tune what I made. The distortion could be done way better, but I didn't do any side chaining for the drums so the mix is one big mess haha probably gonna delete this, because I made the second new chorus

[Feel Good]

Gonna be honest, I'm not as big a fan of this one. The kick felt buried in the mix for basically the entire first half, and the melodies didn't quite achieve the effect you seem to have been going for, though I know that last remark is more subjective. I think the electric guitar and some of the drum composition go against the intended purpose though, adding a little too much energy if not aggression for a song intended to be calm and pleasing.
That said, I wouldn't go so far as to call the track bad; it definitely has its merit despite the context making its message feel kinda mixed.

Arponax responds:

Well, it is mostly an opportunity for me to share my guitar learning progress so if it doesnt fit that well it may be just of lack of experience with guitar composition (which came out quite different as when you want to make "electro" melodies).

But i dunno for me it doesnt feel aggressive, but maybe im just numb to it since alot of my music is just that XD

[The future]

Okay, so some comments on the track I have, in the order I noticed them...
-I know I'm not really in much position to talk, but this is the first track I've heard in a long time that gave me the conscious thought of "MIDI drums"
-The way the tone changes around 0:19 is cool, though I feel it could've had better execution; not totally sure how though
-Some of the lower end percussion in the later parts of the first drop don't feel like they pop through the mix enough IMO
-Guitar in the first part of the bridge section is really nice; I would've liked to see more done with it, but maybe that's just me
-Second drop, I was really not expecting that arp; I like it though
-The composition on the guitar in the first part of drop 2 sounds kinda familiar, though I can't think from where

Overall: not bad, though I'm not blown away by any means either; could see myself playing Crossout with this music in the background.

Arponax responds:

Well all of my drums are MIDI so :D maybe its because im trying to make more Rock-ish beats rather than that boring four on floor. Or maybe its because i didnt process them as much as i do in my electronic tracks. Its basically a new style for me so alot new to learn.

I could definitely be done with use of some pedal, which i do have but tbh im kinda happy that im able to play those samples XDD using pedals actively while playing is a big no no for me.

Im glad you like it...Melodies are hardest to play for me cause you can hear every mistake in there....btw i didnt cut those samples so even the mistakes are there(i kinda do that in all of my songs, cause i dunno, if it doesnt break the song that much, it makes it more human to me XD)

Oh yes the arp fits perfectly in there, i wanted to expand on that more but, had a hard time coming with more variations of guitar and stuff....something more rhythmical would definitely be a way i think, palm mutes needs to be incorporated :D but i cant use them so well yet.

Not sure, every melody in this is from my head so maybe i heard something similar and used it unconsciously.

Next time will be better ;)

[NeverEndingStress]

It's not the kind of song I'd put into my playlist, but it's still pretty solid IMO. The title honestly fits the mood of this at some parts a lot better than I expected. Good work!

Arponax responds:

thanks :D thats just how i imagine industrial music.
For me personally its not something i would listen to on daily basis either but it was a nice experiment.

[Infinity]

Solid as usual, I'd say. You definitely got the feeling of the pic down IMO, though I do have a suggestion for the future (not necessarily a criticism, just a tip): for space-themed songs, using a whole-tone scale might be worth looking into; it's a decently common choice for space-themed songs, if memory serves.

Arponax responds:

well, im not sure what scales i used in the song :D for me the space vibe is made with the pad i used or the fx that plays in the background.

piano on the other hand is supposed to depict some sort of thoughts or emotions that the person being in the space is having.

another element that for me personally adds quite spacey idea is the sub that is playing in empty places, behind that i imagine something big, maybe a bit scary etc.

Anyway thanks imma think about it as an idea for future :D

[Facing the Storm (AIM2023)]

Pretty cool, NGL! It most definitely fits the title, though I'm tempted to say it's almost too menacing for the art... not that the art has 0 of those vibes, but it's not quite to the extent as the song IMO.

Arponax responds:

Yeah maybe XD it could be cause of the inspiration i had for the composition itself,
The city must survive, which is like very intense track that im actually unable to imitate cause i dont have real orchestra :D

the main thing that makes me hear the picture very menacing is the hand that is reaching for the little house, it makes me think that this is a storm that is just able to destroy anything it comes into contact with.

[Crazy Dave]

I definitely like the first half of this more than the second, TBH, but still decently solid overall. Really like the main theme of this, at least; might even consider remixing this at a later point, with that in mind. Keep up the good work!

Arponax responds:

Hit me up when youll want to make something :D imma give you materials.

Thanks tho...i like the first part more too, but still its not the same which is the main point :D

[Our hero]

Okay, so my feedback... the first two minutes sound good and are definitely your style, but I hesitate to say they necessarily fit as a hero's theme specifically. Later on, there's a handful of REALLY short instances that I think were a bit too empty (and again, like I said, not long at all; only one beat long or so... such gaps aren't inherently bad, of course, but I don't know that they were appropriate at the particular moment). I also noticed something odd in the panning of what sounded like an electric guitar, but that could just be my headphones acting up.
Otherwise though, pretty good! I almost see this as approaching a vein of "what if Xtrullor made electro instead of dubstep" in some aspects.

Arponax responds:

Thanks for the feedback.
When it comes to empty sequences....i tried to give time to get rested a bit between harder parts of the song, maybe when i listened to it hundreds of times it didnt felt like too empty or something, anyway still alot to learn afterall :D

I've been messing with panning and if you mean in the last part where theres that second sequence the AMPed bass is indeed panned to the left for the transition but then its centered.
If you didnt meant this, im not sure what tbh.

Its nice to be compared to some other people i guess :D

Glad you like.

[Synfang - Crosshairs (Arponax remix)]

NGL, I think this one might be my favorite of the remixes. Definitely the most unique of the bunch, that's for sure. Thanks for doing this! :D

Arponax responds:

Thanks...it was fun to make.

[Speedrun (NGUAC KO entry)]

Okay, so my thoughts on this...
Everything until the start of the drop? Awesome. Absolutely zero that I'd say I didn't like about it.
The drop could've been executed better in composition and/or sound design, and very probably would've been if you had more time, but my biggest gripe about it? It's one that you kinda don't even need to hit play on this song to notice, because it's visible in the audio wave visualization: the drop seems quieter or otherwise smaller than the buildup, and it makes the drop feel disappointing IMO.
The melody you have going in the second half of the drop... I feel largely neutral about its composition, but I'm hesitant to say that you made the right choice, using what I've found to be one of your signature sound choices for that melody. I don't know exactly what would've been a better choice, but I'm hesitant to say that this was the best option, though I understand that you had your time constraints and so will try not to complain about this too much.

Ackee39 responds:

Its funny cause i completely agree with you.
Youre right; a lot of the complaints on the drop (it being too quiet, the lead in the second half being awkward) are stuff that i was trying to fix, but couldnt because im gonna be honest nearly everything about the drop was made on the very last day. I was sort of scared to publish this at all cause theres just so much that needs fixing and tweaking imo and just so many rusty areas. But i hope that the overall creativity n stuff save this from being true bottom of the barrel for my stuff.