Phronemophobia's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[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!

[Spike Pit Blitz (Mystic Cave Zone remix)]

I see it mentioned a lot on this site, but I never properly understood the mindset of "better place for" when it comes to sharing one's art. Share it everywhere that's appropriate and maximize exposure for your works. This is good stuff, Neon (nearly all your songs are) and it would be a shame if I was a YT-only fan and missed out on this or a NG-only follower and missed out on other songs.

NeonLuigi responds:

Thank you. I probably should change that mindset and just do it anyway. I initially just thought "Eh, people on YT don't really care for original stuff, I might just not upload it on there".

Mystic Cave one is being uploaded of course, I mostly meant original music, but you're right.