SkyeWint's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[xKore-Entropy (Masq Rmx)]

Hello.

The Good:
-I don't care if you claim the first 30 seconds are filler, they sound really cool.
-Pretty awesome bass sounds, of course.
-Great ambiance at 1:16-1:30. It continues the ambiance over the wobbles and stuff as well.
-You have a good outro. +1 for that.

The Not-So-Good:
-Unfortunately, the first 30 seconds would have done better as the actual intro.
-Regardless of whether you have permission, I don't consider directly copying entire 20-second clips of introduction with nothing added as being good style pretty much ever.
-Wondering where a change was by the time it actually changed at 1:16. This is the only place where the repetition really hurt it though, the rest had enough cool stuff to keep me interested.
-Unfortunate that the drums and wobbles have to push everything else far into the background. It kills a lot of the great ambiance feel, which is where the actual melody is.

Overall: Score of 9/10. Biggest problem was the destruction of ambiance and the copypasta.

[Sleep Wrapped in Love ~ T]

Hello.

The Good:
-Very well-played piano.
-I really really like those mallet instruments you used.
-Aw, you wrote lyrics to the lullaby? How nice. ^_^
-Transitions and ending are good - and you know how crazy I am about that.
-Your mixing has improved drastically. I can hear everything in the mix here clearly.

The Not-So-Good:
-Your voice seems set really far back in the mix. Not sure if that's intentional or not, but it's there.
-Would be nice if you used better instruments. They are currently holding you back the most.

Overall: Score of 10/10. I really am impressed by how much you've improved over time. Also, this cover is VERY well-done, it takes the piece and truly makes it your own. I would not have know that it was a remix if I weren't judging based on remixes (well, and if I didn't read).

My instrumentation guesses:
-Piano (duh).
-Cymbal roll (duh).
-Not just strings, but I'm guessing cello at the beginning and possibly a double bass for a deep bass sound throughout.
-Either xylophone (a real one, not the kiddie xylo) or marimba, I'm leaning a bit more toward xylophone because of the higher pitch. Marimbas generally have more bass.
-Vocals (also duh).
-Some violas or violins towards the middle.
-Glockenspiel soundfont, because there's no way that's a real glock - it doesn't sound like it except on the highest notes.

Troisnyx responds:

Yay~

Also, brownie points for them all (so I'd say +7!). It was a proper viola at the beginning (which I EQed as a violin because it'd have otherwise been two heavy), and violas and cellos in the middle. Marimbas generally have more bass, and I had a marimba patch in the Touhou SF which I EQed as a xylophone. And yeah, there's NO WAY that could be a real glock :P

That having been said, it's going to take me a while before I can switch to proper instruments. I'm not sure how well DirectWave even works; it works horribly for strings. And I can't afford EWQL or Omnisphere at the mo'. Even the piano was an SF, but at least it's the most decent piano I've come across -- ya can't go wrong with Steinway & Sons!

I don't think the voice mix was intentional D: I think I have the same problem here as I had with Propter Te: I hear some parts in the headphones more clearly than others, and the vocals stand out the most for me, but it wouldn't be the case elsewhere. Maybe it's just me...

Thanks for the review, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it so!

[The Genocide]

Hello.

The Good:
-Whoah, this is quite the different intro. I like it a lot. The atmosphere it makes until 0:25 is pretty incredible.
-I feel like I hear some bitcrushing. The way your instruments work together are really awesome.
-Some really sweet atmosphere at about 1:15 onward.
-Oh man, the transition at 1:46 is so awesome.
-You really took the original piece and made it your own.

The Not-So-Good:
-The slap bass often sounds off-key, even though it also sounds freaking awesome.
-Transition at about 1:13-1:15 isn't very nice.
-Some mixing issues at 1:31, I think the pad is overpowering a lot. At the very least, it feels like it is.
-1:53-1:57 has some SERIOUS clipping and levelling issues. Some of the frequencies get literally painfully loud at that point.
-Not a fan of the outro, the looped sound of it makes it sound unintentional.

Overall: Score of 9/10. Biggest problems are mixing and the off-key slap bass.

SourJovis responds:

Hey. Thank you for your review. It's very helpful. Glad you liked it. Yeah, I made it very different than the original. I knew that's what you wanted. The slap bass is never technically off-key. It's probably because I transposed it halve an octave down, detuned it, chorused it and distorted it, that the tones become hard to define. It was in parts a necessity because my computer broke down I had to use an earlier recorded bass cut it into pieces and sample it. I thought it would enhance the disco feel. I made an alternate mix after your comments. I think it solves many of the issues you've mentioned. There's less high and more base. Less distortion and compression. It doesn't hit the limiter that much anymore. Many of the issues fall more into place because of this. The Bass still uses the same notes, but it's less detuned and more pleasant to listen to. The outro isn't a cut and paste loop anymore, but an ordinarily played repetition. Hope you like it better.

[Origin (DJ M4C Remix)]

Hello.

The Good:
-Nice and clear, sharp intro which leads nicely into the main theme.
-Drums are clearly heard through the mix even with the background.
-Oh man, I love the thumb piano you're using.
-Quite a few nice little original sections which simply reuse the chords.
-I LOVE the transition at 2:35-2:38. Very well-executed.

The Not-So-Good:
-Sometimes the cymbals are a bit too loud, especially the reverse cymbal.
-Could definitely use a better ending.

Overall: Score of 9/10. For some reason, I really liked this and can't think of much I'd change about it aside from the occasionally-too-loud drums and the disappointing end.

[Origin (Cover)]

Hello.

The Good:
-Your pads are very nice, so is the high-hat.
-Nice little distorted guitar sound for some flavor.

The Not-So-Good:
-The bass is very far back in the mix, as are the kick and snare.
-The lead instruments aren't very 'leading', they're a lot more background-sounding. Try using a more 'piercing' instrument for more leads, like you did toward the end.
-The composition of this seems to pretty much mimic the original completely.
-Transitions and outro could use some work.

Overall: Score of 6/10. Seems to almost be a copy of the original with a few different instruments (but generally the same type of instruments) and an emptier mix.

K-Pone responds:

Yes, that's true, it seems to be a copy of the original, but it is not. I did almost everything by ear, as you may hear on some parts if you play the original along with the cover. Anyway, constructive criticism is always good. Thanks for the review!

[Rose (viewtifulday Remix)]

Hello.

The Good:
-Very clear theme, with some interesting effects in there.
-Nice switching between the "legato" and "staccato" notes at 0:53. I really liked that.
-That intro is niiiiiiice. ^___^

The Not-So-Good:
-Bit of an issue with the cymbal, whether reversed or normal.
-Sometimes the cool effects cause a problem, most notably when it transitions at 0:44 and 1:06.
-The strings are pretty much thrown away when you have the main themes going on. Same goes for the high hat.
-There's not a ton of originality except in formatting and effects. Other than that it's mostly the same song only in a slightly different order. It would have been nice if you added more of your own ideas in.

Overall: Score of 7/10. Main problems are the wonky transitions (even with the cool effects) and the lack of original ideas added.

[Circus To My Vanity]

Hello.

The Good:
-Very nice mixing for pretty much the entire thing.
-This is definitely one of the most odd pieces in the contest. I also applaud your generally non-repetitive song for being five and a half minutes long. That's pretty impressive!
-There are some good sections which aren't in the original and make sense with the style.
-The drums are pretty nice, though I wish the kick were stronger and less "blobby". ...yeah, that probably should have gone in the not-so-good section.
-Nice panning on the... mandolin? at about 3:07.
-Great reversed effects at 3:18 and onward.
-Some really nice atmosphere at about

The Not-So-Good:
-Many of your transitions aren't really that good. It seems more like you're just switching between ideas when you get bored with the last one without trying to make it flow.
-I wish the parts where you remixed the original song weren't quite so cut-and-paste-like. They seem extraordinarily similar, mainly with instruments replaced.
-Random stops at 3:59, 4:02, 4:06, and 4:10. Don't sound really nice.
-4:15-4:28 has really nice atmosphere, but it really feels like that should have been the end. When it picks up it seems more like a time-increaser, especially since it just goes back into the beginning. I understand the compositional formatting you did there, along with making a nice finale, but you had a great end. The end you finally did sounded EXTREMELY uninspired.

Overall: Score of 9/10. Some really nice stuff here. Main problems were transitions and the copypasta that was occasionally used.

ZipZipper responds:

Hahahaha you got me. The original was like copypasta in some ways and I was really really focused on following the original, probably too much, but I agree...well everything except the random stops comment. Also, you have an unfinished statement "some really nice atmosphere at about ???" but that's ok what's done is doneee