ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[May 2024 (Moderato)]

Really sibilant in the intro, had to turn it down a bit for comfort for that big transition, BUT the shaping on your white noise throughout here is very tasteful and nicely panned. I want to steal some of these ideas :P

I think the mix is a bit unbalanced toward the lead and keys, with very heavy reverb glaze. I would recommend bringing up the bass, kick, and rhythm elements, and perhaps investigating if the frequencies I'm talking about are artificially boosted or misrepresented in your own setup. At 2:08 that hi-hat in particular is modulated beautifully but much too loud.

At 2:39 I feel like we have two clashing keys. Something is just not right with that top loop against the pads, and I feel it's in the accidentals. One feels very major, and another feels ... I'm not sure which mode, maybe even dorian. But either way, the modes are clashing a bit there. This continues into 3:43, where the problem shifts to mix -- the keys and synths are a bit loud for the bass to sustain, shaker is loud enough to be a lead, and the kick/snare are hidden in the mix. Otherwise, this section is well written, but it's hard to feel the big finale when the mix is off kilter!

I do enjoy your style and the instruments chosen however. The Juno series are all classics <3

7.6/10

[SUMMER BREEZE]

Really busy, super deep, and a little unpredictable! I can also see from the waveform we aren't taking up the fullest amount of possible space in the master channel -- but the level of compression sounds good.

What I like: BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM on that tonal kick. Yay. Sound selection and sound design. Micro-grooves

What could use improvement -- development in the intro; the kick comes in so early, I had to doublecheck I wasn't listening to two songs at once. Give some time to develop that atmosphere!

The entire track is super sub heavy and lo-mid heavy. So make sure to get individual freqs, note tails, and so on of instruments in similar spaces out of each other's way. That lead could probably be cut down to size and so on.

Besides that, issa bop. Cool little bass fill too uwu

7.7/10

[Replay]

Quality is very rough. If not for the great melodic and sample ideas complete with an actual flow I would rate 1 star.

It's audible, which is a plus, but it's loud in the wrong places. That triangle is way up in volume for instance. Other elements are louder than the kick and snare, which shouldn't be the case. I also don't hear a clear bass instrument/808 which detracts from the groove.

It also sounds like the majority of instruments are centered, not panned left of right.

I think some study of mix and production will do you a lot of good. After a while, even with the mix defects, the melody is infectious.

Making music is the coolest thing people on earth can do, tbh. Don't let anyone tell you to stop. Keep creating, practicing, and improving your craft, and maybe switch genre to nerdcore. I can hear your passion in your rhymes. There's not another feeling quite like getting those ideas in the DAW, so keep at it!

5.1/10

[Monochrome]

The problems you're mentioning about the volume sounding different in the mix/master compared to export sound like some kind of issue with your audio driver. I would check and make sure no enhancements are on, especially if you have a Realtek driver. I used to have to reinstall HD Audio driver for Windows and Reaktek alternately in order to get a clean, uncompressed output.

The good news is despite this frustration your mix sounds pretty darn good to my ears. The sub is nice and thicc. Could be louder at points due the open nature of your mix (and I think my headphones emphasize bass frequencies just slightly.

Things I would see after -- this mix is so close to perfect and yet also so minimal that little things like the panning of your aux elements and leads become very noticeable. Even the dryness of different instruments is front and center. So I would just take some time to adjust FX/pan here and there and make things a little more dynamic. Beyond that, great work!

9.1/10

[0i00 - 1.5life]

No issue with the title. A title is a title :)

Nice transition into 46 seconds

Mix is a bit boomy/гудит немножко. Думаю, из-за слишком много реверберации. Надо резать низкие частоты ревера чтобы сохранять баланс.

Мелодическая основа трека очень приятная. Драма есть, четкие темы и конкретные идеи, and excellent choice of leimotifs. Very well written.

The only aspect where this track falls short are mix and master, which are best studied by one's self and not from a NG review -- but I have a channel I found which you may appreciate, in Russian no less -- Звукарь Бомбит. Канал очень хорошо описивает обычные проблемы в мастеринге/смешивании на русском яызке. Думаю что поможет))

Извини за то, что много раз сменила язык в процессе писания отзыва. Я чувствовала себя как будто английский и русский физически боролись за место в мозге, пока я обдумывала комментарий.

7.6/10

zeroizerozero responds:

Спасибо огромнейшее за полезный отзыв и рекомендации! Полагаю, этот канал как раз то что мне очень поможет

В тебе боролись два волка... хаха)

[The Sorrowful Prince]

Piece is wild, and deceptively simple -- there's a lot going on under the hood here. One thing I would adjust however is the overall level of wet signals such as reverb and delay (and low-cut them up to 150 hz or so). There is a sort of muddy wash brought out by the mastering compression that makes it hard to hear finer details of the mix through the wall of noise

I feel like that was a giant run-on sentence, but essentially, your mix is nice and full. I would be looking for places to cut and create space for various elements, especially those indistinct vocal samples -- they serve a purpose throughout as a motif for the listener to latch onto in the distance. If they're almost impossible to make out through the rest of the noise, particularly hihats, side-chained pads and so on, this detracts from the groove.

The story behind this track is fascinating to read as I listen. Really nice piece!

8.6

[Celestial dream]

Holy shit that's a gorgeous backgorund image. Nut.

Idk what people are complaining about -- taking a long time to get to the drop. TikTok has seriously lowered the standard for what counts as an attention span. The transition into the drop is great, and the bass sounds great.

The only thing I'd improve on this song is mix. At points the wet signals of the delay and reverb are so loud, high-feedback, and not sufficiently low cut that they crowd out the kick and snare a bit.

Writing wise, very smooth piece that is somehow both relaxing and driving at the same time.

2:55 is unexpected. I think I actually would have liked these drum samples but in a typical double-time dnb rhythm as opposed to the half-time. Similarly the kick and snare are hiding in the mix a bit due to not being as sibilant as every other mix element, particularly the hihats and rides -- which could come down slightly. Again on the 2nd drop the pads and reverbs are crowding the mix, leading to the track not feeling quite as driving as it should.

Overall though, beautiful transitions and tasteful management of that bass in particular. Great atmosphere. Love it!

8.5

[It Does Not Die]

Writing wise, this is great!

In terms of drums and guitar synths, I would say you've 100% outgrown the ones you currently have. Today there are free alternatives for drums you can use such as Krimh (free ver), although if you don't have Kontakt and you're willing to work with a multisampler, I released a free metal drum kit or two called Take My Cymbals and Saudade Drums Remastered respectively. I also write a magazine for free production resources every month.

Now back to the song itself, the cymbals are quite loud relative to the mix. The kick and snare, as well as bass, could all come up substantially. The rhythm guitar should be properly double-tracked left and right, and you could do with a better sounding amp on it as well. There are free ones available such as Liver6, Stevie T Amped, and Grindmachine -- the 1.0 and 2.0 should be somewhere lying around on the internet.

Now, to double track that guitar you'll need a different synth instance playing the same or similiar midi. Otherwise it'll sound jank. But the idea is 2 guitars playing the same line, one perhaps humanized/quantized just slightly off -- and each hardpanned one to the left 100% and one to the right 100%.

Regarding bass, it doesn't really matter that much whether you use a synth bass or something free like Ample Metal Ray. What does matter is that it is supporting the guitar part excellently and just a little quieter than them so as not to stick out like a sore thumb. There are some free amps for these as well but they are hard to find in my experience.

Beyond mix, stellar work. This reminds me a lot of the work of @Lashmush in his early years -- an amazing talent at the time only limited by his tech. He was one of my favorite artists years ago (still is), and gave me an appreciation for this kind of sound. I have high hopes for your development in the years to come. Keep it up!

6.7/10

TrandafirTeodora responds:

Thank you very much for the review!
This is my first time trying to mix properly, so the feedback is appreciated!

[Night City Lights]

I was nervous when I heard that N64 WaveRace sounding slap bass, but this is interesting for sure. I think something is going on with your perc. The beat wants to swing, but the perc doesn't sound like it's on board.

If you want to make Vaporwave, I recommend studying Nu Jack Swing or 90s pop R&B production. Will make a big difference.

This beat sounds a bit cluttered to me, and at points that brass synth is going out of key. Recommend simplifying the arrangement a bit and refining the volume levels of each instrument such that the kick and snare stick out appropriately.

I do like your transitions and choice of vocal sample :)

6.5/10

Lunar48 responds:

Thanks you for your recommendations :3333333333333

[Marigold Tomato (feat. Morgan U.)]

Instrument quality is really hurting this one for me, but your arrangement is wonderful. I would also caution against using so much reverb on your guitars as in 36 seconds. On each pick attack I hear un-cut reverb in the 100-200 hz range running WILD. This continues through 1:12 on what appears to be a double bass.

Besides that, the track is not very dynamic in terms of volume, but the arrangement itself keeps things interesting.

1:55 that reverb again is fouling up an otherwise great moment through 2:24. Could use a second look! Happens again at 3:28 and exceptionally so at 4:05

6.4/10