Step's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[~SW~ Dreamland Chronicles]

Alright I'm starting to worry that the character limit will not be enough for me to express the amount of badassery that this track has. It is SO good. I love it, seriously. I have a few nitpicks, and I'll be pointing out very VERY nitpicky mixing faults as I go along reviewing this, but don't mind those. The big picture is this: it is absolutely AWESOME. Brilliant work dude, and I'm not saying this to suck up to you for all the reviews you've given me. You know I'm honest when it comes to this stuff!

I'll write a timed review for this one since it's a long song. Hoping to fit in the limit.

0:00 - Best intro ever. It's a bit typical for that 'progressive ambient'-like feel but it works so well. Love that little cymbal hit (?) with delay on it and an ever so subtle flanger.

0:14 - Lovely mallet sound (or whatever that is). Very soothing. Somehow this part reminds me pretty heavily of Fuego96's intro to his track FL Chan from the default FL Studio Cool Stuff. Wonderful progression from then on.

0:24 - Again with the flanger on a reverse cymbal. Nice touch. I love how the guitar comes in and the soft drum beat works very well, ESPECIALLY those ride cymbal rolls which work so well with the guitar.

0:49 - Wow, snaps. Love them. And the pad in the background is awesome. Chords are nice.

1:12 - Brilliant rise in volume of the arpeggio thing. And then you introduced the drum beat again? Genius touch. Also, I know the bass came in earlier but I really noticed it shining in this part, so I think it's fitting to mention here that the bass sounds very cool. I think it could do with a bit more of a volume boost though so I can hear its notes a bit more clearly.

1:36 - Wow, very good transition. You smoothly fit two entirely different sections together. I think the secret behind it is how you kept the swooshing sound going for the whole transition and then fading in the elements of the next section. It's temporarily combining different elements from both sections together for a brief period, and it works.

2:04 - Alright, here is where the mixing and I start not getting along. Again the mid frequencies are way too heavy. Commence amateur lecture on mixing that may or may not help...

You know, what I do to achieve clarity is avoid mid frequencies. In fact, if you look at my EQ on every instrument, you'll notice that the mid frequencies are turned down on nearly each one. This applies mainly for orchestral, but this part is orchestral-themed anyway...

Most orchestral instruments are inherently heavy on mid frequencies, namely strings. As a result, I find that if I leave every orchestral instrument of mine without an EQ on then the whole song sounds too mid-heavy. That's why in every EQ I do I always turn down the mid-frequencies.

Then, depending on the instrument I boost/lower the high or low end. Usually for brighter instruments like flutes and piano, or instruments I want in the foreground, I turn up the higher frequencies a little, and for depth instruments I turn up the lower frequencies. That way you get both depth and clarity without having the instruments fight for frequencies.

Also, unfortunately your samples aren't very good. This part has a REALLY cool melody. I love it. Has an Irish-like feeling to. However the samples (and mixing) are making it not realise its full potential. The snare especially sounds bad. It sounds too dull and doesn't have any liveliness and brightness to it at all. That said, I know for a fact that if you had better samples, you'd make this part sound amazing.

3:59 - Such a good transition. From then on, it goes back to the chill ambient theme it had at the beginning with a few very much welcomed reiterations of the woodwind instrument. I love the mellow lead guitar, and the melodies it's playing are fantastic. Is that the blues scale you're using?

5:59 - I love love LOVE this little drum fill here. Absolutely excellent.

Anyway I need to cut this review short. I wanted to mention a lot more stuff but character limit isn't permitting :(. Overall, *excellent* work!
10/10
5/5
Download.
Fav'd.

SkyeWint responds:

Hi hi hi hi hi!

Yaaaaaaaaay, a review! :D And long, as well as packed with juicy little tidbits everywhere. I shall respond!

"cymbal hit (?)"
It's, uh... this little metal effect sound clang thing that I don't know what it is which I EQed, reverbed, and basically mucked around with for a LONG time to get that sound.

"Lovely mallet sound (or whatever that is)."
...and you called me crazy for mistaking a harp for a piano. That right there is also a harp.

"those ride cymbal rolls which work so well with the guitar."
Worked quite hard on them, it took a lot of effort to get the guitars sounding like that, as well as getting the drums to sound near-realistic with those cymbal rolls.

"I know the bass came in earlier but I really noticed it shining in this part"
Reason why: I had it steadily going up in volume, then going straight up to the standard 80% volume (in FLStudio) right there so it COULD shine. :D Glad you noticed!

"It's temporarily combining different elements from both sections together for a brief period, and it works."
Yep! Though actually, that 'swooshing' wasn't in the first section, though the pad that it's part of is very reminiscent of the first section, particularly since the 'swooshing' is there in a slightly different form with the pad you commented on at 0:49.

"Commence amateur lecture on mixing that may or may not help..."
It does help, though I can't see your EQ on every instrument... xD I don't have access to your project files, SuperStep (Yes, you are SuperStep, because you're one of the few people who actually DESERVES to have "Super" in front of their name). :P

"Also, unfortunately your samples aren't very good."
I know. D: I would LOVE to get better samples, but those are the best orchestral ones I have, since I REALLY doubt you would rather have soundfonts playing that tune, they sound worse than what I put in there! If only I had the resources you had, I would LOVE to have EWQL Symphonic Orchestra, Ra, and Stormdrum. That'd be a dream come true for me. Though, Symphonic Orchestra would be the last one I'd get, since the orchestral samples I have, while not good, aren't BAD.

"Such a good transition."
I was amazed that transition worked, to tell the truth. :P

"Is that the blues scale you're using?"
YES. Yes it is. :D I love the blues scale, almost nothing you play on it sounds bad in the key you're using.

"a few very much welcomed reiterations of the woodwind instrument."
Yeah, I actually worked pretty hard on the formatting of this piece.
It goes like this: Intro->A->B->A->C->D->C->A->C->GuitarSolo->B->A->Outro.

...yeah, that's a bit confusing looking at it, but still. xD

Thanks for the great review! :D I rate your review 10/5!

[FS: Freefalling]

A short review this time because I have a ton of Maths to do!

Thanks for PMing me about this song. I loved listening to it, and while there are a few tiny flaws I'd like to point out, it's an incredibly fun listen, hence having 9/10 (yes, 9/10 not 4.5/5. I can't stand these star ratings :3) easily in the bag!

OK first off, I like the synths. Some are a little grating on the ears, but perhaps that's what gives this its unique, fresh overall sound. I liked that bass; it may not be the bassiest bass that has ever bass'd, but it's nice in its sound and compliments the other sounds nicely. I liked the various effects you put on the sounds, like the filter automations and whatnot.

The mix seems a bit dry but I'm not seeing that as much of a problem because it's a really nice mix. Everything sounds nice and punchy, and each instrument can be heard with crystal clarity. I'm trying to find some clear faults in the mix but I'm not finding anything. Nice work!

Composition-wise, I do have some stuff to say. The rhythms in the song are brilliant and really give this a likeable, almost danceable feeling to it. One thing which I love in your composition is how you highlight certain rhythms with your kick drum like at 0:06. That touch was just genius, really. Worked so well.

Unfortunately (dunno if it's just me but...) for some reason the melodies seem a bit uninspired. I'm not sure how to explain it but the melodies just didn't grab my attention much. You just had such a big amount of melodies (the song changes to a new melody every few bars) that each melody started losing its individual significance and it sounds more like you focused on the sounds and the rhythms than actually making a melody that I can remember and associate with this song.

One thing which might help solve this is by repeating a melody you introduced at the beginning of the song later on. I wouldn't mind hearing the melody from 0:08 to 0:26 introduced at around 2:06 with a good climatic feel to it to indicate that the ending is approaching. It'll also serve to lengthen this track a little, because it's leaning a bit towards the short side at just over two minutes long.

Still, a lot of the aspects of the composition I DID enjoy thoroughly, such as the transitions. You had such awesomely smooth transitions that you really helped make the flow of the song so seamless, making it sound almost like it'll make good background music too. I also loved the 0:24 transition. Also, may I add that that transition sounds SO FairSquare. I'm instantly able to associate that kind of transition with your songs because you use it so much :3.

Unlike MaartenC, I think the intro was perfect. Well, nearly perfect - perhaps to take away the abrupt feel you could cut off all the low/mid frequencies at the beginning and gradually automate them in so that by 0:07 you've got the full range of frequencies. It'll help make the intro more interesting and take away any form of abruptness. Still, the intro was a great idea and I like how it starts off with a simple minimalistic drum beat. The ending was nice but I'd give the last note a louder drum hit.

Badass drums by the way. With these kind of drum samples someone like me would be really tempted to make some UNCE UNCE UNCE UNCE drum beats (which is ironic because I usually try to steer clear from those drum beats) but you made them sound really original by giving them a great and varied drum beat. May I also add that the drums fit SO well with the track?

So yeah, never mind giving you a short review. Even though I might've grown a little rusty at reviewing because I haven't been reviewing much anymore recently, I guess I STILL manage to reach the character limit :P. Anyhow, great work on the track. It's a bit short, I'm not a massive fan of the melodies and I do have some tiny suggestions here and there, but overall this is such a fun track that it's so easy to forget these flaws. Keep it up, man!
9/10
5/5

Also I would love it if you could return the favour, if you've got the time. You know, for old time's sake :3.
http://goo.gl/cNzgk

FairSquare responds:

''A short review this time because I have a ton of Maths to do!''
*Scrolls down*
Yeaahhh, right :p

Anyway, let's start responding. I'll just quote some parts that i want to react to :)
''The mix seems a bit dry but I'm not seeing that as much of a problem because it's a really nice mix. ''
I actually did that on purpose, because i wanted that video-gamey sound. I think it worked :p

''Unfortunately (dunno if it's just me but...) for some reason the melodies seem a bit uninspired. I'm not sure how to explain it but the melodies just didn't grab my attention much.''
I understand your point and agree whole-heartedly. That used to be something i'm really good at, but it feels like i want to make my melodies too.. complex? That's not really the right word. Too busy, fits better. And too varied, because i really want to avoid repetition. So yes, good point :p

''perhaps to take away the abrupt feel you could cut off all the low/mid frequencies at the beginning and gradually automate them in so that by 0:07 you've got the full range of frequencies.''
I'll try that, thanks for the tip :)

''Also I would love it if you could return the favour, if you've got the time''
Sure! You can expect a new review sometime soon :)

Anyway, thanks for this review. And not only the parts i quoted of course :p
Really, it's nice to see my track analyzed like this and it really helps to improve.
So, yeah, thanks! :D

[~SW~ Memories of Better Times]

YES. This is absolutely wonderful. The ambience you created here is really lush, warm and soothing, but it's supported by really good soloing and composition so it remained interesting throughout. Really nice work man - as usual I've got the odd complaint here and there, but I'm honestly very impressed. I will make ambient like this some day. MARK MY WORDS.

So uh, first off, intro's from Buoy's "Solace". That's an easy one. *snatches cookie you unjustly gave to Soapbubble and noms it*. Speaking of which, the intro is wonderful. Very reminiscent of Solace's intro, but not as slow and melancholy. It also has some awesome effects with a lot of echo on them to really set the atmosphere. Progression from then on was nailed nicely!

Composition is fantastic, as usual. There's a certain depth to the composition which makes it just so interesting and enjoyable to listen to. I absolutely love all the pad's chords and the massive and deep layers of harmony. What I thought was a very nice touch in the composition was how you did that effect at 0:30 and then at 0:35 you sort of "answered" the effect with that lower instrument. That was a small subtle touch, but nevertheless a stroke of genius.

Now I'll talk about all the sounds, and to start off your sounds, while not being realistic, are very pleasant and mellow. That pan flute (?) was wonderfully fitting and I can't say less about the instrument that first comes in at 0:26. I love your use of the piano too - as Coop said, it was a great way to keep the track's progression going smoothly, while still not standing out.

And yeah, you guessed it, I have a few complaints about the mixing :P. The track, again, feels too muddy. You talked about how you want to achieve that fluffy texture with a tonne of reverb, which I agree with, although all this reverb is muddling the instruments with each other.

I think you should do some sort of filter to edge out the low/mid frequencies of the reverb (just increase the low cut knob of Fruity Reeverb). Having high-end reverb still gives the song the texture/atmosphere you're going for while still spacing out the mix a bit more and making it easier to pick out what's going on. I think it's especially important that you do it on the pan flute and the 0:26 instrument.

I think the general EQing needs some work too since the song is kinda heavy in the mid frequencies and it gets a bit tiring eventually. A tip I've got is, when EQing, to cut out or at least tone down the frequency ranges of an instrument which aren't "important".

For example, if you're using a bass guitar, it's there to provide bass to the track (no kiddin') so you can tone down the upper mid and high frequencies a fair amount. Sure it might make the string pluck sound of the guitar much less heard and it might sound bad on its own, but in the context of the whole song it will sound fine. For instance, I generally tone down a lot of the lower frequencies of my pianos, to the point that on their own they sound weird, but then in the song they sound perfectly OK and at the same time they won't mud up the mix.

Oh and on a smaller note - I think the wind effects at around 0:46 stand out a tad bit too much. I think you should tone them down a little. Anyway, that ends my bigass lecture on mixing. I don't know much about it - just sharing what I know from the little experience I have. Basically your mixing is good but it has room for improvement.

Last point I want to mention which I haven't mentioned is about transitions. Just wished to say that they are so smooth. I honestly have no complaints at all on them - the introduction of the new instrument at 1:18 was amazing, as was the transition at 2:06. You REALLY have a knack for transitions, I swear :3.

That's pretty much it - I love this track. The composition is terrific, the sounds/atmosphere are soothing, the transitions are out of this world and the progression is great. As usual I'm being nitpicky on the mixing but other than that I really can't find anything else to complain about. Brilliant work on this, and keep it up!
9/10
5/5

SkyeWint responds:

Pff. And you say you don't radiate awesome.

"MARK MY WORDS."

Words marked. Awaiting fulfillment of those words with much excitement. :D

"So uh, first off, intro's from Buoy's "Solace". That's an easy one. *snatches cookie you unjustly gave to Soapbubble and noms it*"

Yep, ye got it. But hey, don't steal Soap's cookie. D: He deserved one for being awesome. Speaking of which, you deserve one for being awesome and one for getting the intro. *gives Soap and you another cookie each* Also, the one effect on the intro was a water drop with full reverb on it, normal and reversed.

"Progression from then on was nailed nicely!"

I loved the chord progression, it was actually the inspiration for this. :P I can play the piano chords myself at any time. Speaking of which, progression: mC9 (without the 3), mF7, mG7, C minor - repeat.

"Composition is fantastic, as usual."

Why thank you.

"how you did that effect at 0:30 and then at 0:35 you sort of "answered" the effect"

I'm not sure what you mean. I know I did something like that with the flute and the guitar, but that was at 1:23 to 1:28. Hmm. Well, guess I did good, with whatever it was. xD

"your sounds, while not being realistic"

Huh, and I thought some of them were really realistic. xD Like, the pan flute, violin (though I reverbed that a bit much, *maybe*), and piano. The majority of the more orchestral instruments were from Edirol, which, while good, isn't REALLY realistic. I really need to put my plan of adf.ly download links in the description to work so I can get some EWQL instruments.

"yeah, you guessed it, I have a few complaints about the mixing"

...*sweatdrop* Here it comes...

"The track, again, feels too muddy."

D: Nooooooooooooooooooooo- Ok, I get what you're saying here. I tried to make it so that all the instruments could be heard, without cutting out on TOO much. Thought I did pretty well. Guess not though.

"the song is kinda heavy in the mid frequencies"

Ok, I get this on a lot of my songs, it seems. :P I don't like the higher or lower frequencies as much, though I'm trying to fix the way I'm approaching this.

"edge out the low/mid frequencies of the reverb"

Understood. Can-do.

"A tip I've got is, when EQing, to cut out or at least tone down the frequency ranges of an instrument which aren't "important"."

Ok, that helps a lot. I will be sure to attempt to do so in the future and see what I can do. :)

"that ends my bigass lecture on mixing"

THANK GOODNESS. Dx Honestly though, thanks a lot for your bigass lecture on mixing. I really did need one. :P Oh, and I agree on the wind, it could probably be toned down a bit.

"You REALLY have a knack for transitions, I swear :3."

TRANSITIONS. OH, THE HORROR. x.x Any knack I have on transitions is only due to the amount of effort I put into them. I think that transitions are one of the most important parts of a song (including intro/outro), so I work really hard on them.

"That's pretty much it - I love this track. 9/10 5/5"

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D And I love this review! Helped much!

P.S. I am tempted to export tracks of each instrument unEQed, put them all in a project, and throw them at you to see how you'd mix it. Ye have been warned. >:D

P.P.S. ...ok, actually, since I'm still here, I might as well say one thing that I'm a bit unhappy about. :< Nobody's seemed to have noticed the panning. I worked megahard on panning all the instruments. Almost half of my automations are devoted entirely to that. And my automations are generally the length of the entire song. :P

In any case. Thanks again! Bye!

[Festivity and Feathers]

You know, this isn't that bad. The instruments you're using aren't very realistic, but surprisingly that doesn't take that much from the song, probably thanks to great composition, a nice airy flow and good use of dynamics. It is a little short, but I enjoyed it for the minute and a half that it plays! You know, this reminds me a little of the Super Mario Galaxy score.

So, I'll start of with the melodic aspect of this piece. The melody itself is wonderful. It easily reminded me of some sort of festival. While the melody was repeated twice in the song (which was a bit of an uncreative move I thought) it's such a nice melody that I don't mind hearing it twice. Although in all honesty you could've expanded a little on the melody since this loop is just twice of pretty much the same thing.

What I'd suggest to vary this a little, and perhaps expand on it, is adding noticeable dynamic changes and new entrances of instruments in the second repetition. For example, I think that it would be awesome if you could add a little crescendo with a string entrance at 0:48 which reaches its peak at about 0:50 and then dies down. Then, you can start adding some melodic changes here and there and try to transition to a new melody instead of just stopping. Anyway, that's just what I think you can do to make this longer. As it is right now, the melody's really nice.

The instrumentation isn't anything special; you used the instruments well (I especially like your use of woodwinds and the strings sounded very warm) but they're just orchestral instruments and there wasn't anything revolutionary in terms of instrumentation. Perhaps a glockenspiel would fit here, I dunno. Still, the instrumentation was fitting and worked nicely.

The transitions are brilliant - other than the composition that's one of my favourite aspects of the piece. The flow is fantastically smooth; something which I myself have a bit of trouble executing properly. The transition at 0:42 is so good, and the entrances of the different instruments like the strings and brass were not abrupt at all. You must have a decent amount of experience composing pieces like this.

The only quirk I noticed with the transitions was that at times, instruments exited a little too suddenly (such as at 0:42 when the woodwind note just stops out of nowhere). This feels a little unrealistic and synthesized. What I'd suggest is to make the notes fade out with some volume automation, rather than stop the instruments. The problem could also lie in the fact that the instruments sound quite dry, but more on that later on...

The intro is alright. I like how it gets to the point straight away, although I would've preferred a more gradual intro. That's just me though. The ending is a little generic with the string staccato doing a rising arpeggio, but it fit very nicely with the theme. Not much to talk about over here; the intro and outro were both fairly well done.

Now, for the main problem here. This is probably not your fault since Sibelius isn't very good for production-related things like mixing and mastering. Unfortunately, the production isn't very good. There's some painfully obvious clipping at certain parts in the track, mainly around the brass parts (heard most clearly at 0:28 and 1:11), which is sad because I'm hearing a lot of very well-executed dynamics and a great flow, and then it's ruined by clipping. Some EQing will fix this, or simply turning down the volume (although that's not very ideal).

Also, the instruments sound very dry. Dose them a little with some reverb (especially the woodwinds which sound especially in need of a bit of echo). As long as you don't go overboard, it'll do wonders, trust me!

Anyway, all in all, I've got a few complaints with the track and it is quite short, but the melody is sublime and the flow is so good. You're a talented composer, but you just need that little edge in mixing and production to really bring out the potential. Keep up the good work, sir!

7/10
5/5

Also, if you've got the time, mind reviewing my MAC submission? Don't feel obliged, though!

CheckeredZebra responds:

Of course I'll review your submission =P

It's actually the same song with a repeat sign, because newgrounds HATES LOOPING anything from sibelius for some reason. (there is always a 1.5 second delay from the exort for some reason.) I need to start adding that explanation to pieces; song was supposed to loop but it didn't want to so I had to be cheap D:

I've noticed the clipping, and all I can actually do about that is lower the volume. Anyhow, I'll play around with the reverb like you suggested and go from there =P
Thanks so much for your time, I love detailed comments as I learn so much from them.

[The Crown of Arlidor]

Wow, this is great. I was really impressed with mostly the composition, but many other aspects of the song are worthy to be praised. This piece really tells a story, and while the whole "kingdom in distress" setting is a bit generic for orchestral songs like this, you executed in nearly flawlessly. I've seen you post around on the forums a little but I can't believe I haven't heard any of your other songs before :(. Nice work!

So, I'll start with the composition, since that seems to be the song's strongest point. I absolutely love the progression of the melody. The song starts off perfectly with some AWESOME brass chords (especially 0:32), and 0:44 was an absolutely fantastic way of presenting the main melody. The atmosphere is just brilliant, and capitalised wonderfully by the harp entrance that came in later on.

The melody itself is very nice, reminiscent of kingdoms and medieval times and whatnot. Loved the occasional change in time signature such as at around 1:15. Honestly that time signature change was so well executed. The tempo changes made this sound a lot more real and dynamic at the same time, so they were a good call :D.

The instrumentation is also quite nice. The use of all of that brass made for a very regal and knightly sound, very similar to that of my old song "Land of Kings". You know, actually this and Land of Kings have a very similar atmosphere and arrangement, for some reason :P. This one is leagues better though. Anyway, overall, the instrumentation was very fitting for the theme you were going for. I also like the mood change at 1:36 although I feel that you could've given that part a little more work. The mood was that of danger and peril, and I think some high violin trills would help give that section a bit more of a "dangerous" feel to it.

The mixing is quite good. I have a big problem with brass chords because frequency-wise they often end up coming out too heavy in the mid section, causing a lot of clipping and giving me a headache to EQ them right. Here you've got brass chords all over the place and they're playing without any discernible clipping, so great job in that department. The song's mastering is also good.

My complaint here is a mixing problem - I feel that the low end was a little neglected. As the1azn8 said, it feels as though the timpani was the only bassy sound. While the timpanis and timpani rolls certainly gave this song some low end power, I feel that this song is lacking some much needed warmth. Try using more double basses/cellos perhaps, I dunno.

The percussion wasn't very revolutionary but it fit very well with the theme. I like the parts in the intro and outro where the majestic brass plays and then stops to leave some room for timpani rolls. That was an interesting contrast. However, I think snares would fit so well here. East/West Symphonic Orchestra has really nice snares in my opinion and I think they'll do wonders in this song if done correctly!

Regarding the intro, it was great. Starting it with that little chime really helped set the mood and then, as I mentioned before, the contrast between the brass chords and timpani rolls was interesting. From then on the progression was spot on. The ending felt a little too dragged out, perhaps, but other than that I don't really have any complaints with it.

Transitions are smooth and just assist in creating that great progression you've got going. My favourite transitions would probably be the one to the flute solo at 0:44 and the one with the change in time signature at 1:15 - 1:20. Personally I don't really have any gripes with the transitions, and usually I'm fussy with transitions so that's certainly a good sign :3.

All in all, this is a great piece. The theme, instrumentation, composition, atmosphere, transitions, progression, mastering and percussion were all great. A few problems here and there, such as the mixing quirk and the lack of violin trills/snares, but in general I'm really impressed with what you've got here. Good luck in the competition, great work on this song and keep up the good work.

9/10
5/5

samulis responds:

Wow! Thanks for returning the "big-freakin-review" spirit!

I'll certainly take some of your advice on the piece... I'll see about some of that strings work you suggested (sadly, I generally neglect strings since I am unfamiliar with them, as I have only played in bands and never in orchestras, although I have heard countless pieces with them). I may try using the double-bass to bridge the different ideas between the brass and the timpani by doubling both at various points and maybe even some slight chording work. The violin idea is good, I'll look into it!

As a side note, I generally write the song first and then work out story later. It's easier that way and is great fun to interpret my own pieces. I do the same for song names, and most of my folder of .mus (finale score files) have names that are in no way related to the song here. XD

I might try to bring in snare... I used to use snare drums all the time, but haven't lately. I will try some sections and see where they would be fitting thematically.

Thanks again for the AWESOME review!
-Samulis

[KKS - Impulse]

I should totally be studying right now.

This is just great. It's got a nice funky feel to it which is supported excellently by a cool Ambient structure, a crapload of neat effects/synths, gradual progressions and superb transitions. I'm seriously impressed, and it's sad that you're not more popular. Also, I haven't reviewed audio in a while so sorry if I come off as a little rusty :3.

Starting with the sounds, I was very impressed with the different sounds you used. There are some heavy funk influences from guitars and the bass, but then you go and use those awesome pads and effects, giving this a unique arrangement. I would've liked the addition of a flute solo somewhere in the middle, but it's just personal preference. Overall, you've done an excellent job with your choice of instruments and sounds.

The melodies don't stand out too much since they're not really the focus of the track, but there's an array of various cool melodies and rhythms to keep me interested. I especially liked the composition of the bass, and the bass pattern at 3:07 is sweet. By the way, there's some guitar note at around 1:11 that seems to be a wrong note. It might have been intentional, but I don't really like it much.

The percussion leaves no room at all for improvement. Seriously, it's flawless. Not only were the samples so fitting, but the rhythms were so cool. I especially like the change from a swing-like rhythm for the first half of the song to a straight rhythm for the second half. It kept the percussion interesting. Also, unlike in Contact, you've nailed the volume of the percussion. It sounded very clear and easy to hear, but didn't overcome any of the more important instruments. By the way, the bongo rhythm heard mostly at the very beginning was *so* cool. Honestly, I love it.

The transitions are also great. My favourite transition would, by far, be the one at 0:19 where you introduced that awesome bassline. The 0:41 transition was also one of my favourites since it was so smooth, particularly the entrance of the guitar. 3:07 was a cool transition too.

My only complaint here is stylistic. I think you may have overused the cymbal rolls, just a little bit. I'm not really one to talk, since I have that habit too and I'm a lot worse, but, while trying not to sound like a hypocrite, I do think you should use the cymbal rolls a little less. You used them so much that they started to lose their effect. For example, using a cymbal roll at 3:07 was a bit unimaginative when there are so many other ways to transition to that bassline, like some sweeping effect or a bass slide. The cymbal roll at 4:30 feels a bit unnecessary too.

Now for my main gripe with the song, and while it's not that much of a big problem, I still think it's worth mentioning. Somehow I feel as though this song has two different styles, and they don't match with each other that much. First, there's the funky, trippy feel with cool rhythms, guitars, etc... (heard very prominently for the first minute and a half or so of the song) and then there's the more serious ambient tone, heard mostly in the last section.

It feels as though you want to get the best of both worlds but you're not trying hard enough to. I'm not saying to scrap all the ambient influences or all the funk influences. Far from it actually - I enjoyed both sides of the spectrum. However, I feel as though you still need to integrate them more with each other. It's not that much of a crisis and I doubt it's worth fixing, but it's just something to keep in mind in the future.

Intro was a perfect compromise between being progressive and getting into the action. You added the right amount of progression but didn't make me think 'get on with it already' while it was playing, if you get what I mean. Outro was good. Nothing revolutionary, but still a satisfactory ending.

All in all, this is a really cool song. Even though I have a number of complaints, the problems are all really minor. I really enjoyed this! Keep it up. Also, mind returning a review if you get the time? :3
http://goo.gl/w9Yiq

9/10
5/5
Download.
Favourited.
Favourited as an artist.

KKSlider60 responds:

My, what a detailed insight! *-*
I will respond directly to the complaints since I really have nothing else to say than a basic "thank you" for the shitloads of kind compliments you wrote me. ^^ I actually cannot disagree either, because sometimes I do overuse some transition samples like reverse cymbals without even noticing, and it's basically the lack of diverse sound effects that sends you a step back to really imagine a whole new world in your head. What you might perceive this effort as a blend of two distinct styles is something I'd concur, because I'm still experimenting and trying to define my own sound, while drawing influences that are indeed very different to each other. The tracks I'm making right now mark a very important transition for me, from the suffocated poorly-executed minimalism to the vast palette of atmospheric electronic music. All the flaws you've pointed out in great detail will indeed be a reminder for future tracks.
I will definitely check your track ;3
Many thanks again
KKS

[~SW~ (Caelum) Blood is Shed]

Your puppy dog eyes worked.

This is great. I'm sure you'll do a good job with the game soundtrack. This is unique, catchy, and very likeable. I can totally imagine this as soundtrack for a game. Is the game Japanese-styled or something? It'll probably explain your instrument choice, lol.

So, I'll get the problems I had with the song out of the way first, and my first complaint is the lack of consistency. I know you're probably going with the ever so revolutionary way of making a song in just one pattern, which definitely helped give this a varied feel, but it's a double-edged blade, because the track lacks consistency, something which is inarguably important for game soundtrack.

What I mean by lack of consistency is that the song feels unpredictable and some parts could have been developed more. For example, the drum line 0:14 ended just 6 seconds afterwards, and at 1:08 the track ends so suddenly when I would've expected a few more bars of the awesome Video Game/Japanese badassery. The drum line is also pretty all over the place (you probably know that though :P), when more consistent beat with a few subtle fills here and there would fit this better I think.

Second complaint is the mixing. It feels like each instrument is trying to greedily claim the spotlight and is pushing the others away (except the drums which are nicely EQ'd). Try and tone down some of the heavier mid and lower mid frequencies of some of the instruments (and try increasing the high end of the plucked instrument a little). This'll make the track sound clearer and brighter, and as long as you don't go overboard and do some frequency massacre, I think it'll help make the melodies easier to listen to and clearer.

However, despite what I said, the mixing isn't that bad at all, and the composition naturally trumps most melodies here on Newgrounds, as always! You really know what you're doing with your melodies and I loved listening to the melody's progression and the various melodic phrases. The melody of the less busy string part in the middle struck me as really great too.

The transitions are all brilliant. 0:14 and 1:08 are my two favourite transitions. Smooth transitions are important in background music and your track has no faults in that department. The drum fills helped to make the transitions sound very cool too. Oh, and this loops really well. I never really manage to make a loop start softly, end softly, and still sound natural and smooth, but you've made it sound so easy here. Fantastic job with the loop.

So, overall, despite the two main gripes I've got with this track - the lack of consistency and a few mixing faults - this is awesome. It combines classic Video Game elements with unique instrumentation and a Japanese influence. Keep it up, man, and good luck with the rest of the game's soundtrack :D.
9/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

SkyeWint responds:

Hello!

"This is great. I'm sure you'll do a good job with the game soundtrack. This is unique, catchy, and very likeable. I can totally imagine this as soundtrack for a game. Is the game Japanese-styled or something? It'll probably explain your instrument choice, lol."

Actually, the game isn't necessarily Japanese-styled, but that would be cool. I can see how you thought of that.

"lack of consistency"

Yeah, I agree there. And yeah, I did only use one pattern. :P This song was one of my songs that's a LOT more all-over-everywhere, which I think occurred because I didn't want to have any part be too long. Overdid shortening them, I guess... The drums, I just wanted to be crazy. xD It was a lot more experimental for me. Also, I might end up making the last bit longer, I REALLY agree there, it should be longer.

"the mixing."

Again. Completely agree. The drums were one of the most annoying bits to mix, and I focused mainly on them. The other instruments, I didn't think that at first, but if I do think about it, I'd have to agree, they aren't mixed the best. I should probably fix it up.

"However, despite what I said, the mixing isn't that bad at all, and the composition naturally trumps most melodies here on Newgrounds, as always!"

Wow, thanks! Glad my 6+ years of having studied music theory and playing piano/drums/mallets has paid off. xD

"The transitions are all brilliant."

Thanks again, I really like transitions. I think it makes a song SO much better when the transitions are good, there's just a great feeling when a song suddenly springs somewhere else, and you could feel that it was going there.

'I never really manage to make a loop start softly, end softly, and still sound natural and smooth, but you've made it sound so easy here."

Well, that's really simple, actually. I just recorded the guitar-like instrument with a downward slide, reversed it, did the same with a multilayered cymbal crash (including the downward slide), and then placed them so they would line up with the first real bar of the song. Then I made the end the violin fading out, and the initial guitar-like bend with the bent crash. After that, exported, went into Audacity, copied the ending to the beginning, went to the middle where everything was relatively quiet, cut it, put that back at the end, export from Audacity (which has better loops), and presto! Looped well. Admittedly, that doesn't seem overly simple, but it's one of those cases where typing it takes longer than actually making it. :P

Thanks for the awesome review! Maybe I can convince you to get a review of the song I just posted in the RRC for this next week..? ;) ('s fine if you can't. xD)

"9/10
5/5"

Thanks very much!

[This is Nightmare Night (OM)]

Flows well!

Wow this isn't bad at all. I like the melody and your interpretation of it is absolutely wonderful. The atmosphere is nicely done and the song flows and progresses really well. Certain aspects could use some work, but the song's flow is so great that I can hardly care... Good work!

Like I said in the intro, the song's flow is what impressed me the most. You must have quite a bit of experience making orchestral songs because it reflects in the production value of this song. The song has a very smooth progression and the transitions are all excellently done.

The entrances and introductions of new instruments worked very well and none were abrupt. For instance, I love how introduced the pizzicato strings at 0:13. At 0:26 I was also very much impressed. You changed the staccato string rhythm in the background while at the same time adding a simple melodic line on the piano. It worked very well. I could go on and on praising your transitional skills but I don't think I should :D.

Regarding instrumentation... The busier parts which incorporate a fuller use of the orchestra were used sparingly but work very well. I'm hearing a deep Double Bass (?) playing in the background for a lot of the song and I just wanted to say that it was a very nice touch. I would've liked to see some more use of brass instruments.

The atmosphere and theme are definable and likable. Even during the more action-filled orchestral parts the theme can be heard very clearly, and the atmosphere is full of classic Halloween goodness. However, I think using some more elements of the orchestra which provoke tension would work well. Some violin scratching, brass clusters, Tam-Tams, tremolo strings, string trills, etc... would be SWEET.

The structure is pretty much excellent and I really don't have any complaints. Not only did the flow help to make the transitions more smooth but it helped give the song a solid structure. The variety is also brilliant. Not one part in the song was boring and yet with all that variety, the song kept a consistent theme which stopped it from being random. All the dynamics helped too - the occasional percussion hits, subtle and brief entrances of different instruments, cymbal rolls and fade-ins made all the difference.

The intro was one of my favourite parts of the track. The glockenspiel, or whatever that is, played a simplistic melody which got the song started rather nicely. You then faded the strings in and I started getting a taste of the fantastic progression that the song has. The second half of the song wasn't as good as the first in my opinion. The ending was decent. It was a good idea to end with the instrument you used at the beginning and while the ending didn't strike me as much as the beginning, it wasn't bad...

My main complaint would be the mixing and instrument quality. Don't get me wrong, the instruments certainly didn't sound bad and are leagues better than most orchestral instruments I hear on NG, but some of the sounds you used sound a bit weird, mainly the choirs and percussion. And like I said, some things like violin scratching and stuff would make this feel more like it's played by a real orchestra and not obviously sequenced.

However, as I said the instrument quality is pretty good in any case. My main gripe is the mixing, especially on the percussion. The percussion feels very drowned out and subdued, namely the bass drum. I think a bit more focus on the percussion would help to make the busier parts sound more full of tension. That said, I think your use of cymbals was great.

The other mixing is alright, and despite having a lot of string instruments playing at the same time, the melody is still clear and easy to hear. However I can't help but think that the high end was a little neglected in this track.

Overall, this is a really awesome remix. I have a few gripes with it, but it's very enjoyable and the effort certainly paid off. Keep it up!

By the way, don't feel obliged but I'd love it if you could review me back!
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/liste n/451318

8/10
4/5

-Review Request Club-

TheBellmaker responds:

Thanks for the honest and well thought out review!

Basically in this song I wanted to imitate the feeling of "This is Halloween," nothing too dark, but still in the spirit of Halloween. Thus, I didn't use any brass, because I felt it didn't fit the theme.

Haha, you pointed out my two weaknesses, mixing and percussion. I haven't learned any mixing outside of basic EQing, filters, and volume adjustments. As for percussion, My limited knowledge combined with my limited instrument selection usually doesn't turn out well. I'd also like to insert those epic string instrument tricks, but Edirol makes them sound....horribly.

Now for some information actually useful to you. I definitely like the style of the review you have! Grouping different subjects in different paragraphs is a good idea. However, you may want to consider grouping some of the subjects together, like structure and flow, so that you do not accidentally repeat yourself.

Thanks very much!

[Scary Pumpkin]

Not too good I'm afraid.

I don't think this is one of your best submissions. The mix is pretty much terrible, the song is repetitive, the sounds are too rough on the ears, the song clips like mad and this isn't anything interesting, enjoyable or cleverly written. I don't even see this as Dubstep either. Sorry man :(.

I'm probably going to have a hard time giving this critique since I can't see how you can improve on this, but I'll try anyway. If you want to start improving on this, then start with the mix. There are FAR too many deep bass frequencies and the bass is clipping pretty badly. The highs are virtually non-existent because any cymbals or higher frequencies are entirely drowned out by the harsh, overbearing bass frequencies.

Taking a look at the 'Spectrum' visualisation of the audio player already clearly shows that the whole song is basically in the lower frequencies. This is not only harsh on the ears and makes the song clip, but it shows that you're not making full use of the spectrum, leaving little to no dynamics. Honestly, the whole track sounds like nearly the same thing from beginning to end. Where's the replay value in that?

The percussion is pretty bad too. I can barely hear it because you've got that bass drowning it all out, but from what I can hear the drums aren't anything special either. They sound pretty bland and dull, and don't seem to fit much with the track either. They're pretty amateur to be honest.

I think the only good things about this would be that the rhythms aren't THAT bad, and the song loops somewhat well, but that's pretty much it. Other than that, the song is a repetitive mess of badly mixed, bassy instruments, harsh tones and unfitting percussion, all with barely any dynamics and with nothing interesting or memorable.

Apologies if this review is a bit harsh, but I assume you'd rather want a brutally honest review than a sugarcoated, untruthful review. This isn't one of your best works, and I'm afraid I didn't enjoy it much. But hey, at least it can serve as a means to learn from your mistakes and get better. Good luck if you ever try Dubstep again.
4/10
2/5

-Review Request Club-

Cimba responds:

Yup I want brutally honest reviews. I really want to learn to make dubstep and criticism helps.

[St. Peter's Gate {durn}]

Awesome but the Dubstep elements feel tacked on.

Hey, this is pretty cool! I love the atmosphere you've got going, and the melodies, sounds and effects are just sublime. This doesn't feel anything like Dubstep though, to be honest. There's no bass drop, the wobble bass is weak and this song seems to focus more on the ambient and laid back mood of the song than the Dubstep elements. Although to be honest I'm glad it's not much like other Dubstep songs, because I really don't like Dubstep :P. Nice work overall.

I noticed that you've probably got a lot of experience making music because I'm hearing many great sound effects and your structure and transitions are spot on. This has a theme and atmosphere which is easy to define, the sounds fit well with each other, and the variety is great.

What I like the most about the variety in this song is that it's so unpredictable but not random. You fit loads of different sound effects and sound manipulation all over the place, and I really don't know when to expect a new synth riff to come fading in or a new quirky sound to pop up out of nowhere and leave you thinking "hey, that actually fits really well!". Brilliant stuff, man.

The vocals were a very nice touch as well I think. They sounded quite odd but, like all the other sounds you used, surprisingly fitting. I love how you started introducing them at 1:22. The transition at 1:34 was probably one of my favourite transitions too. Speaking of the transitions, they were all excellent, except a few which I thought were a bit abrupt (namely the ones at 1:21 and 1:49 where the drums sort of exit out of nowhere).

However, none of the transitions disrupted the flow much, which brings me to my next point. I've got to commend you on your efforts to make the song flow so well. The song seamlessly moved from one section to the next with the help of various sound effects and automations. Hell, the song even loops very well. It was a very good idea to wrap the remainder at the end so that the reverb of the voice carries on to the beginning. Helped make the loop a lot more smooth

Also, just a little comment - I particularly like how the song sort of very briefly pauses at parts like 0:33, 1:28 and 3:18 and then the bass comes in, plays two notes and the song continues. Yeah it's something tiny but I very much enjoyed hearing it. I don't know if you absentmindedly made it like that or making it sound like that was intentional but whatever, it sounds good :P.

Now I'll mention my biggest complaint, and it's the addition of Dubstep elements. As I said in the review summary, the Dubstep elements feel very extra to me. The drums were OK and would be pretty good in a full-blown Dubstep song, but they seem a little too harsh for a song like this. The bass was nothing too special - sure it sounded cool but it doesn't feel right in this song, and lacks the rough tone and definable wobble of a Dubstep bass.

My point is, I think this would benefit so much more with some softer drums - maybe a few deep Ambient drums as well - and perhaps something else instead of the Dubstep bass. I'm not going to make it affect the score much since after all this is your first time attempting Dubstep and if it wasn't for the Dubstep elements then I would find it very hard to criticise this song, but I do think this would be better if you took away the bass and changed the drums especially.

Anyway, that's all I have to say about this track. As a recap, it's a really awesome submission and I think you've got a real talent when it comes to making music. My only significant gripe with the song would be those darn Dubstep elements, but other than that the production value of the song is great and I enjoyed reviewing this.

Oh by the way, mind reviewing me back if you've got the time?

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/liste n/451318

If you don't have the time then don't worry about it! Keep up the good work :3.

9/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

durn responds:

First off, sorry for the lateness of reply. I was rather overwhelmed when I first read your review and it scared me off from writing it for a while! Lol! :D That being said, thank you for such a great critique.

While I don't mind American Dubstep (Skrillex-style, hard & noisy), pre-defining an entire genre based on one popularly successful style is always grim. :P I mean no offense but Dubstep is still a new & emerging genre and there is plenty of room for experimentation! :D

I guess I have been at it for a while now, I first started in electronic music by tinkering around in FruityLoops back when I was 18 and that was 10 years ago! I'm glad you find the sounds fit together well, it's always something I strive for as I've got a picky ear myself.

I had a lot of fun with the vocals. The first vocal bit that comes in is auto-tuned with a slight formant filter tweak since it's just a series of held notes and I wanted to differentiate it from the other vocals. The male vocals were my own but heavily synthesized using Reason's Neptune. I kept the main female hook vocals fairly clean, adding a few different vocal processors to help make it really stand out. I had fun doing the little loop with the vocals at the intro of the track. Took a little audio-splicing but it was a neat effect and definitely makes it loop well. :D

I like that little comment because that was hugely intentional! :) I was listening to a pop song (can't remember which, but an older one from the 90s) while at a bar and I was just loving how the bass wouldn't be there and then it would lead itself in and just roll after that so I tried to achieve that feel with this. :)

Haha, your biggest complaint is the Dubstep... :D Yeah, I'd never tried Dubstep before and I'm still learning! The song wouldn't have come about if not for me trying my hand as the Dubstep element was not an afterthought, just not something I'm familiar with. :)

Maybe I'll re-approach the tune some day and remix it in a different style, that would also be new territory for me! :D Thanks for the impressive review, Supersteph!