Spadezer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Panda Eyes - Double Jump]

Glad to catch this fresh. Love the clean mix and it bops

[Xin]

İ̸̧̨̗̝̦̦̭̲̄̐̊̚͝ ̷̗̮̝̈́̈͘ͅļ̴̮͉̰̟͇̈́̏̎̀ͅo̵̮̪̫͚̰̭̜̹̺͉̰̦̰͎͊́̈́̂̀͘v̶̼͕̙̫͓͕͖͇͍̠̂̇̒̈́̌͊̅̅̂͂̆̕͠͝͝ͅe̴͔͙̩̳͈͙͆͂̓̑͐̋̓̔͋͗̑͘͜ͅ ̴̮̠͙̙̗͇̖̊̔̏̃̍̉̃́̚̚͠͝y̶̧͍̤̟̘̗͎̆́̓̍̂͋͑͠o̶̡̡͔͍̗͖͆͊̃ǘ̶͊͘͝ͅ ̷̨̛̝̭̼͚̦͓͕͈̈́̓͝x̸͓̬͖̲̔̌̊͆̀̄͐̓͐̊̀̍͆̕ͅi̶̡̠̘̠̭̯̳̺̖̫̒̌̏̈́̇̒͜n̶̛͚̬̠̱͔̰̩̘̠̥̝͍̆̂̓̐̃͛́̇͊̇̾

[Chasin' The Jester]

This is an official NGADM 2021 final round review

First of all, my congrats to you for surviving up to the finals at this point. Since being around for a few years in this contest it's been neat to see all the new people come through and make their mark in this contest as well.

For first impressions, I think the intro was a little weak, but once you got to the beach rock I was very thrilled for the unexpected change. The drums comes across as an amateur sound since they might be a tad quiet in the mix, but the mix in general seems a little muddled. Uh 2:06 is pretty sweet. I personally like hearing the complex rhythms when it comes to the metal/rock genre. Similar to something like the Algorithm or Plini. Unfortunately the more energetic sections I don't find as interesting.

For a closer look at the composition, and to also feed off of the point I just made, the louder sections are just guitars doing eighth notes with the kick drum following, and in general follow a pretty straight rhythm. I'm not saying you needed to go crazy, but it just came across as too simple. All that being said here's what I do like. Drums are written well in the fills, the beach rock simply makes me smile, and you don't only stay with common or more simple rhythms resulting in some cool rhythms I really enjoy. I like your melodies and your chord choices are not unexpected/distracting. 2:20 is such a cool section IMO.

For the mix, like I said earlier it comes across as a tad bassy/muddy. Everything has pretty good tone for what's intended to be there. I may have said that the drums had a bit more of an amateur sound, but it works for what you have here. Actually I think they're a good volume but might be overshadowed by the distorted guitars. I'm also a big fan of the rock organ.

Overall, I really liked what I heard and I think this is a well written song. It gets a little plain at times, but you balance it out with other sections that I really enjoy. I think it's a really fun theme that you play with and it travels and progresses nicely. Again, congrats on making it to the final round.

MaldivirDragonwitch responds:

Your criticism is all on-point. I literally could just copy my response to SplatterDash's review: I noticed so many wrong choices that were made hastily that I will definitely not be making again. This was a serious learning experience, as was my plan all along! :)
Either way, glad you liked the parts you did. Thank you very much for the extensive review!

[R o R e v o l u t i o n (...We Will Take Over Your Soundwaves...)]

This is an official NGADM 2021 final round review

First of all, welcome to the final round of this year's NGADM. It's kinda crazy seeing people attempt the contest and make it to the finals on their first try. You're definitely not the first to do this, but I still welcome you all the same.

For first impressions, I wasn't expecting to get a movie intro, but I like how it introduces your song. Mmm the 2:20 section is delicious to listen to. You have some really good textures and atmospheres you've introduced here. 4:22 was a nice anti-drop. I was expecting it to build into a climax. I'm impressed with the wide range of feel/genres too. This song comes across as playful but not lacking in depth.

So as for the composition, there is definitely a lot going on. A lot of details, a lot of change ups, and a good number of stops/interruptions. I didn't even realize it was 6 minutes long the first time I went through this. There's a couple of stops I was dissapointed the same sound or same transition was used without any differences. To be nitpicky, the 2:01 section sounds a tad empty/dry. I say it's nitpicky because it does seem like it's meant to be a contrast of the section that's coming up after that. Basically it comes across as intentional so I don’t want to fault it. I also forget based on the description and occasional robot laugh that it's supposed to be a robotic horror feel, but it jams so well for it lol. Maybe we're observing in the mind of the rogue robot who's having a good time. So I'd say it can come across as maybe a tad dark, but it definitely dances around being I'll say spooky and being fun which I don't necessarily mind.`

As for the sound design and production, this is where it shines. It's well balanced and sounds pretty clean. Especially in the 2:20 area it's great to listen to. The only sound design complaint I really have is that the kick in that section sounds like a lower quality sample. Like maybe it's a tad bit crushed or missing some high end frequencies, but otherwise I think it fits. I also like listening to Infected Mushroom a bit and I can definitely hear that style in here when it comes around. This doesn't sound too quiet or too loud either. You've got a nice balance and contrast between each of your sections so there's some good energy management.

Again I dig it. I like the theme you picked and it was a fun ride to go on. With the amount of different styles that you were throwing in here, there weren't any that stood out stronger than the others and they felt natural. It also was a fun challenge to see where you applied your inspirations. The only artist I didn't recognize in your list was Master Boot Record, and I was surprised to see The Algorithm listed in your inspirations since I didn't hear any off camber rhythm heavy sections.

[The Tridecahedron Blood Summoning - Insanity Abstract Emerges]

This is an official NGADM 2021 final round review

Alright 9 minutes long. Before I get to reviewing it's definitely been a pleasure seeing you through the years even before judging NGADM. You've been largely influential in helping me appreciate and enjoy other genres I wouldn't have considered otherwise. Welcome to the final round

First impressions as I'm listening. It's very cinematic and clearly haunting. I never hear enough pipe organs in my life. I really enjoy the haunting choir. What's great about the loud section is I can clearly tell it's your style even though there isn't the usual synths I'm used to hearing. The composition overall is a nice blend of tonal chaos where there's voices/instruments coming through, but it's all just sounds so broken which I'm intending that in the best way possible. Everything is clashing together like the world is ending lol. The choir especially represents it well. It's basically just wailing and gnashing teeth. The song is a constant 9 minute reminder that this blood sacrifice is more than mildly traumatic, and everyone is crying out at the horrors taking place. The only thing in this whole cacophony of vocalized anguish that has any sense of control is the calm but brooding voice that's directing the whole theatrical. I wouldn't have expected what I feel like is your heaviest work to be something that's completely orchestral. You've satisfied my expectations lol.

As far as what I think of the composition, I think most of what I've heard was mentioned in my first impressions. My only complaint I would give would be one of personal preference. I know that it's intended to be atonal, but if it were me I would have at least had something like a rhythm or a tune that would be repeated periodically to be a cool connection throughout the whole piece. It's possible that what was used in the violins/violas starting at the 4:30 area is reprised at 8:10 and I didn't catch it on the first listen, but again this is personal preference. Taking that aside there's definitely a clear arc happening. You have the calm before the storm intro, and 2:30 is when events are really set in motion. Like I mentioned it's a very cinematic feel because there's a good sense of imagery of what's happening. After the initial shock of events, there's a steady tension and events that only increase until the end. It's all being told through fun filled details too. The choir as I've mentioned already is a wonderful tool you're using. There's dynamic range of the brass instruments that either help continue the unnerving tension, or they come in very dramatically and powerful. There's lots of good dissonance with the string instruments, and the percussion is very dramatic. And you have very literally wailing samples/vst. This would be a fun concert to witness live lol.

As far as the production side of things go, it would have been nice if it was a little louder but I can just turn up the volume of my headphones. There was a couple of balancing issues or shall I say balance decisions I wasn't fond of. At 3:00 I couldn't tell that it was a tenor singer that was trying to ring out. He was getting buried by everything else, like the choir the crash cymbals and the brass. Maybe all that's needed to resolve that is to bring him up in the mix. The brooding voice gets overshadowed and hard to understand and most especially at 7:57. Which is a bummer because there's no lyrics(?) to see what the final request is aside from it being unethical. However there isn't much else that inhibited me from enjoying this. I really like how everything sounded on their own. It sounds just like what I would expect from a live showing aside form the tenor solo. The vibrato was too consistent I think when switching notes especially the higher ones.

I mentioned to you earlier in this contest that I dared you to go heavier. While I stated that somewhat jokingly you pulled it off in a way I didn't expect. I did not feel too long either and I'm glad you stuck to one project from beginning to end this round without trashing a project until 3 days before deadline lol. Again, it's a pleasure seeing you in the final round.

[Sacred Space - NGADM FINALS!~]

This is an official NGADM 2021 final round review

I'm glad to see you here in the final round! I will say it's been a joy to be apart of this contest for enough years to see how people have grown through these contests and where they've came from.

Some initial thoughts from the first listen: Again, great use of vocals. I like seeing the metaphorical lyrics and the imagery. Tasting dreams, the use of spiraling, your work here is inspiring. I will say I'm not a fan of how you mastered the track. It seemed squashed so the mix didn't feel clean.

Listening to the compositional aspects of the song, you have a lot of details and change ups that you're using for energy management. I appreciate the effort involved because I get the sense that each detail was meticulously thought out even though there may be a couple of decisions I wasn't fond of. Most distracting was 1:03 ish that the whole mix cut out to water dropping with a hard pan right. I thought something like my phone interrupted because it was a lot quieter than the energy that just came before it. That being said, have a couple transitions be a tad disruptive isn't a major complaint since there's a lot I think you got right. You're using a lot of changes either to add emphasis or making transitions. There's also no mistake of when you've ramped up the energy compared to the contrast of how quiet or reserved it can be in other areas. 1:14 is a good example of the contrast. I might not agree with making it as dry as it is, but it still serves its purpose.

As far as what you have for themes and structure, I have a minor complaint about the intro. The tone it sets doesn't feel like what the rest of the song is. I could be misinterpreting intentions, but I was thinking this was going to be a darker and heavier sound than the more dance like ideas you have for most of the song. There's also lack of continuity from the melody you used there compared to everything you have in the verses and choruses throughout your song. Maybe I could see it being a reprise of the "Heys" but I think I'm starting to shoehorn it in. In contrast, I really like how the intro sounds like a voice until about 0:10 when the filter has dialed back enough that you could tell it was a synth. Solid use of chord progression through the whole song, and the chorus is really bumpin.

Like I mentioned earlier, the biggest issue I view is the mixing. There's sections that you get it right, and these are generally spots like 0:30-0:44 and 1:22 when I could tell the volume has gone down enough and leaves some headroom in the main mix. Biggest problem areas like the choruses and when the guitars come in, it feels like the mix is being shoved through a small pipe. Like sucking up a fresh milkshake so thick it won't go through the straw lol. It's kind of a shame because it feels like you had to dial back the vocals a little so that you could hear other instruments come through. I like that the kick feels like I'm getting hit by a pillow (I like the soft thud sound) but it might not have enough room in the mix to take up the space it needs. Speaking of percussion, you're doing them a disservice by having them be just about overrun by the guitars at 2:14 lol. I might be saying this as a drummer but let the drums cut through the mix and attack the listener (while being careful of the cymbals).

To end on my critiques on a positive note, the sound choice is fairly good, and I want to reiterate the vocal performance. Good range of techniques going from soft sections like 0:25 up through to some well controlled hi scream singing. Which actually I'm not sure how you're doing that because it doesn't sound like falsetto. Aside from all that though, well done and again congrats to making it to the finals.

[Funk'um]

Official 2021 NGADM round 2 review

First thing that I notice and I like is that there’s spots that feel really big and warm, like 0:54. I’m a fan of the funk style and I think you’ve pulled off a nice feel. It’s not overcomplicated, but there’s a lot of fun elements like the walking bass lines you have, a lot of fun details scattered into the mix that help make it unique and full. I don’t think your themes are overused or too repetitive either, but they are a good earworm. When I stopped listening to it I was still singing the bassline over in my head.

A lot of what I think is making this work is your choice of instruments. They’re a nice blend between I’ll dare say cheesy hip hop samples mixed in with jazzy funk retro game synths. It creates something that feels nostalgic but doesn’t feel dated. The bass you picked for your basslines are perfect, I love hearing the orchestra hit samples like at 0:41, your chord synths are juicy, and you have some cheesy sounding brass lead like at 1:58 that simply works. The only thing I don’t like generally throughout the whole song though,and this might be a personal preference thing, is that most of the instruments have a type of distortion or bitcrush happening that makes the song a little less clean that I’d like. Like I said it is personal preference because they way you have it now reminds me of RC Revenge pro for the OG playstation, and if you “cleaned it up” it might lose some of that nostalgia factor.

As I’ve said before, this song doesn’t feel overplayed or repetitive, and some of it comes from the fact that you know when to break away from it or change things up so that each time it comes back it feels different and fresh. There’s some implied dynamics happening, meaning that while the song doesn’t seem to get quieter in spots, there’s a definite contrast in energy and perceived volume. I don’t know if you have a limiter that you’ve got the main mix trying to crowd a bit, but I think what you have works for the most part.

Overall, I love listening to this. Each time I replayed it listening over certain parts I was bobbing along with a smile. There’s a lot of fun details but the heart of the song is just a fun nostalgic groove. It’s like something that’s been around for a while and comes up as a warm memory.

RoachBoarder responds:

Oh wow!! Thank you so much!!

[A Wasteland Dream Of Cables And Calamities]

Official 2021 NGADM round 2 review

Your intro threw me for a fun surprise. I instantly fell in love with the soundscape you made that didn’t even take you all of 30 seconds to set. I really like the “lazy” or sad sounding violins that add such character. As I said, once the synths came in at 0:58 it instantly changed the feel of the track, but I was happy with that surprise. Really combines it into a dystopian/cyberpunk feel. The only thing that I really don’t like with this song is your solo violin thing that starts at 1:44. To me it sounds too thin and has too much vibrato in spots. Although I think that’s my only noteworthy complaint about this whole song.

During the whole piece, knowing what you’ve made in the past, I can hear your flavor instilled in a number of the synths and their sound design. I like how you’ve contrasted your higher pitch and lighter instruments with brooding and ominous low frequency synths. 3:20 is a spot where I can hear that happening, 4:38 is another good example, the 5:10 section, it’s a nice contrast you have littered throughout the whole thing I feel like.

You have some really good dynamics happening, and, not talking about the description, you have a nice element of storytelling. I feel like I do get a little lost with the melodies you have going on in a couple of sections. Either because my mind loses track of where the melody came from half way through, or in the 5:30 section where there’s just a lot of melodies and countermelodies happening at the same time.

In terms of your production and mixing, I think it’s pretty solid. There might be a bit more delay and reverb for what I would like to hear personally to make it feel a little more cleaner, but that might run the risk of taking out too much of what works here. Overall though I’m happy to review this piece even if what I have isn’t a lot of critique. Knowing your style this was a welcomed departure and something I would not have expected to come from you, and to the fact you’re making it has a really cool flair that not many other people would have even thought to attempt.

[Automieted Rielity]

Official 2021 NGADM Round 2 review

Compositionally I really like what I’m listening to. I liked how you’ve used your glitches and it feels fresh and unique. The glitches may be a tad overused in some spots, but everything you have creates a story of frantic hope or something like where the hero is under pressure to resolve or escape a situation. The melodies I don’t think are anything too complex, but you’ve supported what you have with some good theme development and other fun ideas to help carry it along. I really don’t have any big issues with the composition. If anything I might say that the ending is a tad busy but some of that might be issues I have with the production side of things.

Since I just mentioned it, the sound is what I have the most issue with for this song. Two key points being it generally feels loud and there’s some sub frequency stuff I don’t like. I first noticed it at 0:20. There’s some low frequencies happening that’s messing with my head and just sound like noise since my mind can’t distinguish what the low frequencies actually are. I hear it is still an issue with the whole track in general. Easy fix is to just use the EQ to cut off anything below 40 or 20 hz. The second issue is just generally being loud. At 1:16 you can really tell with the impact you’re using that your whole track is up to a point that trying to have the impact cut through freaks out the limiter. Then when everything starts really going at the 3:10 section it sounds like everything is trying to fight front and center when there’s really only enough headroom for maybe two things. Both of these issues I think are simple issues to fix but I think it holds it back a tad.

Overall I like what you have. Ignoring the sound issues, I think there’s a neat combination of sounds that produce a cool atmosphere, and there’s decent dynamics and a good flow of ideas that happen in this song. It has potential, but I don’t think there’s a ton of work to get it to where it would be a really good listen.

[Swing and a Miss]

I would love for you to compose my drum solos

AlbeGian responds:

Hahahahah thanks! I just tried to replicate patterns and fills that I've listened in other places and I think that's one of the parts that took longer than the rest. Thank you for listening man!! ^^