TheWisestMagi's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[_-={The Spread of Chaos}=]

Woah

This is awesome, really gets your adreneline pumping man. I could very much so see a tribe in this music, a warlike one, but it still has culture, culture that reflects war though.
I REALLY LOVE those strings. Wow, they are beautifully done in this one. I especially like then towards the middle when the choir also kicks in, where they have the 2 sixteenth note plus 1 eighth note beat going (at least i think thats the beat).
I also like the strings role in building climax and suspense throughout the piece.
The chimes near the end were a nice way to start the falling action of the piece.
Also, as a percussionist, love that echoing bass drum sound. The snare is also skillfully incorporated, but I really like that bass drum sound, makes it sound more tribe-like and war-like.
All in all, this song builds ALOT of suspense within the strings, which are supplemented by other parts like the bass drum.
My only negative (ok, not negative, but no super-praising and super positive by any means) comment is the very end of the song. Kind of sounds like you ran out of space to work with, or needed to end it quick.
This is just my opinion on one song.
Keep it up! Once again, what is this Tribal Wars! I must know! = )

MaestroRage responds:

the end WAS a tad abrupt. I ran out of time, and during this time I had many more ideas I wanted to try out, and because I don't know how to read/write musical notes yet, I couldn't just... write them down and come back to it later. I also have this thing where if I leave a song, I very rarely return to it, especially if I already released it, as the changes are usually minor, and not really worth bothering with.

The song's very SPINE was built off those drums. I made the bass drums and with that segment I sat down and thought of some strings to compliment it's energy. What came, came to be.

Don't feel like you have to hide your real thoughts, if you feel a part is not right, or would have liked to hear it different I would only be too happy to read it. After all no song is perfect, and no composer can reach perfection, therefore there is always something that can and will be improved.

In any case i've already told you about Tribal wars in a previous example, but like I said it's a browser based game, I played it for the polotics mostly. The Warm Wind of Avalon was the anthem for my tribe in World 1, and this one is for the number 1 tribe of that world period.

In any case, thank you for the review, i'm glad you liked it ^^. There was some serious equalizing issues with this piece, but it did teach me a few things so it was worth it.

[_-{A Warm Wind in Avalon}]

That's nice...

I could definately see this as music for a tribe, a more peaceful one obviously = ).
I really like the small parts that were added, like the chimes, they added some effect.
Nice choir usage again. I also like the tune that is almost ongoing throughout the peace (pun intended ;), up until the last (tambourine?) shake. Seems like whenever the tambourine played, it signified a break in the tune.
I also like how that ongoing beat seems to be kind of a counter-melody or something to the flute part.
Man, this is just so nice, all of the melodies in this song just coexist so well, and combine in perfect harmony creating something beautiful!
I really like that.

Can't wait to see more pieces, and also, what is this Tribal Wars? A game? Anyway, I must check it out.

MaestroRage responds:

ah yes you noticed the constant flute melody did you? I decided it would be fun if I tried to make a whole song with that as it's backbone. It served as the lead at the beginning, and then purely as a form of counter melody from then onward!

Tribal Wars is a browser based game where you control a village, build it, wage war, kill or be killed. An entertaining pass time, but nothing more then that. I met some cool people there, and made this as an anthem for that tribe.

I'm glad you liked the piece Magi, thank you for the review ^^.

[_-={The Woman's Roar}=-_]

Interesting

FIRST OFF, I'd like to say GREAT singing Lady_Arsenic, my compliments to you, it added ALOT to the song.

But yeah, this one was very well put together, if you know what I mean. Where all the verse changes are, and where the climax's are put.

Once again, love the strings. Also, nice placements for timpani rolls + cymbal crashes. I also like that catchy tune the strings are playing at the very end, that was nice. I mean, I really liked that tune.

Can't wait to hear more, good luck with your current work (whatever it may be).

MaestroRage responds:

you know I asked LadyArsenic to sing me a melody, and I didn't ask her to sing to tempo, and she sang the melody how she saw fit, which was luckily enough much better then what I had imagined in the first place. So I TORE up the beginning and built the song around her voice, so my friend the voice does not ADD to the song, in this case, it MADE the song. The last half with the synthesized choir and the such was the part after the original beginning, it suited this case rather well so I kept it.

I probably should upload the full version of this sometime.

Thanks again for the review and ongoing support Magi, i'm glad you enjoyed the track.

[_-={The Tanks Thunder}=-_]

I nearly forgot about this one.

I remember back when I listened to Sorrow's music, and was like, hey who's this Rage guy, he almost completely copied sorrow's name! So i checked it out, and what do you know, I remember this and like 1 or 2 other songs being the only ones posted at the time.

That explains why I nearly forgot this (PLATINUM!) album.
I very much like the intro with the (sticato?) strings, and the timpani roll leading into the song.
Once again, with the beautiful choir effect to supplement to song, nicely done.
I also like that last chime = ).
Everything is just so well incorporated in this song, good debut track.
P.S. I see you keep mentioning working on techno, I can't wait to see it = ).

MaestroRage responds:

Thanks Magi, this piece is actually one that is born from some strange origin. I had started it at first to try and show a friend how to make stealthy, secretive music. Which were the segment of the sticcato strings at the beginning. However about half an hour in I realized that I didn't really want to make anything stealthly, slapped on some of the instruments i've always wanted to use but never really got around to, and mixed 'n mixed :D.

It is also a piece I worked on quite a bit, I think it may be the longest ongoing project for me this one was, I forget how long exactly, but i'm pretty sure I didn't put that much effort into all the other pieces, though I should be, I simply can't stay at the same song without having another idea I simply must try out, or just plain don't see it going anywhere.

Thank you for the review and ongoing support, i'm glad you liked this piece. It's been a long while indeed, this was my first gold and first platinum on this account, my first song I made on my new computer, and first song to use East West.

A lot of firsts in this baby right here :')

[_-={For Generations After]

Another review, or more so...comment(s) for you

I very much like the intro to this song. I am not sure what that drum is, sounds like some sort of an echoed muted bass drum, but I definatly like it's effect to the piece.
Other then that, I like the trumpet part as well, and the part after the trumpet intro with all the strings (the slow part, or so it sounds).
Although, to be honest, I don't think this is your best work, It is still way over what most artists give out.

P.S. I can't wait till your next song comes out. (still saving up creativity for "Brotherhood" review). And, what music programs do you suggest me getting, and how should I go about getting them. (I'm into classical, techno, and some industrial).

MaestroRage responds:

indeed this piece holds a great place in my heart for a few reasons.

1)This piece was not built with ANYBODY but myself in mind. I wanted to try out many things and melodies I was too afraid were not good enough, or descriptive enough to entertain other listeners. So whatever melody I thought was neat, and of course there was SOME form of filtering, I didn't want pure crap, I put on there.

2) Instruments I strayed from too often because I was unsure of their power, I PURPOSELLY put in without any exceptions. These are not muted bass snares, but a form of varied snares, and there is one heavily reverbed kick in the background.

The solo trumpet
The Bassoon
Solo Cello

All instruments I never bothered looking at, and now I know better.

Well okay 2 reasons mostly. But reasons none the less. So this piece wasn't meant to really fill anybody with any strong emotion, but I wanted to let everybody know that there is always room to experiment, there is room to fail. There are so many excellent artists around who are caught up with the fear that if they fail, or make something unsatisfactory they will be forgotten, turned away, and are generally afraid to be pointed out in their errors.

Well for them, here it is, my own personal set up, many claim it is my failure, but for me, I claim it my stepping stone to somewhere much bigger!

Sorry for the rant, thank you for the review, i'm glad you enjoyed it ^^.

[_-={A Place for Dreams}=-]

I'll give this a shot..

This is a very warming song, and I definately like the use of a music box (which you said is meant to invoke memory), but you use it to invoke the memory of the worlds that are lost, this I like. I definately like the overall, *remember* feel to it.
I also like the use of the choir, and the part where the music box plays a more complicated rhythm.
However, I probably like the constant eighth notes better just because they help to depict a pleasent emotion better, however...the quicker rhythm does add some energy for these worlds, and it's always good to make sure it doesn't get repetitive.
Strings- Ahhh, I love the way you use strings in your songs, I am also a huge fan of strings, they add so much emotion for some reason. Mostly if your going for a slow, sorrowful, or peaceful peace (as you do).
Great song, I'll keep these worlds in my thoughts for you. I just wish i could visit them = ).

MaestroRage responds:

Strings are my favourite instrument. When I first started making music, it was all I could think of. Put strings here, put strings there, OH and bells. I could NEVER get over how bells made things more epic then they should be! However I learned later that the insane level of bells also serve to just make the piece irratating. So with time my obsession with strings and bells died down, and now I don't have to use both in extreme :D!

You can visit the worlds only in your mind, and as you may have also felt the somewhat dull pain, of knowing you will never be able to touch or feel anything on that world, to experience the scenes which will forever be held from your fabric of reality... sometimes it's enough to make me wish I was insane to the point I COULD feel them, or at least fall into some kind of deep coma and dream to live on these worlds for days or weeks at a time...

in any case, thank you for the review, i'm glad you liked it ^^.

[Helix - No Regret]

AWESOME

Very very nice.
I really like the way you make your music.
Best Industrial there is.
Keep it up, yeah, I know your busy, but your music is great, just don't forget about it.
Also, I SWEAR that part after the little pause with a heartbeat type sound in it, it comes in with a techno like beat, but then in the next verse, there is a tune that sounds uncannely like music from the Matrix. I know this because my Winter Drumline did our show last year on the Matrix, and our ending song was based off of that beat.

Helix6 responds:

Disclaimer: I have always/will always done/do my own beats and loops. Any similarities to other songs/compositions are purely coincidental (or inspirational). I know that MDFMK created a sample (36 seconds into "Rabblerouser") that sounded exactly like one I did, as well as a band I was in did a song (before) Rammstein replicated our guitar line for the "Spookshow Baby" remix on American Made Music to Strip By. Not that I have hard feelings - both songs kick. Anyway whatever. Thanks for the 10.

[ParagonX9 - Chaoz Japan]

Better then Devotion

This one is way better then devotion in my opinion, devotion is great, but I love the Japanese drums in this song. Also, I do see that you have added your famed "Chaoz" style to it, giving it that nice distorted hectic feel. I also like how you change the note value in order to make it sound like the tempo changes. In this one I'm mainly talking about the triplet break. All in all, very nice, different from your others, different from anything on newgruonds, i love the japanese drums.

All though I doubt you need to be told this, Keep it up.

[Hell Space]

I like this one

I really like this one, i also noticed how it ends the same as how it starts, nicely done. I really think that this would fall into the "industrial" catagory though. Well played, and yeah, mainly just clarity, I'm not sure what it is, but almost sounds fuzzy at points, I'm begginning to think maybe just equipment or balancing. Still, nicely done, you should make more industrial type songs.

Aresdev responds:

Honestly I suck at categorizong my stuff. And again, it seems I have the hardest time with Newgrounds messing up the quality of my work. That and they went from 6MB 2 years ago to 4MB. That limits a guy like me who creats huge files.

[Apocolypse Cavalry]

Pretty good

I'm not in my place to critique, but the main thing is just the clarity, probably just do to equipment or balancing though.
Pretty good song. Although, I don't quite get a picture of the Cavalry of the Apocolypse out of it, it's a decent song none the less.

Keep it up, try adding strings sometime?

Aresdev responds:

Actually, it is do to newgrounds. clarity always seems to go down the tubes when I put it up here. Thanks for the review.