samulis's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[redemption]

This is a NGADM Round 3 List-of-Ideas-For-Possible-Improvement.

Production: 27.5/30 (Great)
Composition: 26.5/30 (Great)
Instrumentation: 13/15 (Great)
Originality: 9.5/10 (Great)
Interest: 13.5/15 (Great)

Overall Score: 90/100 (Great) or 9/10 or 4.5 Stars.

=======
The Good:
- The track really sounded solid throughout. Nothing seemed out of place mix-wise or style-wise.
- The addition of the children playing was an interesting but, in the end, effective choice in my opinion. I felt it really fit with the simple feel of the song.
- The piano- simple, innocent, child-like. Really fits perfectly with the mood and image of the song. I almost would have preferred a bit more hammer noise to give that super close intimate vibe.
- You really expressed a clear arc in the body of the song and brought the listener along for the trip. I thought this piece was quite effective emotionally.

The Not-so-Good:
- I felt the drums in the first half felt a bit naked and thin/choppy... they didn't really "play with the track" but rather along side it. Be careful when mixing percussion into a track to pay attention to the atmosphere around it, both with the timbre and the dampness. I would suggest discretion in this piece with the drums rather than steady, active grooving, to better accentuate the more atmospheric vibe. An active, choppy groove will support a more pop/electronic feel, while a more chill, smooth groove will support a more ambient feel. In that regard, I feel this track had a little bit of multiple personality disorder and couldn't quite come to terms with which of those two it really was.
- On the subject of drums, don't forget about the effectiveness of drum fills and especially don't forget about making "smoove" transitions, especially in a style like this!
- While I thought the work with EW's voice was interesting, it sounded really forced and fake. I would suggest to write out a part next time and have him sing it. The performance of the human voice is incredibly nuanced and cutting and pasting bits will never create a realistic performance, no matter how advanced it is. I understand a stylistic reason for this cutting and pasting, but I think a straight performance would better fit with the musical style proposed in the second half of the piece.
- Although childhood is a simple subject, that doesn't mean you should limit yourself to simple ideas. Some of those most gorgeous and rich sounds are those with a little bit of bitterness and tension to them (ex. 1: https://instaud.io/2OE), and some of the greatest most joyous sounds are those which are preceded by the darkest sounds. Just food for thought. :)
- I wish that final "chord" was down an octave, just as a release... just a thing. XD

Note: while a casual observer might think there's a lot wrong with this piece, quite the contrary. I quite liked the piece (as noted in the interest category). I just have some comments that took a bit of explaining, as is the case when we set aside the simple things and get deep into the complexities of the craft.

johnfn responds:

I guess I should eventually respond to this in full, but I have to say it's pretty weird that you're comparing my etherealwinds stuff to a full blown vocal performance. Actually this sort of vocal chopping/slicing is really common in more contemporary electronic music - Burial comes to mind. I don't think anyone would say that he needs to get an actual vocalist rather than just continuing his path of sampling like crazy.

What I'm trying to say is ITS A STYLE THANGGGG

Uh but thanks for the review. I know the drums are whack, its cuz I'm still using free samples I've accumulated from the internets. LOL. Also because I'm bad at drums.

[There]

This is a NGADM Round 3 Review.

First, a breakdown of your score:
Production: 29/30 (Incredible)
Composition: 27.5/30 (Great)
Instrumentation: 14.5/15 (Incredible)
Originality: 9.5/10 (Great)
Interest: 12.0/15 (Above Average)

Total Score: 92.5/100 (Great) or 9.25/10 or 4.5 stars

========
The Good:
- A REALLY original entry as a whole!
- Very memorable piece... I definitely have the melodies and ideas stuck in my head afterwards, but beyond that, I can't seem to turn it off loop.
- Really great use of glitches, effects, and combination of timbres of instruments to create some memorable and just plain badass atmospheres.
- There were a lot of dynamics, a lot of ideas. It also takes several listens to get all the details and the track doesn't overstay its welcome even at 4'25".
- Vocals came out great. I really enjoyed them and the tone they added to the piece.

The Not-So-Good:
- The track felt somewhat disorganized (docked a few points in composition). It would jump between ideas a lot, and even with common material, it kinda all just blends together- it lacks a coherent arc underlying the overall form... it just kinda got big, got little, went here, went there. While this isn't a major consideration for the style, it is something to keep in mind for advanced craft.
- While the piece had some great ideas, had great contrast, and grooved nicely, I feel like it could have been taken to another level. I'm not really sure what this is, but I feel like maybe some more variation on individual sections would have been part of it, like having the main idea in one section be played on different instruments or having the drum groove change completely in that part.

Your Rubric (rough comments):
http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/d61cb129f3f6376b21d54253a791fee3

Keep Compos(ed/ing)!
-Sam

garlagan responds:

Cheers samulis !
That Rubric is beautiful. That's some serious work!
Really glad you liked that track. The Not-So-Good are really helpful by the way! Totally agreed on the 'jumping between ideas' part. That's generally what i need to work most on. Getting a track to be overall more coherent.
Thanks a lot man!

[~SW~ Magnet Subway]

This is a NGADM Round 2 Review.

First, here's a breakdown of my score:
Production: 28/30 (Great)
Composition: 27/30 (Great)
Instrumentation: 13.5/15 (Great)
Originality: 8.8/10 (Great)
Interest/Emotion: 13.5/15 (Great)

Total: 90.8/100 or 9.08/10 or 4.5 stars (Great).
========
The Good (or, rather, Great):
- Very skyewint, so fusion, much great. Wow.
- There was always something new going on here and there, which kept me listening carefully. A lot of diversity in 4 minutes even though it didn't "feel" diverse. I think that's perhaps your best gift as a composer, is being able to find a way to always make your work diverse yet still have it convey the same meaning across fusion elements.
- Production, sounds are very Skye. 'nuff said.

The Not-So-Great:
- I felt the tuned wooden taps that were going on were a little stick-outish. I swear I thought someone was knocking on my door at one point. You could probably cut them out and not really lose anything.
- I think it would be nice to hear some traditional subway noises other than the ambiance at the start. Not required, but nice.
- Drums might be a bit dry imho, esp with that wet Civ III-esque claves going on. :3

SkyeWint responds:

Oh, you used my review format with a little more score detail thingy at the top.

The little tuned tap clave things were a little cool thing I found and thought I should put in for giggles. Also, liked the sound of them. <3

Drums are a bit dry, I guess. For the most part. Plenty of percussion, I felt. Didn't need any extra stuff.

[On The Glass Edge]

This is a NGA- HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

First, a breakdown of my score for you:
Production: 28.5/30 (Incredible) -includes performance
Composition: 28/30 (Great)
Instrumentation: 14/15 (Great)
Originality 8/10 (Above Average)
Interest: 12/15 (Above Average)

Total: 90.5/100 or 9.05/10 or 4.5 stars. (Great)
======
The Good:
- I'll start by saying, I am NOT a metalhead... or even really a rock person... but I fucking loved this song. It's so incredibly tight, so carefully produced, so fucking badass.
- The use of effects was particularly enjoyable and, most of all, TASTEFUL. I see tracks that are just flooded with effects sometimes, but this was just right.
- This is just awesome.

The Not-So-Good:
- Nothing really... I mean, if you added like, some weirdass fusion stuff it would be more "original" I guess, but as for what it is, it doesn't NEED that.

KICK HIS ASS, SEABASS!
(aka Keep compos(ed/ing)!)
-Samulis

PirateCrab responds:

Hnnnnng the fact I can turn a non-metalhead out of their comfort zone and give them something they still enjoy seriously makes me proud!

Samulis, I salute you. Seabass will return with more dastardly destructive riffs and excruciatingly eccentric effects. MWAH XOXOXOX

[Memoirs of an Old Dreamer]

This is a NGADM Round 2 Review.

First, here's a breakdown of my score:
Production: 20/30 (Average)
Composition: 26/30 (Above Average)
Instrumentation: 12.5/15 (Above Average)
Originality: 8/10 (Above Average)
Interest/Emotion: 11/15 (Above Average)

Total: 77.5/100 or 7.75/10 or 4 stars (average)
=======
The Good:
- The composition was rather pleasant as a whole, as was the nice variation through the orchestration. It was a lot more than the average fair for most of this type of music I hear compositionally and orchestration-wise.
- You had some nice ideas (Greensleeves, much?) and used them in acceptable traditional ways.
- There was a clear attempt to express emotion in the piece through a variety of means.

The Not-So-Good:
- The use of the virtual instruments was poor. This sounded like MIDI and nothing like an orchestra. Any and all attempts at emotion were quickly consumed by this lack of humanization. Always take the time to make sure the patches you select fit the compositional needs. Be sure to use dynamics and balance between all the instruments. Compose to work with what you have, not just with what you think, play to your strengths. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take some time to familiarize yourself with the patches in your sample libraries and compare them to real recordings to find what sorts of functions they are most suited for (harmony, melody, etc).
- The piano lines were bizarre and ruined the emotion, especially the chromatic stuff. Always remember, more heartfelt things must be SIMPLE. They must emphasize chord tones. Use leaps of fifths/fourths and passing tones. They must be something you would sing or whistle or hum and remember. Chromatics are only useful for tension and the application of atonal composition. Consider instead, the pentatonic scales, or perhaps, if you are daring, wholetone. These will much more give a feeling of wonder or dreamlike emotions.

Keep compos(ed/ing),
-Samulis

Jay-Turner responds:

Thank you for your review. I am entirely in agreement with you, I actually think this is perhaps the worst thing I have composed haha. Nevermind.

I think I tried to go beyond what my software is capable. I have extremely limited woodwind instruments, but what I had in my head was very woodwind inspired so I tried with what I've got. I don't think that was the wisest decision for a competition though (As in, not the best time to experiment). I think I realised that I was unhappy with it quite early on but I persisted, but beind fed up did make me do wierd stuff (like the chromatic bit).

Its funny you should mentioned Greensleeves, after I finished it and listened back I realised the same similarity myself.

So, overall I think you giving it a 4 star is very generous. Thank you. I'll heed your advice for when I next have time to work on some music.

[Deflect]

This is a NGADM Rou- wow, this track is nuts!

First, here's a breakdown of my score:
Production: 25.5/30 (Great)
Composition: 28/30 (Great)
Instrumentation: 13/15 (Great)
Originality: 9.5/10 (Great)
Interest: 11.5/15 (Above Average)

Total: 87.5/100 or 8.75/10 or 4.5 stars (Great)
========
The Good:
- Awesome to hear some nice juicy chords!
- Tons of interest in the piece. It's something I don't just need to listen to several times, but really WANT to. You really take me on an aural journey.
- Some really fun sounds/synths mixed together in great ways. Lots of creativity is clear! Definitely super enjoyable to listen to, even after 5 times.
- Really great work with transitions! Effects are great as well.
- Mix is solid as a whole.

The Not-So-Good:
- The drums seemed odd so dry surrounded by everything else being so wet and lush. Not sure if this is a genre thing, I know less about Drumstep than I do about the art of underwater basketweaving.
- The song doesn't have a clear form. This may just be your preference, which is fine and all, but it can be misleading.
- You don't have 10,000 fans yet. D:

Keep compos(ed/ing)!
-Samulis

garlagan responds:

Whoa, thank you samulis! Really glad you liked it!
Interesting thing about the drums being too dry. Never really thought about it, I'm probably too used to the sound. I don't know much about drumstep either!
Thanks for the greatly detailed review!

[Time to Fly - NGADM]

This is a NGADM Round 2 Review.

First, a breakdown of my score:
Production: 25/30 (Above Average)
Composition: 27/30 (Great)
Instrumentation: 12/15 (Above Average)
Originality: 8.5/10 (Above Average)
Interest/Emotion: 10/15 (Average)

Total Score: 82.5/100 or 8.25/10 or 4 stars (Above Average)
=========
The Good:
- The piece really works as a whole, each element fits well together.
- Really nailed the style with some nice modern twists that fit well.
- Nice use of dynamics to keep listener interest- remember, in VGM, the original stuff had to be listenable for long periods of time!
- Effort was VERY CLEAR. I loved all the fine detail work that went into making everything really flow and groove nicely.

The Not-So-Good:
- I felt the piece was too long. Get in, explore your ideas, get out. It slightly overstayed its welcome imho, even with the calm part around 3:10.
- The ending was rough, but acceptable. There's not much canon on how to end a VGM song, as most VGM pieces by their nature had to loop, but one can assume traditional techniques and cadences can apply.
- The track as a whole is not super memorable. This may not have been your intent, but again, drawing from VGM canon, you may want to consider using a memorable main melody/motif that is "singable" or "hummable" and "catchy".

Keep Compos(ed/ing)!
-Samulis

Spadezer responds:

I'm happy to receive a review like this from you, and I'm thankful for the feedback.

"The Not-So-Good"
-Hmmm, it seemed like it would have been a little short if I ended it just before 3:10. However, it just be balancing when you 'think' it needs to go on a little longer and when it shouldn't go longer.
-I didn't want to make it too long either without repeating the same themes, but same as the first point.
-Still working on the memorable theme type of thing. If you listen to some of my first pieces it's basically "lets do this! Oh this is cool. OOOh check this out!"

Now for "the good"
Thanks for each comment. And your grading scale is greatly detailed.

Be awesome, be more awesome, and repeat.
-Spadezer-

[Improv 2 ~P~]

Some great playing! I just wish there were more dynamics- maybe find a sampled piano that really has some strong dynamics volume-wise, as it feels pretty flat at this time, even with timbral differences. Other than that, I could totally meditate or sleep to this. XD

Also, next time, I'd recommend going through the MIDI and deleting the handful of "overly-excited fingers that wish to press keys you do not wish to press" to really just give it that extra bit.

Phyrnna responds:

Nuu! Original with all mistakes and whatnot! :C It preserves the humanity of it all! Otherwise I'd have to go the full mile and make this a full song... hmmm....

[Save your brother]

This is a NGADM Round 1 Review.

First, here's a breakdown of my score:
Production: 14/30
Composition: 22.5/30
Orchestration: 9/15
Originality: 6/10
Emotion: 9/15

Total: 60.5/100 or 6.05/10 or 3/5 stars.
========
The Good:
- You had some really good ideas going on in the piece and some pretty nice composition.
- There was some strong contrast in the piece between powerful and gentle elements.

The Not-So-Good:
- The entire mix was pretty much solid mud. In orchestral music, the middle-ground and background voices like your chugga-chugga cellos and other strings stay OUT of the way of the melody, which takes dominance ALWAYS. Some instruments had waaaay too much reverb, others had not enough.
- The song's form was repetitive... it felt like you just copy and pasted the first half of the song and then put a fade on the end to make it feel like it was long. Normally with orchestral music, one would add a "C Section" with contrasting material or some sort of part that is different from both the A and B sections.
- If this were realized as a purely electronic track, I feel it would be much more successful.
- Your samples were not up to the task of making this piece work. You should either try to adapt your style to fit your existing samples (i.e. not lots of chugga-chugga stuff, focus on only the best sounding of your instruments, etc) or consider purchasing more powerful instruments which have things like multisampling/round robin so that your strings don't sound like a machine gun.
- Fadeout in orchestral = BIG NO-NO.

Notes:
I feel like with some more work you can create pieces that better reflect your resources. Remember: the cheaper the stuff you are using, the more work you will have to do with eq'ing, compression, stereo work, subtle tricks, etc to make it sound acceptable. Even if you have $1000 plugins, you should still always be tweaking things to get it to sound right.

Take some time to really listen to popular trailer music and other similar orchestral tracks. Listen to how all the instruments sit in the mix, what sort of timbres and tones they have, how they attack each note, how much reverb they have, etc. Train your ear to want to hear these things, then apply that to your own music. Listen to your strings. Do they sound like the strings in a big score? No. What can you do to make them do that? Add more pop by increasing the highs? Get them to be more punchy with compression or other tools? That's the kind of attitude you have to take to mix a track.

Keep compos(ed/ing)!
-Samulis

Guylee responds:

Dear Samulis,

Many thanks for this detailed review. 6 out of 10 is a very nice score. I will take all that you have written into consideration while making my next piece. I believe that if I put my mind to this, and some more energy, I could probably make all this sound just like in my head, but alas, I have no such time, nor will I ever (probably) have. I'm glad you (kind of) liked this, and that makes me happy as a gold digger in a nugget river.

p.s. I really like how much detail you write into these reviews, and I hope you never change that.

All best!

[Cracked Pavement]

This is a NGADM Round 1 Review.

First, here's the breakdown of my score for you:
Production: 22/30
Composition: 25/30
Instrumentation: 13/15
Originality: 9/10
Interest/Emotion: 12/15

Total: 81/100 or 8.1/10 or 4 stars
=======
The Good:
- I love the performances! Compositionally and performance-wise, the piece is very good!
- It's catchy and doesn't wear out my ear even after 10 listens.
- The middle-ground and background elements are very solid- I really like all the arps, chord voicings, and ostinati that are going on and they really fit well and were selected well.
- There's a great feeling of flow between parts. Everything makes sense where it is.

The Not-So-Good:
- The sounds... The samples mostly feel pretty soundfonty and old-school. That could be the feel you are going for, of course.
- The bass is soo quiet! Be careful mixing bass especially when using consumer-grade speaker systems or consumer-grade headphones like Beatz because they tend to boost up the bass!
- The ending could use some revising... It's pretty weak and feels more like a "oh shit, I gotta figure out a way to stop doing this... let me just uh... there we go" sort of thing.

Keep compos(ed/ing),
-Samulis

ChronoNomad responds:

Thanks, Samulis! I was getting a bit antsy waiting so long for your review, but you know what? It was definitely worth waiting for. I really appreciate your methodology for reviewing; it's very understandable and concise while maintaining a good balance of professionalism and fun. Er, now it almost sounds like I'm reviewing your review, and that's maybe a bit convoluted. Okay, moving on...

There's a bunch of stuff that you really like, and that just plain makes me happy and validates my entry into this competition regardless of how far I got. The track itself was very fun to make, and I like to think that it's self-evident to a careful listener. I love that you said you find it to be catchy, and the fact that it doesn't lose impact after repeated listens is quite the compliment. Not much else to say about The Good, honestly; just really glad that you like what you do. :)

The old-school vibe is indeed what I was going for; using a Wurlitzer piano for one of my main instruments pretty much guaranteed it, I think. I had a bunch of fun, old-school Jazzy stuff in my head, and that was pretty much what came out. As far as the bass goes, it's most likely just what you mentioned...my Skullcandy headphones probably have extra good fidelity and/or boosted bass. I'll take what you've said to heart and try mixing the bass using my speakers in the future. Aaaaand you pretty much nailed that last thing. I had to finish the track, didn't have much time to work on it, so the ending is admittedly rushed. I still think it's good, but not great...I simply had too many things on my plate already and tossed NGADM on the side. It was fun and completely insane, but I'm totally glad I did it. ^__^

Thanks again for all of this fantastic feedback, Samulis! I'll get back to composing when things can slow down, and I'll be trying to get in a little bit here and there, but I always do my utmost to remain composed. Your review is thoroughly appreciated, and I wish you all the best!