ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[+Lucky+]

Really heavy on the treble in your snare and snap. I had to turn down the volume a little. I'd recommend either turning them down some or rolling off a little highs strategically.

This track has a nice vibe. It sounds like you might be clipping in places. If you don't know what that is, look it up. Best practice is to mix quiet, then let mastering FX or a third party online master handle making everything loud.

Your cello is also a bit loud relative to the rest of the track and sounds a bit dry. Chorus, reverb, delay, and panning/tremelo panning are all things you could do to liven it up. Another cello perhaps doubling the same line would also be interesting to hear, and perhaps apply all those effects on a send track for them both. Pocket Blakus is a good free kontakt cello, if you don't have it.

But beyond any technical mumbo jumbo, this is real smooth!

gray1 responds:

I mean you can tell by the peking on the actual wave file on this track that the collapse and the snares are is R peaking and that is due to the blood overdrive that I used all those in 2019 just because I was trying to fucking make everything go over the top and the blow overdrive did that I've since alarms not to fucking do that but you know you love you learn and that's just the way production goes but as far as mastering you know it's better to keep going at it I'm oversized you're cool and all that shit but doing it yourself and learn all that shit to your ears pop is kind of fun too PS I'm using text to speech and I don't feel like correcting any of this

[Great Beyond]

Just a touch more punch and crunch on those drums, maybe a bit less hihat, and this would be a five for me. I think I'd like a little bit less volume on the scratches, or some panning. Maybe some reverb or delay play? The track feels like it wants to be spaced out. Great work!

Casper responds:

Yeah, i was thinking about some reverb and delay on those scratches

[YMER]

You know, I don't even mess with my EQ. I have a pair of Audio Technical m40xs and just make sure to turn the treble down as much as I can remember to. They give such a flat sound I often find myself overrepresenting to compensate for that... and probably hearing damage.

This track is really cool. Enjoying the bass itself. Might do well with a sub or a subtle reese under it -- perhaps even some liquidy chorus.

As for phase and punch, I'm not hearing any phase issues -- but I'm on headphones again.

That gurgling bass accent is really mid heavy, low mids, 250hz or so? I would roll off a little of the speaking range frequencies and maybe even low pass it some. Perhaps you could bring it from right to left in the mix space. Actually I'd like it if you did that with some of your ethnic percussions before that final drop

The bass could use a heavier, grungier amp to match your percussion's grit. Think Korn's Fieldy and his nasty, stringy sound.

Overall, a really smooth listen. I may bring treble down some, but that's personal preference more likely than not. Great work!

Also, what is that bell at 4:33. I've got to have that sound! I'm looking at remixing some more tracks from Age of Mythology, and that's exactly the sound I'm trying to approximate.

EDIT: Congrats on the front page!

PlinkoPlonko responds:

Thanks for the great response!

[{Rooldook} Hyperblink]

Hey! Adrean here. Caught your post in audio advertisements. :)

The sound in the intro is interesting. Actually, everything is. It sounds very spaced out, like a chorus has been put on the entire track. I like that as an effect, but for the whole track is almost sounds like I'm listening from another room. I'm not sure if that's what you're going for.

I wouldn't classify this as any genre I know outside of a mix of dnb and maybe house of some kind. Don't take my word for it though. I never know what genre to put my music in.

I think if you were to make the bass mono up to about 210 hz, this would gel together a little more. And probably use a harder, grittier snare. I have tons of sample packs listed on my latest newspost (am also coming up with a sample pack, PM if you'd like to be on the waiting list)

The end of the track gets really distorted and full, in contrast to the beginning. I thought about turning it down some, and it doesn't feel like it develops much with the very light, dry sounding drums. Maybe look up how to accomplish a gated reverb or add a ping-pong delay for some hits, with some standard transition noises. Your writing is good. The production just needs that extra punch. And to be sure, nothing was overtly offensive sounding at all. Just needs some polish on the mix/master.

Don't worry. If this is your first couple years of serious pieces, and you haven't fallen down the tutorial rabbit hole, you're making good progress. Keep at it, and keep laying down ideas. You may find you want to revisit them later.

Enjoyed the listen!

Rooldook responds:

Thank you for your feedback, I really like and appreciate it. <3

[Lo-Fi Black Mist - (Death Mountain)]

Sounds good, creative arrangement of what ordinarily is a stale theme for remixing. The mixing here isn't bad. I would recommend taking it to a free internet master to fix the quiet volume.

And if this isn't a remix, forgive me. I can't even remember the name of the classical piece I'm thinking of, same key haha.

JonnyDesutoroiya responds:

In fact I am already doing the mastered versions all the projects, they will have changes and improvements in sound and Plugins such as volume increase since most of them are below -20 to -30 dB.

[Inktober #4 - Actualize]

Wow this is wild. I never imagined somebody spitting on this track! It was intended as a score :o

Now that I think about it, the structure makes sense. I think this is a vibe!

Onto the mixing, it's getting better and better with time, whether you know it or not. I might cop something like KSHMR Essentials (Kick, the free version) and see if I can use the width function on those adlibs.

Regardless, if you can get just a little more clarity in that upper mid, your flow believe it or not will almost totally outshine most mixing issues. I still would probably drop or chop a little tighter some of the adlibs. Occasionally they run over each other and get a little muddy.

But overall, this slaps. Glad my junk inspired you to make such impressive flows. Great work!

Cyberdevil responds:

Glad you liked it! I do love spitting particularly on tracks not intended for spitting on. XD

Hmm definitely was an elaborate attempt with this one but I feel like it might've actually been a step back since the first, turned out a bit messy somehow, vocal tone a little blander, which is why I tried messing around with a bit too many layers I think. But maybe that's not really the mixing, just the recording this time. Anyway that'd be awesome if you want to! I'm thinking when Inktober's over and all has calmed down I could give this another run too, but anytime you want to mess around with and potentially greatly improve a mix I'm happy to send over files. :)

Yeaah more clarity seems key. I do agree. Gotta work on that.

Thanks for the feedback again ADR3-N! And your tracks really are dope you know! Addictive just like coke and blow! Though more so empowering and soulful so.

[Inktober #1 - Run]

You know, as much as you say you aren't happy with the vocal quality, despite some muddyness on adlibs, the overall quality is improving by leaps and bounds with each year that goes by. Your flows are becoming more and more refined. I think if you were just a bit more selective with your chopping vocals, pare down the track number just a bit, or perhaps have one lead center vocal that's nice and clean, and apply a chorus, eventually you'll get results. Keep experimenting.

The mid is just a bit heavy on the vocal, making it sound just a little nasal, but it's not overly sibilant from what I can hear on laptop speakers. Try some EQ play and compression -- by the way, check my latest post, some vocal processing freebies are on there.

Glad to see you still at it as always. Keep it up!

Cyberdevil responds:

Hey thank you ADR3-N, good to get an outside perspective on things; hear that I am actually getting somewhere. Yeah I gotta master the chopping, though it felt like the muddiness worked pretty well with the beat in this particular case sometimes, especially towards the end. More so feel I didn't manage the right tone and all, voice strains too quick, but that should get better.

Hmm I totally forgot the EQ advice I picked up last year!!! Thanks for that reminder! I'll check out that post too.

Always. :) Thank ya very much for stopping by for the premiere; dropping all this very useful feedback no less!

[Variations on Endless Handbag]

A nice fresh take on one of my favorite songs. It has the feeling of a live lounge recording (while also reminding me of the original menu theme for Dragon's Dogma) -- I think some of that is to do with loads of low end reverb and sub. That chorus is very nicely done, positively angelic, and the composition really shines through here. I would want just a little more compression and some de-essing, but it comes through quite nicely.

I may bring the bass down by about .2 dB, the guitars up by a similar amount, and perhaps the marimbas down ever so slightly.

I understand there are two mics on the drums and that's rough to work with. There has to be some way to bring out the profile of the snare just a bit, or go back in and either record or trigger a VST snare. It's only a very slight distractor. Overall the playing is wonderful and outshines the recording.

I very much love to see how you, Troisnyx are progressing through the years, and the collaboration here is spectacular. Everyone is playing to their strengths. The lead guitar soars without completely owning the track. All other parts of the arrangement are in their proper place, and it flows masterfully.

Great work, everyone! Thanks to @BBank for pointing me here!

BBaNK responds:

You are welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!

[Paradisum]

Spectacular composition. My only complaint is bass is conspicuously absent, to the point of almost inaudible -- let it shine! I can hear that it's well written, but it's WAY buried in the mix, as is to a lesser extent the rhythm and choirs.

And there seems to be a bit much reverb on those to supplement burying them somewhat. That muddies the presentation. Cut that reverb wet down by about a third to a half what it is, and hi-pass to 250 or so, then crank the choirs up .2 dB to .4 and see what happens.

The kick drum also is hiding in the mix, needing more high mid bite and a bit less sub, especially for when it rolls -- remember your velocity settings for when you get into blast beat territory for both it and the snare.

The dulcimer when it is not the lead is about half a dB too high.

Other than that, wonderful to listen. Great job!

DanJohansen responds:

I totally get where you're coming from! Most modern sounds go in all the directions you just mentioned. A lot of the things you want me to change are actually things I went out of my way to make happen, because to me.. that creates an alive cinematic landscape that fits my imagination perfectly. I am not all that interested in a perfectly clinical perfect sound, to me that is usually dry and uninspired. Glad you dug the tune though! Rock on!

[BossAsBeatle - Tooth Toss OST Conner Grail & James Renna]

Well written -- I would say you need some velocity controls on those strings. The machine gun attack really takes away from the otherwise great writing.

Also, they seem to be burying all the other instruments, especially percussion and bass. But a nice theme nonetheless!

Jumbs responds:

Hey thanks ADR3! If I remember right I made this on the last day of a 72 hour video game jam. of course there’s room for improvement, but when the clock is ticking and theres still one more tune to write you just gotta roll with it. Thanks for the review!