Spadezer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[endK - Funkadunk]

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
You had me with your funky writing style. I can't get enough of the quick bouncy pianos, interjecting organs in just the right spots, tasteful brass, fast bass, and tons of other stuff. It captures a very energetic atmoshpere, but there's such masterful craft in using so many different instruments only having simultaneously short moments but working towards a cohesive melody. Not many people, particularly in this contest, can pull of seemingly chaotic writing in such a pleasing manner.

Production and Sound Design:
In order for this style to really hit home you needed a strong mix and capitalize on blending well, and this is no exception. This sounds just like a professional product that I could here in places like streaming services or, better yet, I keep seeing images of a couple childhood games flashing in the front of my mind when this plays. The only thing that I might think about changing is that maybe it sounds a little dry overall, but it honestly adds to the character of the song in a positive way so I'm not sure in the end.

Structure:
I was bouncing the whole time. It was well cohesive and never really felt interrupted, but they energy dynamic was a little shallow in my prospective. I wouldn't say that I was ever bored of the song, but I feel like it didn't really explore the concept to it's fullest potential. There only really felt like two major themes, and the only time you really explored it differently was a short section at 1:30. Again, I enjoyed it a lot, but this aspect probably would have made it feel more special throughout the whole song.

Emotion / Conclusion:
Superb. I loved it. Super bouncy, super fun, and very well done.

Composition: 10

Production: 9

Sound Design: 10

Structure: 8

Emotion: 9

endKmusic responds:

I'm really glad that you liked it that much!
Thanks for all the nice words.
Since I tend to use huge load of reverb in my songs in general, with this one I wanted to try quite the opposite so it could sound somewhat firm. Would've been a totally different song if it wasn't like that.
Thanks once more Spadezer!

[Plümmet]

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
Beautiful piano work at the beginning and instantly sets the tone for the piece. There's a lot of really intricate accents and annotations happening with everything at the beginning and sounds super delicious. I love the experimentation you guys did, because it really makes this stand out and sounds fresh. This still sounds familiarly like a 1f1n1ty song, but it's not a repeat. Like for example, using the chord at 1:09. Totally unexpected and didn't need to use it again, but then you go into 1:20 just throwing chords around and changing up the structure a lot to make it feel really floaty and unguided, but in a good way.

Production and Sound Design:
Everything felt a true presence with a gentle but firm impression. The piano and strings at the beginning set a good tone for how this whole song feels. Warm, and inviting, but everything felt really solid and defined into where they needed to be. And then you brought in some bells and synths to make it feel really bright and light. Even the bass supports the bottom in a somewhat lighthearted but solid foundation. I really like which percussion you chose. To be nitpicky, I only wish that the kick in the 2:12 section had a little more defined top end.

Structure:
Again, I can't get enough of that intro. It makes me jealous of wanting to be able to produce something like that. It brings in so much emotion. There's great use of motifs happening in the background everywhere, but I most enjoyed how the middle section of the song is a reversed / rewind progression of the beginning that flows so well. I did have a small issue with 2:50 to about 3:20. By itself it's a fine section, but in the context of what it's surrounding it I wish it had carried more energy. Maybe taking a few synths or sounds up an octave would get it right. It still compliments the song, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't feel super huge and climatic, but that could also be my tendencies to why I like super huge melodic dubstep songs which is a little different compared to this.

Emotion / Conclusion:
I want to collab with you guys, so that possibly some of this rubs off on me

Composition: 10

Production: 9

Sound Design: 9

Structure: 9

Emotion: 9

stardew responds:

nice!!! immensely helpful, tysm ( :

[Affliction]

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
The riffs are nice and heavy, and you get nice grooves going that really gets my head banging. I wasn't anything super complex, which is ok, but I felt like for a NGADM contest setting you could have tried a little more (I am keeping in mind though that this sounds like a recording and the guitar work is super clean). I also kinda say that because it feels like it's left open areas where vocals could work, which gives it this sense of that there's more potential you could have tapped into, but ended up feeling a little reserved. I really like 2:22 - 2:58 though. Nice contrast with the rest of the song.

Production and Sound Design:
I'm really liking how this sounds. You have the right sound for this, but I think there's some cleaning up you could do. The kick is nice and thumpy, but the whole drumset I wish had a little more punch in the mix. The guitars are cool and remind me a little bit of Amon Amarth, but I think some of the low frequencies might be fighting with the bass a little. The balancing is pretty decent though, and I can imagine this as a finished product and really something I would be proud of showing to friends. I just don't think it's something I would expect to hear on the radio.

Structure:
You have a good strong intro that sets a nice tone for the song, and you really keep to using that beginning motif periodically through the song, and I like how it progresses. What you're trying out with different ideas makes it flow really nice and I think you pulled them off really well

Emotion / Conclusion:
I like metal and this is really solid. I think there could be a little work left to make it pop, but I still think you should be proud of this.

Composition: 7

Production: 8

Sound Design: 8

Structure: 9

Emotion: 8

JDawg00100 responds:

Thank you for the detailed review! I appreciate the kind words and critiques. The funny thing about this years NGADM is I wasn't planning on joining. But I haven't been making music anymore at all. Signing up was a way to force myself to get back into it, and I even bought ggd drums so I was pretty much starting all the way over. So I'm pretty proud of myself, even though I feel like I still have a ways to go. :)

[Life Goes On]

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
There are some great lines here. I love getting hit with your cheerful musical number style, and it's a really ironic contrast to what you have written for the singing. While the style itself seems cliché initially, I you still play around with it in fun ways, particularly when Chester came in. Breaking the 4th wall a couple times is a nice touch. Who knew that complaining about life's problems were so fun.

Production and Sound Design:
The beginning didn't set a good tone with how the drums and piano sounded. The song didn't sound too professional, but it didn't get in the way of enjoying the song. Once the lyrics started going I didn't really care for how it sounded. The vocals are nice and clean and fit in pretty well. I think they may have been struggling to be at the front of the mix compared to the instruments in the background.

Structure:
Super intuitive for how a musical should go. Maybe a little cheesy, but how it's played with like a joke makes the cheesiness fit in nicely. I really love the 2:15 section contrasts the rest of the song. It adds some nice depth to Chester's character too I think. The only thing missing is a key change.

Emotion / Conclusion:
You're NG's spiritual sibling to AVByte! Don't Leave!

Composition: 9

Production: 7

Sound Design: 8

Structure: 8

Emotion: 9

[Interlude For The Day]

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
I'm really digging this jazzy feel you got going on. Super intricate chord work and really compliments the melody you have going for this. You had me hooked in at 0:20, which set a great tone for the rest of the song, and I ate up what you were doing. There was really good moments were it was a steady beat, but every moment had a nice jazzy fresh take going on and led me along for the whole ride. No complaints from me.

Production and Sound Design:
Super clean mixing. Everything fit really nicely and complimented the composition really well. If anything I feel like the piano should be mixed more to the high end, but really it's only a preference thing because it fits great even the way it is. You do a really nice job of managing the energy through the mixing and balancing too

Structure:
Oh man this needs to be longer. Like I mentioned earlier, there's really great dynamics happening with the energy, and it all has really nice flow. But this song is begging to have more progression.

Emotion / Conclusion:
Really light, but fresh style. It's not unfamiliar, but like I've said I can't get enough of this.

Composition: 9

Production: 9

Sound Design: 10

Structure: 7

Emotion: 9

vocaloutburst responds:

Thanks a bunch for the review! Definitely wanted to make it a bit longer but I was running out of time, I'll probably (hopefully) extend and finish it sometime soon!

[Lost Joy]

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
Don't ever let me stop you from making waltzes. Making this a piano piece was a really cool different take on what you normally do, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This had a nice fresh take and there was some great emotion behind it. I really enjoyed having it play on repeat and pick up a new thing here and there. Never got tired of listening to this.

Production and Sound Design:
Not much to work with here since it's mostly a piano and fiddle. However, it sounds nicely polished and realistic. Instantly through me into the environment you were working in.

Structure:
Ugh this needs to be longer. Especially since you added the fiddle into it, that alone gave it the feeling of a lot more potential to develop. This had good flow and I was really enjoying how it developed.

Emotion / Conclusion:
It felt more like a waltz-like Bach piece than an Everratic piece. Lots of emotion and the potential for some serious good composition like you were already displaying in this. I'm super proud to have heard this.

Composition: 9

Production: 8

Sound Design: 9

Structure: 8

Emotion: 10

Everratic responds:

Don't worry, I'll continue composing in 3/4, but you're right in that I shouldn't get too comfortable with one particular style.

I wish I could have made this longer, but my fingers were hurting too much :(

Saying my music reminds you of Bach's is a great compliment.

Thank you for the review!

[Cactus pears do definitely not belong in the beef stew]

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
This gave me the feeling of something like a high energy 90's SNES or PlayStation game. The 5/4 and 4/4 is played with nicely, and I like how fluid you were with switching between the two. They felt natural and flowed really well when you switched. As far as composition goes, it's really complex without being hard to listen to, and it really compliments the instruments you're using.

Production and Sound Design:
Some of what gives it the feel of a retro style game is the instruments / synths you picked. They're a little cheesy, but in a good way, I enjoy them. However there's a few tweaks I think should have been made. There's some bell style instruments that don't have a good attack and don't decay quick enough for some of the runs you do like in the 0:55 section. It makes the notes blend together a little too much. There's also a couple of spots where you have balancing issues like 2:30. That particular spot it felt like the melody instruments were getting crowded out by some of the instruments that were supposed to be more in the background.

Structure:
The song progresses and develops the main theme pretty well. It feels fresh while not being too unfamiliar as it goes on. However the song felt a little too energetic. What I mean is that there wasn't much dynamics with the energy. The only real contrast I felt happened around 1:30. I didn't necessarily get tired of listening to this, but it felt a little flat since there wasn't different energy levels to manage.

Emotion / Conclusion:
This has a nice charm. You really put a lot of work into the composition and I think it presents itself well. You handled the song nicely and had a nostalgic feel throughout the whole song.

Composition: 9

Production: 6

Sound Design: 7

Structure: 7

Emotion: 7

[Sanctum]

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
You've already won me over just to the fact it's some good clean rock lol. I like seeing it in this contest, but you're also doing it right. It wasn't much that was super complex IMO, but the performance was really clean and tight.

Production and Sound Design:
A lot of what I feel makes or breaks a mix with rock I feel is the drums, and you've got them down. They're crisp and thumpy, and oh so delicious. Maybe the only thing I'd tweak is something like the splash you're using in the 2:58 section. I really like the sound of the guitars that you're using. They sound really professional and dialed in

Structure:
I feel like this is the weakest part of the song. Mostly because it felt like a rock ballad that was missing an overall lead or vocals on top of the composition. However there's some really nice and notable sections, like 1:15 and 2:58 where you get it right.

Emotion / Conclusion:
I really enjoyed listening to this. It struck right where it needed to on most cases and sounded really good doing it. I feel like there could have been more, but I think more rock song should sound like this in NGADM.

Composition: 9

Production: 9

Sound Design: 9

Structure: 7

Emotion: 8

JDawg00100 responds:

Thank you for the detailed review :)

[sad person anthem]

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
The lyrics work great, and the composition of everything else helps bring across an emotional type of song, but it's kinda funny since you wouldn't really know it's a "sad song" unless you listened to the lyrics.

Production:
Still trying to decide if I like the autotune or not…. It's that weird state were it's trying to be natural and not natural at the same time, and I feel like it needs to be more of one or the other. I think it's leaning more towards the fake side and works for what you're doing I think. Other than that I don't really have any big complaints about the mix. I don't think it sounds super clean, but it sounds like a finished product.

Sound Design:
Really good choice of instruments, and they compliment the vocals really well. They also work bit with the style I think. It's really only missing a square wave lead (haha joke).

Emotion / Conclusion:
I think this works pretty well. I wasn't really wowed by anything in particular, but I enjoyed it a lot.

Composition: 8

Production: 8.5

Sound Design: 9

Structure: 8

Emotion: 9

[Between Worlds In a Crystal Tunnel]

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
The complex jazz-like chord structures are a nice work. It really helps with the with the floaty feel you bring across in the song. With the way the chords traveling between the augmented and diminished chords, it helps give it this free feeling that works well with the choice of instruments you have. There never really was a point that it felt lacking in fullness while also maintaining this air of simplicity. I don't really have any real issues with the melody writing, other than really the only memorable melodies IMO happen in the breaks like at 1:00 and 2:20, as well as the hit at 3:34 which I think would have really benefited from some crashes from the percussion.

Production:
This is a good clean mix. The it's well balanced and sounds like a finished product. There's particularly good work in the percussion. I like how there's a lot of folly type of percussion riding on top that's really subtle and brings in so much depth to the mix. It's subtle enough you can miss paying attention to it, but it would feel like it's missing something without it.

Sound Design:
Again, the percussion is a really nice plus. The synths you have really develop a nice atmosphere which works very well with the title. Nothing is piercing at the top, and everything on the low end is really soft and is careful not to fight with the rest of the mix. The only issue I really have is the sine wave bass you have might be a little too soft for areas like 1:45. It's not very clear when hitting those staccato style eighth notes. It would be a lot better I think with a plucking style of attack at the front. Not too much since everywhere else it fits nicely within the mix.

Structure:
This song can also really gives me the feeling of let's say flying through space in a carefree style. I like it, but it feels like the progression doesn't really move that much. I don't mean that the song drags out, but it feels more like it didn't have a lot of energy dynamics. Sure the breaks got quieter compared to the track around it, but they felt too similar to me. The climatic hit around 3:33 fell a little flat compared to what it sounds like it was trying to do.

Emotion / Conclusion:
Overall, it was really well made. I didn't feel like it wanted to hold my attention though, and felt like I didn't thoroughly enjoy it as much as I could have.

Composition: 8

Production: 9

Sound Design: 8

Structure: 7

Emotion: 6