ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Pressure Point]

Your drums stick out pretty well here, stick out being the operative word. I would take some volume off of those hihats. They are louder than any other part of the mix and are the only thing really in that mix space.

I enjoy your writing and choice of chords

I would put much less verb on your toms and bring out your snare more.

I think the track would benefit from running through an online mastering service of your choosing -- there are free ones out there.

Bass and pads, along with the melody are hard to hear through the percussion elements of the track. You want to strike a balance in which the percussion is clearly audible but not covering up anything else.

Overall, great melodies and piece holds together nicely. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

TechnoDrama responds:

Online mastering service? Never thought to even look.

Well, I didn't make it to the next round and I'm okay with that. Just grateful to have people listening.

I wonder how much of my music's real impact is lost due to bad mixing and mastering? I'm always so eager to just get it out there that I never really thought about the impact the mix has on the end result.

You have given me much to think about. And not making it to the next round has given me reason to focus on what I did wrong, which is not in the creative process, but in the final steps.

Thank you again, and feel free to thank the other judges. I appreciated the opportunity.

[Supernova]

I'd like a bit less hihat volume in your intro. Perhaps throughout. And a bit more bass as well, maybe up to .5 dB more.

Overall, solid structure, great rhythms. Reverb is tasteful. Everything sounds clean and in its place. Good transitions.

I want a bit more saturation and dirt on your snare.

Definitely wanting a bit less highs on your final drop, more bass, a bit less hihat, and more snare, but still a bop.

Great work! Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

rajbeatsofficial responds:

Thank you for the detailed feedback! Will listen back in depth with these notes in front of me to get your perspective in real-time 💪

[Bloom Kyoto]

I feel like I dropped back into Age of Mythology.

I think the shamisen could come down in the mix a bit, be a bit more centered, and have a bit of room to it. The attacks could also have some more fooling around with the velocity.

Flute sounds nice. I'm not sure if it's a single sample. If so, the initial attack is a bit distracting on subsequent notes.

Overall, nice piece, and some of my favorite instruments. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

OliRO responds:

Thank you for the review! I didn't had time to master it properly but I'm about to post another version where everything should be a bit more balanced. Obviously it's gonna be out of the scope of this challenge, but I will apply your observations nonetheless. For the flute it is a single sample from Massive X that I tweaked a bit to sound like a shakuhachi. The initial attack might be a bit too early indeed. Thanks for pointing that out, I will fix it.

Thanks again for taking the time to analyze and share your insight on my track. This is the main reason why I take part in this challenge; to get better by getting quality reviews.

[The Fairytale Continues]

I'm not sure about the chord progression chosen for your intro. I noticed a lot of parallel 5th motion -- at least that's what I think I'm hearing. That perception could probably be reduced by using more chord inversions and not doubling the strings as piano stabs on the other side.

I feel lit a bit more when you introduce hiphop and glitch elements, however, there is a really loud sub bass that I can't quite make out and I think that somewhat detracts from this section. Maybe use a different bass for the same line.

At 2:18 the low chords are kind of chunky sounding and close together for me. General rule, when writing lower, make sure there is more space in the chord between notes. The approach of even half notes leaves me feeling like the composition is kind of lumbering. However I do like the chord choices you made at 3:34 was nice!

Maybe switch it up with the melody? I hear lots and lots of 8th notes and am not sure where we are resolving to. May see signals music studio on YouTube for some music theory ideas. There is nothing offensive about your mix that I hear. In fact, it sounds pretty good. I'm just not quite able to follow the melody and chord progressions as related to each other.

Overall though, nice pacing, piece is neither too long, nor too short, and I still enjoyed it. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

GeminiGemini responds:

Thanks for the review and good luck to the remaining.

[Dekiru - Shattered (NGUAC22)]

Great chord progressions and phrases here, sure to get stuck in my head. Mix sounds nice and balanced with the exception of the odd overly loud crash.

At 1:07 I find myself wanting some sort of percussion fill, snares, toms, something. It feels a bit empty until 1:32. Here the pads sound a bit overly loud.

At 1:48, drop the pianos down a bit. They are crowding out your melody until 2:08. I also think I hear some notes out of the key but who cares. It didn't really bother me there.

At 2:20 it also feels a bit naked. I think you might have been able to cut out some parts leading into your final drop for a more dramatic finish. Ah, key change, unexpected but appreciated. I probably would have had one drop and then that key change personally, rather than a build into the key change.

Nice work overall. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

dekiruGD responds:

Thanks for the feedback!

[Heuristic]

Absolutely trippy. I'd like a bit more volume on your bass, slightly less on pads.

That trumpet line is supreme. Didn't expect to hear growls. Now I need to know what trumpet that is haha. Can't tell what sax that is after 8 years out of band, but it sounds great.

Your progressions and pacing are great, as well as those wild pads. 2:11 came as a surprise to me. I typically am not one for so much reverb, but as simple and uncluttered as the piano is, you manage it very well.

Wonderful work. Almost makes you forget yourself.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

Cresince responds:

Thanks as always for the tips!

I used Session Horns Pro for the flugelhorn (sounds just like a trumpet except more, wide? lol) and baritone sax. It has a good amount of play options and some ensemble mixes as well.

Thank you again for all your hard work judging :3

[PROJECT - 20]

Wow, what an insane shift in tone once the dubstep begins. I'm not even sure what to think. Such shifts in mood.

I think your keys could stand to be lower in the mix. Impressed you did this on FL Studio mobile. I would ask for a bit less reverb on your pads. I think your writing is very nicely varied and keeps my attention throughout, as well as the screaming solos. Very interesting piece.

The outro leaves a little to be desired, and the piece is short, but I think it works. Great work!

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

AniGlebGD responds:

I really appreciate your attention to my works.
So, as I mentioned a completely s*ck at other genres except dubstep (future bass).
I put a lot of reverb cause I wanted to make transition between chords very smooth, but I think I overdid.
Sometimes badly - made piece of track sounds much better than well made one.(

[The Bell of Death - NGUAC]

Very interesting sounds going on here. It reminds me of the old days of listening to techno on Newgrounds.

One thing throughout, I enjoy your writing, but I think you could stand to shorten or drop the volume on your reverb wet signal. On big sections, it gets pretty muddy, in contrast to the overly crisp highs of your percussion.

I would like: more volume on the kick, less on the hihats and anything that sounds like tsssss, a bassline more clearly audible under your bass arps -- could even be on offbeats to contrast against the kick. This would make a huge difference in the DRAMA for drops.

As a whole, the piece holds together well and I really enjoyed it. Great work.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

amishpimp responds:

thanks for the feedback, i really appreciate it! drops have been very difficult for me in general so i will take this into account going forward.

[AlphezoPlay - Overcharged (Dubstep)]

Nice intro. I hear something going on in the intro on your bass. It sounds like clipping. I think a lot of the mix problems I hear early on could be solved with MUCH less reverb on all instruments, and where you MUST have it, a low cut on the wet to 250 hz. The whole track seems to suffer from this.

That said, I love your arranging and writing all the way to 1:20. Your drop is positively chaotic, in a good way, excepting the issues of mix, the growls being too loud, and a bit less bass than I prefer. Literally just taking the reverb down will fix the majority of these issues.

The choir at 2:40 sounds really familiar, and although it is very clearly a synth I think works pretty well. Very daring choices.

Wonderful guitar solo at 3:26. This is like dubstep meets videogame, blues, and jazz at the same time.

Transition at 4:26 is good, again excepting the reverb issue throughout.

4:44 the drop is really tinny at the top. I think part of this is trying to ensure that it is heard above the MASSIVE reverb on the percussion and your pads.

Very interesting outro at 5:40. Total change of mood.

Again, thanks for coming out to NGUAC! What a journey!

AlphezGD responds:

So i just have to lower the reverb right? noted 👍

And also thanks to you!!

[A new Chapter]

Great utilization of music theory in your chord modulations. Superbly and thoughtfully written. By 1:50 I'm waiting for a bit more to be said, wondering if we will see the incorporation of different instruments or lead lines. I think the ideas sold here would be best brought out into a full orchestra or a classic rock ballad. For a solo instrument piece, great work!

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

GeminiGemini responds:

Thank you