sumguy720's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Allium]

The third quarter has a very Ocarina of time vibe, very interesting composition overall. Nice balance and range of sounds and textures. Doesn't seem to linger in any one spot for too long. I see that it is probably meant to loop - the ending was otherwise kind of abrupt, understandable though if the use case is looping. OH! If the use case is looping though, maybe that low pass filter in the beginning should come back at the end? Just to make the tonal quality a little more consistent on the loop.

One piece of (subjective?) criticism I would offer is that, to me, the pulsing wind lead in the second phrase (after the intro and first paragraph of the song) - and then again in the final phrase of the song comes off a little bit harshly - maybe a teensy bit shrill? This is actually an issue I run into sometimes with my own instruments and I don't know if I understand the technical aspects enough to suggest a remedy. Maybe it's something a parametric EQ could fix - I think it actually only stands out on the higher notes that repeat. That said, if it can be fixed by an EQ, it very well could be my sound system and not your mix. Or my ears, lol.

I like your use of rests in the composition too. You use silence well to convey pace and contrast. I also like the tasteful application of note bends. That is something I personally have not done much, so props for wielding those effectively.

Rainful responds:

Thanks for the feedback! Appreciate it man!!<3

[- When it Rains]

Cool!

Good job on the bass and some of the backing. The only thing I'm not real cool with is the pulsing synthline that keeps coming in in the background doing the slow progression. Erm... I think it's called eurogate in FL studio's sytrus. Anyway, I would consider changing that to something a little more interesting because right now it sort of genericizes an otherwise really sweet track.

You know what I'm sayin'?
Check it!

And good luck with moving further with this project.

Or4nges responds:

I know exactly what you mean. It's weird though, some people go crazy for the pattern because it's easily recognizable, but others hate it because it's too generic. And i'll admit I just kinda through in there as a concept for now, I can't finish the song really until my buddy gets back to me.

[Like An Anthem]

Very cool!

I like this!
Good buildup, good chord progression, good sound overall, your mixing is good, the beats of the drums and rhythms of the synths work well together.
It would be cool if there were something a little more out there to grab on to. Right now this is like the most solid you can have a track without a definitive lead, but still I wish there was a more defined melody on top of all this to make the song more memorable. I can almost hear one in my head right now. You should look into that. And since this is creative commons I might even write one and let you know how it goes.

Great job!

ACINO responds:

Thank you so much! And i would appreciate that really much!!=) And i know but i am not so good at making melodies:/ But thanks

[There is always an end]

It's a good idea

I like the main idea behind all this but it sounds off tempo-- a little repetitive, and there isn't much to it at this point. This would make a really nice melody in a dance song perhaps as well as an ambient song. Work on a chord progression for it, fill
out the bass and percussion, and you'll have a nice song working for you!

Keep working on it!

Dannyboi93 responds:

Thanks for the advice :) if i find the files, i'll work on it!

[Electro Loop #2 DB93]

This is good!

If you can somehow make it into a full track you should try it! This is some cool stuff. I have to say, even for a loop it's a bit too short. 16 seconds would be more appropriate with the amount of progression your song implies here.

I'm not sure if I'm wild about the echoing background synth after 0:04. It's really a cool sound but it creates a dissonance that isn't ever resolved. If the idea is to make the whole track kind of like that it's cool but you should fiddle with your note progression a bit. Up until 0:04 the loop sounds melodic and cuts away to some weird harmonics nobody expected!

All in all I gotta say you have a really nice sound but you have to expand on it to make that background echoing synth make sense.

Good job!

Dannyboi93 responds:

Awesome, thanks for that :D it's encouraging to know people like my sounds! Plus, it's about time somebody started handing out constructive criticism!

[Fading Times (ACINO)]

Nice work!

Sweet job dude-- It's just coming off as a little 2-D in some places, gets a little too one-tracked. When your arpeggio comes in you have a really nice sound and a good crescendo at 1:50, but it really follows the piano part too closely. It would be cool if you could modify that piano part starting at 0:41 so it doesn't stay so close to your chord progression all the time. Make it a liitle more melodic and less like a re-iterance of your base chord. You know what I mean? It comes off as kind of duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh, the rhythm is so stagnant, maybe put the keystrokes for that piano part like:
Duh--duhduh---duh-duh---duhduh--duh
I don't know if you see what I mean.
ANYWAY, add some higher tier melody on the 2:03 section too! Why repeat your arpeggio without adding to it? It sounds great but it could be really a lot more attractive there, tis a good opportunity to add something more memorable.
Your cooldown is fine, a little long, but still fine. Same issue with the stagnancy of your piano rhythm.
Finally: Consider adding ONE final chord to your ending that resolves your progression. Like a major or minor chord there.

Good work though.

ACINO responds:

Thank you for an really constructive review:) I really appreciate that! And yeah you are absolutely right but my piano skills are still so bad that its hard to make it sound better:/ And btw i had a plan to make the arppegio more variating but i forgot:D And the final chord would be awesome but.. Too late man:) Thanks for advices!:)

[[Fiji]Revival]

That is--- sweet!

Very cool. I like your melody, it's catchy, it's long, it works. Your intro bass is fab, your percussion is right where it needs to be. Nicely mixed and mastered. But I'm not here to shell out lengthy compliments, because you clearly know what you are doing in those areas.

NOW, the piece seems a little disjointed- You go onto what seems to be a transition at 1:10, until your second melody comes in at 2:16, now, that's a little long for a transition, it's passable, but your second melody is not quite as driving as your first, it's fine, no serious complaints, but next to your intro/outro it's really not comparable. I think what the middle of this needs is a little more punch. I like it better when the kick is going, less when it's not for a long period of time, and I think this is way kick ass when your awesome lead melody comes in. I'd like to see that come in more toward the middle too, rather than leaving it arranged at the two ends of the song.

Finally: ENDING SUCKS!!!!! But I mean what the hell, the beginning was fantastic, and the near-ending was great too.

More specifically: one rough spot I noticed was when your lead came in for the first time. It sounds cool, but it kind of surprises me, in a way that scares and confuses me-- Maybe put in a 'winding up' effect or a very short buildup to that opening, so it doesn't come across as so... surprising? That's my personal opinion, I have no technical knowledge to back that up, so do it or don't do it, you know.

from 0:00 to 1:10 - 5/5 15/10
from 1:10 to 2:42 - 4/5 7/10
from 2:42 to 3:26 - 5/5 8.5/10
from 3:26 to 4:21 - 4/5 8/10
from 4:21 to 5:17 - 5/5 10/10
from 5:17 to 5:27 - 2/5 4/10

Overall: 5/5 8.5/10 =9/10 Nice job. Very strong introduction, some misleading transition, a shakey ending, but awesome awesome foundation. If you keep that up you could start getting money for your projects (not from me, I'm poor).
I'd come back to this later too, if I were you.

MrFijiWiji responds:

finaly! i have somewhat pleased the impossible critic! thank you man.....and money? wow ... i mean thats a stretch... but just i cant help dreamin hahaha

[Space Ambiance]

Sure, yeah, a title.

Dude you tooootally need some little beep sounds and radio chatter, the kind of stuff I'm thinking of is exampled in this video of the moon landing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMINSD 7MmT4&feature=fvw
You should totally try adding some sort of discrete radio chatter and effects, that'd be awesome. Like, space for me isn't really space without that stuff.

otherwise, it's pretty sweet, nice ambient track, not too melodic, sort of mysterious, good sound. It's a little flat too, which I guess would be a good thing for ambient tracks in general, but it would be cool if you could make those warm strings pop out a little more, I can only barely hear them when they cut into their own melody at like.... 2:20 maybe? I think it'd be cool to soften your general ambient sound to emphasize thatm.

The fade out at the end does alright, but if I wanted to loop this, the fadeout would be too noticeable I think. Don't know how one would work around that, or even if one would want to, but just keep that in mind.

Overall, good. 8-10 5/5

Chdonga responds:

Yeah, I don't know why it faded out like that, I never made it fade out when I was making it and it's weird because when I played it it doesn't do that.

[Counting Rhyme Remix/Cover]

Oh hey, it's uh...

Hey, I like this better than your remix. See, with the piano you've got a more filled out song. The soundspace is more balanced-- I mean, don't you think so?

Still needs a little touching up, some better mastering-- which is probably related to the piano synth you used, and that's probably limited by the software you have.
But yeah, this one=I like more.

8/10
5/5

G-888 responds:

hey thanks :)

[comptine d'un autre eteTechnoC]

Wiggety whack!

Hey, cool dude. Amélie. Good movie, good song too. You should try to learn it on piano, it's fun to play.

You have got to fill in the emptiness though! Add a little reverb maybe, put some basslines in there, make a more progressing beat, add some echo effects, put in some sound effects, some crashes, etc. It's just sort of blaaaaand right now. Keep practicing-- haha I just listened to the end. That struck me as funny.
Oh, add pads, too. :)
But above all keep practicing!

Make MOooOAR
5/5 6/10

G-888 responds:

I can play it on piano ive never seen the movie(french?) I dont know where I heard this song from but yeah.. just trying to convert it to fl so sure Ill take this into consideration, good feedback and thanks a ton for your review!