ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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 !!

[Magnetic Flow]

Yo, sad to hear you had problems with this track. I can hear the stress. Also sad that I can't give a better score due to the unfinished nature of the track itself, which is about 55 seconds long.

What I'm hearing is aesthetically pleasing, despite somewhat tin-canny from stereo FX/reverb. Your use of FX and percussion is very organic sounding, something a lot of modern electronic music could stand to emulate. I find myself wanting more volume on your snares, less on your leads.

I could definitely do without the heavy ... is that reverb? It sounds like being trapped in a small shower cabin, and I'm on monitor headphones.

Were this song finished, I'd give it a full 4/5. I hope you revisit it some day when you're feeling back in the groove though. It's cool as hell.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

Abstrack responds:

Hey, thanks for your honesty and for your time spent on reviewing this.

I think you are right for the reverb (yeah, it's reverb haha), I hear what you are talking about. I might have put it's volume too high; or perhaps should I take a closer look at its settings. Also, I think you are right for my mastering. Ugh, so much to learn!

Like I said in the description, I should have tried to make this song for me, how I wanted it, and not for NGUAC, asking myself (while doing it) what people in general might like to hear. It would have killed pressure and removed useless emotions x).

Anyways, everything you said makes a lot of sense to me. I'm gonna try things and see what happens.
Thanks a lot for your help!

[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

[Hunter&Prey]

Opening chord sounds good. Could use less reverb/delay, as it doesn't quite sound clean.

Cello modulation needs to be a little bit quicker to emulate a finger sliding up a string. That synth could also use less low mid and more 12k-20k.

This piece has potential, but it sounds very unfinished. In fact, it's not so much the repetition that gets me but the sudden cutoff at the end. I was very much expecting this song to go places. You might appreciate some song structuring tutorials, etc., or perhaps listening to other songs in your chosen genre to give you an idea of where else to go with your piece. As is, you've just got a minor i chord. Have a listen to some synthwave and take the time to learn a little bit of the music theory/structure of the works. It will immensely expedite your writing process. I say this because what you've got here sounds like the intro to a potential 6 minute banger.

Overall, regret I can't justify giving a better score. There's just not enough here to form an opinion. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

tansuma1 responds:

Thanks for your honesty ADR3-N. If anything being in the NGUAC has shown me just how under prepared I was and how much more development I need to go through in order to make the cut. Whenever I have free time I shall continue to develop as a musician. This will be that 6 minute banger one day, I promise!

[Synapse]

Opening synth sounds like it has a lot of overtone hanging over in that reverb, kinda tin-canny. Needs a shorter release and a little more cut on it.

0:25, that 808 hit is soooo sweet, but it's run over by your leads, the low pads, and hihats, the latter of which I would recommend maybe panning. A fun thing to do with those is to have two different hats and pan them 40% L/R respectively.

Structure of this song is pretty solid without being overtly predictable.

I would stray away from such thick, parallel motion low-mid chords. Lower interval limits make for a useful study.

Definitely pull those pads, leads, and possibly clacks down a bit. Your 808, kick, and snare need to be the loudest elements of your track, and they need a relatively clean sound space to play in. Most of the space in a track comes from roomy percussion, not your leads -- I can hear the reverb tails on your leads clear over the bass, which is not a good thing. Turn down that reverb wet and cut it some more!

Other than that, decent track. I would definitely recommend a study of chord progressions, lead writing, and harmony. You've got structure down. Mixing would be my next concern, but you're getting there, and other than the relative clutter, nothing sounds horrible, peaky, or otherwise nasty. If your instruments were arranged a little more cleanly note-wise, a lot of that muddiness would clear up.

Overall, enjoyed the piece. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

StaticLF responds:

Thanks for both of your reviews ADR3-N. The feedback has been very insightful and informative. Never thought that I would get this much criticism back from doing this competition. Making these tracks has been a fun experience.

[Tears Ft. Lowpry]

Nice wobbly intro. Really does sound like a weedling record player. I'm liking the atmosphere of this piece.

By 0:50, the low sine bass is blowing the crisp highs off this piece. Turn it down some and/or swap to a grittier synth.

I don't quite like that crackly sample you're using on the offbeats of your choruses. Sounds like stirring a pot of sticky mac or popping that weird foam ball stuff in your hands that girls used to dig some years ago.

Beyond that, some stellar olskool. I'd like to hear a little more hard hitting perc, just to give the track some punch, maybe more low mid, a little more sibilance, etc, but that could just be my personal taste talking. Track works functionally and aesthetically well.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

Ruko29 responds:

Thank you uwu