MrBellington's Reviews

[Resolution]

I get the concept, and it is a cute enough video, but I have to admit it took me a couple watches to really understand what was going on. The idea is fine, but it is pretty thin and could do with some embellishment and clearer execution. I quite liked the animation for the most part, a bit sloppy, but some obvious talent there. Unfortunately, I think it goes without saying that the music was truly hideous. It grated and sounded carelessly edited and there's no need for something so simple to drag down your video. There's plenty of great creative commons music out there that could've been used in lieu of it.

Good luck to you in your future work.

Datreco responds:

Thanks for the tips. I will keep those in mind, so i may bring better videos :)

[Society Interactions]

Sound effects, pitch perfect. Animation, simple, but suits the concept. And well-edited.

It just needs that extra layer of depth, as someone else described, another 'thread'. Once the point registered, and it became clear what was going on, the video was crying out for something else in the mix, some more complexity, some more interactions, some more actions. It was building nicely, a great crescendo and then petered out somewhat which was unfortunate.

Looking forward to seeing more from you.

[PubesShitFace]

The problem with this video is that was while it has a perfectly valid point about the ease at which people can make a lot of money producing reams of vapid content that requires little effort to produce, in an unintentionally ironic way, this video didn't really have a whole lot to say beyond that and unfortunately succumbs, albeit in a less obnoxious way, to the same thing it is satirising.

But I will almost always support the guy who actually makes the effort to produce some content of their own over the one who sits there and expects to be paid for playing someone else's content, unless they're one of the few (like TotalBiscuit) who can actually provide some added value in the form of insight or analysis or interesting deconstructions of the source material.

[Tantabus]

Funnily enough I listened to the Interstellar soundtrack earlier today, but I tried not to let that color my listening experience.

For a start "didn't really work out at all that well" is probably a bit an overstatement, though we tend to be our own worst critics! There are chunks of the piece that do have a nice sound to them. 01:05 - 01:45, has a nice blend of choral arrangement, with the organ just placed right in the mix, with some meaty clicking and clacking adding a little rhythmic spice. Texturally, it's definitely got something going for it. Mix-wise, consistently solid throughout.

In terms of detractions, I don't think it's what you tried sound-wise that "didn't work", to me it's the more basic structure of the piece. The only element that didn't work for me in that regard was the french horn at the end, didn't feel like it was sitting easily in the mix, and the line it was playing was weak.

Structure-wise, the chord progressions don't really develop enough to hold much interest and combined with only very shallow dynamic changes, the whole piece feels like it's in the same register and tone - basically pleasant, but without really taking one on a musical journey. For a piece which relies heavily on texture, I think you need to have the dynamics be a lot more interesting to carry the listener through.

In short, I think what you were experimenting with actually worked better than you thought, it's the basic musicality actually that could probably have done with some fleshing out.

Best,

Mb

[Hero]

One of the better variations of the modern ostinato-driven block-chord driven "sound" I've heard on the site. The mix is good, with solid dynamic programming - the drop off at 01:11 is particularly well-handled. Points for not using percs to cover up poor orchestrations. The inspirations are obvious as you note in your description, and I could see this sitting comfortably in a game.

TheoryGuy responds:

I appreciate you taking the time to give such well-thought-out feedback. I generally try to shy away from the "ostinato-driven, block-chord sound" that you note is present in a LOT of modern film work, precisely because I think it's over-used, and often a crutch for poor orchestration skills.

This particular track just came to me that way, and rather than fight it, I decided to go with it to see what it produced. It won't be my norm, but it was a constructive and fun exercise to work through,

[Pleasant Dreams]

An enjoyable composition, a very nice texture with the glocks, plucks and chimes. I thought the beginning and middle sections were more intriguing and interesting, but that's really just personal taste. The arrangement is good, and it kept my attention throughout. It's nice to hear pieces with some variety.

The only criticism I'd make is production-wise it could use a little work. A tidier mix and better programmed dynamics on the strings would've helped to bring the tune to life a bit more. The plucking probably had a bit too much reverb as well.

Good work.

LawnReality responds:

Thank you for both enjoying the track, and the advice. I'll try to use it to make even better music in the future! :)