ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Partialism - Windows XP [NGUAC 2022]]

I don't think any of the ideas you showcase here are bad. It sounds like it was made in basic 65 for sure, but it's not bad.

What it suffers from is relative unintelligibility -- separating the quiet from the loud sections, what is a verse, what is a chorus, can the bass be heard clearly throughout and is it supported by clearly audible kick, snare, etc. I think it would benefit you most to try a hybrid of this type of work and more easily heard percussion such as that of the sega genesis. Also, pulse bass may work better.

The mix itself is pretty quiet and gets muddy at points when there is too much going on. Fix that and I think it'd sound just fine!

I still enjoyed the listen. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

Tetriform responds:

Thanks for the feedback!
I have been experimenting with 16-bit a lot more lately, but mixing is still a sticking point
It is definitely something I need practice with but the important thing is having ideas to begin with, and unfortunately they don't come as easy as they did :/
I think I will enter a 16-bit composition next year, by which time my mixing abilities should hopefully have improved :)

Cheers
Jack

[Species]

Not bad! I think your lead at 1:27 could come down by quite a bit and the reverb could be cut down on most instruments with the exception of at 1:50 for effect.

Beyond that, the piece is pretty banging. Your drops are a standout to me for the genre, especially with what sounds like those descending bongos.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

rajbeatsofficial responds:

thanks for listening & for the detailed feedback ADR3-N!! i appreciate it <3

[Madness, Act 3]

Up to 1:11 I have no comments beyond you could probably use nicer synths and more velocity editing for your snares and synths. I recommend slightly less reverb.

Your writing is fantastic though, as is your phrasing. I really enjoyed the listen.

Level wise I would bring down the timpani very slightly, your snare more to the front with less reverb, and spread out the panning a bit more. Anything that is long notes or repeated notes, I would add less reverb to.

Beyond instrument quality and a little of mix, I have not much critique if any. Keep doing what you do.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

Rhombys responds:

Thank you for taking the time for your critique, and your listen!

[He'll knock all day]

I appreciate how strange this piece is but not the velocity of those open hihats being the exact same on repeat hits. That's very distracting. I would take down the open hihat level.

You manage to make synth guitars sound alright so there's that.

For your outro, I think the synths besides the sax are a bit too loud.

The mix is clean due to minimal treatment of the entire track as a whole. I'm not sure about some chord choices, particularly in the intro. And I'm not sure what to make about the track. Very interesting!

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

SirSandman0 responds:

thanks for the feedback!

[Dance of the dead]

Composition wise, I really enjoy this, even if it's a little simplistic and relies heavily on reverb for effect -- and is short. Nice work setting the mood. The piece very much matches what you describe, a somber, wonky little dance of dead men.

Mix wise, I would take down the reverb somewhat. Everything seems relatively in its place beyond that, likely owing to the simplicity of the piece.

I think this would make a nice intro into a grungy, sad metal ballad. As is, it feels somewhat incomplete.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

CielOuvert responds:

Thank you, I do believe it could mesh into a more upbeat style later on. I'll have to experiment a little with that.

[Solaraloe - Takedown [NGUAC 2022]]

I'm appreciating the strange rhythms but think you may be dealing with soft clipping from looking at the waveform and listening to your high frequencies in the very beginning.

Watch those very high frequencies on your risers. They are pretty piercing and loud.

Your rhythms and writing are wonderful. I think I'm only going to take issue with the mix and perhaps some choices in percussion -- and perhaps that the song does not let up even for a second volume wise for a transition. I end up having the very full head feeling.

2:35 is a wonderful melodic progression.

Mix wise I would leave at least 250 hz and below on your bass alone in the center channel.

Beyond that I don't have much to say. Hihats are a bit high in the mix. Snare could use more volume and transient shaping. Kick is doing okay thanks to sidechain. You may try tuning it.

I recommend less sausage fattening for effect and cleaning up frequencies, long reverb tails or too much reverb, and any noise that doesn't need to be there in your mix. It's causing the compression to sound like a wall.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

Solaraloe responds:

Thanks so much for the review! I really appreciate it.

[[Experimental] TRANQUILITY]

Opening sample -- fire. I was expecting hiphop

I think the drums don't entirely match. They're very sibilant. That snare is okay but the ride is what is throwing me off. Take it down in the mix by a dB or more until 1:18.

Your bass sounds perfect with the chords.

Sax addition is fire.

I would add an additional half a star to a full star for a longer arrangement with full choruses and perhaps a sax solo.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

spicymango002 responds:

First off- thanks for the comment! I wish I could get back sooner, but they took phones at camp last week. I'd like to address this quick- I'd like to change the drums to be a bit more quiet in the first part, but that requires another channel to set the drums on, and I already had 30+ different things going on at once and it was a mess to keep organized as it was. I would take the drums down a bit, but you wouldn't be able to hear them in the last part of the song. So (just going to be honest) took the lazy route and kept it on the same channel for the song. And yes, I made a longer version, not by a lot, but I'm always open to improving my work. I appreciate your feedback and I'll get to work on that!
Have a great day :)

[Exercise in Difficulty]

I think this would fall somewhere between techno and synthwave.

I appreciate the simplicity. And wow, I think I recognize some of those fluttery high frequencies from instruments I used to use back in the day.

I would first of all bring up your bass and take down your hihat in the mix. Your leads and harmonies I would also take down so that they did not sit too high above the snare in volume.

for your snare, I recommend a transient shaper vst and/or saturation. Kshmr Essentials Kick and Diablo Lite are free and may be fun to play with.

Nice arrangement overall and a spacy piece. I like it. You may potentially shift the genre to dance for a better reception -- or videogame.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

TechnoDrama responds:

Wow. I've been around a long time. I started posted my songs on MP3.COM in the late 1990's. All these years of posting music online and I've never heard anything like this. Ever. This is absolutely, hands down, the best and most constructive feedback I have ever received. I put this stuff out and no one ever talks about the mix and that is the piece I struggle with the most and the part that I always worry about the most. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I'm going to back and try these suggestions out and see what happens. Thank you so much.

Also, I realize the irony in being around all this time and still not knowing how to mix but I do have a life that, for good or bad, takes precedence over this hobby of mine. By the time I figure it out...well...I'd rather not think about that yet.

[Sasayaki]

Nice treatment of bells in your intro. I think they can come down by 26 seconds somewhat to make room for the timpani.

I think much more sparing use of reverb here would sincerely help the intelligibility of your section before 50 seconds. Also be mindful of not using the same velocity.

Your runs at 1 minute in percussion are quite nice but the reverb from them covers up your melodies. I would turn the reverb values down by 1/2 or more their current settings, specifically wetness. I think the tail is okay.

The piece itself is slow and pensive. I'm not sure what emotion is supposed to be evoked, but the writing is good. I would like to hear more of your orchestral horns throughout and much less reverb so that I hear them well. I would turn them up above the bells especially for the section right before 3 minutes.

Beyond that, nice piece. You have a great selection of synths that I envy and the will to use them hehe.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

Tetrahedrix responds:

Thanks for the feedback glad to be back in one of these NGUAC. Fair critique is great for me since this all a hobby nonetheless. I hear you on the reverb, I was worried about it having too much reverb initially. Velocity and automation are an area that is utilized a lot less. I suppose I could start trying to incorporate that more now.

In terms of emotions well that kind of is bipolar for me, I've always struggled with song progression, expression and structure. This song was one of my better ones with better writing so to speak. I've had people who usually say (its a no from me, its missing something). Then somehow I nail it with this track and got good family feedback). The song kind of started out one way, then I named the track and it got molded by the name if that makes sense. Sasayaki is just Japanese for *Shhh*

I suppose I molded it from there to be some sort of emotional tom and jerry calm styled battle over who can Hush the other better. Hence, the 3 horn sections each a tad more powerful than the other.

Thanks for the feedback, the next track that I begin for the competition and even if I don't get through will still utilize this feedback. In the next track my recent ideas are going to puddle around possible hints of similar styles from the track that plays from from Legend of Zelda Wind Waker when your on a boat or in the fortress and or maybe faster paced video game boss battle unsure yet.

[ThunderFrank - Apocalyptic Destruction [NGUAC]]

I think the track may be too loud before it hits the effects on the master channel -- compression, etc.

The percussion is no issue to hear but is VERY loud relative to the rest of the instrumental and occasionally hurts my ears on quieter sections of the track, where the other instruments aren't as loud.

1:33 sounds like an explosion of static. That one hurt.

Now I will say you take a lot of elements that sound atonal and make them seem as if they belong together. I appreciate that part of your track.

I would like to hear a growling bass underneath the synth bass at 2:26.

Other than that I don't have much critique. It's a simple piece with a good arrangement. The mix is what makes it difficult for me to listen to. Less snare volume, whatever that loud sample is on your outro could be changed out or dropped in volume, more kick volume, a sidechain if possible on kick and snare, more volume on bass, less reverb on the lead.

That's all I got. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

ThunderFrankMusic responds:

the one at 2:26 is the subass, bro, thanks for rating my song :D