ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[endK - Bouncing Squad]

http://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/butzboprud/butzboprud-s-flash-spaghetti

For the other judges stumbling here. If the creator of the art himself agrees that the music is fitting, I can offer no complaints. Personally, I found this wacky, bouncy piece an absolute joy to listen to, and considering this isn't my favored genre, props. Not the highest quality, radio friendly mix, but no complaints!

endKmusic responds:

Bah, I've written a bunch of stuff about the picture and forgot to add the link.
._.
Thanks a lot for the review, I'm glad you like it especially if you're not into this style.
...and thanks for pointing out the linky thing!
Really appreciate it.

[AIM - I'm Not Alone In My Space Suit]

Good sounding stuff, however complaints: synth snare and kick are flat. Drum track sounds relatively thin. Hat is a bit too loud. 1:53, there is a wrong note that really just lays it down and takes me out of the mood. I don't know whether this is intentional or not.

Instrumentation, guitar playing is good. Intonation, really quite good. Tone is a bit overbearingly tinny for the piece and would fit better with some delay and reverb to really soar over this instrumentation. As is, it seems quite flat. The background gated arp is really setting the most of the tone. Let your leads play on the mood your harmonies set. A spaced out tune needs spaced out grooves!

I get the sense of exploration from this piece. Points for matching the artwork well.

Coffee-Break responds:

I feel like I've always had a hard time making drums sound good. I've yet to unlock that secret.
The note at 1:53 was intentional - a nice flat fifth to create some tension - but I guess it didn't do the job it was supposed to.
Glad you liked the guitar playing. It was my first time using guitar on a track; I guess that's why the tone is kinda off.
Anyways thanks for taking the time to write a review, I appreciate it.

[AIM - Rothgar]

Highly impressed with your arrangement. Some places where intonation could be a bit better, but guitar by nature is not a perfect instrument, so a bit of flat and sharp here is expected. Extra points for using a single instrument. Mixing could use a bit of fine tuning on percussive bits, but again, arrangement makes up for it. Subtracting half a star for some small mistakes like near-missing harmonics, etc., which could have been cleaned up. A lot of people won't notice that.

I would say instrumentation doesn't really reflect the wintry vibe of the piece, but the arrangement reflects a rough and tumble, hard life. That very much fits the artwork. Fantastic piece, Ceevro!

Ceevro responds:

Thank you!

[AIM - Purple Heart]

I really can't add much that RealFaction hasn't already addressed. I feel the bass synth in the beginning is a little too loud. Overall the sound is a bit dry and generic. That could be the drums not doing much justice. They're very flat. Need a little more space -- reverb, eq, compression.

I really don't like the bass at all. The legato is no problem. The melodic content just doesn't make much sense to me and is quite repetitive. Sounds like a filter pattern and I just don't really enjoy it. Also is too loud at points relative to the rest of the track. Toward the end, as you introduce more elements, the bass fits in much better. It just simply doesn't do it for me as a stand alone melodic staple.

I can't judge whether it fits the art or not as I'm not familiar with this character. RealFaction thinks so, so I'll give a pass on that entirely.

I can't say it's bad, but I can't say it's great. It did get stuck in my head though, so there's that!

[The City At Night - AIM]

Initially the mixing grated on my ears, namely the dead sounding drums and peaking highs -- cymbals are a ridiculous offender. However, melodic progression and those spell-binding grooving solo sections won the day. I do get the feeling of mischievously sneaking around the city at night. Applause.

goodraccoon responds:

thank u EDM364. i sneaked in some updates to the song based on u r comments. all done before the dead line of course : )

[AIM - Moments]

Mix is cohesive with professional touches. Style fits the dreamy artwork, as do the lyrics. Detractor is a bit of repetition and strange phrasing with the vocal lines. They almost don't mesh at points. Gating was a nice touch. Enjoyed overall.

Mauxus responds:

I'm honoured :) thank you! If you have time to PM me the details I can try and fix the parts you mentioned. I am afraid I spent so much time on this track that I've become numb to it.

[LL (Old) - End It All]

On mobile. Praying this review doesn't send prematurely. The distressing emotions and self-hatred are well conveyed throughout. However I found the progression a little simplified. Made me feel really claustrophobic with how busy the piece was. I get the feeling you'd be good in terrorcore and other horror friendly genres. Cinematic elements present were good. Mixing was good. Just didn't jive with the piece as much as I would have liked.

[AIM - A long way through winter]

The mix is far from perfect, but the idea is fitting. I wish the crackling sounds and glitching was a few dB quieter. They're so clear in comparison to the rest of the track, it detracts from the smooth desolation of such wide, open space. I would say this fits the artwork well, and I appreciate your thoughtful, minimalistic writing. Your use of space was well thought out aside from the glitches. Will be in my considerations, for sure.

Azhthar responds:

Thanks a lot for the good feedback! I know my mixing is always a very weak spot but it gets a lottle better with time. I actually really had problems to place the glitch percussion in the mix. At the beginning they were always too much in the background and at the end they turned out to be too loud... At least it brought some dynamics into this part ;) Sorry for the delayed response. I was unavailable for while and missed all the final part of the AIM this year :(