Spadezer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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!

[Palace of Tales and Memories]

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. :)

[As The Crows Fly By]

This is an official NGADM '18 Round 1 Review:

Beginning Comments: A fun, but solemn groove to relax to. I was excited to hear what you had to bring since I've studied you music before in chips compos, so I was pleasantly surprised by what you had to bring to the contest.

Production and Mixing: Nothing much to write in this category. It was well mastered and carefully balanced with the end result sounding like a finished product. Everything had it's place and I didn't feel like there were many elements competing with each other. Elements that were leading the piece were brought to the forefront as they should have, and the intricate background details did well to spice up the piece without being distracting.

Composition and Structure: Very simple intro. Makes for a solemn theme. This is not what I would have expected from you, but the first section after the intro came in pretty nice. Maybe a little suddenly. The vocal chopping is interesting, usually I'm not up for that stuff, but I like what you got here. Okay, I'm really digging the 02:00 section. It has a nice groove that easy to ride with. There's nice use of background details happening as it's going on too. The structure has nice use of dynamics, although I wonder if it's a little too bare in the quiet breakup at the 2:40 section. The rhythm was a very sudden changeup at 2:59. It's interesting but you loose the ambient feeling you were riding the whole way through. Granted, that's more the style I excepted you to have from the beginning, but it was quite the change compared to earlier. Overall, for the main theme / melody that you introduced originally, it was really basic. Which is fine for this style of ambient piece, and you did develop the structure a bit around that theme. I enjoyed that.

Sound Design: You had a very interesting choice of sounds and synths used. They were unique, but they did a cool job of emphasizing the feel you were creating with the composition. It all had a pleasant but uneasy atmoshpere that was fun to explore. The vocals you brought in were a nice touch. Didn't understand them or why they were there, but they seemed to work. The crows, will initially sounding a bit gimmicky, were a nice addition as well.

Ending Comments: It's a cool piece. One that displays your abilities in making calmer and more somber music. Not the style I'm used to hearing from you, but one you pulled off well. It was well developed, but ended on an inconsistent style compared to the rest of the piece. Good work.

Score:

Total - 7.5
Production - 2
Sound Design - 1.5
Composition - 1.5
Structure - 1
Replay - 1.5

[Jewel Box]

This is an official NGADM '18 Round 1 Review

Beginning comments: Hey cool, a music box song. The execution was interesting but the idea was unique for this contest setting.

Production and Mixing: It sounds like someone held the microphone really close to the box. It was a little hard to listen to with the higher frequencies as piercing as they were. It would have been nice to maybe filter out some of the higher frequencies down a little bit, and then maybe throw on a compressor or so to make the overall mix sound more polished and less dry. Not too much to comment aside from that.

Composition and Structure: I like the concept. It's bold to simply stick to one instrument like this for this contest, but I'm not sure if you should have gone with a music box, assuming the instrument was your inspiration. Regardless, you have a good composition made for a music box. It's peaceful in a way that fits the nostalgia of a music box. The chord structure and the rolls into the lead notes do a good job. Only real issue was that I felt like some of the sections felt a bit too similar feeling like the song dragged a little bit around the 1:00. Maybe I would have liked to have seen a little more development of the theme to keep some of my interest.... Speaking of dragging, missed opportunity to slow the tempo down as it was getting towards the end of the song in true music box fashion.

Sound Design: Well you picked a music box… not much to say other than that. A bold choice, but I enjoyed it.

Ending Comments: I think the song was handled well. It would have benefitted with a little more care for some mastering or production, but not a bad attempt in of itself. Music boxes I feel like are usually synonymous with nostalgia or innocence themes and you have a composition that helps reflect that. Sounds deceivingly simple and not something I would have expected in this contest, but I like the product you have.

Score:

Total - 6.5
Production - 1
Sound Design - 1.5
Composition - 1.5
Structure - 1
Replay - 1.5

SourJovis responds:

Thank you for the review you did one year ago. From your comments I've learned the most. Too bad you didn't like this song that much, but by explaining very thoroughly what you liked and didn't like, I was able to improve a lot on this song as well as finally finishing the multi instrumental version of this song I intended to submit to the NGADM18 instead of this one.

In the author comments under the edits you can see what I've changed exactly.

I changed the chords and structure a bit. What I took from your advice was increasing the tempo changes a bit more. Also I repeated the beginning at the end, but slowed it down to get that "true music box fashion" ending you suggested.

Production wise, you said it sounded like it was recorded from too close by and the high frequencies were to piercing. I fixed this by using different, less piercing samples. I've filtered out some of the higher frequencies with an equalizer, note per note, so the higher notes are filtered a little bit more drastically filtered. I've added/increased a few nice impulse response reverbs to make it sound like it was recorded further away so the sound is softened a bit. Also I made it stereo, which makes it sound a lot more interesting. There already was compression, but I did a little more of it. I didn't want to use too much of it, because I wanted to still make it sound like an actual music box, but it was enough to make the sound a bit fuller.

You may want to check out the multi instrumental version I finished after a year time. Like you said, this song works well for a music box, yet the other other version I created sounds very different and also works well.

https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/872860