ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Black Hole (NGUAC Entry)]

I think I would switch out your intro piano or perhaps not octave double it. But as far as your buildup, the superb production there makes that minor gripe very forgiveable.

Absolutely top drop. Additionally, excellent use of string ensembles and hidden what sounds to be choirs.

2:18, I think a different changeup rhythm for the kick and snare would be appropriate for that transition. Feel it was just a bit abrupt and roughly handled. Hihats at 2:55 can also safely come down a bit until 3:11. Perhaps even after that, by, say .2 to .4 dB. They are really screaming up there if they are loud on my monitor headphones, which typically under represent those frequencies.

3:54 also has a LOT of white noise frequencies, perhaps needing to be brought down.

But all this is just nitpicking. You've really brought a banger. Great job!

[Fight for the Future! - NGUAC Knockout 2023]

There is some unidentifiable noise clicking above the mix prior to 30 seconds. It could be some sort of reverb. Speaking of reverb, it is hard to hear anything going on due to lots of low end noise coming from reverb through this piece. Rolling off some of the low end i.e. 250 hz and below can help. Alternatively, manage reverb smartly by applying it where you want it to be heard -- think about how people don't leave the sustain pedal on a piano when they change chords, unless those chords go together -- it causes things to sound muddy.

The kick is very hard to hear throughout the song. Snare could come up throughout. Hihats potentially also. Levels are just in general all over the place. Perhaps not for a chip tune song, but this is not chip.

I am having trouble hearing the bass through the reverb shoegaze and over the amount of sustaining bells, as well as the quite loud leads.

Based on your panning, I think it is part of the reverb on the snare in your beginning I was hearing. Oh no, it was the instrument at 2:14. Rolling off the high end on that delay will help a bit. Due to muddy mix, it was sounding like clipping to me in your intro.

But I would like to say beyond all that that compositionally, this is a great piece, which I really enjoyed. All mix issues aside, it's lively, energetic, and driven. Kind of reminds me of mario kart, tbh. Good work!

CommanderJersey responds:

Thank you for the review, I have been working your feedback into the song to make it better!

[Crystal Zero (Lite)]

I think there is overuse of reverb throughout creating a low-mid hum throughout -- perhaps roll off some of that as you incorporate more instruments.

Mix at 1:17 is sounding great on your bass, but I think the cello could be thinned out a bit and made into an ensemble at the same volume. I think it actually needs a wetter, crispier sound.

Structure wise, going great into 2 min. Liking that drop. Wanting actually more low mid and high mid here, and a bit drier tint here, especially at 2:15.

At 2:35, I think the low piano chords could be thinned out note wise or replaced with saws. Also, the attacks on each note all sounding at the same time is a bit grating for that naked section. A natural hand roll as it would be played might sound better.

3:42 is way over compressed, more than 3:24 even. It is losing the natural character of the synths and the transition sweep is getting lost as soda fizz on top of any reverbs there. The side chain is also almost totally lost in terms of actual contrast it is providing.

At 3:59, same issue as 2:35. Changing the velocity to be softer here, as it's the outro, may help.

Otherwise, I think you've done a fabulous job at sound design and made a good composition. Great work!

Question, does Nexus 4 still have the keys from the original Nexus? That piano sounds so familiar!

CloudNinja responds:

Nexus 4 is the same, it just changes the UI and adds extra buttons. Thx for the feedback! I didn't have enough time to really make it as good as I want so hopefully the full version would be better (IE "Lite" in the name)

[Sadistic Blood]

chord progression in intro is fire, as is the fx used.

I think the synths at 30 sec could be a bit quieter, as well as drums

Overall the weak point of this piece is production and instruments used -- i.e. mix levels and particularly that soundfont piano. I think a synth would have been much better suited there.

At 1:34, the instrumentation is sounding thin and under developed, and there is not a lot of contrast between it and the intro beyond some percussion parts coming in and a synth violin, which I think also would be better replaced with a synth. Still the ideas presented here are fantastic.

I do praise that I can hear your sine bass!

I think if you were to take this piece exactly as is written and with the same instruments, I would roll some high end off of your drums as a whole, i.e. low pass, apply reverb to the snare and a subtle pingpong delay to hihats and cymbals, and apply dynamic compression to them. Hihats and cymbals should be lower in volume. Snare and kick should be the loudest element of a piece and be balanced sonically -- listen to some references as you mix, chosen from the genres you most want to emulate, and try to approximate the sounds

Compositionally, I think there are some weaknesses in structure, not in terms of actual melodies written, but layering and choice of instruments, such that drops don't quite feel like drops. More contrast needs to be apparent in terms of volume and individual parts entering and exiting the stage per new phrase.

I hope you keep going in this direction however and that you don't lose your writing as you improve aspects of mix and instruments available to you. This is great :)

ClitBait responds:

thx you for the review, i'll keep in mind!!!

[Not Number One]

Really catchy chorus for this one

I think there could be more contrast in terms of volume between sections, and at 31 seconds and similar sections, your bass needs more presence, the lead could come down somewhat, and sides come up.

I praise that I'm actually able to hear the chip percussion throughout. Do think the snare could come up slightly and hihat could come down.

Overall, the vocal could use manual volume ducking of syllables with s and s like sounds. Great job all other things aside. Keep pushing your comfort zone! This is really nice!

[1up]

Utterly nutty tempo. Woh.

Level wise the song is pretty quiet until that final set of drops, and I actually would have liked if you did stick with the hardstyle drop to give it a chance.

Levels are all over the place. At times, I want more of your side synths, at others I want more bass. I did have to double check your vocal sample was not ripped from a Skrillex track and indeed was released as a royalty free sample pack as far as I could see.

Throughout there is a bit of issue with the kick and snare sitting far down in the mix, when they should be loudest.

I also feel that the melodies chosen would be better suited to a more relaxed tempo of say 180 to 190.

Other than that though, great work. 10 hours to put together 2:30 of music, not bad at all!

[Phunk]

Lovely fusion of genres!

At 1:00 and so far my only complaint is stereo image and presence of bass. On stereo image, perhaps could be helped with subtle slapback delays ping-ponged to the opposite channel to which a track is panned for side instruments. Wider panning and perhaps stereo imaging plugins to give width there on individual tracks would help. I like to cheat and use cymatics diablo or KSHMR's free kick plugin for that.

At 2:00 we have a slightly over present bass. But the track is bumping along. Not bothering me much at all.

3:11, I think I have that snare! LOL. Love what you're doing with it. I think you could potentially modulate a rubberized turntable effect on the -2/3 semitone snare to simulate a different intonation, as the lower snare does stick out a bit. Perhaps even pitch bend it so that the lower note is exactly in tune. That can also make a difference.

I would like wetter top snares.

Your brass samples are placed perfectly, and vocals sound good.

That dinging -- it sounds like metal pipes clanking together, could have some low end rolled off of it.

Otherwise, fire. Great work!

[Aster - Imoistar 6]

Right off the bat, I want a sub below those growls, right center, probably a square wave for presence.

Otherwise, loving the chaotic noise going on here, and how the snare blends with the reesy rhythmic drones in the intro.

By the time the 2nd snare enters, the high frequencies are a bit overwhelming. The ring on that snare is right in the frequencies of my tinnitus and could probably be rolled off slightly without losing any edge to the track as a whole.

What I do love is your play with distortion and saturation throughout. Beautiful. However, I do feel there could be more contrast in arrangement, like say dnb drops with more fancy noises, as opposed to the slower dubstep like dirge we have for the second drop. To explain what I mean, "verse" sections with percussion arranged as you have for your second drop, and drops as dnb. Perhaps implement more obvious builds as well.

Mix feels like at points it is too wide, very high mid and treble heavy, with not enough low mid and sub to feel pushed. Could potentially be suffering from over reverberation and a very loud mix prior to compression -- that will lead to this issue very quickly, sucking energy from your bass as low mid and sub frequencies on your wet reverb push your bass out of the way.

Due to over reverb and delay, as well as some eq choices, I am having a hard time hearing your cymbals and hybrid cymbal percussion. Panning play, transient shaping, and simply moving things out of the way to make room for the cymbals will help that.

I still really enjoyed it though. Great work, and love the cover art.

[Half Sure]

Before I've even listened, I love your lyrics and lyrical theme. It's endemic to the human experience. Anyone who hasn't felt this, hasn't felt the feeling of being alive: loss, aimlessness, apathy, joy and its absence. I feel you, and I'm there with you now. Hang in there <3

In your intro, I would like more stereo width on your breaks and perhaps a more thinned out sound. They are having trouble cutting through the mix throughout.

Enjoy the vocals. Perhaps could thin out the low mid and bump the frequencies around your s's, in exchange for a manual de-ess. FX on them are pretty smooth, as well as transitions. They could potentially come down by .3 to .4 in the final mix/master.

Bass also could use a bit more high mid and presence in the center channel. It feels as if your sub has been stereo spread.

The guitars feel disjointed in the stereo space and a bit dry, as well as somewhat loud on clean lines. The rhythm/chords in the left are hard to make out due to fuzz. Perhaps a bit more careful eq before hitting the head will assist.

Otherwise, beautiful composition and flow. I found myself wanting one more chorus after the outro, honestly. I like it a lot!

SkankyMojo responds:

Thank you very much, I really appreciate the detailed feedback and kind words.

[Something's Wrong]

Well enjoyed with lights off, for sure! But I need to type or I'll lose my place

Where the brass comes in, controlling those attacks is imperative, lest they twah twah. Think I would appreciate a thicker ensemble there -- moving individual midi notes back so that they begin to sound where it suits your down beats will do the trick for the first problem -- see 1:10

Insane sound design

I think this would fit great in cinematic, as it very much sounds like a film score

Only wish it were longer. I could listen to this for ... 8 minutes single play. Realistically speaking, for an entire movie

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Sorry for the late reply! I've had a crazy year. Thanks for listening with the lights off <3

I agree 100% about the brass. I also think it should be a bit less quantized. What I normlly like to do is delay compensate so that the instruments hit in the beat! I won't be too hard on myself though, as I wrote this during my honeymoon, on a laptop xD

I'm so happy you appreciated the sound design! That's definitely where I placed most of my effort for this piece :3