MetalRenard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Leighrex Track]

Want your drums to hit harder?
3 easy steps:
Kick drums: Boost 60 to 100hz by a few db, cut from 200 to 600hz by a few db to allow the bass to cut through
Snares: Boost at 600hz by a few db, then boost the high frequencies as need to make it cut through the mix.
General percussion: Compression is a VERY powerful tool when it comes to percussion, learn about its uses and you can really enhance your drums.

:)

[Deus ex RollsTool]

Oh cool song!
Tell you what, I don't often offer this kind of thing, but I like this track so what would you say if I offered to mix it for you?

If you want, upload all the project files (.wav) somewhere as a .zip and send me them (make sure you remove all EQ and reverb). I'll mix it for you and make it sound more "pro". :)
I'm a bit busy mixing my album at the moment but I'll try and do it as soon as I can.

SourJovis responds:

That's a very kind offer. It would be nice to know what it can sound like if it were properly mixed. I'm not sure if it's worth the effort though. The song is over three years old. I'm still not the best mixer out there, but I have improved a lot since then. I used to revisit old songs, to polish them up, and it makes a huge difference. This song has escaped that treatment since it wasn't the worst, and I've stopped revisiting my old songs for some years now. You can keep at it forever, because it can always be better, but at a certain point it's enough. I'd rather move on and make new songs. Besides the mix be it good or bad is still part of the song. If someone else or even me myself several years later makes a new mix of it, it won't be the same song. I'm one of those crazy persons who actually enjoys listening to a bad mix every now and then, because it can make a song more vintage, pure, fragile, human, art brut or whatever. Anyway, I'll think about your offer, and see how well it goes to mix all of the sounds to separate tracks clear of effects. That won't be easy though.

[Symphony No.1]

As a composition it is very good. It would be welcome in a Castlevania game if you ask me.
From a mix perspective it is sadly lacking, which is where it loses the points.

The best news is, inspiration evolves over time as you evolve as a person, but mixing can be learnt just by practising and at a break-neck speed. I listened to Deus ex RollsTool and I think you still have a way to go as a producer (mix/audio engineer), but you have some solid ideas when it comes to compsing.

Therefore, you have the talent, you just need the dedication to learn the technical aspects now. :)

SourJovis responds:

Thank you. I know what you mean about the mixing. I used too much reverb, lost too much dynamic, and many more things like that. The song is 4 and a halve years old though. It sounds better than my older songs. Deus ex RollsTool is a little newer. About 3 to 4 years old. I hope you can hear my mixing has improved slightly between the songs. I've learned a lot since then. The last two years I've been making a lot of remixes, so I didn't have to spend time on writing songs, and could focus on the mixing and mastering process. Even if I listen to a song that's only a year old I hear a lot of mistakes that I wouldn't make today. I'm still learning new things all the time.

[Anger Storm]

Hey, good job!
I know the pain of having sub-par gear so I sympathise with you on that. You managed to pull of something pretty cool but your lack of experience mixing guitar does show in parts. Have you tried recording the guitar twice then putting one on each side? This track would have sounded much better if you had done that simply because it would have been more awesome. :P

If you have some spare cash, get yourself a Line6 UX2 and record some pro-sounding guitar tracks. ;)

DuttonsaysHi responds:

Ah perfect I just asked the question to that answer on one of your tracks :P Thanks man!

And yeah, this was my first time recording and mixing guitar. Since I had gear that wasn't suitable for recording a lot of the guitar sounds had to suffer since I had to EQ and compress the mic fuzz and background noises away, making it loose a lot of beef :c

But once I get my hands on some decent equipment (like that line 6 UX2 you mentioned ;)) I'll definitely get down to some heavy shiz! Thanks for the info!

[Virtual Winter]

Kind of cute, maybe a little too cute... :P
Good job on the intro synths, they were pretty and introduced the song well. The strings could maybe be a touch louder and the synths a little quieter during the first minute for a more balanced song. At 1:30... Sold.
Great job, very inspiring and you have a new fan. \m/

DuttonsaysHi responds:

Nothing's ever too cute! and point taken! I figured with the orchestral stuff being more dominant later in the song it's best give the synths a time to shine. But I guess it kinda eliminates the subtlety I was going for :P I'll keep that in mind next time :3

Thanks for the insight and follow man, it really makes my day :)

[Enclosure]

I agree with the idea that rating a piece purely on how long it took to make it is completely bulls**t. For that reason I'm compensating my review with a 2nd 5* rating on the "Rate This Submission" bar to the left just to prove a point.

No, this should not lose points because it was done quickly, it should GAIN points simply because a piece written that quickly that has this much charm proves it was done of a burst of inspiration born from other forms of art and explored, then shared by a creative mind.
Hat off to you, sir, good job.

DuttonsaysHi responds:

Yes! Thank you! That's a great way of putting it! How long it took to create is completely irrelevant to it's quality. When a song is captured in the moment then it keeps all it's charm and natural elements that makes it great without being imposed on. Almost like a photographer taking an amazing shot in the moment of inspiration without any pre-planning and unnecessary thought (the best analogy I could think of:P).

Thanks again, your input is greatly appreciated!

[=[O]= K.D.M.]

A kind of typical chord progression and arp make this track a bit too predictable. You could try to excel in production if you don't want to innovate on the composition side. Widen up the percussion, use side-chain compression to make the beat stand out and make sure the synths don't clip (get too loud for the mp3 to hold) by using something called a "maximiser" on the master track.

At the 1:00 mark the song just becomes dissonant, the notes in that lead are wrong for the scale used, can't you hear that? It would have been passable if that wasn't the case.

Fix the wrong notes and re-upload then drop me a PM once you've done that and I'll gladly re-review the piece. I'm saying that so you don't take this review the wrong way, my intention is to help and guide, not to put you off. So keep it up, onwards and upwards!

0con responds:

Lol I just started messing around with the demo man. I haven't used FL in years.

Unfortunately I do not plan on remaking this song again since I can't open the FLP. But the notes aren't wrong, they all follow the same chord progression, which didn't change smart one. I just used the arpeggiator which followed the chords.

Thanks anyway ;)

[Skyline (WIP)]

Some cool synths in this. I liked your chords too, they were unusual, especially for this genre (I think, I'm not a connoisseur of techno, I dwell in more classical or heavy metal circles hehe).
Shame it was short too, though I know it's a WIP so I guess it will be longer later. I won't suggest how to continue it because I don't want to influence your creativity.

Keep it up! Let me know via PM when this is done if you want a more in-depth review of the finished track. :)

Mobius9 responds:

Thanks, MetalRenard! Yes, of course, there will be plenty more of the track to come, and I'll notify you when it's done.

I tend to use a lot of inverted and no third chords, which is unusual in electronic music as a whole. But IMO it gives the track a more raw and sort of open sound.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Sound Wave]

Cool percussion in the intro and interesting textures throughout. It does get a bit confusing in the middle.
Shame it's short too, you had room to take it a lot further, why did you only make it as a short loop?

Rinibra responds:

thanks so much! :( At the time, I just didn't see it being longer. Thank you for reviewing! :)))

[B{}X]

As the previous review says, the vocal sounds are well placed and used intelligently, at least in the intro. After I'm not so sure, it's a bit too abstract for my taste.
The lead synth, on the other hand I like, and the sub bass is pretty well done. I also enjoyed the drums.