Turret1234's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Back to ride this world]

There is probably some good song writing in here... Somewhere... But I certainly can't hear it.

Tip #1: get better sound equipment, don't record this song with your early 2000s Nokia phone.

Tip #2: Yeah, that's about all I got, the song would definitely be actually listenable if you did pretty much any kind of recording, but you seemingly did it all with an old phone or something.

I know this is like, punk, but like, any type of recording would be nice. Like, any.

There would be probably a decent punk band in there somewhere if you got better recording software but for now it's a low score.

Ragkul responds:

the song was recorded in low quality on purpose, it was low quality with the low pass filter, with a vinyl disc emulator, with a tube amplifier, etc ...

[zami - Ideal]

It's a pretty good song, but the mixing is fairly bad, reminds me a bit of Ocularnebula.

The start is pretty good but the bass drum is fairly unfitting, also the voice-sounding synth at 00:15 is loud going in, things need to be toned down a bit, things need to generally be changed up. The song also sounds fairly mono when it comes to drums, very little effects on the drums making it sound a little like an early techno song.

Around 00:23 is some fairly good mixing other than generally the voice-sounding synth being too loud, having too much of a presence, needs to be toned down by quite a lot.

At about 00:48 is really good, not much to complain about, the song should be generally mixed like that, but maybe around here the hihats should be turned down a bit,

The drums at the end are really fitting, and really fit the end. However, the weird reverb/high pass on the gameboy synth doesn't sound very good.

I also noticed at 00:42 the hihats seemingly either get louder or transition to a different sample entirely, it's a little hard to notice but I certainly did, sounds a little jarring.

Minor moments of just things getting a little too loud all around, should maybe work on that a bit.

The track also just simply doesn't loop very well, it doesn't feel like a clean loop, don't know if that's a mistake or not.

The structuring, and melodies are overall just really good though, really shines in the melody/songwriting department honestly, other than being loud at times it's just a really well-written song.

Overall, a pretty good track other than the mixing, a lot of potential, will be following.

zami responds:

thx for the great feedback!! idk what happened, MP3s leave a little silence at the beginning, which ruins the loop. a wav render loops nicely for me

[Galaxies - Invaders (Loop)]

Short, repetitive, not really useful for anything.

Doesn't have much feeling, as the other review says, it's Half Life esque, but there isn't really much here. Melody is the same, the weird string synth isn't even a melody but still repeats, this isn't long enough to be used for anything. It doesn't even loop right. I'd suggest making the loop longer, adding more changes, and making it loop properly.

However there is some good mixing here, doesn't distort, and some nice stereo sound.

Small critique on the percussion though, it's just kind of generic, I could swear I've heard that same clap in like a hundred different songs, it gets grating.

Overall, not very good, mixing is good, but what's here is just kind of nothingness, I'll check your other music but this song is basically a nothing song.

GalaxiesEDM responds:

Thanks for the critique, I'll keep it in mind!

[Dungeons and Dragons (VRC7)]

I see serious potential in you, the melodies in this shine amazingly, really do give me the feel you were going for. However, I got a couple gripes.

1: The music is way too quiet, you should consider using a DAW or finding a way to make FamiTracker louder.

2: Some of the buildups feel as if they go nowhere, the buildups are awesome, really. But they feel as if they go nowhere in terms of how they buildup, I expect a really awesome part right after the buildups, and I do get it after the first buildup. But it never leads into any part with new instruments or a solo or something like that after the first buildup.

3: Some of the sound uses sound off, don't really sound too good or just overall clash a bit. Only really one sound comes to mind, and it's the one at 00:38. It sounds somewhat off in comparison to the other sounds, it could be my personal preference but all the sounds build awesomely except that one. Although the way it's used at 01:03 is awesome.

Overall, I think there is some amazing potential here, get a DAW like FL Studio or LMMS. (If you can't afford FL Studio.)

Will be following, and possibly scouting you if you end up improving!

baare333 responds:

Thanks for the response! Here's my take on the whole thing:

1. The song is definitely too quiet, I need to look for a target DB range or something when exporting in Audacity because for some reason VRC7 (or just FamiTracker in general) makes everything too quiet. So thanks for your take on that.

2. I don't like buildups going to a generic electronic, dubstepy "release" or whatever the word may be (if this is even related). But I do need to learn progressions better and get into music theory more so I know how to flow songs better.

3. I have the same feels for that chippy instrument on the same part (00:38), I tried to find a good way to incorporate it but I'm sorry if it's off. I do think I need to change the instrument in general or just introduce it better, how it is sounds weird in the song when I'm working on it.

I'm really unsure about moving to another program like FL Studio (maybe LMMS because I haven't tried it nor heard of it until recently). While it does allow you to make music differently and in higher quality, I am already comfortable with the limitations and tracker-style of making music. The effects and editing from those programs might prove very useful though. I'll branch out eventually and leave my comfort zone, but for now just FamiTracker and Audacity.

Anyway, I really appreciate the criticism. I'm trying to improve off of any advice I take and hearing this allows me to keep a closer eye on things that could be off about my songs, thanks again! :D

[Runaway on a Train]

Great track honestly, the mixing is a bit off in my opinion however.

During the "chorus" bits, the drums just aren't there, and have way too much reverb on them. They feel like they should be much stronger in the mix, more treble or bass. However, I feel that during the bridge parts they should stay where they are, they feel perfect quiet, and in the background during those sections. The outro also doesn't fade all that well, you can still hear the song fairly loudly at the end, which makes it feel like the outro ends abruptly.

The song also feels a bit midi with some of the instruments, for example, the crash. It sounds a little like a default crash from a DAW. It clashes a lot with the other instruments.

The main instruments like the guitar strumming and the Tenor Sax fit perfectly, not too much or too little reverb. However, I also feel they are a little too loud in the mix in comparison to the drums, and they don't give the drums the time to shine. The intro also has near superb mixing, but once it goes into the snares, it feels super weak in comparison to the intros feel.

There is also a super quiet bass I hear during the song, mostly at the start. I feel it should either be louder or just not be there at all as it contributes practically nothing to the song.

Composition wise the song is great, the pauses for the rest of the instruments at points are great. I'm not all that good at critiquing composition as I'm fairly bad at it myself, but overall it's great.

The overall feel of the song gives me great Sonic Unleashed vibes, I feel as if this would go well in a fast-paced world trotting game like Sonic Unleashed.

Overall, the song is good composition wise but the mixing suffers quite a bit, improve on the mixing, and you got yourself a superb song!

SeaMaid responds:

Thanks for the in-depth response! A bit busy right now so I'll just respond to certain parts of it in bullet points:

- I will definitely try to do something about the mixing. Did not notice how quiet the bass was when working on the track!

- I recognise that some of the instruments sound a bit too MIDI-y, and that I ought to rethink which instrument combinations to use. That said, the crash cymbal you mention is actually from the same sample collection as the rest of the drums used here (and the drums weren't freeware. Perhaps I should combine a few drum sets/cymbals and try to add subtle effects for a more natural sound in upcoming songs, but I won't make that many changes to this track on that front. Unless I full-on remix it at some point, heh

- I haven't listened much to Sonic Unleashed's OST in particular, but I'll take that comparison as a compliment! Thanks :V

[Vapor]

I like this, but I kept the rating relatively low because I checked out more of your music and your sound is heavily inconsistent, I'm not sure if you actually make what you upload.

I suggest you give a little insight into how you make what you make or say what programs or software or samples you use, it will help people determine whether what you make it stolen or not. Until you do write it down, I can't give you a high score as I'm not sure if you made this.

Edit: No, actually, you are wrong.

You have to prove that you made audio you uploaded, it says so in the audio TOS.

Here is quote, I doubt you will read this but here:

"You should cite your resources.

VST's, samples, software, hardware, sound effects... these are all things you should mention in your Author's Comments, especially if it's your first submission. Posting "nice song" as Author's Comments and then submitting an amazing 5-minute song doesn't look very legitimate."

Here is the page in which this quote is taken: https://www.newgrounds.com/wiki/help-information/terms-of-use/audio-guidelines

retestment responds:

My dude, if i didn't make it i wouldn't upload it, nor do i need to prove my song is mine, it's mine. and excuse me for not making the same song 12 times over and trying to keep it fresh.

[Birds]

Parts of this things melody sounds like Mystic Mansion from Sonic Heroes, I'm pretty sure this is unintentional but the theme is "Dark" so it could be intentional for all I know.

It's definitely more like what I enjoy, a lot more DNB style, with light softer synths and such.

Fun and bouncy. Sort of.

I am bad at critique lol

Cacola responds:

Thank you for the review! Spooky theme was intentional, though Mystic Mansion wasn't a direct inspiration, the song was inspired by these videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e6RK8o1fcs&t=1s