THE GOOD:
-Guitar sound is pretty good.
-It's short and sweet, as you said. The tunes sound nice.
THE NOT-AS-GOOD:
-This doesn't really go anywhere. It plays for about 50 seconds of soloing, but there doesn't seem to really be an 'idea' to it.
-Few painful recording issues at 0:06 and 0:16-0:18.
-Overall production/recording issues. There's some background distortion, and some of the high notes are a bit overly shrill.
-This isn't so much a complaint as just a point - this seems very much like off-the-cuff guitar recording without much of an initial idea or a LOT of practice time (though I assume that, like your other song, you ran through the short idea a few times before recording).
Overall:
Not much for me to comment on. It's alright. Not something I'd listen to repeatedly, mainly due to the high-pitched painful bits and the background distortion. It gets a 6/10 from me - though that's assuming this IS off-the-cuff soloing and not a 'song', and also factors in the short length.
Once again you've provided a wonderful in-depth review. Which is exactly what I asked you for, so a big thanks for that. It's fairly obvious to me that this kind of music isn't exactly your kind of music, but I have to take it as read that not everyone has the same musical tastes as me. Thanks again for a great review as always. Much appreciated.
Alright, here goes. I only have time for one review, you get it.
THE GOOD:
-I LOVE that main pad (mostly noticable in the beginning). It's really awesome. Might I ask where you got it/how you made it?
-Speaking of the beginning. That intro. Is wonderful.
-I personally think the hi-hats are fine. Don't see too much of an issue with them.
-The overall feel of the song is really cool. It fits well.
-Holy crap, this is dubstep... and it's CLEAN. Wow.
-Like the little 'record scratch' sounds in the second half of the dubstep bit.
THE NOT-AS-GOOD:
-First, the glaringly obvious thing. In the dubstep section, the wobbles are horribly out-of-tune. It doesn't work. Though admittedly, I've heard several dubstep songs with this, and people loved them. I *personally* dislike the off-key-ness.
-The key change at 2:59. ...sorry, but that just SCREAMS "I'm out of ideas" to me. A key change like that is generally what people do when they're out of ideas. What I'd have done here is had a different tune immediately after the dubstep section, then when you do the key change go back to the initial tune you have.
-There is only one beat for the main song and one beat for the dubstep part. Would be nice to have a bit more variation in the beat, good as it is.
-Different chord progression at some point would be nice, not counting the dubstep section (since that's so bare that it's practically no progression at all).
Overall:
Honestly, I like this. It sounds good. Heck, I'll even download it. It's definitely one of the better dubstep songs I've heard. Could be improved, of course, but still... nice work!
(Woah first one to like my hihats) Thanks a lot for your review, highly appreciated, these are the kinds of reviews i want, you really help me improve! Well i didnt ran out of ideas with the key change, lol it makes me laugh xD! About the pad, i downloaded somewhere, its a pad pack, but i forgot where i downloaded it (my bad memory), if i remeber or i find it again, ill tell you! Finally, im SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT EVEN IF IT WAS MY FIRST DUBSTEP! (ima about to cry, no wait, that never) Thanks a lot Wintrest!
DA GOOD:
-Not a bad intro there, it sounds quite nice.
-Speaking of the intro, that piano. Sounds. Great. It has a lot of depth to it, and a fairly realistic quality of the 'weight' in the keys. Obviously it could be improved, and isn't quite 'real', but it's pretty close for a loop.
-I like the drums, there's just one thing I'd comment on with it, which I'll get to in my DA STUFF-THAT-CAN-BE-IMPROVED section. ...also, you're getting your little brother to drum? Sweeet.
-The guitar sounds pretty good, and is more realistic than anything I could get. :P
-Tune's nice, I suppose. Definitely not bad to listen to, though it's not your best one.
DA STUFF-THAT-CAN-BE-IMPROVED:
-Alright, since I mentioned it before, I'll poke it immediately. The drums could use a few fills - don't forget those toms or ride cymbal rolls!
-I probably wouldn't have noticed the mixing issues on the bass if it hadn't been mentioned below, but yeah, they're right. There is something odd about the bass' mixing. I personally don't think it's the reverb. It might be something else I'll mention next.
-Also about the bass. The rhythms and notes seem to be slightly off. Some of the notes let go slightly later than they should, and some of the pitches are slightly off, not sure whether you intended to detune it, but whatever's going on there, it doesn't quite work.
-The strings could use a little bit more depth, and they move a little bit too fast for strings. Might be better to have a solo string like the flute doing the tune with the larger strings in the background like the guitar.
-Yes, I know it's pop, shush. Even pop can have a secondary section and another tune. This sounds nice, and I know you kept it short because there isn't another section in it (not because you only worked on it for three hours, don't tell me that's the reason. <.<). But seriously, could have at least had a little 10-15 second break to a few different chords and a different tune.
-Not sure whether the flute should have been in there. It sounds cool, yes, but it's not quite fitting for a 'pop' song. Granted, I know it's your style to do things differently, and I'd probably do it to, but still. This only applies if you were really looking for the 'pop' feel.
-If you're looking for a better bass, the basses in the default Kontakt library work great. Also, there are the Sytrus basses (some other preset packs come with pretty sweet basses), and one default FL instrument called "BooBass" that generally is pretty good. They're not the most realistic, but they are good bass sounds.
Overall: Good, good, good, could be improved a lot, but still better than most of the pop stuff I hear. I honestly don't like lyrics that much in songs unless they're done really, REALLY well.
Okay, bye now! I must be getting on the plane to Australia~ I'll be sure to work on more music on the flight there, so hopefully I'll have enough to at least preview up here.
DAMN that's an enormous review, on just 1 minute and a half of music. And it's all so detailed. Ridiculous attempt at critique my ass!
"-Not a bad intro there"
Sweet. I had that intro in mind for a while and even practised it on my piano at first.
"-Speaking of the intro, that piano. Sounds. Great."
Mhmm, that's thanks to East/West Symphonic Orchestra's really awesome Steinway piano sample. I think in every song of mine that incorporates a piano from my song Eclipse onwards there's that East/West piano sample. I wish I could record myself playing but I don't have anything to record with! :(
" ...also, you're getting your little brother to drum? Sweeet."
Yup! My dad's the one that taught him drums and he actually drummed to the song yesterday for Father's Day. He did great, and he just missed a snare hit at one point which was pretty unnoticeable anyway.
"-The guitar sounds pretty good"
Strictly speaking I think it's recorded from a real guitar so yeah it should be pretty realistic. I've used the Virtual Guitarist guitar strum samples for every song of mine that has guitar strumming, it's a pretty good VST, which is leagues cheaper than East/West.
"-Tune's nice, I suppose. Definitely not bad to listen to, though it's not your best one."
Yeah I know. Glad you liked it though haha.
"-The drums could use a few fills - don't forget those toms or ride cymbal rolls!"
You're totally right. I focused on them towards the beginning of the song but when my brother announced to me that he can drum to it I decided to not focus on them much and just repeated the patterns with a few subtle changes.
"-There is something odd about the bass' mixing."
Could be. I really had to do some weird mixing to it so it won't sound that bad as I said below.
"-Also about the bass. The rhythms and notes seem to be slightly off."
The rhythm should be only ever so slightly off since it's supposed to be humanised but I see where you're coming from with the pitch. I actually added a lot of bass slides all over the place on loads of notes. I thought they might work and I kinda like them but I guess to each his own :P.
"-The strings could use a little bit more depth, and they move a little bit too fast for strings."
I was thinking of adding background strings to the song but I thought that might make it a bit too full of depth and only added them to the intro a little. I might've been wrong! As for the notes being too fast, that's certainly a possibility, I always assume that every instrument can play as quickly as the piano but I know that's a bad assumption xD.
"-Even pop can have a secondary section and another tune."
Naw you're right. I didn't manage to think of anything to add in time without sacrificing the flow and I wanted this to be a sort of quick thing, especially since I had a tonne of studying and other music projects to catch up with :P. But yeah you're definitely right.
"-Not sure whether the flute should have been in there."
True dat, I would've made that some more pop-ish instrument like a lead guitar but I didn't have a lead guitar and as you know I can't care less about the specifics of each genre, as long as what I make sounds half-decent in my ears :P.
"-If you're looking for a better bass..."
The reason I had to use this soundfont is because I wanted to do note-sliding which only works with native FL VST's and soundfonts. But I didn't even consider using BooBass or Sytrus, so that's a really good idea. I'll keep it in mind for the future if I want to add a bass and incorporate note-sliding.
"I honestly don't like lyrics that much in songs unless they're done really, REALLY well."
Same here! From my library of nearly 1000 songs, around 8 have vocals :P.
"Okay, bye now! I must be getting on the plane to Australia~ I'll be sure to work on more music on the flight there, so hopefully I'll have enough to at least preview up here."
Haha I'm going to Australia too, on the 15th of July :P. Anyway, have fun there, and thanks a million for the fantastic review. I must find the time to review you back! Thanks again!
Hello. Before I begin, I'd like to note something - I change my rating and judging based on the length of the song too. The longer the song, the greater the requirements for organization and keeping interest. Of course, it changes if the song is looped or sectioned into different movements. But still.
In any case, on to this song.
THE GOOD:
-The guitar is pretty well-played, and the recording quality certainly isn't bad.
-Tune is nice, has a good peaceful quality to it. ...a bit odd considering you called this 'slow madness', but whatever.
THE NOT-AS-GOOD:
-Sometimes it seems to add or take away a beat or two or three.
-Some of the tunes also seem to go off-key in the progression, which can be a bit jarring until you've heard it about 5 times (well, it took that long for me, at least).
-Doesn't seem like you really worked out what you were going to do beforehand or practiced the idea before recording this - it sounds more off-the-cuff, which is mainly caused by the off-tune/rhythm bits.
-Might want to include more than simple quarter/eighth notes. Simplicity is good, but nothing but on-beat
Overall: It's alright, something I can space out to, but isn't really something amazing or specially good. Could use some more work, some more idea-polishing, and pre-recording preparation. Therefore, I give it a 2.5/5.
Thanks for the review. So to summarize. This was written in less than 10 minutes, played 3 times and recorded on the 4th play through. The off key stuff is supposed to be like that. This one wasn't meant to be a fancy piece, we kept it simple for a reason. It's just something that we thought could be used in someones flash for credits or something like that. Thanks for the input, much appreciated.
Hey there! Finally getting around to reviewing this, sorry for the delay! And let's see, you already know how I review, so -clap- let's get to it then!
THE GOOD:
-Very nice samples, as usual, though that's to be expected.
-No mixing issues this time, no random little buzzing noises. :D Wooohoooooo!
-The melodies and harmonies are right on track for the most part, though there are a few little things that I'll get into.
-Nice 7/8 bit, though it's a bit misleading, since it kind of changes back to 4/4 at 0:36. This isn't a bad thing, which is why it's still in the good, just thought I'd take note of it. :)
-I like the chord progression, it's a very nice one.
-The first 29 seconds are VERY nice and build up quite well. ...after that, well, I'll speak to you about that.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD: I apologize, you're going to be getting a bit more here than usual. :<
-There's quite a bit of dissonance in the 0:29-0:36 with the violin, and it isn't your usual tasteful dissonance, as the rest of the song is quite consonant and this dissonance is out-of-place.
-The transition at 0:36 is a tad sketchy and seems unfinished. Everything just... stops. Then there's the low strings that, while sounding quite good, don't quite fit with the last bit. Everything was building up, and it sounded like some epic amazing stuff was about to happen. ...but then nothing, unfortunately.
-The second part of this seems fairly dull, and not really that fitting of the title (0:36 onward). While yes, it brings a good second section to the song, it needs a bit more ambition, and as I said, a better transition to it. To tell the truth, it seems like you had the great idea for the first part of it, and then realized "...crap, I don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of this".
-From 1:10 to 1:20, it seems fairly dull and there's too little going on.
-After 1:20, the lead-up to the end where it loops is rather simple, and it's seems like you actually started the song at... 1:24, and then used Audacity or a similar program to put that at the end, looping some of the actual song's end into it. Could be a tad cleaner.
Other than that, you're good. This could use a lot more work than your other songs, it really does seem like you had a lack of inspiration, and though the majority of it sounds really consonant and well-done, there is one part that's dissonant, as I said.
The truth of the matter was, I hit the roof with the velocity of the instrument and was getting some peaking issues, as well as the fact that adding a third buildup would probably seem a bit too much in my opinion... besides, the transition into that quiet counter in C popped into my head and I didn't want to go too far past a minute, as it is a mere game loop.
I know you like longer pieces with more ideas, but game loops seem to be more direct and without too much motion. Yes, one of these days I will write a long continuous piece to satisfy all those people who keep bothering me about not developing themes enough. XD
The ending was actually built in Finale itself, so no fancy post-editing there (I only use Soundbooth to convert songs and check them for peaking issues, my process is very WYHIWYG). A short buildup is, at least in my eyes, one of the best ways to make a seamless loop... and that loop is pretty darn tight compared to other 'looping' songs.
Thanks for your great review though, as always. It's good to hear some good critique on what I should work on for future pieces. :)
Hello. Well, since you asked for a review, I may as well give one, even though I don't have as much spare time as I'd like.
Unfortunately, after listening to just part of it, I think you're going to dislike me for this review, because there's a LOT that I'm going to be poking and prodding.
THE GOOD:
-This has a lot of interesting concepts, and it definitely isn't a normal song. I like how the intro is ambient, and how the drums seem to have a light phaser on them.
-The drums, once they actually get into a cohesive beat at 3:17, are pretty darn good until about 6:25. They're good again at 7:34, until 12:54
THE NOT-AS-GOOD:
-I am fairly sure that the song's intro lasts for... about 3 minutes and 17 seconds long. That's what it seems like at least, because that's when the drums actually become cohesive. This time is just a little bit *too much*.
-The recording quality varies wildly, and the drums seem to flicker in and out from being in the background to being in the foreground.
-A lot of the instruments seem to not fit together because their own individual tempos are changing slightly - that is, in the sections when they do fit together pretty well. Otherwise, the instruments seem to be playing in their own whole time signatures, not playing particularly together.
-There are some areas where the harmonics don't fit together too well - the bass and the guitar clash. I apologize, I'm not going to listen through and list each of them. But I will say that there are several around the ten minute mark and one right after the 'intro' at around 3:30.
-The overall mixing of this could be improved quite a bit - the mix is rather 'thin' without something doing chords. There was a rather 'watery' sound at around 11:12 which could be fixed. While there isn't much mixing distortion, there's a little bit, and it could be removed fairly easily. Also, as I said, sometimes the drum volume flickers in and out.
-The vocals aren't the highest quality, and... I'm sorry to whoever did them, but the voice itself isn't extremely well-done - I'd suggest having a similar-sounding synth in place of it.
-What's the theme? The whole thing seems like one long improv session. I'd also suggest practicing *a little* once the full song has been made, planned, and decided on. Writing it out could help with this. I admit, it's a tedious process, but it will make the whole thing sound a LOT better and cleaner once done.
-No outro? Curses.
Overall: Some good ideas, but the poor execution and recording quality made it much worse than what it could have been. I apologize for having to be so harsh, but... hopefully it'll help.
Did you even read the Authors Comments? This was recorded over 30 years ago. No mixing, just a Live recording. As for practicing, the guys that were responsible for making this track have been playing for twice as long as you are old. And are now or have been in some of Australias best bands, including the lead singer. I have no problem with you being harsh but seriously a 3, you've got to be kidding!
Hello there! So I hear you wanted a review on this.
Ok, first of all, let me say this - there's absolutely nothing wrong with the mixing that I can possibly poke at, probably because it's just one instrument, so I shall focus solely on the composition of this piece.
1. I will say this first of all, the piece is very good - the ideas in it are well-developed, and I enjoy the main tune/chords that make up the main 'theme' of the piece.
2. There ARE a few bits where it seems a little bit off. The specific bits are 0:22-0:29 and 0:58-1:08, particularly the part around one minute. The method to your madness seems to be partially thrown aside here, and there are odd shifts at times that don't quite fit.
3. While they are very few, there are also a few notes in the harmonic underlying melodies that don't quite fit, though these are not in the main theme chordings.
4. The simple stop at 0:36 to transition back to the main section doesn't quite seem to fit as well as it could - I'd suggest a little lead-in of a piano riff, perhaps trying to use some slower notes.
5. Speaking of slower notes, even in fast pieces there are notes longer than eighth notes! You might want to try putting in some chords or lower bass notes to make the song more 'solid' and have a better, well, "base" (no pun intended) to build up all of these melodies from.
6. I would very much like this to be extended, with the rough parts worked through to give a bit more cohesiveness.
Overall, this is really good - a few things need to be polished up, and it could definitely be longer, but I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing and reviewing this. :) Nice work!
Thanks a lot for this very detailed and valuable review! I am really glad you enjoyed it :D
- I will sit down and check the piece for harmonical defects and unnecessary notes.
- The piece is so short because it has been created within 3,5 hours. Maybe i will extend it, but i dont know that for shure right now. If i do i will inform you :D
- I will try out to bring slower notes. I am just a little bit affraid this could affect the felt speed by making it slow, but i will check it out!
Thank you very much again for another really useful and intensive review of yours!
Hey man! I hear you want a review! It's been awhile, hasn't it. I certainly remember you from before - remember me?
Anyway. Can't get too off into that - you need some feedback.
THE GOOD:
-The mixing on this is a lot better than your old songs.
-I like the samples and SFX you have throughout the song, they work really well.
-Your drum loops aren't repetitive at all - they vary MORE than enough throughout the song.
-The sections of this are really cool, I particularly like the more chill breakdown at 1:47 with the electric piano and the little glitchy drums.
-You've improved a lot. Just hearing how much you've improved since before is great. ;)
THE NOT-AS-GOOD:
-The horn samples initially seem to cut off a little bit too much at the end - I feel like they should have just a little bit of reverb to transition into the next chord rather than completely stopping before the next one.
-I think you could stand to have the chord progression change a little bit more, or transition into a second section. While I'm aware that this is hip-hop, it could still stand to have at least a B section for chords.
-I don't quite see the 'chorus' of this. There are three distinct sections, but what's the main 'tune' other than that staccato string tune? Would be nice to have more than just chords.
-At about 2:30, it starts getting noticeably repetitive. It also just seems a bit 'much', particularly since it doesn't change at all until it fades out to the end.
-...THE OUTRO. IS. A. FADEOUT. D: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Overall:
Ok, honestly. This is really cool, I like it. Could use a bit more of a tune, gets a *little* too loud at times (2:30 to 3:13, I'm looking at you), but still. It's great. I like it.
Of course i remember you! Thanks for this awsome review! Im totally agree with you, ill put lyrics to hte song later on, so note that ITS NOT FINISHED YET. I like that you see my skills now, i love music, is my life!!! Again, thanks for your review, i really appreciate that YOU review my songs, thanks!!!
THE GOOD:
-Very nice tunes, it doesn't get boring throughout the whole thing.
-Nice FX you've used throughout it.
-Some very nice piano and chimes.
-Excellent overall mixing.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
-The breakdown at 1:11 where everything drops out seems rather out-of-place, and when it comes back in at 1:20, it seemed to have just ended, so that's also rather odd.
-The weird jazzy ending, while being an actual ending (apparently a rare commodity in most popular music), is a bit out-of-place as well, and sounds a bit odd to have all those major chords in it.
-It's sometimes a bit difficult to hear the string/synth bass.
-Could use a bit more of a change in feel with transitions. Even at 1:20 to 1:54 (since that seems to be where it goes back to the initial "theme"), it's not exactly much of a change.
Overall, I really don't have much to critique on this. It's pretty darn good. Just could use a bit more of a change in the feel, some slightly better transitions, and a better ending. Other than that, you're golden. Nice work!
Thank you so much for this really detailed, helpful and complaisant review!! Im very glad you like the track :D
First i have to say, that im still a newcomer at making modern musics and have to get a feeling for making this kind of sound. Its the second "modern piece" i have created and i have to collect much more experiences. The track was created within 2 days because it was a birthday present and i have been in a pretty time pressure.
To the tracks end:
I play the piano since my childhood. On the one hand it helps me giving structure to my pieces, on the other hand its an earnest problem for me, because i am to fixed on the instrument, what corrupted the end :) So i will try to convert the end into a non-piano fadeout.
To the breakdown at 1:11
The reason for the breakdown is, that i had made another midsection first and replaced it with the current version. If i had more time, maybe i would have worked it over, but after i have listened to the track several times i thought, maybe a little phase of quietness could create some tension. Anyway I will think about this point :>
I will overwork the string/synth bass - volume and try to make the feel more versatile!
Well, I certainly recognize the FL Studio sounds even if you didn't say it. Let's see.
THE GOOD:
-Cool sounds man, cool ideas.
-I haven't heard some of what you put into that common DnB beat before. Nice.
-Cool drum break from 2:20 to 2:24.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
-I detect some mixing issues when you have a lot of the bass drum hits in a row - they interrupt the other sounds. It's also difficult to hear the hit that you've used multiple times.
-You've used the Flow preset on Sytrus a little bit too much, it gets old after being used so many times. Try having it be a little bit more sparing.
-There are a few off-key bits. The most notable is at around 1:26, when that odd bell-like sound comes in. The initial three notes on that pattern are quite off-key.
-This could use a few more breakdowns or a larger one to interrupt the constant DnB feel - most good songs have calm sections along with the high-energy ones.
-After the cool drum break at 2:20-2:24, the bass drum hits seem to go out of the rhythm for a bit, which doesn't sound overly good.
-It's quite repetitive, you might want to add a section with different chording and/or some other "feels" to the song.
Overall: Not bad. Could be a lot better. It's pretty repetitive, even for DnB, and the mixing has a few errors, as does the tune - though it does mainly stay in-key, which is good.
Thanks for the advice. Yes, repetition is definately in the song, and yes; the mixing failed quite a bit. I'm still not too fond with the 'limiting' on FL10 thus there might be something wrong with the equalizing.
Electronic/ambient artist. I started making music more than random scribblings in the fall of 2010, around the end of November. I think I've come a long way since then!
Lettin' Loose 
Xtronic 
A New Leaf 
The Trecherous Knight 
Piano Madness I 
A Space Frog´s Journey I 
C23~Liberatish Courage 
