ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Galantis- (U & I) (Instrumental Remix)]

Interesting, quirky synth in the beginning, and the piano sounds pretty nice. Could use just a tad of modulation so it doesn't sound like a midi. Chords are all pretty (I actually think you could stand to make the -- it sounds like saws -- stand out more), and everything seems mixed pretty well. I like the sort of delicacy of the tracks as a whole, as well as returning to the same themes throughout. It's one of the most sensitive ways I've seen dubstep handled, and it still keeps the punch of the genres as a whole. At 2:22, you could have just hammered it home rather than feeling like another buildup was necessary. Would have been just as satisfying. Great work!

Thanks for the request!

NevoMusic responds:

Thanks so much for the review! You've given me some great insight. I'm glad I made a request!

[~Echo~ Eternity (WIP)]

Piano synths aren't usually my thing, but you made fantastic use of it, and I love your bass. Beautiful track, and fantastic chord progression. Those arps laid in there superbly, and side-chaining was perfect. Thank you.

Gorgeous, positive music. Snare at around 3:45 could have been given a bit more life, but it didn't stick out, so no complaint. Keep at it!

[Wind Chime Crime]

Great chords! I was expecting a trap beat, the way you presented it at first. It's certainly very laid back. Beautiful stuff here. I love it. That sneaky bass is great, too. Sounds not quite ambient, for the 2:30 mark. Maybe house. Really laid back house. Someone double-check me because I'm not the greatest at divining genres. In short, I'm in love with this track. Excellent stuff!

Thanks for the request!

MuffinLad responds:

Hey, thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad you enjoy the songs :) I wasn't sure what to tag them as either.. Usually I choose electronic 'chill' so I thought ambient might be the closest thing. I made it all electronically, but I like making relaxing tunes :)

[Antihistimatic]

Very nice sounds, but the build up is quite slow. The conventions of DnB are fast tempo, 150 and above, and breaks. Look up the "Amen Break", and you will see what I'm talking about. The bass you have here is certainly nice to listen to, as are the atmospheric synths. I just don't feel as if it's complete, for the DnB genre. For DnB, this would simply be a very long intro. Other than that, amazing sounds. Just needs a bit more oomph. Try out some breaks, slice them up, and drop them on top, if you wanna see what I mean.

Thanks for the request!

[Threesome]

I actually really like the offbeat, dark feel and thin percussion. It makes for an uncoordinated sort of threesome. I'm not great with EDM genres aside from techno, DnB, and dubstep, but I think you definitely nailed your theme. It really encapsulates the stomach-sick of "What are we doing?", that I feel you wanted to imply. Great arrangement, also. It's sensitive without being overpowering.

AlexTL13 responds:

Thank u for you glowing review!
the overall positive thoughts on this is really exiting.

[interfere]

Sounds like the distortion is just the way the flash player handles peaks. Definitely one hell of an interesting piece you have here. Those nonsense samples really help out the atmosphere, and it feels like a lot of weird seventh chords, which is coincidentally my favorite thing ever... maybe ninth chords. My head hurts from thinking too hard about it.

The bass sort of hides in the mix at points, which is what I felt might have been the point, as it does so without detracting from the track as a whole. Snare on the 4th is also an interesting addition. In short, I love this. Could listen to it for days. Only thing I noticed, it seems to be louder in the left channel. Although I suspect I may be developing an ear infection on the right side. Still, worth a check.

Thanks for the request!

[Gotham]

Interesting and dark, but not drum and bass as far as I'm seeing -- DnB usually is upwards of 150 bpm. This might fit in hip-hop or misc. Reminds me of some old trap, kinda. The timpani is interesting, and for the most part, I like the percussion. Repeats seem a bit lazy, though, like just another trip through the chorus with no verses to differentiate. If you were going to go that route, I'd just have one run through and repeat, or just fade out what you have now rather than repeat it again.

Begginning pad is nice to listen to, ominous, and it loops not quite flawlessly but well enough. 808-ish percussion is pretty cool as well, and the writing is interesting to hear. Keep it up!

[Banging]

~Per your review request~
Interesting. Sounds like some sort of fusion of genres, though I hardly listen to Dance. The lead at 00:30 is pretty nice. I feel like the sub-bass is muddying up the whole mix, though. Almost as if it isn't laying in the chords. It sounds much better at 1:00, when it's laying in a chord. Gate play is interesting. Percussion sounds a little naked, though. Don't be afraid to add some personality to your VSTs! Distort them. Phase them. Chorus them. Reverb is your friend (sometimes). The list goes on. I'd have definitely liked a longer version with some minor alterations -- maybe a change to the bright-ish piano riff every 8 bars or something.

As is, I can bob my head to it. My main gripe is that the kick isn't as gritty as the snare. Cannot get enough of that lead, though. That's one infectious melody!

Keep it up!

TheNGVirus responds:

thanks for the review, man!

I'll keep it up!

[A New World (Part 1)]

~Per your review request~
Hmm, so it starts out chiptune-y. Very nice composing, too. Now I understand that crash from the second half -- though it sounds much better here. Again, you may want to try Video Game genre.

VSTs like these are where your best mixing comes in. Sounds as if you are much more comfortable composing with them. Excellent work. Only subtracting half a star for the abrupt ending -- although it leads into the second track, I understand.

Now, some things to improve would possibly be to add in the occasional hat and some mod/filtering to your bassline. As is, it's not a bother, but it sounds as if it isn't live within the room, so to speak. It doesn't breathe. I try to look at music as if it were a living being. Let it breathe life and emotion, you know? You may want to experiment with panning different aspects of the track, playing with high or low pass for transitions, etc. Also, your percussion doesn't have to lie straight in the middle of the track. Move it around a bit. Have fun with it!