samulis's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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!

[XS - Sanctuary (NGADM14)]

This is a NGADM Round 1 Review.

First, here is your score breakdown:
Production: 21/30
Composition: 22/30
Instrumentation: 10/15
Originality: 8/10
Interest/Emotion: 9/15

Total: 70/100 or 7/10 or 3.5 stars
========
The Good:
- I really enjoyed the choices of chords you used.
- You had a pretty decent blend of organic and synthetic elements.
- Production was solid throughout.

The Not-So-Good:
- I would really like to have seen more variation in the piece... have a really chill section with maybe a choir and harp or something just to really contrast all the other stuff.
- The piece didn't really flow between parts and had all these sudden jolt-y leaps between parts and ideas.
- Some parts of the piece are just sort of "grooving" with no one really playing a melody out above everything else, as if this track was supposed to have lyrics on top but you forgot to add them. Having a strong, clear melody that is above everything else is important for creating the space and asserting the texture of the piece.
- I would have liked to hear other things than just the same EWQL SO staccato strings patch over and over again... why not have woodwinds? brass? pizzicato strings? legato strings? There are tons of different textures within an orchestra, so definitely consider experimenting with more ways to use and blend them together.
- The "climaxes" in the piece are all kinda the same sort of thing and none of them really "get there" for me. Consider having a more full climax that is really filled-out but not too crowded.

Keep compos(ed/ing)!
-Samulis

Jimmypig responds:

Sorry for the late reply! I remember reading this and thinking "I'll have a real read later when I'm not busy!" and then I forgot completely -_-

I totally agree with you though, good intention but left it a little bland. I always do because I worry about over clutter!

Thanks again.

[I Owe You The Same]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

Production: 18/30
Composition: 23/30
Instrumentation: 9/15
Originality: 10/10
Interest/Emotion: 9/15

Total: 69/100 or 6.9/10 or 3.5 stars

==========
The Good Things:
- Creative, enjoyable lyrics.
- Very good performances on guitar, decent vocals.
- Good variation between parts to keep the listener from getting bored.

The Not-So- Good Things:
- Your mic clips at 0:22 and in other places with the vocals. I would recommend experimenting with different settings or consider getting a better microphone (I'd recommend a Shure SM-57, but you'd need an interface then).
- The reverb is too much and washy for the sort of "indie" vibe you are going for. Normally this sort music has very little and/or very small reverb.
- For me, the beatboxing and clapping really subtracted from the tracks' quality. Consider finding a drummer friend or a drum VST or just doing without drums.
- There are some syncing issues in the piece where the parts get out of sync (like the clapping after "let's break this down". Never be afraid to do extra takes or move things around until it really locks.
- Production-wise, the track is rather lacking. Consider things like faux stereo widening, EQ'ing, compression, etc and experiment around to find something that gives your track more presence. Make sure you find a good balance between the guitars and the vocal elements. For example, I wish there was more guitar in the track.

In general, the cheaper the mic you use, the more work you have to do to get it to an acceptable level. There isn't any "studying" per say, just go out and listen to tracks in the same sort of style you are working on and isolate the elements- how much reverb is there? What kind? How do the voices fit into the puzzle? Where is everything panned? How rich is the bass and treble elements of each instrument? How do those elements fit together to make a coherent piece? The only way to learn production correctly is to go out and build up your ear so you can hear these things. ;)

Best,
-Sam

[Lunar Event]

Did you know that male giraffes use their necks to fight each other an assert dominance?

This is a NGADM Round 1 Review.

Let's start by breaking down your score:
Production: 25/30
Composition: 26/30
Instrumentation: 15/15
Originality: 10/10
Interest/Emotion: 8.5/15

Total Score: 84.5/100 or 8.45/10 or 4 stars.
=======

Good Things:
- HUGE amount of creativity, especially in the sound design. It's great to see someone work so hard on a piece, and it really shows!
- The atmosphere is great, and the sounds are very intuitively blended together into a coherent work.
- There's a great deal of diversity in the piece, even with the minimalist vibe going on. I really like the flow between parts, it all just made sense.
- The piece felt like a more techno approach to the music in Age of Empires I and II. I definitely recommend checking out the music in those games.
- $60 DAW? You making good music on it? Sign me up! :D

Not-so-good Things:
- I agree with Step that there really isn't a lot to love about this piece aside from the technical mastery displayed. It doesn't really say anything, which is fine for some applications where more emphasis is put on technical prowess than saying something.
- Related to that, the piece gets pretty dull after the fifth time or so.
- I think more experimentation with arpeggios and textures that move in and out (crescendo then diminuendo) might be worthwhile. It would be nice to have more parts that just kinda came into being and then went back out.

Best,
-Sam

secantwave responds:

Thanks very much for the thoughtful review! I agreed with most of what you had to say. I know that the time limit of the contest, combined with personal obligations, meant I didn't really have the opportunity to develop this piece as much as I would have liked. I'm planning to come back to it later and finish it for real.

I'm particularly glad that you liked the sound design and the atmosphere; I was very proud of it as well, and my main goal in creating the piece was making a rich atmosphere. One of the advantages of working with Mathematica is that there's a lot of flexibility in generating basic sounds, which can be improved further by combining it with other applications like Audacity. (In my view, this counters the main disadvantage that it is, by any measure, kind of insane.)

Thanks again!

[Rising to the Challenge]

This is a NGADM Round 1 Review.

First, let's break down your score:
Production: 27/30
Composition: 26/30
Instrumentation: 12.5/15
Originality: 8/10
Interest: 14/15

Total: 87.5/100 or 8.75/10 or 4.5 stars.

======
The Good:
- GREAT composition and production! This piece was really great sounding and feeling. As step said, everything just kinda fit.
- Makes me want to train like Rocky.
- It made me tap my foot so hard my roommate had to tell me to stop.
- DEM ARPS BRO.
- Super well organized with the melody, transitions, variations, etc. The flow of the song was natural and very clear.
- COWBELL REPRESENT!

The Not-So-Good:
- Although this song is AMAZING on the first play, after the fifth time, it starts to get less enjoyable. Not sure if that's just me or what, dunno. It's still good, just not as awesome was it is when it first starts.
- Despite the diversity in textures, the song never really backs off for a long enough stretch. It would be nice to have a longer chill section in the middle to give the listener a chance to recalibrate than what is in there right now.

Keep da musik flowin, bro!

Spadezer responds:

I'm flattered. I'm happy to get such a good response from you. The good that you liked seemed to outweigh the not-so-good. I'm glad you think this is worth 8.75. I feel silly for not having enough volume dynamics in this song since I know better than that, but I do agree with you on every point.

I can't wait to see what you think about Time to Fly :)
-Spadezer-

[[IV]Novocaine]

This is an NGADM Round 1 Review.

First, here's your score breakdown:
Production: 21/30
Composition: 23/30
Instrumentation: 12/15
Originality: 7.5/10
Emotion/Interest: 10/15

Total: 73.5/100 or 7.35/10 or 3.5 stars.

======
The Good:
- Your drums were nicely done! They really have a good feel to them, but could of course use some more diversity.
- You have a nice variety of sounds and textures in the piece as a whole. You picked some nice sounding patches for this.
- The mix is very nice and clear. Everything is blended nicely, nothing sticks out too much.

The Not-So-Good:
- Transitions (e.g. 0:21) need to be smoother! Consider ways to smooth out the transition- cymbal roll, drum roll, arpeggio, anticipation, white noise, whatever. Experiment and find what works best for you and the style you are working in. Some transitions (e.g. 1:25) work fine with a more abrupt cut, but still could benefit from some smoothing out.
- The dynamics and motion of the piece don't really go anywhere... because of this, it ends up feeling pretty dull after a while as Step mentioned. Just because it's ambient doesn't mean it has to be flat! Lots of ambient pieces have huge dynamics. Maybe consider a way you can create a sort of "musical landscape" through the dynamics of the song, starting quiet, growing, growing, huge fuckin' ass climax, go down, or so on (you can even have two climaxes or build up and then chicken out then build up again).
- The song mainly functions as a series of independent phrases. Think about ways that you can utilize counter-melodies or ideas "conversing" to create more melodic interest. Right now the song functions as a sort of "Idea 1... Idea 2... Idea 1... etc" flow.

[Oceans Wide]

This is a NGADM Round 1 review.

Your Score Breakdown:
Production: 20/30 (includes vocal performance)
Composition: 24/30 (includes lyric writing)
Instrumentation: 11/15
Originality: 9/10
Emotion/Interest: 13.5/15

Total Score 77.5/100 or 7.75/10 or 4/5 stars.

========
Compositionally, this song was quite nice. Strangely it reminded me of the main theme of Civilization IV (Baba Yetu) once the xylo came in (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQfa5E1o_tc). It wasn't extraordinarily well composed, but it didn't need to be. Everything just kinda fit in very well. I might suggest adding more mid-ground elements such as cellos or clarinets or some brass, to help out or to contrast the viola staccatos.

I enjoyed the lyrics and the performance quite a bit. However, there were a few points where consonant endings were not together. Don't forget about how long notes should hold- endings are as important as beginnings, even at a note-per-note level!

As has been the case for a time, you will be constrained quality-wise by the quality of your samples. Under that constraint, I think taking the videogamey feel was a great move. There's a lot you can do with soundfonts, but they are still limited compared to what modern samplers or live work can do.

There's a lot of mixing stuff you might want to try out. First off, I found the backing vocals around 1:12 to be quite weak. Either make them louder, or record a bunch more tracks so it sounds like a full choir (an effect I LOVE to do). I could really hear a full choir backing up the vocals in this, like in the aforementioned Baba Yetu.

The staccato strings are a bit quiet, they get eaten up by the rest of the song quite easily. The bass instrument is almost inaudible for me. I might recommend considering an electric bass instead of an arco bass, to give it a more bite and accent the attacks, which are great.

My biggest suggestion regarding the mixing of the vocals is to try adding some more of the fundamental harmonic using EQ, but some other things that might help is singing closer to your mic. All microphones to some extent feature something called the Proximity Effect, in which when it is close to the sound source, it picks up more bass frequencies, while when further away, it gets weaker and more tinny. Something to also consider eventually is upgrading your microphone to a large diaphragm vocal condenser mic and an audio interface at some point, but I believe working hard with effects and EQ will really bring out all the nice things in your voice much more, like oil on wood. Right now it sounds the same way the wood looks after the first coat and it has seeped in and hasn't changed much. Keep applying layers and carefully crafting the timbre of the voice until it shines like a well-oiled table. Keep experimenting to find ways to add more presence and power to vocals, as right now you seem far away and weak. :)

Keep compos(ed/ing)!
-Sam