Spadezer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Codename: Michael J Fox (NGADM '15)]

This is cool.

I'd be careful with some of the repetition though. In terms of composition, you like to stay with one theme just a bit too far out of its welcome before you move on to a break. When the theme starts off at the beginning it's really cool, but the constant trilling can become a bit of a bother after hearing it about 30+ times (I apologize for being a bit harsh, but it's probably no wheres near the detail that the judges will be getting in). I love the break at 01:17-01:50. Not only is it refreshing but the atmosphere you're making is well done. 02:25 reminds me of something that I learned at NGADM last year. Volume dynamics is a beautiful thing. You don't want a song that's loud all of the time because listeners ears will feel tired towards the end of the song, but at the same time you don't want a song that's too quiet otherwise it will give the listeners a feeling of emptiness during the song. So I guess a rule of thumb is more dynamic contrast the better. Last point about composition. Do more with the ending, especially since you still have time before the deadline. The ending is too abrupt. All you need is maybe an ending chord to properly end the song. Like whatever chord you're in at 03:58. What you're doing is that you have a chord that's in the main key of the song at 03:58 (I don't know what it is but let's say that this song is in the key of D) and then it sounds like you go into the 5th chord at 04:02 (lets say A) which acts as a transition chord. The problem is that you stop there. You're not settling the song when it ends and it acts as a really bad cliff hanger. All you need is a guitar and synth thing striking the main chord again with a drum hit and that's all you need to make the ending a bit better.

Now for instruments and mastering. As larrynachos pointed out the mastering is good. The drums are also good. If anything they could be just a little louder. But the drumming really compliments the song and I never once thought that the drums were out of place. The kick is quite authoritative and overall the drums drive the song well. The guitar work is really good too. Especially at 02:25; I really love that part. The most brilliant part of this song I think (aside from 02:25) is the synth in this song. It just blends well with the guitars, and (just like I've said before) the mastering is done just right especially with the synth.

So to wrap it up really quick. Not bad. You could explore themes move and add a bit more variation with sections like 02:25, but fix the ending. Especially since you have time right now. Fix the ending. It doesn't need much. Do it.

Good work and good luck
-Spadezer-

JDawg00100 responds:

Yeah I'm probably going to get docked points for having a lot of repetition but that's just how I write. As for the ending it sounds really cheesy to me when I have the ending end on a note for some reason, I prefer it without one. I actually had a really drawn out sort of ending with different bpm changes and I also tried it simple but oh well, if that docks me points then I don't mind. Thanks for the detailed review though I will definitely use a lot of it in the future

[Crime of Spring (WIP)]

*Gasp* NGADM is here!?

Best of luck to ya. You'll have one less artist to compete against here, if that makes you feel better.

But what I know will make you feel better is by saying:

This is just the audition? This is going to be good. In short, I like a lot of what's going on. I really like how the bass and the percussion work together. I wish my Google Music radio stations had more songs like this and try to stay away from the derp fax machines and cliche builds. You know, this feels like a new Kirby bonus level. It's light and bouncy and the high pitched arpeggiating notes help give that sort of happy feeling. Also, jazz is good. jazz is always good. If you don't like your song add some jazz and 60% of the time it works everytime.

Best of luck and enjoy.
-Spadezer-

KabukiTunes responds:

Jazz is love. Jazz is life. Add a 7th to an unsatisfactory chord, and it becomes instant sex

Thank you! Can't wait for the competition to start!

[Dont]

Sweet!

The first part isn't bad. For what it is it's not so bad, but it does its job of setting up the rest of the song. The only big complaint I will mention is that I think the vocals would have been better an octave higher or have both this octave and the higher one singing at the same time (I'm sorry if this is you or someone you know but it makes him sound a bit creepy IMO). However I digress, which leads me to 00:45 when the chorus hit. Man, when you work at it, you can make big and beautiful atmospheres. I suggest whatever you do, try to focus on that and you'll go far. The chorus takes the melody of the lyrics and adds ton of emotion to them. The dubstep bits don't get in the way either. You did a good job in being careful that the wubwubs didn't take the feeling away. Props.

I do have to apologize about falling off the face of Newgrounds and then suddenly showing up all like "Woah cool a Pandasticality song!" I graduated college and during the last month of it both my laptop and my keyboard decided to give up, and I've spent up till last week getting a job. So I'll probably miss some contests this year but as this year progresses you'll get to see me more often. I don't know how I rank in your list of favorites, but this is my first activity in like six months and I'm starting to get antsy about making something now that I'm getting money eventually, but it's good to see... uh ... hear more of your music. I still have Future playing in my playlist. ;)

Don't give up ... on me ... unless you want to. That's fine. I won't judge.
jk lols
-Spadezer-

Pandasticality responds:

i get the afk from NG for a while, i just did that too, i was just so stuck up with work, currently working as a researcher so free time is rare, oh and the vocals weren't mine, it was a first timer in the studio, a friend of mine, never singed before and i thought id give him a chance and see if he could actually do something, i thought he did well considering its his first time even tho the vocals sound a little awkward.

Thank you for the review Spadezer.
- Pandasticality

[A Dream From the Past]

It's instruments like these that don't get used enough, at least from what I hear. Happy New Years btw! And I'll say not a bad piece. I really enjoy the harpsichord work in this, and I won't mention anything about the strings stuff, but they don't sound out of place.

Not looking to make in depth reviews at this point. I'm on a whole post-graduation-recovery state and I'm finally looking at Newgrounds again. But again.

Happy New Year!
-Spadezer-

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I like harpsichords, in general. As long as they are not used too much, that is...
I really wished I had better vsti:s though, especially for the strings :/ Either way, the production of this track was pretty lazy :p

Don't worry! Any reviews are welcome, and I like your ones well enough, as I'm sure all other receivers do too :3

Happy New Year to you as well! :'D

[Last Lightning]

This is pretty sweet. I would never expect you to make something like this, but I like what I hear. The intro is well done. The high-hat (if you want to call it that) is so nice. It's subtle but really effective. For the mixing, it sounds like you're using some distortion on the drums. It works, but I don't think it's the best. It's my opinion, but it doesn't damper the song. Looking at the composition, not much going on there, but everything else makes up for it. All of the sound fx and the mixing are pretty spot on.

Just some quick thoughts for ya. I'm really to see something like this come from you.
-Spadezer-

Pandasticality responds:

thanks again for your review Spadezer, much appreciated.
- Pandasticality

[liquid messabout]

Just a couple of notes.

I don't mind the pitch bend, but I think it's being used too often. It sounds like you're using it to isolate different sections, but I'd use something else other than that. The mixing is pretty good. The theme is pretty cool at first, but I start to lose interest around 01:30. It feels it doesn't change much style enough to keep me interested.

It's pretty though. Not quite my cup of tea, but it's pretty cool.
-Spadezer-

AeroMusic responds:

yupp sorry about that - honestly I think I shoulda uploaded 2 mins and just had it as a loop

Yeah not sure how I feel about the pitch bend aswell - I like it before the drop but maybe not in the main section
cheers for the review mate :)

[These Days]

Woah!

So Cool! I can hear the bass and percussion already. You should totally run with this.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks Spadezer!!!

I don't think I'll return to this, but once I get some time I will make an even cooler electronic song for sure (with bass and percussion too XD) ;)

[Air]

Wow, these zero bombers are harsh. I wouldn't have thought that they still exist here.

Anyway, my first impressions are that it seems to be a little too simple. The intro takes up half of the song too. I personally don't mind the intro, but it deserves a song that's a bit longer in my opinion (for how short this is I would get rid of the first 30 seconds, but this is only my opinion). Personally, I would have loved to see different things you could have done with the main theme. You set up a melody with a synth that works but doesn't feel quite right (can't put my thumb on why though). The build up is nice, and then once you get to the wub-wubs it feels nice. There's a little bit of brilliance here to. You're using an aggressive bass but you create a light and open feel. Now that I think of it, your style in this song is pretty similar to Blackmill. However, there's not much more than that. You do your wub-wubs and then your song just gives up on ideas and calls it good. Basically, if you haven't guessed by now, it feels too short. You could change up the rhythms, you could add a new melody to play with that could possibly play along with the first melody, you could change the chord structure, and the list is endless.

So to wrap it up a bit, your bit of Blackmill song could do more. It generally feels like there's another element needed, but the mixing is well done. Some of the synths could be reworked too. But the best part about this is the chorus. I would personally have messed around with variants of the chorus to make it longer and could possibly add depth in that way.

Still waiting to hear the next track like Future. That song got me hooked and I want to hear you make stuff like that . This song is a closer echo compared to your more recent stuff.

Be awesome, be more awesome, and repeat,
-Spadezer-

Pandasticality responds:

thanks for the tips, noted, blackmill is awesome, i like his music even tho its been quite a while since i've listened to it, this song is just one of those projects that started off with experimenting with random sounds and what not, this is what came of that, theres alot of space for improvement in this song, thank you for the review. <3
- Pandasticality

[Look Up]

Just one thing from me. You've got your mixing down really good. Your chorus and bass synths are working perfectly with each other. It creates a feeling like listening to the chord of a professional concert band. The synths are beautiful and the bass adds the perfect foundation.

Be awesome, be more awesome, and repeat.
-Spadezer-

Geoplex responds:

Thank you very much! ^^ My mixing and mastering abilities are what I'm really striving for right now and I won't stop until I'm better than AU5

[Seafloor]

Man you got some haters here. Only 4 votes and it's less than three stars?

I get a Metroid Prime vibe. It's pretty chill and I can really see this as like an underwater area in Metroid. I really like the snare you have. It's pretty sweet for the theme you're bringing across.

Two things I hear with this that I would change. The synths you have are good, but they're not solid. I'm specifically talking about the lead synth and the little whistle at 00:54. All of the synths do their job well (especially the bells. Those are perfect). The lead synth is really cool when it's quiet and chill, but it doesn't feel right when it gets closer to full volume. The whistle, like I've said is played correctly, but it just doesn't feel right like it needs reverb or depth. The second thing I'll point out. 01:38-end just feels awkward. It's not bad but just ending with that doesn't feel like it works.

Anyway, those were my two-cents. Bottom line is it creates a sweet feel, actually does inspire some imagery. It could be a little simple, but still could use a little work either way.
-Spadezer-

Pandasticality responds:

thanks for your review, much appreciated, thnx for the tips :3
- Pandasticality