ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Outcast]

This mix is really low-mid heavy. I would recommend cleaning up the individual tracks with hi-pass to get those frequencies out of the way of your bass and other elements. Johnfn does a nice tutorial on this. Might ask him for it.

Volume levels -- snare is way down in the mix. Leads are louder than everything else in the space, which ensures they'll be heard but sucks the power right out of the rest of the track at the same time. 0:04, the sub is just too loud. Mid range overtones take up most of the sound space.

0:40, that snare doesn't need to come up so much as everything else needs to come down. The track sounds like it's floating around the maximum possible level of compression and minimum headroom that can be managed without outright overdriving the sound. I can hear this on quieter sections where the song sounds very clear like 1:19, versus your drop, which sounds absolutely squashed. I recommend Ben Levin's video "How to Hear Compression," on the subject.

I would also recommend about -6 dB headroom before you apply mastering FX. Some swear this is a myth or a holdout from the analog era, that we should all be mixing in 32 bit floating point, or w/e, but I find it really does help get a clearer sounding mix in the end. If your mix sounds good at -6 dB, it'll sound even better mastered. Try it.

Note, sidechain will not fix everything. You still need good levels to keep maximum loudness on your percussion instruments, or whatever you choose to side-chain. Done wrong, it sounds like ducking and pumping, just like improperly compressed tracks pump up random elements of a track when used like a brick wall limiter. I see this happening here on quiet sections, more severely on your releases.

That said, I enjoyed the presentation, and you've got a solid chord progression going with interesting switch-ups every so often. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

NoobGameYT responds:

Thanks for telling me the things i need to fix :) I will try to learn how to mix better soon

[Arcade]

Interesting play chopping off those releases and porting a marimba synth. 0:26, I'm interesting in where you're going to go with this videogame synth, though the interplay between ears is a little much on naked sections. It probably sounds cool on a big speaker system.

0:48 section sounds great but for percussion that seems almost absent and a build up that sounded a bit awkward. I would bring down most of your instruments and/or sidechain your kick and snare. I can't really hear a snare if there is one, actually, just a clap in the right channel. It actually seems like most of your track is panned right with a slight delay to the left.

With the percussion down so low, all the energy is sucked out of the track. I'm not able to properly enjoy it.

Piano outro is super cute, with some really nice changes. I'd cut that silent tail off though.

Mix wise, this piece was very low-mid heavy, and until your choruses, there was not a lot of breath to the piece (airy highs). As such, it felt very narrow. Some things I'd like to hear more of, cymbals/hats, transition swooshes (let's face it: I'm a sucker for 'em; they just sound so good!), and percussion.

Extra half-star for smooth chord progression and clean structure, as well as adventurous approach. Definitely see some mixing and mastering tutorials for your chosen genre. They'll make up the rest of the difference.

Overall, still enjoyed the piece despite its flaws. Nice work. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

MishkoLalko responds:

Thank you! It was very important to me. ^-^

[Fight for the truth]

Smooth piece. Would recommend a stronger, less twangy articulation on your solo cello in that intro. Instructors I've had constantly harped on that unless it was expressly directed -- and even then, strong articulations.

This piece as a whole is quite well written. The only real issues are mixing and panning, other than a few synth articulations, which I believe are fairly minor.

0:48 is a great drive. At 1:05 I was expecting to be driven over the cliff -- may apply some more dissonance here, a chunky low swell (think Rite of Spring's violation of lower interval limits for effect), or possibly even a hybrid transition. Timpani roll sustained would also function well here, with a crash on the end.

I would definitely like some cymbal play throughout. I feel this is what the track is missing.

Pan flute sounds great!

1:18, the nylon guitar that enters sounds... very robotic and dry. I would humanize the attack milleseconds so it doesn't sound so gridlocked. Also recommend Ample Sound's free AGML -- think it's a Taylor, for its key switches and chuckas, which would have been useful as aux percussion.

2:53 is a wonderful modulation. Love that. Timpani roll and cymbal finally comes in not long after, and we are greeted with sweet little arps. This is what I have been waiting for. Now, just waiting on that conclusion.

3:54, swelling, and... oh, what is this? Ta takita ta takita, etc. -- if you haven't looked up Indian rhythmic solfeggio, Ben Levin does a nice overview on that. I was very much not expecting this section to be over so soon, at least not without another moment like 3:09 or 3:11.

Overall, great piece. Really enjoyed it. Some things I would fix once you get the chance, this track is very boxy in the low-mids and lacks a bit of presence in the high register. At points, low mids (like 3:57) are the most prominent part of your track, with very little breath to make up for it. Other portions, pounding percussion sounds like it's in a totally separate soundspace from the very spacious strings and other instruments. I notice this as well with the nylon guitar.

Otherwise, great. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

lukiaffe responds:

Thank you a lot for this genuine and helpful feedback. I aspire to become a serious music composer and listening to this feedback is great! I am amazed how little I know the more I read your feedback, I have yet so many things to learn. It inspires me so thank you. Some things you mention is due to the deadline I had with the contest. I was originally making another piece but due to my own mistake I had to abandon that track for this contest and decided to quickly try and make another piece which became this. Doesn't matter now, I'm content with what I managed to do in this timespam. Cheers!

[Used to Be]

Watch the articulations on that vocal synth. The articulations give you away. Rather than having two strong attacks on the same note, since there don't seem to be a lot of round robins or legato settings in play, I would just hold and swell the same note somewhat on where you'd want your next articulation. Throughout, this synth sounds fairly dry and naked in the mix.

Now, this is R&B, so I'm going to move it to the proper genre once this review is finished. Before I checked the genre, I was actually going to say, this initially sounds very open, all the elements of the track just out there. At points it does sound too thin with the quick decays on the instruments, and it's hard to tell where leads have been placed, volume wise -- but extended over your usual R&B song structure, this song would make a great backing beat for vocals.

Initially I didn't like the booming sub bass where it is -- the long sustain on the sub does feel like it gets in the way of some of the other instruments, and it seems to be the only bass instrument in the song. I would work for a bit of a balance between that boomy kick and a bassline in future works. For this piece, the sparse presentation works, but it won't work for every piece.

There is a little peaking issue at 0:28, as well as most places where the sub hit occurs. It's a lot louder than all other elements in the track, to the point it almost overshadows them in the mix. I think I hear some soft clipping/overdrive.

It also looks like this track is unmastered from looking at the waveform in some places. That, or it's been approached more or less like a 90's R&B track. Definitely recommend researching some mixing and mastering tutorials for your genre on YouTube, maybe study some song structure formats to help you pace yourself musically. Had lots of good ideas and motifs here, harried just a bit by seemingly not quite knowing where to go.

Overall, enjoyed your work. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

KnockVoltage responds:

Thanks for the feedback!

[You'll Get Yours]

I may not agree with that first couplet from an ideological standpoint, but song as a whole is great. I only have a few critiques on the mix/FX.

Vocals are a couple dB too loud, even into the big outro section. Sound a bit too dry as well until the 2:18 outro.

1:36, sibilant s sound sticks out.

Otherwise, it seems to be a bit over-reverbed in places, 2:34-2:35 started clipping -- seems mixed a bit too loud before . You could get that nice, silky, spacious lead tone by double-tracking it 5-15% L-R, then applying light reverb via sends.

Enjoyed the track. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

dude2312 responds:

Thanks for the feedback. I am so glad you enjoyed it, ADR3-N! I am getting great tips by everyone here on Newgrounds, I am loving the people over here!

[Yugoslavia 1982]

Side chain intro is interesting, but I would either take down your brass/bass, or bring up your percussion. It's hiding in the mix.

Song-wise, this is too short for me to really give a good score. A good 30 seconds of the track is comprised of intro and outro fade-out, leaving only about 45 seconds of music. The elements you've brought together are good in and of themselves, but there hasn't been enough development to evaluate those ideas fairly.

That said, I will attempt to go instrument by instrument through the piece.

Your snare is very low-mid heavy. Sounds pitched down. I would recommend distortion or saturation to give it a bit of grit, and if it still doesn't work, either layer a sample or swap it out entirely.

Kick is fine, but bass is loud enough in the mix that it sounds small in comparision.

Hi-hat sounds standard for trap music, which is an interesting combination. It could probably use more body in the mids.

Brasses have a bit too much reverb and at times sound mixed too loud, but I really would have liked to hear another section like 0:47. That's probably a symptom of the track's length talking.

Bass sounds octaved, which is fine. I really have no critique other than it being slightly too loud for the mix to sustain.

Score would have been at least a 3/5 if the track were longer, but I enjoyed what I did hear. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

Chickenizer responds:

Hi, thank you for listening and so many good words of advice!

I agree about the percussion hiding in the mix. As for the composition, I am really kicking myself for not developing it into what this >sketch< promises the listener. Not much time I had, do something I had to (probably one of the few Yoda talks that seem to make no sense at all, lol).

Saturating my sound is definitely one thing that I should look into. I'm aware of the technique, just green. Also, after all the years, still gotta be very careful not to overdo the reverb.

May I ask what monitors you listened to this track on?

Thank you once again,
Cheers!

[At The Speed Of Light (Deathmix) Rough version]

Wow, apologies for how long this took to get out -- this is my second try getting a review out to you. Computer issues.

Now, to the track, it sounds eerily familiar to a track I've heard before -- oh, now I get it, Dimrain. It took me a second to recognize. I can see you've really gone the extra mile to try and switch things up.

Arrangement wise, there's nothing really wrong here, although I do find myself wanting more drum fills every 4th/8th bar just to keep things fresh. You might also try something outside of the usual Kick Snare Kick Snare pattern.

I'm finding it hard to hear your bass, not so much volume wise -- the texture. A square wave would have worked better. Sines are best in the sub, layered with another bass. With such open spacing between your bass and very little tenor/baritone presence, I feel like I'm constantly waiting for a chorus to hit. Texture feels very tinny.

Those opening crashes were used nicely, also quite dynamic with the softer crashes. Definitely found myself longing for more of that throughout. I would have liked some cymbal rolls as well to complement those sweep transitions.

The more I listen, the better the song sounds to my ears, and I hear some nice things you're doing with your percussion here and there.

I would definitely recommend changing out your choir and string synths for something better, with better attack/release. The ones you have are very muddy. If I'm not crazy, pocket blakus and many others are still available for free -- check the free kontakt library thread in the audio forum. Another option, which I highly recommend, is Synful Orchestra, which can emulate all kinds of instruments, like clarinet and french horn, sometimes these ears can only tell the difference when I've written the parts myself, lol. It's also much more light on RAM than any other instrument I've used.

I would also recommend not writing your strings all in one midi envelope and instead writing each different part, SATB style, separate. Many instruments do have great legato settings, but we destroy them by writing block chords. Writing them separately will also help with realism if you also humanize them separately -- makes a huge difference. With kontakt instruments, you can load up multiple instances of the same instrument, slightly detune them, pan them around, etc.

Your percussion are hiding in the mix. Remember, percussion are the loudest instruments in any song, but we don't tend to hear them that way -- because our brains are focused on the music, not the rhythmic pulse. You've got to bring up those drums. Also, sounds like you have some flat samples as well. You may want to try tape saturating, distorting, or compressing them individually.

I can see from the wave form that this piece is probably unmastered. I definitely recommend some tutorials on mixing and mastering. They will take your craft to the next level. :)

Let me know if there's something here I haven't addressed. Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

death2go responds:

Thanks for the review man! You gave me a lot of stuff to look at, which I will surely do whenever I have time!

[Crossroads]

Here from Discord. Ooh, nice vocal line in your intro. I'd like to hear a finished take on this, perhaps with a little bit more volume on that line. The strings that come in at 0:48 or so almost drown ya girl out.

I'm sensing a bit of repetition in this piece, maybe for dramatic effect. Minus a star for abrupt cutoff though, and that's pretty much it.

AceMantra responds:

Hey! Thanks for the input! ;)
Out of all of the old songs I sifted through, I might actually pick this one up again and continue to work on it.
I agree with what you mentioned at 0:48. I initially used a full choir, but decided to stick with a soloist to hopefully project loneliness.
Thanks again for dropping by. :)