ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Public Void]

Opening perc sounds like "Shots", lol. Catchy. Sounds like techno influenced by chiptune. I'd say Dance, maybe.

Needs a bit of a stronger kick and a master limiter. Make sure you watch distortion in the lower register when you mix. There doesn't appear to be much here, but there isn't a lot of lower end on this song either. That would be another improvement. Some sub-bass. The high end on the synths is also a little pronounced and headache-inducing until the lower end comes in.

Also, remember your crashes! They help build atmosphere like crazy. Some reverb as well would be nice. Once everything comes together, you've got a good song going. By then, you could have lost a lot of listeners though. Watch your structure.

So, overall, needs a harder kick, some crashes, a little mastering, and a bit more bass for some oomph. Other than that, arranging seems about right, and it's a good stand-alone song. I'd put it in Dance, but that's just me. Nice work!

[[Trap] Tremor]

Pretty nice, but I can pick out a lot of the synths right off. The lead is a little bit too harsh. It sounds a lot like some old video game music I used to listen to. Also, watch your mastering. There is some distortion where there should be none. Other than that, it's a pretty decent song. I like it quite a bit.

Vocals are pretty ace. Not sure if they are sampled or what but I don't care. Bass could use a lot more on the sub. What synths are you using?

culmor30 responds:

Good feedback, thanks ^^

Sorry I didn't repond for uh... 3 years. I still suck at mastering lol.

[Encapsulation]

I can hear Omnisphere and Sytrus clearly all over this, and it sounds great. Atmosphere is fantastic, and you two are working together almost seamlessly here. The only synths that stand out negatively are the choir, as I can hear the harsh, robotic syllables. This, however, did not destroy the atmosphere, which is an achievement in and of itself.

The transition around 4:30 is fabulously implemented, although I feel it was a bit of an abrupt conclusion to such a spacious composition, much like the staccato strings in the lower register also seem somewhat abrupt. I believe that adds to the theme of dangers existing outside the biodome, however. You both did a very good job of conveying theme.

I wish I had more to say about this piece technically than praise, however, praise is well deserved, even with the few technical flaws here. Very nice work, the two of you, and thanks to Step for pointing me toward this piece!

Step responds:

Thanks for dropping by, man. I'm flattered by all the praise you've given to the atmosphere. I don't consider myself particularly good at making atmospheres so it's great to hear there is hope for me after all lol.

Choir is kinda robotic :(. It's so hard to achieve a good choir through VSTs.

I assume you mean the 3:40 transition, not the 4:30 one? In which case, I am, to this day, torn about that ending haha. Some people tell me they'd end the track no other way, and others say it's a rather lame/abrupt way to end the track. I wanted to kind of cull away the "epicness" and let the piano synth play on its own for the ending, but maybe that wasn't the best way to go.

Thanks a million for the encouraging and insightful review.

[Africa (Singalong)]

The live mixing is absolutely fantastic, particularly on the guitar. Playing is crisp and clean. Singers could be a bit more in sync, but that's how it goes with singalongs, and it fits the genre. It's refreshing to hear a cover of sorts that is anything but lazy and overdone. I can hear a lot of soul, and I can also hear Step's influence.

Excellent work. I have no complaints, and as a producer myself, the mixing and mastering is quite an accomplishment with so many tracks to work with. Kudos to everyone involved!

[In a Dream]

You mentioned your difficulty mixing vocals, but I feel like you did so in a way that compliments the track. They could be a few dB louder, but that may just be my own preference -- and maybe a little bit more of the 8k range on the EQ. It sounds phenomenal otherwise.

Your synthwork is perfect, except for the obvious synth bass. Maybe work a little bit more on modulation so the attack doesn't seem so droll. Other than that, stunning work. I know it must have taken some time. Great tools help though, of course.

Stellar work as always, Step. Just don't be afraid to crank up those vocals a bit more, so the instrumental doesn't overshadow them. Background vocals were implemented perfectly, I must say.

Keep up the great work, and thanks for the request!

Step responds:

You are probably entirely correct on those vocals. They could've been louder, especially in certain sections like "there'll be no one else". When I listen back to this I always wish I'd pumped them up a bit more.

Synth bass could definitely use more modulation, if not attack then maybe some filter effect perhaps. It does get kinda monotonous. I was originally going for a more James-Bond-esque kind of bass, but I don't really have the right kind of VSTs for that, so I had to settle with a synth bass.

Super glad you like this. Thanks a lot for this review and for reviewing all the others I pointed you towards!

[~Hava Nagila~]

Wow. I really love the harmonic minor (Arabian music uses this frequently) line. Excellent work! The looping is near flawless!

[Splash In Silence]

Sitting at the beginning, and the piano synth is grating on me. Your chord arrangements could be a little better spaced at first. They're clashing, which is probably not your point. By 1 minute, it's sounding a lot better, but this is a very, veeeery long intro. I'd shorten up that fade in after the silence and go straight into the business, personally.

Your melodies are not bad once the main hook comes in. Percussion is where it suffers. I'd try a harder snare. It's hiding in your mix. Also, as a whole, there could be a lot more play with reverb. Experiment and try to craft an atmosphere -- a soundscape. It should flow.

At around 2:30, your piano comes back in. Definitely try a different synth. This one doesn't have a bad sound, but it's very generic -- the same piano everyone's heard in a thousand other songs. Try to add more personality.

Your arranging and break are written well enough, and those arps sound hand-written as well. Very nice. Overall, needs a bit more bass, a little more variation other than your standard 4 or 8 bars until an added layer comes in, etc. It's catchy, but it's certainly a niche genre of DnB.

Overall, good piece. Don't take my criticism too harshly. It's good, but certainly could use some room to improve. Keep producing!

TonicTaste responds:

Nah, man trust me. It's all good. I need these types of reviews, haha. Thanks dude! Appreciated.

[MI3 Rejected Segment 1]

Synth guitars never sounded so damn good. You sir have all my respect! If I didn't work regularly with synths, I'd have no idea these were. Your chord structures are addicting, too. Great work!

[Nymphetamine Overdose]

Sounds pretty great so far, except the drums definitely feel synthesized at points. It could just be my ears fooling me. It's mostly the crashes and kick. Bass also sounds like a synth to me. You mentioned having me go over the synth part and maybe replace it with a string midi or something. I can't quite figure out what chords we're going for though due to the tonal construction of the song itself. Nice work!

Ultramartyr responds:

both the drums and bass are synthesized, as i mentioned. not much i can do there as i don't have a drum kit or bass guitar. thanks for the review, sent you a message

[Bounty Hunter]

Pretty nice stuff here. Huge Star Wars fan too, so naturally, I had to favorite.

DJmadalrian responds:

Naturally :p