Spadezer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - A Skilled Warrior]

Super inspiring composition. I really like the blending of electric guitars and how you handled them. I can see how it works with the art so +1 from me

AceMantra responds:

Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it! I had a hard time getting those electric guitars to sit well in the mix, but it's good to hear that they turned out well.

[Amiss]

The only downside I think is that it's a little tiring on the higher frequencies, but I really like how you balanced the hopeful and peaceful in contrast with an eerie feel that came across almost as bittersweet. It makes me think of a music box that came from the Bioshock Infinite universe

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hi!

Yeah, I see what you mean. I was contemplating going for a softer mix, but ultimately I preferred the clarity of this one. I've never actually played any of the Bioshock games, but they look really cool, especially if this sound would fit them :'D
Thanks for checking this out!

[Song for Stepford]

crunchatize me captn

Jacob responds:

Did you ever play Crunchling Adventure? Lil PC game that came in a cereal box.
It's in my Top 10. No doubt.

[Hyperventilation]

WHEEEEEEZE

Jacob responds:

*heavy breathing*

[Hey Look, You Dropped Your "Give Up" Card [JAMUARY DAY 16]]

5 stars just for the percussion. This was the right type of zany

Quarl responds:

Yay, thank you! I will cherish this 5 star as if it were a dragon ball.

[Machinations]

This is super funky. Love the retro feel and pretty decent mixing going on, and I like that it didn't stick to just to one style

ItsBurner responds:

Glad you liked it, thank you very much for your comment =]

~Burner

[Chasin' The Jester]

This is an official NGADM 2021 final round review

First of all, my congrats to you for surviving up to the finals at this point. Since being around for a few years in this contest it's been neat to see all the new people come through and make their mark in this contest as well.

For first impressions, I think the intro was a little weak, but once you got to the beach rock I was very thrilled for the unexpected change. The drums comes across as an amateur sound since they might be a tad quiet in the mix, but the mix in general seems a little muddled. Uh 2:06 is pretty sweet. I personally like hearing the complex rhythms when it comes to the metal/rock genre. Similar to something like the Algorithm or Plini. Unfortunately the more energetic sections I don't find as interesting.

For a closer look at the composition, and to also feed off of the point I just made, the louder sections are just guitars doing eighth notes with the kick drum following, and in general follow a pretty straight rhythm. I'm not saying you needed to go crazy, but it just came across as too simple. All that being said here's what I do like. Drums are written well in the fills, the beach rock simply makes me smile, and you don't only stay with common or more simple rhythms resulting in some cool rhythms I really enjoy. I like your melodies and your chord choices are not unexpected/distracting. 2:20 is such a cool section IMO.

For the mix, like I said earlier it comes across as a tad bassy/muddy. Everything has pretty good tone for what's intended to be there. I may have said that the drums had a bit more of an amateur sound, but it works for what you have here. Actually I think they're a good volume but might be overshadowed by the distorted guitars. I'm also a big fan of the rock organ.

Overall, I really liked what I heard and I think this is a well written song. It gets a little plain at times, but you balance it out with other sections that I really enjoy. I think it's a really fun theme that you play with and it travels and progresses nicely. Again, congrats on making it to the final round.

MaldivirDragonwitch responds:

Your criticism is all on-point. I literally could just copy my response to SplatterDash's review: I noticed so many wrong choices that were made hastily that I will definitely not be making again. This was a serious learning experience, as was my plan all along! :)
Either way, glad you liked the parts you did. Thank you very much for the extensive review!

[Funk'um]

Official 2021 NGADM round 2 review

First thing that I notice and I like is that there’s spots that feel really big and warm, like 0:54. I’m a fan of the funk style and I think you’ve pulled off a nice feel. It’s not overcomplicated, but there’s a lot of fun elements like the walking bass lines you have, a lot of fun details scattered into the mix that help make it unique and full. I don’t think your themes are overused or too repetitive either, but they are a good earworm. When I stopped listening to it I was still singing the bassline over in my head.

A lot of what I think is making this work is your choice of instruments. They’re a nice blend between I’ll dare say cheesy hip hop samples mixed in with jazzy funk retro game synths. It creates something that feels nostalgic but doesn’t feel dated. The bass you picked for your basslines are perfect, I love hearing the orchestra hit samples like at 0:41, your chord synths are juicy, and you have some cheesy sounding brass lead like at 1:58 that simply works. The only thing I don’t like generally throughout the whole song though,and this might be a personal preference thing, is that most of the instruments have a type of distortion or bitcrush happening that makes the song a little less clean that I’d like. Like I said it is personal preference because they way you have it now reminds me of RC Revenge pro for the OG playstation, and if you “cleaned it up” it might lose some of that nostalgia factor.

As I’ve said before, this song doesn’t feel overplayed or repetitive, and some of it comes from the fact that you know when to break away from it or change things up so that each time it comes back it feels different and fresh. There’s some implied dynamics happening, meaning that while the song doesn’t seem to get quieter in spots, there’s a definite contrast in energy and perceived volume. I don’t know if you have a limiter that you’ve got the main mix trying to crowd a bit, but I think what you have works for the most part.

Overall, I love listening to this. Each time I replayed it listening over certain parts I was bobbing along with a smile. There’s a lot of fun details but the heart of the song is just a fun nostalgic groove. It’s like something that’s been around for a while and comes up as a warm memory.

RoachBoarder responds:

Oh wow!! Thank you so much!!

[Swing and a Miss]

I would love for you to compose my drum solos

Albe responds:

Hahahahah thanks! I just tried to replicate patterns and fills that I've listened in other places and I think that's one of the parts that took longer than the rest. Thank you for listening man!! ^^

[Villavslutning]

Best listened to with frog ambiance <3

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

You might be right about that ;)
Thank you for listening!