ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[~Time~]

My main gripes with this piece are vocal performance and vocal mix, and reverb mixing decisions. The vocal is not very present in the center, sounds like it needs to be de-essed manually or via plugin, and is not very uniform in volume. It also is somehow out of tune on lower notes with the instrumental. Whether this is because of detuning of the synths or otherwise, it's noticeable for me.

The vocal additionally may have sounded better with a doubled higher octave.

Lyrically, I'm having a hard time understanding the vocals, partly due to mix, partly due to what sounds like cramming the lyrics into an unusual (for those words) rhythm. This is somewhat common in trance so I'm willing to forgive it!

The bass also due to the level of compression, lots of reverb, and arrangement also does not shine as well as it could. I recommend reducing the level of reverb and reducing the low-mids of the reverb itself through hi-pass/lo-cut, changing the arrangement of your piano (the chords in the low register are a bit muddy), and potentially even changing out those keys for another instrument entirely.

Are those nexus keys?

Basically my entire review could be summed up to, good ideas hampered by a muddy mix. Still, the melody is catchy, and I love this genre. Really takes me back. Keep up the good work!

7.2

ImmyShack responds:

Finally, some actual criticism!

Other than adding an EQ (vocal preset from EQUO) to boost the high ends I haven't changed anything in the vocal.

The lyrics are nonsense, hence why I didn't add them in the description. Just what Dooky Mackey (credited writer) had been drinking?!

The piano preset comes from nexus, I wrote a double octave piano to add background in the bridge between lead section #1 and vocal section #2.

I'll see what I can do, thanks.

[Random Number Generation]

I'd put it in DnB personally, because there are enough breaks that people there will appreciate it!

This song is really, really varied. Thus hyper LOL

It's also really sibilant, with the leads heavily overbalancing the bass and breaks. I'm still tapping my foot, but I would certainly revisit that mix for clarity and back off some of the high frequency instruments, as well as reverb wet signals.

Overall, great impression and arrangement, hampered only by comparatively minor flaws of mix.

8.5

[PARTY HATZ! - SHUTTER$HADES]

Omg. This takes me back to like 2009 hahaha. Proof that the music of that era was ahead of its time xD This sounds disturbingly similar to some of the dance tracks that I remember from back then

The lyrics are on point and probably the best part of the song

Mix could use improvement. It sounds very muffled, owing to heavy handed compression on top of levels that are loud going into the master. To eliminate this, I mix at a lower volume until I like what I hear, export, and then master the resulting wav (mp3 if I'm lazy) in a separate project file. This also allows me to slow or speed up the file if I want in audacity before mastering.

The vocals are hiding in the mix for most of the song and very widely spread, resulting in them feeling less intense and in your face than they probably should.

The instrumental in general has a boomy/boxy quality in which the low mids are over-pronounced along with the sub, and the finer details of hi-hat and lead are unclear except in sections where the compressor is not fully engaged. In short, it sounds like a combination of heavy handed mastering on top of mixing that is not quite ideal. Most of it has to do with volume levels pre compressor, it seems.

But I loved the song through and through. Great lyrics and theme, good groove. Nice work!

7.7

PARTYHATZ responds:

thank u for the tips :3 im so clueless when it comes 2 mixing and mastering but im learning every day! thanks again this is extremely helpful:))

[-AnxiousBreaks-]

Great groove to this track overall and handling of FX initially. I really think the only thing holding it back is mix -- and 1:25 the choir is distractingly lo-fi

1:44 I think it would have paid to keep things chaotic and offbeat, using samples rather than synths. You appear to mix samples much better than synths -- the non-bass synths occasionally get quite loud, are not necessarily great quality, and they also clash somewhat with your bass.

At 3:09 the initial charm which drug me into this track is somewhat lost. You're bringing some of it back for the outro, but by then I know the track is over, and this makes me sad. I do really like the wild stuff you do at the end with samples though. Bring on the confusion lol.

In short, I think you had a really strong statement in your opening, with a little lapse in the middle. It's okay. Experimenting is part of what makes music a blast. No pun intended. Good work, and thanks for coming out to NGADM!

6.5

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thanks for the criticism! Yeah, I’m probably not making it past the first round lol!

[The Fate of the Reverent]

The over-presence of reverb on your percussion and other instruments without controlling tail length and low-frequency wet signal is causing what ordinarily would be a driving march to sound very muddy. The reverb itself sounds louder than the initial attacks of each kick/bass drum.

The instruments chosen also are not the best (I understand this, we work with what we have)

What can be done to help this is to disguise the poor-man instruments by not using them by themselves -- for a string patch, I will have 5-7 similar instruments all panned slightly apart (or widely depending if it is a lead or a rhythm instrument), and I make sure that they are not immediately recognizable as a lone string synth, etc. This is hard though and I really just recommend finding better sounding instruments AND using this technique of layering.

One of the biggest giveaways that either the equipment or the arranger is lacking in this film-score/orchestral hybrid genre is single trumpets, single violins, and etc trying to carry a whole tune, or instruments with attacks that all sound the same on repeat notes or fast notes. If you want massive scale, you must provide massive ensembles. It doesn't matter TOO much what they are made of, if you are clever.

I myself struggled with this for a long time. It really came down to having to get a new PC and picking up every good free orchestral library/patch/vst I could get my hands on. If you're in need of those I just did a blog of some great freebies.

In short, good writing, great even. Just hampered by some very common mistakes in mixing and instrument quality. Don't worry. We've all been there! What's important is not that I or someone else think your piece is the best thing since sliced bread -- it's whether you're making the kind of music you want to make! Study your genre. See how it sounds, and how people make it that way, and you will be golden. It's much easier to fix mix than it is writing, too!

[cORRuPTEd]

Mix is pretty quiet overall with what sounds like some clipping/clicks from zero crossings in the intro.

It also is pretty unbalanced in terms of both panning and levels of lead, percussion, and bass. The lead contrary to popular belief shouldn't be the loudest in your mix -- it actually falls behind the bass, kick, and snare. The bass should be just slightly louder than the kick, side-chained so that it ducks whenever the kick hits. Optional to sidechain to the snare as well.

Compositionally, however, this is fantastic. Your production and FX are creative and keep me engaged despite the flaws of mix.

I would give your bass more mono-presence. There are plugins that will allow you to mono-ize bass below a certain frequency. I usually choose 180 hz and below, or sometimes 150. This is because when you add chorus to a bass, you increase the chances of phase cancellation -- of weakening it. We definitely don't want that in 99% of cases.

In short, I think your ideas are fantastic. It's just the mix and master that need a tune-up. Keep doing what you do!

6.7

rYANCOOPERmx5 responds:

I really appreciate the feed back, Thank you a bunch :D

[Illusion]

Yo, Audio Technica headphones are beast. I prefer the m40x for the sound profile

The transition into bassline was unexpected and probably could be either A, more smooth, or B, more jarring for maximum impact. Bass is throbbing in my ears pleasantly, but other elements could be darkened and obfuscated sufficiently to better fit with the bass. The lead through your initial drop is pretty clean and contrasts against the bass rather than providing lifting accompaniment.

As we go on, your wetter synths are sounding more enmeshed with the bass and thus better.

I think your kick could be a bit louder. Your snare is about appropriate in volume and sounds pleasant. Sample at 2:49 is a bit indistinct and a little sibilant due to bit-crushing.

For the genre, song is about the right length, since psytrance is generally quite progressive in nature.

Singing bowl/temple ding cymbals are slightly too loud at 3:27

3:42 was a pleasant drop of retro strings that made me smile. Your portamento laser synth could stand to come down and be wetter and further back

Your handling of perc next was an eargasm. Like literally spinning in the middle of a perc groove. It does go on for a while so I recommend modulating other FX such as tremolo, delay, hi and lo pass or flange to get more mileage out of them. Even just a subtle change in volume can make all the difference in holding out a groove.

I love your bass mix overall despite thinking there could be just a bit more hi-mid range to it.

Overall the track is much more than the sum of its parts and kept me engaged throughout. Great work!

7.8

burningmagma responds:

Thanks, glad you like it! :D

[Lucky Boy]

I dunno if I'd call this hip-hop, unless you're leaning toward R&B, but color me shocked to hear this haha. Or maybe we're bridging between lo-fi chill.

The things that bother me about this mix have a little to do with it being outside of my genre preference, but more to do I think with mix. The hi-hats are pretty high up there in volume, much louder and at higher sound output would be uncomfortable.

The bass also is quite high at points and sounds like it may be conflicting with your backing keys where the latter overlaps. Sounds also occasionally leap up in volume where they enter, be it the kick, or the lead. Watch for that. This could be the fault of master compression if it's hard relative to the volume of the input. As the track gets less sonically complex and quieter, the comp kicks in and there goes your naked solo instrument, loud as can be, before the rest of the instrumentation kicks in and likewise so does the comp.

Overall the composition is solid, if a little simple. I'm on my third listen to see if there is anything else I can pick out

At 10 the volume modulations on your hihat are quite noticeable. I would more slowly automate that. The delays on it also sound a bit loud, overly panned, and clumsy to me (in that they are very noticeable as I listen to the rest of the track, not that they sound terrible)

1:37 the hi-hat approaches a good volume but is not consistent in loudness, so it occasionally jumps under or over about where it should be in order to stand out (sound good) without sticking out (like a slightly sore thumb)

46, the shaker sounds bit crushed. Some additional EQ could be done to give it some shimmer. The tuned woody perc at 1:08 also could use to be panned to the left or right and given a more spacious treatment. Revisiting the flourishes of the shaker, around 2:06, I can hear some FX on it attempting to give more space. I think you could accomplish this by panning repeat notes differently from one another and leaning into that delay.

I think overall the volume of the bass at 2:14 could be louder throughout. It's the only moving part and thus the point of focus for the listener. Bass overall does not feel like it has as strong of a mono presence as could be.

Overall, good work and solid writing. The groove is there. The relaxation is in play. This sounds like something that would play as you build a cute little videogame village in something like... what is it called, Animal Crossing? Something like that.

NGADM score: 7.3

Extra half star for VGM feels

[Stuck]

1:50 is where this song begins to take on its most pleasant tonality -- which is unfortunate as your melodic ideas aren't bad at all.

I have mega ADHD so I totally understand not wanting to work on anything and being so crushed trying to get anything out, especially when under life stress. I don't want to do anything most of the time, so imagine something bad happens. I just want to lie in bed and watch YT.

My problem with this piece is the overly harsh synths in the beginning and slow pace, with lack of percussion and other development. I can feel your hatred for the piece in the very chords and your frustration! I do hope that making this helped you vent some of that though.

I wish I could give a higher score, but I suppose what I can give is half-decent advice.

Learning some solid song structure would help make the most of even what elements you have here, that you hated. Any structure will do, but there was this one channel by the name of Signals Music Studio that helped me most tackling formulaic songwriting.

None of your melodic ideas are bad, but the track as a whole feels very samey throughout due to using the same two chords for the majority, and bringing in and out the same exact elements, such as the falling string synth, the dulcimer sounding synth, and so on. The rhythms are pretty straight, and modulation begins half-way through. What you could have done is to pick a single note in the very beginning and spend 8 bars or so developing it. Simply the root note of your first major chord in the bass would do.

Your synths are also quite harsh for such a slow piece, from the very beginning. I would rather spend some time building up to that level of harshness and sibilance, easing in and backing out as you go along. Things sounding uniformly harsh makes otherwise perfectly fine writing feel a little uncomfortable!

Mix wise, I don't really feel a bass in the center, gluing everything together. I also don't have a real sense of unity between the various instruments. They seem to be in separate spaces. Part of this overall sensation is the use of dense chords in the lower register as the foundation for the track, with the bass quite low in the mix, those high up quarter notes starting at 1:22 being both hard to hear in terms of harmony, very sibilant, and seemingly very chorused, but also somehow in the center, and the strings falling being the strongest element I hear.

So in short, a study of mixing, production, and songwriting would be first on my list of things to do. But don't ever let the frustration or what anyone says about your music stop you. What's important is that you keep going. The point you're at now is not where you will always be. It won't always be this frustrating!

Don't give up!

NGADM score: 5.6