ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Gorgeous Fantasy]

Nice album cover!

I'm not a huge fan of your piano, just because over-reverbed and delayed pianos are so ... overused. I'm not sure what to make of your string synth in the intro either.

I think I would like to hear less static and grime on the high end of your bass, and a more centered sound for 250 and below hz.

Your snare could use more low mid, and your kick could use perhaps some soft clipping.

There is something about the chords that bothers me. I think it's the parallel motion of 5ths. parallel 5ths can sound grating -- it's in the keys for me.

The shakers/hats are a bit loud.

But back to parallel motion -- you can make this piece a lot more interesting by using inversions in your keys and pads.

I also am not sure about the final chord in your progression. I can't put a finger on it, but it doesn't seem resolved to me. I would actually probably use it as your first chord, not your last!

I'm not sure what else to say about this piece, except that all the elements of a song I would like are there, but something has happened with the density (chunkiness with notes close together) and dissonance of chords that otherwise should probably sound energized and motivated, and as you titled, gorgeous and fantastical, to make them sound a little depressed. I don't mean that in a foul or derogatory way. Just think a brief bit of music theory would help translate your vision. I hear a lot of the root note of chords and occasionally notes that don't seem to go in a chord, or notes that don't resolve in a melody.

Anyway, in terms of structure and songwriting, you're ahead of the curve. Your structure is clear and easy to follow. You have ideas that obviously belong to the same song and logically flow. At no point is the song boring, even if I am confused by some choices of note. You clearly know how to use your instruments to their potential, which is more than a lot of people can say, and the mix is not half bad.

Beyond that, I can't complain. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

CrazyKryz13 responds:

Thank you! I will try more techniques as the time goes on and develop my senses further. Glad you enjoyed!

[Restless]

Very interesting vocal samples in your beginning.

I think you have some pretty nice, quirky melodies. There's a lot of variation in melody and the track certainly doesn't feel like it's the same thing over and over, however, it's a bit of a tough mesh.

I recommend some study of overall song structure, as you have a lot of great ideas, but I feel like it's lots of choruses and bridges/outros put together, as opposed to a clearer organization of ideas in verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, or etc.

There are some issues with mix. The bass is very thin relative to the rest of the track, and it's very high mid heavy. The percussion cuts through perfectly, but the rest of the track is thin and centered relative to it. I think the kick could be louder, the snare come down by 0.2 dB, and the hihats and shakers be spread out/ping pong delayed in the panning.

It feels like some instruments are very heavily chorused, but because they don't really move around and have a lot of reverb, no instruments seem to have a ping pong delay, it feels all very centered.

About 4 minutes to 4:57 you have some really high screaming leads. They hurt my ears a little bit. I think they could come down substantially in the mix without losing clarity, because nothing else is sitting in that high space.

I feel like the 8th note bass staying with the same riff has me sitting in the same place. For a song that's 5 minutes and 17 seconds, that's a LONG time to be hearing the same or similar beats. You could probably shorten this and have a much better result.

For your female vocal samples, those could probably benefit from being chorused, having different parts of the riff in different ears, etc. For your leads, there should be a strong center and perhaps some hints of delay in each ear to give the illusion of space.

Other than that, not bad at all. I think based on your drums you might even be able to put this in Nerdcore.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

cookie-group responds:

Well, i can only agree with every critical point. Thanks for the rating.

[The Goblin Slayer]

Very interesting tone in your intro. I like it.

I think your kick and snare are very phased out and need centering. This is a very interesting choice for percussion. I would recommend not 100% chorus/phasing any percussive instruments and indeed probably not doing that at all, as you need something to hold your piece together.

I would also recommend against overly reverbing kick and snare. I want to hear more volume on snare and clap

Your sub bass sounds nice but is quite loud throughout. Nice tone though. Really like it.

I think you could stand to use different instruments between your drops and verses/bridges. The arpeggios slap, but I can't tell when we are transitioning very well without any other cues such as cymbals and transitional noises. If you plan to make a very minimal track, keep in mind that using the same leads and accompaniment throughout the whole track can contribute to a feeling of stagnation.

Other than that, nice, dark, brooding piece. Takes me back to the days of olskool techno on NG.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[A Chaotic Hero Enters!]

I think a better instrument could be used than the organ for those stabs all together, and perhaps the humanization function for your keys.

Your writing and phrasing is great. It's held back only by a lack of percussion in the first half, bass, transition FX, etc., and of course the cheesy real instrument synths. I would recommend using ... synthier instruments to attract less scrutiny of the ear, or spending some time looking through places like Bedroom Producer's Blog for better synths.

I also have a tutorial for importing Muse Score sfz instruments, which are actually quite nice quality, into sforzando the free sfz player for use in other DAWs. May be of use to you. You can find it in my news posts along with a lot of other free and low cost resources.

Your final chorus is nicely balanced relative to the rest of the song.

I also notice the mix itself feels very centered and dry, particularly when there isn't a lot going on. Your accordion could easily be spread out with a melody and harmony in both channels, etc. The organ might better be replaced by a lower octave piano or something like Pocket Blakus Cello

I can't really hear a snare if there is one at 2:30. I think that's a shaker, but it's drowned out by piano/key parts that aren't the main melody.

Beyond that, sweet piece. As your knowledge of your software and breadth and width of options increase over time, I see a great future for you in music. Already you're creating moving works, with a clear knowledge of what they are and where they are meant to go. I think you did splendid work, and I'll be happy to see you keeping on doing the same! I can only hope my comments be of some help to you and spur you onward to bigger and better things. Keep at it!

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

ChaoticBou responds:

Thank you so much for the feedback!

I agree with your criticism, and I'm aware that the part I mostly need to work on currently is improving my instruments, as well as my mixing, so these suggestions really do help me out, seeing as I'm kind of at a loss as to where to look for info and tutorials on it.

So yeah, thanks! Hope you'll enjoy judging the other works!

[Daffodils]

It's a bit hard for me to make out the percussion with the compression and reverb so high, as well as the arpeggios supporting the main melody so loud relative to the drums and bass.

I'm not able to pick out a main melody really. Instead it seems to be a lot of, granted quite pleasant, chords. I do like the way your bass sounds and your writing of short pulses on 1 and 3.

Strong points, chords and bass writing. Weak points, structure -- I can't tell one section from another either by sight on the waveform or by listening through. It doesn't seem to develop much if at all. There is a LOT of reverb on each instrument. If you want to do this I would suggest cleaning your lower frequencies up and shortening the tails. Alternatively you can do a nice ping pong reverb on a lower setting and achieve the same effect -- increased perception of space.

I'm not sure what the high pitched percussion heard throughout is but occasionally it is off beat. I believe it is bit crushed. Sounds like a clave or something. It hurts my ears a little and I think I would like to hear more clarity on it. As crushed as it is, it's peaking I think somewhere around 8k if I'm not mistaken. It has been some time since I looked at frequencies by number. May even be 5khz.

The piece itself is not very short but I feel there isn't a lot for me to differentiate so I suppose my biggest recommendation is to study song structure -- there are plenty of online resources for this -- and use what knowledge you gain to take great ideas like this and parse them out into full compositions.

Also, there is a cut off at 2:20. Did you mean to do that?

Anyway, please don't take what I said too harshly. All in all, I enjoyed your work, and I think you have vast potential, if you just break through this wall of disorganization. Many of my own projects, truth be told, are at this stage, where I have a wonderful idea I have no idea what to do with. What you have here I would have probably relegated to an outro, as it's so full, and pulled other elements from it to make choruses, then written an intro based on your outro, some verses and bridges and called it a day. Making music is hard. So frustrating, not knowing what to add or take away. I feel that when I listen to this piece, great elements, and confusion.

But anyway, keep doing what you do, and don't let anyone stop you, least of all me. Happy to see whatever you come up with next!

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

CassArtzz responds:

thank you for your critique, the cut off was and issue with ableton, i think my main issue is my mixing and how my mixing isn’t on point for the type of music i was going for on this, i mainly do rock and metal, but i wanted to try something new out. if you have any other criticism feel free to pm me :) - cass

[new day]

I have some nitpicking for the vocal processing. The FX is quite interesting to listen to, and melodies catchy. What distracts me is the sibilant consonants of T, S, poppy P, fricative F, and your breath noises. You will achieve better results cutting off breaths by hand, manually ducking t, s, p, f, and others.

Lyrics are very relaxing.

Vocal mix at times is MUCH louder than accompaniment and at parts rides roughshod over it. I think this can be corrected to some extent by bringing up bass, snares, hihats just veeeeery slightly by 0.2 dB or less, decreasing reverb on accompanying instruments and other wet FX. The pads are suffering quite badly from inaudibility of the lower register.

2:07 is the worst example.

At 2:36, the levels are starting to come into balance!

At 2:58 the vocals are about 0.2 to 0.5 dB too loud. I think a more judicious compression or hand leveling may help.

Your solo at 3:33 is very nicely played but could benefit from snare and accompanying vocals coming up somewhat.

Your vocoded vocals at the end are gorgeous. Much enjoyed.

I actually think after hearing your outro that a lot of the mud and unintelligibility of the track is due to compression picking up reverb and other wet effects and giving the impression of a wall of sound. Check out 2:02 with those pads getting lost in a wall of reverb.

Your vocals sound like they're spread out almost completely evenly in both channels, leading it to sound as if there's a weak center. This works for your vocoded vocals but makes the entire track sound very flat for your lead. Recommend a bit less chorus and perhaps a very light pingpong delay.

Instrumental wise, beyond the leveling, I'm very fond of your arrangement and have nothing bad to say. Transitions are done well. The only thing I would harp on even a little is just making sure if you must use a ton of reverb, you shorten those tails, take care to mind that reverb tails from previous chords don't clash with the next chords, or simply use them for effect with a big cut off like your end. Modulation, modulation, modulation, or you'll get mud.

Beyond that, great piece. I'm suffering from depression myself, so I'm here with you. Keep doing what you do!

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

cad-mium responds:

thank you so much for the detailed feedback! this was my first real go at vocal mixing so i'll take a lot of this into consideration in the future

[Wind Call]

Props for being in 5/4. Gives an otherworldly feel.

I think the biggest detractor here is the felt lack of stereodepth and space that all the instruments are supposed to sit in.

Personally I probably would have taken your bass down one octave or by 27 seconds begun to double it, when what sounds like a tabla comes in. Advice I recall from a few years ago was for transitions to take two elements away and add two more for transitions. I suppose the same could be said for one.

I enjoy the windy synth toward the end but I have a hard time making it out with the tablas as loud as they are. I believe a more effective use of them would be somewhat pushed to the background, quieter, with a pingpong delay to one side or the other. I would increase the volume of your wind to the tune of your synth holding longtones through 1:55, so that it grew in volume OR decreased in volume with those notes. You are going for an atmospheric piece and I feel more as if I'm sitting at a desk wondering how to solve a math problem or investigate a murder that no one will talk about in an anime highschool. That's not a failure, but it's not what you were going for I'm sure.

I think your atmosphere is somewhat betrayed by the quality of instruments used, relative static quality of panning and effects, and the volume of the dry tablas in particular. Also, there is a distinct lack of other sounds, metallic percussion, water slapping the shore, rain drop SFX, seagull ambiance, transition risers and downers. Be sure to think about those when you are at a loss for what else to do with a track.

An interesting listen nonetheless and refreshing ideas. Wishing you well wherever your music takes you.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[An Amazing Adventure]

Pretty simple structure to the song. Nothing offensive in the sound design. Everything is clearly audible. I would recommend some changes to leveling.

Kick and snare should be proportionally the loudest things in your song. Whether this is accomplished through PERCEIVED loudness, opposed to actual loudness, is up to your taste -- i.e. sidechaining versus raising the levels, or adding distortion or saturation and transient shaping to your percussion to help them stand out. Your snare for your drop is a little hard to hear relative to the rest of the elements because it doesn't have a very pronounced mid to high frequency profile. Otherwise the leveling.

Your structure is good, but your transitions leave some to be desired. I think what you're lacking are crashes, transition FX - risers and downers, percussion fills, melodic fills and solos to tie everything together.

As a whole, the piece does not clash internally with its arrangement, melody, and progression. It's very easy to follow, and no part sounds BAD. This is great -- you're making songs that are coherent and easy to listen to. I think it just lacks some special sauce to make it truly unique. You will pick this up in no time, I'm sure!

As far as your leads, I would take them down by .2 dB to 1 dB, and your bass I might pull down an octave for drops, or write some more interesting rhythms, even if it's just 8th notes going back and forth between low and high octave of the same note -- a technique you often see in techno.

Other than that, nice work. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

burningmagma responds:

You're welcome! I will do my best in the competition.

[Ji4H3 - Chasing the dream (Original Mix)[Free download]]

Coming in with what sounds like a nice clean, contemporary Alan Walker-esque mix. I'm not sure about the transition at 33 sec. 0:46 makes up for it.

I would lose a little bit of your reverb for the drops and turn down the kick a bit on the sub frequencies. Sidechain is meant to help it cut through, which it is doing. It's just a tad loud. Perhaps a more subtle touch on the release.

As a whole it sounds not unlike a lot of others in its genre, nothing wrong with that. It means you're getting somewhere! However there is something I feel it lacks to stand out, which is variety, especially for being a long 4 minutes. I think the key change was not necessary -- but to each their own!

What I would like to hear is some more varied instrumentation, ethnic percussion accents, more stripped down sections of the drop earlier on to give later drops more depth, etc. You've got a solid structure and nothing in particular is detracting from the piece except that it sounds like I've heard it before, but I know I haven't.

Beyond that, great work, particularly on your mix. Heavy compression didn't blow it out of proportion sonically and that says a lot. I think you know what you're doing, and in time you will surprise us all with where you're going. Great to hear from you.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

[Zero_Em & Bonfire - Dream In Digital]

Blazing fast pace, dirty bass, nice beats, and great transitions.

My only complaint is it's hard to make out the percussion in the beginning and it sounds a bit mid-range heavy throughout the piece. Everything but the bass at least. Particularly 1:09 could benefit from just a bit less on the synths on the side, slightly less sub bass, and a bit less compression. Or a bit less volume on different elements going into the compressor. Take your pick. Cleaning up frequencies and levels would make this a solid 9.5 for me.

I'm not sure if you meant to leave in the clicks where string samples come in at 2:48 or so. That can be smoothed with a bit of playing with attack.

The whale-like ooooo is a bit too present for me.

Otherwise, fantastic piece, great listen. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

BonfireRMX responds:

oh! Thank you! I was really waiting for this opinion. me and my friend will take into account what you thought, thank you very much, and what you had said at minute 2:48 I think it was not intentional, that part was made by my friend but really thank you very much :D