I enjoyed this a lot. It is very relaxing and soothing.
Reviews for "Palace of Tales and Memories"
350teric responds:
Thank you! :)
This is awesome! I really love the guitar tone, gives me a Petrucci vibe myself. Very nicely mixed as well. Looking forward to hearing more! :)
350teric responds:
Thanks man, Petrucci is an influence definitely! :)
I like the atmospheric vibe at the beginning. Sounds really pensive at the beginning. The melodies at :27 are beautiful. Very clear and full mix, too. I really like what you've done with the progression in the drums. The pacing here is really slow, but I do enjoy the sense of directionality this has. It also sounds a tad repetitive, though, even for a relatively short piece. The section at 2:14 wasn't a change I was quite prepared for, but maybe that's just me. There's a clear lead-in there with a strong transition; perhaps it was more of the change in texture that caught me off guard. All the same, I have no real complaints, perhaps with the exception that you could've done a tad more with the composition. Really high quality of sound, but nothing particularly bold in the progression or harmonic content. Still, nice work with the production, sound design, and atmosphere! Keep up the good work, 350teric. ^_^
350teric responds:
Thank you for the in depth review, I love the concrete points and the articulate suggestions. To be frank most of my compositions are way more complex and lavish than "Palace of Tales and Memories", rhythmically and harmonically I am coming from a progressive metal background (check out "Numen" for instance), I do compose electronic music as well. But, for this song I decided for a bit more simplistic approach, just for a change and fresh perspective. So for the final round I will shake things up definitely with something "bombastic" and "over top". :D
While the sound quality, synergy between instruments, relaxing tone, etc. is all on point, the actual composition here is very simplistic. There's a LOT of stepwise motion and not a whole lot of skips, making some parts of the song sound almost like glorified scales. That said, I really dig the switch to 3/4 at 2:17.
350teric responds:
Thank you for the thorough review. The song is evidently simple (I would say minimal) yes, but with some concrete points to it. Point one - the song is a ballad developing into an anthem, (dedicated to a concrete individual) it contains personal themes and qualities that requires simplicity. Point two - simple things have a certain strength and firmness, the song aims to be clean and effortless (I made it in a day). Finally, point three - there are some serious stylistic decorations in the lead guitar melody and the accompanying chords are not that simple if you listen carefully. (Loved your response) Thanks again! :)
This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review:
Beginning Comments: I get the feeling of a rock ballad song. It was pretty open and had a hopeful feel to it. Not something I would have expected for a Newgrounds contest so it was refreshing.
Production / Mixing: For the most part I think it was good. The beginning was pretty good, I think the drums were a little too quiet for the mix, but the only part I would want to complain is that the synths that came in at 2:14 seemed to have a bit too much reverb I felt. Or at least combined with the guitar which I get the feeling also had some reverb, compounded a little with itself and made the overall mix feel crowded. Aside from that, the production was pretty decent.
Composition / Structure: The intro chords were captivating, and had a good impression for the style you were going for. After that it I could start to get a good feel for the ballad you were going for. It reminded me a little bit of top gun in a way. It wasn't "Danger Zone" but would I would have imagined replacing "Take my Breath Away" if I were to change it (lulz). Anyway, the composition doesn't have much going for it. A little slow which made it easier to put in the background and concentrate on something else. The progression of the structure wasn't bad, I liked the continuous rising throughout the whole song and it climaxed at a nice crescendo. I think it may have developed a little too slowly, but I do like how you've managed the energy through it for the most part. I didn't realize at first but the pads are a nice touch. They're subtle but add some good fullness to the song.
Sound Design: The beginning guitars sounded great. Almost live recording. The percussion when it came in I wasn't as impressed but I wasn't distracted by them once the song built some more energy. I wasn't sure about the synths that you brought in, but I feel like there was a lot of reverb to slightly mask what they were. Again, the guitars sounded great.
Ending Comments: Not bad. A bold choice to make a song of this style I think for a NGUAC entry, but decently executed.
Score:
Production - 0.5
Composition - 0.5
Structure - 1
Sound Design - 1
Replay - 0.5
Total - 7
*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.
350teric responds:
Thanks for the review man! Reminded you of “Top Gun” (hahaha omg). I guess it has that 80’s production undertone, with all the reverbs going on. Fun fact, one can say the guitars are live recorded, with no software and post production, directly recorded out of an amp with overdrive, delay and reverb effects. :)