jnry3's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Looking At The Sun]

Good track

Although everything seems to be in place, I'm itching to hear this track with either: a) a vocalist, or b) a lead guitar (or any lead instrument) that will carry the piece throughout the whole song. Methinks the current structure of this song should support this. Take this comment with a grain of salt (it's just my preference).

Otherwise, it's good stuff... just needs that little more extra something to really make it a winner.

TheRealSam responds:

The problem is that the lead singer who had to sing on this song doesn't have any microphone or anything to record his voice with. I just posted this instrumental, hoping you would find it great!

[Khuskan - Not Enough]

Perfect concept, almost perfect execution

You have my 5 and 9 (since it's a great song, but there's room for perfection).

My nitpicks/suggestions:
- Check the vocal pitch at 1:05 and 1:08. It seems off to me.
- At 3:01, the drums didn't jive to the vocalist (to Tamar). It felt kinda awkward.
- The vocal loudness isn't consistent. It is sometimes soft, and sometimes loud. The difference is about 2dB. If you can't ask Tamar to re-record the vocals, try adding more compression on your vocal track. You may also want to play with the EQ and reverb.
- Lyrics are sad, but suits the melodies of the song. Kudos!
- You have this background noise that resembles playing a vinyl. I'll just think it's your style. It kinda works anyway.

Overall, it's a good track to chill out to. Good job! ^_^

Khuskan responds:

Occasionally people post constructive reviews :D

Yeah. Most of the issues with the vocals are right. Some of the pitches are a little out, and the second verse especially because I accidentally processed it with different auto tune (YEAH I KNOW. DON'T SHOUT) settings than the others without realising. The problem was that since I was making this track for a College course, I had two weeks to learn how to use Cubase with rewire. Fair enough, but I still havn't got around sending audio back to Reason, or even if it's possible to run it through my compression rig.

I might do an NG mix soon where the vocals are put into reason and done in a sort of bypass way to get the best possible effect. Oh, and the vinyly sound effect going in the background was to get me extra points on the course, because such an effect is common place in the trip-hop genre.

[{SD} - Dream Sword]

Sounds like... I dunno...

Can't point my finger on it, but I have a strong feeling that I've heard that synth pattern before. (It happens, trust me.)

It sounds well... but doesn't have that "listen to me again!" appeal. It felt like, sorry in advance, an average track.

There is a lot of room for improvement here. Try adding more elements, or apply effects to certain tracks. Everything seems balanced EQ-wise, so just add something to it to make it exciting.

Hope this review helps. ^_^

ShirkDeio responds:

Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad the EQ was balanced, I worked hard there. I'll try to make my next song more exciting!

[(::The Church::)]

Check your EQ

There's a lack of bass in the overall mix. There's action, yes, but it lacks that full deep pumping sound. I'm not telling you to go all out; just tweak the equalizer of the entire song, and boost the bass (try 2 to 3dB up).

I've heard audio clipping also (the crackling sound). Again, you can tweak this via the EQ. I think it's clipping somewhere at top midrange, most notably at the snare.

The church organ is a bit over the top. I recommend dropping it by around 2dB.

Hope this helps polish your hardworked track. ^_^

FatKidWitAJetPak responds:

Well, thanks for your opinion. =)

[A Night in Tunesia]

Yep, me likey!

Very relaxing, feels very alive. Easy five and ten. ^_^

XanRethan responds:

Thanks a lot. This was one of my most enjoyed small ensemble pieces. There was one other one I would have liked to play but we never got around to performing it.

[People Die - Knights of 21 Oak]

That's some hard-rockin'!

Starts slow (patience is the key for the listener to fully appreciate this track), but everything starts to rock after the 1st minute. Great job! Easy 5 and 10. ^_^

SwashieB responds:

Thanks a lot, keep listening to PEOPLE DIE!

[Craig Gray's Fade Away]

Check your vocal track

The vocal track is distorted, and has too much reverb. The effect: I can barely understand the lyrics. I suggest you reduce the reverb by, say, 75%. You also have to reduce the volume on the vocal track, as it is dominating the instruments (ain't balanced).

Let me know if you tweaked it. Hope this helps. ^_^

ericdrebin responds:

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.

[Neon Through Drizzle]

Too much panning

Especially at the start of the track. I can only hear the horn from the left, leaving the right side feeling empty. If I took off one side of my headphone, it's as if the horn never existed. When the keys came in, the left side is still dominant. It's only when the second horn came in that things started to balance out (at around the 1-minute mark). If it were me doing the mixing (note: IF it were ME, still your style, man), I wouldn't pan an instrument more than 70% to any side.

I'm not sure if the keys are off-timed or they're really set that way. Kinda ruins the groove for me. I was thinking another 16th later or something... I don't know. I'll just think it's your style.

And yeah, it's more "Blues" than "Jazz" if you ask me. ^_^

Slart responds:

Awright den, I changed the genre to "Blues."

I must confess, I seem to have a fetish for extreme separation of instruments. So I guess that *is* my style. Also, I tend to mix for my own sound system and listening habits, which probably ain't the way to do it. I remember reading an article with a rock producer who said he mixed everything for the crappy stereo in a crappy car he never drove -- he just kept it around for mixing, figuring "if it sounds okay in here, it'll sound good anywhere."

Maybe I should keep that in mind.

Thanks for the feedback.

[escape the city]

A well-put track

'Nuff said. Everything's balanced, plus you got me interested. Easy ten and five.

AL-3B-D responds:

sweet! im in a happy place now!