Animith's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[dj-Jo] Grid Rave RingtoneMix]

Review Request Club

Ahaha, I've been listening to this on loop a fair few times now. Damn, you gots yourself a catchy track, actually ended up downloading this one.

Anyway, the actual track: I thought the beginning was a little abrupt for all of half a second until all the synths came back in again. It might just be my computer, but the loop didn't seem to be as smooth as it could be? Like, I thought that that beginning chord might've been placed there 'cause it would link well with the end, thus making a loop, but the end seemed to stay faded out a little too long to loop properly. But again, maybe it's my computer.

The main melody's nice and strong; I was kind of in two minds about the synth, at points I thought the sound of it could have been a little smoother than it was, especially on the higher note at 0:08...this remedies itself when you add in more synths at 0:15ish and have some really awesome harmonies going on by 0:24. Definitely thought the harmony was a real strong point of this.
I think in general, I preferred the second half of this to the first, just because the bass line got more complex, there was a lot more depth given by the synths...as if the first half was the first verse leading into the main chorus.
But overall, I can't really fault this. Nice lead synth, cool bassline, some really nice drum beats and fills...and it's catchy as hell. What more do you want?

-Review Request Club

[requiem fo' a dream DNB RMX]

Review Request Club

You got the main melody right...but the harmony is really way off, especially at the start. If it was accidental, then the bass notes in the original are G, G, Eb, D, throughout. If it was deliberate, it really clashes and doesn't really stop clashing for a long time. It's a relatively simple song that you can do a lot with, and I think changing the chords really didn't work in this instance. The bassline that came in at around :30 was alright, but didn't correlate really well with the main melody until it the sound changed at :50...and even then, it still sounds kind of off.

I think the only thing I did like about this piece were the drums, because they sounded good and had a nice beat to them. Apart from that...I think you tried to do too much to this track and it all went kinda wrong. Lux Aeterna is a ridiculously iconic song, and it's the kinda of thing that with a remix, you might as well keep the melody, the harmony, the bass...even the structure of it, and just change up the instruments a little. It's the perfect example of the kinda song that has almost nothing to it; has a short and simple melody and short and simple bassline...but still doesn't feel repetitive, as it builds throughout.

By changing the harmonies to a more dissonant tone and by moving the 'chorus' tune nearer to the start, by making almost everything the same volume you lose that sense of build the original has, and so it gets very repetitive quite quickly. It wasn't broke to start with, don't feel a need to completely re-invent it. Apologies if this seems to harsh, but I think this really did miss the mark in a lot of ways. You're doing yourself a disservice if you don't believe in what you write enough to put the time in to make it decent.

-Review Request Club

[dubstep wip]

Review Request Club

Aha, this definitely is a WIP xD I'd've been worried if you'd make a 0:17 second track and said it was a whole song =P

Anyway. When I first played it I heard some kind of click right at the start? It sounded like the reverb off the snare drum or something...maybe it's just my headphones, but if it is there, it's a little odd? Especially as it leads into a few seconds of silence.

The lead synth has a really cool sound to it, you've definitely got the 'wobbles' down. A pointer definitely would be how to develop the melody from there on in; whether you're going to keep the melody the same and add more synths in to thicken the texture, or go into a new theme. This works well as an introduction, but I do think that for the next bit something needs to change up just to give that sense of build.

Although this is a WIP, etc., I'd say that for a drum and bass song this is lacking a fair bit of both? I mean, the lead synth has a pretty bassy sound, but wouldn't be harmed by a really nice and low bass line to thicken it out a bit. In the same way, the snare sounds nice and has a cool echo to it...but it's pretty high in the trebles and is the only drum to feature in this part. Either making the snare more bassy, or adding a tom/kick drum into the mix I think would help here.

But for 17 seconds, it's gotta lot of promise, so keep it up.

-Review Request Club

SessileNomad responds:

no yeah, there is a little click, its just the way the track rendered, if this weree a full song, i would care

i actuallly think im going to bring in new ambient tthemes when i come back to this one

thanks for the review man

[Rastafari]

Review Request Club

You set up a really nice feel right from the start. While it's definitely a drum and bass song, you do have this sort of laid back feel to it, as if it was just a Rasta guy walking down a street and this was the song accompanying him.

It's got some really nice melodies which develop pretty nicely through the track; you keep adding in these new synths or new ideas, and it really helps keep the variety up. The transitions in particular were probably the best part about this track, because there was not a single one which didn't work really well with itself.

While there are a lot of transitions (Perhaps even too many? Or maybe it's just because my DnB experience is from NG and I'm used to only hearing 0 transitions in a track xD), I think the main melody could have done with a change at some point. Given the length of the song, I think you probably could have had a transition into an entirely new idea at one point, or maybe a really nice buildup. It's obvious from this track that you've got a lot of skill in what you do, and so you have a lot of scope insofar as pushing the boat out in changes and melodies.

Really nice track, in all, and coming from a person who doesn't really like DnB. Definitely keep it up, I look forward to seeing more stuff from you requested in the club.

-Review Request Club

Skela responds:

Thanks for the review!

[Initiate]

Review Request Club

The opening pads are a little weird, and drown out the /very quiet/ bell sound. it's weird that they cut out like they do at 0:15, but not overly so. I like how the second synth comes out of the texture, and definitely has a really nice depth to it, and the automations it has are pretty nice. However, I did find myself turning the volume down because you built it up more by volume than anything else.

...really couldn't get on board with the spoken vocals. They sometimes work well, but I think here they're more of a distraction from the rest of the track, which sounds incredibly cool. To the point where I'm almost relieved at 2:11 when they come out again.

The glitches are a nice touch, though I think overdone at 2:10-2:30ish. Glitch the melody, fine, but I think glitching everything is a little much. But the section after it is really nice and has a lot of depth to it...perhaps lacking a nice prominent bass line, but atmospheric nonetheless.

The cut-out at 4:00 was nice, but I think it would have been better if it transitioned into something slightly newer, as some of the melodies were now several minutes old. You've definitely got a lot of good elements in this song, but I think each section is slightly longer than it should be, and so by the 5th minute is has a definite drag to it, especially because it doesn't seem to move much between there and the end.

I think definitely this could use a condensing. You've got a LOT of good ideas in here, but I think they're wasted on a song this long. Cut down the sizing and mix the elements together a little more, make the sections shorter...and I think you'd have a pretty epic track. Definitely take a second thought about the spoken vocals, because I think they do more harm than good. Overall, this is a stellar effort, but I think would be better suited to a shorter track.

-Review Request Club

DJ-Chilvan responds:

Thanks for the review! Yea, I feel the same way you do about the vocals and the pad getting quiet at :15. The bells, are actually part of the pad vsti, so the only way I can bring them out is by EQing, but if they come out too much, it will kind of mess up the overall mood.
I'm going to make a more curtailed version of this song, and will release it before the end of May. It will be between 3-4 minutes long, and won't have vocals or any glitching at all. Just a track for mood.

[In Luv With U {^}-{Alix1}-{^}]

Review Request Club

The piano at the start sounds quite artificial, could definitely use some more reverb to it. It's got an alright melody, but some of the notes do seem a little off
0:14-Whatever that sound effect is, it really doesn't work at all for me, especially when it's being used behind a piano and with the frequency it's being used in. If you're going to use it, I think it needs some manipulation, even just turning it down the octave would have helped a lot. Definitely at 0:26-0:28 it was really excessive.

The transition at 0:28 is nice, but the synths here need a lot of work, they just don't really work well together, the drum's not really doing anything but cutting through everything with the bass, the 0:14 sound effect is still cutting through everything,
The melody synth, while having a nice sound, is still playing the same thing it was at the beginning and could definitely use a different melody and more harmony. The piano sounds like it might be playing something different in parts, but I really can't tell past the harsher synths.
I like the concept you have at 1:27 with the different parts coming in and out, but the synths you use totally wreck the idea. I'll stop labouring the point, but...yeah, in general I think the synths wreck this track for you.

The transitions in general are alright, but anti-climactic. At 'another level', it didn't really go anywhere at all, and you had the scope to change it up a lot. I think there's a few good things in here, but the synths need revamped. There's a few good points, like the start and end, and some of the ideas you had...but they were a little lost in the exection. Has promise, but needs a lot of work.

-Review Request Club

alix1 responds:

i know i have a lot of work to do on all my tracks. Someday soon I plan on fixing every one of them that I still have the project files for.

[Stargenx - Spring Fling]

Review Request Club

This has a really nice, upbeat start to it from the get-go. The transition into the thicker tectures was nice, but I think the part at 0:28...with what sounds like a wind instrument...could have used something else. Even just that new instrument turned up a bit, because it had a nice sound to it, but more than that, the fact if's sandwiched by two pretty thick textures and is pretty sparse itself.

No real complaint for the next minute or so, the song's pretty much just riding by itself, there's a nice set of textures and depth to it, the drums got a nice beat to it, there's a nice harmonic change at around 1:10 which is really nicely done...one thin it's maybe lacking is a more prominent bass line, but that's not that big an issue.

By 1:38 I think the main melody was perhaps getting a little repetitive, but then again it's a pretty short track. I think if you have time to come back to this and make it longer, you could definitely throw a little more variety there in terms of transitions and synths. As it is though, it's a nice bright and happy track...with a melody that's now completely stuck in my head. Nicely done, overall

-Review Request Club

Stargenx responds:

Thanks for the review! I'm sorry it's stuck in your head :(
I just got my new speakers so I could mix this a bit more.

[Tetris (A->N Remix)]

Review Request Club

This is a pretty iconic tune, so you better damn do this right xD

Obviously can't give you much kudos for a melody that isn't yours, but I like what you've done with it; you didn't show the whole tune all in one; you cut it up and gave the song a more cohesive structure. I thought the transition at 0:28 was perhaps a little abrupt, but works well for it. I'm glad my headphones weren't turned up all the way, though xD

The transition at 1:24 was really nicely done, but I think by 1:35 the main melody has sunk a little too deep into the texture, and at 1:46 goes pretty quiet before going all the way up again by 1:52. Where I had turned the volume up too high and burned my ears a little, but I guess that's my fault.

The synths you've got work really well, but a lot of them lack bass, or need the bass turned up a lot more than they are here. There's a really present bass when the melody sinks into it at 1:35, but apart from that this seems to mainly be in the higher frequencies.

The drums were good, if a little repetitive at points. Maybe adding a few more fills, and maybe even some glitches as well would have helped keep the variety up in that aspect. And although you did try and change the tetris melody up a little, and had all these nice synths supporting it and keeping it sounding interesting, I think this track is a touch too long to just have this one tune to it, especially when Tetris has several to use. That being said, the variation of the melody was really nicely done and part of me wished it'd come earlier so we could have seen more of a variation to it later.

In general, this is probably one of the best remixes I've heard of this tune. Could definitely use a second look at the levels, but this is definitely a pretty original take on this. Keep up the very good work.

-Review Request Club

[[herd] Snowy Morning]

Review Request Club

Aha, it's funny, as soon as the song started I kinda thought of winter. It sort of reminded me of the music the game Pikmin had at the start of it, in the winter atmosphere of the planet.

The sounds are pretty cool, but the one at 0:25 I really didn't like all that much; the one that takes over its melody at 0:42 feels like it fits a lot more. You had a nice set of instruments (though some of them sounded a little too preset), and some felt like they had a few automations to them and/or you were changing them pretty frequently, which worked well. The melodies were fine, if a little overused across the three minutes, I definitely think you could have used a few more melodies or countermelodies in this,

The transitions generally work well, though I think the buildup at 1:52-2:13 needs something else in it, because it feels very empty with just the drum and the distant bell sound; maybe a pad sound or sweep or something. just to thicken it out a bit more.

In general, it's an okay track. Needs a bit more work on the sounds and levels to improve it, but it definitely shows promise, so keep it up.

-Review Request Club

Herdunculus responds:

Yes, I was kind of hesitant with that build up at 1:52. And your right, i think I should work on more variety in my songs like in melodies. Appreciate the review man. Thanks.