ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Bloom Kyoto]

I feel like I dropped back into Age of Mythology.

I think the shamisen could come down in the mix a bit, be a bit more centered, and have a bit of room to it. The attacks could also have some more fooling around with the velocity.

Flute sounds nice. I'm not sure if it's a single sample. If so, the initial attack is a bit distracting on subsequent notes.

Overall, nice piece, and some of my favorite instruments. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

OliRO responds:

Thank you for the review! I didn't had time to master it properly but I'm about to post another version where everything should be a bit more balanced. Obviously it's gonna be out of the scope of this challenge, but I will apply your observations nonetheless. For the flute it is a single sample from Massive X that I tweaked a bit to sound like a shakuhachi. The initial attack might be a bit too early indeed. Thanks for pointing that out, I will fix it.

Thanks again for taking the time to analyze and share your insight on my track. This is the main reason why I take part in this challenge; to get better by getting quality reviews.

[In Tandem (nguac demo)]

Tranquil intro into 0:45 where we see something strange is indeed going on here. I think a visual aid would help inform what is happening, but sound design wise it's indeed quite an interesting shift. I'm quite ill at ease now. Thank you xD

I have essentially no critique. Very interesting piece.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[[Melodic Dubstep] Dystopia (NGUAC 2022 Knock-Out Round)]

Enjoyed that kick roll into the section at 0:40. Great choices of chord.

I notice a bit of clipping at probably around 0:50, so watch those levels.

Something happened at 1:22 and the bottom as well as the volume got sucked out of the mix. Do you think that might be a compressor issue? I notice the sidechain is pretty extreme here as well. Hihats at that point are louder than the rest of the mix.

I think your writing and phrasing is fine. Just would like some more volume, bass, and whatever issue is causing the drops to be tinny and quieter than the rest of the song be tended to. You have some smooth drops aside from that.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[Rhythm Tension]

Nice intro here. I'm really appreciating the rides and hihats. They fit in nicely.

At 00:36, I see you're really putting MT Power Drum Kit to good use. I used to hate that thing.

Interesting transition into 4 on the floor kick through 1:00. I never would have expected that. I think you could have used a transition noise there to smooth that out and signal it better.

1:32 sounds great.

I think I actually would have preferred a final drop without the club elements. Or at least keeping the hihat groove you had been developing on other sections. Actually, yes, I feel that's what I miss here.

Otherwise, really enjoyed the piece. Great work!

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[The Fairytale Continues]

I'm not sure about the chord progression chosen for your intro. I noticed a lot of parallel 5th motion -- at least that's what I think I'm hearing. That perception could probably be reduced by using more chord inversions and not doubling the strings as piano stabs on the other side.

I feel lit a bit more when you introduce hiphop and glitch elements, however, there is a really loud sub bass that I can't quite make out and I think that somewhat detracts from this section. Maybe use a different bass for the same line.

At 2:18 the low chords are kind of chunky sounding and close together for me. General rule, when writing lower, make sure there is more space in the chord between notes. The approach of even half notes leaves me feeling like the composition is kind of lumbering. However I do like the chord choices you made at 3:34 was nice!

Maybe switch it up with the melody? I hear lots and lots of 8th notes and am not sure where we are resolving to. May see signals music studio on YouTube for some music theory ideas. There is nothing offensive about your mix that I hear. In fact, it sounds pretty good. I'm just not quite able to follow the melody and chord progressions as related to each other.

Overall though, nice pacing, piece is neither too long, nor too short, and I still enjoyed it. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

GeminiGemini responds:

Thanks for the review and good luck to the remaining.

[Reflection]

Really enjoy your chords. I would bring up your chords relative to the volume of the hihat, or alternatively, drop down the hihats and 808. It sounds like the mix is clipping at louder points of your drop, when the kick, 808, and hihat hit at the same time.

The switchup at 2:00 is nice.

Other than that, smooth as hell. Love it.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[Pistanthrophobia]

Surreal intro with that panning/delay play. Appreciating the glitching hihats. Feels like breathing scissors. Breaks are gorgeously phased and panned. Brave choice. I myself scarcely ever get that right.

The section at 1:33 is some wild childish wonder. I'm again enjoying your pan play and mix choices. I think the hihats could come down at 2:09, and same with the tamborine/shaker through 2:39. Nothing else is sitting in that sonic space up there. Just a tad. The rest of your mix is perfectly subtle.

Transition into 3:00 is very nicely done.

Overall, a masterpiece of organized chaos. Dig it.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[Plesiosaur to meet you]

Wild, weird, and just what I expected from the text art.

I would appreciate a bit less reverb across the board, a harder distorted kick sitting higher in the mix, and watching your levels throughout to ensure no clipping before hitting the mix.

One thing I find lacking into 1:27 is hihats and crashes to punctuate transitions between sections.

I think you could sub out that piano in places for some sort of saw instrument and maintain the drama while fitting in better with the mix.

I also have no idea how you managed to get that ascii to look so clean.

Before 2:50 there is one or two notes out of the key in that melody. Not a severe problem but did distract me.

3:15 I'm feeling we are building toward a climactic drop and wondering how long it will take. Turns out to be an outro. I think you could have swapped out a section here from earlier on, or repeated it prior to the fade out.

Overall, interesting piece. I enjoyed it. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[overgrowth]

This feels like playing Donkey Kong on the SNES, if it was a mystery detective game.

Not much critique, with the exception I'd like a little less crispy highs on your instruments. Pan play sounds nice. Piece progresses nicely. Sounds quite literally like it could have come off of a videogame chipset with the exception of that lead, so points for artistic vision there.

Appreciated that glitch bongo solo.

I do think the song is pretty long, but that's not really an issue. Great work.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!