ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Warm Human Blood]

That initial riff is NUTS. I love it.

Your synth at 24 sec reminds me pleasantly of 007 Goldeneye on the N64 in both writing and sound. Suffice to say that's my favorite game OST, so I like it.

I do think you could stand to turn the bass up relative to the kick and lead. Mix is what holds this piece back. With such a simple arrangement, you need to tightly control the mix, apply subtle modulations, and wet FX to make things sound dynamic. Regardless, cool little track. I really like it! Definitely save it for a revisit later on down the line in your musical journey. It smacks :)

NGADM score: 6.7, NG score: 8

MonoCronic responds:

Yeah my issue is with the mixing, I suck at it. xD
Thank you so much for such detailed review, much love!!

[SPIDERS]

There's a little clipping on that kick. I find the use of a fast 4 on the floor kick to be an interesting choice. I probably would not have kept it straight throughout and occasionally dropped the kick on instances where the snare hit in your drop.

The piece in general doesn't sound very scary to me. Quite frantic actually. But perhaps this is normal in today's video-game music/piano jazz.

The waveform of this piece is fairly quiet. I think it would sound better if you applied compression to the master channel. If you are not initiated, I would suggest doing some study on mixing and mastering for this particular genre. The song and ideas within are cool. Could just use a little professional polish!

I would also either shorten your intro so that the fast kick doesn't wear out its welcome. It does drive the beat, but at points it's the only element I can keep consistent attention on!

There are some other minor critiques, but I will shorten them to just making sure the snare is nice and loud, that the main melody is likewise loud, and the bass is very present in the mix. This should be done at the instrument level, not the EQ in most cases. Also, strive to make sure your instrumental is not exceedingly chaotic -- many fast moving parts can distract the listener if the entire song is like this. Simplify rhythms if you must have a lot of moving parts. This wasn't a huge problem. The overall mood of the piece and melodies themselves favored your arrangement, but it didn't leave a lot of room to pay attention to the melody.

I would probably instead of distorting a piano for guitar chugs would see if I could find a decent guitar sample or three and create a double track for that. They tend to be more intense than pianos ;)

NGADM score: 6.3/10, NG score: 8/10 for preference

NotLeLee responds:

TYSM!

Changes:

-I think I fixed the kick clipping

-I made the intro a bit more interesting

-I ran it through a mastering site (On Soundtrap there's not really a way to master songs yourself sry :/) which made a massive difference!! So its not muffled anymore

-Added an bassline to 1:33 (how'd I not notice I forgot bass lol)

Also I think guitars wouldn't fit this track as well as the piano but thanks

Mixwise it still isn't perfect but i'll maybe probably try and fix it later somehow (I don't know what I'm doing)

You also said about having a clear snare but I practically left it unchanged, the piece sounds wrong with the snare louder. I think that's because the offbeats are emphasised(?)

Thanks again for input, I only really entered the comp to get advice and, hey, I got some!

[N.L - Dreams VIP]

Mmm, them piano chords are noice

I think your 808 could stand a LOT more presence and clip in the mix. The hihats and clap/snare sound a lot more presence, and I think they could come back to make room. I would also pull down your pads and pianos consequently. Really just want that 808 to melt my face off.

Now, what I do love is your approach to FX. The mix is a bit dirty in this way, but it has that N64 japanese soundtrack energy to it. You've also done a great switchup at 1:44. So in short, bringing the 808 more in your face and giving it some more hi-mid would make this my #1 pick so far in the genre. Lovely work besides.

NGADM score 7.5

NightLover responds:

Thank you for the clear feedback!!!!!

[Waffles]

Crazy doing this in LMMS. But it is great for a lo-fi aesthetic!

I will say I think you can stand to create a double-track of the guitar synth using a slightly different patch. Part of what makes guitar sound so dynamic is having 2 slightly different instances of a left and right guitar 100% L/R panned, so that you get this wide wall of sound feel.

Compositionally, this is fantastic. Just needs some final touches of the following: approximate or achieve sidechain of the bass to the kick, same with other elements sidechaining to the snare, double tracking guitar synth, lowering volume of hi-hat, gentle panning of instruments left and right for more spacious stereo image -- including FX such as delays. Finer adjustment of volume levels -- some study on mixing for your favorite genre will go a long way!

I would also eliminate the clap sample and change it to another percussion instrument such as a clap stack or china cymbals.

Also, congrats on FP!

NGADM score differs from NG rating because I am rating 4.5 stars for personal preference (I love the doom-ish elements). NGADM score 6.5/10, or 3.5/5, by reason of mix and master being a bit muddy (see 48 seconds) with shoegaze/reverb and spacial treatment of instruments (lacking double-track and/or defined bass in the sub region).

GlaceonDash responds:

My overall takeaway from this is that I really need to start learning how to mix/master tracks, thanks for the review!

And also to probably actually learn what genres exist, since I really am unaware in that field as well

[AIM 2024 - the emo machine with a side of cigarettes]

This feels a bit messy for me, owing to the 1:06 section, where we have some clashing chords, and then 1:16 a loud clean guitar entrance on the left. I hear some clipping and amp noise throughout which could be eliminated.

When we drop at 1:56, it very much sounds like the 2006 punk I used to listen to lol. It does however lack definition on the drums, particularly the kick -- which sounds like a big pillow and could probably benefit from some TLC of revisiting the compression, EQ, and overall level.

The bassline also at points sounds a bit thin underneath the high-tuned guitars, not helped by lack of definition in the kick/snare, loud cymbals, and guitars heavily accented in the 2500hz to 5000hz (sounds like to me at least).

So essentially, the only problems I have are with that little bit of sloppy chordage I mentioned earlier, and the mix. Thematically speaking, totally on point and genre-appropriate (is what you say it is!). Very moody piece. I enjoyed it!

6.8/10

Yoshiii343 responds:

re: 1:06 yeahhhh i kinda hear that dissonant sound now. definitely will not bother me for the foreseeable future! (it will)

now for the drums and bass...personally i blame the fact that LABS kinda sucks for drums and my bass being so neglected that im starting to think that the pickups are dying on me

you'd think after doing music for a while I'd learn how to mix properly. guess not!

[off-track]

Is that CS One bass synth? it sounds so familiar

I think more development between sections of this track would make it more satisfying. It sounds like 2 songs put together rather than a single song with a defined structure. Granted, those two songs do have satisfying and totally adequate melody/direction.

The song is just short, so to be so wildly varied in such a short amount of time was jarring!

It also feels as if your bass is really spread out in the stereo field, as well as your kick, snare, and shakers. This sort of yanks the power out of the rhythm elements of your track. You can try monoizing these elements up to 300 hz or so and see if that gives a bit more punch.

The middle section sounds a bit thin. I'm unsure if this was done on purpose.

Would it be possible to take that intro sample and find another similar sample like it, and pan them opposite to one another? I'm just feeling this thinness in a genre that typically is clear-cut, clean, and in your face.

Some of that is due to the fact this is an unmastered (apparently based on waveform) mp3. Regardless, I still like it!

6.7/10

xetto responds:

thank you for the constructive criticism! much appreciated :) P.S. the bass is from Vital if i recall correctly

[Wave to Eternity]

Ooh, we love that glitchy stop-go feeling. I'm loving hearing your development as time goes on.

I would suggest a bit more presence, chorus, compression to the center of your vocal track and back off on the adlibs/side. The flow of this track reminds me a lot of olskool in all theatres, from composition to rhythm to rhyme and switchup, even instrumentation at parts. I wish the mix were a bit more polished, vocals up front, synths down a bit. It would limit the perception of clutter.

Pardon me for writing like I have the brain of a squirrel btw. I got SO distracted by "I will lie with God in the gutter in bliss" and wondered if you were writing that you were going to fuck God in a ditch or die in one. Half lol half aneurysm.

Flow is creative as always. Just a little more polish and this would be a banger for me. For instance the clipping on the rhode is quite loud in the right channel. I think it would sound better hard clipped than soft-clipped. I also feel like the track is over-representing the low mids, or perhaps that could be the synths and rhythm elements overshadowing the vocal track. Perhaps try pushing them back a bit.

It is pretty tricky to make a hip-hop track with a live bass AND sub elements. On that note the kick and snare could stand to come up as well.

5 for personal reasons. NGADM score: 8.3/10

SkankyMojo responds:

Thanks ADR3-N <3

[May It Remain Untouched - [NGMT '24 WINNER PHASE 1]]

Oh, it's been a while since I heard from you! This may be the most interesting piece I've heard from you over the years.

I would suggest watching the resonances of your verbs from the intro up to the timpani roll and stinger. They're a bit dirty sounding to my ear and sound a bit 80's olskool plate-verby.

The instrument variety of this piece is part of what makes it interesting to listen to, but also part of what makes it hard to nail down a concrete theme -- not scoring based on that criteria, just making a note since you mentioned Reclaimed Land was a theme. This reminds me of Age of Empires and Age of Mythology scores with those movements around 3:48.

I would work to nail down those transitions a bit more -- particularly around 4:31. The ascending shepherd's tone could use to be stereolized either through a second instance at a different part of the scale panned a bit right, and the low cello/double bass part there sounds a bit inauthentic both in soft clipping as well as its articulations. You can lessen this problem by making the low string into an ensemble, rather than what sounds like a single instrument.

The transition from 5:35 to close sounds very much like some Eric Whitacre pieces I love from yesteryear. Love that.

I would handle your percussion and chimes a bit differently. For example, push the chimes back in the space, and bring the percussion to the front and set them at louder volumes, with a relatively short hall verb. The value of the ensemble, even if you must use different instrument instances, is not to be discounted. The chimes to me sounded too in my face, with too much low-mid/mid-mid, and the perc sounded a bit hollow.

But besides that your arrangement and imagination in terms of approaching this piece were phenomenal. Great work!

8.2/10

carboluka responds:

Thanks for the review. I'll admit I've learned a lot from composing this song, including how not to make a reverb feel plate-y or resonant. That's... after I published the song unfortunately 😅

Lack of a clear motif is a fair critique, but I had unfortunately the limitation of using three instruments at a time, which could absolutely kill an orchestral song (of this length no less); just didn't want to make it too stale sonically and thematically, especially since it encompassed the theme of "reclaimed land" which is pretty vague; nonetheless, I tried to make each section long and developed enough to justify its place and existence.

We'll see if that's enough🤞

[Snikio - Sound of Death (AIM 2024)]

INTERESTING string sound in the intro. It sounds somehow organic AND electronic at the same time.

I must admit I'm a tough customer as far as this genre goes, since I also produce trap hip-hop. That 808 is modulated VERY well, however, it's just not hitting as hard as you need it to, potentially because it's too far down in the mix relative to the snare and melodic/non-percussion rhythm instruments. I would turn it up and clip the crap out of that 808, as it doesn't sound like the sample is bad, just a bit flabby in the mix!

Your cinematic elements would 100% melt my face, IF that bass issue were fixed! They are well written and orchestrated, pun intended ;) It's just that the 808 is the foundation of any track and in this case it seems to be lacking a bit of gas. If you can't hear what I'm talking about, let me know what kind of monitors or headphones you're working with. I'd be interested to see if I can replicate what you're hearing.

Now, looking at your waveform, I see it is decently fat, but in this genre, it could probably be fatter. What you want out of this particular genre is an 808 that sounds STUPIDLY loud and clipped, followed by the snare and potentially hi-hat in terms of loudness. The pillowy kick should be subtle, in order not to make the 808 seem smaller than it really is. Lead instruments and other rhythm instruments play second fiddle to 808 and perc in almost every instance.

I also would have widened, chorused, and potentially made an ensemble out of your string lead. It sounds a bit centered and thin on the drop.

Beyond that, great sound design and really interesting to my ears!

7.6/10

Snikio responds:

wow!! thank you for your thoughtful and detailed review.

This is the first time I've ventured into this genre haha. I listened to it on as many different types of speakers as possible and mixed it to what I thought was optimal. But I think my understanding of the genre is not quite there yet. I will take your words to heart and keep them in mind when creating tracks in the future.

I've rarely received such constructive reviews before, so thank you very much. I know how much harder it is to write a review than it looks.

[ADR3-N / 2 / 17 / A200]

@Cyberdevil, actually, it's not on @Aalasteir, it's on me! I ended up house sitting on the days I was supposed to be doing recording in post and TOTALLY FORGOT!

If Aalasteir doesn't mind hastily appending it somewhere inside here with a disclaimer, and you don't mind hearing something I recorded in haste through an AI model of my own voice, it may YET be fixed! Pending a response on that because it's been like 10 minutes since I sent the file *blush*

But anyway, the reason for my 5, aside from the screw up with those questions -- accidents happen! -- it was extremely fun to talk this time around. As before, you came prepared (Aalasteir), and your editing is again very, very natural considering the many side-bars taken and lots that aren't on the record!

BottleTopBillFanclub responds:

You are super nice! I'm very grateful that you have patience with me.

I acknowledge that I could have done a better job of being better prepared, which would have prevented me from missing your questions, @Nebulate @Cyberdevil super sorry!

@ADR3-N I'm grateful for your help. Stay awesome!