ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - Jeb's Dusty Halo]

Official AIM2018 Review!

Interesting intro with that vibraslap. Sounded just freaking cool.

Rest of the track is pretty avant-garde in a way that is infectiously confusing. Basically, I have no idea what's going on though and thus can't critique beyond... well, it's catchy, but not something I can really listen to for anything other than noise. The melody is written perhaps so badly that it's almost good. It repeats countless times, and I wish that didn't give it legitimacy, since it's both very hard to follow, not set in the home key, if there even is a home key, but thanks to the way both our brains and the Madness series works, it fits.

I will say the guitar sounds terrible. Wishing you would have picked a different synth.

1:22 breakdown is an interesting texture with the clipper SFX. Probably your strongest point. After this section, we resume the really strange guitar synth, and the song rather quickly grinds to a halt.

I like it, just can't give it a great technical score.

Thanks for turning out to this year's competition!

[AIM - Mystical Swamp]

Official AIM Review!

Bright piano in the beginning has a good timbre, but the velocity seems very machine gunned -- all 127. Needs humanization as well. Even simply selecting the notes and moving attack/release around 10-20 ms will help this. I'm also not liking that the low chords are so condensed. Try taking some of those notes you want in your chord tones and moving them up an octave. They're very muddy in that low register.

A lot of my critique has already been mentioned by TL. Mix is a bit dirty. Side-chaining seems not to be enhancing the mix any -- and I can't really find the bass all the way up to 1:16.

0:45 we have a fairly good chord progression, but your voicing is killing the victorious mood. Whatever bass line you had in mind, I'd take it out of the brass and move it an octave lower on some other kind of bass. Your brass is really heavy on the reverb too, which is part of the muddy mix issue.

I do like your use of SFX despite an abrupt end to the first movement. Unlike the first intro, the rain is mixed in fairly well.

Essentially, I like the structure of the song, but it comes off as half-finished, missing a bassline, no mastering, not compressed and radio ready.

However, I do see that you have a good sense of melody, and you've been pretty sensitive with your pacing. This is good. Keep doing that. Your outro at 4:05 is probably the strongest point of the song. I'd have liked to hear that on your second build up before a bombastic close.

Overall, despite some flaws, I enjoyed the piece. Focus on clarity of sound, not necessarily big-ness and power, and you'll come out stronger. And remember, the number one thing that makes or breaks a song is your bass. This is the foundation upon which everything else rests. A band with no bass, no matter how technically erudite, is just noise. People will often forgive other mixing mistakes if you just get two things right -- drums and bass. :)

Thanks for turning out for this year's AIM!

FractureClutter responds:

Thanks for leaving review!
Yes, velocity on piano is not done right. It's all standart if honestly. I already have some better updated version, but I'll wait until AIM ends. Reason of some bad sounds is using default FL plugins. Also, I want to say that I hear most of the problems you and TaintedLogic mentioned now, since I have some good quality headphones. And I promise to become better at producing. Promises will become reality someday..

[Trippy do]

Official AIM2018 Review!

This is a pretty short piece. I'm afraid it doesn't meet the 3 minute requirement for the competition, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and give you a fair review! Actually, I'd like to hear this as a finished piece. I can see from the waveform that it appears unmastered and structurally incomplete. So, let's jump in.

0:00 Seriously cool lo-fi reverse-y vocals and instrumentation. I like it. Continues throughout. Like it.

0:06 Weird bass boop that doesn't seem to make much sense in concert with the rest of the track. Kinda throwaway note.

0:22 Interesting SFX transitions. Bass seems panned a bit far left. Vinyl fizz is just a bit too loud. Could seriously benefit from some panning on your drums. Sounds a bit overly reverbed.

0:40 Nice vibraslap, as mentioned by TL.

0:50-ish, this transition is a little weaker and could have benefited from a little less snare and perhaps some additional SFX or cymbals/chimes. Maybe even choking, breathing, coughing or vomiting noises, since the theme is a bulimia piece.

1:00 return to main theme, though slower, is pretty abrupt. However, the percussion is pleasantly varied.

1:21 effectively where all melodic content stops, and we're left with dead silence. Our bulimia trip has evidently ended in death, followed by 10 seconds of silence. This too feels abrupt. I had something else in mind to say, but I've got a five-year-old rushing into my room with a GBA blaring, so I think it's best to leave off here before I get super distracted.

Anyway, what this track needs, other than a little more melodic content, some length, etc., is mastering. At present, it's really interesting, but it's sitting in the demo phase. Anyway, thanks for turning out to this year's competition!

[When Rebels fall]

Official AIM2018 Review.

Lot of clipping seems to be going on, enough that even though I really like the atmosphere you're crafting, it's compressed to death -- and I can't ascertain the finer aspects of your track. Were it not so sausage tubed, actually, this would be a total banger. Minus a star and a half for serious clipping issues.

Structurally, it's very tight. Atmospherically, well-handled. Home drive at 2:24 would be crazy sexy with a good mix. As is, it's so loud, clippy, and over-reverb'ed that I can't really enjoy it. Shame too. Was really hoping the clipping didn't persist throughout. You may try going back, turning down all your outputs, and then applying whatever mastering you did here.

Minus half star for the abrupt end at 3:22.

Anyway, despite problems, this song is still pretty catchy. Looking forward to hearing more from you. Thanks for turning out to this year's competition!

[AIM - Grandeur]

Official AIM2018 Review!

Very nice, almost cinematic intro here. I find myself wanting just a bit less reverb on what sounds like a harp synth, a bit more on those pikes. Maybe some panning and delay. Very nice fantasy vibe throughout.

The distortion on some synths is a nice touch.

I keep wanting that hi-passed drum break to come in around 19khz and not somewhere in the 20's before panning down. Overall, just a great sound going on here. Around 1:45, I very quickly missed that break. Maybe a short fill would have been better.

Very smooth production here. Still a bit reverb heavy. Around 2:29 the break is a bit ham handed and in your face for the accompaniment. This is remedied with a hi-pass sweep.

3:07 break sounds almost completely out of character in relation to the rest of the tune. Probably could have done better with a less throaty synth. Transition out of that is a beautiful variation on our main theme. All is forgiven, haha.

This may be the sweetest sounding DnB I've heard in a while. Very nice work! Thanks for turning out to this year's competition!

[AIM - Something Evil In The Forest]

Official AIM2018 Review!

Loving the atmospheric sound effects. Tasteful reverb -- occasionally sounds like a bit of clipping in your mix but that may be SFX or unchained sub 20 Hz noise. Do rein some of that in.

I'm definitely feeling the dark forest vibe of the artwork chosen.

Could have probably used a little more low end on your kick and some other hits, but as a whole, this piece really does convey the angst of a terrified mother, fighting against impossible odds to get her son back. You've done a masterful job here maintaining that atmosphere consistently. Very engaging piece.

Use of SFX at the end is perfect. My only complaint would be occasional muddy distorted sound throughout, which may be a thematic statement. Thanks for turning out to this year's competition!

FateModified responds:

Thanks for the review! I noticed what sounded like clipping too during the pad at the beginning that sounds kind of like a low dragon's growl. If that's what you're hearing as clipping, it actually was an effect built into that preset which I used in Absynth. I wasn't sure I liked the 'clipping' effect so much but I really liked the way it sounded like a dragon growling quietly, and I couldn't figure how to get rid of that effect so I just went with it. I think that pad preset might be the source of the "muddy distorted sound" you mentioned. I really need to learn to use these synthesizers better to create my own perfect sounds, but I'm a long way off from that I'm afraid due to the limited amount of time I have available to learn the complex process of synthesis.

I did have a bit of trouble with the kick. I really wanted the "breathing" kick effect which I created with some delayed reverb, but I found that to get the effect right I also had to use a certain kick with a certain sound, and so maybe I sacrificed the sound of the kick itself a bit in order to get the effect just right.

Thank you for saying I've done a "masterful job," and for calling this a "very engaging piece." I put a lot of work into it and so I'm glad it turned out as well as you and others say it has. :)

[Sinister Joy (Contest Entry)]

Official AIM2018 Review!

Interesting trick with the lo-pass filter in the intro. I probably would have preferred it with hard compression. From the waveform, I can see you use this effect as a transition frequently.

Most of my other comments could be best summed up with a copy-paste of TL's review. Beyond that, I feel like the kick is really hiding in your drop.

Also not really feeling the dubstep vibe. Sounds more like some 90's club I used to listen to. May fit better into techno. Dubstep generally has a slow two-step vibe, not a fast 4 on the floor feel.

3:30 is probably the strongest point of your song. It's clean, showcases that groove you've built up, and just sounds good. Even so, I find myself wanting more oomph out of your drums. They're buried down in the mix.

Buildup at 1:30 was about 4-8 bars too long for my tastes, as well as suuuuuper quiet. It opens up at 2:03, but I feel the following section could be excised without really hurting your track. As is, it's pretty long and the theme doesn't change much.

Still, you've got some strong rhythmic writing, and I can feel that throughout. Definitely a catchy groove. Enjoyed the piece. Thanks for turning out for this year's AIM!

[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!