Spadezer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[The Elvenking’s Prayer]

This is an official NGADM '18 Round 1 Review:

This review is going to be quite different compared to my other reviews. Mostly because if I were to do it in that fashion, I wouldn't have found anything to critique on to correctly (take that as a compliment). I don't know if I could have said much other than the production is on point, the composition and structure fits not only your intent, but the lore of this as well, and you have an interesting sound design to use for this (more on that as later), and I could listen to this over and over without getting tired of your voice. So I'm going to need to revert to other methods.

So know I see that this song is formulated with Lord of the Rings lore. Fortunately I am a LOTR enthusiast, meaning while I'm not an expert in this subject by any means, I have had my fair share of homework to look into as I read through the trilogy and the Silmarillion for a LOTR class I took in college. Unfortunately I didn't pay that much attention to Thranduil as much as you did so I had to do a small bit of research…. Which I think you've outdone me on that too…

So now after watching a few LOTR scenes and songs, I've come back to listen to yours and the thing that sticks out the most is your choice of music. I bring this up because I know Tolkien was very keen on what music was like in his world. Similarly with the languages he used to portray different regions (for example middle earthen language was more harsh and violent while elven was more romantically Latin sounding). With all that being said I find it very interesting that you used what sounded like middle eastern elements used to portray Mirkwood sourced music.

After some other research I found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Depf1gKhBno
Now this song is not from Mirkwood, but it's still elvish and I would argue that the styles should be similar enough to know that while they would be different regions, they should still have the same elvish feel (btw, especially to bystanders reading this review, that's a really cool song).

Now depending on what part of you're song I listen to I feel like it could go both ways. You start off with a droning cello which I think is excellent. The root note also gives it a good Celtic drone as well which fits within the Tolkien universe. The vocal inflections and trills are perfect, but the key you use is what I question along with some of the instrument choices. The key your using I'm sounds like I'm guessing is a harmonic minor (again, based on some Youtube research, you're really stretching me with this one). In itself a great key for describing the mood you're trying to convey, but it misses getting the right feel of it being a Mirkwood elven song in my opinion (refer to previously linked video). I think this probably would have had a better effect if you picked more of a natural minor which I'm assuming that linked song is in.

As a smaller second point, the heavily reverb background instruments you have as a type of response to the lyric's call sounds middle eastern in a sense. Not the Irish strings or flutes I would expect for this type of song, but this is more of a continuation I feel of the previous paragraph.

So all of that to say I only really found one issue I could have with your song and it's that it doesn't have the right LOTR feel in certain spots, but I had to show you how much effort it took me to get to that conclusion and why I thought that. Aside from that, beautiful song and well made. I definitely appreciate hearing LOTR artwork since there's such a big rabbit hole to travel you could dive into, and I appreciate it so much.

Ending comments: It really sounds like the verse starting at 1:11 was really hard to sing. I thoroughly enjoy LOTR lore based music and this is a good example I think.

Score:

Total - 9.25
Production - 2
Sound Design - 1.5
Composition - 1.75
Structure - 2
Replay - 2

etherealwinds responds:

Hey hey!
Sorry for taking so long to respond to this - I meant to respond sooner but as I mentioned, I was travelling when I read it and intended to respond to it later. Meeting LSD was quite the distraction!

Thank you for putting the effort into reviewing my track so thoroughly and it's especially nice that you're familiar with the source of inspiration in so much depth! :) I'm happy you liked the technical musicality of the piece so much.

Yikes, I remember trying to read the Silmarillion and I really struggled with it. When I was writing the lyrics, luckily the Sindarin speaker that helped me with the translation also had a lot more knowledge of the lore than I did myself. In that sense, it comes in handy being a purist; something I can't really define myself as on any level!

In terms of how I went about deciding to compose in the way that I did, I didn't really think too much about referencing it back to the films' soundtracks and the specific locations. For me, I decided to focus on the mood of the piece; the darkness and the desperation, yet also the hope. I wanted to incorporate a sort of call and response to ignite a sense of interaction between Thranduil, the elves of Mirkwood and Legolas; I also wanted to carry that call and response element not only in the vocals but also in the instrumental to cut through the drone. I myself don't tend to think Irish strings or flutes when drawing on the darkness of the lore, but I would say that comes down to personal interpretation. I suppose it also depends on how you mix and compose those parts! I just felt the deep weaving performance of the stringed instrument really brought out the mysteriousness and darkness that perfectly conveyed the tone of the piece for me. It was really interesting to read your different interpretation as well! I'm happy someone managed to really get into the depths of the piece.

Once again, I'm sorry it took so long to get to this review and I hope it doesn't put you off putting as much effort into any future reviews - I really appreciated this one and I'll endeavour to respond promptly in the future! Have a wonderful day :)

[stardust [NGADM Round 1]]

This is an Official NGADM '18 Round 1 Review:

Beginning Comments: A very unique song. It was like a melodic dance trance song. It was happy but not overbearingly so. A very intriguing style I don't hear very much of.

Production and Mixing: I was a little removed with the first gated chords. The gate was fine, but I felt it was almost so much that I couldn't hear the chords. It was to the point that the kick was almost overpowering while piercing the silence they were leaving behind. Other than that, the mix felt very clean (the best being example at 1:15). You added some nice details like the panned snare at 1:37 I thought was a really nice touch, and I really loved the ambience you threw in at 1:05. That in particular was a really nice touch.

Composition and Structure: I never got the sense of a melody but I hardly felt it was needed. There is some sort of melody here and there but it's so minor I'd call it a bit ambient. On the other hand there was so much percussion and dance style synths going on that I couldn't really call it that. It was really well pulled off. The only thing I would think about complaining about is the outro. I like the feel, but it's just a contrast of mood / theme compared to the rest of the track that I felt it wasn't needed. Kind of through me off too because it felt like you had another direction this song was going to go to, but then it went off the rails and ended in a sense. Aside from that, I liked the transitions and enjoyed the ride you were leading.

Sound Design: I really enjoyed what you used. Nothing felt out of place and everything you used created a unique flavor to add to the overall end product. The only thing I would question is the snare particularly at 1:47. It sounds fine everywhere else, but it's big, and a little dull and tinny compared to what I felt should have been used at that section.

Ending Comments: I had no problem putting this on repeat as I was writing the review. I think you were able to pull of something very original and unique, and did a decent job putting in elements to help develop the song.

Score:

Total - 8
Production - 1.5
Sound Design - 1.5
Composition - 2
Structure - 1.5
Replay - 1.5

N1NJA-Official responds:

Thanks! I appreciate the review.

[On Go]

This is an official NGADM '18 Round 1 Review

Beginning Comments: A song I think that fits your style, but also a good display of your skill. Something you should be proud of.

Production and Mixing: It's so clean at the beginning, and I can tell you pay special attention to your mixing. The only issue I had, which I didn't notice the first time around, the levels did seem to get a little tiring. Maybe the bass overall was a little bit much or the highs were a little too piercing. Not sure exactly what it was, but other than that I think this is well mixed and sounds like a finished product.

Composition and Structure: The beginning melody you use to build the theme is beautiful, and I think you build off of it nicely with your development. The only issue I had with the structure is that I was starting to think the first big section started to overstay its welcome about 15-30 seconds before you dropped the intensity down a bit. However, the change in dynamics are really nice.

Sound Design: I love your synths. The first synth you used for the intro reminded me of the Aquatic Ambiance song from Donkey Kong Country. Great nostalgia, but even without that in mind, it's such a cool sounding synth what you have. I like your very subtle use of rain at the beginning. Throughout the whole song you use some really interesting elements for background details. Those sound elements in the background may be off putting, but I enjoyed the details and helped with the tone of the piece. The other synths you use are a unique style to you because I know I've reviewed that style in previous chipscompos, but I never get enough of them either.

Ending Comments: I really didn't have many issues with your song. Which maybe as a judge that's not the best thing to say in a Deathmatch setting, but at least the few thoughts I could jot down could help with your improvement. Don't give up. Don't be too hard on yourself either. You're not going to make the best music if you think you're not good enough. Don't worry anything else aside from your music. Go On and enjoy the gift of sOnG…..or whatever.

Score:

Total - 8.75
Production - 1.75
Sound Design - 2
Composition - 2
Structure - 1.5
Replay - 1.5

Onefin responds:

ey spade

feel like your comment about the levels getting tiring and the comment about the drop section overstaying its welcome are tied together, probably has something to do with the fact that the whole thing is 9/8 swing which feels fast but the bars pass by really slowly

ooh aquatic ambiance, not entirely what i was going for but i do love me some david wise

i'm against you-know-who so i'm gonna have to pull myself together for the next three weeks :P i'm gonna try to take your advice to heart man thanks so much

also niiiice, i didn't think of putting "Go On" somewhere in the description, that's brilliant gg

[breaking glass]

This is an official NGADM '18 Round 1 Review:

Production and Mixing: Decent attempt overall, but I felt wanting more. The guitar introduced felt like it was too weak and the bass through the second half didn't fill out the bottom of the spectrum like I felt like it should have. I'm not saying it should be louder, because the mix is pretty good, but it just felt…..shallow. The percussion was quite solid.

Composition and Structure: The intro is really good. The strings and the piano have a really good sound to set the song with. The electronic synths are also introduced well. I feel like it runs out of steam part way through, and I feel like you started to notice that and rolled the song out to finish. The outro was good though (other than the fade out pet peeve, but that's personal preference). There's a lot of neat details you've added to add flavor and color to the song. I liked the interrupting bass stabs.

Sound Design: The filtered piano and strings at the beginning are ok for an introduction I think, but I love the plucked synth you bring in. And I love how it transitions to a more bass heavy synth. This is a really good mix of orchestral and synthetic elements. I had no issues with the choice of instruments. It has an Assassin's Creed feel at times. I'm most disappointed in the first guitar you introduce. By itself it falls flat. It adds a nice element when the mix is more full, but it's so empty by itself.

Ending comments: I dig this. It's a nice background piece in a good way. You've been able to incorporate electronic elements without being disruptive which makes this good study / background music. It carries a nice theme that develops through the song and I never felt that the song was long. Cool work.

Score:

Total - 7.25
Production - 1.5
Sound Design - 1.5
Composition - 1.25
Structure - 1.5
Replay - 1.5

Sequenced responds:

Yeah the guitar library I got isn't the greatest. #poormusicianlife

[Quixotic (Original Mix)]

This is an official NGADM '18 Round 1 Review:

Beginning Comments: Nice and heavy. I song I would definitely expect to hear in this contest and one I'm fond of critiquing.

Production and Mixing: The details are well organized at the beginning. The filter automation and percussive elements are pretty nice. Then there's the first big open section, and it sounds like it's a loud mix that relied too much on a compressor to keep it in check. Every time the kick comes in it sounds distorted. Maybe if you focused more on sidechaining it would have been a little cleaner. Aside from the poor mastering, the mix itself sounds decent. It's well balanced for the type of heavy song this is, and there are some nice production qualities happening. If you focused more on keeping volumes in check and then raising the volume of the song later with something like a multi band compressor, this would have been really rocking.

Composition and Structure: Good intro, and I really like how you built into the first drop. In terms of composition, this is actually pretty detailed in spite of it being a heavy drum and bass / dubstep song. Usually I expect these songs in this contest to be a bit basic / simple to make way for the sound design of the synths involved (which isn't a bad thing), but you have this chalked full of details. And the transitions between styles and rhythm changes are well polished. Every section is a fresh new development that always felt based on the original intent of the song. Great work. I'm not sure if I completely agree with how you ended the song by doing sudden recaps of each style you used, but it was interesting and unusual, so I give you that. The more I listened to it, the more I was becoming okay with it.

Sound Design: Like I mentioned earlier, songs in this genre usually let the composition be simple for the sake of sound design, but really is definitely not an example of that case. I was never really wowed by the choice of sounds or synths, but there was a good effort I think. You did a good job of picking ones that worked, and actually a lot of the stuff you introduced at the beginning were pretty cool. It's fun listening to what you're doing in the background too. There's a lot of carefully placed details that give this song a lot of flavor and good tone.

Ending Comments: I'm sad the production quality got in the way of me enjoying this as much as I could. There's a lot of brilliance happening here. It's chalked full of interesting details and ideas, and the execution was pretty good actually. Clean up the mix a little and you've got a pretty solid song. I enjoyed it though and I think this was pretty good.

Score:

Total - 7.25
Production - 1
Sound Design - 1.5
Composition - 2
Structure - 1.5
Replay - 1.25

KaixoMusic responds:

Thanks! I don't know what u mean with the mastering cuz it's fine imo... It's loud, but I don't hear any distortion at the kick. And any distortion that you do hear was put on it with a waveshaper to make the kick sharper and punchier. Which sounds okay imo...

The type of mastering varies per genre in the EDM world, and I am going for the heavy style mastering, if you listen to Muzzy - In The Night for example, that track is mastered very loudly. So I guess it's all taste...

Edit: The sidechain is just a volume automation and did the job correctly.

[Condensation]

This is an official NGADM '18 Round 1 Review

Beginning comments: I enjoyed it. I like the theme of the piece and I think it fits your description for the most part too. But on to the breakdown.

Production and Mixing: The beginning is nice, but I'm not fond of the percussion hits in the 0:30 section. I can't tell if the low snare is competing frequencies with something else or if the reverb is feeding in on itself too much. Actually in general I feel like this song is a little too heavy on reverb. I say that because there weren't many points that I felt everything was given their space to breath. Instead it felt more like elements were trying to be heard more than working in the space they naturally fall in. Aside from that, the balancing was decent for the most part, and overall the sound was managed well for the tone of the peace.

Composition and Structure: The plucked synths are combined well with the piano. I like the theme you introduce in the first big section at 0:48 and actually I wish it developed a little bit more before you moved on. I liked it a bit and I felt it was cut off. I you reintroduce it which is good, but I still feel like it didn't have enough room to develop. In general I like the hopeful feel and relaxing nature of the song, and there is okay use of dynamics, although some of their effectiveness was overpowered by the mixing but that doesn't influence the composition. The structure was decent for the song. It's not in a sense a logical song structure, or maybe common is a better word, which I say bravo to. You could have developed it a little better I think, but I'm pretty okay with what you have here actually.

Sound Design: Uh, I don't think rain and thunderstorms are condensation, but I digress (I see the point you're trying to make in the description so it works in that sense). I'm not as fond of the percussion where it's quiet, but you make up for that with the drumset utilized in the louder sections. The synths you picked were smooth and helped center the tone of the piece you were looking for. No big complaints here.

Ending Comments: Really a relaxing piece that I think captures the atmosphere that you were looking for. One nice touch I forgot to mention, I can tell the bass VST you're using isn't a high quality one, but you utilize it in a good manner which doesn't really make it obvious. Otherwise, neat song.

Score:

Total - 7
Production - 1.25
Sound Design - 1.25
Composition - 1.5
Structure - 1.5
Replay - 1.5

ColinMuir responds:

Thank you for your time Spadezer. Dang i wish i had a bass haha.

[Chords Dance]

This is an official NGADM '18 Round 1 Review:

Production and Mixing: No complaints here. Everything is well mixed and blends quite well. The only complaint I could make is that the winds and some of the strings sound a bit dry compared to the brass. Only a minor complaint though.

Composition and Structure: A nice relaxing intro. Gives a nice calm and happy tone for the song. This style takes me back to my band class days, and I'm enjoying this composition. It's mostly full and I love this atmosphere. This is where the song shines I think, because I can tell this is where you focused the most on and it's paid off. I really wish this had more percussion though to fill it out a little more. It feels a little to bare or shallow at spots and I think the percussion could help add a lot of emphasis and depth. Or maybe not have the strings cut off so short as they're doing their arpeggiations. Other than that, great chord structures and good use of different sections. The song developed well and utilized decent dynamics.

Sound Design: You picked the right instruments so not much to say there. I can tell they're not super high quality VST's but it doesn't hurt what you have here. It may become a factor though for later rounds so keep that in mind as you're using them (apologies, the review was written before round 1 ended).

Ending Comments: I enjoyed this and I think you could make this a legit composition with a score (if you already haven't done so). It felt simple and peacefully happy.

Score:

Total - 8.5
Production - 1.5
Sound Design - 1.5
Composition - 1.75
Structure - 2
Replay - 1.75

AzulJazz responds:

Thank you very much!

[Closer]

This is an official NGUAC '18 Tryout Review:

The first thing I notice is just how clean the production is (and that you've left a nice amount of space to click at the beginning of the song in spite of NG's slightly unfavorable format currently). Everything sounds quite crisp and has its own space to breathe. It's a careful use of space within the frequencies. The synths that you've picked I think are great for the tone of the song's theme. The composition has a peaceful and happy feel to it, but it's also slightly melancholy which adds a crapton of emotion to it. I like how this song develops. The main theme is prevalent throughout the whole piece, but I never got tired of it since it sounded fresh each time, but the ending did end a little too abruptly. Maybe even a fading piano hit or two would have made it a much less sudden end. My only big complaint is that the drops are missing some fullness. I feel like it needed something else in the low end to help compliment the bass, or the bass just didn't sound full enough. Just something to add to the initial punch and warmth of the song. Probably all it needed was some additional layering or something an octave up to compliment it.

...Which, speaking of thos drops. I was absolutely sold with those drops. The build ups were good, but the way they add so much emotion to the main theme made me absolutely thrilled. I can't get enough of the sound. They came in so big too, regardless of some of the depth they were missing. It slightly reminded me of Marshmello's Alone, but I loved this so much more. I loved them.

I well enjoyed this piece and I think it was well deserved of the position it got. I'm looking forward to reviewing your next song in the Knockout Round.

Spadezer's Score: 8.25

N1NJA-Official responds:

Thanks so much!

[Shattered Serenity]

Quick note, to help give further insight. The composition I'm enjoying a lot for a piece like this, but I think I can point out what RemileOduen is searching for. The mixing/producing is weak. Everything in general sounds filtered or muffled. It sounds like you've had everything mixed so loudly in the beginning that you're using filters and compressors to quiet things down. If that's the case, you should mix everything to be about -3db before adding any compressors or effects to the main mix, and then use compressors just to keep even small volume peaks in check. This would allow the guitars and especially the drums to have the breath of air they need to really pop.

Again, I really enjoyed this, but it really needs some mixing work to get this popping.

Meatboot responds:

That is very helpful thank you!