vividlance's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[just getting started]

I fucking ADORE how the Gamecube startup is used in this one!! Really creative uses for all the startup/BIOS sounds hidden. The beat switch is also really cool, I'd definitely be interested if you expanded on it and transformed it into its own song (but leaving it at the end as-is is also cool)!

wr1ght responds:

thank you so much! i wish i could return to this one and do it justice but i didnt zip the project and stems together so i lost all the samples and stuff after i had to wipe some files which is a bummer. im glad you enjoyed the track! (btw fun fact the ending house beat is the ps2 startup that i chopped)

[delay ay ay]

Started browsing your stuff earlier, this is a super dope piece!! Very creative variation of breaks (and break choices, nobody EVER uses the dispatch break, and it's probably one of the best ones from the JungleJungle collection!) Excellent vibes all around with this one, hope you post more stuff in the future!

wr1ght responds:

holy shit thank you so much! i have never recieved such support for my music this made me very happy! i will definitely keep making music and i love jungle and dnb. thank you!

[Music To Vibe To (Full EP)]

Congrats on the front page dude!

You're SUPER good at creating a very certain vibe/atmosphere in your stuff - everything's really, really groovy. That switch-up at the 3(ish)-minute mark is also spectacular. I do have to agree with what yagru said in their comment though, the mixing itself is (as always) well-executed but it does get a little too compressed at parts. It happens though, I think all of us are guilty of it!

Keep it up my guy!

JensVide responds:

Thank you for listening! This music is really about creating a certain vibe like you said, and letting the listener sink into that vibe. That's also why the tracks are on the longer side and why this was released as an EP, to let the listener get into and stay in the vibe. I'm glad you appreciate the switch-up cause it's fun to play with the songs like that. The clipping could indeed have been handled nicer by running the tracks less hard into the clipper or at least not making it as apparent.

[Fast and Lightweight]

This is super nostalgic-sounding. Reminds me of early-mid 2000s Hospital Records. Cool stuff! <3

Hoverland responds:

Thank you! :)

[oneheart, artemis orion - goodbye]

Really nice piece! Something about the sound design and the way the vocals are sang is very nostalgic to me - really sounds like something I would've downloaded from an old youtube-to-mp3 site as a kid. Nice work!

oneheartofficial responds:

thx

[Winter ★]

The ambiance of this song is really nostalgic - reminds me of the Bubble Tanks series for some reason. However, I feel like it lacks some transitional elements - the hard switches from the house sections to just the ambient pads/plucks kind of takes me out of it a little. Still a great track though!

Lucasberry responds:

fixed

[A Forgotten Future (Overdub)]

Fuck yeah dude, this is super cool! Everything about this is right up my alley and you structured this track so well! The mixing is also on point for both early rave and vaporwave of the early 2010s - nothing feels like it's fighting for a chance to be heard in the mix, the breakbeats are processed nicely, and the vocals while appropriately cheesy don't overstay their welcome and make an appropriate addition to the overall track. My only thing is I wish there was more over-reverbed saxophone. Keep playing with this sound, it's awesome!

AniiKai responds:

Hey thanks! I'm a little caught up at the moment but I'm for sure still experimenting with this idea!

[Windbreaker]

Really fun tune!! It gives me really good N64 game vibes, especially with the guitar solo and bell synths - it could definitely fit in with the Wave Race or 1080 series! The only thing I wish this song had was maybe some introjections with different breaks, like Apache or Think (particularly the one with the YEAH! WOO! vocals). Good stuff! <3

JensVide responds:

Thanks bro! I do like that sound and I'm probably mostly influenced by the Ridge Racer series when it comes to 5th gen jungle though that's a harder sound I guess. Good tip about throwing in different breaks. Naganuma does that a lot and it's a good way to add variety, gonna carry that with me.

[Frostbitter (JAMUARY 2023 DAY 2)]

I've always been into this sort of style of ambient, it fits in with the chilly winter motif you have going on. I'll also add as someone who likes to dabble in similar styles, I think ambient/soundtrack-type stuff is always challenging to make since it sort of has its own set of rules and whatnot. I really like the evolving arp, adds a good amount of motion while staying on track with the main idea. I do think the percussion could've been a little snappier - maybe with some slight reverb on the snare and a sidechain on the kick drum.

In regards to arrangement - I think that's honestly the hardest part about music! However, I do think the ending for this track makes a lot of sense with the long reverb tail and the rhodes/synth gradually slowing down. What I would've personally done to end this trsck would probably involve experimenting with lots of reverb (something like a shimmer, maybe) or paulstretch in co-op with the bitcrush - but that's just me, I like goofing off with what I can get away with by just going nuts with the reverb when I want to make something atmospheric. It absolutely goes without saying, but I think a ton of tracks could end in a ton of different ways - try studying your favorite songs and how they end! I always find super-active listening to be helpful when coming up with ideas and techniques. Hope my super geeky ramble helps at all! :D

GrapheneKid responds:

Thanks so much for the input! It's funny you mention a reverb outro--I actually did just that in an earlier song called Treetrips. I didn't do it with this one as much because I was under a bit of a time constraint but I had it as an option while I was composing before I went with the slowdown type of ending. Since I'm doing shorter songs I feel like there's more pressure to wrap up songs quicker.

The percussion was definitely rushed, normally I like to balance it a little more. I'm also using a set of samples that's different from what I normally use, so they have their own quirks as far as how they sound best and what it takes to get there. Sidechaining is definitely still new to me, I want to try some more exercises with it to really see what it can do for me.

One of the cool things about Jamuary has been hearing how other people end their songs, you are right in that it can be helpful to study different artists for ideas. I guess I just need to stop and think about structure. Roller coasters don't just abruptly STOP at the station from full speed, they do various turns and other maneuvers to engage the riders while coming to a full stop. In a way, I suppose writing music is the same.

[2251]

this gave me a really fun rhythm game vibe!! like i could see a beatmania chart with this

my only sort of nitpicks are that the kick sorta got in the way, but i think if it was more "tonal" it would've added to the fun-factor (but, that's also how i like my breakcore), and i think adding another chopped drum loop would've added more of a variety "texture" if that makes any sense

i'd like to see more of this sorta stuff!! i'd totally be interested in an expansion of this

NotDJK1RA responds:

thanks for the feedback :)