ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Darkest Wish]

Initially, I was thrown off by the synth intro. Arrangement is good here though, so I will just reserve my comments for the mix.

Your rhythm guitars and synths are too loud for the drums to sustain throughout the track. You can try compressing the drums more, but I would definitely bump the guitars down a dB or two. Compression wise, it looks like this mix is about as tight as it can be squeezed without getting muddy.

I would also try applying a tape saturator to fatten that snare up. It's sagging a bit. Kick sounds good.

Also, left channel rhythm guitar is a bit quieter than the right. Bass is also a bit muddy. I can't tell if this is low end on the guitars getting in the way of bass frequencies, or just not being quite compressed enough. I'd like to hear a little more of that crunchy string rattle too.

With metal, it's very important to clean up your frequencies on guitars/other instruments to get them out of the way of the bass. I generally low cut my guitars around 250 hz, kick around 50, bass at 27, just to keep compression clean of low hum. It's especially bad with anything analog, even with noise filters. You may check out some tutorials from Chernobyl Studios -- don't want to take up your time rambling on.

Overall, slammin' track. Reminds me of a cross between Metallica, Megadeth, and a few heavier old bands I used to listen to back in the day. Solid sense of groove, great pacing, sweet solos.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

MisledSatellite responds:

Thanks for the review and thanks for the advices on the mix. I will use them while working on final piece for NGUAC)

[Candlehead]

Interesting SFX. Reminds me of the church by my grandparent's house.

Sounds like this is D&B at first, then, I'm not sure. However, I do know I like the directions you're going. At 1:27, we're back solidly in the realm of D&B. I think the scratching/glitch FX may be a bit too loud for the mix to sustain.

Structurally, I'm not entirely sure what's going on, what awaits beyond each corner. Generally, I'm pleasantly surprised by each new development, but I do wish your drops lasted longer. I'm not sure if you have chorus/reverb on your bass, but if you do, I would reduce the wet signal.

I'd also increase the volume/compression on your percussion. It's hiding in your mix.

Overall, enjoyed the piece. Could probably do with a good master. At its loudest, it isn't quite making full use of the soundspace. Try it on one of those generic internet mastering sites and hear the difference, or maybe take a peek at some mastering tutorials for your DAW. It'll take you to the next level.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

dct2204 responds:

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed most of it, i'll definitely try those out.

[Rattlesnake On the Railway]

Oh my Jesus. I'm not sure if this Ample Sound AGML -- I think I may have recommended it to just about everyone I know at some point, but watch your articulations, room sound, attacks and -- you could probably stand to use some keyswitches, palm mutes, etc. to make this sound more natural. As is, it isn't bad, but the acoustic guitar is not blending well with the electronic sound.

Part of this is, when you make rhythm guitar tracks, you want to double-track them -- one guitar 100% left, 1 100% right, with slightly different mic, FX, attack time, velocities, and millisecond humanization to avoid the dreaded phasing/flanging sound when played on stereo. That's my single biggest gripe with this song. As is, the guitar is centered, which makes it sound very flat and one dimensional.

Key switches take ages to learn how to use, but they will add a totally new dimension to your synth guitars -- SFX like slides, chuckas, palm mutes, pick and slap attacks, all are important to presenting a nuanced, human performance.

Now, since I realize the lack of double-tracking is half the reason your guitars are too quiet in the mix, I'll try not to talk about it any more, lol.

Also, given the synth percussion, I would probably not place this in Gen Rock. Maybe Pop or D&B. I may actually go ahead and do that once I finish this review.

Compositionally, this is a very nuanced piece, but at times I find myself wondering why you haven't dropped a bass line in yet. The thin instrumentation sounds fine for orchestral additions but naked without them. By 2:44 I'm wondering if I'm ever going to hear one. At 3:01, I think I do, but it's no doubt hidden far under your electric guitar. Do double-track that when you get the chance. So rewarding.

At 3:28 I'm expecting you to go full drum and bass. I'm disappointed by sudden cutoffs of the electric guitar.

Also, I'm unsure if you're using a generic distortion plugin or not -- you may appreciate Emissary Amp and KeFIR/NadIR cab. Both are free, and you can find impulses for the latter free online. Chernobyl Studios does a few great tutorials on using them effectively, if you intend to bring more e-guitar into your compositions. You sound like you have a good head for using them already, just lacking some of the technical aspects. I'd actually be really excited just to hear the guitars in this track touched up once judging is complete.

Other than that, fun piece. It has its technical issues, but overall, I think it works well.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[Strange Taste]

Interesting approach to songwriting -- forcing yourself to get out of your comfort zone. I think it was a good choice not to compress the drums much this time around. They're already sitting right where they need to in the mix, perhaps even a bit louder than they really need to be. Dynamically, everything is sitting right about where it should. Occasionally the sudden fade-outs in volume do bother me, though.

1:20, I'm not really liking the lead you've chosen. It's a bit thin before 1:45. Same with 1:52. I'd like a stronger sustain and perhaps vibrato.

Great modulations through this piece, though structure feels a bit off. 2:08 I was very perplexed that things seemed to be over already. I would apply some FX, transition noise -- w/e just to keep things going.

2:44, we've got a good driving beat. Bass and leads are a bit loud for the drums to sustain. Here I would have pumped up the compression a bit just to get them standing out again.

3:19, leads still sound too loud. Bass is starting to sound really gridlocked and synthy. I'm curious as to what synth you're using. Previously, it sounded pretty natural with those earlier portamento long tones.

Overall, piece is quite a journey. Perhaps not as polished as it could be, but great for time constraint. Lots of cute little runs and a pleasant unpredictability for the most part that delivers on its promises. Loved it.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

ColinMuir responds:

Hey thanks for the review man :D

[Hope Sonata]

Nice writing on this piece from the jump. Functional harmony, good structure and pacing.

Those strings are a little ... wonky though. I would recommend Synful Orchestra strings and/or free version of Pocket Blakus for believable articulations. The attacks on Halion are fine for long tones and swells, but for runs as you have them, not quite genuine sounding. Hear the attacks and releases against each other? How they sound almost like a keyboard? Stringed instruments all have a sharp, breathy attack, especially bowed strings. You can hear the horse hair or synth fibers catch the string before they start to vibrate. Some artists use this to great effect.

I've taken a moment to look up Mari Kimura, just to make sure this is who I'm thinking of -- indeed she is. What you hear when the bow first catches the string is a split second (milleseconds) of "subharmonics," overtones, "undertones," etc., before the strings start singing. Mari uses them in her music quite frequently, and I figured it might be an opportunity to hear what I'm talking here. String Theatre features a short demonstration, and as she continues to play, note the slight scraping sound with each attack and release, occasionally through a sustain. Halion is wonderful, but it sounds so sterile to my ear by comparison.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed this piece. Very nostalgic. Modulations in all the right places. Shave off some low end from the reverb, cut a bit of a shorter release on 'em, and give those strings a little more breath in the 16k-18k range, and that'd be the icing on the cake. Very nice work.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

AzulJazz responds:

Thank you su much ADR3-N for this really helpful review !!

[HeaD BoP]

Looks like this may have been brick wall limited. That kick at 13 is massively loud. I feel like it's going to squash everything in its path.

By 0:41 I'm noticing pretty hardcore side-chain pumping, and your instruments are starting to sound muddy. The compression here is a bit beyond what your instrumental can sustain.

Drop at 1:22 is not as clean sounding as 1:13, but it is catchy. I'd bring that kick down about 1-2 dB, possibly space out your keys a little bit. They sound very centered, which makes the track as a whole sound more quaint and narrow than it really is.

2:18 section was a good choice stylistically. I would have probably been ear fatigued by now had you not moved to a slow triplet feel. Can't tell if you've actually changed meter or not, but the effect is the same.

Chord progression is good. Bass, compelling. I find myself wanting a little more of your snares and claps. Solid structure and the piece seems to know where it's going for the most part melodically.

Nice work for a three day cram piece. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[Crusher]

I like this intro -- also glad to hear that you'll revisit it once you're able.

0:13 section has a nice swing to it. Little sibilant in the ears though. Watch those high frequencies.

Mixing on this is otherwise very clean sounding. Absolutely slamming drop, which again is cleanly mixed. Could probably use a little more bass -- maybe an underlying sine wave. Of course you'd need to compensate for this by dropping the growls down a bit.

I can't really comment on much else, since the piece is short and unfinished. Were the rest of the track of this quality, it'd be a solid 9/10.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[On Edge]

Opening almost reminds me of ME1 music. I would take a bit more care with your lower intervals. Octaves and 5ths sound clean in lower ranges than major 3rds, 4ths, and other intervals, which are better separated from your bass instruments. Recommend studying this concept, as it will massively improve your soundscaping ability.

In short, a lot of your interval clashes can be solved by either choosing to omit doubled thirds or fifths of a chord (most people will not double 5ths anyway because they're so strong) or use chord inversions. If you don't know a lot of these terms, I recommend you study music theory. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials for this, and it's fairly easy to understand and implement right away in your music if you're willing to just take a few minutes a day, write notes, and go back to practice some concepts. Seriously, it makes all the difference; take time to learn all the rules so you can later break them.

This piece actually does not sound as bad as you probably think it does. Other than really muddy low end occasionally pumping out, mid range counter melody sticking out a bit over the top of other instruments, and chunky low-mids, this piece is actually atmospherically sound. 3:17 it does start to overdrive and get into distortion territory. Watch your levels and try not to just rely on compressors and brick wall limiting to keep your headroom under control. Definitely recommend mixing and mastering tutorial study there.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

Andethy responds:

Thanks for the feedback. I just didn’t have time to learn these things well, but at least I tried. I tried a lot to limit the distortion levels at that point but it kept making the mix worse :( Thanks again