Teckmo-X's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[ClockWorks (Remix)]

Wow honestly speechless well let me just start by saying that THIS is really awesome! It reminds me of the earlier years of Newgrounds when VGM and 8Bit were really at an all time high. The piano part at 0:50 is nice and less reverb than the way I did it but it's satisfying. 1:43 the partial interlude definitely gives off that same melody progression. This is really cool! I am flattered to hear from your DM's that I've inspired you to make music. Keep doing what you're doing and one day you will achieve your dreams and goals. Who knows maybe in the future we can collaborate with each other. I'm always looking to connect with artists.

philRacoIndie responds:

ty ty ty!!

[Caliban]

It brings me back to Castlevania. I like that synth organ kinda like a church organ. At 20 seconds where it comes in with that bass is really nice. I like the deepness of it. The composition is new to me since I haven't worked with that type of genre or at least not as much as I used to but I like how video game it sounds. At 1:49 or like the main chorus of this song I felt like the drums were a bit too high. The kick especially had too much bass and release on it aside from the major boost in gains. It could do with some compression or some processing to help find that right tone. You can even use an equalizer which would help balance your high pass and low pass giving it a more crisp kick drum. You also have the option of skipping processing and simply adding some noise background to give it that really nice 8bit kick effect. Aside from percussion and lack of equalization I think you have something going on here. You seem to have a keen mind for making compositions which is a plus and like I said I'm not big on this sort of sound but you're managing it quite nicely. Work on your percussion and mixing/mastering and you should be fine. Also along the way you'll learn new stuff which will help you progress even further within the world of sound.

Some other advice for the future would be to maximize your understanding of oscillators. They are the main key for making video game music. 4/5 for me Keep Up!

[Hyperborean Wanderer]

Okay I'm really liking this one. I would say my favorite part of this is the start to finish. I never collaborated with an artist before but I'd love to work on a remix of this with you. We can do a drum & bass type of thing or if you want we can even get down to electronic dance or dubstep. I feel this vibe way too much.

ChronoNomad responds:

Ayyy, Teck! Always a pleasure to see a review from you. :D

Wait, did you say that your favorite part is, like...basically...the entire song? Haha, that's entirely too awesome of you. And very much appreciated. It's definitely been a hot minute since my last collab, but I'm totally down for a Teckmo-X remix on this puppy. I think it would sound sweet in any one of those genres, though I've admittedly never really done much in the way of Dubstep myself.

What more can I say? Vibe on, my friend. VIBE. ON.

[Poppin' Pixels]

I like this beat so much! Really cool Larry!

larrynachos responds:

Thanks Teckmo-X! I enjoyed your pixel day contribution as well! Very long and epic :D

[AIM - Beware The House On The Hill]

The fun part about making music is the experimental part of discovering new sounds to work with. I think this is good if you're into horror or thrillers, it's something that captures some grotesque scenery. So here's what I think of this piece:

Let's start with the pros. Well I like the beginning of this. I see what you did there. You tried to capture the heartbeat type of beat lol. This is nice and it gives some secondary character-ism to the song. It definitely has a level of creepy in the background and wouldn't mind listening to this on a video game. It's perfect for a horror game in many ways. The style, the beat, the chill that runs down your spine. Qualities music needs to bring to peoples attention.

I find it awesome that you tried to synchronize the piano roles to each section of the song. Pianos are just a great way to add some atmosphere for just about anything and this one worked out for you.

With every good there's a bad:

So everything seems just fine but as I listen it feels dry. The song has some good atmosphere but what makes horror grab you by the heart is the effects. Reverb, Delays, Sustains, and LFO effects can really help out with bringing the atmosphere to life. I can give you an example of this in one of my songs "City Ruins". It amounts with lots of reverb and sustain which when pairing with keyboards, pads, and atmospheres it can easily bring out that tense but bassy reflections of sub bass that sends chills down your spine.

Other than that I'd say mixing and mastering too but that's problematic for everyone even myself. I definitely think this has more potential and if you were to take my advice and try to add some reverb and sustain it will help you clear a path for a smoother transition in atmosphere. With the right tweaks this can be movie material sound. I enjoyed it.

Codefreq responds:

First off, thank you for taking the time to provide me with such a detailed critique. I know it isn't necessarily easy to go out of your way to write such a lengthy review.

Second, while I appreciate the suggestions to use effects, the dryness was deliberate. This was done primarily for two reasons:

1: I tried invoke the feeling of a scary part of a nightmare where a so-called "jump scare" wakes me up. Having different effects may invoke a "classic horror" style, but personally my nightmares don't work that way.

2: No piece of music has ever scared me more than the piece titled, "Omen Of The Bloody Moon", from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is also rather dry. I tried to mimic the feeling I got from that piece (not to be confused with the technical aspects, I'm talking strictly about the vibe here) when I made this song. I also tried to get the feeling of uneasiness to come across with the complementing artwork.

The bigger point is not just creating scary music, but creating music that drastically changes the initial vibe of the artwork that the music goes with.

That said, I'll keep your suggestions in mind.

Thank you for your positive feedback as well. I don't think it should go unnoticed. :)

By the way, I gave your piece a listen. It's certainly a different approach than mine, but there's more than one way to go about making something scary.

[Vortex - Froggy]

A lot of your work can spring into something more. I do feel like there is potential though you should try and render your work rather than record it. Try FL Studio and you'll see how much better it can be. Otherwise you have a follow for now. Hope to see more.

[Touch of Madness - Empty (2/8)]

Review for Review I honestly think this is great. I get a lot of Dexter's Laboratory vibes coming from the chorus. Specifically the start has a nice flow but I do feel like that vocal entrance was a bit held too long. maybe a little less reverb on that one. When it gets to 1:08 that's when the Dex Lab feels hit strong. I would have liked to hear some nice wobbles there though. Maybe a mega saw drop could have been nice. The interlude comes in at 1:37 and that really calms the chain flow and gives your listeners some time to breath. Starting at 2:04 to 2:32 seemed shorter than the beginning verse which just seems better that way and then the drop hits and I liked it but it also felt dry on variety.

In conclusion to this review I like it and it's an interesting combo of dark but chill melodies that really shows the uniqueness of the song. My only complaints are variety like drops and SFX that could have given it a little more umph. Keep it up though! I lkike your style!

NoStereo responds:

Wow dexter's lab, that's an old one. Thanks for the great review!

[The Edge (WIP)]

Honestly I haven't had time to listen to a lot of other users music here and you follow me. This is fresh and new and it sounds good. There are some flaws in it like noise and overlaps but it's something in the making so no real judgmental thoughts yet. I've listened to it 7 times and I'm getting the hang of it. I haven't collaborated in a while so maybe I can share some verses for your music? I can create simple melodies and you can use them as you'd like? Don't need to give me credit for it but I'd love to help you out if it's okay? Keep working on it and let me know if you'd like to here some samples I have for you :)

Vortonox responds:

Didn't expect you to comment!
Thank u! :D

[Evening Road (v2)]

Brings me back to those good old Sega days. It's good to see people who are still developing what the past held up to. It's a nice melody and it's chill too. I like it!

[Tennobyte - Magical]

Another great one. I do think I had to agree with DeadbushiaYT on this one. Arrangement and variety wise could have been better but for me it felt short. I was hoping for another climax to the chorus at 2:30 but it just ended up being a small verse straight to an end. I like your music and I hope to hear more from you. I know you have potential!