MetalRenard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Planet LB-4L83's Big Firework Festival]

Nice track!
You mentioned not being sure if you handled the 'climax' part well and I have a few tips for you. I think part of the issue is due to over using reverb and reusing the same melody a little too often before the climax without variation.

For the reverb, often, less is more. Learn to mix clearly and precisely (try mixing in mono, it really helps) and you'll need less reverb. This means that when you DO use reverb (like the vocal synth in the end) it will really wash over the track and create depth and drama.

For the melody, since there are no modulations or changes, it doesn't stand out. What you could have done is had a few notes change in there somewhere and maybe changed the rhythm up. The 2nd note is always the longest. What if you made the 1st super long, so long as to add a beat before the 2nd note but cut out the last beat from each bar, even from time to time or in the first one?

Hope this was helpful. I really like the chiptune sounds in this, they blend well with the rest.

Albe responds:

These tips sound pretty interesting and viable, I'll certainly have them in mind. Thank you a million MR!

[Temple of the Gun]

Awesome vocals!!!! Love it. Would have mixed the vocals a little differently, maybe warmer and wider to fit the warm guitars. Despite that, great performance and writing. Really enjoyed this.

Bad-Man-Incorporated responds:

Thanks mang, that is a wonderful idea. I'mma have to go back. I just slam the vocals right down the center, every time. hahaha. I don't give much though to it, as it's mostly metal, so BAM. But this isn't. Thanks mang! Glad you dig it overall! \m/

[Righteous Evil]

This track is so much more lively than your previous work! What an improvement in sound. Glad I was able to help you out there.
The instruments sound good together, I like the synth solo.
This track has a very Iron Maiden vibe to it. Maybe consider adding variation to the rhythm guitar's rhythm.
@ 0:59 and during lead sections (solo around 3:00) Careful with timing. If you don't nail it, edit it or re record it.

Next step... Let's work on drums! I'll make a video on it soon to make them sound good.

This is a huge step in the right direction, congrats!

Catpocalypse responds:

Yes, your tutorials and assistance definitely helped improve my sound. Thanks for that!

[AIM- Blue Dawn]

SYNTHS. Yes please. Moar!
Your guitar sounds great as always. Loved the track. 2:15 was cool!!! Love how the guitars got split.

HighBallers responds:

Thanks for the listen brodiddle. hah that part at 2:15 i wrote on the spot. I'm glad you thought it was cool. ha i will do more with synths, lots of fun.

[Shorts-instrumental]

The guitar sounds GREAT. Try muting tracks that aren't playing notes to avoid mess like at 00:28 and 00:53.
Great feel to this. Maybe make the drums bigger for something this slow to fill the gaps more.

HighBallers responds:

maaan i really appreciate the listen. Yeah the drums do sound a little weaker. I was gonna go back and put some vocals...i can fatten up that kick and snare too while at it.

[Prevention]

Straight into it from the start! Could use a little warmup to announce it's here, even half a second of a swoop in.
Loved the lead at 00:46.
You have a mean tone, really enjoying the rhythm guitar sound, heavy without being too distorted. Love the chords too, the openness of the sound leads to the chord voicings shining through the mix.
Nice precise playing throughout.
Good drum sound, all fits together in the mix.

I could imagine some kind of break down at the end to go out with a bang. Big chords, slow drums.

HighBallers responds:

ITS HERE lol maybe a lil ride bell right before it starts would be cool haha. Yeah i hate really gainy high pitch guitar tones. I pulled back on their EQ pretty far...maybe 15k and scooped out some mids around 1k. Shit maybe i will do that breakdown....this song is still pretty short.

[MetalRenard Interview]

Well cut, makes me sound much more intelligent and organised. Hahahaha

OffTheWallShow responds:

Thanks haha you were great though!

[Cosmic Terror]

Am I hearing Guitar Pro drums in here, too? :P Try finding some free decent drum VSTs to replace them directly in your DAW. In fact, next time you make a track, send me the drum midi data and I'll pass it through one of my own drum plugins and mix it for you. A friend did that for me years ago and it really motivated me to get better.
https://www.powerdrumkit.com/ This one sounds good.

You're full of ideas, I really want to see them polished. Very impressive guitar playing. I love how the song developed!

Banana-head responds:

Yes, everything here is done with guitar pro drums lol, its just that im so used to the sound of it that i just use it instead of vsts, i know i shouldnt. Ill try making something here and send to you!

[Putrefact Abomination]

Good theme/intro, interesting playing and a variety of techniques. You could turn the bass down a little or maybe take out some of the bite from it to make it blend with the rest more.

One big tip I could give you is precision - you can make anything appear more professional if the timing is perfect. If you don't nail it in the recording you can edit, too. For example, a few times the bass is out of time with the guitars on a big hit and this makes the piece lose impact. Getting the timing right would make it much more powerful. This is the case throughout, timing is so important!

Banana-head responds:

Thanks for the review! Yeah i really need to improve timing, sometimes my PC lags mid recording and it fucks up the tempo too, but its mostly my fault for not re-recording and fixing it later.

[Expedition Onslaught]

TLDR Below.
The track hits hard from the start with good riffs thoughout, very good playing, albeit sloppy at times. Sounds like you played once through and didn't go back to fix mistakes. As you record more you'll get better at precise playing and it will fix your playing.
The drums sound good, probably the best sounding part of the track in terms of studio quality recordings/production quality. On the flip side, I think your guitar tone is quite amateurish sounding, like you've recorded the direct input from your amp or pedal. Have you considered adding a guitar cabinet simulator? Try to find one with impulse responses (IR). Youtube can help you find good, free ones.
The song lacks bass at the moment (as in, a bass instrument). Have you considered just pitching down a simple guitar line if you don't have one? It would really help.
I enjoyed the harmonies, reminded me a lot of classic rock/metal tracks from bands like Iron Maiden and Pretty Maids. Very cool. Takes a lot of work to track that.

TLDR Review at a glance:
+ Riffs
+ Rhythm
+ Drums
+ Harmonies
+ Variation in techniques, rhythm, structure

- Accuracy (playing)
- Apparent lack of bass
- Guitar tone is amateurish

Catpocalypse responds:

Thank you for reviewing, but I did put bass in the mix. It may be a little too quiet this time though.