ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Call of the Warrior]

Really interesting fusion of styles here. Choral, church organ, synth, metal styled drums. I can't really pick out any specific sins other than perhaps a very dry piano and somewhat of a bare melodic scape. Everything seems more rhythm and less melody.

Spadezer responds:

I appreciate the kind words. I'm curious what you mean by "bare melodic scape."

Thanks

[Osman - "Stardancer" (NGADM)]

Pretty fun, innocent little tune, and a good blend of sonic textures. I like your progression, but I could go without the extreme pitch bends everywhere. Other than that it sounds just a little empty. It sounds like something is missing.

[Invasion of the Court of Hearts]

These brass samples, choir, and etc. have attacks that are making my ears twist in agony. Also kind of sounds like some old disney movies I've listened to. I can't think of which. That chip synth run coming in confused me as well. I almost wish you'd come in with the metal bits first. Sounds more like punk than metal though. Once that's in, I'm enjoying myself. Unfortunately my PC shut off while I was writing this review so I forgot what else I wanted to say.

SourJovis responds:

The samples could be better. I'll see what I'll do about it. I was thinking about using snes soundfonds instead, to better match the 8-bit sytnth that comes in later. Maybe that way people will be less surprised about the style shifts, since snes soundfonds are already electronic sounding like orchestral, instead orchestral samples that just sound bad. I don't know though. I think it helps when the song is completed anyway, because then there will be more coherence. Maybe I'll make the introduction of the 8-bit part shorter. I've had at least two other people complain about it. Didn't listen to Disney movies for inspiration so I don't know what movies in particular this sounds like, but that is the kind of mood I was going for indeed. Now you mention it, I suppose it sounds more like punk indeed. I'm not good with genres. It reminded me of Aux Raus, who combine rave with punk and use lo-fi midi orchestral on later albums as well. Too bad your computer shut down. I'd wanted to hear the rest of what you had to say.

[If I Knew]

I concur with TL on this one and don't have much to add. Great ideas but needs polished. The minimalism and breaks didn't really work well together, and despite pretty good production quality and some daring instrumentation, the execution and composition eventually started to wear on me toward the end. Nevertheless, keep at it!

[Sky travellers - N G A D M 2017]

Piece sounds pretty good, a bit par for the course, but textures are alright. Wish it were longer. Wish I had more critique too, but my pc shut off in the middle of this review and it was late. Suffice to say I enjoyed the piece! Sorry for the delay!

[Twitchy Finger]

Lot of high frequencies going on here. I can understand some of the tonal ideas, but this fits a lot more under ambient than it does Dance. Do you know any dance tracks that don't have a driving beat to them? I don't!

Texturally, these gates and rhythms are interesting, but I'm just not getting anything but a little tension versus tranquility, until we get to 1:40 or so. Now, this is an interesting idea, but it's implemented poorly.

I like your chords. I don't like that the drums are very cheap sounding, temporary, and totally drowned in the mix. This is one of the indications you've got an amateur producer -- quiet drums. The drums should be very loud relative to the rest of the track. Otherwise they're buried. The way our ears hear, this is just how it has to be. Our minds are not focused on the drums, so they have to be loud.

Now, your ideas are alright, but they don't relate to one another very well. There's not really a melody going on. It's just these sort of weird little progressions, which while they sound interesting, aren't congealing, and lots of portions of the mix are sticking out where they shouldn't. The orchestral bits are particularly offending, as is the stock piano. Feels like a couple different songs put together, and not a dance piece.

[Counterbalance (Bandstep Remix)]

Writing is good. As usual with Musescore, sound quality could really use work. This writing is far improved from your earlier pieces. I'd still like to see more harmony going on, and not just parallel moving octaves and 5ths! That's your biggest weakness. Also, the transition to pianissimo dynamic was a little unexpected. Develop that some more, if it takes a couple more phrases, w/e.

Again, you're showing a lot of promise, but some of your choices transitionally show a little inexperience. What I'd love is to hear an ensemble play this so I can hear more than the synth instruments projecting much less than you've actually written.

[Desistance (Original Mix)]

Danceable, but could use a little more compositional variety. I realize house is sometimes antithetical to that, but what makes a good song is not the genre – it's the defiance of that. I'd like to see some of the chordal tones you exemplified in that drop hinted out in the buildups rather than just a drone. Speaking of, your use of an otherwise tame sample is well mixed, and your treatment of the bass is well done. I do feel like the track as a whole is really overcompressed and fattened. The bass feels like it's clipping. Try to minimize the frequency conflict between your kick and other instruments. Side-chain can only do so much.

I also feel like it's side-chained a bit too hard. There seems to be a lot less flow than you intended with those nice pads. Kick is also very tame to be side-chaining as hard as you are. I'm hearing a thwip rather than a thoom or a thump, if you catch my drift. It doesn't really fill the room.

Good work, though. This is certainly within the realm of dance floor blow-out.

KaixoMusic responds:

Thanks for the great feedback!! I'll take everything into consideration in my next song, which will be a Future Bass I think :D

EDIT: Nope, no Future Bass... Complextro.

[XS - Aurelius (NGADM '17)]

Lots of very synthy sounds, like your guitar, which detract from otherwise pretty good production. I feel like those vocal chops could come down a bit and your drums come up. The hat feels a little dry. The wubbings are pretty chill and satisfying but need some more presence against the guitar and other elements while present. Drums are also just a little bit too subdued. I do laud you for not sounding like everything else I've heard in the past 5 years.

The harmonics on those vocal chops had me scratching my head for a second. Composition in this piece seems well structured but also very restrained. It could certainly be much more rhythmically binding, interesting, and varied. I hear a lot of the same. This is a popular convention of the chorus, but it doesn't really live up to the hype. Also, could use just a bit more compression, me thinks.