SkyeWint's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[FD - Moontears]

Hi.

The Good:
-Dat intro. Dat voice. So sexy. So mystical. Me gusta.
-All the background effects sound really nice.
-The strings at 1:27 are nice and strong, depicting the mood very clearly.
-Your overall atmosphere is spectacular, I can really feel myself in a place.
-Good mixing. Only a little bit of mud around 3 minutes in, no detectable clipping.

The Not-So-Good:
-The pad below at 0:17 seems like it's out-of-key a bit.
-Transition at 0:50 doesn't seem like it's done very well, there was very little leading up to it and it didn't change into something very connected with the first part.
-By 2 minutes in I'm wondering if you'll have any decently clear melody. While you do deliver shortly afterwards, there *needs* to have been something before now.
-The different sections don't seem very connected, and there's no clear main melody or chord progression. This is very soundtrack-y music, which aside from the atmosphere is very forgettable.
-Sudden outro. Try making a marker in FL and putting it a measure or two past the end to let the sound trail off a bit more.

Overall: Score of 7/10. The atmosphere is stunning, definitely one of the best of this round (and I haven't even heard most of them yet)! There's not much composition in this though, it's mainly atmosphere/pads/effects rather than composition. You can do better!

ForgottenDawn responds:

Hello Skye, thank you for passing by in this round. :)
I was looking forward to hearing your opinion about this, so let me tell you this: I liked the way you attempted to describe the various parts of the piece, but it seems to me you focused almost exclusively on the composition aspect rather than trying to decode the very essence of this track. Which is quite a pity, considering your usual focus on the ensemble as part of a bigger vision instead of trying very hard to nitpick and amplify fairly human mishaps, or even your own personal tastes regarding music in general. For instance, while I agree that I could have surely done better especially in the orchestral part, I don't think that the fact this piece sounds "soundtrack-y" and full of atmosphere should imply a sudden drop of your potential final score when music in general is a soundtrack to life, and failing to understand that is quite sad to me. I also openly disagree with what you said about the sections not being very connected as they do tell a story on their own and even Step below was able to decode the fine message behind the various sounds I used, so I might wonder what you did listen to or rather didn't listen to. Nonetheless, I feel rather amused by your critique and I look forward to hearing more from you in the next round. :)

[The Last Prince]

Hi.

The Good:
-The guitar sounds very nice, I like it.
-Your melodies are well-constructed, and sound quite nice.

The Not-So-Good:
-The piano sounds very artificial due to a lack of any reverb at first.
-Transition at 0:25 is extremely rough, almost painfully so. Beyond that, the strings are rather boring after 6 rushes with no accompianament.
-The mixing is fairly off, a lot of mud, especially by 1:45.
-There are a lot of repeating measures, particularly twards the end.
-The very ending is disappointing, there is no particular conclusion and it simply ends a pattern.
-The entire piece suffers from a lack of direction just like Jacob's. Try having more consistent melodic ideas or even chordal ideas.

Overall: Score of 5.6/10. There are multiple significant issues with this piece, which have been stated.

[Ode to the Reader]

Hi.

The Good:
-Pretty piano beginning with a background pad. Classic.
-The opening up at 0:36 is a VERY beautiful moment.
-1:06 sounds sweeeeet, the foghorn/gated synth combo is indeed spectacular and amazing.
-The drumline at 1:46 is amazing. Over-the-top or no, it sounds amazing. Same goes for 3:56.

The Not-So-Good:
-The transition at 1:06 is also a tad bit sudden, it feels like it would work far better if there were a background animation, as if it were intended for that or a movie.
-This is lacking cohesion. There are a lot of different sections, but none of them are specifically related to each other except by mood and transition.
-The ending is sudden and there's very little conclusion to the piece.

Overall: Score of 8.5/10. This is spectacular, powerful, and all over the place without much connection. There needs to be more cohesion and connectivity throughout the piece - otherwise it is more of a soundtrack and not standalone.

[GM - Dragon Of The South]

Hi.

The Good:
-I may not be a person interested in heavy metal as much, but I can appreciate the rhythmic chucking and the background in this.
-The amount of variation in this is nice, the different melodies you have are good to hear. Composition is a wonderful thing, isn't it?
-Your glitchy panning effects are sweet, it'd be awesome if you used more panning throughout.

The Not-So-Good:
-There are some mixing issues. The synths are drowned out at about 0:29-0:50, and this muddies up the mix as well. This applies later in the piece as well - it sounds as if you're not used to mixing many instruments at once. This is understandable - it IS more difficult - but it's still a problem.
-The burst at about 0:53 sounds really like, what. What did you do there? Same goes for the burst at 2:40.
-The variation is awesome, but there are only two sections which are really related, beyond that it's a bunch of various styles and melodies that aren't necessarily related. Would be awesome if you could reuse some of the other melodies, such as the one from the beginning.

Overall: Score of 7.6/10. The mixing is the biggest issue, the only other major issue was the lack of consistency - you can reuse a melody from another section, not necessarily even as another melody!

InYourDreams responds:

Oh Skye, you're an awfull person!! so mean :(... naah just kidding :D

Yeah I know what u r talking about. I eq'ed the strings wrong :(... I think my ears were tired at that point. The bursts are just to add some "explosiveness" to the parts :P... is it to subtle? xD... well I think that is just a matter of taste, I guess.... and about the intro: I don't know why the f%$ I did that, since I actually didn't need it. I guess I'm just weird xD... but I'm not gonna change it now, since I actually like it... but thanks for the feedback anyways. I still respect ur opinion a lot, since u r a great musician.

looking forward to more of your judging next round :D

[Evolution]

Hi.

The Good:
-Oh man, the kick and snare REALLY stand out, I'm loving that powerful hit.
-The atmosphere at the beginning is pretty nice, all the reversed effects are sweet.
-The chord progression is very nice.
-Overall mixing is clean, everything is easily heard and the aspects that need to pop out do. Good job here!
-Harmonic lines are well-done, I like them quite a bit.

The Not-So-Good:
-The immediate beginning sounds as if part of the start of the sound file was cut off.
-Transitions need to be worked on. The one at 0:40 sounds out-of-time, after 6 beats rather than the 4/4 time from before. Random measures of 6/4 are cool, but it feels awkward there. Similar for just about all the other transitions.
-After about a minute and a half, I'm getting bored of the piece being the same chords. There needs to be some kind of melody at this point rather than the chords, cool as they are. Changes in the chord progression aren't a melody.
-The ending with the strings feels EXTREMELY out-of-place, where in the world did that come from?

Overall: Score of 7.4/10. The only issues were the lack of a melody and the painful transitions (including the intro and outro), but these are VERY significant issues.

Metallica1136 responds:

Glad you like the drums! Yeah, I did some reversing, delay, volume swells etc to give it a very atmospheric feel. Glad the mixing is good as well. Yeah, the transitions aren't really the best at times. Too sudden, not enough build up, and yeah, I kind of wish I didn't make this song extremely repetitive at times. I honestly wish I had made another song. I'm capable of much better. Btw, the sound cutting off at the beginning happened because I have a habit of playing as soon as the metronome counts down. Usually I won't get the very beginning of what I record. It's a bad habit lol

What's wrong with the string outro? I don't think it's out of place at all. Unexpected sure, but it doesn't stray away from the atmosphere.

Anyways, thanks for your review, man.

[Ling Kano's Fighting Show]

Okay, let's post this on the RIGHT song this time.

The Good:
-That's a sweet intro, me gusta. I like the clicking and overall atmosphere.
-The lead guitar-like lead is pretty sweet, I like it as well.
-Overall clean and decently clear mixing.
-The change at 1:20 is REALLY cool, I like the feeling of it, particularly the little taps with the chimes.
-I like what you've done in the second half of this, it feels more full and there are a lot of little details, the section at about 2:20 is very nice as well.

The Not-So-Good:
-The transition at about 0:17 is a tad sloppy.
-Your bass is very unclear and could be improved by quite a bit. There are some times when it's very clear and other times when it's very muddy and weak. It sounds like the kick is overpowering it as well.
-The section at 1:35 definitely isn't copied from anywhere or anything. Also, the transition isn't very good. Fortunately, the transition out of it is better.
-I don't think the ending is particularly good. You do seem to like having a couple repeats of the same phrase as a 'conclusion', but it's somewhat sudden and messes up the flow of the music. Also, there's a strange sound in my left ear right at the end of the track.
-I don't know what it is, but I always feel like your instruments are sub-par quality, they have a rough and slightly bitcrushed feel to them. This is extremely minor though, more of a personal pet-peeve.

Overall: Score of 7/10. The mixing is fairly clear and there are no particular parts that stick out as 'bleh' aside from the transitions I mentioned.

SourJovis responds:

Thanks for your review. I agree with the positive parts, and I will leave those things as they are. Some things about the negative parts confuse me though.
-Why do you think the transition at 0:17 is sloppy? Would it help to have a base guitar there? Should I increase the low frequencies of those drums? This would make the fill stronger, and the part after less sudden. Or do you not like the type of fill? Or should there be no fill at all but something different?
-With bass you mean the base guitar? I think the base guitar is clear when it's at its most interesting and when it falls back when it has a more supportive function. You can call it muddy, but it doesn't play any too interesting notes there. You can hear enough to know what note it plays and I think you can hear the rhythm very well. I thought the grimy sound is characteristic. Perhaps a matter of taste or I don't fully get your comment.
- What do you mean with "The section at 1:35 definitely isn't copied from anywhere or anything." You state the section isn't copied from anything, but you make it sound as if that's negative. Was it a question? Do you mean the opposite? Fact is; it's similar to the intro, but with different choir chords, different velocity levels and an additional dulcimer melody. So no, not copied, but a revisit of the intro. Do you mean it's too similar? I like it overall, because repetition isn't a bad thing in music, as long as there's still a sense of progression and I think in this case there is. I could perhaps leave out the kick in the intro, to make the 1:35 part different. You mean the transition to where the kick starts is too sudden? I rather agree, but I don't know how to make it better. After a while I just got used to it. At first I wanted to leave a gap between parts, but that didn't sound too well. Then I just let the melody of the part before end a quarter note early, so you still get a pause but without breaking the flow. Is there a way I can make the transition better? Do you have suggestions?
-This ending is what I had in mind so there must be something good about it, at least for me. Perhaps it only sounds good when you expect it? You're the first to notice the part at the end. It's a line "Ling Kano liep door het bos" and a tin whistle that drowns out the word "bos". It's a hidden message. If you figure out its meaning and what it refers to, you'll win a copy of the complete series Ling Kano's Fighting Show.
-I do my best not to have my instruments sound too clean. I was afraid they would be too generic in this song, but I guess not. I take it as a compliment. I don't know what you mean by bitcrushed though. Many of my other songs have digital distortion over the entire track, and/or over individual instruments. This one doesn't though. Only the synth kick is bitcrushed. The drum kit has distortion and compression and such. Most instruments are clean though, with no clipping, just a bit of EQing, and are of at least cd quality, before I rendered the song as cd quality wav, and converted it to 320 Kbps mp3. There isn't much compression and the limiter only flickers slightly. So I'm not sure what you mean. Many instruments are from cheap old fashioned instruments to get a low budget 90s feel, but the recordings are top notch.

[Celerity]

Hi there. :3

The Good:
-So I've been listening to your music recently and I've noticed that you have this really distinctive "shiny metal" style. It's all very obviously synthesized and kinda metallic. Maybe it's the synths you use, maybe the way you use them, probably a mix of both. Either way, it's really obvious when something is your music, and I like that. I like your style.
-I'm liking the syncopation caused in part by the delay at the beginning along with the bass, it sounds pretty cool and interesting.
-The sliding instrument at the beginning is also pretty nice, the release of tension at 0:24 is very satisfying.
-Your drums are really nice, I'm always surprised at how good you manage to make DSK drums sound.
-Nice release and change at 1:38.
-There are some really nice details, such as the little drum fills at 1:49-2:01. The little off-beat chord stabs after that work really well too.
-Transitions and overall composition are both excellent. You've made MAJOR progress here, I really like it. Even the ending sounds decent, which has been one of your biggest issues in the past!

The Not-So-Good:
-There's still a lot of repetition, particularly in the drums. It's obvious that you're using patterns that repeat for almost all of the instruments.
-The drums seem like they come in off-beat at 2:37. Similar thing happens at about 3:00.
-At about 2:40, I noticed that the end of your kick has a bit of an awkward release, you might want to use a better sample.
-The volume chopping at about 3:20 and towards the end of the piece gets a bit overly powerful.
-Ending could still use some work though. Try using a resolved final note instead of the end of a pattern.

Overall: Man, you really impressed me here. The flaws are extremely minor and very few (unless you want me to start getting VERY nitpicky like I did on Step's piece Encapsulation), so you're getting a 5/5 from me. Excellent work. :)

[Galaxy Inside of Me]

Hi. Have another review by request.

The Good:
-The initial bassline is awesome.
-I am loving the piano, especially the subtle fast arpeggios making a neat texture.
-You have a lot of cool ideas. This is a lot less repetitive than the other piece I reviewed of yours, and the mixing is better (though it could still use some work. Same comments apply from the other piece).

The Not-So-Good:
-I don't really like the drumset, mainly because the kick is panned to the right, throwing off the mix's balance.
-The guitar sound coming in at 0:20 is a bit overly strong IMO, there's no particular buildup and it just explodes out of nowhere. It also disrupts the mix quite a bit.
-At the point of the piano, the background synth doing another solo is a tad bit muddy and hard to distinguish from the rest, mainly due to the delay.
-Ending is poo. There's not really any conclusion, it just "ends", leaving the delay to finish it up.

Overall: Improvement is obvious. I think you have potential, just keep working at it! I think that the mix could still be cleaned up, and that the composition could be a bit more coherent. Try using one or two 'main ideas' that can be clearly heard throughout the piece to distinguish it.

Blacklawn responds:

The kick isn't panned to the right o.O

Yeah, I tend to like sudden transitions, but not many people do, so I've toned them down in my recent tracks (this was my 4th composition).

Thanks for reviewing!

[Ducktales The Moon Remix!]

Wonderful. Last on the RRC list, but certainly not least!

The Good:
-Beginning sound very nice and sweet, it honestly reminds me a lot of LoZ music.
-The drumset sounds pretty darn nice, I like it.
-Bitcrushing at 1:58, hell yeah. Bitcrushing is niiiiice.
-The guitar solo is pretty nice, at that point the frequencies balance out a bit more.
-It's impressive that you put so many different genres in this. Very nice!

The Not-So-Good:
-Your orchestral instruments are somewhat weak-sounding.
-0:52 has some rather awkward harmony. This happens in other areas of the piece.
-The mixing overall may be causing some of your instruments to suffer. There's a lot of bass, but not much in the mids or highs.

Overall: This is pretty darn good. I don't know much about the original piece so I can't really say much about how good of a remix it is, but I like this. It's very well-made overall!

-RRC-
-SkyeWintrest-

Gepzors responds:

Sorry for the late respons and thanks for the feedback.
Really good ears ;) and thanks for the compliments.
Yeah, it's quite tricky with the orchestral plugin I've used but something I've could have spend more time on i guess.
Also the mix and master where done poorly. Not by choice but by skill since I didn't really know what to do at that time. I'm glad I can hear everything, which basically is cool but yeah, roaming and cutting out freq's would have made a huge difference. Maybe I'll mix and master it again.

Anyhow, thanks so much for the feedback and reply :). Cheers

[Stalking you]

Review time.

The Good:
-Some good ideas in this, it could be developed well.

The Not-So-Good:
-The mixing is very muddy and overpowering. Try quieting things down and mixing it so all elements can be heard clearly.
-The bass is fairly repetitive, it's essentially the same thing throughout.
-The drumline is also pretty boring, it doesn't have much variation except for a few fills which are alright.
-The beginning and end are fairly abrupt and jarring.
-Not much variation overall, to be honest.

Overall: This could use a lot more work. Try experimenting, learning a bit of compositional technique, separating the elements of the mix so that they don't interfere with each other, etc.

-RRC-
-SkyeWintrest-