ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[FACUNDO GARDIOL - Airborne ( Future Bounce )]

Drop at 1:56 is where I feel this piece really shines. Feels much more opened up and less centered. Beyond that I don't have too much critique. Kick could potentially come down just a little, .1 to .3 dB, and snare could come up around the same amount.

The vocal sits in a good spot in terms of volume but I would like more subtle volume on the lower octave double. Your samples also could be louder. Perhaps more compression or even clipping on the vocal would help it sit better in the mix, and some stereo widening/delays. I can hear some subtle FX. Actually, I think I'd like to hear that vocal pushed a dB or two harder and see the difference. It gets buried a bit. Maybe up the high shelf on an EQ and see if it sounds crispier?

I also have NO IDEA what the vocals mean, but they rhyme. I'm guessing we're going skydiving? Haha. Cheers.

Thanks for coming out to NGADM!

SPIRALi responds:

Thanks! I love your constructive criticism! really thank you!

also, im in?

[Before You Go]

Fantastic performances, mix, and writing. All I could ask is that vocals come up in the mix by a dB or perhaps a bit more, give a bit more space to them, perhaps a chorus or widener -- and take rhythm guitars down a tad. As it stands the rhythm guitar is more present than the most interesting part of the mix, your lyrics! Snare might also come up a tad for clarity.

Although I wonder if all that may happen just by bringing the guitars down a bit and then compressing. Worth experimenting with.

Well deserved front page. Thanks for coming out to the NGADM!

SpoonMix responds:

Thank you! I really appreciate your constructive criticism <3.

Yes, I get that a lot, people want my vocals louder in the mix.

My music "pegs" usually has guitars up front and the vocals just loud enough to be understood, also, I'm very self-conscious of my lyrics; I know there's a lot to improve :)

[INTERFERENCE 5]

Simple and effective. Crazy arpeggios, and those characteristic transitions. Takes me back.

I would recommend taking some reverb off of your strings, shorter release time, and timing the attacks a little early for each note as when you play multiple notes in a series they get so muddy!

The quack in your guitar at 1:52 could come down some, and for all future quacks. Otherwise, well written! Nice work.

The transition at 2:33 was unexpected and is like two songs in one. Yay!

This makes me want to go nuts and produce crazy old techno shit myself xD

What was I going on about, oh, the clarity of the mix is a big issue, as I would like more umph out of your kick, more space on your strings -- two separate instruments panned somewhat left and right respectively should help. That talking synth in the background is sounding great but could come down a bit in volume for your outro.

Nice outro keychange. Fits well.

Your arps are nice and nutty throughout. Overall, fantastic. Really enjoyed it!

Thanks for coming out to NGADM!

StormLight93 responds:

thanks for the feedback, mastering tips are really appreciated. I will keep them in mind for future projects ;D

[Hyper Fern]

I think the new philosophy works for you swimmingly. Nothing stale, new elements added and taken away and nothing jarring about it at all. Some small critiques. at 1:58 or so, that lead isn't sticking out well against the reverbs going on. Some sidechained multiband compression there may help, as well as ducking reverb frequencies below 250 hz.

I personally am not a fan of the snare. I think it could be pitch shifted or warped a bit higher (snares have tonal qualities too, and resonances, and when pitched right, will fit more naturally in place!), or you could clip it more, or alternatively switch it out. Whatever you'd choose, I would also bring it up a little. It is sitting in the mix a bit flat.

Otherwise, love it. Great work! Thanks for coming out to NGADM!

supermelon-creations responds:

Thankss~ in my modern songs I tend to pay a lot more attention to those details, but still you are right, maybe I shouldve made an updated version, but thx for the critique

[The Promise]

My critique for this piece boils down to the occasional articulation that sounds a bit out of place/sharp, or the outtro that is a bit loud. Your use of your sound palette is artful, and your writing is a pleasure. Great work!

I do think the section after 2:36 could be a bit less abrupt and somewhat quieter. Otherwise, slammin score.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

Baumarius responds:

Thanks! I appreciate the critique.

I assume you mean the NGADM? X3

[Death (Horseman) | SynnCloud]

Beautiful shreds. My only complaints, tune those upper bass strings, and perhaps lower. I can't quite tell. Something sounds out of tune when you hit that upper octave, like, real bad on octave jumps as well, sounds sharp by a quarter tone or more. Also, there is a lot of low end reverb wash it sounds like throughout. Hi-passing your reverb if you want a shoegaze always helps clarity.

I'm happy your bass however didn't get lost in the mix. Sounding good tonally.

Your snare very much would benefit from being brought forward in the mix. I have a hard time hearing it.

Otherwise, love the shreddage, great melodic themes, appropriate use of tolling bells. Thanks for coming out to NGADM!

SynnCloud responds:

OMGGG THANK YOU SO MUCH <33, ILL TAKE THE TIP

[I Fly So High | NGADM | Wave | Royalty Free + MIDI |]

This is a nice composition with many unexpected melodic directions on your vocal -- at times I think it could be a bit more on pitch, spot corrected perhaps, or overdubbed for the occasional flub. As this is such a naked piece, your vocals being ON are even more important than ordinarily would be. It's worth investing in a pitch correction/vocoder or something along those lines if you don't have time to do lots of dubs, and perhaps a singing course. I personally recommend Ken Tamplin (and I am no great singer by any means, I feel you!)

The vocal mix is present at the right levels to be heard, but I am really distracted by the heavy low mids on it, and it sounds nasal. That could be from a common cold, OR from recording up close to the mic where your nose is above or past the diaphragm and as such nasal resonance can't be heard.

Besides that, great piece. I appreciated the lyrical themes, and captain plugins definitely came in clutch. Good work!

Thanks for coming out to NGADM!

Aalasteir responds:

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your thoughtful insights into music, you are really knowledgeable and I respect you as a skilled musician.

[3manon - Brainstorm (Mindscapes EP)]

Nice atmospheric beginning. I would say tone down your reverbs early on, at least the low mids, as they are somewhat distorting at 44 seconds and clipping. I don't think that's what you want in a dnb mix, as you want nice crisp breaks.

At 1:05 your writing is smooth and so are your choices in transition. Lovely chords and smooth leads. Very olskool and pleasant, but throughout your bass is overly present in the 200 hz range, owing to what sounds like reverb.

Section at 2:10 has nice melody and harmony. Great.

2:27 switchup and throat singing is a great choice. Keeps things varied. Mix is also sounding a bit cleaner here, but still really present with the reverb.

I would recommend switching out the strings at 3:08, up high, to something like LABS's free library.

3:30 is sounding good coming in on that hi-pass, notice a lot of the low reverb wash is passed out. Nice key change here as well. Overall I really appreciate the themes presented here in your track. Great work.

I think that guitar could use to be switched out with something that has more varied articulations, same as whatever bass that is. You can certainly find the same sort of tonality and keep that variety.

Beyond that, I don't think I have much left to say. Thanks for coming out to NGADM!

3manonMusic responds:

Thank you for your kind words and feedback! Did you know I recorded my own throatsinging btw?

[PartySlaughter (May 2022)]

Sounds a lot like olskool dnb I used to listen to. Nice!

I would pump up the sub on the bass through 40 sec and find a way to stereo widen or chorus the frequencies on it above 500 hz. It's a very organic sound and I really enjoy it but I feel it needs more intensity, more saturation, clipping, something. Otherwise. I enjoy the acid vibes at 1:40 very much.

This track is both relaxing, vibrant, and dynamic. Very much enjoy that.

For the section at 2:18 I would bring down the reverb on your saws and the saws themselves somewhat. Or alternatively you can really pump the kick and snare. But it seems hi-hat and all may be getting buried there by reverb wash.

It does not sound like this has any mastering compression, which it would benefit from. There are several online mastering services, even some for free, which would help in this regard, but I would recommend revisiting to mix prior to attempting that.

Overall, really enjoyed the track. Familiar and comforting in the sense I love the genre, and fresh in the sense it's not 20 years old xD

Thanks for coming out to NGADM!

TheNormalMusic responds:

Woah, that's a long one...
Yeah, it's based a lot on those early 00's tracks, I really like their vibe too. Mastering and stuff like that is not made well, I couldn't make it better back in the days, when I was making this song. Anyway, thank you for that review and that you like this song!

[Pooo1-Summer wave]

Interesting blend of sounds and offbeat feel (also I like your icon)

I'm not really able to offer much critique beyond I think your drop could use an offbeat bass to hold down the bottom of the track, an octave lower than your top bass, and perhaps a side chain to the kick and snare for any instruments holding long tones there would help as well. There is not a lot of contrast to help delineate where I am supposed to rave my ass off if that makes sense.

Otherwise, cool track! Thanks for coming out!

pooo1 responds:

thanks for the critic