SkyeWint's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Violin Fight (Arr.)]

Hello.

The Good:
-Your instrument quality is good as befitting EWQL instruments.
-I like how you moved the violin part from the original into cellos and added some extra melodies to the piece.

The Not-So-Good:
-Until about halfway through the piece, it doesn't appear to have much of any relation to the original piece.
-The transition at 1:21 is somewhat poorly executed, and the ending section once again has little in common with the original.

Overall: Score of 8/10. A short review for short time spent making this, neh? Biggest problem was the lack of relation with the original.

samulis responds:

It's an arrangement, not a cover, my silly friend. :P

The first half is actually following the chords of the piece loosely. I wanted to introduce the idea of the piece a bit before jumping into the epic segment so the listener wouldn't be worn out too fast by too much epicness for too long. I was aiming to make something almost completely new from her piece... not a transcription with changed instruments... and yeah, my transition was pretty sloppy.

Thanks for the short review as always, always good to hear another view!
-Samulis

[SD and L (cover)]

Hello.

The Good:
-I like the overall atmosphere you have built up in the beginning.
-The guitar is well-played as far as I can tell.
-Oh man, the atmosphere in the second cover is very nice. At first it seems almost like a mad scientist's laboratory.

The Not-So-Good:
-Not much original composition in the first cover.
-The drums in the second cover seem to be fairly random.
-No real endings to either of them, and the final little bit at the end seems somewhat uninspired and unfitting.

Overall: 6/10 on the first part, 8/10 on the second, so score of 7/10 overall. The biggest problem was that both covers weren't mixed, the other largest problem was a lack of a real ending for both.

alternativesolution responds:

I agree, I only changed the melody of the strings and some barely noticeable parts in the melody of the guitar. I am really glad you like the atmosphere in the second cover :3 When listeners can imagine something like that after listening to my music, well..it's kind of a huge compliment.

Everything in the drums was on purpose, but now as I listen again, it might not have sounded so random if I had made the track longer, so they would appear again later.
As for the endings, with the first one I tried to lead it into the second cover (guess that kinda failed!), but I know I could have done better if I started this whole thing earlier. *smacks forehead* Yeah, I suppose it's the same reason for the end of the second cover as well. I wanted to extend it, but you know, the whole time thing.

Anyway, thank you for your helpful review!

[Motivated Wonders[NGAP10]]

Hello.

The Good:
-You really got the funky bass down, same for the saxophones, which sound incredibly sexy.
-There's some nice variation in both sections, and it's fairly impressive that you remixed two songs in the time it took.

The Not-So-Good:
-There's a lot of dissonance in some places, such as in the first flute/harp solo.
-The drums are fairly dull and flat, aside from the cymbals.
-At about 2:35, it gets fairly muddy and hard to hear most things.
-The transition at 3:30 is extraordinarily rough for no good reason.
-The piano and most of the brass instruments are fairly weak.
-A few mixing problems from about 4:00 to 4:20 on the right.
-This shouldn't be one song. It's two different pieces remixed in different ways without even a transition between each other.

Overall: Score of 5/10. Main problems are the flat sounds of the instruments and the horrifying transition. Sorry for not having much to say in the "Good" section. There wasn't much I could think of - I'm not saying there aren't good aspects, but there were none I could verbalize easily. Also, I really wish you hadn't essentially made two tracks and then crossfaded between them. It seems dangerously close to cheating.

Nimble responds:

I agree with a lot of what you're saying- I wanted the transition to be like an Attacca, a Segue-Sudden and ridiculous. I guess I made it a bit too sudden. Thanks for taking the time to review.

[Sea of Grass (Jazz)]

Hello.

The Good:
-There's some really nice harmonics in this.
-Instruments are played well, when they're the real instruments.
-Really really awesome instrument choice, I particularly love the pad at 1:36 and about 1:50.

The Not-So-Good:
-The bass is almost inaudible.
-The intro seems somewhat disconnected to the rest of the song, since it's in a different key and has a different feel.
-I would also have to say that the transition at 0:59 was somewhat sudden, as was the one around 1:25.
-I really wish this would be longer so it could have more of an ending.

Overall: Score of 8/10. Biggest problems were the intro and the extremely quiet bass.

SilverPoyozo responds:

I'm not so good with mixing, so...I always end up with a really quiet or loud bass.The song was supposed to be a bit longer, so the intro would make a bit more sense, but I didn't have much time to work on it.
And I planned on using some drums to make a smoother transition, but I really couldn't do it.

Thanks a lot for the review!

[Fill My Black Hole-Cover]

Hello.

The Good:
-You've definitely got guts, putting an acoustic guitar/vocal version of this song.
-Since I'm learning guitar, I can say that I'm mildly impressed at your guitar ability. I'm having trouble switching between chords.

The Not-So-Good:
-Unfortunately, beyond the novelty factor, this is pretty empty in the mix.
-There's some straining in some of the vocals, which doesn't sound very pleasant.
-The whole thing has the feel of being made in about 3 hours with minimal effort.

Overall: Score of 4/10. Biggest problem: Lack of noticeable effort. ...and yeah, I'm sorry to say that but it really does sound like there was barely any effort put into this.

Chongo responds:

Yeah, didnt go into it expecting to win. Just realized I could play it, so I recorded it for the lulz. I'll back up your lack of effort statement and any other statement. I'm just glad I had anything on the good side in general :)

[FD - Dreams]

Hello.

The Good:
-Okay, you took a "meh" song that's a minute and 40 seconds long and stretched it to being over 7 minutes long and GOOD. That's pretty impressive.
-It was a good idea to use such a simple song as your basis, because it let you do some really crazy stuff over the top.
-Your transitions are AWESOME, even if they're a bit long.
-The vocal samples are very well-done and fit the concept well.

The Not-So-Good:
-The first 2 minutes create an amazing ambiance, not sure where the vocal samples come from. Unfortunately, it goes on a little bit too long IMO.
-The buildup from 2:00 to 2:58 is a bit overly long. Could have used a bit of a faster build.
-Some mixing problems on the right side at about 4 minutes in.
-The section from about 4:29 to 5:19 doesn't appear to have much of anything to do with the original song. This is a relatively minor issue, but if you're going to be soloing over pretty much the rest of it due to the simple basis, it should probably stay closer to that. same goes for the string instruments from about 5:42-6:09.
-The ending is a tad dull in comparison to the rest, though it does fit.

Overall: Score of 10/10. This was pretty amazing overall in composition, and even with the minor problems of overly long sections and somewhat unrelated sections, there is a ton of substance here. Great work!

ForgottenDawn responds:

Thank you for your review.
I understand the minor problems you enlisted and I agree with the fact that some parts may seem less fitting or too stretched over. However, my goal was to create an unpredictable piece made of more than just one theme and one atmosphere. Surreal, dream-like that feels tense and ever-changing, adapting itself to various scenarios. I jokingly said to one of the judges that my piece has the potential to divide their opinions and I was right, haha. I treat it positively and it's indeed amusing.
//FD

[LHM - Endless Handbag 98']

Hello.

The Good:
-Nice mixing.
-Some nice variation in the rhythms.
-I actually like the robotic vocals.

The Not-So-Good:
-There isn't much interesting in this at all, to be honest. There's almost no sound that isn't in the original.
-Transitions transitions transitions. 0:46 - random silence after losing pretty much everything but sfx and drums, very disorienting.

Overall: Score of 3/10. There's really not much I can say about this. It needs more original content, more actual music in there, and less random swapping in and out of patterns which sound almost as if they're cut-and-paste from the original.

Sorry if this sounds pretty harsh, but these are my thoughts. Take 'em or leave 'em.

DreamEater responds:

to be fair man, I don't agree at all ;]

1. This was made to be a cover, so there shouldn't be any extra additions
2. The original was made in that (copy & pasted pattern) sort of way, as were most digital tracks in the early days of the virtual DAW or tracker in most cases back then (I did this on purpose to retain that old 90's loop feel, which it seems that most people appreciated).
3. 3/10 is ridiculously harsh, I understand that this isn't a big flashy skrillex song... but downtempo has it's place in the musical realm. exciting to YOU or not, this track has solid mixing and use of effects AND I voice acted out all of the original vocal lines to recreate EVERYTHING without using the original; THAT diserves a little more credit than a 3/10 good sir. I feel as if you have let your personal feelings affect your judgement on this one friend, no doubt.

[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.