MetalRenard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[After-fall]

Sometimes I wish I could play as fast and as cleanly as you! So impressive, awesome lead. I enjoyed the way the melody and rhythm played together, too. You've made a really awesome track here, wow!
Quick Edit: Just realised some parts remind me of Soilwork, one of my favourite bands. So damn good!

[Legacy of Wizards]

I was just passing by but I feel compelled to leave a comment here. The melodies in this are fantastic. Also since I last listened to your work you've stepped up your game in terms of mixing, this sounds really good. Awesome, I love this track.

DanJohansen responds:

Thanks a lot man, means a lot \m/ Long time no see!!!

[Triangle [WIP]]

Like many of your tracks, this one has an undeniable momentum to it that I find captivating. It was one of my favourites of the early stages of the competition.
I've listened to your work for a long time and this shows me that you're still improving and iterating, growing your style.

Keep it up!

[Pleasant Palpitations]

NGADM Review time!

Composition 4.5/5
Ridiculous. How dare you make something so charming and adorable? I've never sought out music like this so I've never heard anything like it before. Thanks for the new experience. In the history of NGADM I think it's quite unique too. My only gripe is that you could have taken it one step further with appropirate percussion. A heart beat during the biggest section or some like chimes, cymbals... I don't know. I wanted a touch more!

Production 5/5
Very minimalist tracks aren't hard to mix so I haven't got much to say on this matter. What is here is well done. The voice sits very snuggly into the mix and didn't sound out of place at all. Great work.

Sound Design and/or Instrumentation 5/5
Yes. The choice of instruments spoke to me as much as the poem. The gentle tones from the voice and instruments fit so perfectly.

Performance or Programming 5/5
Kudos for the poem reading. It's delightful; the performance was perfect. I could only give 5/5 here.

"Je Ne Sais Quoi" (Genre/case specific extras) 5/5
You took me on a journey and from the first seconds to the last I was fully taken in. You brought up old feelings and gave me new ones. Made me relive sad memories but realise I am happy now I, too, have someone special in my life. We've almost all experienced that "crazy, irrational" love.

My highest rated song of the competition so far... Wooo!

vocaloutburst responds:

Oh thanks a bunch for the kind words in this review!!! I really enjoyed making this piece, I love trying to tell stories in my pieces and this one, in particular, felt really personal to me and I wanted to try to convey that same feeling to others. Makes me really happy to hear you connected with the piece so much :')

[The Temple of Kukulcan]

NGADM Review time!

Composition 4/5
You've crafted a lovely piece of music. Actually, some moments reminded me of the soundtrack from Stargate. Thanks for taking me back!
Having said that, the first and last notes of the song I've heard a million times... Could have been a little more original there and that bugged me quite a bit. It completely broke my immersion in the musical story.

Production 4.5/5
Very well produced. I can make out all the details, even in the loudest sections. I love how dynamic this track is, the huge difference in loudness means the listener has a chance to rest and I feel people to take this into account are more considerate of their audience.

Sound Design and/or Instrumentation 5/5
I really enjoyed the reverb you chose in the intro, it's very lush. Long and warm. It created an atmosphere for the rest of the song to build into. The instrumentation works well too, from the quieter to the louder sections, everything works.

Performance or Programming 5/5
You know your instruments. It's clear to me that you're familiar with their strengths and weaknesses and are able to use them to their full extent.

"Je Ne Sais Quoi" (Genre/case specific extras) 4/5
In its genre, this piece hits all the marks. Big percussion, loud brass, screeching strings and a blistering pace. Maybe at times I would have liked more innovation but it's a child of its time.

Congrats on making through to the next round.

[endK - Funkadunk]

NGADM Review time!

Composition 4.5/5 (Yes, I broke my "no halves" rule for you. Be proud.)
I'm becoming more familiar with your style, the high intensity, "genki" feel that permeates your work is definitely something I think you have mastered. Lots of people imitate others but I believe you have created a niche of our own here. I must admit, I find it a little tiring in the long run, I would have appreciated a slightly longer pause in the song just so I'm ready to go again.

Production 4.5/5
Almost flawless. It's full, punchy and dynamic. For me, personally, it was a little loud at times but that's a minor gripe in the world we live in today.

Sound Design and/or Instrumentation 5/5
I feel like everything comes together really well, you've made great use of all the instruments and there's a place in the song for everything to shine. The different textures work very well together.

Performance or Programming 5/5
You know your instruments. It's clear to me that you're familiar with their strengths and weaknesses and are able to use them to their full extent.

"Je Ne Sais Quoi" (Genre/case specific extras) 5/5
My final words would be to say congratulations on this track and your efforts so far. It's not surprising you've made it this far with the tracks you've made. In this case I can see you're still building towards something and changing things up. Awesome work!

[Above the Clouds, Below the Sea]

NGADM Review

You introduced the piece well, from the warm pizzicato strings to the more textured tones from the rest of the strings. The ebb and flow of the track is also delightful thanks to your clever use of dynamics throughout.

I had to take a point away from composition as I felt it ended(?) badly (did it end?) and that was a let down compared to the rest. An unsatisfying conclusion.

There’s not much I can say from a sound-design perspective as it’s orchestral. Things sound correct to my untrained ears although it’s a bit difficult to have so many parts relying on the strings, maybe with more thought about the instrumentation you could have made something which more fully utilised the whole orchestra. In the louder sections there was definitely space for the brass woodwinds to be playing the louder parts. Considering they are there anyway, might as well make use of them rather than making the poor guys wait around. Maybe you planned to all along but didn’t have time… As you said, the piece is unfinished.

Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot, good work!

Scores:
Composition: 4
Production: 5
Sound Design: 4
Instrumentation and Performance: 4
JeNeSaisQuoi - genre and case specific, also synergy: 4

[Mortis Imperium]

NGADM Review

You created a calm and reflective atmosphere from the get-go with this track which immediately puts the listener into the story you are telling. The context comes to life as it would on a screen. It’s beautifully put together and works on its own. It evolves into a question and a quest for something more but the whole while the progression is natural and the transitions don’t leave the listener behind.
This is masterful work.

Maybe this style of music has been done before, it’s difficult to reinvent the wheel. Maybe I was being mean taking a point away from composition for this, I don’t know. I still feel you managed to make something meaningful and heartfelt, the most poignant moment for me was around 1:40 where it swells and falls again after. From this moment I could tell it was going somewhere beyond this little world you had created and I was satisfied when it picked up at the end.

What else can I say?

Scores:
Composition: 4
Production: 5
Sound Design: 4
Instrumentation and Performance: 5
JeNeSaisQuoi - genre and case specific, also synergy: 5

[Speak Easy]

NGADM Review

I wasn’t sure where the track was going to go at first then it came together when the drums started. The build up introduced the piece well and worked perfectly.

I enjoyed the composition a lot, from the meandering bass line to the brass instrument accents and breaks in the percussion. The textures tickled me in the right way from the smooth bass to the grittier brass and the in-the-middle guitar which glued it all together. Good work on that aspect, it’s commendable. Also, the slightly out-of-tune guitar was a surprise at first but when it all came together it paid off immensely and was very satisfying.

Having said that, I felt the production quality/expertise was lacking considerably in the drums and bass. Compared to the guitar and other instruments they are all over the place with a weird reverb that doesn’t work. Try to mix it dryer and it will come out much cleaner. Having said that, the guitar sounds awesome, especially the lead part with has a lovely warm, slightly gritty tone which shiiines. You used distortion wisely in the tone and in the mix. Could you maybe mix the rest in the same way as the guitar?

Full marks for performance and instrumentation from me, you played well and on time and I feel there was a true synergy between all the instruments.

Scores:
Composition: 4
Production: 3
Sound Design: 4
Instrumentation and Performance: 5
JeNeSaisQuoi - genre and case specific, also synergy: 4

Jumbs responds:

Thank you for the advice. I just realized how balanced the guitars are in comparison to everything else in this piece. The mix was something I should’ve paid attention to more for sure. I’ll use these and Logic’s notes when I go back and remix it 😃

[The Wall]

NGADM Review

Your track is something out of its era and seems to borrow from many decades of musical experimentation. I definitely liked that aspect - the over all sound design from the late 80s/early 90s but with more modern production.

The things that stick out most for me are a good use of the instruments chosen and good rhythm. You did a great job on those and they hold the whole piece together through good composition. It makes for an interesting listen throughout.

On a less positive note, I wasn't really drawn in by the vocals as I had a hard time discerning the qualities of your voice through the way it was produced. Sure, it creates a certain feel to the song but I have to admit it bugged me. Still, having vocals is better than not so I wasn't harsh in that area.

Speaking of production I felt that different aspects were masked at times due to an imbalance in the mix and some clashing frequencies notably in the lower mid register. For example the kick drum comes through harshly, most obviously during the intro and in the last, louder section. Another minus for me was the way the auto-tune introduced the tell-tale artefacts in a not so pleasing way. It spoke of someone covering up issues rather than using auto-tune tastefully.

Obviously the other judges rated your song higher than I did so don't pay much attention to the scores I gave you, you won anyway so my subjective opinion on the matter isn't so important.

Scores:
Composition: 4
Production: 3
Sound Design: 3
Instrumentation and Performance: 4
JeNeSaisQuoi - genre and case specific, also synergy: 3