ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[Neurobop]

Right off the bat, I really don't like that piano hammering on the same note. It's obviously synthy. When it drops out, it's also a little excessive feeling. What follows is some pretty lit DnB. This is the style I prefer, honestly. Sax and piano could have gone far, far, away during that drop, and I would have been very happy.

The writing and FX on the piano after are not bad by any means other than a little bit of corny synth business. The piano and sax just feel like they should be much less present in the drop and a lot more ethereal, panned around, or w/e as an effect rather than a center piece.

The more subdued verse is not bad by any means, and they don't stick out here. I had hoped for a 3rd drop. That bass though – a marvel. Superb. Rest needs fine-tuning.

5TanLey responds:

dunno, in this type of music I don't even try to make real instruments sound "humany", it gets lost in the master compression anyway

and piano and sax are really part of the main drop groove, couldn't be very ethereal

thanks for your words :)

[Gravity Slam]

Sounds like there might be some tuning issues here and there. Also, drums sound very thin and synthy. They're panned well enough, but could use some more FX. Solid riffs, but it feels like it's really missing a solo laid overtop at some point. Mixing on the guitars is also really muddy. Also quite hard to hear the bass. At some point it starts to sound really garbled to me. Drums also seem to be hiding in the mix a bit. Compress them harder! The cymbals are only really audible because of the frequencies, I feel.

I can also hear where it sounds like the bass and guitar are mingling and clashing around the 200 Hz range. Need tighter mixing on the guitar.

The whole piece just feels like it's not tidied up. Sounds like a backing track. Ending was well executed though.

TSRBand responds:

Thanks for the tips! Will definitely have to keep them in mind for the future :D

[Endowment]

Strange sound palette here. I can tell that these choir synths aren't organic from the extremely sharp attacks, but when padded, they aren't much of an issue. The violin sounds quite thin and synthy, but it seems to be doing its job. Drum mixing is really hurting you here with these patterns. They're starting to overshadow each other in their pensive droning. Need to be panned out a little more, pushed back in the mix somewhat, given a little more dynamic contrast.

Actually, ignore that for a second. Your instruments are overshadowing your percussion shortly after they come in. I really want to like this piece, but that sudden style change was really unexpected, didn't flow well, and loses the charm of all of the above. It comes off as trying way too hard with the synths, even some wrong notes here and there like at 3:05. The drums are all very dry, soulless, and lacking in punch. Compress those suckers. EQ them well. Bring them up in the mix. They sound like tepid water.

Sax coming in with the piano for a unison solo then fading away struck me as odd. That should have been repeated once, then slooooowly faded into the next phrase. Your brass samples are also abhorrently weird. Better mixing and attention to attack would have helped them sound more natural in relation to – there's that wrong note again at 4:52. Pay attention to your chords and resolutions Ectisity! Would have been so much better if the brass were more muted and pensive. It sounds like you're trying to bring something up that isn't there as is.

Also, that ascending raindrop transition annoyed me. Why so heavy on the right ear? Why not delay and pan it alternately?

This piece is an amalgamation of a lot of instruments, sounds, and styles that just refuse to work together, piling on top until it becomes obnoxious. If you had spent more time on each section rather than trying to cram 4-5 different styles in, it would have been much better. The transitions were weak and forced. Leads were glaringly flat and un-dynamic, sticking out of the mix rather than soaring and flowing. Certain instruments were overly synthy and inauthentic sounding. Wrong notes every couple minutes took me completely out of the jive, and style changes felt so superficial – not to mention the drums were crushed through the EDM genres and magnified to the point of absurdity in the classical/world genres.

A lot of inattention and self-pride went into this piece, and I can feel it the whole way. Humble yourself. I don't want to hear Ectisity's ode to self and skill. I want to hear emotion and movement. Remember the power of FX, panning, reverb, delay, and other simple FX. Also, make sure your leads and harmonies are out of the way of your bass, which I could hardly hear for all the cheese laid up in the heavens – leads.

Key change was fine, but that sax felt so overdone, I had lost my attention by that point. Also, different FX felt like adding more cheese. I just really do not like your leads and harmony. The synths are so flat and distant from the rest of the mix. I could have gone without the guitar tone, really, as well as a lot of the other flourishes in this piece. It's fairly well written, but I just sincerely did not like your execution.

EctiBot responds:

All your comments mixing wise makes sense, and the drums are something several people have pointed.
The "wrong note" you keep pointing out is not a wrong note imo. It's off key, but I added it there for the interest. Might not have worked as well as I thought.
The transitions are a bit too sudden at times, had some trouble getting them to sound good. i'll work on that.
Please, I really, really appreciate the feedback, but be careful when you label others work as "self pride". I tried to be original with this, not feed my own ego. I didn't want to make a dime-a-dozen piece, so I tried to make something special. I respect the score I got, and I really don't care too much about me not getting through, but it's a terrible thing to tell a musician to "humble yourself" instead of respecting that they tried to be themselves. Was this piece overambitious? Absolutely, what I gunned for is something that still beyond my abilities, but that doesn't mean that I'll sit on my arse and make safe "emotional" pieces. Music is more than just emotion and movement. If you feel like this is my "ode to self and skill" then every track I make from now on will be exactly that. Also I guarantee you that no form of "inattention" went into this piece

I'm got to emphasize again that I'm not complaining about the score or the critisism, but telling a musician to humble themselves is something that's just too ridiculous to be written in an elsewise really good and serious review, and I really hope that you won't be telling other people the same.

Thanks for the feedback, I really do appreciate it :).

Ps. Can't stress enough how much I appreciate your detailed review. I ended up writing a lot about the one thing I didn't like about it, but that's only because I felt like it's important to point out for future reviews. I never get offended by feedback, and I really don't want it to come off as you insulted me or anything :/.