TheMightyApple's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Funky Jam]

Hallo nogmaals. Ik schrijf de review in het Nederlands, net wat makkelijker :) Ik review op dezelfde manier als eerst; in drie categorieën.

Compositie:
Simpel maar effectief. Je kan horen dat je al een langere tijden de toetsen partijen bespeeld. De solo lijntjes klinken ook lekker, alleen zou dit iets meer kunnen variëren vind ik zelf. Misschien zou je ook is kunnen kijken naar wat meer jazzy akkoorden liggingen. Bijv. C7-9-13 liggingen (in noten: C - E - G - Bb - D - F). Ik zou daarvoor iets meer gaan opzoeken, dit is een heel apart deel in de muziek theorie. Het zou je track nog meer groovy / lounchy maken :)

Mixing:
Het eerste wat we moet opvalt is dat de toetsen heel erg aan de voorgrond liggen. Dit is logisch, want hier gebeurt ook het meest :) Alleen moet je uitkijken dat de drums en bass niet naar achter vallen in de mix. De toetsen kunnen grooven / soleren op een goede basis, en dat zijn de drums en de bass. Je kan ook geen huis bouwen zonder goede fundering om maar zo te zeggen :) Ik zou ze iets harder zetten een beetje EQen op de freq waar ze het meeste power hebben. Je hebt lekker gebruikt gemaakt van de reverb!

Feeling:
Dit klinkt misschien raar, maar dit geeft mij niet echt de feeling van „een jam”. Wat ik hiermee bedoel is dat ik heel erg kan horen dat het met een DAW is gemaakt. Een instrumentale jamsessie in een kroeg is gespeeld door mensen, en mensen spelen op hun gevoel. Dus de drum hangt bijvoorbeeld iets meer naar achter, de bass doet af en toe een loopje, de toetsenist varieert een beetje in z’n spel, iedereen speelt af en toe harder en zachter.. enzovoort. Een daarentegen DAW doet gewoon precies wat er gevraagd word :) Wat ik probeer te zeggen is dat de sounds een beetje statisch klinken. Misschien moet je proberen te experimenteren met midi grooves / velocity. Het zou de track nog maar kunnen laten grooven :)

Ik hoop dat je hier wat aan hebt!
Rating: 3,5 stars

Voluto responds:

Hartstikke bedankt voor jouw kritische review!

Zeer bruikbare tips. Vooral de jazz akkoorden moet ik naar kijken. Ik ben namelijk klassiek geschoold en ben dus niet thuis in die wereld, maar ik ga het zeker uitzoeken! Ook mastering en mixing moet ik nog onder de knie krijgen.

Ik ben inderdaad ook op zoek naar manieren om de tracks natuurlijker te laten klinken. Wellicht kan jouw tip over de midi velocity daarbij helpen :D

Nogmaals dank!

Voluto

[Red Rawr]

Hi there! :) I review/criticize tracks on the audio portal in three categories:
- Composition (Melody, chord progression, intervals, etc.)
- Mixing (Technical part, volume, frequency balance, etc.)
- Feeling (Basically what I feel while listening)
Remember, this is all my personal opinion ;) I listen with a Sennheiser 650 HD headphone.
I apologize in advanced for my English :D

Track: Red Rawr

Composition:
The chord progression is kind of simple, but with the melody lines (and sounds) you made it pretty weird. Still, maybe you can play around with the chord progression a little bit. Some small variation would nice. Also: I fucking dig the intro sound. The same goes for the drum / percussion. Very glitchy.

Mixing:
You got a lot of sounds in your track, and those are the hardest tracks to mix. I have to say: You did a pretty nice job. Especially the beat is really well done. All the sounds of the beat pierce really well through the other sounds. Even its when its repeating the kick or snare, it doesn’t get annoying at all at any frequency. The only thing I could say is that the lead synth could have a little more reverb. The beat should stay a little dry and glitchy. But the main lead could be big and open!

Feeling:
It creeps me out in a good way. This would be nice for a fast phased game / platformer.

Overall opinion: I like it :)
Rating: 4 stars

Axel7 responds:

wow!! thank you very much! I'm sorry for the late reply because I barely visit the website but this is really useful!!!

[Embark Dubstep VIP]

Hi there! :) I review/criticize tracks on the audio portal in three categories:
- Composition (Melody, chord progression, intervals, etc.)
- Mixing (Technical part, volume, frequency balance, etc.)
- Feeling (Basically what I feel while listening)
Remember, this is all my personal opinion ;) I listen with a Sennheiser 650 HD headphone.
I apologize in advanced for my English :D

Composition:
Cool melody lines. Like the bassline when the „drop” comes in. Its a little variation on the intro and it kicks in really well. Nice :)

Mixing:
My compliments on the diversity of the percussion of the beat. It fills the track but doesn’t drive you crazy even when its really much ^^. The kick and snare are both polished really well, although the snare could have a little bit more body in my opinion. A boost around 150 Hz would do it. Another I thing I would say: Give the track way more sub. The bassline is sound is aggressive and awesome, but the doesn’t fill the track in the sub section. I think if you would put a sub layer into the track, it would give even more power!

Feeling:
I like this song. It gives me a happy feeling for some reason. Although I have to say: It didn’t give me a special feeling. This is not a bad thing, but I have the feeling I heard this already. Not that you did remake another song, or stole something, but you used similar sounds of other dubstep tracks. Again: This isn’t a bad thing, just something I noticed.

Overall opinion: Great track! Keep up the great work ;)
Rating: 4 stars

KSBeats responds:

I'm actually going try applying these changes now lol, It does sound better
Thank you!

[Time to Leave (WIP)]

Hi there! :) I review/criticize tracks on the audio portal in three categories:
- Composition (Melody, chord progression, intervals, etc.)
- Mixing (Technical part, volume, frequency balance, etc.)
- Feeling (Basically what I feel while listening)
Remember, this is all my personal opinion ;) I listen with a Sennheiser 650 HD headphone.
I apologize in advanced for my English :D

Composition:
I kinda dig it. It’s a little weird but not creepy. Quite relaxing too. I have to mention that the guitar is a little out of tune. Was this a conscious choice?

Mixing:
It’s a pleasant reverb you used. Cannot really mention much about the mix since it’s only one instrument. It sounds fine to me :) Maybe you could compress the low notes a little bit with a multi-band compression. It could give a little bit more balance to the track :) Also At 1:51 the track clips a little bit.

Feeling:
Really relaxing. I automatically think of a dessert wasteland… The only thing that is bothering me a little bit is that that the guitar is little bit detuned. But I have to say, this is also a matter of taste :)

Overall opinion: Give us more relaxing music! ;)
Rating: 4 stars

Feywer96 responds:

Oh wow what a lengthy response x) I appreciate it - rather unexpected if I may say xD
Anyway!
You know, haha - I had posted this track link on a forum; and someone had mentioned the same thing about the guitar being out of tune, lol I didn't realize that it was - so I'm glad that you guys could tell because I couldn't xD I did tune it recently, but I guess I had been playing it so much that I couldn't hear it 'going out', heh. Since then I've tuned it x) I should redo this with 'tune' lol
The reverb - thanks xP It's actually "Fruity Reverb" with minimal editing for those 'soft touches' that I like to go for, like a soft warm 'fuzz' thing, hahaha.
Yeah, only one instrument - I like 'dem instrumentals lol; if I had more instruments or better samples I would incorporate them; I do in some of my other tracks but I always pick up background noise or something doesn't sound right xD Dx
Like I had said, I appreciate the feedback (quite unexpected - what a surprise xD)! I'm always working on music x)

[Tribal Heart - Timeline]

Hi there! :) I review/criticize tracks on the audio portal in three categories:
- Composition (Melody, chord progression, intervals, etc.)
- Mixing (Technical part, volume, frequency balance, etc.)
- Feeling (Basically what I feel while listening)
Remember, this is all my personal opinion ;) I listen with a Sennheiser 650 HD headphone.
I apologize in advanced for my English :D

Composition:
AMAZING. I definitely like the melody lines the most. They match perfect with the chords and bass, they are catchy… Like them very very very much. Nothing to notice really, just love it :)

Mixing:
These kind of tracks are really hard to mix. You used many sounds and with a song that heavily produced it gets tricky. I have to say I don’t dislike it, but I notice it isn’t perfect (or in my opinion, finished). The main problem is that I am missing the aggressive sub layer. At 1:30 the bass sound changes in it becomes way more of a subby bass, and those frequencies give the feeling of „Fuck yeah!”. In the other dance parts I am missing that feeling, while the other synths and melody lines are fucking awesome. They need a sub to stand on :)

Feeling:
I’ve got to say: you got fucking talent. The track has a lot of detail, is very interesting to listen to and you can hear you did put a lot of work into this song. Still, I am here to criticize, and maybe to help you. :) This maybe sound weird, but I am missing the „balls” of the track. the real feeling of „oh fuuuuccckkk yeeeaaah”. In my opinion, this track is to polished. All the synths are not to bright, not to low and it all fits good together. And I am not saying thats wrong, but I am missing a little bit of power/aggression. Example: If this track would be perfectly mixed and you would play it in a club, people will smile and nod there head on the ritme. With more power, the crowd would go wild and start a massive mosh pit :) Try to play around with little overdrives and distortion to boost up your track. But this is also a matter of taste of course :)

Overall opinion: I love it! Keep writing and producing ;)
Rating: 4 stars

BlackACE321 responds:

Thanks a lot, means to me, I will highpass all the instruments and give it some sort of sub bass :3

Have a nice day :)

[CHEEZY R&B]

Hi there! :) I review/criticize tracks on the audio portal in three categories:
- Mixing (Technical part, volume, frequency balance, etc.)
- Composition (Melody, chord progression, intervals, etc.)
- Feeling (Basically what I feel while listening)
Remember, this is all my personal opinion ;) I listen with a Sennheiser 650 HD headphone.
I apologize in advanced for my English :D

Mixing:
I like the mix! It feels kind of imperfect, and thats what I like about it. It sounds old school and it sounds cool. Especially the kick & snare. The only thing I can mention is something about the spring reverb effect on the hi-hat. It can get a little bit annoying after a while, maybe turn it down a little bit (but this is also a matter of taste).

Composition:
The piano line is freaking catchy. The chord progression is quite simple but very effective. The bassline is doing it’s own thing, but because it’s mixed in very well it doesn’t bother me at all. I love how the piano comes in at 1:43. The open ending with your chord progression is also nice. I love it :)

Feeling:
I have said it already: It feels old school and I love that. The hole song feels laid-back. This track is going into my „chill vibe” playlist.

Overall opinion: Damn nice. Favorited and followed ;)
Rating: 4,5 stars

phosphorusprocedure responds:

Thanks, dude! I'm digging this new format you got going for your reviews.

Track is nearly 5.5 years old. Happy it still kinda held up.

[Cat-Sidhe Parade!!]

Hi there! :) I review/criticize tracks on the audio portal in three categories:
- Mixing (Technical part, volume, frequency balance, etc.)
- Composition (Melody, chord progression, intervals, etc.)
- Feeling (Basically what I feel while listening)
Remember, this is all my personal opinion ;) I listen with a Sennheiser 650 HD headphone.
I apologize in advanced for my English :D

Mixing:
In my opinion, this song needs a little bit more mixing. I think this tracks supposed to sound trancy/punchy, and then it is missing the volume of the kick & snare. The snare especially is almost unnoticeable. The kick and the bass are also on the same frequencies, and the results are that the sub section becomes a bit burry / indefinable. Maybe you can look up some mixing tutorials on kick & bass, there is a lot out there on youtube. It would really boost up your track :) Besides that, your track sounds big open and well done with delays & reverbs.

Composition:
Nice melody lines and my compliments on the harmonics. They are pleasant to listen to related with the sounds you chose. Still I have to say, look out that you don’t make it to crowed with synths. But this is also my opinion and a matter of taste :). Awesome chord modulation at 2:28!

Feeling:
This would fit in for a platformer. It gives a active feeling.

Overall opinion: You got the talent!! The song composition is very good, but it lacks the decent skill of mixing. Work on your mixing techniques and it will get a lot better. I look forward for a second version of his song ;)
Rating: 3,5 stars

bluebooblue responds:

Thank you so much Mighty Apple!! I really appreciate your review and opinion :') This track is 3 years old so I know what you mean here! haha I still need to work in the mixing part for my new tracks but I really miss making music like this, maybe I'll remake this track from zero! Thanks again, your english is great!

[Ga'Reth The Destroyer]

Hi there! :) I review/criticize tracks on the audio portal in three categories:
- Mixing (Technical part, volume, frequency balance, etc.)
- Composition (Melody, chord progression, intervals, etc.)
- Feeling (Basically what I feel while listening)
Remember, this is all my personal opinion ;) I listen with a Sennheiser 650 HD headphone.
I apologize in advanced for my English :D

Mixing:
Overall nicely done :) The synths are mixed quite well together. You can hear every sound and melody line. The stereo image is nice, it balances out the track. The only thing I can mention is the beat. In my opinion, the sound of the snare doesn’t punch through the bassline / other sounds of the track. That is really a shame, because it would give the track even more power! Try to gain it up and boost around 150-180 Hz.

Composition:
AWSOME. It’s weird, it’s creepy and very big. Even when you hear 3 melody lines together, everything fits. I’m impressed :)

Feeling:
I assume it boss fight music because of the title. This gives me the feeling of a boss fight ^^ To me it gives the feeling of „danger is coming!”, because it’s kind of creepy and aggressive music. I can totally see this in a video game ;) The only thing that bothers me that it cuts of at the end, I look forward to the full version of this track ^^

Overal opinion: Awsome track ^^
Rating: 4 stars

JimPMusic responds:

Thanks for your review. I appreciate you going so in depth with it.

I'm just curious of what made you see this as an unfinished track. My intention was to make the different elements rise until it all collapsed on itself and started the loop again. Could you explain a bit more why you think that didn't work?

Thanks again anyway. It's good to get some food for thought when it comes to your own music! :)

[Wind Valley]

Hi there! :) I review/criticize tracks on the audio portal in three categories:
- Mixing (Technical part, volume, frequency balance, etc.)
- Composition (Melody, chord progression, intervals, etc.)
- Feeling (Basically what I feel while listening)
Remember, this is all my personal opinion ;) I listen with a Sennheiser 650 HD headphone.
I apologize in advanced for my English :D

Mixing:
Nice job on the reverb. It sounds big and open :) Maybe you can play around with the stereo image. All the sounds are centered in the middle, and I could get a little more interesting if you play around with the panning. But overall, the mix is nice :)

Composition:
The progression is kind of simple, but the melody’s and the harmonics you use are kind of weird and unexpected. Sometimes the melody and piano lines are a bit close, dissonance, but it still remains pleasant.

Feeling:
In my opinion this would fit great for a mid-evil/fantasy game. Still, I have something to notice about the sounds you are using. They sound kind of midi, no real dynamic. And the ritme of the piano is straight on the beat, no alternation. It sounds like it has been made on the computer, while it are real instruments that are supposed to be played by people, and people aren’t perfect like a computer ;) Tip: Try to play around with midi-grooves, velocity and gain automation. This would give the track even more magic ^^

Overall opinion: Like it :) Keep up the good work!
Rating: 4 stars.

balancedbirds responds:

THANKS!
In fact,I didn't know how to adjust the pan with Caustic at that time...Now I understand it.However,the music is just a mess. XD
About coposition,the advice is professional and helpful.I'll make the melody better.
You can get this feelling is because I couldn't use automation at that time(It means that I didn't make full use of Caustic)...
Besides,Caustic can't change music's BPM...

Your advice is useful and professional.Thank you so much^o^

[Here we are]

Hi there! :) I review/criticize tracks on the audio portal in three categories:
- Mixing (Technical part, volume, frequency balance, etc.)
- Composition (Melody, chord progression, intervals, etc.)
- Feeling (Basically what I feel while listening)
Remember, this is all my personal opinion ;) I listen with a Sennheiser 650 HD headphone.
I apologize in advanced for my English :D

Mixing:
In my opinion this track is kind of poorly mixed. The bass sound doesn’t have much sub and the kick can have a lot more punch. I don’t want to see you need to make a punchy EDM track, but at the moment it is kind of unbalanced. The sounds are layered on top of each other instead of mixed together. At 0:36 the track/vocals are clipping too.

Composition:
The composition isn’t very special to me. This isn’t a bad thing at all, but look out that you don’t make it to simple. It may give the feeling of: „Heard it already…”

Feeling:
It feels unfinished to me. Because it needs a lot of mixing it lacks the feeling of emotion.

Tip: Look up some mixing tutorials. It sounds like you are missing the basics a little.
Rating: 2 stars

Voluto responds:

Hello,

Thank you for your critisism. Normally I would have taken it, but now I wont.
The reason for that is that I made this track as a kind of joke. I wanted to show how simple it is to make a song with only samples. I only used Vengeance Samples for this song and finished in 20 minutes, hence the bad mixing.

I suggest you listen to my "Funky Jam". That are the kind of songs I like to make. It would help me much if those are reviewed instead of my musical jokes.

Greetings,

Voluto