JandreParis's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sacred Surrender to Dissolution]

This is pretty good.

Really digging the airy nature of the track. Good variation and additive synths backing up the main harmonies. 3 minute mark really gives it some sheen without being too piercing. That's awesome balancing there. I would still tone that synth down in the mix, though, as some frequencies hit the ears a bit *too* much.

Good introduction of sound effects by the end of it. Really soothin'.

Overall, well done. Play with the balance a little more, I think. It's otherwise solidly mixed.

-JP

The-Cupbearer responds:

This track will likely see a bit more mixing before the album releases, so I'll keep in mind what you've said here. Thanks for commenting, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Odd Future (All For One Remix)]

Hmm...

The melodic themes fit well with your harmonies, and the phrasing is really nice. Some good evolution between each couple bars.

The only big thing here is the mix. It's a little... all over the place. A lot of instrumentation battling for the same frequency space - you're getting a lot of fighting between the kick and the saw and your bass-lines; the snare is just barely pushing through; the risers don't have as much impact since it just underneath everything else that's happening.

Some of this can just be fixed with some equalization; doing side-chain or parallel compression with the kick and the snare to ensure their transients push through.

That's really the only big thing.

TL;DR: your composition on its own is pretty good, but is suffering from lack of a proper mix to make sure each instrument fits and molds around each other. Suggest doing some EQ and parallel/side-chain compression overall.

Not bad!

-JP

Coolasp1e responds:

Thanks for your review! Here's my comments.

I do know this mix lacks sidechain, but that's kind of the point this time around. There are parts that I don't want to be drowned out by kicks and snares. The EQ thing is a different story. It just seems that every time I EQ something, it sounds absolutely horrible. I'm EQ'ing my newest song now, so it should be EQ'd just fine, and you'll see what I mean. PM me if you have anything else to say, but otherwise, thank you!

[GTB - Supersonic (Demo) [HandsUp!]]

Quite the intro.

The leads are pretty heavy there. Pretty crispy and at the forefront. I think they could be a little less crispy but I can dig it.

Kick is hardly discernible when placed against the bass-line. You need some more layering to give it more click and meat around the mid-high end. At most, I can just tell that it's causing the side-chain, but it needs a more present identity. It's even harder to hear when all the elements join together.

Bass-line is pretty coo', especially with that arpy arp. Smooth, too.

Second and main lead gets in the way of the first. I think playing with your stereo separation would help give your instrumentation the space to needs to both breath and have a place in the mix.

Speaking of which, it's not too bad. I think it just needs more leveling, a bit more tweaking, and a bit more... I dunno, chocolate. But it is a demo, so I'll forgive that (gotta make time for these things, especially with the busy lives we lead).

Build up around 0:40 sounds like it'd drop into something awesome. Y u leave me hangin' bro? :c

Overall, sounds pretty interesting and sweetness. Good jerb, I'd say, ol' bean.

-J.P.

Dj-Gonzo responds:

Thanks for your review! I tend to have problems with the kick in my demos, don't worry, I will fix that in the final release with a proper sidechaining and EQ. Glad to see you like some elements from the demo like the bassline and the build up (sorry, I can't let you taste the "cake" I am baking for this song at the moment :P).

Again, thanks for the review! I'll try (as always) to find some time to work on the demos, but I'm afraid that won't happen until summer.

>GTB

[Crater Creator]

Not bad.

It could use a little more melodic and harmonic cohesion, especially at the beginning. It just sounded all over the place and I was confused as to the direction it would take. What I mean by that is, synthetically, you should have sounds that match each other a little better. That would help with the basic theme that you're trying to construct here.

Though, as a result, you've achieved something is very, very experimental. So I'll throw everything out the window and base it upon that: an interesting choice of sounds.

- Drop could be a little bigger, but it's fine for what it is.
- I'm definitely diggin' that bassline at :32. It's deep and got a cool slide to it.
- The bells don't really fit in this section and you probably could've done without it.
- The main saw lead is alright. Could have a little more texture to it.
- 1:20, when all the bassy sounds come together... there needs to be more separation. A lot of this is in the mid-mid/low range. Some could be pitched a little higher.
- Build-ups need to be more exciting and appealing. Layering would definitely help you out here.
- The kit is lacking. It doesn't really push through beyond all the synthetic noises you've got going on. Some percussion can be heard, but I had to turn it up to discern the kick, snare, and the rimshot. It wasn't until the break happened at 1:01 that it was fairly present.
- There isn't much in the way of stereo separation. It's just all in the middle (well, not all of it, but most of it). Some elements could be panned to make room for others.
- For all of this though, the mix is fine. There's just better leveling that needs to be done.

Like I said... not bad. I can dig it.

-J.P.

Walpang responds:

Thank you so much for your feedback! I totally agree with the stuff your saying, I am making a new song right now that I think is a lot better and more organized. I use Reason, and I am learning new things every day. Anyway, thanks a bunch, you seem like you really know what you're doing! Love your songs, too! (By the way, I am trying to get scouted, so if you don't mind, I would really appreciate it.)

[Freedom]

Highly cinematic.

I'd say this is fairly well composed. It's definitely hitting all the musical tastes buds, in terms of timing, sample usage, melodic and harmonic accompaniment. It's mixed very well; not much I can nitpick on here. I think the only gripe I do have is the way it ended. That final chord could have been extended another bar and then end on a (much more) bombastic note.

Brass could be a little wider and have a much more extended range. While a lot of this is well balanced across the frequency range, I think you could do more beefing up in the mid-range. You've the highs and lows covered well, but there's just a bit of a hole in the middle (just for my tastes, anyway).

Nonetheless, this is great. A (nigh-realistic) job well done, fine sir.

-J.P.

NicholasCabraja responds:

Couldn't agree with you more. Your taste for the end, is something I could have done... Had you told before I uploaded haha. I like the creative taste.

For the mid range. Ya I was very careful not to cause to much build up and I can hear at times that I over did it a little. The cellos for sure. Problem I had was that the sample from CineStrings has this low tone that I had to get rid o. After that I did a bit of clean up with a LP filter which was most likely the issue.
The brass widening with be experimented with so thank you for that too.
Thanks man for the review. You were a great help!

[Overworld Adventure]

Not bad, not bad.

Things I liked:
+ Piano harmonies are pretty nice.
+ Melodic themes are aplenty here.
+ Bassy bass is bassy :)
+ Progression is certainly present.

Things I didn't like as much:
- The progression is a bit... all over the place. It strays pretty far from what it initially established at the beginning, especially at the end.
- Drums aren't too bad, but they could use some more livening up. Snare is definitely there, but I can barely make out the kick.
- There seems to be a bit of muddiness to the track itself. Mix needs tidying up as a lot of the elements need to be more distinguishable.
- The cymbals have some pretty harsh transients, so you may want to turn them down a tinge.

I dig this, it just needs cleaning up. I can see where you're going with, but it needs a little more coherence. Nonetheless, I say it's nice. Keep on keepin' on!

-J.P.

Im4Hero responds:

Thank you for the super constructive review! That's why a love newgrounds, there's no reason for me to not learn and do better. ^_^

I gotta admit, I should stick more to a theme, it's all over the place. :s

I shall take all of your advices. All of it! ^w^

[Calygon]

Smooth. Really smooth.

I'd almost list this as Ambient or Experimental. Or directly under video game.

ANYWAY! This is pretty swank. I'm a sucker for the ethereal and soundscape like tones. The drums are superior-ly thin and fits the theme quite well. The melodies are well done and I must say that the stuttered effects are awesome and complements each and every other element. Could definitely see myself playing a game to this song or even just use it as an easy-listening track.

No complaints on my end. If I spot something, I'll be sure to point it out :) 9/10, 5/5.

-J.P.

Onefin responds:

Thanks for the review! Feedback is appreciated.

I must mention, the entirety of the drums in the section at 0:48 come from a loop in a free sample pack. Almost all of it. The only part that is mine is the delayed percussive sound on 2+4 which can barely be heard since I mixed it pretty poorly lol

So the drums are thin because the loop I chose had them thin. The loop also had all the stuttering effects, so those aren't mine either. I guess I chose a good loop lol

[~Echo~ Eternity (WIP)]

Not bad, not bad.

Gave this a little over 24 hours to listen back and think over it.

I'll start with some cons:

- Piano reverb is a bit much on the highs. EQ on that could make that a little more tame without being tad too harsh. Otherwise, makes the track sound a little too washy. But, aesthetically, I know what you're going for. I think a side-verb for that would probably work better than a mid, in this case. You can get the same amount of atmosphere with less of the wash and muddiness.

- Snareclap is a little lacking, at least for my tastes. Needs more clap and a bit more of that mid-high meat to make it snappier.

- Patterns could use more transitional phrasing, where the kit is concerned. What I mean is that it'd help to keep the percussive interest by changing up the beat every four to eight bars. It'll sound less like one lengthy stream of consciousness and more of a morphing and progressive theme.

- Transitions from one phrase to the next could be smoother. Another swell here or there, especially from verse to breakdown, where the kit gives the indication that things have changed. You've got build-ups down pat.

Pros:

+ Ethereal and atmospheric. Very ambient.

+ Pretty good melodic and harmonic themes that support each other strongly and continuously change from moment to moment and section to section.

+ Arps are pretty nice. They flow well with the swells and the risers. Bassline is pretty creamy.

+ The kit is well constructed. Kick is fairly meaty and hits hard. Could use a little more sub for extra warmth though. Snareclap sounds fairly humanistic with the way it flams the clap.

+ Structure is sound. A little more variety in patterns nearing the end would help it progress even further, but as it stands, pretty good.

Overall, a great piece. Couple of nitpicky things here and there, but great. Good job!

-J.P.

aliaspharow responds:

Thank you so much JP! :D Tremendously useful feedback all around. I will most like follow the majority of your points because I agree with the majority of them. Also I uploaded an updated version that already addresses some of your points.