papkee's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A True Hero]

I love it. Can't wait for the full version. You blended chiptuney-electronic with orchestra in a fantastic way and I'm here for it. That climactic brass swell in particular was perfecto.

Bosa responds:

thank you! i’m definitely going to take this further into heroic territory when i release the full version hopefully this weekend!

[Summoner's Blade]

Well, you definitely hit the nail on the head as far as JRPG-inspired goes!

Love the piano ostinatos and the introduction of the kick drum. Strings also sound fantastic and the orchestration overall is really good.

[Hero's Journey - NGADM Round 1]

I wish I could do in a week what you can do in a day!

The instrument textures and mixing are superb, not to mention the arrangement. I can tell you're going to school for this kind of thing :)

Fantastic work as always - you'll be going far this year I'm sure.

Santi-Montali responds:

Actually the secret is references, listen and learn from the music you like, I learned orchestration that way. I do go to music school tho which helped me in the music theory realm. Anyway, thanks! Let's hope so, there are great contenders!

[~SW~ The Yearning]

Love it. Gives me F-Zero vibes almost. Could easily imagine this being in a futuristic racing game. Or even a schmup. Fantastic work!

SkyeWint responds:

Hey hey!

Hell yeah, this was super fun. Maybe it'll get to be in a game eventually, haha. Otherwise at least can use it for livestreams, right?

[RiLo-Fi]

almost makes me want to relax and/or study

love the atmosphere as usual, excited to see what your big project is

SkyeWint responds:

Big project, for better or worse, is not musical. Instead, it's informational! :)

I've been doing a lot of intensive research for the better part of a year now on a specific topic, and it's going to be about that.

(Also I think I don't have you on discord anymore for some reason? Wanna re-add me?)

[Priscilla's Tale]

Fantastic.

Amazing vocals and the ending orchestration is to die for. I love the percussion and all the little details you added.

Of course I'd expect nothing less

Step responds:

Papkee! Thanks so much for dropping by. People noticing the little details makes adding them all the more worth it.

[A Lunar Spirit]

Great fun to listen to. My only gripe is that it ends rather abruptly. Great atmosphere and the intro in particular grabs your attention right away!

[Tethered to the Past]

Stuff like this makes me realize there's a huge difference between "being a good pianist and composer" and "being able to fake it like you are." I definitely fall into the latter category.

Excellent and engaging piece. I was following the video the whole way through and loving it.

That being said, do you have the midi or a pdf of the song notated? I'd love to take a stab at trying to learn it because it really is that good.

Good luck in round 3, you're gonna get there no problem!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thank you for all the praise! You know what they say though, "fake it 'til you make it". I think that one can compose brilliant piano music even with limited technique/experience. However, playing a lot makes the process easier, and the music can get more complex. Naturally, the way that chords and scales pop out to you evolves somewhat. I also try to use varied left-hand patterns, interesting song structure, riffs and whatnot. In secret, I am a sucker for simple and pretty piano pieces though :p

I'll send the MIDI to you in a PM at some point today (on my phone atm). It's 'off tempo', but I'm sure you'll figure it out. Thanks again ^___^!

[drowning (AIM)]

beep bwoop ~

I dig this a lot. It keeps your interest the whole way through, the percussion and instruments are well chosen and very well mixed, and it just has a great atmosphere.

I'm a huge fan of the glide you've got on the lead synth. It's well placed when it's there. The piano is another standout feature of this piece. The delay and stereo effects you threw on it really make it shine that much more. The filtering and the little fx pads placed around the track are just the icing on the cake.

Fantastic song, as always. I'd expect nothing less.

johnfn responds:

your kind words are much apprecitated papkee! :>