Spadezer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[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

[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. :)

[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.