Kyron20's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[T-Logic - Peaks]

I have to agree with All-Ears. This song does get a bit boring after a bit, especially with the same or very similar melody playing over and over again. Another thing I think could have been changed are the sounds. I know it can be difficult to layer sounds in a somewhat quiet section of a song, but the Nexus presets were a bit boring to my ear, as I've been using and listening to them for a while now. They sound kind of generic too. I also don't know how well some of them fit the genre. Nexus presets usually have a sort of bite to them, which makes them harder to use in these situations. However, I don't listen to much (or any, really) ambient music, so I don't really know much about the standard conventions. The only other thing I have a complaint with is the melody. It just seems all over the place, and I can't really see it being a memorable melody and overall it just seems thrown down and weak. Otherwise this song is pretty well made. The mixing is good and I can't complain about much else. I liked the tempo changes and all of the subtle instruments layered in.

7/10

TaintedLogic responds:

Thanks a lot for the review, man! I appreciate you explaining why you thought it was boring/repetitive. The main melody is very simple (basically an 8-note pattern with variations), but my goal was to provide enough changes along other parameters of the song to keep it interesting. I've just always admired the way classical composers can layer melodies in so many different keys (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhRa3REdozw). Good to know that I came up short, though. Perhaps my attempt at integrating fugues and electronic elements was a step in the wrong direction too. I agree about the Nexus presets and generic sound design. The piece certainly isn't a conventional ambient piece, but the samples still may not have been appropriate. I'm glad you liked the mixing. I used some stereo widening techniques here that I don't usually delve into, and it seems to have paid off. I'm glad you liked the way I arranged the whole thing, but I agree that the simplicity of the melody detracts from the piece. Next time, I'll try making a fugue with a more intricate melody and see how it goes. Unfortunately, I'm simply not the genius that Bach was. :'D Thanks again for the thorough review! ;)

[Zyzyx - Echolands]

This track is pretty nice. It is pretty generic though. The lead was a tiny bit harsh, but that's dubstep I guess. The melody could have used a bit of variation, as it was very similar, if not the same, throughout the piece. The only other complaint I have is that the piano flams (not sure what to call them, so I'm using percussion terminology) could have been quicker/tighter. Other than that, the transitions are pretty nice and the mix is well done.

8/10

[Verity]

First of all, the chord progression is really cliche. The mixing is okay, but there were a few sections where the drums or a lead was too loud and stood out a lot. I also feel like you didn't take risks with this one and it sounds like a very generic tropical house. I really didn't hear anything unique in it. I would assume someone just starting in house made this because it sounds like a tutorial was followed note by note, sound by sound. It also sounds like presets were used, because I've heard the same sounds before. Now, I'm not taking anything off because of it, because it's not something that's wrong, but you should try and transform them a bit, whether it's tweaking the sound or layering it with another sound or two. Otherwise it just adds to the generic feel of the song. From 2:16 onward I really didn't know what to focus on. It was just confusing and there were too many things to follow. Try and fill it up with smaller things instead of larger ones.

Mostly you just need to work on mixing and originality a bit more. Those were the two things that really bothered me in this one. Besides that, the track is okay. It just had a cheap feel to it, if you understand what I mean by that.

6/10

[Deathmatch]

I really enjoyed the speed of this piece. The time signature is actually 12/8. I know you've been told to change it already, but from the musical knowledge I have, it sounds like there's 12 eighth notes per measure or 4 triplet eighth note groups. 3/4 sounds like it ends halfway through a measure to me. Just thought I'd clear up the confusion.

The piano samples were mixed very well. They had a very nice amount of reverb on them which helped fill up the space where they were playing alone. The melody is also very nice. Overall, the intro has a very atmospheric feel, which I quite like.

The speed at which this song flows is also nice. It has enough time for you to get familiar with each section before moving on to the next, which is a great characteristic for a song to have, although it isn't practiced much.

The mixing was very good. All of the instruments were clearly brought out. One thing that I liked was the way the drums were used from about 0:18 to the drop. They had a nice filter and volume cut on them which helped keep them from overpowering the other elements. They were then mixed in very well at the drop.

The only thing that I would change is the instruments used. Yes, the instrumentation fits with DnB, but I would have liked to see an unusual instrument or two. It's more of my style to do that, and it's not necessary at all, but I think it would have added a unique spin on it and made it your own. I don't listen to a ton of DnB, but I still hear the same sounds and instruments every time. This isn't really a flaw, it's just something I think would have made this piece even better.

In the end, this is a very well made piece. I really have no complaints about how this was made, but it has a very predictable DnB sound to it, and that's one thing I'd think about changing up a bit. Otherwise, great job!

9/10

Noisysundae responds:

Argh, I'm done about time signature. Good thing I didn't include it in my visualizer.

Each bar is longer than that of typical DnBs, so it's definitely easier to catch up than those. Thanks for the compliment mixing and mastering, I've just leveled up on them only recently. For the drums, there are 2 extra percussions playing along others in most parts, but they're too quiet except on the breakdown. :(

Thanks so much for a long review! It's mostly the judges who wrote this kind of review here since the track was made for the contest.

[TheFatRat - Unity (Zyzyx Remix)]

First of all, it needs more swing. It adds more of an interesting rhythm that you hear in the original. I also hear some clipping issues, which aren't the best thing to have. Make sure you're not pushing your sounds too hard. Compression, when used properly, can help it sound the way you want it to while preventing clipping. Other than that, it's a well made remix. I'm not a fan of the vocals, but that's more of a problem for TheFatRat than it is for you. Nice job!

7/10

DJ-Zyzyx responds:

Clipping? I don't hear none xD well maybe my headphones are just bad. Also about the swing thing, I originally had the notes so they sounded like that. But then I moved them, just because it sounded to close to the original and I liked it normal better. IDK why, just personal preference probably xD but I guess in my next son I should try that. Thanks for the review Kyron!! :D

[Once Upon a Time]

This took an interesting turn. It's a very different style than I'm used to. The only thing I really have an issue with is the mixing. Some elements get buried in the mix and some elements stand out too much. A compressor can help this pretty quickly. Another thing that might help this is a bit more mastering, which I can probably help you with. One other thing that can help the mix is careful panning and reverb. Small amounts of reverb really help the sound put itself on a stage and the panning helps the placement. I can hear a bit of reverb, but I don't really hear panning, so that's one thing I recommend you do. Even just 5%-10% is enough to make it separate itself enough that it's easier to pick out of the mix. And that brings me to a tip about mixing/mastering. Usually I consider a mix good if I can pick out each instrument with ease, so as I said, panning can help with that. (The things that need the most work mixing wise are the lead and the piano in my opinion. They're a bit loud.)

One other complaint I have is that the Mario coin sound effect was a bit overused. There were some sections where it just felt like it played over and over again. However, this is mostly just preference. I just find it a bit distracting from the more musical elements of the song. Most times I'll use sound effects for transitions, but not much else. Again, this is just my opinion.

Other than that, you did a pretty good job on this. It's very different than what's usually considered video game music. I also think the melody has a bit of a Waterflame feel to it, which I found quite interesting and I thought it was a nice surprise. The orchestrated sections were very well done, and they added more variation to the song, which is always good to have. Overall, very nice work!

8/10

Miyolophone responds:

Yep, I tried to tone down the Mario coin/Game Boy startup sound, but apparently it wasn't enough... anyway, yes, glad you liked it! I'll add panning to my list of things to practice, up there with compression and general mastering techniques. I'm glad I'm getting good enough to receive some more specific feedback... I might take a little break from public releases to practice some of the more technical elements. When I've gotten those down, you will all have an opportunity to slam me on sound design...

Thanks for the review man c: