Animith's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Our Nova Pt. 1]

Review Request Club

Really liked the start, though I'd turned my headphones up a little too loud and almost took my head off with it xD. But anyway. I like how you bring the different sounds in, especially how there's so many melodic aspects to the main tune.
When the drum does come in at 0:40, I think it could do with being a little more brought out of the atmosphere, because I could barely hear it over everything else. However, they have a nice beat to them and it compliments the rest of the synths well. Damn, this is a very happy track.

That being said...by the second minute it started dragging, for me. What was playing had no fault to it in itself, you had some really nice sounds and there's a great texture along with the pretty stellar melodies...but everything is pretty much set up by 0:40, and stays that way for a pretty extended length of time. And so when you do start changing things up a little more for the next few sections, it starts feeling repetitive a lot quicker than it should. The thing, especially with tracks of this length, is that you don't want any sections to overstay their welcome, because the subsequent sections will start to feel drag-y even if their lengths are fine. None of the ideas you have in this are bad, it's just that they're a little too spread out to be fully appreciated.

As some other people have said, you could probably use a little more variety in general. Either having a few more sets of drum beats to change up the feel a little, more automations on the melody lines to keep it sounding fresh and interesting, mixing the faster heavy sections that you do have with some slower, ambient sections (I really liked the opening synth you had, wouldn't have minded that coming back into prominence later on), or even just some generally more quiet sections. Dynamics definitely could do with a second look because the levels did get kinda piercing in places. In general though, you've got a really nice track here. Was a little too long to get the full marks, but definitely has pretty much everything it needs to be a solid track. Keep it up.

-Review Request Club

DJ-Chilvan responds:

Thanks for the review! Yea, length has always been my problem, and it's something I'm working on. Also, loudness is my problem too. I'm trying day by day to practice and improve on those aspects. Thanks for the review, because it definitely contributes to my future knowledge of audio.
I have a new song out, it's called Golden Paradise. I need some nice suggestions there as well.
Thanks!

[O rly? -GST Mix-]

Review Request Club

The very beginning sounds quite odd; it sounds like the final two thirds of a reverbed sound, in that you don't hear the attack of it, but still hear the trail-off. Not trying to make a big deal of it, but is was a little odd. Anyway, onto the track.

Rest of the first 30 seconds go without complaint. It's obvious it's a track that's going to slowley build up, and starting with 'crowd' noises before the more melodic synths came in was pretty cool. I can't tell what exactly comes in at :28 but it did seem to have a little too much treble on it given that most of the other synths were in the mid-low range. However, by 0:45ish you start hearing the automations bringing the pitch down, which is both a nice touch and a rememdy for this as the sound sinks more into the texture.

Definitely have to compliment you on your use of sounds and automations for the first minute; given that the only melodic thing there was a single pulsing note, you did keep the beat feeling fresh and interesting throughout the first minute, which is pretty cool. I also notice the high-ish sound just keeps diving further until it becomes a really bassy beat, which again is both unique and interesting to hear, because you wonder just how low it'll go, and so the simple melody doesn't even figure into the mind as a point of complaint.

When the new beat/melody is established at 1:20, I'd say the drums could do with maybe being a little further out of the texture, because you can hear they're quite heavy, but don't quite get to feel it as much as you do the bass synths. Maybe even making the drums a little bassier would've helped this (Though in saying that, maybe I'm saying the totally wrong thing xD not exactly an avid listener of techno, here :P)

And again, while you have got a relatively simple melody, you keep changing up the sounds that are supporting it, and so instead of the track dragging, you keep it sounding new and interesting, which is definitely something to be commended for a song this length and for melodies as simple as two-note and three-note sequences. Even though the main idea stays pretty much unchanged for the last three minutes, it still sounds unique and interesting. So this is perhaps the first pretty lengthy techno track I've pretty much enjoyed reviewing a lot, so kudos for that. xD

You've definitely got the talent needed to carry a simple melody for a long time, but I'd say you could even extend that further; change the beat up a little more, maybe even have a break in the middle and go somewhere a little more ambient, or even a little heavier. But that's just clutching straws; this track is really well put together, I'm not sure there's anything from this that I'd really say you needed to change. Which makes a change!

I'll probably stop rambling here. But basically...yeah. Cool track, cool sounds, major kudos for keeping a simple melody sounding interesting...keep it up, definitely.

-Review Request Club

Dj-GST responds:

The beginning sound is a very low crash (though it may not sound like one), with a very high amount of reverb to it, the original kinda started that way so this one does too.

Lol, I love my slow buildup :) That "high treble" sound is the kick, with a modified filter to make it sound like a pumped rimshot, then it transitions into it's full self.

Bassier drums? Not a bad idea...

Yeah, I figured that since the melodies aren't complex at all, that a few background transitions would make the song less repetitive.

I'm happy that you liked this so much man, I'll be sure to have more out soon :)

[I Hate Jologs People]

Review Request Club

Ahaha, nice take on the classical genre here :P
Ah who knows, things never end up quite how you envisage them. That's not to say this isn't good, by any means. I can kinda see where Shellac is coming from with the clipping...at some points in the bass it does sound distorted-in-the-bad way. It's not over-the-top, but it is quite distracting from the song. Though my headphones are a little worse for wear, so perhaps it's just them dying on me xD

You've got quite a simple set of melodies and harmonies going, but they work well together and that makes them seem pretty polished in sound. Definitely like some of the drum work and the stuttered synth.

In general in terms of improvement I'd say this could use more breaks like the one at 3:13. What you're playing is good, but it gets a little repetitive after a while (Then again, I'm not really a hip hop fan, so it could just be me), and that break helps keep the track feel varied and fresh. That being said, there was quite a nice slow evolution between start to finish that was nice and subtle. For once I think this is a song that could do with a little LESS bass, and maybe more in the mid-hi frequencies, but all in all it's a pretty cool hip hop track for a classical song. :P

-Review Request Club

Sawdust responds:

Thanks man. Thanks so much for the review!

I'll keep my terrible mixing in mind next time I write a song.

[War Lament]

Review Request Club

Feels quite dramatic at the start; the bassier drums felt quite soft at the start, but that's not very detrimental. Though in general, I think this could have used more bass. Even just a simple, sustained low note on the double bass or something, just to give it some real depth. Because you've got a nice soundscape here, but everything's kind of in the middle frequencies and quite distant, so a solid bassline (or even some deeper drums, like the ones at the start and the ones that come in at 1:54) would really help give it more grounding.

You portray the emotion quite well, but I think the melody line could have been brought out more of the texture, perhaps emphasising the feeling of solitary you already sort of get from the flute, and more than tht, give the listener something to focus on. You could definitely also think of having a second lead instrument play a harmony behind the flute, just to thicken out that lead texture a little more.

In general, this is very nicely written. Quite slow moving; I think you could have played more with the dynamics or keys just to keep it as dramatic as it starts, but I think you hit the emotions quite well, so nicely done.

-Review Request Club

popraz responds:

Thank you ! I am trying to gather all the suggestions I've received and use them to make a new song (a really long one too), so thank you very much for the detailed review, it helps a lot.

[Just Hold On (Dream Remix)]

Review Request Club

I got to about 30 seconds in and then had to pause. I...really don't get what you've done here at all. It sort of sounds like you made the remix, then added in a few random distortion effects and emulators for fun, and then accidentally exported it like that. Everything seems out and distorted, and there's no real cohesion save for the fact that everything seems like it's several feet underwater.

There's...some good ideas here? The voice starts to sound quite ethereal and you've got a good drum in there...god knows you've got a good coverage of the mid-lo frequencies...but the sound of it completely wrecks this, it just doesn't make sense at all. This definitely needs a second look just to work out why everything sounds so distorted and why both frequencies you're using are so occupied by all this stuff. That and the lack of ending is quite odd.

It's alright, there's some good ideas in here, but as a remix it really doesn't work, to be quite frank.

-Review Request Club

DXsamurai responds:

thanks for the review but damnit i already got a review from the Review Request Club.
stop already. I get it damn distortion. ok

[[S:C] Mr. Funkhausen]

Review Request Club

Definitely from the start sounds like you wrote this for someone to sing/rap on top of. Simply because the mixing's pretty light and everything is generally in the sort of background. That being said though, you've got some nice instruments in this; good sounding synths, a pretty ace drum beat (Though I also think the cymbals were perhaps a little overdone). One thing I think this is probably lacking is a nice bass line. Like, a really bassy one, because you've got a bass here, but it's still pretty middle-ish in frequency, so you've pretty much got the mid-hi frequencies covered, but the bass lacking a little bit, save for the kick drum that comes in. That being said, the bass does get more prominent later on in the song, so perhaps it's just the start that needs a second look.

There's a nice bit of variety to this, which is good...I think some sections were a touch too long, but that would be remedied if you had someone with lyrics on top of it. Generally though, you've got a nice sounding track, here. I think while it is a standalone you could remix it so that the lead synth feels more like a lead instrument, until the time when you actually do get a vocalist to come in and take that main-interest role. You could probably go on the NG forums and try to find someone to do the vocals for you, there's a fair few singers/rappers on NG, that's for sure. In general, it's a pretty decent track. Nicely done.

-Review Request Club

SymbolCymbal responds:

LOL yeah the bass i used is actually a monosynth just played on a ow octave so it doesn't really get that bassy sound that it needs. When i revamp this for thew lyrics coming soon from newgrounds own mc BIGRED aka Tintonger. I did put some actual bass later in the song im glad you picked up on that. it took me a bit to mix that. Unfortunately i have to do most of my mixing with crappy speakers and or earbuds.

Tintonger had sent me some lyrics for the beginning of the song and just from hearing his other stuff i think this song is going to be a really awesome and creative one.

Im glad you like the variety whenever i am composing i never want it to get boring. if you check out some of my first submissions like dreamwalker or HIT ME organ donor you can see that i do alot of rhapsody type composing. Im really glad you liked this one. i spent alot of time on the train to work composing this a 1/2 hour at a time on my laptop using earbuds.

When i get the recorded lyrics from tintonger im going to remaster and revamp a few things so thank you for the constructive criticism, i will definitely take it into consideration while remastering this.
The completed song will be sold on a newgrounds charity album for either haiti or some other charity we come to an agreement to in the audio forums

Again thanks for the sweet review

[Sweet Release]

Review Request Club

Nice introduction. The slight filter-changes on the piano worked to make the first seconds not sound repetitive, though I think another synth could have possibly come in before 0:28 just to support the piano a little more.

When everything else comes in, you've got a nice mix going; the drum's there, but not cutting through anything, and there's a nice warmth of texture which works very well. At 0:58 when the pads cuts out I'm in two minds because the piano's not all that supported for about ten seconds, but then everything comes back at 1:10ish and it sounds pretty solid again.

While the initial piano riff is cool, having it play through for 2 minutes is overdoing it a little bit; changing the octaves or the instruments (As you do nearish 2:00) would help make the opening half of the track feel less static. And even then, 2:00-2:50 and onwards is just a repetition of the theme that's alreayd been, so I think definitely you could have used a second theme taking over the main one at points just to break it up a little more.

One definite thing to improve would be that, I think. You use the same chords, same melody and the same beat throughout, so by the 5th minute it feels incredibly repetitive. Break it up with different sections, different melodies or harmonies...you do well in changing the instrumentation a few times, but playing that melody straight through the whole thing runs that massive risk of it sounding like the same thing over and over. Especially as you sacrificed the bitrate quality to get it on NG, I'd say you could shorten this song quite significantly, thus having a higher quality track on here, and managing to keep it catchy, and not draggy, which is never a bad thing. This has definite potential though, so keep it up.

-Review Request Club

Dj-GST responds:

Thanks man.

I'll work on the repetitiveness when I make another track.

I don't really wanna shorten it, if someone wants a high quality version, they can just PM me (as comments say).

[1 Glass of Rainbow Kool Aid]

Review Request Club

Nice introduction; you've got a pretty nice beat set up by the drums, and you've covered all the main frequencies by about the 5th second, which is always cool to see. We like balance in a song.

For an improvised line, the lead synth is pretty cool; there's a lot of different melodies in there and even some really cool dissonances as well, in parts. The automations also work really well to keep the track feeling varied; variation is definitely one of those things you need in a song like this, because the backing accompaniment doesn't change, so the lead has to do something pretty spectacular to hold the attention, which it essentially does.

In terms of improvement, you could maybe think about having breaks in the background beat to go into slower sections with just the synth, or just changing up the beat a little. And maybe even add a vocalist in, even? It's the kind of song that could support something like that, definitely.

While the improv was cool, I think five and a half minutes of the same beat was a touch on the long side, but not so much so that it got boring. So nice work, overall, it definitely got pretty trippy in places. Keep it up.

-Review Request Club

MixyRecords responds:

Thanks, i appreciate your critique. Very in depth analysis. I agree with you about mixing up the background beat; it is something I should have make the track better.

[Mother.]

Review Request Club

Nice work with the different harmonies at the beginning; the melody stayed fluid, and the song kept sounding interesting as you kept moving it to slightly different places in pretty smooth ways, so nice work there.

I'm in two minds about the second instrument (Can't tell what it is, so I'll say it's a synth), because I think you'd not have been much worse off without it, just keeping it as a piano track on its own, because as it is it doesn't add a great deal to the piano, and in some cases is something of a distraction.

At 1:58ish when everything else comes in, the instrumentation makes a little more sense, though some of the harmonies seem off in places...I think with piano instrumentation sometimes, less is more, because you still want that to be the main focus for a lot of reasons, and it kind of feels messier when you try and add a whole lot more instruments into the mix.

In general, this is a pretty awesome tune, there's nice chord changes in it...in general, I'm in two minds about the instrumentation, but it's a good track nonetheless. And either way, I'm sure your mother was very touched that you wrote it.

-Review Request Club

Calamaistr responds:

Yea the piano piece is one thing, as i made it playing it on an actual piano, when i wanted to reproduce it in FL i just wanted to add whatever i came up with in the zone of it all, i was just thinking of my mother and the melodies made itself (the secondary melodies)

I really like having multiple melodies play throughout eachother, dont know what to say more.. hmm

Well ofcourse thanks for your review like the others i thanked, hope youll keep reviewing my work as i like your personal input here and there. :)

[AF - Magic (Demo)]

Review Request Club

Like the introduction, the amount of filters you put on that piano meant that even for a 4-second music loop, after 30 seconds it still didn't feel repetitive, which is quite a feat in itself. The reverb off it also gave a nice sense of magical atmosphere, which was a good touch. The entrance of the bass and drums is also really nice and subtle, so you have that tiny thickening of texture without wrecking the pretty ambient mood you've set up. So much so that even when the drum beat starts coming into its own, you've still got quite a relaxing vibe going on throughout. It's pretty impressive how you keep the same melody throughout and yet don't really make it sound repetitive. I think as a point of improvement, despite it not sounding repetitive, you could think about maybe moving onto another melody, simply so you don't have to continue to use filters and automations on the main tune just to keep it varied. A second melody would probably be a much easier path.

That being said, this was a nice upbeat 100 second listen. Pretty simple, but not repetitive for it. Has a good atmosphere, the entrances of the instruments work well...in all, was a pretty cool listen. Keep it up.

-Review Request Club

aliaspharow responds:

Thanks allot for the review