Step's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-*}CaSH{*- King Benjerman]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

--

Alright now this is seriously really good. With such strong composition, fantastic instrumentation, and incredulous amount of detail, you've really outdone yourself with this one. I had trouble getting started on this review purely due to the fact that I wanted to keep hearing it and didn't want my listening experience to be interrupted by having to write this review.

If I had to make a list of all the well-made aspects of this track, it'd start with the composition. Everything was just so detailed. In every play-through, I heard something new in the background. And everything is just harmonised so beautifully that it leaves me wondering why you're not more popular than you already are. The dynamics are just amazing, and you put a lot of care in the composition of each and every instrument. Extremely well-executed tempo, mood and time signature changes throughout. Oh and that leitmotif is one of the best melodies I've heard in a long while, and I absolutely adore how you brought it back towards the end of the track. You're just SO good at this.

Instrumentation is also a big plus. You have a fantastic variety of instruments, and while I think the brass is a bit of a weak point, everything else was just out of this world. The piano fit a lot better than I expected, and the harp glissandos and arpeggios fit so well (they were one of my favourite aspects of this track). Together the instruments created the regal atmosphere you were going for.

I have a few negative points to mention though. Firstly, I feel that you sometimes hold on to melodies for too long. This is apparent with the melody at 1:11 and 2:22. Secondly, the mixing isn't brilliant. The mix sounds too cluttered and a lot more EQing is needed. The lower-mid and mid frequencies are especially too heavy. This can lead to the track having quite an over-bearing sound, especially during the massive chords like at 1:51 and 4:20 (although I love those chords). You need to EQ much more, because East/West instruments won't sound good without good EQing. Sometimes the track feels a bit too dry too, but not that much. Oh and your waveform is clipping quite a bit too. Finally, the ending was also a disappointment. That finale is just too weak and unfitting for such a grand song like this.

Overall, this is an incredibly good song. It has very very good aspects, but some quirks here and there that reduce your score to a 9. That said, I enjoyed this IMMENSELY and I think you've easily become one of the most talented orchestral composers on the site.

--

SCORE:
9/10

camoshark responds:

Heyo, wasn't expecting these so soon!

In any case, this is quite the review you've got here, this is gonna be a challenge to respond to. Good thing I enjoy challenges!

"If I had to make a list of all the well-made aspects of this track, it'd start with the composition. [...]"

I do feel that all of the special attention I gave to the song really payed off in the end, though I feel there's still a lot that could have been improved in retrospect (more on that in a second.) In any case, I'm really glad that you enjoyed!

"Instrumentation is also a big plus. You have a fantastic variety of instruments, and while I think the brass is a bit of a weak point, everything else was just out of this world. [...]"

And that's one of the things that, on retrospect, I should have put more energy on. My original plans for the song were a simple woodwind ensemble with a piano and xylophone, but then I decided to integrate a vibraphone, and then a supportive bass drum, and a snare, and a trumpet, and then a string sections, and by the time I had finished most of the first movement, I was pretty much left with a full orchestra with a few instruments missing. I actually adding some Wagner Tubas and a bassoon later on, but by then I was so far into the score I didn't bother to integrate them into the previous part, since I felt that giving them a doubling role would just be copping out. I also kept the solo woodwinds from the start throughout the song, even in segments that would have necessitated a full ensemble, so again, there's a lot of things I could've improved, but decided to rush forward instead.

"I have a few negative points to mention though. Firstly, I feel that you sometimes hold on to melodies for too long. This is apparent with the melody at 1:11 and 2:22."

Hmm, I dunno, I really like repetivism, though I know that a lot of people hate it. I guess I probably should've added more counter-melody to support the length of the movement, but I ran out of instruments and didn't feel like adding more instruments. Sorry about that.

"Secondly, the mixing isn't brilliant. The mix sounds too cluttered and a lot more EQing is needed. [...]"

Wow, that is some extremely constructive criticism there. I'm actually really bad at this, so that's actually incredibly useful insight. Thanks for that, I'll definitely keep that in mind!

"Sometimes the track feels a bit too dry too, but not that much."

You have no idea just how many times I messed with the reverb throughout the creative process. maybe it's because I used Fruity Reeverb 2, but nothing ever felt real, and in the end, I just put it really tight. (±18) On hindsight, I should probably have used the built-in EWQL reverb, even though I really hate adding reverb to a track. Dunno why.

"Oh and your waveform is clipping quite a bit too."

Really? I made sure that there was absolutely NO clipping inside my track, and I'm hearing it now and still can't find any. Then again I suck at that kind of stuff, so maybe if you could tell me exactly where next time you log in on MSN?

"Finally, the ending was also a disappointment. That finale is just too weak and unfitting for such a grand song like this."

Tell me about it, I hate it just as much as you, but that's all I could think of because of the stress (I made that within the last 3 hours of the competition's deadline.)

"Overall, this is an incredibly good song. It has very very good aspects, but some quirks here and there that reduce your score to a 9. That said, I enjoyed this IMMENSELY and I think you've easily become one of the most talented orchestral composers on the site."

You have no idea just how honored I am to hear this coming from you! I still can't believe I'm getting this much positive feedback from a genre I just happened to dabble upon less than eight months ago!

Once again, thank you for the review, and thank you for having created such a fantastic way for composers to gain exposure and amazing feedback from talented artists!

Cheers,
Samuel Hebert

["The Last Ship" Short ver.]

Yeah there's a reason why you're one of my favourite orchestral composers in this whole site. This just sounds so dynamic and melodically it's beautiful. Other than the short length (which is understandable considering this is the SHORT version) I'm finding it hard to actually criticise anything. Also why does your music always remind me of the Skyrim soundtrack?

The chords were wonderful. You're especially good at chords IMO. All your chords suit the melody so well but each one has a unique feel to it. The progression's all fantastic, despite your varied usage of chords. I can't stress how good your chords are, seriously.

Dynamically, this track really shines. Those little rises in intensity on certain chords made all the difference, even if they were subtle. The little pauses at parts like 0:21 and 0:36 are so quaint and you've managed to integrate them without sacrificing the progression of the track. I find that really hard to do. Then again a lot of my music is rhythm based with drums and whatnot so I can't really perform those little fluctuations in tempo and pauses as seamlessly as you're doing over here.

The instrumentation is out of this world. The strings have a lovely warm sound and the low brass (not sure if there is any low brass, could just be low strings) sounds great without sounding too menacing or rough. The choirs, despite being an almost unnoticeable addition, are fantastically soothing. What choirs library did you use? Sounds like VOXOS, although I could be wrong. Not very versed on choir libraries myself.

The mixing is great. I don't really have anything to complain about here. I'd imagine a track like this wouldn't be very hard to mix so you don't get many kudos but still, the mixing is great. Like I said, the strings sound very warm. Everything sounds warm and cinematic and whatnot. I can't really find anything to complain about mixing wise. Any more changes in the mixing will probably make it sound worse haha. It just sounds perfect.

My main complaint with this is something that I doubt you'll be able to change without changing the whole concept of the track. It's that it doesn't sound very memorable. Sure, you've got wonderful chords, a great progression, awesome instrumentation... but in the end this sounds more like something you'd hear as a background to a game or movie (probably movie) rather than something I'd listen to casually.

Other than chords, you don't really have a main melody, and I don't think I can hear any leitmotifs in there either. This needs something to make it memorable. A particularly defining aspect of it that makes it unforgettable. This is, of course, a stylistic complaint and I doubt it's something worth working on considering the amazing atmosphere and composition you've done already. It's probably more personal preference than anything. But yeah, I do feel that this isn't something that I can remember very easily. The typical instrumentation you'd hear in a film score doesn't help much either.

Looks like I'm not reaching the character limit this time! Overall, this is incredible. Like I said, I regard you as one of the top orchestral composers here on Newgrounds, and this track just screams professionalism and talent. Other than that one issue I have regarding it lacking a defining aspect that makes it memorable, this is seriously amazing. Keep it up dude.
9/10
5/5

BrokenDeck responds:

TL;DR ;P Just kidding! Holy sh*t you really wrote an essay on this one! I really appreciate the feedback provided here.

[-Awakening- (Preview)]

Man, I am a SUCKER for orchestral/rock hybrids. Orchestral and rock just seem meant for each other, and you executed it really well. I've had it on loop for a long while now (at least 20 minutes) and I have not gotten bored of it, despite it being just a minute long. In fact, the more it plays, the more I like it. You've clearly got experience writing orchestral/rock and that shows in this badass piece of work.

First order of business I have to address is the composition. FANTASTIC composition. The string melodies were intense, and complimented the guitar so well. That, coupled with the fact that the guitar's riffs were sublime and added a lot of meaty texture to the track, really made for an impressive result.

The drums actually complimented the composition too. Stuff like that epic drum roll at 0:27 and the incredibly varied rhythms of the drums didn't make the drums an extension to the track, but rather fully integrated into the track's composition, which is something I always find hard to achieve. also, 0:27 is a GENIUS melodic phrase, which you even extended at 0:37. I thought that was really clever and it worked very well.

The transitions are wonderfully smooth. The time signature change from triple time to quadruple time had a slightly 'off' sound to it, but the more you listen to it, the more accustomed you get to it, so it's not much of a problem. You've got a knack for melding melodies together really well, like the introduction of that excellent guitar melody at 0:51. This made for very good transitions overall.

The instrumentation made for a very epic atmosphere overall. I would've liked to hear a bit more love for the brass, since you've stuck mainly with low brass that sits comfortably in the background. It's clear and easy to hear but some more orchestral influences, mainly brass, will work very well IMO. Some choir would be badass too. This is personal preference though, it may or may not work. I'm an orchestral nut anyway. Your guitars sounded incredible, played very well, and the strings worked so well with it that I shouldn't even be complaining.

The progression so far is impressive. I predict a lot of mood changes and awesome climaxes and whatnot later on in the track. You've kept me interested and wanting more, which is the point of a preview I guess.

My only gripe with the progression is that the drum beat at the very beginning feels a bit premature. If I were you, I'd keep very minimal drums at the very beginning, then some massive crashes and snares to highlight the guitar chords that come in at 0:10. Something like the guitar at 2:55 in this:
http://goo.gl/1zvz6
Right now when the guitar comes in its introduction feels a bit unimportant. If you make the drums highlight those guitar chords as opposed to just making the drum beat itself more intense I think it'll make the intro sound a lot more suiting. If you try and achieve an effect like that of the guitar at 2:55 in that video I linked to, it'll be perfect.

Now for some mixing complaints. Your mix is actually quite good! It's really easy to hear everything and it's all very clear. However, the song seems to lack power at times. This is, as you probably know, due to the unfortunate lack of bass that there is over here. The guitar chords at 0:10 could have sounded devastating with some more bass, and the drums are seriously weak. Not to hate on EZdrummer because as a VST I love it, but I wanted to hear a bassy thump from the drums which, to my dismay, was absent.

Other than the lack of bass in the drums and guitar at 0:10, the mixing is really good. The guitar from 0:20 onwards was really well-mixed and sounded phenomenal. The strings sound bright and clear... perhaps the mix is a bit dry? I dunno, I'm deaf from one ear so mixing intricacies like this aren't very easy to hear for me...

Right then, that's all the character limit allows me to say about this track. It's really awesome, I can't believe I haven't heard that many of your tracks, this is seriously really really good. Good luck finishing it, it's got heaps of potential!
9/10
5/5

Back-From-Purgatory responds:

Thanks for the extremely TL;DR review! (I promise I read it all!)

I've already gone over everything you touched on basically in skype while I was reading this, so I'll skip going over it all again in this response.

Either way, glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the feedback!

[For My Angel]

First off, sorry for taking AGES to review. I'm very occupied with the NGADM, lots of school and music work, etc... You probably know by now how my schedule always is! :P

Anyway, onto the song. Now this is interesting. Don't be modest, you're VERY good at getting ideas out. It's the execution you need to work a little on. I'm seeing quick improvement though; at the end of last year you were just starting out with guitar right? What you've made here is really good; it took me YEARS to play decent stuff on my piano and here you are making awesome stuff like this after a little over half a year like it's nothing :P. This trumps any metal music I can do and I'm impressed!

The composition really shines here. FANTASTIC little melody at the beginning. Really, that tiny leitmotif there is such a great way to tie the track together. Rhythm-wise, this is great too. I love the rhythms of the guitar strumming and I also noticed how you made the drums occasionally match the rhythm of the strumming, which worked very well. The lead guitar work wasn't anything special though, but you maintain variety for long enough to keep me very much interested till the end. Composition-wise, this is good stuff.

Transitions are also phenomenal. All of the transitions were wonderfully smooth. Some highlights that caught my attention were the transitions at 1:28, 2:20 and the building down at the end. 1:28 was great because it's not very easy in music to have a busy section that suddenly transitions to a quieter section but achieved that contrast perfectly. 2:20 is an incredibly well-placed transition that re-introduces that strumming rhythm wonderfully. The building down at the end was also great since it led to a very satisfying ending so smoothly.

Structure-wise, you've got some very good ideas here. You've got certain melodic and rhythmic components that you place cleverly in different parts of the track to hold the structure together, like that strumming rhythm and the intro melody. These are all really good ideas that bring out a lot of the potential in this track. The guitar-playing is also pretty good. A bit iffy with the lead guitar (I'm hearing a few notes that are off rhythmically and melodically) but it's really not bad at all!

First quirk I have with this track is a structure-related problem. I think the progression felt a little rushed in the intro. I mean at the very beginning it has a smooth and gradual progression and a nice subtle cymbal pattern to add that finishing touch to the intro (if that makes any sense), but then at 0:27 you just go right into it with a new melody and throw away the intro's tune.

Sure, you bring it back at 0:44 (which is great) but I would've liked to hear that melody playing with some heavier drums in the background before you move on to the part at 0:27, since it just feels a bit wrong to hear the song switch to a new melody so quickly, even if the melody comes back later.

A more general and larger problem I have with the track is the mix. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. It's clear, doesn't clip and there's nothing which is too hard to hear, but to put it bluntly the mix is a bit weak. First off, the song can be louder. If you take a look at the waveform you'll see that it's pretty roomy. Don't be afraid to clip your waveform. Clipping is a bad thing, sure, but unless you really know what you're doing, you can't really achieve a loud sound without clipping your waveform. In my opinion, if the song doesn't produce any clipping sounds, then it's OK to peak the waveform above 0 dB.

Secondly, the mix just doesn't have the power the song deserves. When I hear tracks like this, I want to hear some meaty, powerful low frequencies coming from the bass and drums. The drums especially need to be more powerful. Their rhythms are GREAT, but they're pretty wimpy compared to most drums in metal tracks.

Anyway, I've got a bit more to say about the track but I've reached the limit, as usual :P. Overall, other than an iffy mix and some other small quirks, this is an excellent track with some great ideas.
8/10
4/5

UltimateCJ64 responds:

Whoa... the "super" part needs to come back if you're writing reviews like this...

It's alright for takin' so long, people get busy, that's why you left RRC, right?

Yeah, I agree, it's the execution that kills me (haha, pun not intented). My rhythm guitaring is definitely a lot better, but my lead skills are, well... *fart sound* ...but I'm slowly working on it. This was more of a rock attempt than metal, but some parts turned out a little heavy.

Sometimes I don't have problems with transitions, sometimes they're hard as hell to pull off. This time, I think I got off easy...

Yeah, like I said with that lead, not my slice of cake (or whatever that saying is). Some of it, I'd do multiple takes, didn't like the sound of it, give up for a little, eat a sandwich, and come back to it later, sometimes days later, which is probably why the guitar sometimes sounded out of tune. (Damn sandwiches, detuning my guitar... *beats sandwich to death*)

Man... intros... I always seem to have a problem with rushing into things, I guess music isn't an exception...

Oi! Mixing... another one of my usual problems, I never was one to mix well... I mean I could've made it a little louder and EQ'd those drums for moar power (MOAR POWER!!!), but shoot, I'm still a newb on some stuff...

Well dude, thanks for the review, you're helpful as always. We need more constructive reviewers like this, help give a lessons-learned for the next go-around. Hope to see more of your work up soon too. :)

[I'll wait for you]

Hey! I promised you that I'd review you some time ago. I finally found the time to do it. It's going to be a bit short compared to my other reviews but I'll be honest and to the point, I promise :3.

First off, it sounds like you don't have a massive amount of experience making music. The flow of this song feels very pattern-based. You've got the piano pattern in the background repeating constantly and the song clearly following a four-bar structure with not many fluctuations in dynamics. The mixing isn't very good, and the instruments you used are pretty low-quality.

Putting all that aside, this is actually not bad at all. I think you have a LOT of potential. You may lack in technicalities but you were quite creative with the composition even if the melody isn't mind-blowing in complexity. The strings' melodies were impressive, especially around 1:30 onwards. You seem to have a good grasp on composition. There are some things that the track lacks which you'll be able to work on with experience and time, such as the mixing and low-quality instruments, but here are some issues I think you should start working on from now:

1.) The composition is too simple. I know that simple can be elegant sometimes but in this case it left me feeling not fully satisfied. Throw some more instruments into the mix. Some bassy background strings playing chords will work wonderfully to fill up the emptiness that this track has. Perhaps some percussion will work too, who knows?

2.) The track feels too linear and pattern-based as I mentioned. The piano melody, for example, is repeated far too many times and needs to be changed more. More importantly than that, add dynamics. I can't stress how important this is. Put in subtle rises in power/intensity, soft parts, louder parts, parts where the tempo slows down, etc... In this genre, dynamics make all the difference.

3.) Subtleties and details were lacking over here. When I turn the volume of a track up, I want to hear stuff I didn't hear in a previous listen. Add some subtle sounds here and there like wind chimes, soft percussion, etc... Even the little things count - for example, the string notes at 1:30 and 1:59 could really do with fading out instead of just cutting off. The choirs keep on playing at the same volume and sometimes playing for a long time without stopping (your singers don't have infinite breath). It's important to pay attention to small intricacies like this.

Anyway, that's all the advice I'm giving you. Overall, I think you have tonnes of potential. I enjoyed this little piece of music even if it is lacking in certain aspects. If you keep at it I know you'll become a fantastic composer, and I'm not saying that just to encourage you. With more experience and better VSTs in your hands, I honestly predict some really great tracks from you. Hope I helped, and good luck with your future submissions!

5/10
3/5

[Summer Nostalgia]

I love it! You know, you have a way of setting out with a plan for an atmosphere of a song, and then executing this plan perfectly and coming up with a song greatly reminiscent of the atmosphere you had in mind at the beginning. This fits very well with the NAC theme and I wish you luck for it!

So, let's get started. Like I said, atmosphere-wise this is a winner. It's very clearly summer-like. So much so, in fact, that I think that summer would have come to my mind even if I hadn't seen the name and the fact that this is for the summer NAC. You've really nailed those sounds, man. Very warm and inviting. The composition is quite happy too, also fairly representative of a summer atmosphere.

Speaking of that, the composition is very nice. I felt that the main melody was repeated too much in a small period of time, but otherwise I like that melody. Quite catchy and it's easy for it to grow on you too. Lovely chords on the choir too. However, two aspects of the composition that I didn't like were the flow and structure. I think those are the weakest points of this otherwise awesome track.

Flow-wise, I felt that some parts were immensely anti-climatic. I'm taking about the really long drum fills/rolls/transitions/whatever you want to call them, for instance the one at 0:50. The crashes came in early making me expect a much more climatic/busy part, or at least a part with an obvious new element or two introduced, but instead you just kept on going with the same melody (with a little change at the end of it) and same sounds.

Another anti-climatic part is 2:03. After that break I expected a lot more than a slow ambient part, and it made me question why you put that break there in the first place, even though it is very well executed.

In terms of structure, I know I had problems with your song structures before and I'm having them again I'm afraid :P. Your structure is very predictable and obvious. Starts off with an intro, then introduces Section A, Section B, small break, Section A, Section B, small break, and then the outro. I find that a structure like this will work really well for some sort of game music (in fact I can easily see this in a game) but for a song to listen to I'm afraid it doesn't work out as well.

What would work a lot better IMO is something like Intro - Section A - Section B - Section C (a section with a new dynamic introduced) - (the outro you have now minus the ending note) - Section A - Ending. The reason I don't like the outro how it is right now is that I assume you made that slower part for the end to reflect what you said about the memories of summer experiences, and I think a better idea is ending on a happier note, as if you're enjoying summer experiences, you stop to reflect on past experiences, then continue enjoying summer, rather than just ending on a sadder more reflective tone. Or something like that. D:

Now, other than the structure/flow, the composition is awesome. Next up, the mixing, and I've got to say that I'm impressed. You're improving in your mixing, I swear. This song is so clear. Everything that's supposed to be in the background is fitting cosily in the background and providing a wonderful amount of depth without cluttering up the mix. The drums are nice and punchy, and while I do feel that the snare is a bit harsh, the drums are clear and make a statement and at the same time they're not distracting.

Well, I wanted to say a lot more about this track but it seems like I've reached the character limit :(. I remember just about fitting the character limit with my old reviews before, but now I have so much to say about songs that the limit just isn't enough. Oh well! Overall, great work on this song. Nice drums, good transitions, fantastic mixing and great melodies and atmosphere. Just work on that structure/flow of yours, and see if you can fix those anti-climatic parts.

9/10
5/5

Also, I feel like an ass asking you for another review after you've reviewed me so much but do you mind telling me what you think about my medley? I worked on it like crazy :P.

http://goo.gl/gJbhY

Birdinator99 responds:

You reached the 4096 character limit?!?!?

Shit just got real.

Well, I'm glad it fit the theme. Main goal: accomplished.

Glad the atmosphere did it for you. When I think of happy, almost generic-sounding songs, I immediately think of common bass lines that I've heard. It was easy to build the song around that once I had it.

That melody, haha, it'll get you, for sure. I was hoping it would be catchy.

When I first made those long drum fills (like at 0:50), I thought, "Oh snap, this is awesome, I've got to use this everywhere," which turned out to be a really shitty idea, heh. Wouldn't have hurt to change it up a bit.

The crap at 2:03 is actually just so typical of me, it's starting to make me sick. You're completely right about the structure and flow, and it bothers me that I haven't woken up and smelled the java with this recurring problem. What went wrong was my thinking and my approach to writing this song. I envisioned this to be a simple little "jingle" type of track when I started. This was clearly not what to do, and the song as a whole suffered, being compressed, or limited with respect to it's full potential.

Next time, I'm going to force myself to do something different structurally, even if it makes me uncomfortable. You're only as strong as your weakest link -- a great atmosphere can only be so great if it's constrained by lousy flow. Thanks for the ideas regarding that, and for opening my eyes a little.

I'm really pleased that the mixing went over well. My brain seems to favour clearly mixed and well fitting instruments over other parts of the musical process. I'm going to experiment with low passing my snares to try and get a more desirable tone in the future.

Sorry that you didn't get to fully speak your mind, but, uh, dude, you wrote a freaking essay, haha. More than I could've asked for. Thank you.

I was listening to my Soundcloud stream while playing a game on my iPod the other day, and I got to a song where I thought, "Man, this is long. Wait, this is orchestral -- who the hell is on my stream that-- oh, yeah. Sweet." It turned out to be your Trinity. I was really impressed then, so look out for good things in my review!

[~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!

[M.O.A.B.]

Alright so, despite the fact that I seriously should be doing homework right now, I've felt the sudden urge to give this a review. I was the audio moderator who approved you with this track, and the first time I heard it I was instantly hooked. I ended up downloading it, and coming from someone who almost never listens to metal and hates most kinds of metal, that's saying a lot. Brilliant work dude, I love it.

First and foremost, the production in this track is just superb. You sound like you have many years of music experience up your sleeve, because everything here is just so well-made. The guitar sounds absolutely incredible, the drums are so fitting and cool, there are so many effects here and there that are spine-tingling, and that choir. My GOD, that choir. It's out of this world.

All of that is coupled with some brilliant mixing and mastering. The bassy thumps of the drums and the sheer power of the guitar really brought this track forward, and on top of that you had plenty of other sounds playing like various sound effects, a choir and strings. You mixed them together wonderfully to create a clear but mighty sound overall. The track in itself is pretty loud too and yet I'm not really noticing any clipping. That's just a testament to the sublime work you did here with the mixing/mastering.

Now enough about that, since it's time to judge the most important aspect of any song in my opinion; the composition. Yeah, you nailed it over here too. The chord progression's very epic and everything came together so well. You expertly combined the powerful drums with that amazing guitar but avoided going down the typical metal route by throwing in orchestral elements and sound effects.

Also, one particular thing I liked was how the song starts off with a quick rhythm guitar 0:33, and then a lead guitar plays more legato notes at 0:43 before going back to the quick strums a few seconds later. That thing right there is probably one of my favourite aspects of this track. It totally increased the sense of urgency and power. I literally get goosebumps when I hear it...

The transitions are on the whole very good. I especially LOVE the transition at 0:30 with that awesome drum fill. The song transitions very smoothly and there are some really good transitions, although I felt some lacked, in particular the ones at 1:37, 1:48, 2:20 and 4:08. They were all pretty abrupt and I would've appreciated a cymbal crash/roll or an orchestral hit of some kind to mark the end of a section and beginning of another.

The structure is quite solid. There are some noticeable gradual buildups and changes in intensity. I also love how you got to that enormous climax at 3:03 before building down in the outro. That's just how I like my endings; a climax and then building down into a final ending note. Love it.

On the other hand, I think the variety needs work. I'm recognising some patterns being repeated quite a few times. I'm alright with the melody at the beginning being repeated a few times since that's one of the defining melodies of the track, but the choir really doesn't vary much, neither does the rhythm guitar and towards the end of the track it felt more like you were combining together pre-existing patterns rather than actually making any new ones. This let to quite a bit of predictability, and while you did cleverly place together the patterns, I do think a little more subtle variety will help out over here.

Lastly, the drums; they are just astounding. Seriously, those drums are just so well-made and fit right at home in this track, not to mention the fact that I nearly jizzed my pants when I heard the breakbeat at 2:15. I can't find any faults in the drums at all, other than perhaps varying the beats a little, but man, those drums are so good.

In conclusion, you basically came out of nowhere to Newgrounds, posted this track and it has been wow-ing me every single time I've played it. I am VERY impressed and regard this as one of the top metal tracks that I've heard on Newgrounds. Brilliant work, keep it up!

10/10
5/5
Download.
Fav'd.

[==(Fractal Fluid)==]

Pretty badass track you have here! I can tell you had a lot of fun with the sound design, and as usual you've created a pretty awesome soundscape with interesting sound effects and synths to really spice this up. I won't be able to be make nearly as much of a creatively-written review as KKSlider60 because I'm not nearly as much of an ambient nerd, but I sure as hell will try :3.

First and foremost I suppose I really can't review this without mentioning the sounds you've played around with. I love the sidechaining you did on that pad and the bass slides, especially the bass slides. You positioned the instances of them pretty cleverly around the track which made for some pretty interesting bass slides. The reverse effects like the one at about 2:57 sound awesome too.

The pitched snare delay is a little silly, true, but it actually works better than one might think. I've honestly never heard something like it before, so it gives this song a really cool defining feature. The first thing I think about when I think of this song is that pitched delay. Also I like how each snare has a different delay sound. Did you just repeat the snare hit quickly and consecutively in the piano roll, increasing each hit in pitch and decreasing in volume, or did you use some sort of fancy effect for it?

The atmosphere is interesting. You've got a really spaced out and trippy atmosphere (intently abiding to your prediction of making more spacey songs) and that sidechained pad really gave the song's atmosphere a nice touch. Awesome sounds like the ones at around 2:08 don't fail to help out in that department either.

Mixing-wise, as usual, no complaints. You've got a very spaced-out mix. I occasionally hear the punchy drums, other times the bass slides and other times the high-passed bells/pads, but never do I actually hear the whole mix being filled with a lot of depth in one go.

Now usually the nitpicky depth-lover inside of me would be screaming for me to complain about this, but I actually think that the fact that you left the mix so empty really did wonders for the song. First off, it made everything sound incredibly crisp and clear, and secondly it made me appreciate each individual sound and melody all the more. Even the very quiet subtle details stood out.

The drums are pretty good. They don't seem to be as intricate as the rest of the track (especially at around 1:06-ish) but they do their job well and your drum sounds are excellent. Loving that kick, and the snare sounds cool too, albeit a little dry. All in all, the drums didn't do anything revolutionary (other than the pitched delay of course) but they fit well.

Now for my largest problem with this track - it starts to get a bit disinteresting to listen to. I think you focused a little too much on the sounds and not enough on adding melodic leitmotifs and other melodies. The melody that plays on the bells towards the end is fantastic and I would've loved to have heard more of it playing.

Transition-wise, I can't complain. My favourite transition would be without a doubt the transition at 2:13. I love how the song took a breather and then all of a sudden a few sound effects kicked in and this badass synth solo was introduced. Regarding the intro and ending, they were both great. Progression from the beginning was nailed and the approach in the outro towards the final ending note was equally as good.

No character-limit-reaching this time. Oh well! Overall this is a seriously cool track. Everything from the bass slides to the pitched delay to the transitions to the sounds.... are all sublime. The reason I have given you a 9 (yes, 9/10, not 4.5/5) is because without much melodies and with a spacey mix like what you've got now it does end up sounding a bit bland during about the middle of the track. Other than that, I love it. Brilliant work.
9/10
4/5

[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