Everratic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Glass-cutter]

-NGUAC Review-

The intro is intriguing and well-executed. The sound design is quite pleasant here. There's a nice surprise at :33.

After this point, I feel like the composition meanders and loses its meaning. The melody in section A isn't catchy, interesting, or memorable, and it seems too far in the background when it should be in the forefront imo.

The drop at 1:06 is less interesting melody-wise, and it's not clear how it relates to what I heard previously. This section is fairly repetitive until the 1:39 point.

1:39 is an awesome moment. The abrupt chord change and the runs are quite pleasing. But like in the intro, the composition seems to meander again shortly afterward.

The outro is satisfying by itself but feels weak in context because I don't feel like the song took me anywhere or made me feel a certain way.

The sound design is pretty good, and I like the delay effect on the piano. I like the bass and percussion together.

Regarding the mix, I think the bass range can be cleaned up a little (particularly around 150hz); the highs can be boosted on some instruments such as the pad, snare and piano; and low-mid resonances can be reduced across the board. The mix could sound wider as well - perhaps with those changes it will automatically sound wider.

Sorry for the long wait. I hope this is helpful! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

ChroPh0re responds:

This review actually comforted me in a way - these are all things I've felt about the piece, particularly concerning the composition, and it was nice to hear from a fellow musician who is able to articulate what I, myself was feeling about the song. It's comforting to see where it would need work. It's also nice because I had very little time and energy to make the piece, and I was very stressed while doing so (newborn third child) - as mentioned, it was done in 6 hours. I know it needs more time - I was burning out pretty bad at the time. I feel like if I can take more time on this piece a little later, I can really flesh it out. Thank you for the honest and articulate review.

[The Meaning of Life Is Paradox]

Hey, I saw your post in the nguac thread and decided to leave a review.

I think these competitions should be seen as opportunities to gain exposure, motivate yourself to make more and better music, and indeed, have fun. Judge biases will be a major factor in every competition - it's inevitable and one will feel bitter much of the time without accepting that fact. I've had the same reaction as you in the past.

On to the actual review...

There are some nice lines of music in here. The percussion is solid, there are some interesting sets of chords, there's some cool synth design, etc. But I'm afraid I do not see how these lines of music work together to create a cohesive message - what is the purpose of the song? It feels fairly repetitive, and the meat of the track is not that stimulating for the aforementioned reason.

The piano library is clearly low quality, and piano keys aren't usually slammed like that. It's not pleasant to listen to sound-design-wise.

The mix is fatiguing to listen to. If you EQ certain instruments, and perhaps the master channel, around the 3-4k range, you could remove some unpleasant frequencies. I also suggest using a dynamic EQ on the piano to control low-mid resonances.

I know the score I gave you isn't pleasant to receive, but I wanted you to know that I did recognize some positive qualities of your track. From my own musical journey, I've found that improvement is not a linear process at all; it's usually revelations about music composition that lead to abrupt, drastic improvements. I'm saying this because I believe that with a bit of studying (and maybe making a small investment into a proper sample library), you can see significant improvement quickly.

Another thing: unlike some other judges, I did not factor industry standards into my judging. I don't care much about that.

I hope to see you return to future competitions, but I'll understand if you don't.

[Recalibrate]

Nice sound design :o

zybor responds:

Thanks EverErratic :)

Also thanks for tagging me on the NGUAC thread, else I'd have forgotten about it.

[Radical Reef]

This is so catchy and cute. I love the use of chimes.

[What Lies Ahead (NGADM)]

The sound design and percussion are lovely!

I would have liked to hear a melodic solo at some point.

FateModified responds:

Thanks Everratic! I actually was trying to add a JBV solo but it didn’t quite work out. My piano skills are not so great and when I try to program solos on JBV they never sound right for some reason. Thanks for the comment and good luck in the contest! :) <33

[I Go]

Wow, this is a masterpiece! Every note sounds gorgeous and highly emotional.

I feel like you transported me into a timeless musical world where many emotions are totally transparent. It’s quite heavenly.

Phonometrologist responds:

Hi EverErratic. You are very generous with your words; I don't take that for granted. While working on any piece, one is never quite sure how it will be perceived so I appreciate the encouragement. Your description reminds me of a story I once heard when another visioned what heaven is like and in that even the walls surrounding us were singing.

[Adrenalinic Obstinacy]

You’ve improved a lot! I think this is the best song of yours from the ones I listened to.

My only gripe is that some instruments can sound much better with EQing, including dynamic EQ.

I really like the atmosphere and percussion. The structure is good and you nailed the ending.

Albe responds:

Thanks! I was fearing that it was gonna be a bit too repetitive cuz 4 chord progression, but I'm glad that it was enjoyable

[[IV]Nigdzie]

This is beautiful! <3

What cello did you use?

IglicaV responds:

Thanks a lot! It's Tina Guo Solo Cello Vol 1 with the legato patch update

[嵐 (ARASHI)]

The composition is lovely!

[Elven Lullaby]

Your voice sounds heavenly side by side with the flute. I think this is one of your most beautiful songs. I really like the scale changes - they greatly enhance the emotion.

etherealwinds responds:

Thank you, I'm glad you think so! :)