Step's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Focused Noise (NGADM '12)]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

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I'm going to hand it to you, you really wanted to make a statement, being one of the few metal contenders for this NGADM, haha. It sounds like you've got a tonne of experience writing metal (and slaying demons) since it shows a lot in this track.

The track already sounds really meaty and mighty right off the bat, with those guitar chords at the beginning. When I heard them I instantly knew this had very good mixing. Maybe the low end on the guitar was a bit much, but that just might be my god-awful Beats soundcard fluffing up my audio with its horrible bass boosters. Anyway, not only do the guitars sound powerful but so do the drums. Hearing weak drums in metal is a huge pet-peeve of mine, and for me these are metal drums done right. Mastering-wise, you've pretty much nailed it. Nothing is sounding over-compressed and yet nothing is clipping. Fantastic guitar-playing too.

Technicalities aside, this has some glaring problems. You've got some SWEET riffs, but you focus way too much on thrashing the hell out of that guitar and too little on making creative, memorable melodies. Most of the track is the rhythm guitar strumming at crazy quick speeds, and there isn't much to keep me interested. Your problem isn't the lack of vocals (although vocals will help) but it's a lack of melody. The only melodies that catch one's attention come in at 0:51 (incredibly catchy riff right there) and during the guitar solo (which was a bit too all-over-the-place composition-wise for it to deserve much merit from me).

To top that, some of your transitions are unfortunately bad. I'm referring to 0:51 and 2:31. They just feel too abrupt and odd. On a relevant note, the intro was good but the ending just stops. There isn't any semblance of an approach to an ending, it just decides 'right, I'm done now' and stops. I think all of these compositional issues are things that you need to watch out for, because composition seems to be your opponent's strong point this round and could easily be your opponent's strong point in later rounds.

All in all, you've made an extremely heavy and well-mixed track here, but without some memorable melodies and/or vocals, this can get pretty uninteresting, which is a shame, because you're crazy good at what you do and the fact that the composition is lacking here is really bringing down the song's potential. In any case, great work!

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SCORE:
7/10

Demon-Slayer12 responds:

I agree, I wrote some awesome riffs, but then I brainfarted after that haha. I tried to spice things up a little with some octaves on the second riff, and a guitar solo towards the end. But, I knew that still wasn't very creative, yet I figured it was better than just the riffs. I spent most of my time mixing and mastering, and mastering being a new thing for me. If you go through all of my songs I guarantee you won't find anything that sounds clearer. So, I'll take that into the next round, but I'll at least try to be more creative with the song structure. Thanks for the detailed review, I wish more reviews could be like that, it really helps an artist to improve!

[The Mare and The Tortoise]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

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Now this has some of the most impressive vocals I've ever heard on Newgrounds. I mean, I knew you were really good at singing, but I never knew you were this good. And other than that, you've got some interesting rhythm-guitar stuff, great structure, excellent mixing... yeah this is really good. Nie work!

As you might've guessed, what I think is the most enjoyable aspect of this submission would undoubtedly be those vocals. There we just a few rare instances when the vocals were a little off tune, but otherwise they sound really really good and I'd expect to hear this standard of vocal quality on the radio (especially that little phrase at 1:47). Fantastic vocal harmonies, you can form a one-man acapella band on your own, I swear. The lyrics are awfully cheesy, but I've never cared much for lyrics before and cheesy lyrics don't really retract much from the song. You're probably one of the best male singers on Newgrounds, I swear.

The mixing is all very impressive too. Everything is really clear and easy to hear, despite it all being recordings rather than samples (which are inarguably a lot harder to mix). Sure, I don't have much to commend you on considering you're not really using many instruments here, but still, one can notice that this is extremely well-mixed regardless. Flawless amounts of reverb and perfect EQing. The good mix also made it very easy to hear what the vocals are saying. The instrumentation you used is also good, albeit simple. You've modestly recorded so little melodic/percussive instruments that the final result sounds wonderfully "home-made" and laid-back, especially when you threw in those moderately reverbed claps. Structure is good, intro and ending are both fine, transitions are nailed, composition is simple and likable (love that little chromatic phrase at 1:54)... really this is all so good.

My only real issue with this track is that it gets pretty uninteresting later on in the track. The sole thing that really saves this track from being outright boring would be the different lyrics. I mean, it's not repetitive or anything, but you can only keep a simple guitar and percussive pattern going on behind vocals for so long before it starts feeling like there's something missing. While I love the simple and relaxed feel you were going for here, throughout my first listen I was secretly wishing that the song would move onto something new. You know, a new instrument or a totally different mood or anything to keep the track sounding fresh and new.

That's me just nitpicking though, really. This is a nice refreshing track that seriously sounds like something I wouldn't find out of place on the radio. Excellent work man, keep it up!

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SCORE:
8.5/10

midimachine responds:

Lyrics are dumb and I hate writing them but I can't just slap random words in or nothing but oohs and aahs or it sounds even stupider to me :v UMMMM yeah I should've definitely thrown in another instrument to pad the mix out a bit more, was a little pressed for time though. Also all my hardware synths are either packed up or out of batteries haha. So yeah, cheers for the review! With these and BFP's reviews I think I'll have a really good idea of what you guys are fully expecting from the participants of round 2 and should hopefully be able to meet and exceed expectations :)

[Dayum (NGADM)]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review

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Well, this track certainly lives up to its name, haha. It's really 'out there' in terms of sounds and effects. As usual you strive to make something original and it works out. However, there are a few glaring problems with this track.

First off, your sounds are really interesting. They're all really rough and fairly well-mixed. 1:39's bass is just crazy in terms of roughness. I literally feel like it's roaring at me, which is almost undoubtedly the effect you intended on going for. The drums are also very fat and powerful, which is, of course, imperative for dubstep since generally the kicks and snares are all really spaced out from each other and need power in each hit to make a difference.

Composition-wise, this actually has a really catchy tune, so great job there. Awesome rhythms throughout. I also like the addition of the choir, which was odd but to my surprise worked very well at giving the track an apocalyptic feeling. Pretty good mixing and mastering all-around too. The big problem that this track harbours is most probably the fact that it's very repetitive. The sounds always remain rough and harsh, the melodies aren't really that varied at all for a whole 5 minutes and a half, and around halfway through the track it was hard for me to maintain my interest.

This is a big problem because not only does the repetitiveness make the track get uninteresting, but the repetitive and consistently harsh sounds can be hard to bear at times, even for dubstep. Most dubstep has smoother, more lush sections before proceeding to wub the heck out of the listener, perhaps you can go for that approach? Because to be honest the grating sounds started to really get annoying.

Overall, you've nailed a lot of different elements of this track, but the fact that there isn't enough variety both melodically and in sounds makes me have to reduce this track's score quite a bit, I'm afraid!

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SCORE:
7/10

[Chemicals [NGADM]]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

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http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/liste n/498899

REVIEW:
Alright, I'll give it to you straight. This is amazing. I've never heard of you before the NGADM so for me you honestly came out of nowhere and started posting this amazing stuff like magic or something. You're brilliant, I have honestly never heard anyone so good at this genre for a long while. Fantastic work.

So, yeah, everything is amazing. I love your guitar playing so much, you're a very talented guitarist. The quick descending and ascending phrases you do on the guitar all over the song are just sublime and you integrate them so well with your melody. You've clearly got a good grasp of music theory too because some of your chords are just phenomenal (I especially like the one at 1:10). All of the instruments you used are just so good. They fit with each other wonderfully.

Transitions are even fantastic. You had tons of sweet drum fills and even some awesome melodic fills (like BlazingDragon said, the chromatic phrase at 1:32 is out of this world). I love how you seamlessly transition from one mood to another so easily. Examples include the transition at 1:36 where you switch to a more playful mood very well, and 4:22 where you switch from the busier part to the softer part.

Mixing is also extremely good, but unfortunately it's not perfect. The drums in particular feel a bit too dosed in high-end reverb. Also, they feel too compressed around 5:07. The open hat later on sounds a bit too loud too. Lastly, the vocals seem a bit awkwardly mixed in and sound strange at times. Your voice is REALLY good and in-tune, but sometimes they get drowned out, other times (1:47 for example) they stand out too much and sound pretty odd.

Anyway, that's all I have to say about the track. It's sublime, let me know when you get a record deal k thx.

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SCORE:
9.5/10

Kor-Rune responds:

Thank you Step! I'm happy my sound is well received!

I'm also glad my transitions work! I feel like I struggle the most trying to write them, since I do more chord progressions than riffs.

I'm glad the problems here lie in the mixing! All it takes is opening up the DAW and your helpful reviews side-by-side to get a good mix going. I really appreciate the constructiveness, I'm sure it will help in the next round too!

Thank you for the great score, great review, and great help!

[timeslip]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

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Fantastic, man. It's not often I hear this kind of jazz, but when I do I'm almost always amazed by it and this is no exception. It's incredibly soothing, has some impressive composition, and the fact that nearly everything's recorded makes it have a lot more feeling and authenticity in it that makes for a very solid track. Brilliant work.

The overall composition is what got me the most. It's very mellow and can relax the most hyped-up person, I swear. Lovely guitar melodies, and the sax work is amazing. I also love how the track starts up softly, builds up, gets busier at around 1:07, and then dies down to a satisfying ending note on the sax and strum on the guitar. It's a good structure that doesn't try too hard to sound good and works well for a fairly short track such as this. Perfect transitions and lovely chord changes too, can't really fault them. You've got a good firm grasp on composition, man.

Instrumentation and mixing-wise are two things this track shines in. Everything sounds great. The instruments all fit together wonderfully, especially that guitar whose sound I think is phenomenal. The mixing overall is very good, and you make full use of the frequency spectrum. I especially like the mixing on those drums. They sound clear, and yet that kick especially has a bassy thump to it that makes the drum line highly enjoyable. I would've personally added more reverb to the drums, the snare and cymbals in particular, but I wouldn't worry about it much. I think I'm hearing a bit of a background hum from your mike or something, but my ears are crap at noticing this kind of stuff so it may well be my imagination, and again, I wouldn't worry about that either.

My main issue with the track is that it gets a bit dull. I can hear that you did make an effort to keep it sounding interesting and varied throughout the whole thing with such a varied usage of chords and new melodies on the sax, but unfortunately everything is in a slow tempo and you don't really move away from your current instrument set, limiting your sax as the main instrument for the track for pretty much the whole 2-minutes of the track, so it's inevitable for it to get a bit dull. I'd suggest introducing more elements to the track, and perhaps introducing some compositional elements that you had already used earlier in the track, to catch the listener's attention.

That's really just a minor nitpick. This is otherwise an amazing track. Fantastic work.

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SCORE:
9/10

acmeDyne responds:

Thanks for the nice review!
You do an excellent job running this contest. I had a lot of fun and I hope to be back next year...

[What's Ahead (NGADM 1)]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

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What could've been a really good track here is unfortunately ruined by a considerably bad mix and poor instrumentation. You're a talented composer but notes alone aren't enough to make a good final product. The mix is poor and it's really hard to hear everything clearly.

First thing that needs working on is the realism. I assume you're not using anything ground-breaking in terms of VSTs and sample libraries, but there are some things here that will improve realism and make for an astoundingly better final product, even without having crazy expensive sound libraries. For starters, all of the instruments remain at roughly the same volume throughout. Wouldn't it be so much better if you had a volume control on some instruments and make them rise in volume during more intense parts and lower in volume in less intense parts? It's even noticeable when the notes stop; instead of fading out, you just stop the notes which sounds awfully unrealistic. You can also do things like play melodic phrases with one instrument and respond to the phrases with another instrument. You can add solos, vary velocities, add more subtle instruments, and articulations/grace notes. Glissandos, trills, etc... these are all things that make your track sound more natural and enjoyable and less MIDI-sounding.

Secondly, the mix is unfortunately in shambles. The instruments are all mashed together in a mess of sounds and it's hard to actually focus on one instrument when there are so many other instruments clashing with it and drowning it out. You need to make your mix more spaced out. Give some brightness and high end to the main instruments and dampen the background instruments, giving the bassy ones more low end. Some instruments such as the strings and choir are very dry too and could do with some reverb.

Still, I have to commend you on the composition. The melodies were great and have tonnes of potential. You've got a good progression and I love your approach at the beginning. The transitions were smooth on the whole, and you can't go wrong with your structure either. You've got a good amount of variety, the chords are fine and you created a good mood. This is something that, with a lot of polishing and some more intensity through the use of percussion and whatnot, will sound fantastic during a boss battle in a game.

Overall, you're great at composing, but technicalities such as mixing, realism, etc... need a LOT of work. I admittedly enjoyed your audition track and other tracks much much more than this, so I don't consider this your standard of music. Better luck in Round 2 perhaps!

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SCORE:
5/10

CheckeredZebra responds:

I see, so basically expand upon the track and add counterparts to what is there. Thanks for using more basic terms, it makes it easier for me to find what I need to do! I'm sure this program can do all of that, it's just a matter of finding where everything is and applying it.

Thanks for this, I appreciate it.

[Hymn To The Fallen]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

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I had no idea you were this good haha. This is fantastic. The melodies are excellent, the atmosphere you achieved is very good, if not slightly cliche, and the sounds are very high quality (but I can expect no less from East/West of course). Sublime work overall.

So yeah, starting off with the composition, I really don't see much room for improvement. The melody's progression was particularly good. I love how the melody seamlessly evolved without ever sounding awkward or out-of-place. Even when the melody was shifted to different instruments, the flow never wavered or got interrupted. I especially like how you made the song die down at around the 1-minute marker.

The instrumentation is also incredibly good. You've used a lot of instruments without overwhelming the mix too much and each instrument sounds amazing. I especially like your use of glockenspiel, that sounded particularly fitting, as did all the woodwind. The choirs, not so much, but they still sounded great nevertheless. Oh and the high strings gave me chills.

My prime issue with this track is the general mix and mastering. I mean the mix is very good, but at times it loses in clarity and it isn't very easy to discern the main melody. This might be because you paid a bit too much attention to the bass in this track. The whole mix could do with sounding a bit brighter. Also, the levels need work. If you take a look at the waveform, everything is very quiet except the rises in intensity which are much much louder. A more leveled mix that still retains dynamics would be preferable. Not that I didn't enjoy your rises in intensity though. They were incredibly good.

Just work on those mixing and leveling quirks. Otherwise you've got a very solid track here.

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SCORE:
8.5/10

Rampant responds:

Darn you and your in-depth reviews! How do you expect me to actually respond to all your feedback???

I guess I'll start with the composition bit. I'll admit I took 6 years of music theory. However, some time ago, I came to realize that, while it had made me a better orchestrator, it wasn't making me a better *composer*. So I threw a lot of it out the window (I still check for parallel 5ths... when I can be bothered!), and decided to start going with what *felt* right.

This track could be extended, and it could take the listener on much more of a journey than it does right now. And that's something I want to do in the future. During those two weeks, though, I could feel that what I was trying wasn't working, and I didn't want it to feel forced; so I decided to let it sit as it is.

As for dying down at 1:00... emotion... sadness isn't consistent. It wavers and faults, it grows and it fades. It becomes depression, it becomes anger. Emotion is dynamic and changing: so should the music be that represents it. The orchestra has so much more range in dynamics and emotion and timbre than most people realize -- especially those poor woodwinds! Damn, those woodwinds get nowhere NEAR enough love on the Audio Portal!

Now, regarding the glock/bolt/celesta combo... if I didn't use them efficiently and generously, how the heck could I ever call myself the illegitimate love-child of Danny Elfman and John Williams? Hahaha :D

I'll admit the mixing was kind of a last-minute job. I check my mix on a pair of Tannoy 501's, but my ears still haven't adjusted to them yet: I'm too used to mixing on headphones.

Thanks for the in-depth review, Step; I'll definitely pay more attention to my mixing in Round 2.

[King Samulis]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

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I'm in two minds about this track. On the one hand, this has the power one would expect from a film score, coupled by some interesting composition, expressive instrumentation, high-quality samples and excellent execution. On the other hand, the mixing and mastering is lacking, the structure is all over the place, some parts are uninteresting and the composition, while interesting, isn't memorable.

Taking the composition, I'm torn between liking it and finding it uninteresting. There were some really sweet brass chords and very audible and noticeable rises in intensity. However, you focused a lot on following a story and not enough on the structure of the track and its composition, so it didn't make it very memorable. Parts at 0:44 felt pretty unnecessary.

The instrumentation was fantastic. The low brass was positively menacing and the high brass sounded regal and very 'fit-for-a-king'. The choirs sounded awesome, and the drums were bassy and punchy, to really highlight the power this track conveys. High-quality samples were just icing to the cake.

That said, the production wasn't as good as I expected it to be. The track is well executed. The fanfare at the beginning was perfectly placed, the buildup at 1:14 was phenomenal, etc... but mixing and mastering were disappointing. The waveform clips a lot. The clipping even becomes audible at certain points like 0:06. The choirs were also awkwardly mixed in at 1:04. I mean, don't get me wrong. In some lights the mixing is great; it's a well-balanced and clear mix. The clipping, however, tells another story.

Overall, this is very impressive in some lights and lacking in others. However, not bad in general!

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SCORE:
7/10

[King Bosa]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

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This really shines in composition. It's masterfully composed, and while it follows a story just like Bosa's track does, it still has a great structure and unique melodies. I regard you as one of the top composers on Newgrounds and this track just gives me more of a reason to do so. Fantastic work here.

Like I said, the melodies are phenomenal. The oboe at the beginning had a fantastic tune that started up the song very well, and was complimented wonderfully by those string/chime entrances. The harp's arpeggio was a great way to indicate the end of a section at 0:20 and 0:55. The chords at the end were particularly good and I loved the changes to major chords towards the end too. Tasteful use of dissonance and very warm and deep cello chords were just icing to the cake. Instrumentation was great too. I really have no room to complain in when it comes to composition.

Unfortunately, some transitions need a bit of work. I'm mainly referring to the transition at 1:01. The section before that length of silence and after it didn't have much to do with each other, except for the high violin, and the lone timpani roll wasn't enough to indicate such a drastic change of mood. It needs to be a smoother transition because as it is now it makes it painfully obvious that you're following a story. Another transition that needs work is the transition at 0:20. The introduction of the violin is a bit loud, but that might be because the violin is too loud... which brings me to my next point.

The mixing needs work, especially the mixing on that violin. The violin stands out way too much in the mix. It sounds tinny and loud. The vibrato on it is also ludicrous. I'd suggest either turning it down and dampening its sound or a better option would be to buff it up with more instruments of the string section. Secondly, the mix sounds a bit too heavy on the mid frequencies, which is something that I find is hard to avoid when making orchestral music. Lastly, on a smaller note, this could do with more percussion, especially in the busier part. Right now other than the subtle timpani and chime, there isn't much percussion.

Overall, this is a very impressive piece, with fantastic composition and instrumentation. Needs some work in mixing and transitions, but in general, keep it up!

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SCORE:
8/10

samulis responds:

I think you missed the gong, which surprisingly adds a lot to the piece. I do agree that it would do better with more cymbals and etc.

The violin sound I used is one that I actually enjoy greatly (see my comments on Buoy's feedback regarding my inspiration to delve into the upper register of the violin)... I do see however that it does come in a bit loud. I like to imagine that it is played by a soloist standing at the front of the stage.

I'm really surprised the melodies shined through- I mainly compose chordally and a melody is built to serve the motion of the piece most of the time I write.

I do agree that I need to work on mixing quite a bit... I have never really studied it and simply mix to ear when I write and say "okay, that's good."

[Clicky]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

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I have no idea why I like this so much, but I do. This has such a cute atmosphere, unique choice of sounds and interesting composition that in retrospect it leaves me wondering what's not to like. You've got a knack for grabbing sounds that seemingly have nothing to do with each other and make them sound like they were made for each other, producing a professional-sounding and highly enjoyable finished track. Great work!

What I really like about this track would be the sounds. All of those sounds are just pure ear-candy man. The clicks and pops are bright and don't get the least bit annoying even after the tenth listen, and I'm hearing quite a few sounds in there, including beeps and even a guitar. That, coupled with interesting melodies and soothing pads make this considerably likable. It even has a wonderful atmosphere. Very light and mellow, and held together by those eargasmic pops and clicks.

Having said that, what this lacks in is actual content. There really isn't much to it. What you have is fantastic, but the track is so short! And you don't use a massive variety of sounds either. The song remains in a consistent mood and even the mixing is pretty empty. The sounds seem to choose their own small, limited ranges of frequencies and fit cozily in them instead of having a full use of the frequency spectrum, which is something I admittedly look forward to when hearing ambient.

This unfortunate lack of content doesn't leave me with a lasting effect, and forces me to give you no more than a 7.5. What you've got is great, but it leaves me desiring more.

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SCORE:
7.5/10

TheBenjerman responds:

Thanks for the review! And you're right of course, the content is pretty blah.