paradiddlesjosh's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[SSJ3 - Facing The Storm]

Perhaps not a boss theme...

I sat here for the first couple of minutes waiting for a rain effect, rain stick, or some other sort of sound that would mimic rainfall to come in. I was very pleased when you delivered on that front. The thunderclaps punctuate the piece just right.

The opening drum rhythm is another of my favorite rhythms (hi-hats moving in an eighth-two-sixteenths pattern of open-closed-closed, combined with any backbeat). I was sad to hear that it was used sparsely throughout, but it was for the best: rhythmically, this piece is sound.

The faux-guitar work is spot-on, and I found the addition of a piano to the mix to work quite well.

Because the common assumption of music on the Audio Portal is that it may more likely end up in a Flash game on the Flash Portal than in a movie, I think this theme works better as the BGM for an entire short, perhaps focused on one battle, in the rain (natch).

And of course, I happen to pick my AP review omnibus night to be the same night where I should be writing an essay. At least I have good tunes to write along to, as well as music that's not putting me to sleep. Good job again, Shawn.
~Joshy676

Shiverwar responds:

Thanks, Josh. :) I was wondering when you would slap a review on this bad dog. It was even considered for a collab, so I'm eagerly awaiting that day.

[SSJ3 - Fearless]

I'm diggin' it.

This is currently the only thing keeping me awake in my three-way battle between my sanity, the urge to sleep, and this college essay I've neglected for the last week (thank you, procrastination loop). The only thing I can say negatively about it is that, in the headphones I'm currently using, the low-end synth you're using for the basslines is a bit thin, and the best place it could expand into is that low-mid range that nothing in the mix moves into.

On the other hand, I like the theme's variations and chord progressions. The halftime interludes break the monotony very well, though a monotony of 16th-note hi-hat grooves with some neat guitar lines is one I can comfortably live with.

Well done, Shawn. Well done.
~Joshy676

Shiverwar responds:

Yet again, another great review. :D Thanks again, Josh! Glad you like this!

[Ssj3 - Sephiroth! '10]

And another winner!

I swear, Shawn, I think I'm going to have to (once it's FINALLY done) release S-E-P-H-I-R-O-T-H! Perfect: SE, and then release a remix of your remix! Just about everything about this mix is done right. :D

Shiverwar responds:

To be honest, I was not expecting this kind of a review. :D All I did was rework the masterpiece with my own twists and such. You were the one that inspired me to do so, so you owe yourself a major chunk of the applause. :D And I await to hear SE. I will wait 4 or 5 years if I must!! Anyways, thank you very much, Josh. :D

[SSJ3 - Ultimate Artifact]

I second that jawesomesauce. :D

I listened to this one before the New Year, but put off on writing a review on it due to personal problems. Then I forgot about getting to writing it and had another set of personal problems.

Anyway, I will third the gong overuse, but I wouldn't have been able to help it, either. Gongs are fun to screw around with in real life as it is. :D

~Joshy676

Shiverwar responds:

I've had a bit of personal problems too, Josh. No harm done, I wouldn't have minded if you reviewed this on the third of June. :P

Anyways, yeah, the gong IS overused, but as you said, gongs are awesome and fun to screw with. :P Thanks for your awesome and slightly amusing review. :D

--SSJ3-Goku4567 (AKA Shawn)--

[SSJ3 - Endless Confrontation]

Well worth listening to.

I can't really find anything to criticize about this piece, Shawn. You did well this time (not to say your other work isn't also well done, but I think you know what I mean).

I'm sorry I didn't review this sooner; this week has been absolutely horrible for me on a few different levels. I hardly had time to check my own reviews, let alone write one for you. :)
~Joshy676

Shiverwar responds:

I understand if your week hasn't been good. I haven't had a very nice week either. Not even my birthday was the nicest. But, hey, what's done is done.

Anyways, to the point: Thanks for your review, Josh. I wouldn't have minded when you reviewed, hell you coulda reviewed next year and I wouldn't mind!

--SSJ3-Goku4567 (AKA Shawn)--

[SSJ3 - OWA Sephiroth ver 2]

IDEA THEFT WAR TIME! :D (oh, and great mix, too)

I'm going to be plainly honest: Your mix beats the everloving shit out of S-E-P-H-I-R-O-T-H!: Perfect. I'm not ashamed to say it. You took a relic remix and souped it up. Frankly, I'm impressed. There's nothing I dislike about this at all.

However, some of the better add-ons, such as moving to the "verse" pattern one more time before the "breakdown" pattern, I'm going to to borrow for the SE. I'll give them back when I'm done. :3

In all seriousness, this mix builds upon S-E-P-H-I-R-O-T-H!: Perfect and improves upon my own methods. I suppose all it took was a fresh mind. Keep up the good work, and hopefully I'll have the SE out before you remix my work again. :D
~Joshy676

Shiverwar responds:

To be quite honest, I still think your mix was better. XD I still feel something was missing here, but oh well. If I find that something is missing, then I'll edit it and resubmit, for the third time.

I liked that too. However, I forgot to put something in there for the part where "sors immanis, et inanis" usually comes in. Ah well, better to be faithful than to completely steal the part... well, the drumbeat was my own, so nevermind about that. Doing that by ear was a bit of a pain. <.<

Your review brightened my day already, Josh. Hell, I don't think my upcoming FFVIII and FFIX renditions are gonna be NEAR as good as your submissions. Who knows? I might just surprise you with another remix before you release SE. :3 Once again, thank you for your really awesome review, as always.
--Shawn (AKA SJ3-Goku4567)--

[SSJ3 - LTTP Light World]

Neat.

I have to agree with Metaljonus on this one. The percussion could use some work; the electronic pattern doesn't mesh well with the piece. Overall, though, it's great work from you.

-Joshy676

Shiverwar responds:

Lol I agreed with the percussion part as well, Josh. However, I just wasn't in a very good state of mind, so... XDD
Anyways, thanks for the review. :3

[SSJ3 - MHS Rally Fight Song]

Erm... Interesting, I suppose.

This isn't your fault, but I personally dislike fight songs. I dislike their structure, I dislike their purpose, and I dislike the fact that they're always in major keys.

That said, you've done quite a job here if it was all done by ear. I like your choices percussively (especially that gong again! ^_^) and your instruments balance well.

Thanks for asking me to check it out, though. Good to know you're still workin' on stuff.

~Joshy676
P.S.: Thanks for your review on Thought-Holding Hearts.

Shiverwar responds:

Ehh, I really had no idea a to WHY I was remaking this in the first place... Oh well.

The gong was awesome to work with. I blame my school for blaring this damn song over the intercom every hour on the 28th...

And thank you for your always helpful criticism. Of course I'm working on stuff. But sometimes I have no idea what I want to do.

P.S.: Hey, no problem. I always like your work, and that calming song from FF was awesome. But it makes me want to play Dissidia more.

[Sunny's Theme (MGS4)]

This theme made that game for me.

It reminds me so much of Ennio Moricone's work in the Man with No Name movie series (Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) that it added to the nostalgic feel of the game in a different way from the flashback screens.

And your arrangement of it using a guitar makes it much better, since it's not just a melody hummed by Sunny. You have my head bobbing in approval.

~Joshy676

[Ssj3 - Ffvii Battle Remake Ii]

JESUS! [turns speakers down]

This is why I should really wait until morning to write reviews on Audio Portal stuff -- I nearly deafened myself using headphones!

Anyway, a good Compressor setting will work wonders for the sound level (of course, turning the master volume slider down a notch before rendering the .mp3 works for a coarse fix). I like the instrument selection this time around, though. Much more varied than most Battle theme remixes. The rhythm section reminds me of the boss theme from FFVIII (I believe it's called "Don't Be Afraid"..?), but that's because that 1--and-a-2--and-a-3--and-a4--and-a rhythm seems to be just as much a Nobuo Uematsu staple as the two-note bass lead-in for most of the battle themes. Hey, is that the gong from the SGM soundfont? Sweet, if so.

Anyway, to sum it up: Rough around the edges, but well done nonetheless. 4/5 and 9/10.
~Joshy676

P.S.: Still working on S-E-P-H-I-R-O-T-H! Perfect SE.

Shiverwar responds:

Haha. XD Sorry about that. It's one of my best remakes of this song, if not THE best. Sorry for it being so loud, but I wanted a more powerful feel to it.

Thanks for the compliment on my setting of instruments. And no, the FFVII Boss Song is called "Force Your Way". But I am also working on Don't Be Afraid, which is the NORMAL FFVIII battle theme. I'm also trying to work on Jenova Absolute in this same way, but I'll be sure to lower the volume on both. Hehe. And the gong I have is from the roland_orchestral_rhythm soundfont. I'm going to try to find the SGM soundfont, though, to see what it has.

Anyways, thanks for your review and you always constructive criticism. It's what keeps me going and drives me to do this.

P.S.: Sweet. I shall wait patiently for the finished product. Your work has been great so far, and I look forward to Sephy SE.