Everratic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[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!

[A Little Help Goes a Long Way]

I feel like I'm watching a cute, animated movie where an entire village comes together to throw a surprise party for someone. I'm blown away by the extent to which the composition feels like it's reflecting the actions of nonexistent characters over different scenes - how do you do it? The instrumentation is so charming, and I love the addition of uke and ocarina. The orchestration in the final section is excellent.

My main gripe is with the very end. The resolution feels rushed, as well as the fade to silence.

Mixing comments:
- The glockenspiel sounds a little clicky at times.
- The snare gets lost in the mix, fading in and out
- I think some high mids can be cut from the strings, and this can help the snare
- The loud staccato strings make the right side of the mix feel very heavy, as the melody on the left is relatively quiet. I think you can potentially get a more engaging mix by moving the viola? to the left side - and reverse the stereo so it sounds natural.

Kassich responds:

Thank you for reviewing and judging! Always fun to participate in these events!

[The Ocean is So Near - NGADM]

This composition resonates with me on such a deep level that I can't remember the last time I felt like this from a piece of music. It reminds me of my fondest memories and my longing to have those experiences again. It's incredible how well you captured that feeling.

The structure is phenomenal. The softer sections feel reflective and wistful, and the louder sections feel cathartic, empowered by the strong dynamic and textural contrasts.

In the second climax, I like the addition of the piccolo, but it’s a bit distracting because of how much it sticks out in the mix, and it doesn't seem like the most important line. The arrangement is excellent overall, but at times like 3:30, I hear some instruments being masked. I think there might be too much going on in the mid register.

The production and midi quality don’t meet today’s standards, unfortunately. I know you expressed interest in investing in quality sample libraries. With your level of talent and skill, I think it’s well worth it. Not only will you get more realistic samples, but it will be much easier to create an engaging atmosphere and simulate a real space like a concert hall. You can always ask questions about this in the orchestral group! If you improve your production even slightly, I think you'll have a significantly better chance of making it to the final rounds next time.

Fox4567 responds:

Dude, thank you so much. I’m so glad to hear you connected with my music and I’ll for sure stick around in the orchestral group.

[Struggle]

The melody in the first section is lovely and whimsical. The way the composition seems to transition from an innocent beginning to a sense of struggle is masterful. The final section leaves me feeling that while the struggle persists, the subject learns to accept it.

The structure is excellent as it is, but it would be nice to hear this concept more fleshed out with more distinct sections.

I’m impressed by the use of the 13/8 time signature. The composition is very smooth and has a nice flow. I like etherealwind's rainfall visual; for me it has more of a snowfall quality :)

After the first section, I think the left hand arrangement could be a little more dynamic. The frequent low register bass notes get slightly fatiguing after a while, but it’s a minor gripe.

The track has noticeable levels of distortion and untamed resonances that sadly hinder the listening experience, especially with speakers. I also think there’s a lot of harshness around 2k hz.

I’m a big fan of your compositions and admire your storytelling abilities through music. I know my production score might sting, but this is an otherwise excellent piece, and I’m sure your production quality will greatly improve with time. Remember that there are many people in the community who can offer mixing feedback and assistance – I recommend joining the Discord server.

Solacitude responds:

Production quality has been the big weakness dragging me behind it seems, so I'm all for correcting it. I didn't feel like playing music today, but I reworked my post processing. I may send you a newer version, and if you have the time and feel like it, I may ask you for an opinion on the new mix. 3/10 was hard on the moral I admit. It was really a huge negative surprise, I didn't expect to be considered the worst of all, and by a big margin, in any category.

I get what you say though about mid frequencies blurring the mix. I use 4 mics, each their own EQ and compression, and add mix and master bus effects to glue it together. Keeping a clean sound over a wide range of dynamic with an instrument that creates a wide range of frequencies like a piano is way less easy than most people think. Nothing can be cut too much (Except very low freq) or it deteriorates the natural quality, the richness of the sound. Keep a bit too much of one freq on one of the mics and you lose definition in certain ranges as soon as louder dynamic comes.

Despite the harshness of this production score. I'm all for making it better! Better sooner than later. If my sound quality is disgusting I don't want to publish too many pieces before it's better. I'll reupload new versions of all the pieces I already uploaded at some point. I prefer 3/10 and high scores in other categories than high prod but low everything else! That's my consolation prize :)

I'm glad you find those qualities in my music despite attributing it a poor production quality.
I'll make it better! Thank you very much for the thorough review.

[A Minor Odyssey]

The melodies, accompaniment and drums are fantastic. The drum grooves align well to the melody, and the fills smoothly transition to the next section. The automation on the leads add a lot of character and make for good ear candy. I appreciate the understated feel of the piece, which makes for a smooth listen.

The track feels on the quiet side despite the high peaks in the waveform. Some subtle compression can reduce the peaks of the drums and allow you to bring up the volume a bit. The mix is pretty good, and part of that is thanks to a solid arrangement. I think there is room to add some personal flair to the mix though, as it feels a little vanilla. Maybe you can experiment with interesting reverbs, saturation, etc.

ChrisisD responds:

Thanks for your review and taking the time to listen! As for your comments, you’re absolutely right. I haven’t had the time to reach the mastering-stage for this track. It definitely needs some compression and could do with some effects as you mentioned.

[Broken Dream]

This is one of the most moving compositions I heard in a long time. 1:36 brings tears to my eyes. I sense so much emotion in every note and chord. It feels like you shared a very vulnerable part of yourself.

HollandAlbright responds:

Thank you, that means a lot- this one was expressing some heavy feelings when I was going through a rough time.

[FD - Save Point 17]

I love your ambient tracks! This one reminds me of that feeling of awe I had my first time exploring the world of Skyrim.

ForgottenDawn responds:

Thank you for your kind words. It means a lot to me right now. 🙏