DeseNutz's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[DJ Derrick--Walk Alone (Ext.)]

Nice, but lacking in some areas.

First off: While I agree that some songs were not good enough to merit top five (namely ElectroGangrene), I think it very arrogant to make a track around someone elses vocals and expect it automatically to be top five material. Stay humble man, its good for you.

All thoughts aside, heres what it is:

The intro was nice , a little bit dry, but still fitting. It seemed to build up in frequency as well as complexity, as every new instrument you added was just a little bit higher on the frequency spectrum right up to the introduction of the vocals.

The drum samples are nicely chosen for the song. I would have liked to hear a less noisy and more crisp snare layered over (or substituted for) the original during rolls, but the original suffices. Not much to say in the way of drum arrangement, its just another classic techno beat.

The bass was also another classic of the techno genre, but I did notice it seemed to get very quiet and at times the low pass filter over it would make it almost indistinguishable from the other intruments in the song. This may be unavoidable if you were trying to accent the lead, but I decided to point it out in case it was an unintended side effect.

There wasnt much in the way of leads, just one huge lead with a very wide reverb that came out during the refrain. The lead does sound nice though.

There wasnt much else to the song, but I like how you kept everything fresh with the very acid-ish filters. Im very tempted to say that the constant automation of the filters is the main appeal to this track. It does sound nice, but it is a very cheap way to offset a lack of variation in the song itself.

Nothing much to say about the ending, it was different from the normal 'classic' techno endings, so plus points there.

Vocals are usually made last in a song because the vocals are supposed to wrap around the song, not the other way around. But I will acknowledge the effort and discipline you took to make a song in reverse, I know from experience that it isnt easy. I was originally going to mark down because of the lack of 'true' complexity but then I realized that this is a remix. It kinda sucks but I see potential in this track (even if alot of it is already actualized) and it would be nice if you made a completely original version, lyrics and all. This way you wouldnt be tied down to the chord progressions from the lyrics used in the original song and you wouldnt have any kind of preset 'guide' that you have to follow (from the original song).

I will point out that you would make a great sound engineer, and I say this for three reasons: 1) The soundscape you have created is suprisingly clear and interesting 2) The song is well equalized, I cant find any real flaws there 3) The automation of the different filters throughout the song is nothing but pure listening enjoyment. This song is well mastered.

Over all, this is the work of a mastering genius, but it seems to lack any true creativity on your part as far as arrangment goes. I will note that the intruments themselves appear to be chosen by a well trained ear, they are very fitting for how you used them in this peice.

And yes, the vocals you chose were nice, but I am not reviewing the vocals, im reviewing the song :P

The work you put into this was evident, very nice.
-CM

Yodamanjaro responds:

The automations are what made the song, I agree. I just started mixing this last friday, but if you knew what I did to try getting this to 5, i'm sure you'd be upset too.

Thanks for the review, and i realize most NG users are ADD or something like that in the fact they HAVE to have something new every 5 seconds. Otherwise, they complain about it. Go back to your every-song-sounds-the-same DJ-N.

And, yes, I spent a lot of time mastering and equalizing this track. That's why I say that it's too good for a free download, and apparently I'm right...

Again, thanks for your review, I read it all and I'm glad you liked the song.

[Spider Dance]

A Driving Peice

I found this piece at the bottom of the score list looking to see what garbage music sounds like. I was surprised to see this track down there, this is a very nice peice. I normally dont review trance/dance/electronica but this caught my ears and I felt you deserve the exposure of a better score than a 0. :)

Alright:
The peice starts up very quickly, so abruptly in fact that it almost loops cleanly. I would have liked to hear the first effect (the one rising in frequency) last a bit longer, it dropped kind of abruptly and left you hanging for that second until the bass drum dropped in.

The first lead drops in very abruptly, Id like to see a better transition there, but the lead itself fits perfectly.

The drums were well chosen, but the clapsnare could get a tad strong during rolls. The transitions between the two snares was very subtle and both snares were very energetic in this peice. I cant say much about the arrangement of the drum tracks though, it was a very mainstream techno beat.

Not much to say for the bass either, it was another classic techno bass track.
It was nicely equalized though, it wasnt over bearing and i didnt drown out other instruments.

Very nice use of effects. You did the effects like a fine spice, sprinkled on in all the right places. None were too distracting, and most helped carry momentum and keep the track from getting repetitive.

I like the layered leads, they complement each other and add collectively to the song. The filter on the lead that dropped at 0:27 but became prominent at 0:41 was also nice, especially when supplemented by the wide stereo delay. I loved the filter envelopes on all the leads (except for the first, I didnt notice one there), they add to the general feeling of the song and give it a sort of 'one-ness' when you factor in the nice soundscape you have going on there. I did also notice (and like) the depth and richness from the subtle detune on the first lead that drops, that particular lead fit the song very well.

For the amount of leads in the song, its good that it is short; it would instead get old fast if there wasnt any more variation. At the same time I do want to complain about the shortness, it would be a decently respectable track with some more length to it. Hell, you could tack on 20 seconds by adding some decent transitions and a little more depth to the intro. The effects were a nice touch though, they really are what kept your track fresh.

I would suggest you consider an extended version with a new intro and more fills (there isnt much potential for variation in the leads that I saw). Other than that, you made a very decent track.

-CM

Xentull responds:

Wow thanks :)...That review really helped alot and I see what you mean...I will do as you told me to right away ^^..

Again thanks for the review :)..Cya around..

[Abort The Antifetus]

Has potential

I dont really know where to start with this track. Hmm.

The intro made no sense to me, it seemed to lack direction and purpose. The ambient low booms are a plus though.

The lead that drops in around 0:46 is pretty nice, but it tends to lose that initial cool-factor it had after a while. Maybe changing it up the last bar in the meter would help?

When the lead comes back at 1:35, the bass line seems to follow it and that kinda ruins it for me, although the lead itself sounds fairly good.

There seems to be a lot of wide spectrum noise across everything but the first portions of the track, it kinda drowns out everything and makes listening intently for a specific instrument kind of hurt the ears (quite literally).

What I would advise is to find a spectrum analyzer, then give certian instruments a certian 'portion' of the bandwidth and use various filters to make sure instruments stay within thier 'portion'. This will help combat strong instruments fighting each other.

Furthermore, when you do choose to play more than one instrument in the same frequency zone, use panning to create a soundscape. These are also great at accentuating the different instruments and combating instrument fighting. Plus, when you get good at it, you can create some awesome stereo effects. ;)

It was a good try though, and the song has potential. You can always revisit this and make it better :)

-CM

VolPlus responds:

That was the first song and we really have developed from this :D
A remake is a pretty good idea. We just might do that one day. Thanks

-Cannonshot

[Antidomination]

Great Idea

Very original, I like that intro. Sounds like you sampled a zipper :)

The drums are nice, but they tend to get old quickly. The bass drum almost sounds like you layered water dripping over a techno drum. Nothing wrong there, its just kinda interesting.

I like how dirty the first part sounds, the interlude carries over well, and the second part, while not as catchy as the first, still is pretty good.

That pulse wave bass is bangin. I can tell youre lovin it too, because towards the end of the song it sounds like you started having fun with it :)

Very catchy, I just wish you would have made it longer.

8/10 first half, 7/10 first half

-CM

VolPlus responds:

Thanks for the good score. I´m usually having a lot more fun with the bass and drums. I was kinda holding back because we made this song together with Johnyxx (he makes the synth melodies and most of the effects while I do the drums, bass and mixing)

-Cannonshot

[-strikebeam-]

All time favorite

I had no idea you was the artist behind this addicting peice. I have listened to it way more than a normal human should (Windows Media sayts the play count for this song in the 600's). Hah, and thats just on my dads computer.

That bass line is what has me so addicted, you can turn it up and feel it in your chest. Ive gotten so bad now that I hum it whenever I cant actually hear it, and I can even get my voice low enough so it matches the octave! =D
(I pat myself on the back for that one)

Your choice of leads was, like everything else you produce, spot on. While it surprises me to say this, the lead you chose around 1:53 seems... flat. This is not an expert opinion, but it simply doesnt seem dynamic enough (as far as frequencies go). Maybe you can somehow make it sound more rich?

Otherwise, no other flaws that I can pick out anyway.

I do want to commend the arrangement of the beat that drops around 1:26. There is something in the background (snare rim maybe?) that arrives in the song as early as 0:58, but really becomes prominent around that minute and a half that really wins me over. Great work :)

The song may have been a little on the short side, but it loops well (when you dont pay attention to it), so no real problem there. I really cant even be talking, I havnt yet made a song that broke the 3 minute mark :P

Overall, awesome work. Not a technical masterpeice, but the arrangement is amazing. To date, this is the most addictive non-professional song I ever had the pleasure of hearing.

-CM

[-Control: Damage-]

An absolute masterpeice

This could be your flagship song, it represents and symbolizes everything that makes a song 'yours', from the fast paced hard-hitting drums to the murderous bass line to the ambient sound effects that serve only to enhance the listening experience.

Here we go:
The drums are phenomenal, especially coming through my 13" subwoofer :)
Your drums variate perfectly with the song, you demonstrate that it is really an art, and not simply there to keep a beat. That is half the reason I cant stand most techno. Another thing I like, is it looks (sounds) to me like you actually put the beat tracks together yourself, instead of using downloaded beats, breaks, and all that other 'normal' shit that everyone else is using. On top of that, your beats seem to have a sort of 'groove' to them that really does wonders to set you apart from the others.

The bass also loves my subwoofer :)
I love how the bass seems to drop every 3rd and 4th bar of the meter, its like euphoria in a musical form. Plus, you seem to 'complement' the bass with other low instruments and again, its amazing, and a style true to you.

The leads and fills are without compare. I will admit though, the first one you hear (about 0:22 ) sounded a little off to me the first time, but when you brought it back later in the song, it fit in perfectly like the missing peice of a jigsaw puzzle. I also like how you layer many different simple leads in over themselves to create a more complex sounding peice - save for around 2:06, when i was completely blown away by what seemed to me to be a perfectly orchestrated standalone peice that kind of sums up the song.

Put simply, its a creative masterpeice. Walt Disney would be very proud :P

I wonder sometimes, judging by how many ambient effects there are in the song, how many sound effects you went through that didnt fit the song. I bet your sound libraries are huge :)

Congratulations, you just earned yourself a fan.

[-Outrun-]

Bangin ass tune

I can honestly say I have never heard so many different fills and variations layered over a such a simple beat before. Im lovin that saturation on some of those leads, and the detune on all the others, it makes for a very awesome driving peice. It almost makes you want to get up and fight somebody or something.

You gotta love that polarized string/pad thing that comes in around 1:12, especially when it comes back later in the song. It kinda wraps everything up and gives it a sort of other worldly quality. This song is like an ear orgasm =)

Youve developed quite a name for yourself, ill make sure to check out some of your other songs in a bit.