Nice! Maybe think about altering the dynamics, some subtle changes would make the musical phrasing a bit more shapely!
Reviews for "Death of a Prodigy"
larrynachos responds:
Yeah, I didn't learn how to manipulate the modulation wheel via automation until after I had finished this song. I did do a lot of dynamics with the velocities though, so it should have made a difference.
Thanks!
Amazing. As a person who likes sad/classical music I really like this song. I wanted to know if you would let me use this in a video that I might POSSIBLY make. I'll give you credit in the description and everything.
larrynachos responds:
Sure, go right ahead! Let me know when you finish the video :D
== This is an NGAUC Audition Round Review. ==
This piece definitely has a lot of emotion to it. You have a really good sense of arrangement - you add and remove energy almost effortlessly, and it works really well. It definitely has a really strong and somber feel to it which perfectly matches the title. I’m also impressed by how you do so much with so few elements - just strings, and a tiny bit of piano and horns. On the other hand, I find that sometimes the melody can be a little undirected, and since the piece is already so subtle as it is, the piece loses a some interest. The piece is pretty darn good, though. Score: 8
P.S. I noticed you said this in a response to someone’s review: "if I add too much stuff my computer can't handle it, and Kontakt starts dropping samples when exporting.” That’s not a limitation! You can bounce down your tracks to waveforms, and then you (obviously) don’t need Kontakt for that instrument any more, so you can add MORE instruments! :D
Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 3/4
* Arrangement: 3/4
* Mixing: 4/4
larrynachos responds:
Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed this piece :) As much as I love keeping things simple, you're right. It can lose some interest.
I've tried the method you suggested before, but even just exporting ONE instrument can be a challenge (my computer SUCKS). I just need more ram lol.
A liked the warm string sound you had here. I think it progressed a little too quickly given such a heavy, dark ambience. It's only 3 minutes, so I don't think it would've hurt to dial the tempo back a notch. Still, the progression is really beautiful, and I love how you cycle back to those initial chords at around 1:27. It kind of reminds me a little of Hans Zimmer's "Time" (and that's DEFINITELY a good thing!), but I think in order to really sell this piece you needed a little more dynamic contrast. Volume automations could really help. I would suggest making 1:27 pianissimo at the loudest, and then really highlighting the crescendo back into around the 2-minute mark. Little details like that really help bring out emotion in these kinds of pieces. Still, overall this is really solid work. Oftentimes, simplicity is beauty. :') Keep up the good work, LN! ;D
Reminds me Chrono trigger when you are in the world map, or traveling the sea :)