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!

[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.

[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! :>

[~SW~ Thoughtspark]

that short description sums up most of my pieces tbh

I dig this thing. I'm not one for experimental drum n bass songs but this one kept me interested for sure. I'm not sure why, either. Everything was selected well and fit well, and it would go perfect in a video game. A few of the leads might've been a bit too harsh but overall I enjoyed it.

SkyeWint responds:

Heyo!

Glad you dig it, man! It was definitely an experiment for me, but it's... actually just one real theme. It's just one theme with a couple variations and a bunch of notes putting them together vaguely.

I agree some of the leads are a bit too harsh. I probably should have reigned in the high end - might do that and reupload it.

Thanks, man! :)

[It's a Girl]

A well-arranged track is what separates the amateurs from the professionals. This track is nothing short of amazing, as is expected from the likes of you.

Songs like this make me want to take the time to actually learn music theory, arrangement, and composition instead of just throwing things at the wall until they sound alright.

Stunning mixing, stunning samples, and just a really good song. It's going in my orchestral playlist for sure.

Bosa responds:

Thank you so much, Papkee! I really appreciate the encouragement and support.

Have a great week,
Jon

[The Journey Home]

Arrangement is absolutely stellar. I'd love to know what you're using right now for samples; those strings sound incredible.

The female vocals (which I'm assuming are live) mix perfectly into the song. If you're looking for nitpicks, the song seems to lack a bit of high end, especially on the higher strings that make them sound a bit muffled. Not bad by any means, but I noticed it.

Overall though, absolutely fantastic. Your brass and the flute at the beginning and the rolls of the timpani to the build-ups are all just stellar and I've listened to the song three times now. Great job as usual.

Bosa responds:

I was already aware of the muffled sound with the higher vins, and I honestly think it may be a problem with either the mp3 compression or perhaps I had the gain too low to pick up enough expression. I hate that it shows up in the music, but hopefully it won't stand out too much to other listeners.

I am using more session vocalists, so expect more of that in the future. I am happy that people still listen to my work here on Newgrounds.