ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Love-God Kobold]

So sad that people drop low scores because of a silly thing like disabled API. Rating usability in a game is not part of NG review process. I will drop a 5 because I hate to see it! My NGUAC score will differ.

For what it's worth, this is a great composition, with tons of great melodies

mix issues
- hihat is WAY up in the mix and I have a problem hearing kick and snare. thank you for not making crashes overly loud. hihat needs to come down a lot where it is holding notes -- the ghosts are fine

- reverb is all over the place which is interfering with my ability to hear your low strings and pads -- since your pads and strings have slow attacks, move the note beginnings before the downbeats, so that they come in cleaner and you can hear the chord before the beat ends!

instruments such as saxes have this issue too. You can modulate velocity and expression on these so they don't sound so cheapo synth. I actually recommend not using them at all most of the time -- but you can try the now free synful orchestra as a replacer and see how that sounds if you ever revisit this piece

Otherwise, good work. Enjoyed it!

Pheanir responds:

Thank you really much for your feedback! =)

I instantly got the synful orchestra plugin to try and see how it sounds but, unfortunately, the software I (have to) use is too old to recognize VST3, so I cannot use it for my music for the time being. :(
Nevertheless, thanks for the tipps and the advice! ♪

[System Eta - Mind Rush]

Loving the vibe as we come in through 23 seconds but your hihats and your fantasia like lead are SO loud in the 15khz and up that it is almost painful. I think if you want to keep that timbre for them, you can turn them down by quite a lot and not lose anything valuable in the piece

This problem persists throughout so I am not going to mention more on it

Your bass has a good sound

Samples at 2:14 are not quite cutting through well due to excess reverb or lack of sidechain. They could be panned harder to the left and right for texture. It may even be delays covering them up

I want to hear more volume on the kick and snare to cut through more, especially kick

Otherwise, great!

MorphingThruTime responds:

Thanks for the detailed feedback. I agree with many points.
As for Kick and Snare, I can only say that I did not specifically single them out, so that the drums sounded all mixed up, so that the music would not look like drum and bass.

[Mikaiah - Hesitation]

Just a few items of critique here for this monster of a song!

I find myself wanting more bass in the sub range throughout, occasionally a bit less sibilance on bit crushed instruments, the kick and snare to cut through more audibly, less reverb overall -- or shorter tails (especially on big sections where it can wash out the low-mids and bass)

Your lead writing is good, but I would potentially cut sections here and there, as the song is LONG and maintains the same feel overall. Ear fatigue is real. Such a long song is also easy to listen to over and over, want to get to the good part, and give up on mixing and writing new parts.

But beyond that you've done a great job!

Mikaiah responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed it regardless, and i'll try to keep all of those things in mind!

[Divine Mother]

You have a wrong accidental note in your sine bass octave jumps. It's the 3rd chord shift. The top octave should come up or down one semi tone or be detuned slightly to fit into the chord.

The breaks are utterly insane btw. noice. I think the kick and snare could come up in the mix. The pads and strings are burying it, especially with the lots of reverb on them.

The final drop is sounding good

I really feel with as similar as the song is throughout that 7:49 is a long time to keep the song going. Perhaps you could cut some sections, or change up the bass instrument/line

The insanity of the drums is appreciated however could cut through the mix a lot better either with sidechain on the kick and snare frequencies to reverbs, or something along those lines.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

MangleDark responds:

thank you very much for doing such a well structured review. would love to receive more comments like this

[DreamStory]

I'm unsure why people are harassing you with these low ball scoring reviews. Going to leave a 5 here because F that noise. My actual NGUAC score will differ.

There are some issues -- the leads are VERY loud on drops and throughout. I clearly hear kick and snare, but also, I want to hear your pads too! 1:42, the bass is almost inaudible relative to the leads and counter leads.

In general, the longer a note is held, the less it needs to be in your face

Compositionally, I did enjoy the piece

2:20, the sub is almost inaudible. I hear it mostly because of a resonant ring in the 20khz range which should not be that loud. Bit crush noise?

3:07 is starting to sound closer to a good mix. Try turning those leads down if you ever revisit this, and bring the bass up overall. Perhaps low pass the bass to eliminate that heavy resonance, audible even at 4:16. See what happens!

LtFS responds:

Apparently, this year I won’t go beyond tryout... Thank you for your feedback!

[4. Spark of Life]

The song is clipping like crazy throughout, kind of sounds like black metal. Better micing equipment for those drums is a must

In terms of playing and musicality, I would give a solid 9/10, however. Very nice rhythms and runs. Lyrics are also confounding in a good way. Guitar tone is also good. Reminds me of dropkick murphy's

Would you mind discussing some of your recording equipment? Perhaps someone here has suggestions. I run a scarlett solo rig with their bundled mic. That may work for your purposes if placed in the right part of the room.

lokimiah1 responds:

I just used my phone. In the years between me putting this together and now, I have since found a much more favorable placement for the phone where things *don't* clip, so rest assured, at least that much will be fixed. Aside from that, though, the rawness is deliberate - hence why I continue to use my phone. Some albums I would recommend to get a feel for my preferred production sound would be Vincebus Eruptum by Blue Cheer, Zen Arcade by Husker Du, Damaged by Black Flag, Wild Beyond Belief by Satan's Satyrs, Songs About Fucking by Big Black, and the Brown Album by Primus.

[firework love]

Overall, I love the vocal lines and overall theme. Actually, I think you could roll off the high end of the vocal a bit, and experiment with both low and hi pass on it.

The mix in general is quite sibilant. I find myself wanting your kick fuller, more snare volume, and less sibilants all around, including on your synths. The mix is lacking low mid, and could use a heavier bass, perhaps down an octave.

Otherwise, great ideas. Love it! I honestly would ask for an acapella. I think you have a beautiful voice, and that chorus is infectious!

kiiri responds:

if you really do want the thing I can provide it

do be aware I sound much worse without every instrument ever drowning me out

[3Dodge]

In terms of composition, great!

Mix and instrumentation wise, there are some things I would change. For one, the mix is pretty quiet and it sounds to be unmastered. Some compression would do you lots of favors applied to the master channel -- careful to do this once you are satisfied with how you want your song to be, and not during the entire process. Even an internet mastering service would help.

In terms of individual instruments, your lead guitar is a little dry sounding. It could use a chorus, delay, or reverb to give it some space. The same is occurring with most other leads, so they sound flat.

Your rhythm guitars could be double tracked

Your kick and snare should be the loudest parts of your mix. hi-hats are a bit too loud. They should be audible but not overly obvious.

Brass could also be panned wider for effect and other instruments used to double this part for extra texture

The breathing SFX through 1:26 could be panned left or right for effect

Otherwise, hold onto this idea. It's a fantastically written piece that just needs some polish!

Jotrocken responds:

Unfortunately i can't use my project file anymore. Due to some problems with Komplete Kontrol/ NI VST (Support could help either).
But I keep that in mind for future mixes and mastering or if i someday make a new mix.

Really appreciate your feedback.

[In My Dreams (ft. Katty Heath)]

Some pretty banging trance! I wish there were a bit less reverb on portions, to make that sidechain a bit more effective. At points the pianos sound like they are overdriving, especially on the sides and in the right channel around 2 min.

The vocals also could be mixed a bit louder overtop the instrumental. Less reverb on the pads or a sidechain on it when the vocals come in would help

Otherwise, great!

Olindel responds:

Thank you very much! I'll apply these improvements for my next track!

[Burrito Monkey]

I think this is a very interesting idea, but it's pretty short, and the loudest instrument is your.. bell lead? I hear some guitar samples out of key with that, but they're quiet enough to be noise.

What I would like is to hear more of your kick and snare, so that they cut through the beat and give it some more oomph

That bass line is not a bad idea at all. It's pretty interesting, but it shouldn't be all that I can hear clearly. Other than that, not bad, just wish it were longer!

JAM-POWER responds:

Thanks for the feedback! (Sorry it took me a while to respond)