ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Red dream part 2]

Woah. This reminds me of stuff I from the 80's, synth rock, almost, and maybe a bit of older N64 OSTs. Quite a well-mixed, melodic presentation. Enjoyed it thoroughly but wish it was longer. What sort of synths and FX did you use? Particularly that percussion? I like the snare. Wish it were slightly louder in the mix though.

EdKempeper responds:

Hi ! Thank you very much, your review are always constructive !
Yes, I tried to make a track in the eighties vibe.
The kick comes from http://rekkerd.org/disko-unkle-deep-kicks-free-sample-pack/
The snare is called "Born snare", but the link to this sample has been removed...
I can upload it in my dumping grounds if you want.
The other VST are Monopoly by Korg for the bass, Z3ta+2 by cakewalk, Sytrus, Alieno by Acrobatics and M-Phasewav by Tubeohm.

[Fairy Tail Theme-Metaljonus]

Absolutely nailed it. I have no complaints minus that it could use just a tad better mastering. It's distorting in some places. Snare is a bit too loud -- that or the drums are in general and could use a bit less 30 hz there. Very pleasing listen. I'd love to know what kind of setup, FX, and plugins you got going on.

Metaljonus responds:

Thanks! And yeah, I kind of winged it on the master haha, I was listening to it way too much and I think I've given my ears sometimes and now I can go back and clean it up. As for my gear, I play a Schecter diamond series 7 string>POD HD>Presonus firepod>Cubase, with superior drummer and used Reason 5 for the strings and I forgot the patches I used oh that since I have a shit ton of them to go through lol. The Mastering plugin I used was Ozone. And the bass guitar I used was a cheapie pawn shop bass lol.

[Just My Luck-Metaljonus]

As mentioned in other reviews, this does sound fairly rudimentary, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I just feel there isn't much bravery in how the chords are approached, and progression. Approach all your songs with the same melodic mind as you do your metal tracks and you should be good. As is now, it just sounds like a lot of perfect fifths and octave movements. Recommend some study of music theory and chord resolution at the basic level. Instrumentation reminds me of some retro-y bands I listened to in early college, so props for sounding almost avant garde.

Metaljonus responds:

Thanks for the advice! Yeah, this genre of music is all new to me lol and I do know theory to an extent, and can write the chord progressions on guitar and then transcribe to keyboard or the program I'm using. However, the writing approach you mentioned is a good idea! So, I might do that at some point haha!

[Gun Caliber-Metaljonus]

Pretty fantastic writing and playing. Mixing and mastering could use just a bit of help. It sounds like some peaks are going over 0 dB and there is a lot of distortion.. and not the good kind. I dislike the flatness and quick decay of the snare. I feel it should have just a bit more beef to it. Bass is hiding a little bit in the mix, and at times the rhythm guitar is a bit detuned relative to it. Splash cymbals are prone to being a little bit overused-ish on repeat hits. Take care on that.

Metaljonus responds:

Thanks, and yeah the mastering is ok at best but this is an old song I really don't care about lol.

[Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children Retrospect - Old Man Orange Podcast 271]

Podcast itself is not bad. Mixing could be better. Turn the instrumental down a couple dB. Compress and EQ the spoken word just a bit more. This is like a trip back in time for me otherwise, really. Good listen.

oldmanorange responds:

Thanks a bunch for enjoying. Gotta like good ole FF Advent Children. Yah, dialing in the Skype calls is always a tricky one with some of the audio.

[World Champions - 45 Second Edit]

This sounds pretty great. Only complaint, could be a bit less reverb, and snare and kick could come up just a little bit more in the mix. Could I ask what synths and FX are used here?

VGMLibrary responds:

hey EDM364, thanx for input, mostly EastWest orchestral library and BFD drums

I know, Im a sucker for too much verb!

[Invasion]

Writing is okay, but this is nowhere near dubstep. I'd say techno.

At points the mixing is way off, or your compression. That bass instrument occasionally climbs to JFC (Jesus F Christ) volume, and totally drowns out the rest of the track.

K-oztron responds:

Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

This was my first attempt at using FL Studio, so i still dont have the hang of it.
-Vyper

[Viper]

Kind of sounds like an F777 ripoff without the technical skill behind it. Not an avid fan enough to know but it just feels there is something missing. Could be lack of hi-hats and other elements in the track. Instruments sort of sound like presets.

K-oztron responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I was in no way trying to copy f-777, thank you very much

[Scorpio]

Sounds pretty cool, although the warping is a mite extreme for my tastes. I'd like to hear the original!

rwbaron responds:

Hey thanks for writing. Yeah the warping is a bit much, was intentional though hah. Here's the original https://soundcloud.com/robert-baron/scorpio

Cheers!

[dub.step.exe]

Monotonous, and there is a lot of distortion from being just way overcompressed and sound-goodized, it sounds like. Exactly what it says on the tin so I'll give an extra half star for that.

Deathl1nK responds:

I know, I over did the compression & distortion just to see how it would sound like