Everratic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[SpeedRunning - NGADM Round 2]

The mix sounds very pleasant at any particular moment, but I find it a little fatiguing after listening to the full song. Consider making deeper cuts between 2-4k hz on some of the leads.

The sound design is solid, and the track is constantly stimulating. I like the use of sound effects. This genre isn't my cup of tea so I don't have more to add. Nice work!

Spadezer responds:

yeah I can hear where you're getting at (wish I would have made some adjustments before the deadline but whatevs). Glad you liked it!

[Village Fest - NGADM Round 2]

This is extremely fun to listen to :D

Santi-Montali responds:

Glad you liked it! I'll be listening to yours in a bit :)

[SM64 Cover | Jolly Roger Bay on Rhodes]

This is my favorite cover of this song <3

anthonyragus responds:

Yooo, thanks you for your kind words. Speaking of your reply to my comment and dynamic EQs, TDR Nova was crucial in taming those wompy frequencies in the rhodes. Bass range sure can be a wild beast.

[In the way everlasting]

It's so beautiful <3

Phonometrologist responds:

Hi Everratic! Glad you think so. Doubt creeps in between the time of creation and publishing.

[Atlantis [NGADM Round 1]]

I totally understand the feeling of not having enough time to make your song sound the way you hoped, but this isn't bad. I like the melody, sound design and use of vocals.

I think the mix sounds overhyped in the highs and the type of reverb you're using sounds unpleasant to me. I imagine a cleaner reverb could make this sound significantly better, but I'm not certain. EQing both the lows and highs of the reverb instances can help a bit.

Benji-G responds:

Hey there, thanks for the review! I gotta agree with you that it does sound pretty overhyped in the highs. There's a lot of supersaw action going on in the drop, which is probably why it sounds that way. I could go in and lower some of those frequencies and see if that helps it. Thanks again!

[She Lives Through You]

This is indeed very emotional. I really like the chord choices and harmonies :D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I'm glad you liked it, thank you for listening!

[The Keyhole]

I generally enjoy the composition, especially the pretty section at 3:00. The structure is solid, and the intro and outro are well executed. I do, however, feel like this is an outline of a track to be completed.

One prominent problem is the apparent lack of dynamics automation and variation. The orchestra can be played at many different levels of volume/intensity, and this effects the timbre and utility of all the instruments. Modern sample libraries usually have at least 3 layers. It's important to use these different layers to make each phrase more expressive and properly shaped, and to strengthen the contrast in intensity between sections. When working with sample libraries, be mindful of the machine gun effect that occurs when you repeat the same sample repeatedly. Some solutions are to vary the velocity with each note, use a specialized library with multiple samples for each note type, or switch between different articulations.

I think you can employ more string articulations. For example, tremolo can be nice at :23 and 2:02. Harmonics could be useful in the intro and outro.

I think the :30 section could use a lot more movement. Runs can be quite useful here.

At 1:40, the horn sounds like it's hitting the compressor hard. I think trumpets would be more comfortable there.

At 2:40 the piano is masked by the strings. You could double the line with another percussive instrument,

At 2:45 the cello melody is not very noticeable in its lower register. The line could be doubled with another string instrument or woodwind. Also, when the cello is reaches its highest notes, you can swap it with viola/violin so it feels more natural.

In the outro, it sounds like all the piano notes are being played at the same velocity. It might help make the bass and middle note slightly softer.

Although I think you did a good job establishing a certain vibe with each section, I do think this track has more melodic potential. I didn't notice a memorable melody throughout the piece.

Good luck! I don't typically write such detailed reviews in ngadm, but in this case I had a lot to say, and there's still time before the deadline to make changes.

RedCocoa responds:

Damn, that's a very in depth review, thanks :D
I'm going to test your suggestions out, this is pretty much the first pure orchestra piece I wrote so I was almost sure I made some mistakes. Hopefully I'll manage to update the track before the deadline lol

[Amiss]

Nice work! This is very relaxing, and there are many interesting chords and effects :)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Why thank you! I'm glad it was interesting. I took an unusual (for me) approach to composing this one.

[I N S U R R E C T I O N]

I love it!

zybor responds:

Thank you Everratic 😊