Everratic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Love Once Lost in a Dream]

NGADM Round 3 Review

The intro effectively sets a dreamlike scene. It sounds like there’s a cluster of adjacent notes on the strings, but, perhaps due to the high register, it doesn’t feel dissonant. It’s suspenseful yet calming. The piano phrases convey a mix of emotions, which reflects the idea of a hazy memory. When the piano’s lower register enters at :49, it feels very satisfying. I like how the next section transitions the composition into a more melodic and harmonic state. The buildup into the climax is remarkably well done. I’m impressed by the composition’s storytelling and accurate reflection of the description.

The mix is outstanding. It feels warm and rich but not too muddy. I love the reverb on the strings. I just have three minor points of feedback. I think the piano could benefit from automation on the mic positions and/or EQ so it doesn’t feel so close after the intro. I like the intimate sound in the beginning, but during the climax, it feels a little disconnected from the room the other instruments are sitting in. Second, I think the climax could use a little more bass presence, or perhaps a more consistent bass presence. I recall you mentioning this, so I think you’re clear on what to do. Finally, I think the bass drum in the intro could benefit from more release/reverb to better fit the dreamlike atmosphere.

I think the dynamic automation of the violins in the 2:48 section could use some work to better follow the expression and direction of the melodic line. It feels too static to me.

This is an overall excellent submission that again showcases your ability to follow through on a rich story. I can imagine this working quite well in a short film or cutscene. Keep up the amazing work!

[Dread {Pt.1}]

This is amazing! Now that I completed a campaign I can appreciate it more :D

AceMantra responds:

I'm happy you found a new appreciation for it! There's something just awesome about finishing a campaign. Maybe bittersweet, too, but still fun!

[Escape From Ragavan's Castle]

This reminds me of video games I played as a child, including Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart DS. The busier parts of the track sound like they could fit in a racing game. The composition is lively and energetic with multiple catchy melodies. The instrumentation gives it a hint of an eastern flavor while also sounding somewhat whimsical. I like the synth sound design as well. The modulation at 1:49 provides a burst of fresh energy, preventing the track from feeling stale. You did a good job varying the sections to keep the composition engaging without having too much contrast, which could feel disorienting with this style. The transitions are all smooth and pleasant.

Although I like the intro, I’m not sure if the full 34 seconds is necessary. It works well on the first listen, but as I repeat the track, I feel like it’s so different in intensity that I just want to return to the “meat” of the track. I think this may be because of my association with video game soundtracks.

The mix sounds like it’s lacking some bass and low mids. I think strengthening the low end of the kick and bass and giving them higher relative volume levels can help the track feel fuller and more grounded. It’s important to ensure they don’t clash at the same frequency. The kick can possibly be boosted between 60-80hz and the bass can be boosted between 100-150hz, and you can make cuts in these ranges on the other channel to improve separation. When the bass has enough bass frequencies, you can use multiband compression or dynamic EQ to prevent the fundamental frequencies from shifting too much as the bass line rises. It’s important to have a stable bass to keep the mix feeling full. You can potentially boost some highs on the percussion while reducing highs on some of the melodic instruments, particularly the one at :52, which feels brittle.

I enjoyed this a lot! Improving the mix and tonal balance can take this to the next level!

[Could've been something Neat...]

I don't know what the outcome will be, but either way, I'm glad you participated this year and hope to see you active in other events :) This kind of writer's block is common in competitions and is nothing to feel bad about.

Best of luck!

EppuJoloZ responds:

It was definitely a fun ride while it lasted! I'm still dissapointed in myself because this was a big underdeliver – but sometimes life just goes like that :D Thank you for the kind words, Everratic~

[Thieving Mrs. Magpie (SHORTIE)]

I love this!

[Lordant - Echo]

It turns out I am your NGADM reviewer – it must have been switched since my last review.

I love the atmosphere from the very beginning. The sound design gives me a fantasy feeling, almost like the Divinity Original Sin II soundtrack. I like the use of the plucky instruments. The mix has good depth and use of delay, reverb, and panning, and the drums are mixed excellently.

The structure is conceptually solid and the transitions are all smooth. As I understand it, there’s an intro that sets the scene, an A section that feels like it’s building up to a climax until it settles down and transitions to a darker B section, then there’s a transitional section that builds into a climax based on the A theme. This could have worked very well, but I feel that the climax is not reaching its full potential. The main problem I hear is that the melody doesn’t have ideal projection and breathing room; it’s not prominent enough in the mix, while the plucks and hi hats demand a lot of attention. It also feels a little too similar to the first A section, but with a little more intensity. Modulating to another key could have been a nice idea here to enhance the emotional impact and freshen the sound.

While the mix is solid, I have some minor feedback:
- The plucks seem to have a delay with a lot of high frequencies, which gets fatiguing and can make the room feel smaller.
- The orchestral instruments feel a little thin and small-room-sounding. A plugin like SP2016 or simply changing the mic positions can fix this quickly.
- I think you did a good job with EQing overall, but I think some more mud can be removed from the mids of some of the orchestral instruments for greater clarity, and some highs can be cut from the plucks.

Your track took my mind to a lively fantasy world that seems to have a deep story behind it. I enjoyed this a lot!

Lordant responds:

Thanks a lot for feedback, I really appreciate it! Glad you enjoyed the track :3

You understood the structure pretty well and I agree with your point about the climax, I'll do a revamp for this song later and try to improve it. Not sure about modulating, though. By the way, I didn't plan to use any orchestral instruments at all, it was a late addition when the A section idea came to my mind. So, there isn't much work done with the room setting and orchestration. Same with plucks, I will tweak the effects and try to make the sound more subtle.

[Heartbeat - Heart to Heart album]

Congratulations on creating an album! I really enjoyed this :D

[I Feel It Too ft. Plasmarift]

The track feels very amusing, with the loving dialogue and quirky sounds. The sound design is well-done; the synths in the more drum and bass sections have nice movement and texture, and I like the big snare sound. Despite the appearance of a dynamically flat track, there is plenty of variation to keep it fresh and interesting.

Some minor mixing comments:
- I think reducing some high mids from the piano can potentially help provide some more separation from the synths and help it sit more comfortably in the mix.
- The vocals feel a little too close considering the atmosphere and nature of the track. Removing some more low and high end and adding more early reflections can help it feel more “spiritual”
- The hi hats feel a little raw and can possibly be tamed to have a less “white noise” sound quality

Quarl responds:

Thank you Everratic for your review, much love :D

[Life Anew [NGADM]]

The song is so energetic and full of life that it really reflects the robot’s excitement to live life anew. There’s so much ear candy and interesting things going in the background, in addition to the awesome melodies, lyrics, and solos. There’s plenty of variety and dynamic contrast that the track is always engaging and easy to relisten to. What I like most of all is the distinctiveness of the track; you developed a unique style that sounds like it can be used throughout a piece of media in an iconic fashion.

The production is solid in that I can hear everything and there’s no harshness or irritation. The heavy use of reverb contributes to the lively character of the track. I think you may be able to get a more “open” sound through adjustments. I’m going to make some suggestions based on what I’m hearing and some playing around with the track in my DAW, and you can try them and see if they help.
- Use EQ filters on the reverb send, one at around 350hz for the low end and one at around 5-6k hz for the high end. With a side-channel EQ, add a -2db bell cut at around 350hz. This can help produce a cleaner reverb more focused on the higher mids.
- On the master, with a side-channel EQ, try cutting a bit around 350hz and maybe boost up to .5db on the high mids.
- I think giving the track a slightly warmer tonal balance can help the vocals tremendously, without adjusting anything on the vocal channel. You can try making the hi hats and snares a little quieter or roll off a very small amount of the high end. Saturation can help take the edge off them.
- I think the bass can be more tamed. If you open an EQ and see that the bass’ fundamental frequency area is jumping around from note to note, you can use a dynamic EQ or multiband compressor to help it occupy just one area. You can also potentially cut out some mids if it’s not vital to the sound.
- You can use plugins like Gullfoss and Soothe 2 to get a smoother, wider-feeling sound in a way that’s not realistically achievable manually. But note that they can easily hurt the mix in some cases by overcompressing essential dynamics or bringing out unwanted frequencies.

I’m very impressed by what you achieved here and am excited for your next track!

trixelbit responds:

When I saw this review, it was like Christmas!
I can't express how much I appreciate the details you dived into with this!

One major thing that stumped me was trying to achieve a wide sound. Reverb was the only tool I'm my mind to achieve that, but yet still didn't feel quite right. So your plugin suggestions 100% open up uncharted avenues!

Thanks for the technical mix recommendations, I will be revisiting this track again soon and applying these changes. It's probably simple, but the reverb EQing is something I've never even thought to do and would have prevent previous battles against messy sounding reverbs.

The most I desired from this comp was to learn and grow as a composer, and I think this has been immensely helpful to that end.

Thank you again for your time and effort in this feedback! It has been in depth, song specfic and with actionable points of improvement. Can't wait to apply this info in future music!

[Equivocal]

Your playing is magnificent. I love the left hand textures and melodic responses. The use of dynamics makes the piece very engaging and enhances the expression of the melody.

The reverb sounds amazing. I wish I could visit the theoretical hall where this piano is :D

Equivocal is an interesting title. Maybe it's just me, but my interpretation of the composition is that it represents the beauty of the night, with its moonlight glow.

Solacitude responds:

I'm very glad you find the reverb nice enough to be worthy of mention!
I think you know very well how many hours I've put into crafting a better sound quality in the past couple days, and past couple months for that matter. ;)
Dynamics are an important aspect of piano, and many other instruments. It gives such a great tool to express ourselves with a wider range of emotions. I'm glad you noticed! It's so easy to miss on all the subtlety that playing with dynamics can bring. It is one of the things that brings music to life.

Thank you again for the back and forth in DM, it really helped guide me towards more specifics areas that were problematic. Now I can say I'm more satisfied than ever about the result! It will impact all of my creations so it holds a lot of weight in the balance.

If this piece inspires you the beauty of the night with its moonlight glow, and another it's the epic untold stories of forgotten heroes, for someone else it's a sad and nostalgic piece. I think it's testament of the equivocal nature of it :) I also like the title in the sense that it doesn't align the listener's expectation, it's a quite neutral, but full of meaning word. One of the best things about music, is that it can be appropriated in so many ways, unique to each one of us based on our own life experiences, thoughts, feelings, etc. in the end the creator's motives and thoughts matter less in a listening perspective, than how the listeners are moved by it in their own respective way. It's always a pleasure to me to get to know how people are inspired by my music.

Thank you for the nice words and review!