SkyeWint's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[Pseudohouse]]

Bouncy.

That is one HUGE sidechain. I don't think I've heard one that pronounced before... Unfortunately, it takes away a giant amount of the song. I'll get to that in the bulk of my review.

The good:

-The mixing in this is awesome, except for the sidechaining, which I'll get to later in the review. I can't hear any distortion, everything is clean as a whistle and there's a lot of reverbing depth to the song, which I really enjoy.

-The tunes in this are quite good, even if there aren't many of them. I did enjoy them when they come in, my favorite one was here: 7:03. That tune was very nice, and didn't seem to be affected as much by the sidechain.

The bad:

-The sidechaining is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much. It takes everything out, so essentially all I'm hearing is the end. It seems like you put the sidechain in the master output, which really takes out everything but the kick causing it. My favorite parts were where there was no kick, because of the insane sidechain. The best example of it is here: 2:36. Right there, it shows exactly how insane the sidechain is. I would reduce this by a lot, or just choose one or two instruments to put it to. Either that or put some pads and extra instruments in the background that are unaffected by the sidechain. As it is, it's almost hard to hear anything, and there's a really nice background behind the sidechain that gets cut out. :(

-The whole song is extremely repetitive. There isn't really much variation, though there are some nice tunes. No clear pads in there either, I may have missed them because of the sidechain though. The only tune that made me really pick up my head was at the end. There simply is not enough going on to keep me or most people interested throughout the entire song, unless they like listening to essentially the same thing for 8 minutes. After listening to it all, I tried skipping through between bits of the song and found just about no difference. Try putting in some more melodies, chording, changing the chording, having arpeggios, some more percussive variation... There are a lot of things that could improve this.

Despite the problems, I found myself bobbing my head to it. It's likable on the whole, it just could really be a lot better.

Hopefully this was helpful to you.

-Swint-
-Review Request Club-

Xyresic responds:

Thanks for the review. The majority does seem to think that there is a lot of sidechain, however as far as I can tell that's pretty much the standard with songs like these today (The same can be said about the repetativeness). I completely agree on all your points... unfortunately, it seems like this is pretty much what happens in a lot of clubby music these days :|

[Dickbuns Impression]

Well.

I really don't have much I can say here.

THE GOOD:
-It's a voice, and I can only imagine that it's a good impression, since I don't know the person, er... 'Dickbuns'.

THE BAD:
-There's some distortion in the voice. I can't be sure what causes this, but I'd check your recording software, microphone, and your surroundings to make sure that there's nothing that would cause it. You may also want to keep your mouth from being right next to the microphone (if you are doing that), as this can cause some distortion and level issues.

I apologize, I really don't know what else to say.

-SWINT-
-Review Request Club-

ZJ responds:

I'm a lil' bit intoxicated.

[Unwavering Assault]

Well.

Once again, the "epic" piece. :P Come on, you can't say that you don't like making songs like this.

Now, let's see, my likes: The instruments are all well-mixed, the sound quality is good, the instrument quality is good, a lot sound realistic... the background is well-composed, even if the main melodies weren't your own. Unfortunately, I can't quite give full credit for it, since the melodies aren't your own. Not sure whether you did variation on the melodies though, so I won't take off for it. (I'm guessing that they weren't varied too much though if they were... didn't get to listen to the actual songs, not enough time :P)

Ok, nitpicky-stuff time.

-The first two or so minutes are fine, though I wouldn't have made it quite so long with all the same kind of sound.

The B section is good, though a tad boring... 2:02 to 2:20 has a very simple tune that, while nice, isn't all that interesting. It doesn't actually come into its own by putting in the piano (or whatever it is) until 2:41. Until then, it's kind of... flat. Maybe there's the reason you don't make calmer songs as much...

Even with the piano-thing in the B section after 2:41, it's still kind of dull after the second repetition that just adds the guitar. Then it just ends, with a false ending. After that, even with the climactic ending that I've come to expect, it seems like what happened with the B section, a lack of inspiration, and just in there to make the song a bit longer. The interesting bit barely lasts any time before it's over, and it's just about the exact same melody that you did in the beginning.

Ok. Recommendations to improve.

First of all, in the first section I really don't have anything nitpicky other than the length, so I'll just say that the buildups can be a bit shorter, even 10-15 seconds would be enough.

The second section, I think there could have been a bit more going on in the background, or more of a melody. I mean, it's good, but there's not much variation, and the repetition that only adds the guitar doesn't do much other than make it longer right before it ends, which is kind of the problem with the end.

The end, I would vary the initial melody a lot more so that it's not the same thing, and have the buildup be a bit shorter. As it is, it sits there for another minute. Again. This doesn't really sound that good, when the main thing is just for about 20 seconds. If you were going to have a buildup, I'd have some crazy stuff go down, like, say, a short guitar solo doing a slight faster variation on the melody for an extra 20 seconds instead of just having a little short "ok, I'm out of ideas, so here's what I gave you at the beginning that's only long enough for you to get a taste before I take it away again".

In any case, that's my input. Hopefully it's helpful enough.

...and now, I just wasted 20 minutes of class on this review, I'd better get back to arranging my own orchestral/electronic piece.

Bye! And thanks for the nice diversion of 20 minutes or so! :P

-Review Request Club-
-SWINT-

Step responds:

Wow dude, brilliant review. Thanks a lot for going so in-depth!

"Come on, you can't say that you don't like making songs like this."

OK I'll admit it, I love making songs like this :3.

"Now, let's see, my likes:"

Glad you like the instrumentation. East/West doesn't fail to deliver, as usual!

"Unfortunately, I can't quite give full credit for it, since the melodies aren't your own."

True that, although yeah I did do some variations here and there, such as the soft higher piano melody that comes in at 0:17 to compliment the original melody, the melodic change at 3:17, and all sorts of trills, subtle changes, harmonies, and so on. The remix is also in an entirely unrelated genre from the original songs, so basically yeah I tried to make this sound more original but still keeping the Metroid elements in it.

As regards to your nitpicky-stuff, you essentially grabbed all of the things in this song that I know need improving and laid them out to me in a neat format, haha :P. I agree totally with almost all of the stuff you mentioned!

"-The first two or so minutes are fine, though I wouldn't have made it quite so long with all the same kind of sound."

Actually I did shorten it already at one point. Originally the melody at 1:01 - 1:18 was repeated twice, first time without a guitar, second time with a guitar (similar to the melody in the B section). Now that the song is finished, it still bugs me that the first melody is repeated a bit too much...

"The B section is good, though a tad boring... 2:02 to 2:20 has a very simple tune that, while nice, isn't all that interesting. It doesn't actually come into its own by putting in the piano (or whatever it is) until 2:41. Until then, it's kind of... flat. Maybe there's the reason you don't make calmer songs as much..."

Yeah I guess I'm not really that good at calm parts. Although to be honest I made the part at 2:02 as a way to transition to 2:19 and eventually build up to 2:41, so I guess that might be why it sounds a bit boring. I had thought it was a good idea to make the piano melody at 2:10 and then repeat it at 2:32, so I basically made 2:02 - 2:19 as an introduction to 2:19 :P. Anyway it's only around 15 seconds long so I'm not really worrying too much about it sounding flat.

"Even with the piano-thing in the B section after 2:41, it's still kind of dull after the second repetition that just adds the guitar."

Haha yeah I agree. I thought it would sound weird with one repetition so I added two and changed the melody of the last four bars slightly, although it is a bit repetitive still.

"First of all, in the first section I really don't have anything nitpicky other than the length, so I'll just say that the buildups can be a bit shorter, even 10-15 seconds would be enough."

I'll keep that in mind!

"The second section, I think there could have been a bit more going on in the background, or more of a melody."

I'll have to work on that in my future songs then, although keep in mind that it's still a remix and I didn't want to add too much of my own melody over the original melodies to make the Metroid theme still recognisable.

"The end, I would vary the initial melody a lot more so that it's not the same thing, and have the buildup be a bit shorter."

I see exactly what you mean. I'll have to work on avoiding that repetition then, I hate it when my songs are repetitive xD.

"In any case, that's my input. Hopefully it's helpful enough."

You bet! Thanks!

"...and now, I just wasted 20 minutes of class on this review, I'd better get back to arranging my own orchestral/electronic piece."

Duuuuuude you make music in class? That's AWESOME, I wish Malta had a school like that :c.

"Bye! And thanks for the nice diversion of 20 minutes or so! :P"

Haha no problem and thanks for the massive in-depth review. It helped loads!

[-A New World-]

You enjoy making intense songs, don't you.

I have to say, this is impressive, much like the other two songs I've heard. I would love to get some of the instruments you have, and I'm actively trying to. :P

Both of the pictures about this song that were said could work, so I won't bother trying to decide between them. I personally think it's more of an intense area theme.

Now, time for me to be picky, since overall, this song is head-and-shoulders above almost all the other songs I've heard on here.

-The cymbal roll is used a bit too extensively for my taste. While yes, it sounds wonderful, the more you use it, the less effect it has. As it is, for me, it seems a bit more boring. The same applies to the other effects like the wind chimey thing (which I love, btw). Not sure if you were just intending this to be part of the atmosphere instead of a more "intense" kind of roll, but it does get a bit dull after a bit, as I had said.

-The little piano bit at 1:11, and the other one at 1:20-1:22 seems really muddy and indistinct, the notes blend together and are just a mass that *generally* goes in a downward direction.

-From 2:24 to the end seems a bit dull to me, there isn't much change other than adding things until the breakdown before going back into the main theme for about 20 seconds to the end. From about there on out, it seems like you kind of ran out of ideas. This isn't as big an issue as it sounds like though, this is just compared to the rest of the song. Perhaps you should have more of a solo in the middle part or have a quieter instrument playing the main theme in the background?

Overall though, those are really small things for me to pick on in the whole song.

Awesome job!

-Review Request Club-
-SWINT-

Step responds:

Wow man, thanks a million for the constructive criticism!

"I have to say, this is impressive, much like the other two songs I've heard. I would love to get some of the instruments you have, and I'm actively trying to. :P"

Hey don't forget that a good amount of the instruments here are freeware. The drums are nearly all freeware, and if you want some great orchestral soundfonts then I can link you to some too!

But yeah, good luck getting the instruments lol.

"Both of the pictures about this song that were said could work, so I won't bother trying to decide between them. I personally think it's more of an intense area theme."

Intense? Well, that's a new point of view xD.

"Now, time for me to be picky, since overall, this song is head-and-shoulders above almost all the other songs I've heard on here."

Aw thanks!

"-The cymbal roll is used a bit too extensively for my taste. While yes, it sounds wonderful, the more you use it, the less effect it has. As it is, for me, it seems a bit more boring. The same applies to the other effects like the wind chimey thing (which I love, btw). Not sure if you were just intending this to be part of the atmosphere instead of a more "intense" kind of roll, but it does get a bit dull after a bit, as I had said."

Haha, so true. I'm a big sucker for cymbal rolls. I tried to vary the length of the fading in/fading out to make the roll a little less monotonous, but I totally agree that me using it so much reduces its effect.

"-The little piano bit at 1:11, and the other one at 1:20-1:22 seems really muddy and indistinct, the notes blend together and are just a mass that *generally* goes in a downward direction."

1:11 is actually a guitar. What is this, like, the second time you mistook one of the instruments in my songs for a piano? :P. But yeah, if you thought it was a piano then that definitely means it's too indistinct. I'll make those notes a bit easier to hear. However the notes at 1:20 are intentionally drowned out, because I wanted the brass to take dominance over the piano.

"-From 2:24 to the end seems a bit dull to me, there isn't much change other than adding things until the breakdown before going back into the main theme for about 20 seconds to the end. From about there on out, it seems like you kind of ran out of ideas. This isn't as big an issue as it sounds like though, this is just compared to the rest of the song."

Heh, I've got to disagree with you there. 2:24 is personally my favourite part :P. Although I certainly see how it can get dull and you're not the first to mention it. So that's something I should work on in my future songs.

"Perhaps you should have more of a solo in the middle part or have a quieter instrument playing the main theme in the background?"

There's a bass playing the main theme in the background at 3:34, but that's only for four bars so yeah, good suggestion.

"Overall though, those are really small things for me to pick on in the whole song.

Awesome job!"

Thanks for the helpful suggestions man, I owe you one!

[The Sacrifice - Megakill]

Alright, here we go...

Time for a bit of composition advice. There's not much I can say about the mixing other than that I can't hear any problems with it. :P The instruments are also all high-quality, and I really enjoyed the thunder sounds.

Unfortunately, while the mixing is top-notch, there is literally almost nothing in the composition. I'm not saying this to be mean, I'm saying it because it's true. :/

To make a really simple way of checking this, skip to random places in the song. While there is skipping for the first... 4 seconds (at the most), it sounds almost exactly the same after that. The one difference is at 2:26, with the chromatic scale of the voices. However, it's a minor difference, and still sounds almost exactly the same afterwards.

To improve this, I would suggest adding in a tune. What you have here is a drumbeat, and background chording. This song desperately needs something that keeps it interesting. Having a tune, some more rhythmic chording, and a few more types of instruments to carry it along (I would recommend strings, perhaps a sub drop, several large, sweeping pads, and definitely some kind of bass, probably a cello). For a tune, perhaps a voice singing in an incomprehensible language, or more choir, taking out one of the background ones (or changing it to a different instrument). I actually think a female voice would work great there, it could have a "scared" feel to it. Obviously this is just what I think would work, but it's at least worth a shot, right?

I won't say that this is bad, because obviously a lot of effort went into it. However, it truly needs more composition in it.

Hope this is helpful to you.

-SWINT-
-Review Request Club-

megakill responds:

Hey thanks for the review!

I do get what you're trying to say, but it's not my intention to add any form of lead tune or melody. My goal in this piece was to progressively build up layers with the percussion, excel in the mix and mastering of the piece, and give the feeling of something ritual.

I appreciate it may sound somewhat repetitive and droning, but that was intentional to some degree. Maybe I over-did it a little?

Thanks for the advice and for taking the time to review it though!

[(ESTAR48) Mirrored Memories]

Ok, thought I might as well review this.

I can't give much fine-tuning advice on this, but I can point out some things that desperately need working on.

1. Equalizing the reverb kick. It causes too much of a disturbance in the other levels, and takes over the track when it hits. This isn't an extremely big problem though.
2. Repetitiveness. The song is basically the same throughout the whole thing, just introducing and dropping out different instruments. I notice that there's not much other than quarter notes and chording in it (not counting the bass).
3. Intros/outros/transitions. They are a lot more important than you'd think. The opening of this is boring, the same thing repeated twice. Only strings as well. I think that it should have a bit more than one instrument opening it up, or at least varying the notation more, shifting the volume or some filters. The same kind of thing for the outro, rather than just a loooong fadeout. While the transitions part doesn't matter that much, that's because there isn't really anything to transition between.
4. What is with the "This DJ's so funky, man!" at 3:01? It seems EXTREMELY out of place to me.

Ok. Now for the good bits.

1. The bassline is awesome. I enjoy basslines, especially when they're well-done. The bassline in this song is generally really good.
2. The drums are executed pretty well, aside from the one reverb kick.
3. The instrumentation is decent, there's nothing wrong with it that I can see.
4. It truly does sound like something hip-hoppy. While I don't particularly like hip-hop, I do have to congratulate you on getting the right sound, it definitely succeeds there.

-Review Request Club-
-SWINT-

ESTAR48 responds:

Thanks for the critics, really apreciated! ...about the dj´s so funky, i just decided to do it for fun, nothing special :3 i did it kind of simple and repetitive because i did it thinking of rap verses, and some vocals, i´ll put some lyrics later... And yeah, i know the begining is really boring, but remember im new in this kind of genre and im just experimenting and exploring, its new to me, and i´ll take all your advices, besides, we have to start from anywhere :P

[Journey to the Afterlife]

Very interesting.

I just had to review this one, at least, even if I couldn't get many other reviews done. It's quite well-done, the composition is also very good, which was a bonus for me.

0:00-0:20 Beautiful build-up of the strings and piano, it has a distinctly wistful and sad tone to it.
0:20-0:40 I'm not quite sure about the shaker here. It doesn't seem to fit, but it does work with all the other parts. I think there could have been a bit more of a buildup with other instruments. It does tie the percussion together though, so I suppose I can't go after it overly much.
0:40-1:00 I love the choir(s?) behind the tune and doing some chording. They flesh the song out a lot more than it would be otherwise.
1:00-1:22 The piano makes a comeback! And with some incredibly good percussion underneath it. I know there's a lot underneath the piano, but the piano stands out the most to me in this section. I really liked the little percussion triplet (I think it's a triplet) at the end of 1:05. The section ends with the tempo slowing down, which works extremely well. Kudos for that.
1:22-1:32 Wow. That's a very nice flute you have there. My only problem with it is the vibrato. Doesn't make it seem as realistic, and everything else, I think sounds like it could have been played by real people.
1:32-1:44 The little string and horn doubling of the melody works very well here, it brings it out a little more before going into a piano section once again.
1:44-2:07 This has to be my favorite part. The piano sounds wonderful here, very realistic, and full of emotion. It ends with a tempo change going back up to the initial tempo, along with a bit of percussion.
2:07-2:29 Back to the part at 0:40-1:00. Not much to say about this, other than it fits quite well.
2:29-2:38 Interesting little part here. I don't think it's quite as good as the other bits, more of a transition to the outro.
2:38-3:00 Very nice outro, it has a recognizable tune, tying into the rest of the piece. This fits so well, and the way it ended was quite good as well. I much enjoyed the little wind-chime sound fading in the background after the last note.

Overall:
Melody: Beautiful, it has quite a sound to it. I enjoy that you made a tune that could have sounded like more of an emotional song into one of the "epic" songs that sound like a journey. Whether that journey is to the afterlife... well, that I don't think fits quite as well.
Percussion: Fits in extremely well, and has some nice catchy rhythms.
Backing harmony: Also very good, it doesn't get in the way, except in the part at 1:00-1:22. Perhaps the levels could be tweaked a bit, but I don't think it really needs it, to tell the truth. It still works.
Intro: Good. I don't have much to say here that I haven't in the first time-sectioned bit.
Outro: Very good. I said everything I wanted in the last time-sectioned bit.

A solid 10/10 from me, in the end. Awesome job!

-Review Request Club-
-SWINT-

Step responds:

Wow, this review is fantastic. Thanks a lot!

I appreciate that you went and reviewed this among all of the requests. To be honest one of the reasons why I requested this is because I was hoping that you'd review this because your reviews are awesome :P.

I'll respond to most of the points in your review...

To be honest the intro isn't something I worked too hard on. I wanted it to start very softly and progressively move on to the 'epic' part at 0:40, without making the progression too gradual. I see exactly what you mean about the shakers. They do stand out a bit too much over there and don't seem to mingle well in that part. I'm not very creative with different percussion sounds so I just wanted to add some soft percussion there and the shaker is all that came to mind xP.

Yep, those are choirs. Just an 'ooh' choir that comes with the orchestral VST I'm using (East/West Symphonic Orchestra Silver). Really awesome VST.

The part at 1:00 is actually a harp not a piano, believe it or not :P. I should've turned it up more and turned down the strings a little, so that it can actually make some more significance. The piano comes in a little later playing low notes at 1:11.

I'm also very happy you like the percussion. I like to think that I'm not terrible at orchestral percussion, even though I may lack in other areas :3.

The tempo-change is something I do very often in my orchestral songs. Really helps to give a little more variety, I think, although transitioning to the slower part can be tough sometimes.

The flute is from East/West and all the instruments there are recorded from actual instruments, so I wasn't surprised when you said it sounds like it could have been played live. I love using vibrato on my flutes though, you're not the first to point it out. Must be a bad habit. D:

Haha 1:32 is probably the part I'm most proud of.

I play piano myself so I'm glad you like the piano solo. It's not the first time I did a piano solo (actually I use pianos in my songs a lot. I love piano). The sample is also from East/West, it's got a very nice Steinway B sample.

This song is actually a remix of SBB's song Shadow People, so I shouldn't take full credit for the composition. I changed his melody around a lot though, completely changed the structure and the flute/piano melodies were all by me, but the main melody is still his. You should check out the song if you get the time: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/liste n/362888

If you go to 2:42 of that song you'll hear the melody which I remixed.

So yeah at 2:29 in this song, that little transitional melody is part of a melody that plays in Shadow People. It works as part of the melody in his song but here I just showcase it as a buildup to the outro.

Good thing you think 2:38 fits well as an outro. I originally didn't have it but SBB suggested I add it. I'm not so good at changing stuff in a song once I've finished it, so I was hoping that part would fit alright after I edited it in.

All in all, thanks a lot for the great review and the constructive criticism. These types of reviews are the reviews I enjoy getting the most!

Glad you liked it, and oh well, I suppose the response ended up bigger than the review. I'm sorry xP.

[Zelda Soundtrack Style]

Errrrrrr.

This does sound /kind of/ LoZ-like, but... I think this track will focus on what can be improved.

-Syncing tunes. The tunes go off-key, and considering there are only two tunes, that's a feat. I think this needs to be a bit more "flowing" rather than having seemingly random notes going together.
-Instrumentation. As said before, there are only two instruments and a wave sample. They don't go together very well, and they're kind of dull and empty.
-Repetitiveness. It's really repetitive, and even though no part specifically repeats (I think), it's so similar that it's just boring. It has the same feel throughout the whole thing, without varying it at all.
-Style. Ok, you want it to sound LoZ-like, right? Then I have a few more suggestions. (A) Have more sections that have similar tunes, but different instruments and different ideas behind them. (B) Use LoZ instruments. I've noticed that LoZ (in OoT, at least) focuses heavily on harps, strings, piano, and wind. That and ambient noises, like the waves you included.

Hope this is helpful to you.

-Review Request Club-
-SWINT-

KieranNG responds:

"Syncing tunes. The tunes go off-key, and considering there are only two tunes, that's a feat"
This didn't make any sense.

[Hype the Core (Silv3Ster Mix)]

Whoo!

Time-sectioned review time, due to the style and length...

0:00-0:45, same thing without variation other than the crowd and a kick being added.
0:45-1:08, still the same thing only with a bass.
1:08-1:32, it's the same thing with a vocal and echo...
1:32 transition need work, it kind of just "happens".
1:32-2:22 is the same tune with some vocals added halfway through. I don't think this fits in well with the intro, as it's MUCH happier, and the intro made me think that it was more of a dark track. The vocals don't quite fit either, they don't seem happy to me with the stuttering.
2:22-5:18 seems like the same chording, there isn't much of a tune. I admit, I skipped through this, but here's the main problem. I skipped to random bits between these times, and it sounded almost exactly the same. This is a large problem, it means there was almost no variation at all.
5:18-end was alright, it went back to the intro and seemed dark again to me for some reason. The outro was alright. Fading out of things until the end. The very ending was actually really good, nice work there.

Now. This is well-put together, I will not dispute that. The problem, the only problem, is that it is repetitive. As I said, I skipped through the majority of the song, and there was virtually no change whatsoever other than a few drumbeat changes and switching between piano and synth chording. There is no tune to speak of. A tune is what this needs. Other than that, it's good.

-Review Request Club-
-SWINT-

Dj-GST responds:

0:00-0:45, breakbeat fades with a low pass filter, when the kick hits, the crowd goes into a 1/4 step time filter, clap comes in.
0:45-1:08, sweeping effect punches in along with the kick, bassline, and high hat loop. Main hat and clap come in.
1:08-1:32, buildup, then vocals come in along with another clap that fit's in beneath the kick, ride comes in.
1:32 Most genres of Hardcore have fast, sudden transitions.
1:32-2:22, The only part of the intro that sounded "dark" was the bassline, it's supposed to be happy, the majority of UK hardcore tracks are happy, since it's a modern Happy Hardcore, vocal glitching and stuttering are very common of this genre.
2:22-5:18, there are 3 lead melodies in there, each being the same style but with different chording, if you didn't skip most of this and actually listened to it, you might have noticed that.

As stated above, there are 3 lead melodies in this track. I appreciate the review, but listen to the whole track next time, it's like skipping through a movie and then trying to review it. It doesn't work, because you skipped past everything.