ADR3-N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[castle deep south of nowhere]

This is a pretty sweet piece for beep box! It sounds like with your experimental works, you are taking it to the limit with pitch bends.

I can hear a little of what you mentioned to me in struggling to structure your piece. However, you deliver a pretty consistent melodic theme and a clear outro.

It sounds like what is the problem is not knowing where to stop stacking when it comes to complex rhythmic and melodic elements. For 1:20 seconds, you have a full minute of that with most or all of the instruments playing at the same time, and various quick pitch drifts occurring, taking up a lot of the attention of the listener. I am not immune to this myself, so I will listen through several times and explain what I mean.

In your intro, complexity develops quickly, with moving melody, bass bopping around quite a lot, and what sounds in between mallets and organs also entering and exiting.

The lead has several nice licks, but it can sound a bit disconnected perhaps due to a bit of muddiness in the chords below. If I am not paying direct attention to it, it sounds nice, but when I am paying direct attention, the mallets in particular are distracting from it by hanging out on a minor third and being quite busy.

You may have better luck by starting with fewer instruments at first, a bass, a lead, and a pad, and then further adding occasional accents.

Further, a study of song structure may help you organize these musical ideas and develop them into satisfying phrases – I actually think everything I heard would be catchier if parsed out like so: intro with mallets > verse with developing perc sounding instrument and mallet > chorus with your lead > verse with mallets and perc > chorus > bridge building into another > chorus > chorus into outro.

You have done some very nice transitions with your pitch bends and made with beep box what many don’t take the time to, so pride yourself on that!

Regarding your arrangement of chords, there is a phenomenon that happens with triads as you go down the keyboard – the lower a chord is, the more chunky and dissonant it starts to sound. Try to keep the low mid and low range of your tunes as clean and uncluttered as you can.

I’ll explain further. Notice the lead up top sounds very sonorant and clear, but if you were to drop that down an octave, it might lose that clarity. I think this is happening with the minor 1 and 3 in the bass in your outro, as well as with the mallet hanging out on the 3rd of the minor i chord a lot. If any of this is unclear, I’m more than willing to go deeper, but for learning applications, I recommend a channel called Signals Music Studio for songwriting in particular; Adam Neely is a step up from that into finer concepts of music composition, but both are great places to explore this terminology. And if you are an absolute nut who wants to make everything weird, Ben Levin is another great stop on your research journey.

For this piece as is, I can see it as a menu theme for a Genesis-like game or something similar, something involving building alien worlds or exploring new planets/prospecting. Perhaps even something like Minecraft. There is no kick/snare/hat, so it lends itself best to waiting, pondering, observing. Very chill stuff.

JimmyTheCaterpillar responds:

I really appreciate all of your words -- it's crazy! I'm not even sure where to begin with a response,, but the song structure bit has sincerely got me thinking critically about much of the music I hear lately. I listen very analytically to poetry, and i'm starting to do it with music too more consciously;; it's kind of exhausting lol but i'm trying! thank you so much!!

[amp chant / orange dance]

This piece is a bit short to properly comment, but from what I can hear, it is utterly filthy in a good way. You have a talent for creating alien textures and a clear eye for rhythm. I am imagining that you did this with audacity as well, which is an achievement. Horror composers make soundscapes like these all the time for shows like American Horror Story and its discombobulated intros.

The repeating cronenberged section sounds like an auto-filter or gate, and I appreciate the organic horror, as well as how if I zone out hard enough, the sensation between psychosis, washing dishes in the back of a restaurant, and at 0:15 in particular, a surfer rock drum loop through a cochlear implant. It would be a treasure trove for sampling and BGM.

What I feel this lacks is a driving beat, structure, and cohesion between sections and phrases. As a loop, it DOES function well due to the buzzing in the left channel and throughout. This can be remedied to a degree as I mentioned earlier with creating the mangled samples in Audacity and exporting them to your DAW of choice.

I can see this as background to a dystopian animation like as Salad Fingers, owing to its atonal nature and ambient noise.

I’m actually in awe at the way you destroy these samples. I would have never guessed until the outro what you could have used to create these textures. 30 seconds literally sounded like spraying down a sink drain, and the rhythmic buzzing was an excellent choice for the outro. I have genuinely enjoyed the listen, the longer I have gone on, and as someone who doesn’t often consume this kind of music, that is surprising!

This one also could use a bit of a boost volume wise, and perhaps compression of the overall result, but it’s easy listening as is. Consider me a fan from this point on!

JimmyTheCaterpillar responds:

tbh i remember when I was making this track i was in a big ol funk and i was kinda just pushing through building it to keep my mind off of other shit, but the other shit would creep in intermittently with jabs like "wtf are you even making rn" "where is this going" "yo this shit is ass" but I was kinda just like shut up!! to myself. i am really glad i saw the effort through and this review does a lot in helping me see the value i saw innately in the process, so thank you -- sincerely!

[Ginger Cranberry / guitar knots piece I]

There is a haunting quality to the intro of this piece. It has a very avant-garde feel and an ambient style I enjoy. Reminds me of a lot of music I used to make years ago. Weird, unapologetic, and it is what it says on the tin.

Employing various effects throughout lends a familiar and alien feeling at once. Modulating the amount of noise in the recording through what sounds like low-pass further contributes to the atmosphere.

If you were to improve upon this work or continue in this vein, I think the samples would be best edited in audacity first, exported, and arranged in another DAW where you have more control, such as Reaper.

There are some concerns I have such as mic quality, position, and room noise, which are difficult to overcome in more conventional styles but work pretty well for you here, minus where sharp fades of treble hiss are noticeable. I won’t go into detail, given that you don’t seem to be going for a “pristine” sound, but these are worth watching some tutorials on for whenever you decide to branch out and explore.

If you were to record as is, the ever present noise probably should be removed and added in post where you feel it will provide the most effect. I notice your penchant for texturizing, as you have already employed this to some effect with native FX.

Typically this is how it is done professionally. A sample of pure noise will sit vertically atop the processed recordings, to be modulted in and out at will. This will provide a cleaner result and potentially aid in structuring the piece – coupled with having a beat grid, snap functions, and many more options for modulating parameters.

As is, it is difficult to ascertain tempo. Audacity has a beat overlay feature that I am aware of, but it is difficult to work with due to the nature of how its tracks function -- generating silence early or cutting it to get a track starting on beat. It is also hard to crossfade, which is a basic feature in most DAWs, one I personally take for granted but I think would be most useful around 1 minute of your piece, or anywhere you have multiple entrances.

I particularly enjoy 1:25 and beyond where we delve into downpitched and reversed, glitching tones. 1:56 in particular caught my attention, as did 2:11. You've almost turned it into a rhode, and I would love to hear the production process on that.

In conclusion, this piece has quite a few stops and starts, but it contains many worthwhile, very weird ideas. Despite this not being my genre of choice, I really enjoyed the listen, and the parts I highlighted in particular!

JimmyTheCaterpillar responds:

you're the best and this audio review commission was such a worthwhile expenditure!!! everyone should hit you up for structured thoughts!

[Walk Away]

You know, I don't remember if I was actually the one who frontpaged this or not. That was the first thing I noticed when I recognized your song.

I think you've got a great structure for contemporary EDM going on here. The square was a fantastic choice at 1:30 approx, and I enjoyed your writing. I think the sidechain actually could stand to be a bit less aggressive, with a little more clarity in the mix for this section -- we can bring back the dreamy quality with lots of reverb and pads later, for contrast. Though it's worth noting that I think you've done a good job contrasting sections already.

The only element I'm not sure about is the short, loud, chopped snare for your builds. I think something with a longer tail as you neared the drops would further build tension. That one sounds a bit dry.

The switchup around 3 min and something was unexpected and had me checking to make sure a measure had not been deleted. However, it was neither a detriment to the track as a whole, nor a complete side-bar. I think you could have developed that further in some way to perhaps a more varied drop, but it's not bad as is.

The final drop is quite relaxing and really gives that feeling of bebopping around space. Sincerely hope it's seen some good use in GD, because it deserves it!

OVERSCORE responds:

Ah, yes, an actual review!
If you were the one who frontpaged this, thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the writing and structure. Yeah I do think I could have improved on the buildups, I see what you’re saying about the snare. The switchup was definitely supposed to have that kind of slap in the face surprise element to it, there was no measure deleted, just some weird rhythms.
There hasn’t been very many GD levels with it yet, a bunch of recent tab junk and one rated level. I hope that changes soon!
Thank you for all the advice! I’m shocked that you didn’t have anything to say about my mixing, I guess I’ve improved there a lot!

[Real problems]

I think this might be closer to house than hip-hop -- as phonk does fall under two umbrellas depending on arrangement. Real pleasant chord progression!

Vosh responds:

ok, i was changed

[Silver Phoenix]

Lapland... Finland? My geography is pretty American and it shows aha. I can feel the cold in this piece, in contrast to fiery :P

I always appreciate the dynamics and brooding air to your work. That's fire indeed. The balance of this piece is feeling spot on throughout. Perhaps I'd like a bit less long tail 1000 dB bass drum and a modern punctuated decay there. Bringing it up so it isn't hiding as much underneath may assist some, or perhaps more variation in velocity.

The only thing that holds me back from giving a higher score for this piece is that after a certain point I don't feel we progress much, until 3:09 which feels more like a build than an outro. I think some degree of this is the percussion remains at about the same intensity throughout the remainder of the track. The result is that we start strong and I feel sit at the same level. Perhaps the intro and first half can be made quieter to make it feel more as if we have room to grow.

Beyond that, I'm stunned with your ability to push out banger after banger thus far. Great work!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hii! Sorry for the super late reply. As you can imagine, life has been very busy. I really appreciate that you've taken the time to review so many tracks; thank you for that!

Yes, it was indeed Lapland in Finland (but Lapland is also covering parts of Sweden, Norway and Russia). I hear what you mean about hearing the cold, too! I appreciate your tips on the percussion; I'll certainly bear that in mind :)

I also hear your point about the progression. I was trying to go for something a little bit like Revelations, by Veigar Morgeirsson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNWTOsmnRcE, but I do feel like I fell a bit short. Naturally, I had many other inspirations as well!
As you mention, I think the energy is indeed a bit high early on in the piece, leaving less room for growth. I think I've pulled off the energy-balance a bit better in my last two compositions, thankfully ^____^

Thanks again! I hope you'll consider my last piece for this year's NGADM a banger as well; I've tried not to disappoint.

[Bewitched]

I love what you've done with that loop. I like to do it myself -- sentence mixing, changing the melody. I'm always wowed with the weirdness of your compositions. You're a real character in the DAW!

I think the mix of this could use some more refinement, but it has a very olskool chill vibe to it that I appreciate so much. Takes me back in time almost. I will sum up mix critique in short

The blips, bleeps and anything off majority in one channel could stand to come down in the mix a bit, while snare could use pushing up and perhaps some gated reverb feel to it. Your hihats could probably use a bit of transient shaping and stereo play. Sidechain more obvious than any that has been applied would help for big sections. I'd also like to see even more dynamic contrast between verse and drop. The build at 3 min is a perfect example of what I mean -- it's well done and brings us to a satisfying chorus.

I think a more aggressive, centered bass with more pronounced high mid and sub would really tie this together, as well as a kick with a bit of grit. By the end, this is well and truly stuck in my head. Beautiful work. Thank you!

LordAndiso responds:

I find this melody catchy aswell :D It got stuck in my head too!! Although when I listened to this on my earbuds.. I really heard the bleep in my right ear.. it was very annoying.. I have no idea how i didn't hear it in my headphone monitors.. I will probably invest in monitors soon.
As always, thank you soo much! I am very happy that you liked it :)

[Wonder Of Heavens]

I don't really know how to critique jazz despite having played in a jazz ensemble, but let me just say that I sincerely enjoyed this. There are some minor critiques -- mix related, as I think you've actually done an excellent job with articulations this time around. Woah.

I think the brass is actually a bit too loud to be sustained by the rest of the composition, and the low mids have been sucked out it seems from the piece. A more balanced, centered low brass section would fill this out. A bit more centered kick and snare would help as well. Strings also could be pushed a bit further into the back with the exception of 1st/2nd violin

I find I wanted this piece to go on forever. It's spicy

FJOB responds:

Thank you for the constructive criticism of the composition, I will take into account all the points you have specified to improve it soon

[Collapse (NGADM r. 3)]

Listening to this I was nervous to see the bricked out compression -- or rather I'm still listening so I am nervous. We will see what happens!

At 30 seconds I think the compression is blowing out your cinematic perc. I may back it off by a bit and increase their volume. Your chip speech like sample is quite nicely blended however. I'd like to hear a bit more as we are heading toward the end of the build.

The drop is quite nicely written and reminds me of more olskool, chilled out dubstep. Nice. I think the falling arpeggio could come down by a dB or two and the mids of the bass be emphasized more. The combing and filtering of the bass, as well as stereo play is excellently done, however. I still have yet to be completely wowed yet, perhaps as I have listened to dubstep to the point of ear death. That's more my issue than yours!

The build at 2:55 is nicely structured with elements coming and going in a nice contemporary manner. Second drop is a very nice change from the first, slow, steady and brutal. I still think the overcompression is doing no favors and is giving a muffled vibe. I can hear your hats but they sound like a murmur in the back end. They are quite high so I would actually like to hear more treble sparkle on your synths across the board. Perhaps some emphasis of high mid.

Other than that, this is a steady track, sure of where it's going, and a masterful composition. Great work! I would love to hear it revisited for the minor mix critiques I mentioned.

DenPelm responds:

Thanks for the review! I will continue working on this track and will try to take into account all the comments, since I myself do not like the current result.
Спасибо.

[Lordant - Rain Elegy]

Lovely cinematic piece with very tasteful composition. I think my only gripes are that one, it's fairly short, some of the dynamic contrast is just slightly too loud here, or not loud enough there. At 1:20 I was sincerely hoping for a further development of the themes at 37 seconds, or a big blasting chorus. It really felt as if that was where we were going.

at 1:01, I felt there could have been a more dramatic swell into this moment, as well as dynamic contrast after, to follow into the build at 1:28

Overall, lovely composition, just wanted more punch! I always have the greatest expectations from you. Keep on doing what you do!

Lordant responds:

Thank you! The compositional aspects were a bit rushed, and I'm personally not totally satisfied with them, but I'm glad you liked the piece overall :)