Phronemophobia's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Electric Jazz Theater | 2021]

Within the first thirty seconds, it felt like a Bertn song. It's a wonder how well you naturally brand your sound, even when you're not recycling certain tunes. "Supernatural Intervention" stands out partially because it's similar to the title theme of a certain NES game. "What We're Fighting For" is absolutely perfect. Couldn't have imagined it any better. I love the funk of "The Guardians." Not sure how to picture the guardians themselves, but this segment is the best bop in the piece, so I am assuming one to be rockin' shades. "Into the Unknown" and "An Illusion" pair nicely to really stir up the imagination for adventure, while "Rebirth" and "A Little Help" beautifully reflect that calm before the storm effect. Every part from "Into Hell" up through "A Hero's Death" is so precisely representative of their titles that I'm both impressed with how well you convey the rest of this musical journey and slightly disappointed that it's not more whimsical... charmingly bizarre in the approach. Then again, sometimes it's better to stand out by doing something simple flawlessly, rather than always aiming to be unique.

Never forget that you and your music are treasures on the Audio Portal, Bertn. Thank you.

Bertn1991 responds:

Your commentary always makes my heart happy. I'm definitely not the most popular, but I have some of the best fans around. Big thank you!

Hmm, I wonder what said certain NES game this is.

I don't know who the guardians truly are, but I know they like to funk. Shades are indeed recommended when in their presence.

Supreme thank you once again, sir. You are simply the best <3

[[Phantasy Star 2] "Hot Cocoa in the Ice Rover"]

I would never knock the composers for all the effort put into workarounds for hardware limitations back when these songs were created, because the creative use of simplicity is what really makes them so memorable to begin with, but it's because of remixes like this one that I sometimes wonder what could have been if they were provided with today's resources. I mention all of this because you've managed to provide a more eighties-sounding track than one that was literally created in the eighties.

HoboKa responds:

Well, it's because they had to down-sample to 24 kbs...when songs these days are at minimum 128...320 loss-less rate. That said, a lot of legacy music kicks MY ASS when it comes to automating things like vibrato and pitch tricks. I got a lot to learn too. Thanks for the thoughtful comment :D

[Akiko's Etude | 2021]

Definitely like Easter Eggs and it helps give a lot of your music an ongoing theme of "Bertness" throughout. <3

Bertn1991 responds:

Muchly appreciatory, good sir. Bertness is what I strive for.

Hope you're doing well (～￣▽￣)～

[[Donkey Kong Country] Winky's Shaft]

Even before reading the comments, I thought, "This right here could be the very definition of what your MnP competition is all about." I've said this before... probably to you, in fact, but I can appreciate just about any faithful recreation of a SNES track that removes the crippling effect of the console's Gaussian filter.

HoboKa responds:

Hey, I like that shitty muffled sound. So nostalgic. But yeah, the intent was to do a sound upgrade with some changes along the way. Not quite what I aimed for, but it worked out OK.

[[Ninja Gaiden] Ninja Roids]

First half sounds too much like a strained kazoo and is unpleasant on the ears. I thought it was a weird choice for you until the second half kicked in. Holy fuck... that last 50 seconds. Glorious, Alex.

HoboKa responds:

Yeah, it's a mixed bag. But I like it as well for the 2nd half lmao. Thanks :D

[Fabulous Intermezzo | 2021]

Intermezzo? More like InterMania! Add a few quack sounds and it'll be perfect(er).

Bertn1991 responds:

I do like to recycle! And yes, quacks make most things better. Much better than honks~

[Penelope Nickels | 2021]

Is this Lovebug's Somber Legacy? It does have one of those familiar tunes I hear in many of your songs that immediately tell me it's a high-quality Brent Bertn Bunn beat of brilliant beauty.

Bertn1991 responds:

It's true. I reuse certain melodies and chord progressions a lot. They're like little Easter eggs to myself. Anyways, I appreciate this high-quality comment. Thanks! Have a wonderful whatever part of the day this is <3

[Super Mario World: "Athletic" remix (NES, N163)]

The sound quality doesn't sound... I don't know a good word for it. "Crisp"? Not sure if that's by design. Might be. Aside from that, this is a fantastic remix. It's proper, too! A lot of remixes I hear stick far too closely to the source, but this one stands out beautifully while being recognizable. That's an easy five from me, Neon. Thank you.

NeonLuigi responds:

Thank you! I appreciate it.
I exported it from Famitracker and normalized the audio, I didn't really do much else to it other than that. The N163 chip can't clock every N163 channel at once, so the two channels need to wait their turn to play, which results in a quality loss. (The more N163 channels, the higher the loss) But I see what you are saying.

[[Super Metroid_Spoof] The Hunter's Boy Toy]

*Samus enters the room* "It's a STONE, Luigi!"

HoboKa responds:

You know da wae. Old memes ftw.

[Apricot Rag | 2021]

It's simple and fun. Charming and uplifting. The sort of thing you play to a wholesome comedy skit in a silent film about a squirrel falling in love with a chipmunk and trying to figure out how to get her to notice him.

Bertn1991 responds:

She'll definitely notice him when he brings in the apricots! Not all squirrels are chipmunks, but all chipmunks are squirrels, so they can totally be friends!