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8 Audio Reviews w/ Response

All 17 Reviews

Okay, so I absolutely love this piece. I downloaded it off-hand while trolling the contest boards, and after a serious listen, I had to come back and review.

So why do I like it? I find this song absolutely clever, and fantastically inspiring. The intro does a amazing job of setting the mood, I love the interplay between the piano and harp. The first hints of the melody are tantalizing; it's like the hook of a good murder mystery, you have to keep going to see where the author takes it.

The track also has qualities in it that remind me a lot of Hans Zimmer works, it is very fluid and easy to listen to. The soundscape is also very well developed, and interestingly enough, this sounds just as pleasing on my cheesy laptop speakers as it does on Sennheisers (although it does sound better on the latter...). This is interesting to note, as it is rare that songs sound good no matter the hardware.

I also love the depth of this track, it can be listened to superficially as a sort of 'background music', or it can be intently focused on. When you choose to focus on it, you will continue to find layers that you never noticed before - it is a real treat. haha.

Although my favorite section is 3:28 onward, the different parts of this piece all complement each other. I also really enjoy the intro and outtro, but although all of the different parts would sound perfectly fine on their own, I think their product is more than the sum of their parts. Which goes back to the 'fantastically clever' bit from earlier.

Musical genius, if you ask me. I am glad I found this track, it is definitely a new favorite. Dashingly good show, sir :)
-Cameron

NickPerrin responds:

Thanks a ton for this great review! I love it when a listener has very clearly listened critically and attentively... and still really enjoyed the piece ;)
Cheers!

Digging the style

I do very much like the ambient style the song is written in. The low volume levels don't affect me negatively, in that it almost fits the style of the song (not to suggest that a tad of vol increase wont hurt).

I really hope you keep it up! I havn't seen much from you in the last year, and I do like your flavor of music.

HarvestThrone responds:

Thanks! I pretty much gave up on Newgrounds for several reasons, though I'm still writing and will have my stuff up and running on Soundcloud soon.

Thoroughly enjoyed!

Alright! This is the best track Ive heard tonight, I gotta review :)

First : The synth bass doesnt keep the track from being classical ...but the beat in accordance with the ARRANGEMENT of the synth bass kinda does :P

Lets get to business:

Percussion:
Gets very old fast. Yes, you did switch up the bass drum a bit, but I still think it needs more variation in the beat department. As to the arrangement, it was a mainstream techno beat. Nothing to say there.
I did like that (insert name of w/e the hell that thing is at the end here) at 2:25. Nice touch :)

Strings:
Lol, I bet your string sample shipped with your program :)
Seriously man, if your gonna use a generic sample (like the one used in your strings), at least do something to disguise it! Make it your own! I hate it when people can recognize what VSTi or sample your using just by listening to it for a few seconds. So, a suggestion in 'originalization' (made that word up myself), is to make the strings brighter. Even the smallest change in the equalization can seriously improve a track. Bring in some of the higher frequencies (not too much though, dont wanna distract from the rest of the song ;) )!

Piano:
I really dont like pianos when they have a strong, noticeable echo on them, it makes them seem too artificial and reminds me that im not listening to a studio track (and rather to a track made by some artist in his spare time).
Its okay in certain parts though when its not so obvious, like in 0:34 - 0:47. But parts like 0:07 - 0:20 is just killing it for me. So, maybe you could turn it down, even if it was just for those 'strong' moments? If so, I think it would greatly improve the listenability of your tune :)

Panflute:
This made it for me and pretty much sealed your 9. I love the panflute :)
Even if you did use it as more of a fill... :/

(I was gonna give you an 8, but I thought it was a nice touch)

Overall:
Loved the track, I think it could do with a few minor improvements, but otherwise...

8.75 / 10
4/5

Side note: When I listened to this, you had one vote and it was a 2. I voted a five (just to see what it would do) and it instantly brought you up to a 4.17 ;)

Also: If you get the chance, check some of my stuff out. Im looking for reviews myself :)

-Cameron

Geoplex responds:

Wow, i have to say this is the best reveiw ive ever had... (Due to its detail and length :P)
I have to say im impressed on how thoroughly (however thats spelt O_o) you analysed the track, i love reading long reveiws ^^
I made the piano fairly strong because i had it very weak at first and it made the track feel quite empty, so i raised its volume a little. I might lower it a bit, i dunno.
The strings did come with the program - but are in a format that i have no idea how to edit. They have a few filters on them but only one or two.

The piano had an echo because if its done well, then it can sound realistic, but i geuss i put it on a bit too strongly.
The percussion i admit did need a bit of work, although everything i did didnt sound to good. I geuss i just like that beat ^^

So, thankyou for taking the time to write a reveiw :)

Atypical for DnB

Okay, so overall this is a very nice track. I admire your use of vocals and the way you used them with the guitar to add an ethereal overtone to the track. I will warn you though, its this overtone combined with the really slow tempo (for a DnB track neway) that makes it seem (to me anyway) more of a hyped ambient track than a slow DnB track.

Drums:
The drums track were good, nothing impressive, but good. It confuses me though, it seems like nothing was really done to the drums to make them stand out above everything else. Thats half of why I dont think this track really fits the DnB genre well; in a DnB track, the drums tend to be the focal point of the song. In this track though, you can easily lose track of them among everything else and theres no real creativity in them that I can see.
And then theres the break. Now, ive never much liked breaks at all, but usually when you hear breaks in a song (especially a DnB) song, there is variety in them. I hear one break that you recycled throughout this entire song, and its monotony is starting to hurt my ears (even if you did chop it up towards the end). I would have liked to hear either other breaks in the song, or the abscence of the break altogether and the void filled with other drums (ethnic drums would be a good place to start, the vocals and guitar already suggest an ethnic track to begin with).

Bass:
It seems just a little bit melodic to my ears, and almost too constant. As the other main component in a DnB track, I would like to hear the bass play a more prominent part in the track as the drums complement, rather than alternating back and forth between two notes over and over again for the entirety of the song. Im wont deny that the bass was there, it just blended in to well, if you see what I mean.

Overall:
The track wasnt as hard hitting as I would have liked, and it seemed emphasis was placed on the wrong instruments for a DnB song, but it was otherwise a very good song. Also, I want to say something about your choice of title. I think a title like 'Damn Right!' would be more fitting for a high-energy, very heavy-hitting song, and definitely not any song with vocals in it like "We are here, and we wait for the sun to go down." :)
Maybe 'Twilight' would fit better?

To sum it up: Its a good song, just not a good DnB song. (I like it anyway though!)

As a DnB song : 7
As a song period : 9

So you get an 8
...But I 5'd neway :)

-Cameron

broove responds:

Whhoa. Now This is a review!

Vocals: I took the vocals from another song, so to match my tempo, I had two options - make them slower or almost 2 times faster (which sounded rediculous).

Drums: Maybe they don't stand out, but I certanly put a big effort in them. Must admit, however, that the amen break was shuffled too much and also I may put too much high-end to the drums (white noise + reversed cymbals).

Bass: I completely agree with you on this one. I was more focused on the sound of the bass rather than the automation.

Title: I did that to make more listens ;) Actually, at first it was called "See the Sun", but I got barely 7 listens total. The next day I re-uploaded it under "Damn Right!" and everything went smooth (kinda cheat, but hey, nobody's perfect :)).

I'd also like to add, that this is my 1st serious and finished dnb, so it's just natural that there are some holes.

Thank you for the enormous review. I really appreciate reviews where people have really something to say (like yours and the one below). Not just "Yor SongZ is sooooOO keWL"...

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.

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..

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

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

Camron Mercer @DeseNutz

Age 31, Male

*Still getting one*

South Granville High

North Carolina, USA

Joined on 1/27/08

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