Kyron20's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - The Little Warrior]

This is just another one of your amazing tracks! I don't understand how you get your instruments to sound so light but so full at the same time. There's only a couple playing at a time (in most cases) but it fills up the mix so well. I guess that's just the effect an amazing mix will have on your songs. Great work! I really can't find anything wrong with it. The fact that it can tell a story too is just mind blowing.

10/10

Ylmir responds:

Thanks a lot ! :)
" I don't understand how you get your instruments to sound so light but so full at the same time."
Actually, I love playing with contrast, putting a lot of very different-sounding sections in my tracks, with some that are more heavy-sounding that others. In order to achieve that, I of course play a lot with the dynamics of each instrument and the characteristics of each articulation (using quieter strings in quieter passages, with less short notes, this kind of thing), but I also try to fill a bit more the frequencies when I'm writing an epic part than when I'm writing some smaller passages like at 2:10.
Choosing your sounds can also help a lot - an example I like is how a choir will give different colours depending on the vowel used for your legato/sustained passages. I tend to see the "Aaah" and "Oooh" vowels as what you want if you're trying to make something either epic or more "spiritual", the "Mmm" vowel makes for a very mellow sound (First Flight, the part at 1:20) that works perfectly well as soon as you try to make something sound more "emotional"... When you think of all the possibilities, when taking into account all the instruments and articulations available, that makes a pretty wide palette already, but layering different instruments add even more choices.

To be honest, there are some parts I find quite empty now, and surprisingly, it's the more epic ones, but on the other hand they still work pretty well, so maybe that's not too much of an issue, for once. I guess it works because there's also a lot of movement - that's what I was aiming for, something reflecting the agility of the character. But there isn't any sustained notes for example in the last epic part (apart from the choir, but it's more marcato notes than actual sustains), and it's probably a bit poor in terms of harmony.

And yeah, I tend to think music like a story - I actually try to write stories through music, I just love working this way when I'm not writing for a specific project, it helps when you're trying to find which structure you want for your piece. And sometimes, you can come up with some interesting ideas as well thanks to the story you're working with - that was the case with the part at 1:30, which I still love. This darker part was actually inspired by the look of the character's weapon, and it influenced everything that follows - even the way the last epic part sounds... well, epic, but neutral at the same time, not too heroic or dramatic - because the character himself comes back as an hero, but he knows that behind the looks, the story is somewhat darker.
Another thing I love with this process, too, is that since you're creating a story with music, the story can be somewhat vague, and the listener can imagine the details himself. You put the basic plot structure and events in place, and let the listener imagine the rest, putting him in his own creative process.

Sorry, I wrote a long reply, I hope you don't mind. xD

[Isospheric]

I don't really know where to start, so I guess I'll start at the beginning. The kick is a bit strange for what you were going for. It a very slow swooping sine wave, which makes it sound cheap. I probably would have gone for a punchier kick. The clap sounds pretty generic, and I would have liked a different style sample better. A snare would have fit nicely where the clap was. Then we have the lead. First of all, it drowns everything else out. Sidechaining and lowering the volume a bit would help with that. The lead also sounds dry and abrupt, which could have been easily fixed by a small bit of reverb. I also think it could have used a bit more detune to give it more of the supersaw feel. The melody actually isn't that bad. It's a bit simple, but it's better than having it all over the place.

Most of the sound design felt sloppy, but that's to be expected with a beginner sound designer. Really dissecting presets you like can help you choose better and make better sounds. There were some random sounds that I didn't quite like in there, for example, high pitched sweep. It was out of place and was too loud. I'd use presets still until you can get the hang of sound design. The more you make music, the easier it will be to know which sound you want and how to make it.

This song was a bit hard to follow. It had little to no transitions and there were a lot of very abrupt elements to it. Many of the things in this could have used some reverb and it seemed a bit empty in some places. The mixing definitely could have been better. The leads and synths were often too loud. The melody was okay, but it could have used a bit more variation.

5/10

GeometryDashBrad responds:

I was actually thinking of making an updated version of this. Thanks for the in-depth review! (like you always do) I agree with you about the drums, I wanted to find a better sounding one but honestly I was just slacking, and I didn't look hard enough. I was pretty proud of the lead at first but now that I hear it again it's a little harsh. I actually have no idea about pretty much any of the automation clips and stuff like that, and that could really help this imo. I have to say, while I was making it, the melody was my favorite part. I definitely think this was way too repetitive as well. Also, I'm very new to actually trying to mix stuff, Ambient Step was my first attempt of that at all. I pretty much agree with everything you said in here.

[AIM - Rainbow Curse]

I feel like this piece should have kept generally the same mood as it did in the beginning. Your inspiration is basically something to do with sleep, so keeping it quiet may have been a better stylistic choice.

The sound design was okay, but it definitely could have been better. Again, I feel some of the synths didn't go along with what the mood should have been, but without the inspiration they would have been fine, so I'm not taking anything off for that. The thing I didn't like was that the lead seemed very... how should I put this... metallic(?) in a way, which didn't quite fit with everything else. It was just such a change from the beginning. Speaking of changes, the transition from the intro to everything else was very abrupt. It pretty much came out of nowhere, and I think it could have been transitioned into better.

I also have a couple issues with the mix, the first being the snare. The kick should stand out more than the snare is, as the kick is a lot of a track's body. I could barely hear it after 0:56, because the snare's tail was drowning it out. One thing you have to watch out for when you have a fast drum beat is the tail of various instruments. The kick should cut through all of them, and it's one of the few times I sidechain the other percussive instruments. On the topic of sidechaining, I should probably mention that this track probably needed a bit more, especially on the lead. I didn't hear any, and it made the lead a bit overpowering. I'm criticizing the kick so much because it should be at the front of the mix, just in front of the melody and bass, which should be more or less equal to the snare's volume. Usually that's just the way I like to mix my songs though, so don't stick to it if it's not right for you.

This song is generally solid. The melodies are okay and the mastering is pretty good. Mixing could be improved upon, the transitions could be better and sound design could use a bit of work. The thing that really bugs me is the beginning. It just had so much potential, and it was kind of wasted when everything else came in. Much like in "Starflight", the beginning was one of the best parts of the song They just had a very nice WaterFlame feel to them (especially like Fuzzy) and I would love to see you make a full song like them. The beginning just showed how much you shine when your work is at it's best. Now the other parts don't make the song bad per se, but they do kind of ruin the feel and they do detract from how amazing the beginning was. I agree with Kenki on this one (except for the "housey" part... just goes to show how much this website hates house). The intro really has a great feel to it which is kind of taken away by the next sections. In conclusion, this track could use a bit of work, but in the end it's an alright song.

7/10

Evilgrapez responds:

Thanks for the review! I think I will do a song like the beginning now that you mention it. When I do that I'll probably message you with it because you're the one who suggested it. :) I've always wanted my songs to be fast-paced and stuff, but I think a change wouldn't really be a bad idea.

Thanks again!

EDIT: Remember all that time ago I said I'd do a song more like the beginning? Well, uh, I kind of did. Finally. http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/740289

[Jomekka - Eighto [Complextro RMX]]

This just goes to show that you can make a pretty mediocre song and it will still get featured if it's dubstep.

The mixing is overall subpar. There were many points where instruments got drowned out. The beat is really generic, especially for dubstep. I guess I shouldn't expect anything too outstanding. Otherwise what I'd say has already been expressed by the not-so-positive reviews by people who know that these aren't rated by the samples or the person who made it.

Also, I'm taking off a bit (1 star) because this just seems like pure clickbait. Seriously, add actual tags that are related to your music. Adding "Geometry Dash" really doesn't say a ton (or anything, really) about the song. I mean, the samples are from Geometry Dash people, but it's in no way related and you've done it on every song you've made, as far as I'm concerned. Also, even though it doesn't normally add to what comes up when you search it, it still is just extra stuff added in in hopes of getting more views, which I really don't think is appropriate or necessary. You already have 36k people following you, which is more than most of the people here. It's greedy and disappointing. I get it when other people do it, who have <100 fans. With clickbait like yours, it makes it hard for them to get any attention whatsoever. I know your ethics aren't supposed to affect your rating, but it's sad that you have a remix of a popular Geometry Dash song, the names of many famous people (on Newgrounds, at least) in the description and "Geometry Dash" in the tags. You know better than that.

Overall, this song is just disappointing. The production quality honestly wasn't that high, and you decided to be greedy and try and milk the Geometry Dash community for views. I mean, you had 7 Geometry Dash famous people, Geometry Dash in the tags, it's a dubstep song and it's a remix of a Geometry Dash song, which seems unethical. This is something I'd expect an unknown person to do, not a somewhat famous person. I hope to see some change by the next song you post.

3/10

EtzerGD responds:

I'd like to point out, and I made this very clear in my YouTube (although it is my fault that I did not make it clearer here), that the point of this remix is kind of a thank you video to my subscribers and stuff. Eighto is what grew my channel in the first place and it is kinda a thank you/fun goof. While I understand your issue with the tags, I don't really know what else I would've tagged, and it is just something I do. I do think the mixing could use work, I tend to clutter projects a lot, even if it is with samples. I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that I understand some aspects of your complaint, but a lot of this song was just sorta meant as a fun thank you. Besides, I'm still fairly new to the whole music stuff, and right now I am mostly just trying to start transitioning over. I'm sorry you were disappointed by the song, and hopefully my future songs will be better. Good or bad, I really appreciate the time you took to write the review :) Way more helpful than people just commenting that they like the samples :3

[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! ;)

[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