ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Repurposed Souls - A.I.M. 2018]

Official AIM2018 Review!

I'm definitely feeling waves lapping up against our boat, watching the sunset, flames of the oil rig in the distance.

Only thing killing my enjoyment of this mix is the super loud hi-hats in comparison to the rest of the mix. Got a lot of muddy reverb elsewhere as well, a high fizz that persists from the intro. I would recommend a tighter EQ, hi-cut, lo-cut, etc. Cut and compress, cut and compress, shape EQ, etc. Chernobyl Studios on YT does some wonderful guitar/drum/master mixing tutorials, which I feel this piece would have benefited from immensely. I almost feel like I'm listening in a tin can on the waves at points.

Didn't like the abrupt stop, record-yank break in the middle either. It kinda just confused me. Second listen, I'm used to it, but first I was like wut. It's a very jarring end to that earlier cadence.

Kick and snare could probably come up in the mix just a little, or be compressed somewhat. Drum track as a whole was nice and pensive until those quarter crashes, which I understand we metal heads are soooo fond of.

Also feel like bass needed more distortion, could have come up in the mix a bit. Lead is almost screaming over everything.

Composition itself is very laid back, appropriate to the piece, and makes great use of delay. Reverb wet signal is a bit too high and is covering up your articulations.

Other than that, sweet, laid back jam. Fits right in with the art you selected. Quality is passable. Could have used some mastering and polish on the mix, but I liked it nonetheless. Thanks for turning out to this year's competition!

[AIM-The Creepy Doll]

Official AIM2018 Review!

Can't tell if it's just me, or if your key synth in the intro has a really low 100 Hz or so hum on each attack. It gradually grows as sections get bigger. Sounds like reverb needs serious lo-cut.

As we progress, I find I really like the section up to the ritard. Changing up your instrumentation was a big leap of faith here, but I find it works, even though your synths ring pretty seriously outdated to my ear. I'm hearing what almost sounds like distortion in your low strings with each stab.

Arrangement definitely works. Technical aspects seem to be most of what's killing this piece. I'm actually surprised that East West sounds so machine gun. I may have to look into it myself. Meantime I'd recommend Synful Orchestra if you can score a copy. Much more natural.

Sounds also like a lot of reverb is clouding your mix. I'd say it could use some mastering compression too, but I'm aware cinematic doesn't always make much use of this, and film scores can be much more subtle.

Enjoyed this piece. Lack of variation aside, theme was clear, creepy, pounded home, and really matched your choice of artwork well. Nice work!

Thanks for turning out to the competition!

[AIM - distance]

Official AIM2018 Review!

Trying not to be overly vague or brief here. Let me just jump right in.

Your vocal mixing/recording is getting much better. Super proud of you. Still feel like you do yourself a disservice not singing out in the beginning, but in a way, it gives you a bit more room to grow later on.

I will say right off, the free-verse-ish lyrical writing is extremely well done -- better than Disney could have done it, imo, and if not for some mixing and compression issues, this would have been very close to a flat 5 for me, for that reason alone. If I could hear a bit of sniffling as you were singing that first bit, the airy-breathy sound you were going for would have really enhanced tone.

Compositionally, awesome work. Only a few complaints of muddy mix, some elements sticking out a bit too far in the soundscape, others being all about the same volume and thus hard to hear. Perhaps too much reverb tail as well. Chord progression is solid and totally fits the mood. Instrumentation is clearly well thought out and does the job. I would have liked a little more volume on the piano to more properly accompany your vocals.

2nd refrain is where you come into your own -- and those backup vocals sound GREAT, complemented by that theremin. Seriously, nice sound. More of it please.

The rest of the track flows like hot butter. Only wish it were a bit more compressed, but I understand you may be approaching this similar to mixing classical music, which must have a lot of dynamic contrast. Still, I'd like that high point of the song, full steam ahead to the outro, to approach somewhere around at least -1 dB headroom. You had some very powerful sections that would have benefited seriously from just a bit more volume, if not some moderate compression.

Anyway, super glad you turned out for this year's competition. You've both come a long way -- getting better every day!

[endK - Automaton Squad]

Official AIM2018 Review!

This is my second time attempting to write this -- got nuked by Windows update -- but man, this track really is a journey!

First thing I want to get out of the way, I'm not hearing the pacing issues TL is evidently hearing. On the contrary, I hear solid writing for the most part, variation of themes, great modulation on your leads, and flowing melody. However, I also hear is a little rockiness in the mix.

Particularly, that opening saw lead is pretty flat, even for a nostalgic 90's house/techno sound. The naked saw sections throughout are my least favorite part of the piece.

The bass also seems panned slightly to the left. This may be a compression issue if other elements of the track are panned to the right. Bass could also use a bit more presence.

The track overall is a bit sibilant, hi-hats being a particular offender. They seem to sit just on top of the track, and I can't tell if there's too much reverb or they were processed before being mixed in.

I would also probably ditch those ride samples in favor of a swooshy reversed cymbal or something in that vein -- or at least had some subtler samples for repeat hits. However, your FX are otherwise handled well, and this could just be my personal dislike of canned rides. You may have had a little more luck chopping and sampling jazz drum breaks. Definitely could have used a true crash every now and then.

2:23 was a bit naked for my tastes. Break was a bit jarring from the usual solid presentation.

I will say I would have liked to hear harmonies in the lead synth parsed out to a different instrument. That synth is so in your face, two notes at the same time, in the same octave, is just a little hot. A softer lead panned a bit alongside that would have been super. You flirted with the idea earlier in the piece with what sounded like a parallel motion (+7 semitone) double track at 1:17, which worked pretty nicely with that organ-y pike on one hand and a fantasia-esque sound on the left. Organ was about .5 dB too loud for my taste, but it worked.

That about rounds up my critique. The track almost has too many melodic elements for me to analyze effectively, especially since my previous thoughts have gone poof, so let me just stop and say that I am super impressed with your presentation this year. You've come a really long way since I first heard you in NGADM, learned a lot, and really brought the whoop-ass. Keep up the good work!

endKmusic responds:

Damn those updates! >: (
Had almost identical experience few months ago.
Anyways, totally get what you're sayin' with leads, should've fattened them up for sure, defintely would sound more 'juicy'.
I also think that I could've controlled reverb / delay much better as I'm listening to it once more.
Don't think there's panning issues on bass, since everything underneath 200hz is mono and centered up.
Maybe I should've raised a volume a bit higher, don't know what was the thought process at the time I was producing it, but I certainly did want to justify all the frequencies throughout the song.
2:23 (feel like you're reading my mind all the time, LOL) was kinda rushed I admit that, but wasn't that bad so I decided to go with it. Didn't want to implement more (new) transitions, since the song is already all over the place at that point. Just wanted to go back main part once again.
To sum up, I totally agree with almost everything you said and thanks for pointing that out.
Thanks for the compliments too. :)
Gladly takin' these advices for the upcoming stuff.
<3

[AIM - T-Rex Handshake]

Official AIM2018 Review!

This may be one of the finest EDM tracks I've heard on Newgrounds. Clear writing with varied rhythms, a nice harmonic minor groove, and crazy runs. My only complaint would be a little muddiness in the mix itself, what sounds like a bit much reverb on your hats, and a bit of a flat sound. Of course, I'm listening on really flat monitor headphones, so that may contribute to the raw 'verb sound.

1:18 is a nice build, but it's a perfect example of that very fizzy, muddiness I'm talking about. Also would have loved to hear a little more nuance to those attacks on your orchestral synths. Felt that the section was also seriously mid-heavy. Would have liked the bass to sweep in before we hit the next section.

Our drop of course is a real A and B call-response type thriller, which I appreciated massively, and this is followed shortly after by a sub-heavy build into -- SURPRISE, square wave retro fun. That was a treat. I do wish the sub were taken a bit down during that build at 2:37, simply because it sticks out heavily with the relatively un-sausage-fattened state of the track.

What follows is a bit of a B-side take on our original theme, building back into our chorus for a final push.

4:34 break was just a bit too naked for my tastes.

Throughout, I find myself wishing for just a bit more oomph on your strings. Compress those suckers harder, multiband compressor, preferably.

Use of SFX was sparing throughout. I found myself wishing for a few more T-rex noises just to drive the point home, as what I pictured throughout was less a guy frantically running from a T-rex -- more a high speed car chase, which may or may not have involved a T-rex. This is not a serious detraction from my listening experience -- song is jammin', has a definite thematic statement to make, utilizes cadences excellently, and demonstrates monstrous talent -- but this IS an art inspired music competition, so it's worth mentioning.

Also, this may just be my taste, but I feel the song as a whole is a little under-compressed.

Nevertheless, great track. Definitely going in my favorites. Thanks for turning out this year to AIM!

ActualElf responds:

Thank you for a kind and so thoroughly thought out review!

I agree with all of the points you raised, I saw a lot of these flaws in the track as it progressed but due to my current workflow and set up I had to accept the flaws to move forward and find enjoyment more in the compositional aspect.

Luckily I began piecing together my new pc tonight and hopefully it spells the end of my CPU struggle. My usual workflow consists of having to print ideas to audio as soon as I write them, which contributes towards the muddy mix. The orchestral elements especially, having reverb printed as it saved some processing power but too complex an arrangement to warrant going back and redoing it all in midi to make them slightly dryer.

The fizzy muddiness is probably mostly from making too many rising effects to try and pull as much momentum into the next section as I can, I'm working to improve at achieving high momentum and anticipation without having to resort to extreme soundwalls and I'll keep chipping away at it.

The reverb on the drums I didn't actually take note of until you pointed it out, which drives home even more the fact that I don't pay enough attention to the actual musical decision making when it comes to matters like this. I have a tendency to just place some on to help the drums share a space with the other elements so it wouldn't surprise me if I'd ended up going to far and not realising.

I thought about the amount of dinosaur samples a few times but settled on having it be a few times and keep its novelty rather than be riddled with more and risk becoming too gimmicky.

I massively appreciate both the kind words and especially the criticism, I'll have a closer eye on these points in future.

Thanks for the time you spent listening and reviewing ADR3-N, hope you and the other judges had a blast running the contest this year <3

[Week 18 2017 (Acapella)]

Rhymes are perfect. Diction is a little uncertain in some places, like

This afternoon you can be dead certain
I'll be outside sipping sunshine closing them curtains,

Could have been remedied with a stop-and-go flow like

This afternoon... you can be... dead certain
I'll be outside sipping sunshine, closing them curtains

Because as fast as these bars are, short-long isn't gonna do them justice. Maybe revisit this flow with that in mind. Reading through I was almost feeling a 123/123/12 vibe. Listening, you blazed through those rhymes.

Otherwise, I don't know why you're warning us about quality. These bars might not be platinum, but they fiiiiire.

Ps, what Kieran said.

Cyberdevil responds:

Thanks again. :) Diction's definitely not perfect with this one, though surprised you didn't comment on the:

I didn't know him and I didn't care to catch up,
Sunshine man! Don't get too much of that stuff.

...that's the one bit I really bump my head against the keyboard at, listening to again. XD Stop-and-go flow hmm... solid point. Appreciate the feedback!

As for quality: it's just not very processed. Just a little reverb, pretty much, and very few takes on each, so not perfect balance and such. Personally I feel my voice was pretty weak on this but glad y'all hear it differently! :)

[Week 22 2017 (Acapella)]

Starting out loving this flow. Classic. I can almost hear it as I read it -- and when I go back and listen, I feel where you're going with it. All I want to address a couple points where we've got words used twice in the same bar, or rhymes/diction are/is a little weak compared to your stronger bars:

It's Monday and the next's coming up Thursday's end
You could almost say it's almost too adjacent

I had a little trouble understanding the TH in Thursday so it made this rhyme sound weaker than it really was. IRL, Thursday's end and adjacent work brilliantly. Just hard to work Thursday into that bar without having some way to imply a full stop.

My hood's pretty calm a place unlike hoods

This one only sounds a bit off. Could be phrased better, My hood's pretty calm, unlike most hoods -- and keep all the same syllables.

I see you're working that ourobouros rhyme scheme. Most famous to use it would probably be Drake. You might find some inspiration looking up the scheme, technique, and... actually I just remembered I found this looking up ... Friedmann Findiesen's video on the subject. Basically, the excitement is not knowing where the flow is going to break for the end-rhyme -- generally not in the same bar, which is a freestyle technique that can translate into writing really, really interesting bars.

1:20 is really loud!

Rest of the track flows like butter. Nice outro!

Cyberdevil responds:

Hmm all valid points! Regarding the hood line, the 'my hood' rhymes with 'I'm good', then 'calm a place' -> 'farm each day' (not an exact rhyme though), then two internal rhymes in the second line before the finishing 'vinewood' to match the 'my hood' again. So changing that particular line would change a lot, I was pretty proud of how that one turned out... but agree with the previous. Could've maybe said 'first day's' for clarity... there should be ways in that space. .)

Honestly I've barely touched the topic of rhyme scheme types. Good to know! And interesting. I remember hearing some interview with one of P. Diddy's prodige's speaking about how he was pretty frustrated with all the changes he wanted him to make in his lines, but the main thing was always going for the unexpected there. Never predictable end rhymes. It does add an edge, I agree. I'm terrible with freestyles though! XD Anyway great notes, and thanks again for an in-depth review! The last line's a homage to the aforementioned band, if you haven't heard them. :) Really a highlight of last year's concerts.

[Pico Day 2018 (Acapella)]

Maybe the most relatable piece I've heard from you yet. "2007... a flash I never finished." Man, I remember I got up two days before clock day, crapped out some unfinished storyboard animation to ColdPlay "Clocks," probably got removed for infringement by now. Those were better days.

I remember being in SESClassics... and having folders full off redundant animations for groups that no longer even exist.

Long story short, I've got mad nostalgia going right now. At times I can't sense exactly where you're pushing your rhyme scheme, but as far as freestyle goes, and I can really sense that vibe with your flow, you're turning into a major monster.

Let's go to the composition itself.

The Cyberdevil does he not master his demons?
I guess not! Procrastination is the bane of reason!
But all progress - little or lot - has meaning.
And spontaneous creation is the crane I'm reaching!

Huge props here. Strong rhyme scheme, good switchup, little wisdom, and this is probably the highest point of your piece. More like this.

It'll be fun! Good people have a bite and binge!
To all you peeps: may life be nice and kin rise
And with ice in our glasses as the lighting dims
And thunder rumbles and the lightning blinks

This, here, though it's visually popping in my head, might need a few synonyms around those last two lines, maybe even a switcharoo -- ice in our glasses, lightning flashes -- with a thunderous sound, and the lights go down, reminding us the Reich of Kings is in town!

Although, you did keep a good flow regardless. Color me impressed. Only thing I could add is that "reich" is usually pronounced with a KH, not a CH.

Just throwing out suggestions here and there.

Rife with life this site is! Delightening

I would probably write this as "This site is rife with life -- delightfully" -- with the same sounds and stresses as "delightening," even though I've never heard that word before. Have to check if it exists later. Otherwise nice, strong phrasing.

Your sound has vastly improved. Good volume level, sounds good on headphones and speakers. Noise sounds a lot cleaner. Only complaint this time around is just what sounds like a little bit of mic clipping on the recording end when you start really feeling yourself toward the end, and thus naturally go just a little bit beyond what your mic can handle. That or it could be mastering compression. Just looking at the waveform, it's a toss up of one or both.

Great work!

Cyberdevil responds:

Yeah I miss feeling like it's alright to just submit whatever. :) Expectations rise.

Heeey you really improved on that second quatrain. :D I see what you mean. Yeah. Would need to shorten that to something like ...sound, the lights go down, reminding us the Reich's in town' to fit the flow. Context goes off a bit in the example but should be possible (though I'm not sure I'll make a new take on this one that's great for the future). I wasn't super happy with the final line there but didn't realize tracing the previous rhyme scheme is what has that effect either. Enlightening.

Good note on the pronunciation too. Good knowing. Was wondering if someone would have something against that word choice btw, in which case I'd point out that: it literally means kingdom. Can't let how words have been used steer how or what words we use now! They stole and tarnished the symbol of the sun god too, but we should bring that back as well! But nobody said anything so hmm...

Well Delightening rhymed with reich of kings. :) Though didn't really match that with the following line. I don't think it exists. I often twist words in ways they're not usually twisted just for the rhyme scheme, when the meaning (I hope?) still comes across. Simple way of producing somewhat unique lyrics in a world where everything's done?. :)

Yupp, clipping. Need to learn to bring the mic a bit further away when I go haywire. Glad you find the quality better overall though! Since it's the same mic I must be getting better at this. The reason I really go in at the end there is mainly because I'm finally warmed up, and done, so no need to save on vocal chords. It's just finally: let it out! Wouldn't be able to maintain that voice that long or at a higher tempo.

Thanks for the feedback and appreciation! Some really useful notes too!