Animith's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Pleonasm]

Review Request Club

After listening through to this a few times, I think it's safe to say what this is missing...and that'd be a melody. To be brutally honest, this feels like a track that accidentally had the lead part muted when you were exporting it out of your DAW. You've got a really solid foundation for a track here, but it feels like everything's been placed in the background ready for some melody line that just isn't there. I think just adding in any kind of melody for the first two minutes would really bring this track up on every point.

Failing that, you need to bring one of the synths further into the foreground to act more like a lead synth, because everything's pretty quiet and distant so it feels incomplete. No more so than the drums, which are so distant you can barely hear them. The beat it's playing is also pretty basic, it definitely could have done with a more complex part to play.

It's a pretty laid back, relaxing track, but it needs more to it just to bring the variation up more, because as it is it doesn't really go anywhere for more of it, and its only right at the end where the arpeggiated synth gets louder that it starts sounding like a real track.

The mixing's pretty good and the production's alright, but you should really consider adding in a strong melody line in this just to flesh it out a little more. You've got the scenery, now add the foreground.

-Review Request Club

[Fulfillment Part 1]

Review Request Club

Damn, I love people who aren't afraid to use odd time signatures. You had me sold with this track within about the first 3 seconds with that alone. The piano could possibly have had a little less reverb on it and the drums definitely could have done with more (just to give them more of a bassy feel to it)...but in general you started this track off brilliantly; even though you used the same idea for the first 47 seconds, it didn't sound repetitive because you kept adding new things in, giving it a great sense of build for that new piano part at 0:47.

By 1:00 or so it sounded like there was _something_ underneath the piano that my ears couldn't quite pick up. Maybe it was me imagining it, or maybe the mix needed to bring whatever that was (If it's there at all xD) a little further into the mix. The next section with the bass/drums/what sounds like sax was nicely done, although I think the sax line could have been a little more fluid and followed the main theme a little less; even if it was just some kind of scale above it, just to give it a little more life, or just have what came in at 2:17 come in a little earlier, because that does sound cool. The bass also could do with being a little bassier, just to balance out the frequencies more, because you've got the mid-hi covered well, but the lower frequencies are lacking somewhat.

At 2:37 or so you lose me a little because the harmonies change pretty quickly, it sounds like its wanting to go into another section instead of ending. The last 40 seconds or so for that felt a little repetitive as it ended up not going somewhere new as you'd almost expect. However, it's not of much detriment to the track.

In general, this is really nicely done. You need to take a second look at the mix and the bassline, and perhaps vary the solo a little more, but for your second stab at FL this shows really huge promise, so definitely keep it up, whatever you do.

-Review Request Club

WizMystery responds:

Sorry for the late reply, AP tests had me busy for a while.

I realized how muffled the piano sounds compared to the settings I use now. I like to add on for steady growth because I'm an "Octavarium Person," where I want to eventually use that skill to write long, flowing pieces.

There's the bass underneath, it barely crescendos so that the piano is the main focus. The sax is actually a modulated Electrik Guitar in Kontakt that gives it a sort of synth sound, I was sort of experimenting with tone because this is only my second piece that uses FL studio. I'm actually using this as my composition for AP music and intent to cut down the repitition and attach the second part. I kept the bass standard, because it started sounding muffled when I turned up the bass frequency.

Like I said the last 40 seconds are supposed to lead up to something, it was split up because I didn't know what the filesize limit was (now I do) and thought it might go overboard.

Thank you for your review :D

[Kina Grannis-Valentine (Cover)]

Review Request Club

Bearing in mind this is a cover, I'm going to focus on the actual playing and execution of the track, because that's the real test of making something your own, is if you manage to play it and make it your own. Having listened to the original, I can see you've easily and comfortably made it your own here.

There's a nice technique with your playing that instantly makes it seem very emotional and personal; something you'd not get with a simple MIDI piano track. There is a very beautifully subtle string part in the background from what I can hear, which is really nice (They're two things which always go so well together), but I think it's almost too deep in the background to be truly appreciated, as you only start to hear it at certain points. I think making more use of the stereo in the piano would be a nice remedy to this, just so everything's a little more spread out in the channels.

My only criticism would perhaps be that it was often in a quite loud dynamic, and I think you could have perhaps played with the volume a little more than you did, even though as it is you have a really romantic feel for most of the end of the piece, which is really nice. As well as that, given the broadness of the piano you could have used a few more octaves than you did just to really use the range a bit more, because everything sort of sat in the middle frequencies. As sixflab said, you could even get away with adding more complex instrumental lines to give it even more of an emotional feel. But as it is, this is a really nice track, well played and put together. Definitely wouldn't mind seeing a few more of these kind of requests in the RRC.

-Review Request Club

Jabicho responds:

Hi there Animith! thanks so much for your review it's greatly appreciated! yeah I'll work on adding new instruments to future pieces, and recording in stereo so the notes can drive the music while listening, some pieces I heard with stereo sound are beautiful so I'll get the cables for it =)

Thanks again for commenting, it means a lot!

[Mass FX]

Nice sounds, but too repetitive for me.

Nice intro, though I think a touch overdone; I think the change at 0:15ish could have come at 0:08 and been of no real detriment.

That being said, the change at 0:15 left the lead synth perhaps a little too agressive, especially as there were no other synths beneath it to support it, I think definitely it could have done with even just a bassline underneath it just to thicken it out a little more.

Generally throughout, I think each section is a little too long. The section at :20-:50 doesn't really have many variations to it, and so could deal with being maybe half the length. In the same way, when that section comes back at 1:10 for another 40 seconds, there's not much variety in what's being played, and so it feels very repetitive. Even changing up the drum beat would have really helped here, as you've got the beginnings of an interesting beat, but it doesn't change throughout the section.

While the synths do morph a little bit, they stay at the same level throughout both these sections. It feels like there's a synth or three missing from this, to be perfectly honest. Because this is a great foundation, but it needs to be built upon further because at the moment it's very repetitive and needs something added just to bring it out of that.

The sounds themselves are nicely made, the synth modulation is well done and the drum sounds good, but this doesn't move enough or vary enough to justify being 152 seconds long, in my head. Maybe this is the kind of track you'd expect for this style of song, but to a dance/techno n00b I think more needs to happen, and from listening to your previous tracks I KNOW you can make more happen in this.

-Review Request Club

[Beyond Compulsion (Prev)]

Review Request Club

Nice work on the intro, the first 12 seconds really help set a pace and buildup so you have that sense of anticipation right from the offset. So even when it goes into the calmer section at 0:12, that anticipation still remains as you've given the listener a chance to hear what the heavier section sounds like.

The calmer section iself is really nicely done, there's a great depth to it, and yet still that sense of build, so even by 0:40 or so it still feels like it's building back up into the more dance-like section. The drumwork there is also nice; it's quiet enough not to cut through the calm texture, but prominent enough to be heard. At 1:05 I think the drum could have done with being a bit bassier just because the bass itself isn't all that prominent, just to even out the frequencies a little more.

You bring it back into a heavier section nicely, though I think you could have gone even more overboard than you did; maybe that would be an easier thing to achieve with a longer song, but I think in general by the end you could have had a really majorly heavy beat if you'd wanted to and it still would have worked because the beat's been building up throughout, just to give more of a sense of climax.

In general, its a really nicely crafted track. Could use a bit more bass in places and maybe move onto a heavier beat by the end, but in general there's some really nice work done, here. Keep it up.

-Review Request Club

[Calm_Sky [Box-Killa]]

Review Request Club

Right away, you've got a really nice depth running through the track, which already evokes the kind of ideas the title would give you, of this kind of expansive peaceful atmosphere.
The way the drum beat comes out through the texture is also nicely done, though the way it changes up at 0:17, giving more prominence to the kind of glitchy sound would work, were it not for the fact that the glitch sound cuts through the texture an awful lot. If it had been a little quieter I think it would have worked a lot better.

In the same way, the entrance of the piano (or possibly guitar? 0:35ish) is nice, but again a little too strong for what came before it, it's again the kind of cutting sound that can deal with being a little deeper in the texture and yet still have the prominence that you want from it.

The transition at 0:58 is very nice, I thought, there was a nice cohesion between all of the synths and it worked well as a climax; the transition back into the calmer texture was also very well done, and the last 40 seconds, while generally not going anywhere, didn't feel repetitive as you had all these quiet incidental synths coming in and out which really helped to keep the synths feeling varied, despite the fact the bass synth remained unchanged throughout, which is a feat in itself. Nice work, overall.

-Review Request Club

Box-Killa responds:

yeah I think I could do an aweful lot more with this song. Should have introduced a piano or something to have more of a melody too. :P

[Snow Burner]

Review Request Club

The beginning's pretty quirky, I like the little pitch bends in some of the synths; it's missing the kind of thickness of texture you get with a nice bassline, though that comes in at 0:15 nicely.
The drum beat (or what's there of it) is pretty unique, though I think it could do with being pulled more into the forefront, or just having some more reverb to it to give it more of a deeper feel to it.
I really liked the 0:30 transition where you had the distant sounds, but I think the lead synths were too unchanged at that point, so you kind of lost the effect a little.
The main melody is pretty simplistic, but when it comes into its own at 1:00, I really start liking the piece, because everything starts coming together in a much more coherent way and there's some nice melodies working there as well. The transition at 1:30 was also nicely done, and you got it to loop back pretty well.
In general, I think a little more bass and a little more of a drum beat would go amiss, and maybe that the first half of the track could do with a little more cohesion just to tie everything in together, but in general it's a pretty solid track.

-Review Request Club

[Too Awesome For Your Phone!]

Review Request Club

Really didn't understand the first 6 seconds; you had a really nice heavy riff going on after that, but before it it just seemed quite messy and just an excuse to use a phone sound, I really think that start needs a second look.
That besides, I liked the first heavy section, there was some nice guitar and drum work there...I think in parts the drum fills could have been a little more animated, but that's not that big a deal, especially for a ringtone (Consider making this into a fuller song at some point, this'd be an interesting track to hear without the ringtone restrictions, so to speak).

The second section at 0:30 was a nice transition that worked well, though the drums were definitely too quiet and the phone sound felt really out of place. Nice solo work, though.
The transition back into the heavier section worked a little less well when it just went down to the light drum beat, but that was only for a second or so. The addition of the strings (I think?) in the final section was nice, if a little unexpected. The phone sound coming in again was perhaps a little unnecessary; I think the phone sounds in general were more of a distraction that anything, though that could just be me.

-Review Request Club

SantaBro responds:

Hm, well I thought I'd begin it like that, kind of as a warning to the phone's owner that if you don't take it now, prepare to be shot in the face with a riff. Kinda. :) It's a ringtone after all so I think the cliche ringing tone fits.

Thanks for the feedback, I'll take all of into account if I eventually do a full-blown version of it. Cheers!

[Etude #5 - Moonlight]

Review Request Club

Very nicely done, very quickly downloaded. I think is the first NG track in a long time that I could listen to for a good long while.
There's some really cool melodies in here and it's the kind of thing that could easily fit as a sort of atmophere-creating music in the background of some scenery or even a flash game; it's got that simple listenablility to it, so even though it's generally exploring the same area throughout, it doesn't get boring to listen to.

That being said, I think some of the notes got a little lost in the playing, especially the lower notes of the slightly faster sections, such as 0:21-23ish. The little break at 0:26 was nice, though I think a touch overdone. Though that's just pedanticism more than anything. I'd say if you were ever going to make this longer you could try and try a different melody on top of the one you already have, or maybe even go into another key to add even more of a colour to it. But as it is, it's a really nice piece to listen along to, and just generally very well done. Would love to see what'd happen if this was a little longer.

-Review Request Club

Darkmaster603 responds:

First, id like to thank you for reviewing this piece. I do need to redo this piece, I'm trying to get a cd out and I'm working on extending all my songs and writing more complicated ones, see my romance suite for an example. I agree it needs more to it, I actually didn't think it would do so well because of the simplicity of it. Ill take your criticism in consideration for the moonlight suite that's coming soon.

Thanks for the review and kind words

[DiscoSex(WiP)]

Review Request Club.

I thought the start was a little abrupt to start with, but then when I heard how it looped in with the end it made more sense.
The synths you used work well, though I think that for the middle 20 seconds not enough changes; the only thing that is perceptively different is the voice that comes in, but between :10 and :25 the synths don't seem to change at all. That being said, I liked the sort of climax in the last 10 seconds, it definitely worked well and I could see how it could lead into a bigger section.
For an introduction, this is a good start and I think even the fact that not an awful lot happens in this section would become less of an issue as it grew into a longer track. One thing I would say is that the drums in general could eaither do with being a little louder, or a little bassier. Or perhaps both, just to thicken out the texture a little more.

It's a good start, not much to criticise here. Just make sure you keep the variety up in the next section and maybe continue the melody that starts at 0:30 and develop it a little more.

-Review Request Club.