MetalRenard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Quasar]

This is a NGADM review!
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Well screw me sideways, this anhiliated my very soul.
Mix: 9.5
What an epic guitar sound (and I don't use that word lightly)! My singular complain about this mix is one that would only trouble a more capable person like yourself if they had a view to make it professionally, but I will hold you to these standards because I think you can match them.
Your mix is fantastic - it's rich, deep, clear and man, so much impact, but it feels empty at times. This is because you had to make space for the synths, but when the synths aren't playing they leave a very noticable gap in the sound (for example around 0:43). You can maybe automate your EQ, just to beef up the guitar, bass or drums for this section or double it up with another synth that fills the gap without taking attention away from the guitar.
You used a really interesting blend of sounds that you don't often get together (are you a Soilwork/Scar Symmetry fan by any chance? Similar styles but they're less dubstep-y...).
Composition: 9.5
What's missing? Some transitions could have been more elegant to help the piece flow even more. For example at 0:13, it could have been a lot cleaner if you turned down the background a little, and the impact of the next section would have been so much greater.
On the plus side it's super varied and interesting throughout. I loved how the rhythm guitar weaved its way around the other melodies happening in the song, that all the individual elements are more than the sum of their parts.

Honestly, I love this track, fantastic work.

[Right On Time]

This is a NGADM Round 1 Review!
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Well you certainly live up to your reputation! The song is interesting, varied and your performance (read: guitar playing and singing) is outstanding.
Mix: 8.5/10
I wanted more from this mix. To my ears the mids are quite muddy in this and would have benefited from being cleaner, it would have allowed you to make the drums punchier and given the whole track the edge that it lacked. The vocals also needed a little tweak, a little more deessing would go a long way to relieving their harshness. Having said that, the rest is great. The song is well balanced, you made good use of the stereo spectrum with the wide guitars and vocals working especially well together and you have a really great guitar sound. It sounds natural or organic and you play it like a real pro. Bonus for a great vocal performance too.
Composition: 9.5/10
The song doesn't get boring at any point, you wrote good transitions, the melodies and rhythms are varied and make sense. It's never too crowded and yet it feels like everything is being used, nothing is wasted... Honestly it's a fantastic song in that respect.
Also I like your lyrics!

Awesome stuff Kor-Rune!

Kor-Rune responds:

Thank you so much MetalRenard for your tips on the mix! I'll work on cleaning the spectrum, and trying new kits to match. I definitely also agree on the deessing, it frustrated me all mix and so I eventually just looked up compression parameters and called it quits LOL. consonants are dumb, we should just all speak french. :}

Thanks again!

[Johns Quote]

Are you sure you're not secretly a professional?

Big-Cronk responds:

I secretly wish I had some professional equipment haha Permanent fund dividends in October, all Alaskans get a bit more than a thousand dollars for turning our heads while they rape our states natural beauty for oil. That's going to go a long way towards setting up a proper sound booth haha

[Jesterous]

Hey, don't worry if you do end up against classical or something, not all judges hate metal, in fact we had a really good chat about melodic death metal yesterday. ;)

Great sound and mixing, really cool riffs too. I love the change around 2:10.

PirateCrab responds:

Haha maybe not but I reckon it'll still be a challenge! Good to know that metal won't be a washout then ;)

Thanks a lot though pal! The change around is a complete first for me in using cleans so I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[Are You Afraid?]

Hell yeah! Amazing!

[Pendragon Legacy]

I have a folder on my pc and mp3 player for the special tracks I find on Newgrounds, so that I may listen to them wherever I roam. This has to be among them.

ChronoNomad responds:

Many thanks, MetalRenard. I have a folder just like that on my PC, as well. To be a part of yours is an honor, and I truly appreciate the feedback.

[Cynical]

The only thing letting this down is the mixing on the vocals! Get creative with them. :)

TheMoebiusProject responds:

I actually agree with you, needs some spice, thanks for listening!

[Cloud City]

I could sing to this. Get some cheesy anime genre lyrics going about childhood friends and loooove. Haha
Great work.

[Self Enemy]

I'm not keen on the sound you used for the synth but the guitar is really great - tone and playing. Great job!

Metallica1136 responds:

Thanks! Yeah, I don't really like the synth that much either, now. coulda used a better instrument. Might change it later

[Farewell]

Damn, that's a VST? Wow.
Excellent work on the piece too, it's beautiful!

SoundChris responds:

Thanks a lot! Yeah - even strings can be edited quite impressive these days. The best stuff IMO is Embertones Friedlander Violin 1.5 and the Blakus Cello, the VSL Solo Strings and for effects the 8dio Studio Solo Violin. Glad you enjoyed the piece!