megakill's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[~SW~ Depth Charge]

Definitely A Favourite Of Mine

I'm glad that you went on to finish this track and touch everything up, because what you've produced is one of the best songs I've heard in the portal.

You ironed out all the issues with the synth levels, giving everything it's own place in the mix, the frequencies are all a lot cleaner and pretty much spot on.
I really don't have much to say in terms of constructive criticism, because there's very little left that would need to be improved. You've addressed pretty much everything I touched upon in my review of the unfinished version, and the ending fits extremely well.

I'd have still liked the kick to be slightly more prominent, but that's only really a minor edit.

All things considered, this is a great piece.

As promised, I've given 5/5, fav'd it, and downloaded it.

Great work!

*Review Request Club*

SkyeWint responds:

Glad you enjoy it! I hope that I can bring more music that you enjoy like this to the review request club for the awesome reviews. Too bad I can't review my own music. :P Anyway.

The kick isn't meant to be overpowering the other things in the piece, and I did amp it up a bit, but when I tried amping it more than how much it is, it caused mixing issues on other levels. :(

You had one of the most comprehensive reviews with the most advice on what to do for mixing, and since I haven't studied mixing, but instead composition... that was a HUGE help. I tried a lot to fix up what you pointed out, and apparently did well. Yay.

Thanks again for the review!

[Idyllic Memories]

It Sounds Like It Could Be Great...

This is an example of a good song, ruined by it's mix.

I really would have liked this, except that the mix completely kills it.
It sounds like it could be really nice, and pleasing to the ears, and somewhat graceful, but the harp, clarinet and strings just clash together and distort throughout the song.
It may be because you've got the levels too high, it may be because of the EQ, it may just be because of your headphones/speakers, but whatever the case is, it's ruined the song for me.

On the plus side, if it weren't for the mix, I'd really like it. The transitions work well, and the melodies are very satisfying.

Really though, if mixing isn't your strong point, you might want to consider sending it to a friend to mix for you, because it really is a shame that that's what's bringing the score down.

*Review Request Club*

WizMystery responds:

I'll try remastering it and sending it to you, nobody else has noticed but you might be right.

[Krowe - Differences]

Definitely Liking This Track

Man, you're definitely onto a winner here.

I think as far as dubstep goes, this is one of the best tunes I've heard on the audio portal.
The beat is spot on. Quite typical of dubstep, but that doesn't always have to be a bad thing; it definitely works well here.
The bass sounds you've used and all the synths are great. They sound just right for dubstep, and all work really well together.
The way you've aranged the track and some of the effects and techniques you've used all work really well together, and the whole thing just sounds great. I wish I could be more specific, but as a whole, I love it.

One, problem. The mix.
Theres a little too much high-end frequencies, and I found that it clipped slightly in various places. The clipping may be because of my soundcard, but I cant be certain, so I figured I'd tell you so you can double check.
But yeah, the songs got a great grove, it's just when the highs get a little too much, it's a bit of a distraction for me.

All in all though, I think this is great, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from you.

Fav'd ;)

*Review Request Club*

KroweMusic responds:

Hey thanks for the review man :)

My mixing skills have always suffered. I'm still trying to learn how to mix perfectly, so I'll eventually get it down.

Again, thanks for reviewing! Glad you enjoyed it!

[[Kieda] Yearning Hearts]

I'm So Torn Up About This...

And I actually feel really bad and kind of guilty about giving you a six, because I really wanna give you more, there's just one or two little things that are really bugging me about this.

First things first though, I think it's a good tune, and I agree about it telling a story. I can tell you've put a fair amount of effort into this. and I love how its generally a more laid back drum'n'bass track. I's got some great synths and the piano is definitely a nice touch.

The mix is general is fairly decent. Everything is clear and crisp, nothing distorts, so good job there, but there is one problem with it; the bass.

It just needs to be turned up and thickened. It's definitely there, especially after the drop, but its far too quiet for my liking. I appreciate that this isn't a song that needs a very heavy, dirty sounding bassline, but it still needs to be somewhat more prominent.
On top of that, I just felt like it was a little anticlimactic. When it drops after the build-up, I was really expecting it to just burst with a tasty breakbeat and sweet bassline, and although it was good, it just wasnt quite enough for me.3

I feel really harsh about it, because I do like this, and I'm actually going to favourite it, but I've got to be fair in my review, and award points accordingly.

Great job though, and I really hope you go on to upload more!

*Review Request Club*

Kieda responds:

Finally honest critic from RRC :O

Thanks for the long analysis (: I've always been crap at mixing and making good bass, but as it seems that the mixing problem is solved, I'll focus on the bass next. And I promise I'll add a breakbeat (or similar) section to my next song (:

Those 10/10 reviews might keep my motivation up, but reviews like yours actually help me to improve my skills [=

[[FR] Siege]

Not Entirely Sure What To Make Of This...

This review is going to be tricky. I can already tell.

You've listed the song as miscellaneous, which is fine, but it certainly doesn't help me to compare this to anything haha. Believe me, I wouldn't really know where to class this either.

It's strangely calming. I think it's something to do with the way it starts, but I really just cant put my finger on anything to do with this song. I know I really like it, but I cant quite explain why.
It's just a mellow track with a good beat and some nice sounds. There's not really much more you can ask for, unless you're looking for something specific.

I do however think that the bass sounds a little thin, and the drums that are playing around 1:48 could do with being somewhat louder, but I mean, really that's not too much to complain about.

This track just has a charm about it that I cant fully explain. It's somewhat mystifying, and just makes me feel peaceful and calm.

If you add vocals, I'd personally only add something minimal, like a woman's solo voice, with heavy reverb and slight delay, here and there throughout the track. No actual lyrics. Something reminiscent of early 90's trance.

Really though you've done a great job, and the more I listen, the more I like it.

Fav'd ;)

*Review Request Club*

Frazmaster responds:

I'd classify it under 'Downtempo' but obviously there was no downtempo label to give it.
thanks a lot for the review and the advice, means heaps.

[2011 Rabidsquirl Voice Demo]

You've Definitely Got Talent

I've never actually done a review solely for voice acting, so you'll have to forgive me if this is a little brief.

I think you've clearly got talent and can cover a wide assortment of characters very convincingly. You're good at portraying emotion, and you've put a decent amount of effort into making this voice demo more than just another monologue.

One thing that you might want to improve however is the sound quality and mix. The highs need to be brought down, and the lows could use a slight boost, just to thicken it up and take away some of the hissing.
I don't know if you mixed this yourself, but, there you go.

Really though, this is good stuff. Keep it up!

*Review Request Club*

Rabidssquirrel responds:

Thanks so much! It took me three years to finally write and produce a new demo, so there was indeed some work behind it. :)

And thankyou for the tip! No one has pointed that out to me, but since you've said it, I totally agree with you! It does have a bit of a crunch to it, doesn't it? Thanks so much! :)

[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 :)