Synfang's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[To explore]

Honestly, I think this is the best thing I've heard you upload here in a while. Keep up the good work!

Arponax responds:

Oh boy, thanks. I'll try to apply things ive learnt while making this in future as always :D

Hopefully it will get even better overtime.

[Cool cat theme bossfight tune which I'm gonna use in geometry dash even though I'm grownass person]

LONG time, no see! For starters, let me just say that title is funny as all hell. :)
That aside, very different from what I was used to from you, but for the most part, I'd say it works. The one issue I'd say I have with this is I think the distortion is a bit much at times, but hey, maybe from someone else's perspective it works. In any case, great to see ya upload again!

DjThiscom responds:

Sup Bro! Love to see some old newground face and still smashing those beats! I don't make rock at all, but this was just funny tune what I made. The distortion could be done way better, but I didn't do any side chaining for the drums so the mix is one big mess haha probably gonna delete this, because I made the second new chorus

[Tomb]

Not gonna lie, when I first heard this in GD a day or two ago, I lowkey mistook it for a Bossfight song, since some aspects of it reminded me of Nock Em and 1-2 other bass house songs by Bossfight. That said, still definitely a banger; the boss battle RobTop set this to arguably doesn't do it justice, NGL. Great work!

[Feel Good]

Gonna be honest, I'm not as big a fan of this one. The kick felt buried in the mix for basically the entire first half, and the melodies didn't quite achieve the effect you seem to have been going for, though I know that last remark is more subjective. I think the electric guitar and some of the drum composition go against the intended purpose though, adding a little too much energy if not aggression for a song intended to be calm and pleasing.
That said, I wouldn't go so far as to call the track bad; it definitely has its merit despite the context making its message feel kinda mixed.

Arponax responds:

Well, it is mostly an opportunity for me to share my guitar learning progress so if it doesnt fit that well it may be just of lack of experience with guitar composition (which came out quite different as when you want to make "electro" melodies).

But i dunno for me it doesnt feel aggressive, but maybe im just numb to it since alot of my music is just that XD

[The future]

Okay, so some comments on the track I have, in the order I noticed them...
-I know I'm not really in much position to talk, but this is the first track I've heard in a long time that gave me the conscious thought of "MIDI drums"
-The way the tone changes around 0:19 is cool, though I feel it could've had better execution; not totally sure how though
-Some of the lower end percussion in the later parts of the first drop don't feel like they pop through the mix enough IMO
-Guitar in the first part of the bridge section is really nice; I would've liked to see more done with it, but maybe that's just me
-Second drop, I was really not expecting that arp; I like it though
-The composition on the guitar in the first part of drop 2 sounds kinda familiar, though I can't think from where

Overall: not bad, though I'm not blown away by any means either; could see myself playing Crossout with this music in the background.

Arponax responds:

Well all of my drums are MIDI so :D maybe its because im trying to make more Rock-ish beats rather than that boring four on floor. Or maybe its because i didnt process them as much as i do in my electronic tracks. Its basically a new style for me so alot new to learn.

I could definitely be done with use of some pedal, which i do have but tbh im kinda happy that im able to play those samples XDD using pedals actively while playing is a big no no for me.

Im glad you like it...Melodies are hardest to play for me cause you can hear every mistake in there....btw i didnt cut those samples so even the mistakes are there(i kinda do that in all of my songs, cause i dunno, if it doesnt break the song that much, it makes it more human to me XD)

Oh yes the arp fits perfectly in there, i wanted to expand on that more but, had a hard time coming with more variations of guitar and stuff....something more rhythmical would definitely be a way i think, palm mutes needs to be incorporated :D but i cant use them so well yet.

Not sure, every melody in this is from my head so maybe i heard something similar and used it unconsciously.

Next time will be better ;)

[NeverEndingStress]

It's not the kind of song I'd put into my playlist, but it's still pretty solid IMO. The title honestly fits the mood of this at some parts a lot better than I expected. Good work!

Arponax responds:

thanks :D thats just how i imagine industrial music.
For me personally its not something i would listen to on daily basis either but it was a nice experiment.

[It is what it is]

My thoughts:
-Mostly good sound design; I like the aggressive feel of the bass
-Snare feels a bit weaker than I'd like, but maybe that's just me
-Has a kinda... I almost wanna say 80s type feel, which is kinda in line with what you expect from synthwave, I suppose, but it stood out a bit more than usual this time, and I like it
-The random scattering of that high-pitched percussion around halfway through ain't bad, per se, but I don't know how I feel about it
-Despite that more apparent 80s feel I alluded to, song still retains a decently unique identity, which is partly helped by the bass around 3 minutes in

Overall, good job! Keep up the good work!

[Ruined City (3IC)]

Narrowly avoids being repetitive, TBH, but I definitely like the soundfont and atmosphere you got to this track; definitely fits the title well IMO.

[Infinity]

Solid as usual, I'd say. You definitely got the feeling of the pic down IMO, though I do have a suggestion for the future (not necessarily a criticism, just a tip): for space-themed songs, using a whole-tone scale might be worth looking into; it's a decently common choice for space-themed songs, if memory serves.

Arponax responds:

well, im not sure what scales i used in the song :D for me the space vibe is made with the pad i used or the fx that plays in the background.

piano on the other hand is supposed to depict some sort of thoughts or emotions that the person being in the space is having.

another element that for me personally adds quite spacey idea is the sub that is playing in empty places, behind that i imagine something big, maybe a bit scary etc.

Anyway thanks imma think about it as an idea for future :D

[Facing the Storm (AIM2023)]

Pretty cool, NGL! It most definitely fits the title, though I'm tempted to say it's almost too menacing for the art... not that the art has 0 of those vibes, but it's not quite to the extent as the song IMO.

Arponax responds:

Yeah maybe XD it could be cause of the inspiration i had for the composition itself,
The city must survive, which is like very intense track that im actually unable to imitate cause i dont have real orchestra :D

the main thing that makes me hear the picture very menacing is the hand that is reaching for the little house, it makes me think that this is a storm that is just able to destroy anything it comes into contact with.