ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[CHEESE WORLD HEYOPC INSTRUMENTALS]

Did you seriously sample Gucci Mane chops? hehehe. Nice to see you popping out full albums.

heyopc responds:

yessir i did

[ntfrl 2021]

Nice drill elements here and creative instrumentation. It's not perfect, mostly on the mixing side, as the melodies themselves are entertaining in their own right, but it works.

For the mix, it's a little sub heavy, and it sounds like you have different sub frequencies and low reverb frequencies cluttering the bass up. You can clean up your leads and other synths with EQ to keep room for the bass. There are tutorials for this on youtube which are great for the purpose. Beyond that I would hi pass filter any reverb or delays no lower than 250 hz just to eliminate a lot of that noise, then use side chain to keep them tame and all your percussion snappy. Some people use gates as well to quiet all that wash when the instrument isn't playing.

I would like to see a little less factory Nexus keys, or at least some FX to breathe life into them. But overall I really like it.

[Infectious]

It's like, drill hip hop mixed with videogame. I think your 808 could come out some more in the mix with some saturation or distortion to bring out the high mids.

Structurally, I'm not entirely sure what's going on. Some of your synths are very bouncy and continue throughout. The arps come in a little unexpectedly and also at predictable intervals. Everything doesn't seem to be in the same key except with regard to the minor I chord.

But don't sell yourself short. Just because you can't quite figure out what you want to do with a song -- and I'm definitely someone in this category most of the time, so I just shove stuff in and say the hell with it -- that doesn't mean you're getting worse at music. It just means you need to figure out where the cutting room floor is, and that's not a bad thing. It means you have places to go :)

[UNDERDOG]

Idea is spectacular. Some mixing issues, it sounds really heavy on the sub and boxy low mids. I hear that long reverb tail a little bit before 2 minutes. If you want to keep it, I would do some aggressive side chaining on it to your percussion, and also cut everything up to the low mids. It sounds like Nexus piano, which is really bad about leaving all those dirty frequencies unfiltered in its delay and reverb settings.

For your 808, I would apply some distortion and give it a little more high mids, see what that does.

Your hihats could stand to come down in the mix a little, to taste. There's nothing in that space. Believe me, everyone will hear them.

Other than that, great work :)

TekNoTaku responds:

Thanks again my friend. You know what you are talking about because your mentions of VSTs are on spot. I'm really glad to get your advice, since I look at you as a professional and a higher level music creator. I will try to apply your observations, and 4 real...thanks a lot. People like you are really needed to help others like me grow and get better.

[Into the deep]

Sounds like a nice contemporary idea, and the rhymes ain't bad. The adlibs in the back and cutting itself is okay. It sounds with the production like you're performing at mic night and that's your recording though.

There are lots of tutorials on mixing vocals, but some quick recommendations from me, I would cut everything below 250 hz on the vocal so it doesn't sound boxy. You might actually be able to take a free all in one plugin like KSHMR Essentials, even the free Kick version and up the pressure and tape saturation to achieve a tighter, less PA pumping. To remove those harsh P, B, and F sounds while recording, you can take a t-shirt and coat hanger if a storebought pop filter is out of your range.

As far as the beat, the percussion, with the exception of the hats, isn't cutting through like it should. I'm not sure what DAW you use, but I would side chain the instrumental with the snares, claps, and kicks, the 808 to the kick, etc. I would reduce the hihat by about 2 dB at least, while taking up the snare/hat, and kick up in the mix.

Make sure the volume of your acapella is consistent throughout. I'm not sure if it's compression on the master, or if it's ducking in and out. At some points it's quite loud.

After listening through twice, it doesn't sound bad. There are some spots where in your delivery, particularly adlib "eeeeeeh" where it sounds like you're not projecting confidently. Can you imagine any of your favorite artists sounding like that trying to get you hype? The verses themselves are great disses, but remember every part of the track got to have the same vibe.

Beyond that I would recommend doing some of your own processing on your samples to make them your own. KSHMR Essentials Kick is a free plugin I've been using for transients, fizz, width, and compression all in one box, and it isn't just limited to kicks :) I also recommend GComp2 for gating. If you want plugin or samples other than what I mentioned, hit me up.

Good luck, and keep doing what you're doing. It's a long road to great sound, but it's only onward and upward from here :)

[Empty Streets]

A nice hard type beat. I'd like to hear a little bit shorter kick, sidechained onto that square bass, maybe add some distortion to both. You can also experiment with gates to give those chords in the back some more exit/entrance as they pop in and out, side chain those to the kick and snare. Add some grit and compression, and this baby will pop fire :)

[😈Maldades😈]

Sounds like oldschool 80s martial arts films. I'm digging it!

[travel channel instrumentals]

Sounds olskool inspired. I'd like to hear just a little more pop on the kick transients, a bit more compression on your samples, and a tad more 808, but otherwise fantastically pleased to see you come this far in your production! Congrats on all the years. You're getting it <3