ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Screaming By]

Interesting stuff. It doesn't sound bad. Your perc could use work though, at least in the FX department. Reverb, phasers, flangers, chorus (stereo effect)... I don't think this is trance, though. It may be. It just doesn't sound like a lot I've heard. I like it, though.

Your leads aren't coming out as much as they should in the mix. Do you have a master limiter on the whole mix? Are you sidechaining? I hear some of the characteristic pumping, but I'm not sure.

That midrange bass sound is odd. Sounds like it's just kind of herp derping while the more synthy bass kicks the track along. 2:20 sounds really good. Your squirrelly riffs in the midrange are throwing me off though. Needs more of an edge to the sound. 3:00 is another good bit. The lead isn't characteristic of most trance I hear though. Listen to ATB - Could You Believe, and get a feel for leads like that. Actually, listen to ATB, period. Great inspiration for Trance.

Drewpy responds:

Hey, thanks! I didn't really know where to put this, and I feel like it's more trance than the other categories available. Thanks for the advice and the ATB suggestion!

[I Miss You]

Absolutely fantastic sample slicing, atmosphere, and vibe. I love this. Really translates the feeling of nostalgia, remembering good times with someone. And your phrasing is artistry itself.

[Hold On]

The swing felt a little clumsy to me, but you managed to tie back into a gritty, cohesive sound. Great work!

BOULLIE responds:

Yeah I didn't treat the drum loop too closely. I remember the swing growing on me after a bit and I left it where it was.

It's still hella wonky, but I'm glad it's at least enjoyable lol. Look at the newer stuff!! *Nervously bites at nails*

[Block Stompin']

Some good stuff. The string bass stuck out a bit, but I really like the distortion on your drums, and the panning and delays were fantastic. A phrasing problem happened around 1:35, but it could just be because it was easy to get lost in that atmosphere of the softer long notes. Your outro is nice. Wish it could have lasted a little longer or been hinted at somewhere else.

Great work -- and this is just your early stuff. Nice!

BOULLIE responds:

Oh god! Don't look at this stuff!!! lmao

I can't even listen to most of these anymore without feeling a tinge of embarassment, no matter how important they were to my development

[GloomyCity]

Your writing isn't bad, but your instrumentation and mixing leaves something to be desired. I feel like everything is sort of laying flat. I think there is a chorus or flanger on your high strings. It's really sticking out. The piano is also laying too loudly on top of everything. It should be spaced out, not in the way of all the other sound. Also, I feel like the low strings are too busy, or just too loud. Needs more 808 bass.

You could be doing a lot more work playing with those hi-hats than I hear here. It's just really long, and a lot of repetition of the same. For a beginner though, this is a good start.

I recommend learning how to use a master limiter on your mixes. This will solve volume problems without the risk of distortion. Compression is your friend.

Some good tools for trap are Massive, any 808 based synths you can program and get a good low end sound from. Sometimes I use distortion on my basses to make them stick out. If you don't have access to a good synth, there are VSTs like Alpha Sampler that you can plug in trap or hip hop 808 samples into and write them that way. Pay particular attention to the most common rhythms in this genre. Listen to other artists. Imitation and emulation can lead you to develop your own definitive style.

IMO, you should have busted out with the end of this song from the beginning. It's the best part. A lot of people would hear this and press skip. I'll compliment your fade-out though. Keep it up!

[8BitDickery V2]

Not bad. I really like it. Could use a master limiter plopped on top to pump up the volume though. Also, watch your chord structures. The high melody sounds like the second note is falling outside of the chord when it comes in. It could be my ears.

[Ode to a Woman]

Sweet and simple. I like it. The chords resolve well. Only could use a little more precise tuning.

larrynachos responds:

The guitar was a VST, so the tuning is fine. I turned off most of the bend humanization so it wouldn't detune.

[~{ Wub and Effection }~]

Not bad, but it was easy to pick out parts of the drop that sounded almost exactly the same. The high, for instance. Sounds like Skrillex made love to some techno. Your drop clashes a bit with the overall chord structure of the track in places.

larrynachos responds:

Yeah, I should have added more to the drops. I had made the drop first, as a project for school, then I finished it without modifying the drop further (which is probably why it sounds so dry).

Thanks for the review!

[-BattleTown-]

I felt like it took too long to really get anywhere, but this is a good tune. You really do churn out music at an impressive rate, and your chord structures are pretty choice in most cases. The bass is very consistent as you mentioned. Nice piece!