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Spadezer

394 Audio Reviews

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This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review

Beginning Comments: The intro sets up the song well, and the theme you set matches the title. It feels very open and has a nice realism to it.

Production / Mixing: This sounds like a finished work. I would guess that's why I'm seeing you put so many hours into this is the production. The balancing is nice, and there's a good amount of reverb where it needs to be. I think it was a bit much at a few spots, but there was good care in making everything play in the same environment.

Composition / Structure: The main theme you have is great. It's a brooding chord progression that sets the tone well. It starts of with an open and ominous impression, but it doesn't do much aside from that. Aside from the 2:31 section increasing in tempo and adding in some other arpeggiated synths I feel like this song doesn't change up that much. It felt like this song needed some change in chord progression or an overlying melody to carry through what was happening. For example, what I was expecting when you transition before the 1:36 section that maybe you'd bring in a slightly more developed theme of what you've introduced leading up to it. Take the dynamics down a bit and add a melody and some fast moving strings in somewhat of a John Williams style.

Sound Design: For the most part, the quality is rather decent. Let me just get this out of the way by saying that the trumpets at 1:37 sounded obviously MIDI. I would have maybe used a different VST or add some automations to make it more humanized because they almost sounded like a synth. I'm saying that because everything else sounded so much more real. The crashes were excellent, the bells were nice, the seemingly almost (again almost) random digital synths and guitars brought in around 2:33 fit well. You handled a lot of instruments beautifully so I'm surprised by the trumpet quality at 1:37. The whole song is actually a nice blend of orchestral and other electronic instruments because it all sounded quite organic.

Ending Comments: The biggest issue was that it felt very similar for the whole 5 minutes. It would have been nice to hear a little more development in areas like different melodies or chord progressions. However, it is well polished. It was pleasing to listen to and sounded mostly consistent within itself.

Score:

Production - 1

Composition - 0.5

Structure - 0.5

Sound Design - 1

Replay - 0.5

Total - 7

*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.

This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review

Beginning Comments: This is a high energy intro and yet subtle intro. Without even seeing the description at first, I could tell this has a similar flair to Hans Zimmer work for something like MW2 stuff, but with a fresh different flavor. *Looks at the description again* Yeah I could see this being done in 5 hours….. Wait, on an Iphone? I didn't know you could get garage band to sound like this

Production / Mixing: Very clean. The percussion is very crisp and the instruments blend well. There's a very good management in keeping reverb in check and still sounding open, except at 1:25 ish. That area I felt was a little too crowded and sounds like it was maxing out a limiter a bit. Aside from that this feels much like a finished product.

Composition / Structure: It's a great concept on having a lot of quiet energy and it crescendos into a good climax. The theme you've developed matured nicely, but it felt cut off a little short. Like it was missing an outro. There's the driving base that carries the song forward, the use of orchestral instruments and vocals to add emotion to the piece, and the digital elements used bring in some good contrast, while the percussion capitalizes the energy a lot.

Sound Design: You picked the right voices to enhance the feel of the song. There were a couple of synths I liked that you added in too. They blended well together and created a good atmosphere.

Ending Comments: I wish it was longer, but this sounded pretty good with what you have. The overall song was crafted well and worked pretty decently.

Score:

Production - 1

Composition - 1

Structure - 0.5

Sound Design - 1

Replay - 0.5

Total - 8

*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.

JessieYun responds:

Thanks a lot for the constructive review. I'll try to improve the things you mentioned in the future.

This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review

Beginning Comments: The beginning is intriguing, but the main groove is a nice take. Not normally my type of genre, but this would be something I would have no problem listening to multiple times.

Production / Mixing: The mix is nice. What I was afraid of seeing what genre this was is that you would crank up the kick and distort the track with it. This is not the case, and everything blends nicely. There's an obvious use of sidechaining going on, but I enjoy it. The balancing is good between the rest of the instruments you have. Instruments placed in the background don't try to crowd the track, and the forefront instruments don't shout more than they need to.

Composition / Structure: The structure develops nicely. It's a little short, but it's not immature. The intro is subtle and has a neat amount of filters going on to let the listener know that the main theme hasn't arrived yet. There isn't a complex chord structure going on, but it always felt fresh either with new melodies or new flavors of instruments making it different.

Sound Design: A very interesting choice of styles used. Not voices I would have expected to hear together but I think they do well. The only one I question is the lead at 1:00. It's neat but I feel like it's just a tad tinny or to metallic, but that's only a minor complaint. You make up for it with just now nicely everything else promotes the main idea of the song.

Ending Comments: I'm honestly impressed. I knew more hip hop / trap music could be like this I would listen to it more often.

Score:

Production - 1

Composition - 0.5

Structure - 1

Sound Design - 1

Replay - 0.5

Total - 8

*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.

This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review

Beginning Comments:

Production / Mixing: The mixing is nice and clean, but the solo violin is quite a bit dry to mesh in the same environment as the rest of the instruments. Everything blended nicely except for those solo violins. They sounded so much closer to the listener. You could have also increased the volume a little bit without introducing any distortion yet, but that's only a minor complaint. Aside from those issues this already sounds mostly like a finished product.

Composition / Structure: The beginning strings had a really neat falling effect. It sets for a nice dark tone. The whole song I could get a sense of storytelling being done here, and since you've made this a "superhero" song, I could see this being used in something like a DC environment where the hero is doing all he can in a hopeless state. In terms of structure, I never felt anything overstayed its welcome, and I liked the development of the main theme. The only thing I notice after listening a couple of times is I would have liked to heard a little more variation with the strings. The constant repetition of the eighth notes I bet would be a bore to the musicians if this were recorded live.

Sound Design: I enjoyed how cinematic it was. The instruments you used were well picked, but a couple of issues I had crept up. Only minor things, like the crash you used I think is a little shallow (even though you tried to hide it). The rolling cymbals were good though. I question the synth you used starting at 0:42. Compared to everything else you have it throws the mood off. It doesn't emphasis the same atmosphere as the rest of the organic instruments you have there. Other than that, everything else sounded great. I especially loved the sounds you used at the end. Those were a nice touch.

Ending Comments: This was a pretty solid attempt. The concepts you have here developed well and allowed a good amount of time to explore your story.

Score:

Production - 0.5

Composition - 0.5

Structure - 1

Sound Design - 1

Replay - 0.5

Total - 7

*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.

This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review

Beginning Comments: There was a lot of different directions you were hinting to got to at the beginning I thought. It took a while to get going, but once you did I could get a nice relaxed and jazzy vibe out of this.

Production / Mixing: It's very clean. The Rhodes I felt were a slightly too forward but the rest of the mix was good. Well balanced and easy to listen to. Considering the style, having it be easy to take in is a necessity.

Composition / Structure: The intro went a little longer than I would have liked, but there was a healthy variety of voices used to set the stage. The song as a whole felt a bit free form. Not saying it lacked structure, but the theme had a tendency to morph and float as it progressed. I was a tad dissapointed at the end too, because I could have seen this developing a lot more.

Sound Design: The variety of instruments used at the beginning was a bit to take in, but it was pleasant. I didn't feel overwhelmed, and I like how they developed towards the main groove starting at 1:09. I really enjoyed what you were doing after that point. The only complaint I have is I thought the beginning piano was recorded. With everything else sounding so real and crisp, I'm surprised by the quality of the initial piano. It doesn't sound like it's in the same type of environment or with the same microphone.

Ending Comments: I enjoyed this. Not a bad piece, but I would have liked to have seen a little more development.

Score:

Production - 0.5

Composition - 1

Structure - 0.5

Sound Design - 1

Replay - 0.75

Total - 7.5

*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.

EdKempeper responds:

Hello !
Thank you for this constructive review.
Yeah, I recorded the piano and I tried to work on the sound, but it was really hard (it sounded very "distant"). It doesn't fit really well with the other parts of the track. Same thing for the guitars.
I'd like to mix it on Cubase, but it doesn't work anymore on my new computer.... Not eassy to mix on FL ! :p
And the structure of the track is not clear, especially the last part wher the drums stop...
Anyway, it was an experimental track, i should have posted something I master instead of it.
Thanks again for your review !
Ed

This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review

Beginning Comments: It has a good start. I like the dark tones you have but it was a tad short.

Production / Mixing: The balancing was fine. For what you had you did a decent job I think. Nothing stuck out with being too far forward, and I didn't feel anything was lost in the background either. It was nothing particularly awe inspiring though I felt.

Composition / Structure: The intro had great presence. I loved the tone it set. I could see it going in a lot of different directions, and most of them were as dark as you were leading on. Once it got going I felt it was a little shallow. You found a couple of dark ghoulish chords that sounded great, but there wasn't much development I felt. Good concept but lacking in execution I think.

Sound Design: I was happy with the intro, but the instruments felt…off. It started off great. The instruments have a good blending and sounds mostly realistic, that is until the drums came in. Not only did they sound cheap, but the general sound quality of the song felt diminished like I was listening to a Youtube video with low quality. Similar issue with the choir. Aside from that I like you instrument choices. The piano was dark and menacing, the strings were emotional, and the drums you picked do provide good emphasis.

Ending Comments: A little rough. Again the concept you have is a neat start but there's a wanting for more development and surrounding structure.

Score:

Production - 0.5

Composition - 0.5

Structure - 0.5

Sound Design - 0.5

Replay - 0.5

Total - 5

*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.

This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review

Beginning Comments: A tranquil beginning filled with emotion. A violin VST that I can instantly place who's using without prior knowledge.

Production / Mixing: It's quiet, but it complements what you're doing. You probably could have filled up a little more of the volume simply by raising the mix with a limiter or something, but for all intents and purposes this works fine. Not many instruments to work with so the balancing is simple, but even so I could be thrusted into the world your making.

Composition / Structure: To say this is soothing is an understatement. The composition is open but it's not simple. A lot of trills that didn't upset the mood or take away the energy. I enjoyed the humanization of the violin, but it sounded off in a couple of spots here and there. You also allowed each of there instruments there own space to give their voices instead of having this be simply a violin solo. There's also some elements I missed without listening deeply the first time like the harp near the end. Some really nice touches that deepened the development of the theme. As for the structure, while the song is short, it's not immature. I maybe would have liked to have this song be a littler long since there's ideas you have to make this a much longer and bigger song, but I can still enjoy this as a short ode. I can envision this being a slight aside in a musical which could make way for bigger plot points. The only complaint I have is the outro. I envisioned the note being held about three times longer with a resolving ensemble chord to back the violin. Or even no ensemble works too, since each has they're own flair, but I just felt the ending note didn't have time to exhale.

Sound Design: Great. The violin I think is a little too crude for this style, but I could tell you used this for how highly dynamic it is. Aside from that, lovely.

Ending Comments: This is a well crafted short without lacking depth.

Score:

Production - 1

Composition - 1

Structure - 0.5

Sound Design - 1

Replay - 1

Total - 9

*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.

This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review

Beginning Comments: Lovely intro. I like the themes you're using. There isn't really a memorable melody or anything like that, but it has a good sound. Definitely a good dance song.

Production / Mixing: It sounds clean at the beginning. It feels a hair on the loud side, but you handle it masterfully. Great mastering too since I can see that the wavelengths are full on the spectrum, but it doesn't sound distorted or tiring in any fashion. Definitely sounds like a finished and professional product. The only issue maybe is that with how loud you've made this song, I feel like you may have sacrificed some of the synths being buried in the background, and possibly used a smidge too much reverb in spots. In spite of that I think this was very well done.

Composition / Structure: It's a calming song. Rather open and free of melodies, which makes this as a nice background piece (and it's at 90 bpm which I think is slow for this genre). Which makes this a bit unique compared to most dance songs. Usually, or at least the music I listen to daily, there's a variation of a tune or a sound that's repeated and developed, where as this is a bit more free form and rich of development. Your concentration was undoubtedly concentrated on chord structure. I didn't notice until about the second or third listen that this was a five minute song. I'm impressed with how the song is structured that it filled up the time without effort. I unfortunately have one complaint though. The second drop/chorus starting at 3:34 was starting to get a little tiring around 4:16 ish without bringing the energy down a bit. Other than that the transitions were smooth and crisp, and was well enjoyed.

Sound Design: No complaints here. Everything worked well for the them you were going for. While the choice of voices you used didn't feel completely original, it was still unique and spiced with various instruments like what you've used for the Kontakt VST's and guitar.

Ending Comments: A song I enjoyed pressing play repeatedly as I typed a review. I'm impressed with how loud you were able to make it without sacrificing the quality. It was quite unique for the styles you were using without seeming unfamiliar.

Score:

Production - 0.75

Composition - 1

Structure - 0.5

Sound Design - 1

Replay - 1

Total - 8.75

*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.

This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review:

Beginning Comments: Aww yeah. Bringing in the good lofi stuff. Hard to pull off correctly, but this is a pretty decent listen. A nice short song.

Production / Mixing: You had the right lofi feel going on, but my ears felt tired towards the end. The balancing was fine I think, but between a low frequency heavy piano and slightly piercing trumpet solo, it wasn't as pleasant as what this type of song should have been. The organ was spot on though.

Composition / Structure: You've got the right chord structure, you've got a blues scale going on, and you've got the relaxed and slightly swung feel. All of the right ingredients to make a good lofi/jazz song. Nothing offensively busy going on with either the chord structures or the melody which is good. It was easy to bob my head to. The structure felt adequate for the style, it was a little short so you couldn't have developed it as much as I think you could have gone with this. For example, you could have dropped out a few instruments to take the energy down a little bit, similar to what you did with the outro, to rebuild the main theme again with possibly a little different flair.

Sound Design: Not fond of the beginning piano. It sounds too filtered and hot in the low frequencies. In spite of that, the way you handled the instruments did not detract from the feel of the song. No I couldn't have thought of any other instruments to get the feel you wanted from this, but you handled well. They had the right dynamics and humanization to them (using most of this is MIDI). Also, I love organs.

Ending Comments: Not bad. Sounded a little rough, but I enjoyed it.

Score:

Production - 0.25

Composition - 1

Structure - 0.5

Sound Design - 1

Replay - 0.5

Total - 6.5

*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.

acxle responds:

thank you! glad you liked the organs :) will try to keep a more natural-sounding piano next time!

This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review:

Beginning Comments: I get the feeling of a rock ballad song. It was pretty open and had a hopeful feel to it. Not something I would have expected for a Newgrounds contest so it was refreshing.

Production / Mixing: For the most part I think it was good. The beginning was pretty good, I think the drums were a little too quiet for the mix, but the only part I would want to complain is that the synths that came in at 2:14 seemed to have a bit too much reverb I felt. Or at least combined with the guitar which I get the feeling also had some reverb, compounded a little with itself and made the overall mix feel crowded. Aside from that, the production was pretty decent.

Composition / Structure: The intro chords were captivating, and had a good impression for the style you were going for. After that it I could start to get a good feel for the ballad you were going for. It reminded me a little bit of top gun in a way. It wasn't "Danger Zone" but would I would have imagined replacing "Take my Breath Away" if I were to change it (lulz). Anyway, the composition doesn't have much going for it. A little slow which made it easier to put in the background and concentrate on something else. The progression of the structure wasn't bad, I liked the continuous rising throughout the whole song and it climaxed at a nice crescendo. I think it may have developed a little too slowly, but I do like how you've managed the energy through it for the most part. I didn't realize at first but the pads are a nice touch. They're subtle but add some good fullness to the song.

Sound Design: The beginning guitars sounded great. Almost live recording. The percussion when it came in I wasn't as impressed but I wasn't distracted by them once the song built some more energy. I wasn't sure about the synths that you brought in, but I feel like there was a lot of reverb to slightly mask what they were. Again, the guitars sounded great.

Ending Comments: Not bad. A bold choice to make a song of this style I think for a NGUAC entry, but decently executed.

Score:

Production - 0.5

Composition - 0.5

Structure - 1

Sound Design - 1

Replay - 0.5

Total - 7

*Disclaimer - to make judging consistent with other judges, individual category scores are multiplied by 2 to make a total possible 10 points.

350teric responds:

Thanks for the review man! Reminded you of “Top Gun” (hahaha omg). I guess it has that 80’s production undertone, with all the reverbs going on. Fun fact, one can say the guitars are live recorded, with no software and post production, directly recorded out of an amp with overdrive, delay and reverb effects. :)

Do you like dubs? Do you like Wubs? I've got them in SPADES! Sprinkled in is some actual melodic content so you don't think I'm a hype junkie

Age 31, Male

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