ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A.I.M. - Don't Look Down]

Official AIM Review!

Right away from the waveform, looks like an unmastered piece.

Compositionally, I like that opening melody. Bass is a little bit boxy for my tastes. Percussion comes in a tad too loud for the bass/melody to sustain. Recommend taking down about a dB. Also sounds very dry.

Bassline also seems never to change beyond a few warbles and monster noises, which are tasteful -- but kinda leaves the track feeling like a lot of copypaste with a very long series of transitions. Feels pretty empty by 2:50, and the novelty of the main theme has worn off.

As is the best thing that can be done for this song is give that percussion some reverb/delay -- something to give it life. I'm also noticing a distinct lack of cymbals/hats. Bass could use some modulation play, like formants, lfos, just anything to switch things up, frfr. Also would try writing some sort of counter-melody to our main theme because it does lose my attention after being repeated over and over. Sounds like a riff more than a melody imo.

Now, I absolutely love your deconstruction into lo-fi at the end. I was wondering where we began in the art before I realized things were slowly devolving -- maybe didn't pick up on the swingset scene because the music is ... well, depressing. But nevermind that. I'm trying to brag on ya. Great decisionmaking in the outro.

Also, did not even notice the song was in an odd meter until I re-read your descrip. Speaks for the composition itself. I'm also impressed you used no external plugins. Sounds like I need to check out Audiotool for myself!

Anyway, enjoyed the piece, despite technical issues and unmastered state. You might benefit from some YouTube time researching mixing and mastering for your preferred genres -- or online mastering sites, given the massive amount of headroom you've got going here and the time it takes to master a track by hand. PM me if the latter interests you. I have some resources you might dig.

Thanks for turning out to this year's competition! Until next time!

JAXXN responds:

Thanks for the constructive criticism, it's really appreciated! The mastering is definitely weak on my part, I've never really been able to get a good grasp of it.
I do highly suggest you check out Audiotool, though! It's a free no-download online DAW, but it has no access to external plugins or samples. Despite that, it's still a great DAW.

[AIM - Jagged]

Official AIM Review!

Like that 808 in the beginning.

Mixing isn't great, but I've never heard rapping robots before. Extra star for that. Now if that vocal track were compressed more tightly, 808 were pulled down a bit so as not to drown them out...

I'm really liking the mix of what feels like R&B and synthwave. Unique in the extreme. I disagree with TL on one point -- composition. Your chord progression was memorable, strong, and far from most music theory safe-spaces. Bassline did what it was supposed to do, centering the piece. I don't think your writing is weak here, just weird, which was the point.

I used to experiment with TTS rap back in the day. It's a pain to make them musical. If you're looking to take them to the next level and can't or won't use Melodyne, I'd recommend iZotope Vocal Synth.

One thing I didn't like was the hard panning on the vocals. Combined with mix issues, they became somewhat hard to dial in on and pay enough attention to make sense of the lyrics.

Nailed the art, of course. If I hadn't known better, I'd think you'd been commissioned to make the piece. :)

Thanks for turning out to this year's AIM!

Kalviter responds:

Thanks very much for the feedback! I'll definitely look at something like Melodyne or iZotope (The method this time was to use balabolka and chop lmao)

[AIM - Waves of Life]

Official AIM2018 Review!

Atmospheric SFX in the beginning threw me off a bit. Sounds like distant girders knocking into one another, with enough reverb it was almost confusing when I realized they were drums. Perc almost sounds like it's in a really big can. Attacks are really muddy as a result.

I like the idea of this track a lot, actually. Some elements are totally overshadowing others in the mix though -- like that bass. WAAAAAY too loud over top of your drums, which already sound far away thanks to the experimental FX throughout. 1:14+ for timestamp.

However, I do complement your writing. Mixed better, missing most of that reverb, and with a more obvious transition at 3:05, this could and would be a banger. You might even try having the reverb for kick and snare on a separate send channel and using a compressor to duck it out of the way of their respective attacks.

3:05 transition is very chopped to my ear. Where is the downbeat slam signaling the climax of our journey?! However the mixing is closer to what I think you were going for throughout. Good writing with the sudden departure from prior theme but I feel this should have been done earlier -- or more subtle parts of the track replaced with that face-melting bass-laden chorus.

Other issues like slight cheese on the choral or string synths have been mentioned. I don't feel like they're serious enough to merit more than a passing comment. What's killing this piece is a few iffy transitions and possibly compression issues, not your instrumentation. Keyboard choir and Lindsey Stirling 2.0 were fine on the other hand; they just needed a little more velocity modulation and EQ to sound more natural. I recommend cutting those boxy low mids some more and minding those airy highs too.

At some points, choir was so mid heavy I cringed a bit. May have used something more subtle. Either a different but still very vocal-ish instrument with formant shifting/wah-pedal or a different choir patch. Maybe even a low-pass filtered instance of the same patch. It's just kinda shrill at points.

Drums were not standing out very well in this piece and sounded in between muffled (kick, snare) and way too sibilant (crashes, hats). Steam chugging highs were a nice touch though. I also appreciate that you tried to do something with dubstep drums other than side-chain and pump.

Tasteful piano was A1.

I've probably said so already, but thanks for turning out to this year's competition. Times two, for that matter! Keep at it!

5TanLey responds:

alrightyyy, frankly, I had no idea what to do with this mixdown, never tried to make anything like this before, no excuses though, could've spent more time on this for sure

Thanks for your review!

[AIM - Sunken Streets]

Official AIM Review!

Last year someone selected this piece -- and wow have you taken it into a totally different direction. May be some of the finest olskool-y triphop I've heard in a while.

That said, I got some beefs. I need a little more of that snare, a little bit more crisp on that mix. Hi mids seem to have been cut down a bit, which leaves the bass standing out a little more than I'm quite comfortable with.

Extra points for sampling your hood. Indeed does sound like waves lapping at the shore.

Wanting a little more of that rim sound on the snare. Goes nice with your texture.

I also like the adventurous, avante-garde feel on that bass. You're not afraid to make things fit the way you want them to. Super jazzy.

Piece could have ended at 3:56 and I'd be happy. Might condense that down a bit or cut out a repeat or two from earlier sections.

I'd also tame that low sub a bit. It does take over the rest of the song a bit. Maybe cut 30 hz and under from everything but the kick.

SFX outro came out strong. Extra points for representing the artwork well.

Thanks for turning out to this year's competition!

sro responds:

Thanks my man, the snare is definitely something I've been told to give more love to; so right now I'm learning more about parallel compression. Looking back on it, I feel you on the sub being a bit too much. Could definitely condense it a bit, but some part of me just wanted to wallow in that vibe longer.

Thanks again for the detailed review and for having me, first time making music to reflect art. Also had no idea someone else used the same art piece, goes to show how different interpretations can be.

Your compliments really boosted my artistic confidence and I hope to hear more from you in the future!

[Forsaken Reality]

Official AIM Review!

Really not liking that violin synth. It's a bit sharp and almost out of character in comparison to that beautifully written piano riff. I might even recommend a saw synth instead, since ears seem to be much more forgiving of these.

Now, your percussion isn't mixed perfectly, but it sounds pretty good. I'd recommend chopping that loop instead of running it over and over.

Transition at 1:39 feels like it should have happened much earlier in the piece.

After that point, we've got a catchy chorus. Your string swells sound pretty good. Mix is a bit cluttered though. Feel that brass pulse should have been brought WAY up in the mix. This is the most vibrant part of your piece.

As mentioned, I feel most of this progression relies on the adding and subtracting of elements, rather than progressing the theme. You've got a good range of sounds together, but not a lot of variety.

Note, on your mix, that low end is so muddy, it's starting to distort. I'd recommend checking out johnfn's tutorial. Don't have a link here but you can PM him and he could probably find it for you in his newsposts. Basic idea is cutting low end aggressively in your solo instruments, harmonies, and even basses, not so much that it changes the timbre of the instrument, but so that unchained low frequencies are not interfering with one another in your mix when you have those big, bombastic sections. You would be surprised just how much low end is hiding in your pianos, strings, saws, etc., until you actually look at them on a spectrograph.

Anything else I have to say could probably best be summed up by TL's review.

Thanks for turning out to this year's competition!

CrystaluxX responds:

Thank you so much for this nice review! I thought that a saw synth would'nt fit the mood. I wanted to put the focus on more classical instruments. And in my next tracks I will probably improve my mixing.

[AIM - Music Identified]

Official AIM Review!

Points for appropriate SFX, tasteful risers, and overall interesting presentation. Those chord stabs provide a sense of alarm, an illusory chaos, and a nice drone for a later major I chord development. Although I /did/ hate your string synth. Something obviously synthy or even low quality may have blended better.

After a while, it did feel suuuuuper repetitive, so despite those sick ass breaks, I did start to wonder what I was listening for. Solution may have been changing up some instruments, maybe tribal drum break, industrial noise, metal chairs... I can't quite nail any critique beyond hoping for a shift of the root somewhere along the line. Maybe some dirty wubs in a section to spice things up. Love my drone music, and I could totally zone out to this though.

Production quality was ace. Levels were where they needed to be. More points for that.

Thanks for turning out to this year's competition!

Quarl responds:

Much love Andrea :D

[AIM - Mystical Swamp]

Official AIM Review!

Bright piano in the beginning has a good timbre, but the velocity seems very machine gunned -- all 127. Needs humanization as well. Even simply selecting the notes and moving attack/release around 10-20 ms will help this. I'm also not liking that the low chords are so condensed. Try taking some of those notes you want in your chord tones and moving them up an octave. They're very muddy in that low register.

A lot of my critique has already been mentioned by TL. Mix is a bit dirty. Side-chaining seems not to be enhancing the mix any -- and I can't really find the bass all the way up to 1:16.

0:45 we have a fairly good chord progression, but your voicing is killing the victorious mood. Whatever bass line you had in mind, I'd take it out of the brass and move it an octave lower on some other kind of bass. Your brass is really heavy on the reverb too, which is part of the muddy mix issue.

I do like your use of SFX despite an abrupt end to the first movement. Unlike the first intro, the rain is mixed in fairly well.

Essentially, I like the structure of the song, but it comes off as half-finished, missing a bassline, no mastering, not compressed and radio ready.

However, I do see that you have a good sense of melody, and you've been pretty sensitive with your pacing. This is good. Keep doing that. Your outro at 4:05 is probably the strongest point of the song. I'd have liked to hear that on your second build up before a bombastic close.

Overall, despite some flaws, I enjoyed the piece. Focus on clarity of sound, not necessarily big-ness and power, and you'll come out stronger. And remember, the number one thing that makes or breaks a song is your bass. This is the foundation upon which everything else rests. A band with no bass, no matter how technically erudite, is just noise. People will often forgive other mixing mistakes if you just get two things right -- drums and bass. :)

Thanks for turning out for this year's AIM!

FractureClutter responds:

Thanks for leaving review!
Yes, velocity on piano is not done right. It's all standart if honestly. I already have some better updated version, but I'll wait until AIM ends. Reason of some bad sounds is using default FL plugins. Also, I want to say that I hear most of the problems you and TaintedLogic mentioned now, since I have some good quality headphones. And I promise to become better at producing. Promises will become reality someday..

[AIM - Something Evil In The Forest]

Official AIM2018 Review!

Loving the atmospheric sound effects. Tasteful reverb -- occasionally sounds like a bit of clipping in your mix but that may be SFX or unchained sub 20 Hz noise. Do rein some of that in.

I'm definitely feeling the dark forest vibe of the artwork chosen.

Could have probably used a little more low end on your kick and some other hits, but as a whole, this piece really does convey the angst of a terrified mother, fighting against impossible odds to get her son back. You've done a masterful job here maintaining that atmosphere consistently. Very engaging piece.

Use of SFX at the end is perfect. My only complaint would be occasional muddy distorted sound throughout, which may be a thematic statement. Thanks for turning out to this year's competition!

FateModified responds:

Thanks for the review! I noticed what sounded like clipping too during the pad at the beginning that sounds kind of like a low dragon's growl. If that's what you're hearing as clipping, it actually was an effect built into that preset which I used in Absynth. I wasn't sure I liked the 'clipping' effect so much but I really liked the way it sounded like a dragon growling quietly, and I couldn't figure how to get rid of that effect so I just went with it. I think that pad preset might be the source of the "muddy distorted sound" you mentioned. I really need to learn to use these synthesizers better to create my own perfect sounds, but I'm a long way off from that I'm afraid due to the limited amount of time I have available to learn the complex process of synthesis.

I did have a bit of trouble with the kick. I really wanted the "breathing" kick effect which I created with some delayed reverb, but I found that to get the effect right I also had to use a certain kick with a certain sound, and so maybe I sacrificed the sound of the kick itself a bit in order to get the effect just right.

Thank you for saying I've done a "masterful job," and for calling this a "very engaging piece." I put a lot of work into it and so I'm glad it turned out as well as you and others say it has. :)

[endK - Automaton Squad]

Official AIM2018 Review!

This is my second time attempting to write this -- got nuked by Windows update -- but man, this track really is a journey!

First thing I want to get out of the way, I'm not hearing the pacing issues TL is evidently hearing. On the contrary, I hear solid writing for the most part, variation of themes, great modulation on your leads, and flowing melody. However, I also hear is a little rockiness in the mix.

Particularly, that opening saw lead is pretty flat, even for a nostalgic 90's house/techno sound. The naked saw sections throughout are my least favorite part of the piece.

The bass also seems panned slightly to the left. This may be a compression issue if other elements of the track are panned to the right. Bass could also use a bit more presence.

The track overall is a bit sibilant, hi-hats being a particular offender. They seem to sit just on top of the track, and I can't tell if there's too much reverb or they were processed before being mixed in.

I would also probably ditch those ride samples in favor of a swooshy reversed cymbal or something in that vein -- or at least had some subtler samples for repeat hits. However, your FX are otherwise handled well, and this could just be my personal dislike of canned rides. You may have had a little more luck chopping and sampling jazz drum breaks. Definitely could have used a true crash every now and then.

2:23 was a bit naked for my tastes. Break was a bit jarring from the usual solid presentation.

I will say I would have liked to hear harmonies in the lead synth parsed out to a different instrument. That synth is so in your face, two notes at the same time, in the same octave, is just a little hot. A softer lead panned a bit alongside that would have been super. You flirted with the idea earlier in the piece with what sounded like a parallel motion (+7 semitone) double track at 1:17, which worked pretty nicely with that organ-y pike on one hand and a fantasia-esque sound on the left. Organ was about .5 dB too loud for my taste, but it worked.

That about rounds up my critique. The track almost has too many melodic elements for me to analyze effectively, especially since my previous thoughts have gone poof, so let me just stop and say that I am super impressed with your presentation this year. You've come a really long way since I first heard you in NGADM, learned a lot, and really brought the whoop-ass. Keep up the good work!

endKmusic responds:

Damn those updates! >: (
Had almost identical experience few months ago.
Anyways, totally get what you're sayin' with leads, should've fattened them up for sure, defintely would sound more 'juicy'.
I also think that I could've controlled reverb / delay much better as I'm listening to it once more.
Don't think there's panning issues on bass, since everything underneath 200hz is mono and centered up.
Maybe I should've raised a volume a bit higher, don't know what was the thought process at the time I was producing it, but I certainly did want to justify all the frequencies throughout the song.
2:23 (feel like you're reading my mind all the time, LOL) was kinda rushed I admit that, but wasn't that bad so I decided to go with it. Didn't want to implement more (new) transitions, since the song is already all over the place at that point. Just wanted to go back main part once again.
To sum up, I totally agree with almost everything you said and thanks for pointing that out.
Thanks for the compliments too. :)
Gladly takin' these advices for the upcoming stuff.
<3