Everratic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[DAZZLING DUNES]

This is very catchy and lively :D

RedSkiesOfficial responds:

Thanksies

[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.

Stargame 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.

[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.

[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

[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! :)

[Dreamland]

I like the bittersweet chord progression, and the orchestration is pretty good. I especially like the solo cello and choir lines. The transitions and pacing of the song are excellent.

I think the main thing that's missing from this track is a strong, thick bass line. I'm not necessarily referring to bass frequencies - it seems you covered that. To achieve the desired warmth with this type of music, you need a strong underpinning that could just be a single bass note per bar played by multiple instruments.

You might want to reduce the high-mids in the master channel to get a more dreamlike and less in-your-face sound. Here's a picture of what I mean: https://imgur.com/a/qinVPr3

I first listened to this with my phone speakers, and the sound was very distorted. That can be fixed somewhat by using dynamic EQ on certain instruments such as violin and piano or using a plugin such as Gullfoss.

Nice work!

KevinMueller responds:

Thanks for the review :)

Those are some great tips and I'll try to consider them next time.
Thanks a lot!

[Elves under Attack]

Your mixing has improved a lot! The mix feels wide, and it's pretty clean and balanced for the most part.

I dislike how the choir feels buried in the mix at times, but it blends well, isn't distracting, and enhances the piece nonetheless, so I suppose it works. I see Cinewinds is used here but I'm having trouble discerning the woodwinds. I think more woodwinds can be used for countermelodies, ornamentation, and doubling.

The tremolo note at 1:08 lasts too long imo, and it makes the track feel less realistic.

During the climax at 1:15, I think there's room to double the melody and horn notes with woodwinds an octave higher.

at 1:47, I think a flute can be used to soften the high strings and enhance the emotion.

There are many ways I can imagine the woodwind family enhancing this track, but I'm not sure if it would fit what you were aiming for.

This is a lovely piece with solid dynamics and structure.

KevinMueller responds:

Thanks again for your feedback EverErratic! I really appreciate it. :)

You're right, I could improve on my woodwinds. I'll definitely keep the tips you gave me in mind for the next time. :)