Spadezer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Invincible]

This is an Official NGUAC '18 Knockout Round Review

Beginning Comments: It has a really bubbly intro and set s a nice tone. A little quiet but it's nice.

Production / Mixing: Most things here are balanced well. The overall volume is a little too quiet, but it sounded like a finished product.

Composition / Structure: There wasn't much to it. The bubbly synths you have going on at first were pretty nice. The bass gives it a nice happy feel, and there's a soothing choir synth going on in the back. You introduced the happy melody as it was going over the regular structure, but the song felt flat. There was very little development of chord progressions or meshing ideas involving the melodies you used. I would have enjoyed hearing the guitars that you introduced a bit sooner. You do, however, do a good job in keeping with the theme you have when you do develop it. Whatever you've added or introduced does a good job of keeping with a similar style.

Sound Design: Most everything had a quirky and happy style to it. I would have changed probably a couple of properties of a couple things, like the first lead synth maybe felt a little too sharp, and the piano at 4:11 felt too dry. Other than that they all worked pretty well.

Ending Comments: Not a bad piece. A bit too repetitive, but the theme was pleasant.

Score:

Production - 0.5

Composition - 0.5

Structure - 0.5

Sound Design - 0.75

Replay - 0.5

Total - 5.25

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

ZaneLittle responds:

I appreciate the feedback!

[The Dangerous Path to Home (NGUAC 2018)]

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.

[The Last Defense - Jessie Yun [NGUAC]]

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.

[Gaero - Heart]

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.

[The Endless Struggle (NGUAC 2018)]

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.

[Summer Night]

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

[Paralysis]

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.

[Until Then]

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!