Kyron20's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Zyzyx - Bubbles]

I'm going to review this from a house producer's standpoint, as a lot of people on this website don't really appreciate house.

To start, this song really had no introduction. It was really mostly the same up until the buildup. With house, I find introducing one instrument and a simple melody works best to start a track. I also had a hard time following the chord progression a bit. It just seemed very non-existent for the first part. My first real problem with the track is the first melody. It might just be me, but it sounds slapped down and random almost, and it just doesn't sound like a house melody. I know this is a personal flaw, but I spend hours sometimes stressing over melodies. To me, they're the most important part of a house song, so I feel like if anything, they should be worked at the most. Now, I'm not saying you didn't think hard about the melody, but to me it sounds like a weak melody and it could have used more work. Another thing that bothers me is the synth that was used to play it. If anything, I would have used it more as a background synth with lots of reverb. It just sounds kind of obnoxious, especially in combination with the melody.

I also feel like the structure could have used more work. It felt mostly the same for 30 seconds up until the buildup. Now, this kept it being from generic, but it also wasn't unique. Usually, I have a problem with having very generic house songs (same chord progression, same structure), so in that way this beats me. I feel like some of the main part of the song (verse, if you will) could have been given to a better intro. Throwing people right into the song isn't always the best way to start.

Now we get into the drop. The drop is... as much as I hate to say it, cliche. A lot of the older songs I made sounded like the drop in this. It uses the same instrumentation and form as a lot of other house songs out there. The melody is also somewhat off. I just feel like the melodies in this are weak. Again, I focus possibly too much on melodies and I might be a bit critical about them, but these melodies seem dull and they probably won't ever pop into my head randomly like many other house melodies do. They don't have to be super complex, as that limits how much people can remember, but they shouldn't be lazy either. The next thing I have a problem with here is that it gets a bit cluttered in the second half of the drop. The two main melodies coming together can be something that helps the piece have a better sense of progression, but in this case the two melodies kind of clashed. You can tell if a house song is well made if the two melodies come together and compliment each other. In this situation, that wasn't the case. It sounded almost as if they both used different chord progressions. All of those put together make it seem crowded. EQing and panning could have helped it seem less crowded, but the two melodies probably shouldn't have been put together.

1:34 helps add some structural contrast, and while it still has a somewhat weak melody, it's probably the strongest melody in the song. The problem is that it repeats for another 50 or so seconds before the drop kicks in again. Those are really the only issues I have with it. It changes instruments and melodies, so it's even less cliche than some of the house out there.

I feel like you should have done something to transform the second drop a bit more. It was pretty much exactly the same as the first one, and with that, it came with the same issues. Then the outro was pretty dull, and I think it could have used more than an impact or downlifter.

I feel like you took quite a big step backwards with this one. First of all, I didn't hear a lot of Tobu in the song, and I felt like you took a few things from a couple different people (Like the Geometry Dash sounds from Etzer), although I won't take anything off for it because to be frank, there's nothing wrong with it. The melodies also seemed a bit lazy as well. It felt like one of your older tracks, IMO. The plus with this song is that it's somewhat original compared to most house songs out there, even though the reason might be a bit different than people would expect. Overall, it's an okay track. Mostly I would say stick with what you're good at, and practice house a bit more on the sidelines.

6/10

[ParagonX9 - Chaoz Fantasy [Dubstep RMX]]

The strings at the beginning sound a bit sharp and the chords sound off. The piano part is pretty solid, but gets somewhat buried behind the strings. The sound design is a bit annoying and I found it hard to listen to, especially the synth at 1:00. I just felt like it didn't fit with everything around it. If it had a high-cut filter, it would have seemed less harsh and more bearable.

The snare is also much louder than the kick, which is usually not something that is done with most electronic genres. The kick and bass should be at the front of your mix, and especially during the drop, I felt like the kick was lacking a bit. The xylophone felt a bit out of place, and so did the ambience that went along with it at 2:25. It may be my preference, but I like to mix in the ambience so that it's barely audible instead of it standing out. I feel like it's job should be mostly in the background, but again, that's probably just a personal thing.

All of that aside, this was a pretty interesting remix. I really enjoyed the specifically orchestral parts. I enjoyed pretty much everything up until 1:00. Even then, the background is still great. During the drops I can't hear much of Chaos Fantasy, but it's a remix, so I can't complain.

Overall, the mixing needs a bit of work and the sound design could have been refined a bit, but otherwise this track was solid. Keep up the great work!

8/10

[Sharkbite - Tiptoe]

To start off, that first impact was loud. So loud it was clipping. Also, it's super repetitive. It had a couple parts where it got changed up a bit, but it still has the same 4 bar melody playing throughout mostly the whole piece. Also, something just seemed off about parts this song. I can't quite place it, but I think it may be the chords. They seem so random that it just throws me off. You need to use a more solid chord progression, even if it is cliche, and work with it. It will help you have stronger melodies. As I said before, you need to start putting more work into your songs. Success as a mediocre producer doesn't last long, and people are going to get harsher if you don't start improving.

Also, this is just my thoughts, but I think you should refine your work a lot more before putting it on any stores.

[Tobu & Itro - Sunburst (Zyzyx Remake)]

Overall a pretty solid remix. A few of the sounds could have used a bit more reverb just to fill in some empty space. The sound design could have had a bit more work put into it, but that's only in a few small places. The mixing was okay, but some of the synths that were less prominent in the original were quieter because they have a more shrill sound. They were brought out a bit too much in this one, and the shrillness of them stands out quite a bit. At some points (like the buildup and the drop) the lead could have been doubled an octave down. The lower frequencies are filled up and the higher ones are as well, but the mids could have used a bit more. The kick is also lacking in power a bit during the drop, so I'd recommend either cranking up the volume on it or compressing it more. Otherwise I can't complain about this track. Nice work!

DJ-Zyzyx responds:

Thanks Kyron :3

[Asau]

I just recently found your music, and I think a lot of it is pretty good. One thing I can't help but notice is that you criticize shorter reviews for being short and often times vague. You should keep in mind that not everyone has the time or the knowledge to write in-depth reviews. I would understand more if the reviews were negative, as they wouldn't be telling you what you did to get such a bad review, but these people are telling you that they love your music and that in their eyes it's perfect. Also remember that they are taking time out of their day to applaud you, so I wouldn't be so hasty to leave a negative reply.

Now, with that out of the way, it's time we get on to the review.

The beginning of the song is very atmospheric and calm, and it doesn't build up too quickly. I feel like it maintains the perfect pace for it to constantly have something new without overwhelming the listener with too many things at once. The only part I really have a problem with is the drop. The style changes quite quickly, especially at the pace the track was going at the beginning. Also, the drums seem a bit quiet and could be brought to the front of the mix more. The supersaws are a bit loud too, but that's just more of my personal preference. Otherwise, the drop is pretty good. At 3:30, there were a couple of instruments or harmonies that I thought got buried a bit, which isn't a mixing or mastering issue, but it's something a small volume boost could easily fix. Once again, this is mostly preference. Overall, this is a pretty solid track. Keep up the great work!

(One last thing to note; This is more of a melodic dubstep track than it is a house track. It has a house tempo, but everything about this says melodic dubstep. You might want to change it just so people don't get confused. Just a suggestion though...)

Onefin responds:

Hey, Kyron! Thanks for the in-depth review!

I don't criticize people for taking time out of their day for leaving short reviews. I am completely, totally thankful for every single review I get without having to ask. But I DO have a problem when I post my track in the R4R thread, asking for a review, and get something really short and vague. If that person gave me a one-liner, should he deserve any real criticism on his track? All he's done is effortlessly shoved my track out of the way in favor of his. It's essentially the equivalent of saying "Oh, your track is nice HERE'S SOMETHING I MADE [link] TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK AND THAT YOU LOVE IT". And that, in my opinion, is kinda disgusting.

The style changes too quickly? I wrote a build to get it to flow better - faster and louder drums, more pumped-up melodic lines, bigger and fatter chords, etc. The beginning was the more chill part, but the build before the drop was intended to lead into it. Maybe it didn't work quite like I had hoped? What could I do to fix it?

I tried to bring the drums forward, but I had to be wary of mud and clipping. I didn't want to make things TOO loud, otherwise bad stuff would happen. There's already clipping in the piece, too, if you noticed. And the supersaws are probably loud because I was told to make them louder :P

Melodic dubstep? I mean, I guess there are wubs, but I don't think bongos are a part of melodic dubstep :/ eh, I'll consider it.

Thanks once again for the review! I ALWAYS appreciate responses when they aren't done selfishly! :D

[SharkBite - Windward]

Okay, so the whole song sounds repetitive. The drop also feels like it has no structure, although I may be wrong, as I don't produce dubstep. Maybe try and include different things every once and a while. Also, the melody feels a bit strange. It sounds somewhat random. It's also played an octave or two higher, which makes it sound tinny and unpleasant. If you moved it down an octave it would have sounded better. The highest a main melody should really go is the 6th octave, otherwise it becomes uncomfortable to listen to. The piano is also too spread out. The lower notes should be in the same place (on the sound-stage) as the higher notes. The highs are also panned too far to the right, so it sounds as if they are borderline behind you. The max I'd recommend panning instruments is 30%, and that's only if they really need separated in the mix. Since this mix was somewhat empty, panning wasn't needed a ton.

Another thing I'd work on is not using loops. It sounds like there's a lot of loops in here. Even if there's not a ton of loops, it still sounds like there are, which isn't good. Using a loop or two is fine, but you want to make sure that it's not obvious it's a loop, otherwise it sounds unprofessional and boring.

This song also sounded a bit empty, which isn't always a bad thing, but in this case it wasn't necessarily good. It was a bit quiet and could have been pushed a bit harder. There also wasn't a lot going on for most of the song. Now, that's more of my personal preference, but I feel like when there's empty space, there's an opening to add elements that make it more interesting. Adding too many can make the song cluttered and sloppy, while adding too little makes the song seem boring and like minimal effort was put in. Another thing that made this seem empty was the lack of volume on some instruments. In electronic music, especially dubstep, the kick should be a very prominent feature of the drop. It should cut through everything else. Next is the snare and bass, then the melody and after that everything else. The kick and the bass should be very close in volume, but when the kick plays, the bass's volume should duck to make room. This is known as sidechaining, and is used in nearly every genre (if not every) of electronic music. The bass's volume should duck the most, making it somewhat noticable. Most times the kick will help make up for the decrease in volume. The other elements, such as the melody, should have light sidechaining, just in case the lower frequencies get in the way of the kick. If you feel it's necessary, you can sidechain the other percussion elements too, although I usually just make sure the volume is low enough that they don't get in the way, as more often than not, they're playing along with the kick. I'm mostly telling you this for future reference, so you know the next steps to take if you take my tips into account.

In conclusion, I'd give this song a 4/10. I don't hear any clipping issues and the instruments fit together relatively well. My critiques are that it sounds quite bland, the piano has quite a few issues, and some elements were not mixed in well. As it stands, you have more songs than me in just over a month, as opposed to my 10. Now, that's not saying anything bad about either of us, but if I were to judge your work by how many songs you put out, it would be safe to assume that your songs are of lower quality. I end up putting over 30 hours into each song just because I have to work out every crease in the track while making sure it's better than my last song. One last piece of advice from me (I didn't take off any stars for this) is that you should start trying to make your next song better than the last. If you stay at the same level the whole time, you're bound to lose followers and everyone will lose interest. One thing that you might try is spending 4-5 more hours on your next song. Make it as good as it can possibly be. If you don't know what to add, do what Chael said and do a bit more research on your genre. I'll stop here, as this has dragged on for a long time, but please consider what I've said for your next song. It will help you to start taking steps to becoming a better producer.

[First Flight]

This piece is amazing! There's so much in this piece that describes the story perfectly. The music goes perfectly with the story. I wish it would have been longer, but I can't complain. This piece shows that you don't need a ton of instruments playing at once to create an amazing song. Keep up the great work!

Ylmir responds:

Thanks a lot ! :)
Actually, I love writing music that follows a story like this one. :p

[Koholint (Link's Awakening Remix)]

This track is pretty good except for a couple of the elements that were way to loud. Some of the video game sounds were turned up way too loud, and that was kind of distracting. They also seemed out of place sometimes, for example with the square blips at 1:41. They seemed a bit off.

Other than that, this track is on point. Just make sure the song is your focus and not the sound effects.

(Also, I sent you a message asking about a few things, so if you could read those, that would be great!)