Everratic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM2020 - Lord of Naxxramas]

I love the busier sections. You effectively established a dark and sinister mood, and I feel like the composition says a lot about the character.

I found the repetitive and prominent organ line difficult to listen to for a long period of time.

I think it would be nice if there were some interspersed unexpected major chords, which I found can be quite useful in enhancing a dark atmosphere.

I wish there was a section that provided some contrast from the rest of the piece. Perhaps you could have made a lighter section that has the same mood but with lighter instrumentation, such as flutes, celesta, glockenspiel, etc.

I enjoyed this a lot despite these minor gripes :)

NativeNiles responds:

Thx for your input. I greatly appreciate it.

[AIM2020 - Cyber Race]

This is perfectly suited for a race track song. It's fast paced, full of energy, and I think you captured the dark-space theme well with your choice of synths. I think the melody could be a bit better; I feel like there are too many long sustain notes, and I wish it had more leaps and went into the next octave for a short period. It kinda feels like a placeholder melody rather than one that makes the track shine. It would be nice if the song had a more conclusive ending, or alternatively, if it was a loop. This is great work!

TenodiBoris responds:

Thanks for the review 😁

[Live to Love]

This is really good! I'm pleasantly surprised you made this with free instruments.The percussion is fantastic, and you did a good job at establishing a gloomy mood.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Try layering the string staccato lines with staccatos from other families or even tonal percussion. I also recommend layering tuba and trombone in some cases.
2. I think the flutes could sound slightly sharper without having that unwanted piercing sound. Maybe you could use EQ for this effect or simply move the song to another key so the flute's lines move closer to top of its register.
3. There are times when the song seems to lack high end with the melodic instruments. Maybe glockenspiel or celesta can be used to fill that space.
4. I feel like the choir sounds a bit too close, maybe changing the EQ in the high mids could help make it sound like it's more in the back of the room.

zybor responds:

Thank you for your constructive criticism, EverErratic. They're very helpful :)

Have a great weekend to you!

[Will of the Wisp OST - 04 - Vines]

Wow, you managed to make a loop that’s seamless even on the ng audio player!

I love the chord progressions and the writing for the strings. The melody is quite catchy. The orchestration at the very end is awesome.

The solo violin performance doesn’t feel that realistic but it gets the job done.

Something about the mix bothered me so I downloaded the track, put it in my DAW, and played around with an EQ. I found the song to sound more pleasant with 2db cuts around both 120hz and 4Khz.

I enjoyed this a lot!

Miyolophone responds:

thank you!! that's very useful advice—i'll check those frequencies out when i go back into the project file for revisions.

[Rebirth]

There are many pleasant surprises melodically. I love when the melody continually rises at the end.

The mixing is excellent. It feels soft and velvety, and it's not too loud which is a common problem.

The structure is perfect. The entire piece feels cohesive, and there's just the right amount of variation.

I don't have any criticism. The execution is near perfect as far as I can tell.

AceMantra responds:

Thanks, friend! It really means a lot! :)

[-Moody Lights on Fallen Leaves-]

This is very emotional. I love the chord progressions!

The celesta (or whatever it is) would sound much more pleasant with some dynamic EQ. It’s a bit harsh right now, and the strong panning doesn’t help.

Another mixing issue is that the mix is mid-heavy, but I believe this could easily be solved by changing the octaves for different lines as well as possibly changing the key of the song for more favorable frequencies.

I enjoyed this a lot :)

ConnorHeather responds:

Thank you for the great constructive criticism, glad you enjoyed it! much appreciated!

[mantle of blue]

I love the melody and the key changes.

Troisnyx responds:

*ah what is trois without key changes*
No, I kid, I kid. Thank you ❤️

[Aim 2020: With the Wind]

The composition is beautiful at times; I particularly like choir introduction at 2:00. The instrumentation is solid and fits the art that inspired you. Some of the chord combinations and the orchestration effectively reflect the beauty and elegance found in the art. I really like the phrasing of the piano and the addition of the glockenspiel.

There are times when I'm not sure what the song is trying to portray and it feels emotionally neutral. :40 to 1:05 is a good example of this. It feels like filler to me, and it diminishes the song's replayability.

Through the music, I wanted to learn more about the subjects of the painting. What kind of woman is she, and what's going on in her life? Is this merely a painting of a woman at a farm or is someone, perhaps a lover, thinking about her and their shared experience on a farm? These questions could be answered to some extent with certain chord progressions and melodic techniques. The song's relation to the art feels a little too vague for me.

Some instruments, such as the guitar and harp, sound a little muddy. Some EQing and maybe dynamic EQ could help clear that up. I also think the piano could benefit from a slightly brighter sound from EQ work.

I mostly enjoy how you wrote for the strings, though I think some more articulations could be nice. I found a few places, such as the very ending, where I think trills could add some nice color.

The introduction and outro are excellent. I was drawn into the song immediately, and although I didn't love everything in the middle, the outro was satisfying.

Gl in the contest!

[AIM 2020 - Acrylic Mornings]

I really like the choice of chords throughout the track. You effectively created chord progressions that portray both blissful innocence and awe without without straying from the still nature of a painting, and this was done by frequently juxtaposing the tonic chord with chords that portray a variety of contrasting moods.

I like the lack of resolution. It helps establish the piece as one that embodies the painting rather than one that tells a story beyond it.

1:34 could be an apt moment for a climax. The satisfying chord here could be further emphasized with additional instrumentation.

I think the mix has too many low-mids and each instrument sounds like it could benefit from a lot of EQing. The strings sound thin, especially relative to the wide piano. I think ideally the piano should feel more buoyant in such a track,

Gl in the contest! I'm not sure if I'll enter this year.

AlbeGian responds:

Thanks man! Glad you liked the composition. And yeah, after all these years I still have a lot of flaws with mixing and mastering (almost as if I never nail a correct mix everytime), so big thank you for pointing it all out, I'll have that in mind. I'm sure I'll get it correct someday lol
GL to you too in case you enter!

[AIM -Dream Island-]

I really like the percussion, unexpected transitions, and the effects on the leads. Gl in the contest!

Preds responds:

Thank you man! Means a lot :)