MetalRenard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Self as Context]

__--=***NGADM Review***=--__

I enjoyed the melodies in this and the synths sounded great. I find the main melody quite catchy too though I'm not sure about the amount of repetition of the main motif, I would have liked something somewhere to change things up a bit.
The mix is almost perfect - rich/deep/warm and clear. Nothing dominates too much but the important factors come through really clearly and form a coherant whole. Excellent work on that front.

Enjoy your 8.75. :3

[Withering Conflagration]

__--=***NGADM Review***=--__

I found myself listening to this without even thinking, so I guess that's a good thing. Despite its, what I would describe as, heaviness, it still gave me a mostly pleasurable listening experience. Admittedly we were discussing blowjobs in the chat at the time so that may have contributed. ANYWAY, the mix is decent and balanced, the synths fit the style well, I just wish I could distinguish the voice a little more, even if I can't understand them (I know that's the style). Maybe could have done with a little more variation from time to time...
Over all I've liked your contributions to the competition this year, keep it up mate!
8/10

[~SW~ Thurm ins_wa_]

__--=***NGADM Review***=--__

I found the track pretty interesting, the intro was unusual (I haven't heard that kind of sound for a while, reminded me of BlueManGroup) and the percussion lead in well (for some reason reminded me of Worms… O.o). The blend of acoustic-y instruments with the deep bass and synths worked brilliantly and you mixed it beautifully. Smooth, deep, impactful where needed. The eb and flow of the lead synth really leant itself to the piece as a whole too. Excellent production choices.

Honestly I really loved this piece and don't have much to say against it. I think the melodies were a bit awkward at times (for example around 1:20) which detracted from my enjoyment of the piece. Minor details though - stellar work.

9.5/10

SkyeWint responds:

Heyo, MetalRenard! I'm glad you liked it! I can understand the awkwardness of the melody sometimes, yeah. It's hard to make good melodies in 7/8 lol

[NGADM'15: Limitless]

__--=***NGADM Review***=--__

Hmm a surprise...
The rhythm, albeit the typical 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2, is varied enough at times to actually work for me in this song. I loved the sheer ENERGY to this one too, it's really pumping (though also distorting, be careful!).
I love a song that gets me feeling full of energy and this definitely did that.

What was missing for me was good production - everything is so messy because of the reverb that it really loses its impact. Also I couldn't get over the horrible sounding guitars, I wish people had access to better guitar samples but for the time being you really just need to rely on a real guitarist. Real guitar recordings would have made this one of my favourite songs of the competition probably, I can hear it in my head... And I'm totally rocking out.

8/10

[Facing the Foe]

__--=***NGADM Review***=--__

I really liked the individual melodies in this, I think if taken a part and put back together in a slightly different way, this track would absolutely shine. There's also a ton of cool rhythmic work, the snare certainly gives it an energetic feel with the staccato/marccato strings and brass.
However, the track as a whole is a little messy I feel - there's always SO MUCH going on, I got exhausted listening to this quite quickly.
The ending too, it didn't make sense for me at all, the change in key etc was abrupt and messy. I wish you'd chosen something else to finish it off because I actually really like this piece.

I was torn when giving this a score so I settled for 7/10.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hey! Thanks for your review :p
Great to hear that you enjoyed the melodies in this. I personally like the arrangement, but I think the production is somewhat weak instead. I do however agree that there is a lot going on, and that that might not be for everyone. I tend to try a lot of different genres, and this is the first battle track I've made, at least as an orchestrated version. I made it as a solo piano composition at first, which I'll upload at some later point. I wanted to use a lot of variation and a lot of intruments, switching it up constantly, especially as it's a piece composed for a competition.

The ending, I agree with. However, you do realize that it loops, right? You probably do, but it just sounded like you were referring to an actual ending, while this piece has none. It really sucks if you listen on your phone, as it will just cut off. However, even as a loop, I think the ending should be different. I would actually like both a calmer intro and ending, as the loop would be much more seamless and less "in your face" that way. But I didn't have time to make it that way, and the intro is also the first thing I made for the piece, so I kinda just wanted to keep it in there anyway :)

Thanks for listening and judging!

[What Lies Beyond]

__--=***NGADM Review***=--__

Lovely flow to the piece, the instruments seem to work well together although I feel parts are maybe a little crowded (too many notes), a little goes a long way in composition. The mix leaves something to be desired in terms of clarity although it has plenty of warmth to it, giving it a lot of depth/ a nice rich feeling, like an intimate setting, sitting together in a warm cave telling stories about your adventures.

I think the composition maybe lacks direction, I didn't feel like there was a continuous story to be told, more like it went from one idea to another without really transitioning.

Charming as always though, I've always enjoyed your style.
7.5/10

ChronoNomad responds:

Thanks for the NGADM review, MetalRenard!

I so often have people say that they want to hear more going on in my music, more instruments and rich layers of music going on at once, so when you say parts feel too crowded I'm not sure if I'm relieved, frustrated, or simply more confused. LOL! Different people always seem to want different things, so when I try to cater to one side of the equation, something else just ends up getting lost in the shuffle. I guess it's best to make the music that I want to make, for myself; no apologies and no compromises.

I'm glad to hear that the mix has a real warmth to it, and your analogy of telling adventure stories makes me smile. Not sure what to do with the comment on clarity, though. In what way is the mix lacking in clarity? To you that probably makes complete sense, but to me it seems vague and nebulous. I've always thought of you as a pretty harsh critic when it came to mixing in general, but without suggestions and ideas for improvement the feedback feels incomplete. For instance, what could be done to improve said clarity? I know well enough that you're an accomplished mix master, so it seems like you would probably have plenty of wisdom to impart on the subject.

The music feels relatively cohesive to me, but there's that good old subjectivity in motion again. Ah, well. There really isn't some huge central motif much of the time, and that really seems to bother folks, so I guess I can't fault you for saying that it lacks direction. But there is an overall theme that - at least to me - is crystal clear. Of course lacking that main focus through so much of the piece probably ends up relegating it to background music. *sigh* C'est la vie.

I am very happy to know that you find the music charming and my style enjoyable, and I appreciate the critique. I really like the song for what it is, but it certainly isn't the best thing I've ever produced, and I find your comments and scoring to be fair. Keep on rocking.

[No Hope in the Horizon]

__--=***NGADM Review***=--__

Lovely piano intro and mood over all. I like the moodiness of the piece, it fits my mood at the time of giving you a score, after having rewatched a pretty deep/sad anime. I could see this fitting in with the OST quite nicely. It definitely tells a story although I'm not sure the main body and outro tell the SAME story... Because you cut it short like that, the outro feels rushed and unfinished, the story is left untold. Please let me know if you ever develop this further, I think it has great potential.

Also I love the reverb you used on the piano. Just so you know. :)

8/10

[QUI SEDET AD DEXTERAM PATRIS]

*\_-=/NGADM Review\=-_/*

Honestly I don't know how to judge this appropriately other than what it did for me personally.

I think that sometimes there were too many notes (trilly stuff) but the piece makes sense as a whole and is well composed. I think it's really difficult to portral the size and depth of these instruments when only given 2 channels so it's brave to focus a whole song on one.

It's sweet that you dedicated this to a friend too. :)

8.5

SoundChris responds:

Thanks a lot man! Glad you enjoyed my little track - even it was a little bit uncommon concerning the genre and instrument. I think you are right that sometimes there were a few notes too much. I had to compose within a time window of 8 hours and had no possibility to work on those details and to finetune. In general i am very comfortable with the result because it was quite a challenge for me to write a solo instrument piece in a genre that is not really my comfort zone. But because i had to compose on my notebook (which is quite weak) i had to go for something whih doesnt need much resources so i thought its good to go for a solo instrument. My piano samples didnt work here so this option also wasnt availiable. But i am very glad that it worked in the end :)

Meanwhile my system is repaired and i already have it here again. The next pieces will be far stronger concerning complexity - at least that will be my goal. Also i now have all the options availiable to go for any genre that i wanted to try. *YAY!*

Yeah its true that all that stuff through 2 channels is heavy. But i also have to admit that i didnt even have the time to think about this. I just was hurrying to get something as solid as possible done so i wont let jacob down.

Thanks a lot for your kind review sir!

[Unsung Hero]

*\_-=/NGADM Review\=-_/*

What rocks:
Omgomgomomg I'm in love. The composition, how the melodies and rhythms play off each other, how the whole comes together... Just blew me away. So much greatness in one song. My favourite NGADM 2015 track so far. So many things in this, make it a fantastic experience.

What needs clean socks:
I think the track needs a little more love when it comes to the final polish - mastering - to give it more clarity or more of a bite. It's REALLY hard to mix such complex music - I know, I've made a hobby of it too - and I think you're still at the phase where you can't quite decide what is important or maybe can't discern when one thing is treading on another's toes. How long do you spend mixing this kind of song typically? Do you revist a few days later?
Also I agree with Step - a couple of the transitions are a little awkward and there is a subtle amount of dissonance at times which doesn't do the epicness of the song justice.

When I heard this, I just go so excited. Thanks for rocking my world for 3 minutes and 28 seconds. ^_^
9.5

bassfiddlejones responds:

Thank you for the kind words and honest critique. Mixing for huge orchestra is definitely not easy. Josh has been doing most of the work on that end, and for this competition we really don't have time to sit down and go over the mix together like we do with the compositional part of things. As we go on though we're learning some tricks which help. Continuing to work on those transitions!

[Dark n' Damp]

*\_-=/NGADM Review\=-_/*

What you did well:
Well that's definitely the right amount of warmth for the feel of the song, mellow and full. The composition kept me interested throughout and I genuinely enjoyed the journey it took me on. I think it's a step-up from the previous track and I'm interested in what you come up with next after hearing this (and your previous NGADM track).

Where this could improve:
I would have liked more clarity at times (maybe less reverb?). I think the snare could have had more high end throughout.
The electric guitar still needs more grit in the way its mixed. If you're going for "high production" guitars, they have to be great or just don't do it at all. The alternative if you can't do high gain, super production is to do the opposite - make it purposefully lo-fi. Cut out a huge % of the gain and pan the guitar to one side (while balancing it against something else on the other side). This would allow it to keep in tone with the rest of the song's feel, too.

8.25 - With better production it would easily be 9+