SkyeWint's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Dunhuang Blues]

Trippy.

The Good:
-I like a lot of the ideas you have in this.
-Personally, I like the lack of lyrics - that's just a personal thing though, so don't take it as "don't put lyrics in".
-Nice effects! I like the one at the beginning and at about 0:24.
-No unwanted distortion that I can hear.
-I absolutely love the transition at 2:02-2:10.
-Drums are really tasty. Only one I didn't like was the kick.
-Outro's fine.

The Not-So-Good:
-Some transitions are a bit off, such as the intro and the one at 0:26.
-Mix starts getting a bit muddy at around... 1:20-ish.
-This is REALLY repetitive, I'd have liked a bit more variation and compositional work. As it is, the only actual variation is really at the beginning and end - after that, it's just switching a few different instruments and repeating the same melodies/chords with one good variation.
-Synth at 2:30. Ew.

Overall: There's not much more I can say about this - I liked the original synths in it and the mixing (generally), but there's not enough in this song for it to be just 2 minutes long, let alone 4.

-Review Request Club-
-Swint-

houzatosis responds:

Thank you for the response!

Yeah, I should have added at least a couple bars of variation to the melody. The song originally started off more industrial-electro sounding, which fit the intro well, but then it morphed into this track and I was never really sure whether to change it.

[Pulling Out A Splinter]

Oh my. This is... amusing.

The Good:
-Those voices are very amusing, that's really great.
-Recording quality is fine.
-Music in the background is great.

The Not-So-Good:
-Towards the end... just, what.
-Sometimes the music doesn't switch that well.
-Sound effects could have been a bit better and/or more appropriate.
-Essentially, the voices are great, but the dialogue isn't as good as it could be. Granted, it's a bit difficult to make something extremely funny when it revolves around pulling a splinter out.

Overall: This was worth a laugh - not sure if I'd want to hear it over and over though. I'm not exactly the most knowledgeable about voice acting, but hopefully what I said was helpful.

-Review Request Club-
-Swint-

Laphin responds:

He couldn't trade the splinter to the tooth fairy for money, or anything else.. so he's gonna sell it on craigslist. He was trying to treat it as if he had a tooth pulled, basically. lol

Thanks for the compliments!! Much appreciated!

[-New Dawn-]

Oh hey look, nobody else has said anything about this yet. I'm surprised. AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING A REVIEW.

The Good:
-Very nice drums right off the bat, they have a pretty sweet beat to them even without a kick. I love the way you used the cymbals. The cymbals are a bit drowned out by the effect at 0:16, but whatever. Mix is still fine and they're not a focus. Also you managed to make Edirol's snare sound reasonably good. What. How.
-The opening sounds VERY much like your usual music progressions only with different instruments. However, once you get to 0:45, you really change up a bit. That's sweet, me gusta. :3
-Pizzicatto at 1:00 is sweeeeeeeet. I really like the pattern it plays.
-Nice effects as usual.
-The main theme in this is really really nice. I like the melody of it, and I also like the little variation you start doing at 1:44. The little accidental isn't expected and provides a liiiittle bit of much-needed tension.
-I also like how at about 1:30 you bring back the original traditional Waterflame sound to it until 1:44 kicks in.
-1:58 "bweow" sound is awesome. Comes in a few other times too.

The Not-So-Good:
-It sounds like you're using staccato strings from Edirol to do the bass. But whether you are or aren't doesn't matter - the bass seems a bit too subdued and muddy compared to your usual. :< Try having something slightly harsher, like a piano smacking each bass note for half a second at max velocity and a lower volume. That would give it a bit more edge in the quicker bass notes.
-I'm surprised I'm even saying this on a song of yours, but the mixing could actually use some work. In the middle where you're using orchestral instruments, at about 1:14, there's a lot of mid-range frequencies which are keeping me from hearing things as well. Try lowering some of the mid frequencies and expanding the mix of those orchestral instruments to let them breathe more. From what I've heard of your music, you use Edirol for orchestra instruments. That thing is a PAIN to mix, but a good way I've found is to finish your track and then export .wav files of all the orchestra instruments you have (or if you only have 4, that's fine - Edirol has 4 outputs, I think).
-Better. Outro. Please. :<
-There's only really one theme throughout the whole thing. You might want to introduce a few more so that it's not as repetitive - main thing keeping it interesting are all those effects and the very slight differences in the main theme. Another possibility you might want to consider for a song in the future is having an initial theme, and while changing the background as you normally do, subtly change the theme so that people barely even realize it's different until it's not the same at all as the original.

Overall: Pretty nice. My biggest complaints are the bass and the repetition. Then my pet peeves are there too, but... whatever. The good things override the bad and make this a pretty sweet piece of music. :)

On a somewhat-unrelated note, I certainly hope you've been planning on entering Bosa's "Dreams of Splendor" contest. If you haven't heard about it yet but think you might enter after reading this... it's basically "make the best music piece you possibly can". Buoy, PeterSatera, Samulis, MaestroRage, TroisNyx, bassfiddlejones, myself, and a whole bunch of other talented musicians are entering. I'd love to hear what you'd come up with!

Waterflame responds:

Thank you for the long and awesome review! you always point out such great things, and I learn something from it every time you leave a review :) This song is actually a year old or so, before i really started to focus on my mastering, and I have not done anything with it since then. but it is taken into consideration! And yes, I have heard about the competition! but i do not know if i have time to enter. I have a lot of work to do this month. But we'll see! Thanks again!

[BK - Soundshifter]

R-E-V-I-E-W~ Here ya go!

The Good:
-I do love that sound coming in at 0:32. Since you said it was made via 3xosc, might I ask how? ^_^ I could use it in the song I'm working on now - going to need some dubstep-like sounds, and I think that along with a few others I have would do amazingly.
-I also like the melody that dirty 3xosc sound plays - I think it would be a bit cooler if it went down by one step (two half-steps or two rows of the piano roll) halfway through. Makes it more of a melody and sound better.
-Sound of rhythmic plucking coming in at about 0:52 was cool. I think it would have been cooler if you put a bit of gross beat (to be easy) or volume modulation via automation (to be picky) on the pad so it doubles the rhythmic plucks.
-Good effect at 2:08. Not as good of mixing, but it's audibly cool.
-You introduce a bit of variation toward the end at 2:08, and bring in another instrument that sounds pretty nice, even if it's buried by the other instruments by a lot.
-Your transitions are decent. As the transition nazi, I consider them passable. This is a good thing - keep working on them! You definitely have some skill in getting from point A to point B, and I think it'd be better if you tried experimenting more. However, remember that the more complicated and variable your tracks get (since no offense, but it's pretty simplistic overall at the moment) the more difficult good transitions will be. Keep at it!

The Not-So-Good:
-HOLY CRAP OW. I have my volume at 10% max volume and that still hurts my ears. Turn down your track overall a little bit - take off some of that makeup gain or something. Clipping is happening a lot, particularly at the beginning. I mean seriously open your project up in audacity. It never changes in dynamics, and the only reason it's not a rectangle is due to maximus, I believe.
-The kick drum is way too bass-heavy and strong. I'd turn down the bass boost on it, because it's a bit too heavy.
-The sidechaining keeps going through the entire piece. It gets a bit dull and boring after awhile since the feel of it doesn't change - no tightening of the feel (take off reverb etc) and no variation. Try taking off reverb and making the sidechain really tight and have a section where all sidechaining just stops (probably no kick due to mixing issues).
-I feel like the rhythmic chords played by the piano should have been done with some kind of synth pluck - try looking for something in Sytrus or make your own. ^_^ There's an awesome pack of sytrus presets out there - google something like "sytrus preset pack timmy techno".
-I'll be perfectly honest and straightforward: The drum samples sounded pretty crappy. If you're using FL defaults, try looking up some better drumpacks - there are PLENTY out there. I could potentially get some of mine to you if you want. Also, mixing does wonders with drum quality. If you mix them well, they'll sound better.
-Outro. ):< BAD. Do something more fancy and less stock, PLEASE.
-One last thing. More variation please, in feel of the song and in melodic development. Even house/dance/techno can do that.

Overall: This is a better song than the other one I listened to, I think. I recommend you work on the following things: -->Mixing<--, variation, and outros. Keep at it, you can get better! You've improved, and that's what matters. Good work!

Aqua8B responds:

hey there!! :D

thanks for reviewing this for me
thanks that you like the sound that come is at 0:32, this is actually the same sound i have used in Galaxy Blaster, i will send you a PM of how it's made

one of the transitions was made with a sweep, plus a delay, and it gets a cool fading effect
i will go and experiment more, i will improve and create even better songs as they are now.

sorry for the volume, i thought it had a nice volume, next time I will double check to make sure it won't happen again.
for the side chaining, yeah it was something new, it sounded nice though, but it isn't a good idea to make it go through the song.

I actually have a synth pluck I created with toxic biohazard, maybe i could have used that instead

luckily i didn't use the the FL default samples, maybe the mixing does the trick, i try that, thanks :)
I've had a problem with variation in the songs i made since i have started with music, if that problem is solved i can create even better song.
when i Create songs, I'm always stuck with the variation, if you look back on all my songs, they all have the same buildup
I'm actually getting a little irritated with this problem.

thanks for the useful tips you gave me, they will really help me in creating my next song.
i will work on the mixing, variation and outros, just like you said, but the most on the variation, because that's where my problem is :)
Thanks for the review :D :D :D

[Yuletide Groove]

This is probably one of the only reviews that isn't going to be like my other ones. You know what I think about this stuff, and I had sent two more thingies in Skypers involving awkward overtones from a delay on the vocals and the bass which isn't bassy enough. D:

Anyway though, this sounds beautiful, and I want to know how you got those overtones in the first chord coming in.

I think this is one of my favorite songs from you, actually. Great work!

-also yay for meh solo, I feel so speshul-

Step responds:

Omg thanks for reviewing!

"This is probably one of the only reviews that isn't going to be like my other ones. You know what I think about this stuff, and I had sent two more thingies in Skypers involving awkward overtones from a delay on the vocals and the bass which isn't bassy enough. D:"

I made the bass bassier in this version and turned down the delays a little... I kinda like those delays though so I don't want to remove them entirely :P.

"Anyway though, this sounds beautiful, and I want to know how you got those overtones in the first chord coming in."

I have no idea, I honestly have no clue what I'm doing :3. Omnisphere's amazing pads help a lot though!

"I think this is one of my favorite songs from you, actually. Great work!"

Wow really? Thanks haha.

"-also yay for meh solo, I feel so speshul-"

BUT YOU ARE SPESHUL.

Thanks thanks thanks for all the feedback!

[March of the Damned]

Good day sir. Have my promised review.

The Good:
-Opening's fine.
-Very nice melodies, I particularly like the ostinato that comes in at 0:13.
-Mixing is fairly clean. Not everything shines out completely, but there's no distortion or anything. Also, that bed of sound at 1:31-2:28.
-PANNING. YESSSSS.

The Not-So-Good:
-I totally recognize those orchestral samples as Edirol. While I'm guilty of using them myself, I have to say - if you can, get some better ones. :<
-Also, I'm with camoshark on this. The drums sound really bland and uninspired. There's no real 'life' to them.
-1:44 is VERY obviously recorded with the midi keyboard, and it shows. The rest of the song is very in-tempo and when you're doing it naturally, it gets out of tempo a lot. I'd highly suggest practicing a lot and preparing a solo already or making sure you KNOW the key signatures you're going to use. Not just know them tentatively, but be able to use them liberally without hesitation.
-Okay, I'm OCD about transitions (including the outro, not quite as much the intro), so I have to say. The transition at 1:28 is pretty crappy. It just stops, then starts up again without a real connection - sounds more like you spliced two different songs which were made in the same style together.
-Outro is equally crappy. No buildup or conclusion at all really, it just ends.

Overall: Considering the transitions and the really-pretty-bad-midi-keyboard-solo, I'm going to have to give this a 7/10 or 3.5/5. It's pretty good, but not the kind of thing I'd want to listen to over and over. :< Considering what I heard of your other song so far though, I have a feeling I'm going to like it a lot. ^_^

DivoFST responds:

So far im stuck with edirol and some free Soundfonts i recently downloaded :S ..
The drums i actually dont hate them that much as you guys but i can see where they are not awesome.
As for the Keyboard improv i agree that much was left out of place, at the time i recorded the song it actually sounded just a bit off, but of course you guys have your ears better trained then mine and now that it has been pointed out i can see the major failures in it. The transitions are still one of my weak spots and i shall read something about them these next few days and try to improve them.
Thanks for the comment buddy! And cant wait to see the other review :D

[Gangnam Style Remix]

Let's see here...

The Good:
-NOTHING! Okay fine, some of the instruments alone are pretty good... BUT THAT'S 'CAUSE YOU'RE USING OMNISPHERE.

The Not-So-Good:
-Mixing is crap, so much is buried.
-Composition is crap.
-Those synced kicks sound really awkward.
-Brickwalled, so my ears are bleeding.
-That detuned main synth sounds like shit.
-Awkwardly long pauses like at 0:40.

Overall: Okay, so just about everything is crap. Therefore, in the context of techno remixes... 9999999/10 LOLOLOLOL THIS IS AWESOME UAHFUHAJDSAJD!

P.S. Yes, I am that cruel. I think this is the second 10/10 I've given you. And. It's a joke. c:

Step responds:

WHAT ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT THIS IS THE BEST SONG EVERRRR.

[A Newgrounds Legacy]

Hello sir indeed.

I was actually pretty surprised about the beginning of this song, wasn't expecting synth elements to appear in your music. So let's get to the review, shall we?

THE GOOD:
-That is a sweet buildup, it was so satisfying at 0:20 when the strings came in. The theme of the descending four notes is a good one. Unfortunately, they're a little part of a problem in overall composition which I'll address later.
-Individual instrument quality is great. The synths really work with the rest of the piece, I'd have LOVED if you used them more extensively - synth-assisted orchestral music can create some REALLY cool stuff that sounds amazing.
-Chord progressions sound really nice, as do some of the themes that go with them.
-I love how you make the piece actually "go" somewhere. That feeling of movement, of getting somewhere, is really satisfying for the listener and means that you definitely know what you're doing.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD: Okay, now that I've polished this up and made it look really good, I'm sorry, but now I'm bringing out my baseball bat to smack it around.
-First issue that most people will point out: Mixing. See this for a visual: http://oi49.tinypic.com/2gwhnoy.jpg As you might notice, there's a lot of clipping from instruments that are too loud. It starts a little bit before 0:30 and gets REALLY bad at around 1:30. There's also a little bit at the end, and when most of the crash cymbals initially hit there are level issues due to their volume. Simple fix: Make most of the instruments slightly quieter.
-Second issue, you pulled a Step. Cymbal rolls/hits/something-involving-a-cymb al for most major transitions. That or nothing. Surely you have other ways to transition, no? Slide notes for strings and flute arpeggios are nice. I'm not sure what you use for software, but since you apparently also have synths - try using some synthesized transitions. With those, there's a ridiculous amount of possibilities that are unique or tried-and-true. Mix it up a bit! Makes for something less predictable and more fun for the listener. :) One last thing about transitions. Some of them are a bit awkward and iffy. Mainly the ones that just go down, but also at 0:49 and 1:10. They're a bit surprising and awkward - or at least they were for my first few listens.
-And now the grass gorilla, the big banana, the elephant in the auditorium. ...actually, that's the wrong figurative language. Here's the blue whale of my nitpicks and unhappy thoughts about this piece. Consistency. First off, while you have that nice buildup of synths and the four-note descent, those ideas kinda just die around halfway through the piece. While descent keeps moving as a thought, and the quick notes in the strings continue, the actual 'ostinato' you seemed to have is gone, along with the synths. Second, there's not really a ton of thematic consistency in the melodies or chords. They do repeat somewhat, and there are a few similar ideas, but it seems a lot more like a theme and variation piece than anything else. At the very least, if you had a few chords that made up the "core" of the piece, or kept the four-note arpeggio from the beginning, it would bring everything together more thoroughly. *after the last time you told me off about this, I decided to thoroughly and repeatedly listen through your song to make sure I'm not missing a theme. Even so, I might have missed one, but in that case it obviously wasn't foreground, so...*

Overall: Other than the not-so-good stuff, it's good. ...well, obviously. Unfortunately, the mixing along with the lack of consistency forced me to give it a 7/10. If the mixing were better, I'd give it an 8, if there were more consistency, I'd give it a 9. Great job overall though, it's better than a lot of stuff I hear and there's the movement/feel of good composition! Untapped potential is clearly heard - that's great.

Okay, I'm almost at the character limit so here's a bit of random talking by me to finish it off. I'll be trying to get a piece up soon, but have a lot to do with it involving Kor-Rune. So it'll be awh-

Bosa responds:

Thank you for the helpful tips. I have a long way to go and so much to learn! I'm just eager to really unleash whatever talent I have inside.

I'll keep a lot of this in mind. I just need to practice and improve. But oh no I'm almost out of r-