megakill's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A Bowl of Spaghetti]

Definitely An Interesting Concept

Well I wasn't expecting something like this. The name definitely threw me off, but I'm not here to review the name, so never-mind.

I have to say that I did enjoy this piece. It's not really within my preferred genre's, but I still found it interesting and fun to listen to.

The sounds you used all sound good, especially the orchestral elements. A little more depth would have been great, but that's just my opinion.
From a technical perspective, I cant really fault this. There's no spikes in the audio, everything is mixed well, you've used panning and automation etc.; it all worked a treat.

The reason I'm not giving a ten for this, is because although I like the track, I don't feel like you really delivered on what you were aiming for. You made a good start, and I can see what you were trying to do, but the acid elements are far and few, and the dubstep section is very brief and not very prominent.
I just feel like you could have developed this a little further, but that being said, it's still a great track, and something quite original.

Keep up the good work!

*Review Request Club*

Rampant responds:

Thanks for the review, megakill.

To be perfectly honest, I didn't even know what an LFO filter was a month ago, let alone what it actually did. Since I wrote this piece, I've been studying the 'typical' format and structure of dubstep tracks and, although I haven't had the opportunity to put them into practice yet, I will most certainly be aiming to improve my skill set.

Thanks again :)

[KKS - Contact]

One Of The Best Thing's I've Heard In A While...

Well, I'm not really into ambient music and such, and apart from when I'm gaming, I don't really hear much of it. Despite that, I think you've really done yourself proud with this.

My favourite thing about the whole piece is just how smooth and silky the progressions and transitions are. Whether you're introducing new sounds or making the transition to the next section of the song, everything just glides along, and it all sounds in place.

The sounds themselves are great. It's all good quality and nothing sounds like it doesn't belong, which just makes it that much more enjoyable. Theres nothing worse than a good song, ruined by an unneeded sound.

~From a technical perspective I'd say it's more or less spot on. The only thing I would really say needs to be changed, is the levels on the cymbals during "The Great Cruise" could come down a little. They just seem to slightly over-power everything and are a little too loud. But don't remove them, they kick ass.

Also, the same goes for the white noise. It works well, but it's just slightly too loud over the rest of the track.

All in all though, it's a great track, and I look forward to hearing more!

KKSlider60 responds:

Thank you for your kind review, and woot! You're 12th reviewer! XD
Please note that I'm also a lazy ass, so I'll quote myself below, lol:

"If I added more stuff at 5:36 I think it would have sounded a lot more crowded and mastering would have been really difficult at that point, since everything was like on max. As for personal tastes, I can tell you that both the choice of white noise being that static and the textural atmosphere at the end was of vital importance for me and for the whole project."

Thanks again! Glad you enjoyed it so much ^^
KKS

[Just Peachy]

Good try, but it didnt really do it for me...

So I've read your comments and understand that this is supposed to be an electronic version of a grunge song. While I commend you for trying something different, I'm afraid I personally don't think it works too well. Now this might be because of genres, but I'll get into that later.

Now from a technical perspective, it's all pretty tight. The levels are about right, with no major spikes in the audio. All the sounds and synths are pretty good, although I'm not really a fan of the crash and ride. You might wanna quickly take a look at the very end of the song. As the last cymbal rings out you can hear some kind of distortion before it all stops. Not sure what that's all about, and maybe I'm just being fussy, but, still.

So yeah, the technical side is fine for me, but, I think the genre's just conflict too much. It's not terrible or anything, but the vocals for the verses just sound too out of place when compared to the rest of the song. Making it electronic just hasn't really worked in my opinion, however, it has made me wonder what it might have sounded like if you'd tried spinning it more towards another genre.
Have you considered trying to make it more industrial? Or, if you really wanted to mix things up, the vocals for the chorus could be used for some kind of dubstep, although you'd need to be quite experienced in making dubstep to get that to work.

I really wish I could say more to help, it's just that there really isn't much wrong with it, it's just I personally don't think it really worked. Still, I dont doubt other people might be able to get into this, so try and take what I've said with a pinch of salt, and keep on trying man!

*Review Request Club*

SoulSecure responds:

Take a look at my other shit. Pretty much all of it is either post industrial or some genre bending song that can't be easily placed.

No, no, that's a 'blip' that comes from the rhythm synth being an asshole. I really couldn't stop it from doing that in FL Studio. I mean, I could get rid of it quite easily by exporting the track from the song to Audacity, simply silence the blips, porting the rest of the song into Aud and lining them up, blah, blah, blah. I just didn't feel like going off and doing it. I might do it if I come back to this song before I put it on an album.

Industrial? I do that type of shit all the time.
Dubstep? *insert raging rant about my hatred for such filth*

Nah dude, everyone perceives everything differently from everyone else. I enjoyed getting this kind of reaction, because my music is definitely not for everybody and nobody, except myself, is going to like all of my songs.

[-=BUGG=- Reflection]

Very well done

I have to just start by just congratulating you. This is a great track, with few errors in my opinion. Theres one or two places I'll mention that I think you should go back and fiddle with, but otherwise, it's a very solid piece of work, and clearly shows you have talent.

It starts off strong, with a good driving beat and nice progressive intro. You've used some good synths throughout, and blended them nicely. It never sounds too clustered or like anything really clashes.
All the transitions work great, and it just has great fluidity. Also, I've seen that someone mentioned that they didn't like the high-pitched synth. Although I understand where they're coming from, I disagree. I think it adds character, and if you're worried about it hurting peoples ears, I would simply go back and EQ it again, just cutting out a little of the high end.

One thing that I feel could be improved is the bass and low end. I think you may want to consider adding a more prominent bassline, just to give more contrast to the high end. I'm not talking about adding some kind of WUBWUBWUBWUBWUB bassline or anything like that, but just something subtle to thicken it up a little.
Also, bring the level down on the kick ever so slightly, and then give its low end a slight boost. You'll hear the difference.

Apart from those little hiccups, you've definitely got something to be proud of here. Keep it up!

*Review Request Club*

BuggMusic responds:

Thanks for the review! I agree, the lead does need some tweaking, might come back to it at a later time. You're right about the bass, it lacks character because bass is something I'm just not good at. Thanks :)

[~SW~ Depth Charge WIP]

Still Needs Some Tweaking

Well, I can tell you've put a lot of effort into this, and when it comes to the audio portal, that's what I loo for most. You can always tell who's actually trying, and who's just submitting their random half-assed projects. So, Good job on that one!

It's a very progressive song, with lots and lots of different elements, so don't feel disheartened by the mistakes you've made, or areas that need improvement. It's still work in progress, and I'm very keen to see it finished.

The title fits it perfectly. With the rise and fall of the levels of each track, it's easy to link it to the heaving of the ocean. The sounds all gel together extremely well, and there isn't anything that sounds even vaguely out of place.
It's somehow hypnotic in the way it changes and progresses, and all the transitions work wonderfully.

I particularly like the introduction. The way it starts with sounds of waves clashing and slowly builds into the song itself was frankly a stroke of genius. It was perfect in my opinion. Also, pitch-shift; nice touch.

The place where it's somewhat brought down for me is the mix, however, I have studied music tech myself, and in specific, mixing, and I can certainly tell that this would be a very tricky track to get right, so don't worry.
Firstly, the drums seem inconsistent to me. I understand that they fade in and out, however, at some points the snare and high-hats are relatively far back in the mix, when compared to the rest of the track. Also, the kick drum needs some attention. The sound of the kick itself is fine, but I found that I was struggling to hear it through-out most of the song. It doesn't need to be a dominant force in the song, but it does need to be slightly louder, just so its presence is felt a little more.

Keeping in the same area, Some of the synths also get pushed a little too far back in the mix once other sounds are introduced. It's going to be a very fine balance to get it all spot on, so it's understandable. You just need to tweak the levels a little more. Nothing major, just minor touch-ups here and there.

In terms of effects, the amount of reverb you've used is great. you don't constantly have lingering sounds echoing through the track and clashing, but you have enough to give them the right twist that characterises this song. The delay used is also great, absolutely no problems there.
You may want to consider using a bit more panning. Some sweeps from left to right and vice versa will really add to the rise and fall feeling.

Now, You've got a lot of mids, a few lows, and a few highs. I would suggest bringing down the lever on some of the more pronounced highs, keeping the mids where they are, and slightly boosting the lows, but only subtly for each. That should hopefully take out any little stabs that are left, and thicken it all up a bit.

Above all, finish this track. It's sounding great, and if you upload a finished, completed version, I'll definitely be downloading it.

[[dB] Sleepwalker]

This is a difficult one...

Well, I'm really torn about this. I've given you a seven, but I could have easily brought it down to a six for various reasons. Allow me to explain:

The song starts great; interesting choice of instrument, great sound quality, and a solid mix. The drums are crisp and clear, nothing distorts. I was sat thinking "Okay, I'm looking forward to this one, I can get into this."
Then nothing. You automate a nice breakbeat, which doesn't kick in quite how I would have expected, or liked, but it gets there eventually, which is what counts.
But it only lasts very briefly. I was expecting a fast paced tune with good progression, nice variation in the drums, and great sound, but I was only presented with that once, for a very brief instance.

I say brief, because once the song drops, it's only a few bars until you introduce another synth. Adding more layers and synths isn't a problem, but they smother the whole track for the short section they play. Their levels needed to be brought down to fit the mix better. It was like stubbing my toe because it was so quick and sudden.

The track then gradually reduces, and for the remainder of the song, I felt like I was just waiting for the next drop, or for something to happen, or some kind of climax. When it doesn't come, I just feel sort of disappointed.

The mix itself isn't too bad. There's a few spikes in the levels when certain sounds are introduced as I just mentioned, but overall, everything has it's own space, is audible, and sounds very crisp.

Like I said, this is a tricky one. There's instances of brilliance, and great potential, but then I just feel like it never really picks up. It doesn't hit full speed, and for the brief instance where it's on the verge of being brilliant, it's ruined by an overbearing synth and bass-line.

Good job, but maybe it just wasn't for me.

Also, nineteen seconds of space at the end of the track. What's up with that?

Decibel responds:

I expected the reviews to be more harsh when I saw a 7. But that was extremely helpful :) Thanks for the in-depth observations and tips mate.

I don't have access to a computer at the moment - but I'll be sure to check those insights out when I do.

Thanks for the review again ;)

[Ride Through The Madness]

Well, at least it's in time...

Well, lets start with the obvious...

It's not great. It just isn't.
The melody doesn't work. It's all over the place, with no real pattern or anything. It's like you couldn't decide if you wanted it to sound dark and disturbing, or bright and joyful. If your intention was for it to sail through both, then the transition is simply poor.

The guitar sound is average, I guess. It's not terrible quality, but it's not exactly great either. The drums are appalling. Of all the combinations, why the snare and ride? I mean the kick would have been much better to use instead of the snare, but then maybe that's just personal preference.

I wish there was more I could say, but its so thin and minimal, that there's really not much to comment on, and what there is, happens to be of a low standard.

I'm sorry, but you've got to try harder next time.

[Foggy Future Schools]

Very mellow and ambient

This song really does have a very ambient feel to it, but it still fits the trance genre due to the drums and hooks, so good job on pulling it back into the genre you intended. I've seen lots of trance songs stray way too far into the ambient genre to be classed as trance any more.

The sound quality of the song itself is of a high standard. I cant hear any clipping, and nothing distorts throughout. That being said, I feel like the mix itself maybe isn't as good as it could be. As each new sound is introduced, they cut through the mix and make themselves heard. This is as it should be, however, I found that at some points the bass becomes slightly too far back, and one or two of the synths are overpowered. Despite this, there are no major spikes in the levels, and so although some things may be lost at points, no one sound ever jumps out and dominates the whole track.

The melodies are all catchy and memorable. I can already see this being used in some kind of game, and could happily listen to it on a nice day, when I'm just trying to relax.

All in all, you've earned a download from me, and all I can ask that you improve upon is some minor issues with the mix itself. Other than that, you've done a great job!

Sawdust responds:

Thanks a lot, man. I actually have no idea what genre this is, though, lol. I guess I'll just reset it to Video Game or something.

I'm glad you liked it!

[Rainforest Temple]

Really sets the atmosphere

I can really picture this being used as music in a game or animation during a creepy jungle scene, so you've achieved exactly what you set out to do.

You've used appropriate sounds and it's all very clear and well presented.

One thing I will suggest is maybe adding a few subtle sounds of wildlife (bats in the background or something), and maybe panning the drums a little.

Otherwise, it's a great piece!

[Symphony of the Machines]

Holds potential...

I like the song as a whole. It's got a good, dark, grungy feel to it, and you've used all the right kinds of sounds and kept it interesting through-out, however, my problem is that as you start adding more elements its starts sounding a little too distorted and rough around the edges.

Its clearly supposed to sound rough and distorted, which is fine, but it just takes it a little to far to the point where its a little hard to make everything out.

Overall though, it's a good track and you've done well. But yeah, just work on making the mix a little clearer and you've got a solid tune here.