ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Trip to Egypt]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I could rock with the guitar/synth arp if it didn't sound so dry. Could probably also use some more elements before that drop. As is, the mix kinda feels empty.

I also notice you apply distortion to that synth later. Garage Band string and key instruments are just kinda universally terrible for this kind of music. By 2:07, I'm feeling the feel you probably wanted around 1:11.

Outro was not bad, but would have been way better if it didn't cut off abruptly. Not sure what happened there. I know in my DAW this will occasionally happen if you select a section and hit render. I'm not sure if maybe you wanted this to loop or not.

Regardless, this feels incomplete. I'd have liked to see more done with this minor chord progression rather than just two chords with the root a semitone apart. I can't think straight enough to analyze what exact chord each is but it essentially felt like the same 4 measures repeated, with no real variation. I get that this is house, but if you listen to most house, they will also have more instruments, textures, percussion, and sound effects coming in every 8 to 16 bars to keep things fresh. They also will use longer progressions and add more chord tones as they go on. You were starting to do this at 2:14 and I was hoping for the track to go on in that vein.

I recommend looking at some tutorials for the genres you want to produce, studying how they structure their elements, and try to apply some of their principles to your own work. May also want to check out some basic videos on music theory and voice leading. You're off to a good start, but there's always more to learn. :)

There are also free VSTs like SQ8L, Dexxed, and APBL (ample sound bass plugin) and AGML (I think) that can supplement or replace some of Garage Band's crummier synths and help improve your sound.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC. Best of luck with your music. I look forward to seeing you grow!

DustifiedGD responds:

Well honestly now that you point out this stuff I’m really starting to notice it. My newer songs have much better progression and the WIP ones have some nice beats. The outro is very short but the beginning could have been made shorter. I don’t really consider this rock music because of the lack of variety and creativity. I just will keep this here as my first track but I’m pretty sure that bass plugins won’t really be an option because I think GarageBand has quite the variety of basses, but I see what you mean by the melody being dry. Also I don’t really want to focus on one genre, I want some variety in my songs for all listeners but I don’t think that GarageBand is capable of dubstep too much, sad but true. My next song should be more techno than house with nice drums and progression.

[Big City]

Smooth riffs going on here. Track looks compressed to death though, and it shows throughout when the vocals and drums are buried in louder sections. I can hear what almost sounds like clip distortion occasionally.

Vocals really need to come up in the mix, and rather than recommending turning them up, I'd actually turn everything else down. Those rhythm guitars are taking up 80% of the space in the mix.

Distortion is starting to affect the drums around 3:22, I suspect due to the low end on those toms not being reined in. Otherwise, this is perfect bar rock.

Solo section is great. I would recommend double-tracking that 5% left and right respectively, or slapping on a chorus. Right now it sounds very tin-can-y.

Overall, sounds like a fair mix with a bad master on it. Before you master your tracks, recommend having about 6 dB of headroom. Leaves room for compression to do its job. Not to mention, your track won't be clipping, distorting, or pumping in and out after all FX are applied, all three of which are happening here.

Smashing track though. Only other complaint would be first couplet of your verse is kinda wimpy writing, and diction is hard to understand. "Leaving back your own life" doesn't make grammatical sense. "Owning all and stuff" is kinda word salad.

Otherwise, great.

dude2312 responds:

Wow, this was a great critique which I welcome with open arms. It was my third time (ever) recording my own songs. Under no circumstances would I consider myself a professional on this, one thing that I can tell you is that I am going to get better at it!

Thanks ever so much for taking the time to listen to my track.

[Launcher Octopuld (30th Anniversary Edition)]

Drums definitely need to come up in this mix. Lead writing is catchy, but as mentioned, feels very sloppy. Way too much portamento and detune. Also recommend panning bass 0% LR.

Otherwise, this is a fairly catchy piece. Drums are really groovin', I just can't hear 'em over your screaming leads, strings, and bass, leaving this piece sounding floppy. It sounds like there may be some compression issues going on as well.

Shame, because this piece loops really well and has great drive!

RetroCarrot responds:

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[Woah dave!]

Interesting intro with those .. phased synths? I feel like you could have chosen a different drum pattern and gotten a much more groovable result. Those grid-locked snares sound flat until we get those offbeat hats at 1:00 or so. Maybe try a slower pattern before we hit our main attraction.

Also, this mix is suuuuuper sub-heavy, and your percussion is a tad tinny. If you've got any reverb on that sinewave bass, cut it out. It's very muddy. I would recommend hi-passing 28 hz on that bass before you applied any mastering FX.

2:06 section is a great variation, even if preceded by a strange vocal sample imo -- vocal samples are just a bit too quiet and lo-fi btw. Otherwise very surreal. I would recommend swapping to a hardstyle plong-plong bass rather than sub stabs for this section. Bass is pushing your mix out of balance.

It's here also that your perc pattern finally fits, btw. I still think you could prob use a tape saturator to give them some grit.

Abrupt cutoff at 3:50 made me sad. I was hoping for a nice fade on that last note.

Overall, butterscotch and then some! Recommend mixing and mastering tutorials. Your composition is fine, good structure and all. Keep at it!

ganon95 responds:

yea, this song was made on a computer that was dying on me and I feel like it caused the song to sound a little different than intended. I am aware of the bass being too strong but at the time of making it I did not realize because of the way the sound output worked on that computer.

the vocal sample is from the original game so it's not really unfitting to have here.

[Dark Void - D4RKPR0J3C7]

That bass is clicking and popping on attack. Really unpleasant sound. It could be a latency issue.

That said, for a super samey progression, you did pick your chords well.

Not liking the drum pattern at 1:10 at all. Does not really fit your progression.

Now, as long as that clicking bass attack is covered up, I can tolerate things a little better, and between 1:40 and 2:20 things liven up. 2:26 is a great riff. This is what I would have liked to hear more of throughout, and where it really shines.

As Kwing mentioned, this really didn't need to be 5 minutes long, as the melodic content remains mostly the same throughout.

Mixing is relatively good. I would just prefer a chord progression longer than two measures -- great for a chorus, but not for the whole song. Recommend studying chord progressions, song structure, and phrasing, as well as maybe a little theory. You're adventurous enough with your instrumentation I think you may particularly enjoy some Ben Levin instructionals.

First note of your outro was a refreshing change that I wish I had heard more of.

DarkProject16 responds:

Wow, thanks! I'll keep those things in mind

[- Vortex -]

Right off, those piano chords are really condensed. I would try not to chunk chords like that unless you arpeggiate them as you have in your later progression.

This sounds like a classical piece I used to dig as a kid. Probably Beethoven, and now I'm sad at myself for not being able to remember it.

I will say the mix is absolutely killing the virtuosity of this piece. Bass is super loud, piece is overcompressed, and sounds like all your master FX were applied with virtually no headroom. As a result, we have this head pounding pulsing of that side-chained bass, and your leads are buried under them. Try to mix your tracks at -6 dB headroom before applying mastering FX.

2:03 reminded me of Zombie Nation.

I really would swap that 100% velocity piano out for another synth or something at some points -- unless you edit/humanize, modify the velocity.

2:45 section shows a lot of promise, and I like that bass -- if it weren't so loud that it was distorting here I would give an extra star, full stop. More instrumentation like this though.

I recommend some general mixing tutorials for techno/dance. This piece has the potential to be an absolute banger but is harried by the mix pretty badly. It could potentially have something to do with your headphones or speakers not giving a true-to-sound representation on playback, but honestly, it sounds like some tracks were just mixed too loud, period.

Otherwise, great work. I'm excited to see how you grow as a producer over the next years to come. This piece has got some spunk, yo.

rat9352 responds:

first off, yes, i'm aware, my mixing is garbage lol... i will bear in mind what you said though - especially about the bass etc (i'll do what i can to change it in time for future tracks, but it's touch and go at this point, so, we'll see how that goes). secondly, thanks for the review - i'll start mixing as you suggested. velocity isn't something i've currently found out how to change on FLmobile but as soon as i do i'll be using it. i'll probably also try find a tutorial/tutorials (as you also suggested) on the genre - never actually have looked at one so it could do me some good i suppose. thanks again for the review - i appreciate your honesty :)

[Steam Leaper (Remix)]

I find myself agreeing totally with Kwing's review, but trying to keep things concise.

Overall, Hinkik's Time Leaper is just a good piece, with a catchy melody. I feel like more could have been done other than simply take the melody and port it to different instruments. Why not do a reharmonization instead? This is a very interesting way to spice up melodies you know well, not to mention a fun writing exercise.

I do like the offbeat percussion, but I do feel like the instrumentation of this track is so sparse, you really do yourself a disservice, especially as you gradually pare things down to draw the outro out. It ends up sounding less like a song on its own and more like a really simple karaoke track.

Also this isn't techno. I will try to correct the genre to mitigate some of the low scores I see you getting.

I think you would really benefit from just studying tutorials on your favorite genres on YouTube, as well as some basic songwriting. I see potential in your ability to arrange music, and you managed to create an ok-sounding mix on your own, which is an accomplishment. Keep at it, and maybe one of these days we'll be remixing one of your pieces. :)

CreeperX3sssBOOM responds:

1: Thanks for the Review, I will be sure to listen to the Advice

2: I don't know what most of them are so I just put it into the "Techno" Category. Once I know what each of the Categories sound like I will be fixing that right up.